Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
Isla Española was another excellent island for birds and sea lions. During our morning walk we got very close to sea lion colonies with their babies playing in the shallows, saw rocks covered with sea iguanas and watched the beautiful waved albatross, arriving to the island to start their breeding season. In the afternoon, we spent some time at a very pretty beach, white sand, turquoise water, lots of sea lions lying around 😁
Arriving in our hotel in San José, minus one bag that stayed behind in Bogota but luckily made it the next day, we realized that so far none of the hotel rooms we stayed in had a window or proper lights. Maybe booking.com should start showing windows as room feature? As our airline got grounded due to security concerns, we rented a car and drove all the way from San José to Puerto Jiménez. Which was a nice way to see the country and only took about 7h, the last 3h unfortunately in pouring rain. From Puerto, we started our 3 days trek with Milton, our superb guide from OSA Wild into the Corcovado National Park. Day 1 & 3 were mainly hiking, approx. 20 km per day, through the rainforest and along the beach. It’s a very beautiful hike, not too challenging beside the 1h walk on the beach in full sun. Day 2 was the main wildlife day, with both nights spent in the lovely Sirena Ranger Station campsite. We got to see howler, spider and squirrel monkeys, snakes, lots of birds and best, tapirs! They are not too afraid of humans, so we could get close to them while they ate, slept, took a bath, slept… After the hike we spent a full day in Carate Beach to relax and watch the many Scarlet Macaws gathering in the almond trees around our hotel.
Arriving in our hotel in San José, minus one bag that stayed behind in Bogota but luckily made it the next day, we realized that so far none of the hotel rooms we stayed in had a window or proper lights. Maybe booking.com should start showing windows as room feature? As our airline got grounded due to security concerns, we rented a car and drove all the way from San José to Puerto Jiménez. Which was a nice way to see the country and only took about 7h, the last 3h unfortunately in pouring rain. From Puerto, we started our 3 days trek with Milton, our superb guide from OSA Wild into the Corcovado National Park. Day 1 & 3 were mainly hiking, approx. 20 km per day, through the rainforest and along the beach. It’s a very beautiful hike, not too challenging beside the 1h walk on the beach in full sun. Day 2 was the main wildlife day, with both nights spent in the lovely Sirena Ranger Station campsite. We got to see howler, spider and squirrel monkeys, snakes, lots of birds and best, tapirs! They are not too afraid of humans, so we could get close to them while they ate, slept, took a bath, slept… After the hike we spent a full day in Carate Beach to relax and watch the many Scarlet Macaws gathering in the almond trees around our hotel.
Arriving in our hotel in San José, minus one bag that stayed behind in Bogota but luckily made it the next day, we realized that so far none of the hotel rooms we stayed in had a window or proper lights. Maybe booking.com should start showing windows as room feature? As our airline got grounded due to security concerns, we rented a car and drove all the way from San José to Puerto Jiménez. Which was a nice way to see the country and only took about 7h, the last 3h unfortunately in pouring rain. From Puerto, we started our 3 days trek with Milton, our superb guide from OSA Wild into the Corcovado National Park. Day 1 & 3 were mainly hiking, approx. 20 km per day, through the rainforest and along the beach. It’s a very beautiful hike, not too challenging beside the 1h walk on the beach in full sun. Day 2 was the main wildlife day, with both nights spent in the lovely Sirena Ranger Station campsite. We got to see howler, spider and squirrel monkeys, snakes, lots of birds and best, tapirs! They are not too afraid of humans, so we could get close to them while they ate, slept, took a bath, slept… After the hike we spent a full day in Carate Beach to relax and watch the many Scarlet Macaws gathering in the almond trees around our hotel.
