A man, dressed as a woman, with a blacked up face and riding a horse sauntered past us. A group of traditional Ecuadorian dancers span around with perfect rhythm and exuded seemingly endless energy. Staggering to make ten steps forward, a strong guy collapsed onto a stool to take a breather from carrying a whole roasted pig on his back which was decorated with cooked guinea pigs, large bottles of strong spirits and packets of cigarettes! We were stunned, enthralled and thoroughly entertained – this could only be the Mama Negra festival, one of Ecuador’s biggest and most loved festivals, which combines traditional culture and folklore in a two-day long fiesta.
Tag Archives: Volcanos
Volcan Chimborazo downhill adventure
13 Jan
The Central Highlands in Ecuador is an area of fire and ice containing eight of the country’s ten highest peaks and volcanos. Extinct but picturesque Volcan Chimborazo is the biggest of them all – lording over the landscape at a gigantic 6,310 metres. Chimborazo sits only several hundred kilometres away from the Equator and due to the Earth’s natural ‘bulge’ at this point, this volcano’s most amazing fact is that it’s summit is the furthest point on the planet away from the Earth’s core! Take that Everest baggers!
The Incredible Galapagos Islands
4 Jan
Imagine waking up in a parallel universe where animals rule the planet fearlessly and humans are consigned to the sidelines – gawping speechlessly with open mouths, only capable of pointing and clicking a camera over and over again. Where animals work in harmony allocating selected beaches for frolicking lava lizards, watery depths for giant manta rays and green highlands for wise, ancient tortoises, whilst humans push and shove over the same small patch of scrub land. Where hungry sparrows dine out on the same plates of food bought by humans, and sealions sprawl on promenade benches enjoying the sunshine. Imagine no further – this is the Galapagos – and these islands are like few other places to be found on Earth.
Staring into the mouth of the devil – Pucon
15 Jun
If you can hike up it, jump off it, raft on top of it, swing from it, bike down it or climb it, they’ll have it here in Pucon. This small but perfectly formed town has earned itself the title of Chile’s adventure capital and rightly so as the range of adrenaline rushes on offer is endless. The landscape is extremely varied offering lakeside beaches, forests, waterfalls, hot springs and volcanos. The town is admittedly touristy but utterly charming. The town has been constructed on an easy to navigate grid system with Avenue O’Higgins filled with shops, restaurants, cafes and tour operators running through the town centre.
Volcanos, lakes and waterfalls – Puerto Varas
7 Jun
Puerto Varas was our first stop in an area called the Lakes District which spans the very North of Patagonian Chile and Argentina. The defining feature, as the name suggests, is an abundance of lakes which were created millions of years ago by melting glacial waters. A concentration of towering volcanos run along the border and form a striking sight amongst lush, green hills and valleys. Puerto Varas lies on the shore of Llanquihue lake and offers breathtaking views of snow-capped Volcan Osorno, one of the Southern Chilean Andes most active volcanos. Continue reading
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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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