With thousands of kilometres of tropical beaches, happening cities and hedonistic festivals to be discovered along Brazil’s coastline, it might seem incredibly hard to drag yourself away and head inland. If you were at all tempted to haul yourself off your sun-lounger and hang up your dancing shoes to make just one trip into Brazil’s interior, this would surely be it! The National Park of Chapada Diamantina (Diamond Highlands) is located 300 kilometres west of Salvador and for a short time it was the diamond mining capital of the world. These days, its true value lies in eco-tourism and those who make the effort to travel here will rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. This is the Outback of Brazil: where space and big skies seem to go on forever; where larger than life landscapes filled with mountain plateaus, waterfalls, wooded valleys and underground caves stir your imagination; where a slower pace of life and laid-back attitude ensures you appreciate the smaller things; and where the range of exciting activities will leave you bewildered.
The Real Jurassic Park – Roraima
18 Jan
Welcome to Mount Roraima. A mystical table mountain cut off from civilisation with seemingly impenetrable four hundred metre sheer cliff faces from which tumble cascades of water. It looks like a floating island of rock ascending into the clouds. The mountain’s base is embraced by dense Amazonian jungle and beyond that golden savannah rolls into the distance. Its flat summit is a maze of unusual stone formations, caves, sandy beaches, coloured pools and valleys scattered with crystals. It’s a land that time forgot. A dream-like landscape with shifting mists and home to species of flora and animals found nowhere else on the planet. Thought to be the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel “The Lost World” in which dinosaurs, cannibalistic plants and ape men still lived, this perfectly preserved ancient world remains to this day a real life ‘Jurassic Park’.
A tale of two cities…seperated by the world’s longest mountain range
10 Aug
The Andes mountain range is one of the world’s most wondrous spectacles. It is the longest continental mountain range in the world stretching the entire west coast of South America for 4,500 miles or 7,242 kilometres and spanning seven countries – Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The range has the highest mountains on the planet, outside of the Himalayas, the tallest of which is Aconcagua in Argentina (6,962m), plus over 50 volcanos reaching 6,000 metres, including the world’s highest, Ojos del Salado (6,893m). Filled with glaciers, lakes, ski fields, the ruins of lost civilisations, thriving cities and indigenous communities amongst other things, these mountains truly are a special place. Our small claim to fame in all of this was travelling the whole length of this incredible range in just over 8 months – from the city of Ushuaia at the ‘world’s end’ in the south of Patagonia, to the city of Merida in the north of hot blooded Venezuela. Continue reading
Venezuela – falling off the tourist radar
21 Jun
Venezuela, or officially “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”, is one of the most beautiful and diverse countries on the planet but it remains hugely under-visited by international travellers. It is incredibly diverse with habitats ranging from glistening Caribbean coast to Amazon jungle, and snow-covered Andes mountains to dry desert-like plains. The sheer variety of activities would wear out even the most enthusiastic outdoorsy types and vibrant festivals and pumping samba clubs will keep the party owls up all night.
So why is it so far off the tourist radar?
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.
Exploring the tombs of Tierradentro
27 Feb
Surrounded by jaw dropping scenery, Tierradentro is considered to be one of the most important archaeological sites in the whole of Latin America and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s famous for beautifully decorated underground tombs and stone statues which were discovered in the hills around the tiny settlement of San Andres de Pisimbala. We were already sold on visiting Tierradentro, which translates as “inner land”, but when someone tipped us off that the site only receives a small number of visitors each year and it was likely we’d have the whole atmospheric place to ourselves, we were rushing to buy our bus tickets to take us there.
Trekking doesn’t get better than this – The Cordillera Blanca
27 Nov
You could be forgiven for thinking that whilst visiting Peru’s most mountainous area of the Cordillera Blanca and the second highest mountain range in the world after the Himalayas, you’d feel somewhat small in stature, dwarfed in the knowledge you are surrounded by more than 20 enormous summits over 6,000 metres. Instead, upon arrival in South America’s number one hotspot for trekking and adventure sports, we felt our chests fill with fresh air, our backs straighten and our legs tingle as we got ready to come face-to-face with these giants.
Kingdom of the Ice Princess
26 Oct
Surrounded by stunning volcanos and the world’s deepest canyons, Peru’s second biggest city, Arequipa, rises like a mirage out of the high altitude desert. The landscape surrounding Arequipa is untamed and at times looks like the surface of the moon but in contrast, this university city is sophisticated, cultured and awash with life.
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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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