We wiggled our toes deep into fine, soft sand and felt Caribbean waters lapping around our ankles. Small, curious translucent fish darted about our feet and the heat from a golden sun tingled our bare shoulders. True to its name, Playa Blanca is a brilliant white stretch of sand nestled in a wide bay and backed by thick forest and the occasional coconut palm. We gazed out at the unbroken surface of clear turquoise water and knew there was only one thing for it – dive in head first!
Archive | April, 2014
Cartagena – A hot and steamy love affair
24 Apr
Cartagena de Indias is the jewel of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The sophisticated lady of the north. A destination overflowing with romantic notions and rich history. Larger than life stories of colonisation, slavery, piracy and rebellion ooze down the streets and wash around the city walls. The colonial city is so beautiful and well preserved you begin to wonder if you’ve stepped onto the set of a movie. Freshly painted mansions with wooden balconies drip with Bougainvillea. Mosaics of neatly laid cobble-stones lead to plazas filled with shady palm trees where church bells ring out in chorus. Rosy cheeked lovers wander in flip-flops to dine alfresco in the evening breeze and clip-clop past in horse drawn carriages. To add to a permanent feeling of well being around the city, year round blue skies and rich Caribbean waters make it feel like someone has flicked a switch and turned everything into high-definition. The word is out that this is fast developing into Latin America’s most seductive destination.
San Gil & Barichara – the great outdoors never tasted so good
11 Apr
San Gil is a destination on the rise and considered to be the number 1 place in Colombia for extreme sports. It’s not unusual to see groups of wet-suit clad rafters charging towards the river, graceful para-gliders soaring like birds in the sky, or cavers checking and double checking the batteries powering their helmet lights. Known as ‘La Tierra de Aventura’ or Land of Adventure, the possibilities for raising your pulse rate in the great outdoors are endless. For those who aren’t so keep on high adrenalin activities preferring to save their sanity, the list of options for days trips is also huge. Just a stone’s throw from San Gil old colonial villages, waterfalls and pristine wilderness are all waiting to be explored. Many people count on spending a couple of days here but end up extending their stay by a week or more as they enjoy it so much.
A recipe for colonial beauty – Ville de Leyva
3 Apr
Take a good helping of cobblestones and mix well with white washed buildings topped by terracotta tiles. Add a pinch of colourful creeping plants and lightly stir in some locals steering horse-drawn carts. Make a space in the middle of your mixture for one of South America’s largest plazas and pour in a good amount of art and crafts. Whilst it’s warming in the temperate climate, sit back, relax, and breath in the aromas from French bakeries and cute coffee houses serving Colombia’s finest beans.
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Torres del Paine – the ‘W’ trek
Visitors from all walks of life converge on the small hamlet of Puerto Natales to visit Chile’s and perhaps the Continent’s number one national park – Torres del Paine. Located in the Southern Patagonian ice fields at the end of the Andes, the park offers diverse wildlife and incredible mountain scenery, glaciers, lakes, rivers and […]
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