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
Island hopping in Morrocoy National Marine Park
23 Jul
“Where you go today?” smiled our regular skipper as we climbed aboard his speedboat, brightly stencilled with a Bob Marley design. We paused for a moment before making another tough decision – which tropical island with powder soft sand ringed by coral reefs would we visit that day? It’s really tough being a backpacker.
Blown away by Adicora & Coro
9 Jul
There is always an element of uncertainty and nervousness when we set foot in a new country but to tell you the truth, we were scared out of our tiny little minds entering Venezuela! We’d heard so many bad stories about the crime, the gangs, the kidnappings and the murders that we didn’t have a chance to consider all the good things lying in wait for us. So imagine our surprise when we arrived at our first Venezuelan destination, Adicora, a calm, safe and charming colonial village by the coast, where the vibe was akin to a Caribbean island getaway rather than a gangland hood.
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?
The best things in life are free
20 Jun
So the song goes, and we agree – we always get a small sense of satisfaction when we get something for nothing and these freebies can vastly enhance the quality of your trip whilst helping to save some cash when you’re on a tight budget. From our travels so far we’ve been able to put together the list below of what items we’ve got for absolutely nothing, where you might find similar items and why they were so useful.
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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 […]
latin chattin' 