Arriving in our hotel in San José, minus one bag that stayed behind in Bogota but luckily made it the next day, we realized that so far none of the hotel rooms we stayed in had a window or proper lights. Maybe booking.com should start showing windows as room feature? As our airline got grounded due to security concerns, we rented a car and drove all the way from San José to Puerto Jiménez. Which was a nice way to see the country and only took about 7h, the last 3h unfortunately in pouring rain. From Puerto, we started our 3 days trek with Milton, our superb guide from OSA Wild into the Corcovado National Park. Day 1 & 3 were mainly hiking, approx. 20 km per day, through the rainforest and along the beach. It’s a very beautiful hike, not too challenging beside the 1h walk on the beach in full sun. Day 2 was the main wildlife day, with both nights spent in the lovely Sirena Ranger Station campsite. We got to see howler, spider and squirrel monkeys, snakes, lots of birds and best, tapirs! They are not too afraid of humans, so we could get close to them while they ate, slept, took a bath, slept… After the hike we spent a full day in Carate Beach to relax and watch the many Scarlet Macaws gathering in the almond trees around our hotel.
Arriving in our hotel in San José, minus one bag that stayed behind in Bogota but luckily made it the next day, we realized that so far none of the hotel rooms we stayed in had a window or proper lights. Maybe booking.com should start showing windows as room feature? As our airline got grounded due to security concerns, we rented a car and drove all the way from San José to Puerto Jiménez. Which was a nice way to see the country and only took about 7h, the last 3h unfortunately in pouring rain. From Puerto, we started our 3 days trek with Milton, our superb guide from OSA Wild into the Corcovado National Park. Day 1 & 3 were mainly hiking, approx. 20 km per day, through the rainforest and along the beach. It’s a very beautiful hike, not too challenging beside the 1h walk on the beach in full sun. Day 2 was the main wildlife day, with both nights spent in the lovely Sirena Ranger Station campsite. We got to see howler, spider and squirrel monkeys, snakes, lots of birds and best, tapirs! They are not too afraid of humans, so we could get close to them while they ate, slept, took a bath, slept… After the hike we spent a full day in Carate Beach to relax and watch the many Scarlet Macaws gathering in the almond trees around our hotel.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
Isla Daphne was a dinghy ride to the mangrove forest to spot sea turtles and golden rays, followed by a visit to Isla Santa Féto look for land iguana. And some of Darwin’s finches. In the evening, we arrived on Isla Santa Cruzand could go for drinks to the town. The island was all about the giant tortoises. With an average lifespan of 100 years, they keep growing all their life, weighting up to 400kg. We first visited the research station to see the baby tortoises and the embalmed Lonesome George, then drove to the highlands to see ‘wild’ tortoises munching of guava and to walk through some lava tunnels.
Isla Bartolomé had the best viewpoint and a very interesting hike through black lava fields. Also, the superb snorkeling at Pinnacle Rock. We saw eagle rays, whitetip reef sharks, tiny Galapagos penguins and sea lions. On our afternoon sailing to the next island, a big pot of bottlenose dolphins swam with out boat.
Isla Genovesa was THE bird island, with colonies of great frigate birds, red-billed tropicbirds, red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies nesting there. As the Nazca boobies do not really build nests, we had to be careful not to step on their fluffy white chicks that were everywhere. We also saw our first sea lions. Neither the birds nor the sea lions seemed bothered by us, it was really amazing how closely we could observe them.
Isla Genovesa was THE bird island, with colonies of great frigate birds, red-billed tropicbirds, red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies nesting there. As the Nazca boobies do not really build nests, we had to be careful not to step on their fluffy white chicks that were everywhere. We also saw our first sea lions. Neither the birds nor the sea lions seemed bothered by us, it was really amazing how closely we could observe them.
Isla Genovesa was THE bird island, with colonies of great frigate birds, red-billed tropicbirds, red-footed boobies and Nazca boobies nesting there. As the Nazca boobies do not really build nests, we had to be careful not to step on their fluffy white chicks that were everywhere. We also saw our first sea lions. Neither the birds nor the sea lions seemed bothered by us, it was really amazing how closely we could observe them.
Next, we spent two days in Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, getting up very early to stare at trees. Sometimes with a hint of quetzal behind branches and leaves but mainly just trees. Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, with iridescent green wings, backs and heads and a red belly. The male birds have large brilliant tail feathers. We almost gave up, when on day 2 at the end of the tour our guide started running towards the other side of the road. There they were, a quetzal couple in the open in excellent light to see their feathers shimmer.
