Cartagena – the icing on the cake of Colombia

This is it - my last post in South America (for now)! Next, join me in Europe. For me, Cartagena was a jewel in the crown of South America. I found the place enchanting. I stayed for 4 days and didn't leave the city for any excursions, I found that it was a great place...

Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas

I had heard mixed reviews about the trip to the northernmost tip of south America, generally either five stars like at this blog or one star*, with few in between. So it was with a slight sense of defiance that our group of seven intrepid explorers set out on this journey to the end of the...

Costeño Beach, El Rio and Palomino – Colombian north coast chillout spots

I left Santa Marta with Tom and Lilly and we headed for a night at Costeño Beach Surf Camp. We caught a local bus along the main road past Tayrona and then hopped off at the entrance to Costeño.The walk is about 40 minutes down the sandy track but luckily we were able to hitch a...

Minca – clouds, bugs and waterfalls

Minca was a cool place and worth a couple of days, it is super easy to get to from Santa Marta; you just hop on a collectivo or you can arrange for one to swing by and collect you from a hostel. We paid $10.000COP per person for the hair-raising ride along steep winding roads...

Taganga – gateway to diving in Tayrona National Park

After such a phenomenal time diving in the Galapagos, I genuinely felt a huge amount of trepidation ahead of my next dive - what if diving just wasn't the same now?! Fears were unwarranted - the diving here is great! I went with Oceano Scuba, a German-owned 5-star PADI dive centre that has been running...

Tayrona National Park – a paradise all to ourselves

I had heard such good things about Tayrona National Park that it was great to be able to explore it with a good group, so soon after I arrived at the Caribbean Coast. A short bus ride from Santa Marta lies Tayrona National Park, a tropical paradise where the jungle runs right down to meet...

Santa Marta Dreamer Hostel – home from home

At Santa Marta I stayed at The Dreamer Hostel. A place I have been hearing about for months and an absolute must if you are staying in the North of Colombia. It's not cheap, with rooms costing upwards of $30.000COP (10-bed basic with fan). $33.000COP per night will get you air-conditioning - the first I...

Guatapé – a grand day out

You ever decide to do something and before you even get there you realise it's gonna be awesome?! Today I visited La Piedra, a giant rock that you can climb up near a tiny town called Guatapé, a 2-hour bus journey from Medellín. You take the bus from the North Terminal, just outside the Caribe...

Medellín – first impressions

I can certainly understand why so many people end up staying here indefinitely, it's an intriguing place. I wonder if I will end up joining them. I've decided to write this after my first day in the city to see how it compares to my thoughts after more exploring. El Poblado One of the main...

3 Days in Bogotá – it’s a must

The bus arrived into Bogotá central station at 1:30am, much earlier than we expected. The other girls managed to get a reservation at a hostel in La Candelaria district which is the ideal place to stay and I managed to get a bed at an awesome hostel called Masaya. Dorm beds are $32,000COP per night...

Tejo – the best game in the world

I couldn't love this game any more!! Los Amigos Tejo in Salento is where I first played, it usually costs around $3.000COP to play and you're expected to buy a beer (practically part of the rules!). The game itself is simple. Each player picks a lead weight which they then throw from an agreed distance...

Salento – fresh coffee, magnificent palm trees and hummingbirds galore

The next stop on my adventure is Salento, in the heart of Colombia's coffee region. After my final salsa lesson with Alex I caught the bus from Cali to Armenia (3hours, $22.000COP) and arrived at a very futuristic looking bus terminal where I found it easier than expected to locate the bus to Salento (1hour20,...

Cali – Salsa capital!

I returned to Cali for almost a week to take salsa classes and go out to the famous salsa bars. I had a fantastic time! First things first - Salsa and a Place to Stay I stayed at Hostal El Viajero, which isn't cheap but it's a great hostel with a nice atmosphere, plenty of...

Colombia – my first days in the jewel of South America

Everyone I have met that has been to Colombia has loved it, without exception, and I have been so excited deep-down ever since I left the UK to reach this place. And now I'm here!! I touched down in Cali Airport after a terrible hungover journey and shared a taxi into the old part of...

Amazon Rainforest at Cuyabeno – no such thing as silence

My first trip to the Amazon Rainforest will certainly not be the last. I loved it!! I can't believe I nearly skipped it. For this 4-day trip I was with Sharon and Paul from the Netherlands and Elaine from Ireland and we made a great bunch. We left Quito at 11pm on a nightbus transfer...

Quilotoa Loop – finally some fabulous weather!

A group of five of us set out from Secret Garden to hike for three days to a volcano crater (Paul joined us on the first night). We stayed overnight in Latacunga at Hostel Tiana which was actually a fairly decent hostel with interesting split-level rooms, costing $10.50 per night including breakfast.We had breakfast, bought...

Getting high in Ecuador – 5897m Volcan Cotopaxi Summit

The journey to Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel from Machachi was so uncomfortable that it was funny. Finn got grumpy about it so I left him to it! The Secret Garden is in the middle of nowhere, across a valley from Cotopaxi, surrounded by other volcanoes. We arrived as it was getting dark so the place...

Cuenca and Baños – adventure central

Finn and I arrived in Cuenca at 5pm. As we drove in above the city we could see just how beautiful it was and we could see the domes of the cathedral. We caught a taxi to Hostel AlterNative for $1.50. Our friends Stijn and Silvan were there and we dropped off our things and...