Guide to the best beaches in Colombia by Kathy Jarvis on 1st November, 2019 Colombia is famous for some of the best beaches in South America, with fine sands, great weather and beautiful backdrops. Read our beach guide – from the well known and famous to the remote – and make sure you choose the best beach for your holiday in Colombia. Note: For all beaches …
Nazca: How Best to Visit and See The Nazca Lines by Kathy Jarvis on 4th October, 2019 Travel Guide to visiting the Nazca Lines in Peru. The Nazca lines are high on the list of places to see for many visitors to Peru. They are World Heritage listed and are one of history’s great mysteries. No one really knows why the lines were constructed nor exactly how. It is thought that the …
Colombia: Weather and best time to visit by Kathy Jarvis on 27th September, 2019 The best time to visit Colombia will depend on the regions you wish to visit and what you are going to be doing. Generally speaking it rains less between December and March. Due to its proximity to the equator Colombia’s climate is warm pretty much all-year round. This makes it the ideal holiday choice at …
Best Walks and Climbs Around Huayna Potosi mountain, Bolivia. by Kathy Jarvis on 30th August, 2019 Climb and trek around one of the most well-known mountain in Bolivia: Huayna Potosi. Read our expert guide to the best trails around and up to the summit. Huayna Potosi is a 6088 metre, non-technical peak, readily accessible from La Paz – three characteristics that make it attractive to novice and experienced mountaineers alike. Snow route up Huayna Potosi This majestic mountain lies at the heart …
A travel diary of a day and night on Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni by Kathy Jarvis on 9th August, 2019 Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni has inspired travellers for decades – read our travel expert’s guide to a day and night on these magnificent salt flats. He writes: I woke around 5.30am, put on my down jacket and left the (relative) warmth of my salt hotel to walk down to watch the coldest sunrise …
Best hikes and trails in Bolivia by Kathy Jarvis on 2nd August, 2019 The hills and mountains of Bolivia are much less known than the Cordilleras of southern Patagonia or the high Andes of neighbouring Peru. The Bolivian Andes are beautiful and majestic and offer a wonderful array of multi-day treks as well as some superb day walks, trekking peaks and some technical mountaineering. We sum up just …
All You Need to Know About Inca Trail Tours to Machu Picchu by Kathy Jarvis on 12th July, 2019 Our trekking and travel experts share our useful guide to the different Inca Trail tours available from Cusco, so you enjoy the perfect trek and visit to Machu Picchu. What is the Inca Trail? The Inca Trail is one of the world’s most famous trekking tours, a short but tough hike of …
A Week In Ecuador and The Best Travel Itinerary by Kathy Jarvis on 28th June, 2019 Ecuador’s compact size and excellent infrastructure means you can pack in many sights and experiences in a week’s holiday, from the Amazon to Galapagos and snow-capped mountains. Our travel expert’s travel guide includes top tips and four outline itineraries to help you plan a fantastic trip of spectacular variety. Introduction to the …
A Guide to the Quilotoa Crater Loop, Ecuador by Kathy Jarvis on 21st June, 2019 Kathy, Andean Trails’ director since 1998, was in Ecuador recently checking some of our walking options. She writes: “I recommend taking a few days to explore the Quilotoa area on your journey through Ecuador. The Quilotoa Area This is a beautiful remote farming area home to the indigenous Kichwa community of Tigua. The …
Choquequirao Trek – A good alternative to the Inca Trail. by Kathy Jarvis on 31st May, 2019 Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, recently spent a few days walking the Choquequirao trek. She had heard of new roads making the trek a bit shorter and more accessible than it used to be, so she set off to check it out. She says “The trek is stunning but it is a tough one. It is …
The Inca Trail and the Lares Trek with kids, Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 3rd May, 2019 Kathy, Andean Trails’ director, is just back from a trip to Peru over Easter. “ April is a fabulous time to travel to Peru. We have school holidays around Easter but many people don’t so flights are readily available and there are not many tourists around. The weather was excellent and the countryside stunningly …
Patagonia Traveller’s blog: Fitzroy, Paine and Ushuaia by Kathy Jarvis on 15th March, 2019 Larry and Gillian are coming to the end of their month of travelling with Andean Trails in Patagonia. We put together a tour designed to take them off-the-beaten-track – read the first instalment in their blog – covering Santiago and Aysen and remote border crossings. Once in Argentina, Gillian and Larry trekked to the base of …
Adventure holiday highlights in Aysen, Northern Patagonia, Chile by Kathy Jarvis on 1st March, 2019 Larry and Gillian are on a 4 week adventure through Patagonia. Currently they are just half way through and enjoying the small Argentinean frontier town of El Chalten, and walks to the magnificent granite spires of Fitzroy and Cerro Torre. They have sent some fabulous photos and some comments on their highlights so far. …
Peru’s Rainbow Mountain High Altitude Trek – Our Guide by Kathy Jarvis on 18th January, 2019 The fabulously coloured Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca, Montaña de Siete Colores, or Montaña de Colores is a mountain ridge in southern Peru, at an altitude of 5,200 meters above sea level. In recent years it has become one of the top attractions for visitors to the nearby city of Cusco. What …
Trekking in Ecuador by Kathy Jarvis on 16th November, 2018 Kathy and her eleven year old son have just returned from Ecuador, where they spent four days exploring some of the walks on our lodge to lodge Ecuador trekking trip. Ecuador is a land of dramatic landscapes and extreme contrasts and we think it is often overlooked by walkers – who prefer to head …
Visit Peru with the family – expert advice and tips by Kathy Jarvis on 29th October, 2018 Peru- top tips for taking the kids Andean Trails director Kathy and her son (now eleven) are frequent travellers to Peru. Their latest trip was earlier this year and top of their list was the Lodge to Lodge Lares trek, a community tourism project in the Sacred Valley and a homestay with some day …
Peru – its weather, seasons and best time to visit by Kathy Jarvis on 12th October, 2018 Kathy, director of Andean Trails since 1998, gives some tips on the best time to travel to Peru: You can certainly visit Peru on holiday at any time of year, but some months are definitely better than others depending on what you want to do and which part of the country you would like …
Top Ten Things to Do in the Sacred Valley, Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 25th May, 2018 Top Ten Things to do in the Sacred Valley, Peru Pretty much everybody that goes to Peru will visit Cusco and Machu Picchu. Sandwiched between them is the wonderful fertile Sacred Valley, full of unexpected delights. It would be easy to spend a week here, the climate being warmer than Cusco and the accommodation generally …
Homestays and community tourism in Peru by Kathy Jarvis on 18th May, 2018 Homestays and community tourism in Peru Lewis milking the cow “Have you ever milked a cow?” I find I keep asking this when friends question me about our recent trip to Peru. I hadn’t and milking was one just one of the new and very memorable experiences from our trip. Learning how to weave …
Lodge based treks in Peru: Salkantay, Lares, Ausangate by Kathy Jarvis on 14th May, 2018 If you are planning a trek in Peru but prefer some luxury and you really don’t want to camp then there are a number of excellent options. There are three lodge to lodge mountain treks that offer superb mountain scenery, contact with the local community and a good degree of luxury. Each of the lodge …