Trogon Lodge is our favorite hotel so far on this trip. Little wooden cabins fitted with a gas fire against the cold cloud forest nights, with a big garden full of flowers and humming birds. And amazing quetzal pictures 😁
Next, we spent two days in Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, getting up very early to stare at trees. Sometimes with a hint of quetzal behind branches and leaves but mainly just trees. Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, with iridescent green wings, backs and heads and a red belly. The male birds have large brilliant tail feathers. We almost gave up, when on day 2 at the end of the tour our guide started running towards the other side of the road. There they were, a quetzal couple in the open in excellent light to see their feathers shimmer.
Trogon Lodge is our favorite hotel so far on this trip. Little wooden cabins fitted with a gas fire against the cold cloud forest nights, with a big garden full of flowers and humming birds. And amazing quetzal pictures 😁
Next, we spent two days in Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, getting up very early to stare at trees. Sometimes with a hint of quetzal behind branches and leaves but mainly just trees. Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, with iridescent green wings, backs and heads and a red belly. The male birds have large brilliant tail feathers. We almost gave up, when on day 2 at the end of the tour our guide started running towards the other side of the road. There they were, a quetzal couple in the open in excellent light to see their feathers shimmer.
Trogon Lodge is our favorite hotel so far on this trip. Little wooden cabins fitted with a gas fire against the cold cloud forest nights, with a big garden full of flowers and humming birds. And amazing quetzal pictures 😁
Next, we spent two days in Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, getting up very early to stare at trees. Sometimes with a hint of quetzal behind branches and leaves but mainly just trees. Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, with iridescent green wings, backs and heads and a red belly. The male birds have large brilliant tail feathers. We almost gave up, when on day 2 at the end of the tour our guide started running towards the other side of the road. There they were, a quetzal couple in the open in excellent light to see their feathers shimmer.
Trogon Lodge is our favorite hotel so far on this trip. Little wooden cabins fitted with a gas fire against the cold cloud forest nights, with a big garden full of flowers and humming birds. And amazing quetzal pictures 😁
Next, we spent two days in Trogon Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, getting up very early to stare at trees. Sometimes with a hint of quetzal behind branches and leaves but mainly just trees. Quetzals are strikingly colored birds, with iridescent green wings, backs and heads and a red belly. The male birds have large brilliant tail feathers. We almost gave up, when on day 2 at the end of the tour our guide started running towards the other side of the road. There they were, a quetzal couple in the open in excellent light to see their feathers shimmer.
Trogon Lodge is our favorite hotel so far on this trip. Little wooden cabins fitted with a gas fire against the cold cloud forest nights, with a big garden full of flowers and humming birds. And amazing quetzal pictures 😁
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
For 1.5 days we drove through the Altiplano to Chile. We saw colorful mountains, sandy deserts, beautiful lakes, spotted vicuñas, viscachas, lamas, Andean foxes and flamingos, froze on 4500 meters at -10 degrees and icy winds, covered in bed in so many blankets we couldn‘t move, and had a totally amazing time. Instead of the already unpacked main piste, Poli our driver/guide took the more adventurous and bumpy offroads, which was great fun.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
We were very lucky that our Salar de Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour with Ruta Verde only started on our third day as it was very cloudy for the first two days. So we relaxed in our nice salt hotel and hoped for better weather.
