Doing the Hooker Valley Track gave us our first glimpse of the majestic Mt. Cook/Aoraki, but to truly soak in the beauty of New Zealand’s Southern Alps and the entire Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, you have to climb a mountain. Perched 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) up nearby Mt. Ollivier lies one of the most incredible alpine huts in the entire…
From Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng From Luang Prabang, we first headed south to the “adventure capital of Laos”—Vang Vieng. Fortunately(?), thanks to the China-made rail system, this 1.5-hour journey is now a breeze. The thing we’re realizing about China-made systems is, they are reasonably organized. You can also count on them for good security measures, like confiscating your newly bought…
Arriving to Mount Kinabalu National Park After a three hour escape from the wilds, we still had an endless five-hour bus journey to bask in our grime before arriving to our refreshingly cool next destination of Mt Kinabalu National Park. If we had to plan this again, (which we won’t but maybe it’ll save you), we’d definitely stay in Sepilok…
Many travelers merely pass through Tupiza on a quick break from Argentina to Uyuni, but we realized early on that this picturesque town, known as Bolivia’s Wild West, was worth more than a stopover. It’s replete with hiking opportunities, gorgeous (albeit very dry) weather, stunning scenery, and also has the claim of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid’s place of death,…
Iguazú Falls is one of those visceral awe-inspiring experiences that everyone should experience once in their lifetime. The earth’s largest waterfall (closely contested with Victoria) has a wingspan of nearly three kilometers (1.8 miles) of pummeling cascades, which are stitched together on the Brazil/Argentina border. It is ringed by luscious subtropical rainforests teeming with flitting colorful butterflies, melodious birds and…
Most people know that we are not really city people. We much prefer quiet villages or getting out into nature on the trail. And although we like Rio de Janiero, the real reason we LOVE it is that it melds so flawlessly with the mountains, and the sea, much the same as another favorite of Istanbul. Because of this, there…
Folded within the lush Ecuadorian cloud forest, and only two hours by bus from Quito, one can find the sparkling jewel of Mindo Valley. It is known for being replete with natural beauty, chocolate tours, adventure activities and enough wild and bird life to fill its own Audubon book. Where we Stayed We arrived for two nights and chose Hostelería…
Day One: Sigchos to Isinlivi For those who have been following awhile, you may remember our disastrous and slippery sludge down Peru’s Salkantay Trail last March. This is when Mandy began a six-month war with her right foot. As of May 2023, we’re quite happy to say that she completed her first multi-day trek since of 36 kilometers and although…
