Cartagena – the icing on the cake of Colombia
This is it - my last post in South America (for now)! Next, join me in Europe. For me, Cartagena was a jewel in the crown of South America. I found the place enchanting. I stayed for 4 days and didn't leave the city for any excursions, I found that it was a great place... Continue Reading →
Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas
I had heard mixed reviews about the trip to the northernmost tip of south America, generally either five stars like at this blog or one star*, with few in between. So it was with a slight sense of defiance that our group of seven intrepid explorers set out on this journey to the end of the... Continue Reading →
Coste̱o Beach, El Rio and Palomino РColombian north coast chillout spots
I left Santa Marta with Tom and Lilly and we headed for a night at Costeño Beach Surf Camp. We caught a local bus along the main road past Tayrona and then hopped off at the entrance to Costeño.The walk is about 40 minutes down the sandy track but luckily we were able to hitch a... Continue Reading →
Minca – clouds, bugs and waterfalls
Minca was a cool place and worth a couple of days, it is super easy to get to from Santa Marta; you just hop on a collectivo or you can arrange for one to swing by and collect you from a hostel. We paid $10.000COP per person for the hair-raising ride along steep winding roads... Continue Reading →
Taganga – gateway to diving in Tayrona National Park
After such a phenomenal time diving in the Galapagos, I genuinely felt a huge amount of trepidation ahead of my next dive - what if diving just wasn't the same now?! Fears were unwarranted - the diving here is great! I went with Oceano Scuba, a German-owned 5-star PADI dive centre that has been running... Continue Reading →
Tayrona National Park – a paradise all to ourselves
I had heard such good things about Tayrona National Park that it was great to be able to explore it with a good group, so soon after I arrived at the Caribbean Coast. A short bus ride from Santa Marta lies Tayrona National Park, a tropical paradise where the jungle runs right down to meet... Continue Reading →
Santa Marta Dreamer Hostel – home from home
At Santa Marta I stayed at The Dreamer Hostel. A place I have been hearing about for months and an absolute must if you are staying in the North of Colombia. It's not cheap, with rooms costing upwards of $30.000COP (10-bed basic with fan). $33.000COP per night will get you air-conditioning - the first I... Continue Reading →
Guatap̩ Рa grand day out
You ever decide to do something and before you even get there you realise it's gonna be awesome?! Today I visited La Piedra, a giant rock that you can climb up near a tiny town called Guatapé, a 2-hour bus journey from MedellÃn. You take the bus from the North Terminal, just outside the Caribe... Continue Reading →
MedellÃn – first impressions
I can certainly understand why so many people end up staying here indefinitely, it's an intriguing place. I wonder if I will end up joining them. I've decided to write this after my first day in the city to see how it compares to my thoughts after more exploring. El Poblado One of the main... Continue Reading →
3 Days in Bogotá – it’s a must
The bus arrived into Bogotá central station at 1:30am, much earlier than we expected. The other girls managed to get a reservation at a hostel in La Candelaria district which is the ideal place to stay and I managed to get a bed at an awesome hostel called Masaya. Dorm beds are $32,000COP per night... Continue Reading →
Tejo – the best game in the world
I couldn't love this game any more!! Los Amigos Tejo in Salento is where I first played, it usually costs around $3.000COP to play and you're expected to buy a beer (practically part of the rules!). The game itself is simple. Each player picks a lead weight which they then throw from an agreed distance... Continue Reading →
Salento – fresh coffee, magnificent palm trees and hummingbirds galore
The next stop on my adventure is Salento, in the heart of Colombia's coffee region. After my final salsa lesson with Alex I caught the bus from Cali to Armenia (3hours, $22.000COP) and arrived at a very futuristic looking bus terminal where I found it easier than expected to locate the bus to Salento (1hour20,... Continue Reading →
Cali – Salsa capital!
I returned to Cali for almost a week to take salsa classes and go out to the famous salsa bars. I had a fantastic time! First things first - Salsa and a Place to Stay I stayed at Hostal El Viajero, which isn't cheap but it's a great hostel with a nice atmosphere, plenty of... Continue Reading →
Colombia – my first days in the jewel of South America
Everyone I have met that has been to Colombia has loved it, without exception, and I have been so excited deep-down ever since I left the UK to reach this place. And now I'm here!! I touched down in Cali Airport after a terrible hungover journey and shared a taxi into the old part of... Continue Reading →
Amazon Rainforest at Cuyabeno – no such thing as silence
My first trip to the Amazon Rainforest will certainly not be the last. I loved it!! I can't believe I nearly skipped it. For this 4-day trip I was with Sharon and Paul from the Netherlands and Elaine from Ireland and we made a great bunch. We left Quito at 11pm on a nightbus transfer... Continue Reading →
Quilotoa Loop – finally some fabulous weather!