We decided to book a private tour to have (at least partially) heating and hot water at night and the door-to-door transfer instead of getting dumped somewhere at a bus stop. The first 1.5 days we spent in the Salar – so awesome! It’s the world’s largest salt flat, with 12’106 sq km. With a salt crust a few meters thick, it’s pure white, with blue skies and puffy clouds it seemed to go on forever. We still had some water left from the rain season, so we also got the mirror effect in the shallow puddles.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake and quite impressive with its size and high altitude (3800m). It’s also a very pretty sight with its dark blue water, surrounded by yellow hills and far away, glimpses of Andean peaks. Puno on the other hand was rather ugly. Though very busy. On day one we could only get there in the evening as the transport companies were on strike. On day two we walked into a major earthquake simulation. And later a big parade by the local school kids blocked our access to taxis. We did the classic tours with a boat tour to the floating islands of Uros. Here, people (used to) live on islands fully made from reeds, including their houses and boats. We also visited Taquile Island and the pre-Inca burial towers in Sillustani. But our highlight remained breakfast at our hotel, watching wild guinea pigs feeding on grassy patches in the hotel garden.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake and quite impressive with its size and high altitude (3800m). It’s also a very pretty sight with its dark blue water, surrounded by yellow hills and far away, glimpses of Andean peaks. Puno on the other hand was rather ugly. Though very busy. On day one we could only get there in the evening as the transport companies were on strike. On day two we walked into a major earthquake simulation. And later a big parade by the local school kids blocked our access to taxis. We did the classic tours with a boat tour to the floating islands of Uros. Here, people (used to) live on islands fully made from reeds, including their houses and boats. We also visited Taquile Island and the pre-Inca burial towers in Sillustani. But our highlight remained breakfast at our hotel, watching wild guinea pigs feeding on grassy patches in the hotel garden.
In Nazca, we had an early morning flight over the Nazca lines, which was amazing. The plane did a lot of sharp left and right turns and circled above the figures for everyone to see them. Luckily we didn‘t get sick. The Nazca lines are ancient, pre-Inca geoglyphs crossing the Nazca desert, formed by the Nazca tribe with shallow trenches, removing the darker stones on the surface to make the underlying light-colored clay earth visible. We were surprised how clearly we could see the different shapes from the plane. The largest figures are up to 370m long. Some are simple lines and geometric shapes, others more complex animal forms. There is also an astronaut 😁 Latest assumptions are that they were used in ceremonies to worship mountains and other water sources. Also very interesting was our visit to the Chauchilla Cemetery to see the desert mummies.
In Nazca, we had an early morning flight over the Nazca lines, which was amazing. The plane did a lot of sharp left and right turns and circled above the figures for everyone to see them. Luckily we didn‘t get sick. The Nazca lines are ancient, pre-Inca geoglyphs crossing the Nazca desert, formed by the Nazca tribe with shallow trenches, removing the darker stones on the surface to make the underlying light-colored clay earth visible. We were surprised how clearly we could see the different shapes from the plane. The largest figures are up to 370m long. Some are simple lines and geometric shapes, others more complex animal forms. There is also an astronaut 😁 Latest assumptions are that they were used in ceremonies to worship mountains and other water sources. Also very interesting was our visit to the Chauchilla Cemetery to see the desert mummies.
In Nazca, we had an early morning flight over the Nazca lines, which was amazing. The plane did a lot of sharp left and right turns and circled above the figures for everyone to see them. Luckily we didn‘t get sick. The Nazca lines are ancient, pre-Inca geoglyphs crossing the Nazca desert, formed by the Nazca tribe with shallow trenches, removing the darker stones on the surface to make the underlying light-colored clay earth visible. We were surprised how clearly we could see the different shapes from the plane. The largest figures are up to 370m long. Some are simple lines and geometric shapes, others more complex animal forms. There is also an astronaut 😁 Latest assumptions are that they were used in ceremonies to worship mountains and other water sources. Also very interesting was our visit to the Chauchilla Cemetery to see the desert mummies.
In Nazca, we had an early morning flight over the Nazca lines, which was amazing. The plane did a lot of sharp left and right turns and circled above the figures for everyone to see them. Luckily we didn‘t get sick. The Nazca lines are ancient, pre-Inca geoglyphs crossing the Nazca desert, formed by the Nazca tribe with shallow trenches, removing the darker stones on the surface to make the underlying light-colored clay earth visible. We were surprised how clearly we could see the different shapes from the plane. The largest figures are up to 370m long. Some are simple lines and geometric shapes, others more complex animal forms. There is also an astronaut 😁 Latest assumptions are that they were used in ceremonies to worship mountains and other water sources. Also very interesting was our visit to the Chauchilla Cemetery to see the desert mummies.
Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
Initially we planned to do the four day Santa Cruz Trek trek on our own, renting trekking gear in Huaraz. Luckily we decided instead to take an organized group trek with Quechuandes. First, we met some great people to hike with, Erica & Maxine from Toronto, Debbi & Michael from Zurich and our crew, Héctor our guide, Elmer the cook and Javier the muleteer. Second, we would never had made it to the Punta Unión Pass (4760m) carrying more than our day packs 😁
We started the trek from Vaqueria to Cashampa, to have the longer drive on the way in and to do the most difficult part of the hike on the second day, going 900m up to the pass and 500m down to the campsite. The overall trek was about 50km, not too difficult but the altitude made everything a bit more strenuous. Despite the acclimatization we still got some headaches but luckily were spared any more severe symptoms. The hike was incredible beautiful, seeing some of the nicest peaks of the Cordillera Blanca including Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran (6768m), Alpamayo (5947m) and Mount Artesonraju (6025m), which is featured in the Paramount Pictures logo. Being so high up, everything seemed sharper and more colorful, with very white mountain tops, pristine azure lakes and deep green valleys. We even got to see some wildlife, with Andean foxes, the chinchilla-related vizcachas, hummingbirds and some of the most agile cows we have ever seen, climbing the steep valleys on 4000m. Our campsites were great to, beside our very good four season tent with the thickest sleeping bags we could rent, we had a kitchen tent, a dining tent and the tiny toilet tent they set up each night by digging a hole in the earth. Great food too, with pancakes for breakfast, avocado sandwiches for lunch, very good dinner and a constant supply of snacks. The whole trek was such an awesome experience, we would repeat it in a heartbeat!
After two calmer days, we were back to five activities a day on Isla Floreana, with two land trips and three snorkeling opportunities. At Post Office Bay, we could leave postcards behind for some other travelers to pick them up and hand deliver to their receivers (we shall see how long that takes for Constanta). We walked to a beach with lots of turtle nests, where sharks and rays cruised the waters below waiting for the hatchlings. We also got to see the Galapagos flamingos grazing in the lagoons and had a great snorkeling trip at Devil’s Crown, where Dorin and I jumped of the dinghy to see a hammerhead shark right below us! During dinner, the crew told us to come to the back of the boat. There were dozens of Galapagos sharks chasing flying fish. Sooo many sharks!
After two calmer days, we were back to five activities a day on Isla Floreana, with two land trips and three snorkeling opportunities. At Post Office Bay, we could leave postcards behind for some other travelers to pick them up and hand deliver to their receivers (we shall see how long that takes for Constanta). We walked to a beach with lots of turtle nests, where sharks and rays cruised the waters below waiting for the hatchlings. We also got to see the Galapagos flamingos grazing in the lagoons and had a great snorkeling trip at Devil’s Crown, where Dorin and I jumped of the dinghy to see a hammerhead shark right below us! During dinner, the crew told us to come to the back of the boat. There were dozens of Galapagos sharks chasing flying fish. Sooo many sharks!
Isla Bartolomé had the best viewpoint and a very interesting hike through black lava fields. Also, the superb snorkeling at Pinnacle Rock. We saw eagle rays, whitetip reef sharks, tiny Galapagos penguins and sea lions. On our afternoon sailing to the next island, a big pot of bottlenose dolphins swam with out boat.
Isla Bartolomé had the best viewpoint and a very interesting hike through black lava fields. Also, the superb snorkeling at Pinnacle Rock. We saw eagle rays, whitetip reef sharks, tiny Galapagos penguins and sea lions. On our afternoon sailing to the next island, a big pot of bottlenose dolphins swam with out boat.
Havana’s streets
Havana’s streets
Trinidad
Trinidad
Vinales
Havana’s streets
former mansions are converted into family appartments, just look at the electricity counters on the wall to realize how many live there now…
Our last two days in the region we spent in Tayrona National Park. A coastal park with beautiful beaches, covered in rainforest. We hiked to Cabo San Juan and spent the night in a rental tent. Dorin got a smelly mattress though and after some relaxing hours at the beach we were okay to leave the next day 😁
