2 From the peak of Rano Raraku (the decaying volcano that is the home of the astonishing Moai Quarry archaeological site) you have a view over the entire […]
South America
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2 Ami had always wanted to climb an active volcano. Our arrival in Pucón, on the foothills of Mount Villarrica – one of Chile’s most active volcanos […]
Mount Villarrica, Chile – hike to top of 2840m volcano, ...
2 We had seen a looks-like-prehistoric turtle during our night safari the previous evening (which turned out to be a mata mata); this morning we were […]
Yanayacu River, Amazon Rainforest, Peru – screamers, hoatzins, and pink ...
2 Quito, Ecuador has the honour of being one of the first two sites selected for UNESCO World Heritage status (the other was Krakow, Poland). The […]
Quito, Ecuador – 1km from the equator, capital city at ...
2 The altiplano of Bolivia is a bleak, hostile environment at the best of times. Then you reach Salar de Uyuni, and the bleakness and hostility […]
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia – 10,000km2 of salt; it’s the ...
3 You’re an artist, a sculptor. You spend hundreds of hours working on a single statue; finally you have it just right. Then what do you […]
San Agustín, Colombia – cartoonish statues that protect the dead?
2 From the bridge crossing of Rio Manso my goal looks impossibly remote. I plan to climb to Refugio Otto Meiling, a small refuge hut perched […]
Refugio Otto Meiling, Argentina – tiny red cabin next to ...
2 Water boils at 87.6 degrees Celsius in La Paz, Bolivia. The boiling point is so low because the city’s elevation is so high – La […]
La Paz, Bolivia – at 3650m it’s the world’s highest ...
2 Chan Chan was the biggest city in South America in Pre-Columbian times. And who do you think it was that built it? Was it those much-admired, […]
Chan Chan, Peru – largest Pre-Columbian city in South America
2 When most people think of Easter Island they’re likely to think of giant stone heads. And that’s fair enough; there are a thousand or so moai (as the […]
The Moai Quarry, Easter Island, Chile – 397 moai, a ...
2 Upon arrival at Iguazu Falls I was regaled with a story of a wealthy man who bought a first-class plane ticket to Brazil. A second plane, another […]
Iguazu Falls, Brazil – is it the tallest waterfall? no. ...
2 Located high in the Andes mountain range, sitting on a narrow peak, in a bend in the river, all but inaccessible, its location kept secret […]
Machu Picchu, Peru – escaped Spanish conquest, wiped out by ...
2 Lopes Mendes Beach, on Ihla Grande, is often said to be Brazil’s most beautiful beach. And Brazil, you’d imagine, would have some pretty good contenders for the […]
Lopes Mendes Beach – former leper colony, now Brazil’s most ...
2 Rio de Janeiro is the only big city in the world that I’ll admit has a nicer natural setting than that of my hometown, Sydney. […]
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Copacabana, Maracanã, & Cristo Redentor
Barichara is hot! That’s what I was warned of prior to my arrival. Hot and sleepy! There’s nothing to do there man, and it’s just […]
Barichara, Colombia – sleepy colonial town where they eat fat-bottomed ...
What’s there to know about Villa de Leyva in central Colombia? Firstly, that it is home to the largest public square in Colombia. It’s worth […]
Villa de Leyva, Colombia – Casa de Antonio Ricaurte, El Fósil, ...
Popayán, in southwest Colombia, was founded in 1537. It was once one of the most important cities in South America, being strategically located between the three major Spanish […]
Popayán, Colombia – the illustrious White City that delivered 17 ...
This humble, inconspicuous, hardworking town in northern Colombia is one of the oldest colonial cities in the Americas. Santa Marta was founded in 1525 by […]