In a world where countries often come with increasingly similar attributes to its neighbours, it’s always refreshing to find a place a little quirky. To me, that is what New Zealand is. More sheep than people reside here, a fact many seem proud to tell you. It is a place with endless views, cheerful locals, and a culture that embraces its Maori influences.
Russell Lupins in glorious display on the shore of Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. The best time of year to see these flowers in full bloom is November and December.
Patagonia dreaming: A journey through Chile & Argentina
It’s often thought that in the worlds wildest places, the best views are only accessible to those willing to push themselves to the limits. Patagonia, found at the tip of South America straddling the borders of Chile and Argentina while following the spine of the Andes to their southern reaches, is often thought of one of those wild places which rewards only the fittest. It isn’t true.
Cartagena - Colombia’s Fantastic Caribbean Colonial City, Part II
What to see, do, and eat in Cartagena? All valid questions! Luckily we have Dale from The Maritime Explorer who has recently returned from an Adventures Abroad trip to Colombia and is kind enough to share his insights with our readers.
In my first post on Cartagena Colombia I gave a brief outline of the history of the place and a recommendation as to where to stay. In this post I’m going to describe some of the things you’ll want to see, a couple of great places to eat and as promised, how to get rid of a mime. This will be my final specific report from Colombia at the end of what has been an eye opening and frankly unexpectedly wonderful trip to this underrated country. As I’ve come to expect over the past 20 plus years I’ve been traveling with Adventures Abroad, you more than get your money’s worth by getting off the usual tourist beaten path while at the same time not missing out on the ‘must see’ attractions. Colombia’s a bit different that way, in that I suspect most people don’t have a pre-conception of what the ‘must see’ places are. I know I didn’t, other than Cartagena which numerous friends who had visited before me, simply raved about. Turns out they were right. Here’s a few reasons why.
Cartagena Colombia’s Fantastic Caribbean Colonial City
Ever wondered what Colombia's Caribbean city is like? Read on as we've got another instalment by Dale of The Maritime Explorer on a Colombia and Panama tour.
Cartagena Colombia was the final destination on an almost two week tour of Colombia with Canadian travel company Adventures Abroad and it turned out to be the perfect place to wrap things up in this amazing country. After spending much of our time at some very high altitudes with consequently cooler temperatures, it was great to feel the heat of the coast and to see the aqua coloured waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Palenque de San Basilio - The First Freed African-American Settlement
Sometimes the most impactful parts of the journey are getting off the beaten path and discovering what real life is like. We're excited to share the next chapter from Dale of The Maritime Explorer on our Colombia and Panama tour. Check out this link for more info on this Colombia tour.
One of the reasons I consistently like to travel with Canadian tour company Adventures Abroad is that they make a real effort to get you off the standard ‘tourist’ itinerary followed by most of their competitors. Because the size of the group is small it is possible to get to places and experience things that are simply not practical for larger groups.
Jardin Colombia – Hard to Get To, But Worth the Effort
Like many places, the road less travelled is often rewarding. Tucked away in the Colombian heartlands, Jardin is a similar town that is hard to reach but easy to love. Many thanks to Dale of the Maritime Explorer for sharing his experiences in this small town with us after joining a recent Colombia tour. We hope you enjoy his post as much as we do.
This is the tenth post on a recent trip to Colombia with Canadian based travel company Adventures Abroad and before leaving I wrote This Post querying whether or not visiting Colombia was really a good idea or not. Now, having been in the country for almost a week, I can say unequivocally that it was the right time to visit. The Colombian people have bent over backwards to express their appreciation that tourists are at last returning to this extraordinarily beautiful and friendly country. This post is about the small town of Jardin which I originally was not going to write about because it was so damn hard to get to. However, on reflection and looking at my photos and the memories they generate, I realized that Jardin is exactly the type of place I should be writing about. It is not your typical tourist town, but I’m not sure it will stay that way once upgrades to the highway system make it more accessible. Here’s why you need to go now.
