Let me be straight with you, I simply cannot remember the last time I was so excited to go for a hike. But let me assure you, this is no ordinary hike. To many, this is ‘the hike of hikes’. Allow me to Introduce ‘The W Trek’ at Torres Del Paine – A challenging, rewarding…
Month: January 2017
Patagonia: El Chalten – Fitz Roy and Lago Torro
The small town of El Chaten is a hiking Mecca in Patagonia – consider it the trekking capital of Argentina and the Patagonian region as a whole. It’s around 220km north of El Calafate and it is nestled perfectly at the foot of the peaks Torre and the most notable peak in Patagonia; Fitz Roy….
Salar de Uyuni
My crossing from Chile in Bolivia was an extraordinary one – one where you experience the largest Salt Flats in the world, emerald coloured lakes, geysers, volcanoes and much more. It was a 3 day journey, although ‘adventure’ is probably a more appropriate phrase. Transport came in the form of the seemingly indestructible Toyota Landcruiser…
San Pedro de Atacama
So having been somewhere within the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the next destination was the ocean of no water, but instead iodine’s and nitrates; the Atacama desert, officially the driest place on Earth. My understanding is that in certain areas, not a single drop of rain has ever been recorded. Rather unsurprisingly, not a…
Easter Island
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) had always been a place I found myself reading about on the internet from time to time. You’d put Easter Island into Google Maps and see how it is only 3 inches away from the Chilean coastline – easy to forget that it’s actually 3,686km. Fast forward to May 2016…
Sucre
As-well as being the constitutional capital, Sucre is often regarded as the most beautiful city in Bolivia. Nestled in the Southern Highlands at 2,790 meters above sea level, the city is decorated with colonial, European like architecture, awash with creamy whites that are over coated by spectrums of rustic orange. It is for this reason,…
Valparaiso
My first stop was the Chilean port town of Valparaiso the Pacific coast. If I’m being honest, I had never previously heard of it. As it turns out, it is the second largest city in Chile, as well as being the home of Chile’s largest port and it has a long history – going back…
Cajon Del Maipo
What a wonderful thing it is to have natural beauty on your doorstep. If you look hard enough, you can find beauty in just about anything, but, when it’s staring you straight in the face and there’s no need to look for it, count yourself fortunate. To me, the residents of Santiago fit into this…
Salento
My final stop in exploring Colombia was the small town Salento in the region of Quindío. During my travels I’ve been blessed with more often than not good weather. With this in mind, it wasn’t a disappointment to be met with a few days of rain and cloud. Founded in 1842, Salento was one of…
Cartagena
Next stop was the enchanting Cartagena, Colombia’s crown jewel of the Caribbean coast. During my time there, I explored “The Walled City” , the city’s old town that has a 6.5 mile wall surrounding itself that was built by the Spanish. It was only on my return to Medéllin that I realised that Cartagena’s old…
Parque Tayrona
Happy belated Easter to whoever is reading this. Back home in England during the Easter period, it’s a blessing with Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday giving people deserved time off. Over here in Colombia though, they take it up a notch – everyone has the whole week off! Take note England! So with this…
Medellin vs Nacional – Derby day
The Paisa Derby. The biggest match in Colombian football. In the red corner we have Independiente Medellin, the older club at 102 years old. In the green corner we have Atletico Nacional, 68 years old and the most successful Colombian club side. As a reflection of this, they are known locally as “The king of…
