Colombia was never on our ‘ travel list’ until we watched a very nice Dutch travel program about the country and of course after seeing the hit series Narcos on Netflix.
Colombia has truly surprised us with its majestic nature and versatility. Bogota and Medellin were quite interesting cities. Delinquent neighborhoods have recently transformed into vibrant areas due to ‘democratic art’ and social projects developed by the Colombian government. Take a tour with locals and you’ll find out about both cities’ past, best spots to have lunch and the meaning of all the amazing street art scattered around town.
The most impressive part of our trip was Tayrona National Park with its gorgeous beaches and beautiful jungle trails (hike fanatics will love it)! Then there’s also the fabulous coffee region near Medellin in the province of Quindio. Discover amazing landscapes around the village of Salento, in the very heart of the coffee region! Get on your horses or mountain bikes and experience life in the Colombian country side. Cowboys included. Don’t forget to visit a coffee farm and enjoy a cup of ‘ tinto’.
Located at 3500 meters of altitude, La Paz is dizzying in many aspects. Once you step out of the airport, the altitude, warmth and the noise grabs you by the throat. Give yourself a few minutes to get used to the initial chaos and stop worrying: La Paz is a safe and actually a very laid-back city.
When visiting La Paz, plan at least 3 days to explore the city. There is so much to see and do that you can stay for 2 weeks and still will not be bored. In this blog I will guide you through the must do’s and must sees of La Paz, so that you get the maximum out of your visit to this extraordinary city! Below you’ll find my top 5. But first, watch our travel video for a cool impression:
For a long time, I’ve been longing to visit the highest navigable lake in the world, the famous Lake Titicaca located between Peru and Bolivia. At 3856 metres above sea level, this lake is said to be bigger than Switzerland! During our world trip (Orange Spots on Tour) in 2016, we finally took off on a breathtaking tour to the Uros Floating Islands at Lake Titicaca. Also, we enjoyed a nice hike on the island of Taquile. Enjoy the ashtonishing views, breathtaking landscapes and the colorful clothing of the Uros people living on this immense lake!
La Paz, the capital of Bolivia has quite surprised us with its magnificent views over the city, colorful markets and local traditions. Sure, the altitude knocked us down and caused us some uncomfortable nights. But it was definitely worth it! La Paz has so many things to offer: stay for a week and you still don’t get bored. Besides exploring the city by foot and cablecar, we chose to go for a ride just outside the city. We experienced the Death Road mountain bike tour which was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done!
If you happen to be an adventurous type and you’re in La Paz (Bolivia) by any chance, you can’t miss out riding down the World’s Most Dangerous Road on a mountain bike! Sure, you really need to know how to ride a bike in order to do this safely. By no means this is a challenging ride. When we heard about the existence of the mountain bike tour down the risky Death Road, we had to think twice. We asked around for advice at several tour operators and mountain bike specialists. We made up our mind and decided we should just go for it!
Crossing the Rio del Plata from Buenos Aires by ferry, it’s easy to get to Montevideo in Uruguay. An excellent trip if you visit Argentina and got some spare days left.
We took the ferry to Colonia and proceeded our trip by bus since that was a cheaper option. But you may as well take the fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Montevideo (Buquebus, Seacat Colonia) and enjoy a great weekend in Uruguay.
Although not to be compared with Buenos Aires (Montevideo is smaller and has a different vibe), Montevideo is a cool city and there’s plenty of cool things to do.
We’ve always been fascinated by visiting foreign countries, experience other cultures and tasting exotic food. And if we look back at the first time we met, the first topic we talked about was traveling the world. So what are the odds that we would go on a world trip this year? It totally makes sense!
On September 1st 2015 we’ll start with an amazing journey through Asia and South America for 7 months. Tokyo is the first stop in our itinerary. After that we’ll continue with a splendid round trip through Japan. This beautiful and diverse country has been on our bucket list for years!
Huanchaco is my favorite place on earth. This charming beachside town is located 10 minutes from the city of Trujillo in Northern Peru, the place where I was born. I used to visit Huanchaco every Sunday with my family. After moving to the Netherlands, I would come back to this magical place to spend the holidays.
While I was planning my visit to Peru in February 2015, I googled my way through restaurants where I could taste Lima’s best cebiche. I soon stumbled upon (who else could it be) Gastón Acurio’s restaurant ‘La Mar’ which opened its doors in 2005 in the neighborhood Miraflores. This restaurant specialized in cebiche’s is known to serve one of the best cebiches in town. I didn’t have to look further and immediately booked a table at La Mar. Boy I was excited! By then, I couldn’t have imagined I was about to taste the most savory cebiches in my entire life…
The Peruvian cuisine is increasingly becoming more renowned and I couldn’t agree more since it’s is one of the most savory, colorful and varied cuisines in the world. Peruvian dishes contain fresh meat and fish, rare and varied spices adding an authentic flavor but also aromatic herbs and ingredients coming straight from a fertile land. And let’s not forget the multicultural influences! From the experiments of the local inhabitants dating back to the pre Inca empire, till the cooking influences of the Spanish and Africans, and later the Italians, Chinese and Japanese immigrants than settled down in Peru: they all contributed to broaden the culinary heritage of the country.
“Meet Peru, where the heartiest of appetites are awoken…”
