Trekking around Ausangate and to Rainbow Mountain is by far the most difficult hike that we have undertaken. The five days of acclimatisation that we had in and around Cusco were pretty unpleasant and still didn’t spare us near constant headaches during our hike. The four days of hiking were made gruelling by the altitude, … Continue reading Glutons for punishment… and cake – Hiking Ausangate and Rainbow Mountain
Hiking
Pampa Linda and the 7 Lakes Drive
From El Bolsón we went north, back towards Bariloche and the familiar territory of Nahuel Huapi National Park. This time we had decided to explore Pampa Linda, where we planned to hike and camp in the park. We received a bit of a nasty shock when we arrived at the park and were faced with … Continue reading Pampa Linda and the 7 Lakes Drive
A bit of illicit scrambling in El Bolsón
We put the border debacle behind us, camped at a delightful campsite / vineyard just over the border and pushed on early the following morning to make the long journey to Lago Puelo and El Bolsón. The scenery was more what he had imagined of Argentina, less rugged and forbidding than Patagonia with wide open … Continue reading A bit of illicit scrambling in El Bolsón
Oh look some more hills, we must climb them! – Parque Pumalín & Futaleufú
We’d used up our time allocated to Parque Pumalín hiding from the rain, so we didn’t really feel like we had been able to get as much out of it as we would have liked but there's nothing that you can do about the weather. We picked up food for lunch in Chaitén and then … Continue reading Oh look some more hills, we must climb them! – Parque Pumalín & Futaleufú
The hike to Refugio Frey – Bariloche
James has been silently dying to do an overnight hike and do it properly, carrying our tent and all of our gear with us. Bariloche sits in Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi and this park provided the ideal opportunity to realise his dream. The day started fairly easily; with only 4 hours of hiking ahead we … Continue reading The hike to Refugio Frey – Bariloche
To climb or not to climb? Further forays from El Chaltén
After our first disastrous night in the tent we learned from our mistakes and donned absolutely every piece of clothing that we owned and slept much more comfortably for the next two nights. On our fourth morning in El Chaltén we collapsed the tent, ready to move into a hostel for the last couple of … Continue reading To climb or not to climb? Further forays from El Chaltén
Lacing up our boots again in El Chaltén
The 3-hour bus trip from El Calafate to El Chaltén is absolutely stunning with endless stretches of scrub land, lakes, mountains and the occasional animal; we saw a rhea and some llamas, there was much excited pointing at these. The final section of the journey is particularly spectacular as the road makes a beeline for … Continue reading Lacing up our boots again in El Chaltén
Playing cowboys in the Drakensburg Mountains
South Africa had been a largely sedentary affair up until this point and we were feeling the need of a good leg stretch. Where better for a stomp, than the World Heritage listed Drakensberg mountains? To get there we drove south from Dundee through rolling landscapes that became more dramatic the closer we got to … Continue reading Playing cowboys in the Drakensburg Mountains
Exploring Nam Ha National Protected Area
Nothing is close in Laos. We spent an entire day in a minibus to get from Luang Prabang to Luang Namtha. The views were glorious if you had the stomach to look out of the window. The roads were not glorious. We’d done a fair bit of research about trekking and kayaking options before reaching … Continue reading Exploring Nam Ha National Protected Area
Sa Pa: Hiking and Happy Water
We were childishly excited about getting on a VIP sleeper bus even though our journey would take place 100% during daylight hours. We needed to get to the bus first, and a nice man with a tiny green car showed up at our Hanoi hotel to transfer us to the bus stop. For a short … Continue reading Sa Pa: Hiking and Happy Water
The Rolling Stones 