A short, approx. 2-hour hike starting directly from Black Sheep Inn, lead me down into a canyon, along the canyon - including sheep's on the way - up through a tiny rock chasm, and... I was rewarded with a steep view down into the canyon on the other side. Walking along the path is nothing … Continue reading Hiking the “Skywalk”
Leaving Riobamba with a short glimpse of Chimborazo volcano in the back. Arrived in Banos in the valley next to Tungurahua (5.023m), an active volcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador, at the northern end of Sanguay National Park. The busride, which went around the volcano, revealed the geological structures formed by the past … Continue reading Baños (de Agua Santa) and volcano Tungurahua
As soon as I pass through mountains I want to hike them. With a guided day tour I went to Cajas National Park. The hike starts at Laguna Llaviuci (3.100m), close to the Park's entrance and marks the park`s lowest elevation area. Thus, the vegetation here is mainly cloud / mountain forest. Very tropical, yet … Continue reading A walk in the park: 1 day hike in Cajas National Park
Generally I like trees that have "character" - a kind of a twist in the way they look. So the first paper tree we spotted during our hike through Cajas National Park immediately caught my attention. But than we walked through a paper tree forest for 5 min! It felt like in a fairy tale, … Continue reading I like Paper Trees
Off I go by mini van. 12USD for the approx 3.5 hour journey to Cuenca. The journey is quick and pleasant, although we drive through massive fog. We ascend from sea level in Guayaquil into the mountains, passing the highest point at 4.100m and descent to 2.600m in Cuenca. On the way I see again … Continue reading From Guayaquil to Cuenca
Visiting Galapagos islands for about 7 days. I did not read a lot upfront, e.g. weather, distances between islands, other island specifics, just bought a plane ticket, got a tip from a friend to go to Santa Cruz island / Puerto Ayora and explore from their by day trips. So here comes my Galapagos itinerary … Continue reading Galapagos: Wild volcanic islands
Our trip to Southern Bolivia / Chile (Atacama) started more less in Ouru after a 3h by bus ride south from La Paz. We heard about the train and decided to opt for the train ride to Uyuni. The train is super slow, it took us about 8 hours. Which is an advantage since we … Continue reading From La Paz to Uyuni
The world largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni, is just amazing. After a freezing cold night in the town of Uyuni - with an open fire gas stove to "warm" up, we booked a tour and off we went: This 4-day drive has been one of my highlights in South America! Next day we … Continue reading Four days through Uyuni