A group of five of us set out from Secret Garden to hike for three days to a volcano crater (Paul joined us on the first night). We stayed overnight in Latacunga at Hostel Tiana which was actually a fairly decent hostel with interesting split-level rooms, costing $10.50 per night including breakfast.We had breakfast, bought... Continue Reading →
Getting high in Ecuador – 5897m Volcan Cotopaxi Summit
The journey to Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel from Machachi was so uncomfortable that it was funny. Finn got grumpy about it so I left him to it! The Secret Garden is in the middle of nowhere, across a valley from Cotopaxi, surrounded by other volcanoes. We arrived as it was getting dark so the place... Continue Reading →
Cuenca and Ba̱os Рadventure central
Finn and I arrived in Cuenca at 5pm. As we drove in above the city we could see just how beautiful it was and we could see the domes of the cathedral. We caught a taxi to Hostel AlterNative for $1.50. Our friends Stijn and Silvan were there and we dropped off our things and... Continue Reading →
Montañita – sun, sea, surf and Spanish… And mosquitoes!
After the Galapagos, I spent two weeks in a coastal town called Montañita, learning to surf and taking Spanish classes at Montañita Spanish School. It is a huge party scene as well, with parties on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, and you can easily stay out until sunrise dancing your feet off. I loved... Continue Reading →
Diving in the Galapagos – swimming in shark soup!
This was one of the most memorable weeks of my life! Diving in the Galapagos is beyond compare and it is totally worth learning to dive somewhere else just so that you can safely dive here. The dive sites in the north (Wolf and Darwin) are challenging but the rewards are almost too amazing to... Continue Reading →
Island Hopping in the Galapagos – wierd, wonderful and fearless wildlife
I arrived at Baltra Airport in the afternoon of the 21 February with nothing booked. My aspiration was to get on an 8-day liveaboard diving trip leaving the next day. But this wasn't to be so I ended up with a fantastic 10-day island-hopping experience. There were a few things that I hadn't been aware... Continue Reading →
Torres Del Paine Full “O” Circuit
I just got back to Puerto Natales after an amazing 9-day hiking trip in Torres del Paine National Park. What a place!! I decided to join a G Adventures group tour almost entirely due to the ridiculous shambles of an online booking system the companies have managed to create! But that issue is fairly well-known... Continue Reading →
Hiking the Glaciers National Park
Day 1 - Hike to Laguna Torre My first day hike was an 18 kilometre round trip to visit a lagoon at the foot of a glacier which has a lot of nature-sculpted icebergs in. The first step is to hike to the top of the village up this rather fancy staircase. This is a... Continue Reading →
Patagonia – Mountains, glaciers and mucho, mucho viento!
The bus journey from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas is approximately twelve hours and takes in a great sweeping road around Tierra del Fuego. It's worth taking the bus and it's a single-decker so it's not too important what seat you get. Bus-Sur have decent departure times and air-conditioning.The scenery changed throughout the journey and I... Continue Reading →
Ushuaia to Falklands and South Georgia
I am writing this after 10 days at sea and during force 3 hurricane winds (what else can you do on a day like this?!). This post is pretty much in reverse chronological order as I write about the Falklands last when we actually visited first. Aboard the MS Expedition I have visited the Falkland... Continue Reading →
Before I set sail on my Antarctic Voyage
That's her! That's my boat!! First cruise in my life and I choose over 20 days at sea on the roughest sea in the world. Haha this could be interesting. That said, I have packed sooooo many pills for this trip - sea sickness, altitude sickness, malaria, vitamins... I thought I was going to be... Continue Reading →
Hiking the Martial Glacier – epic views of the Beagle Channel
Today is one year since I lost my friend Parik and it is to his sad demise that I owe this world trip. It was quite a wake up call for me. So I often hike solo in his memory and today is no different. First thing in the morning I moved from Hosteria Foike... Continue Reading →
Ushuaia – the end of the world
I am now at el fin del mundo - the end of the world. Coming in to land in Tierra del Fuego was an incredible experience. Stunning beauty all around. Ushuaia, the world's Southernmost city, is surrounded by the Martial mountain range and the Beagle Channel, leading to its phenomenal vistas. I've never seen snowcapped... Continue Reading →
