The lagunas de Mojanda is one of the hidden gems of the countryside of Otavalo, in the north of Ecuador. After 45min of slow drive on the old, bad, paved road (17km) that used to link Otavalo to Quito, you discover the impressive laguna, sitting in the crater of a dead volcano. It´s in this majestic landscape that we climbed our first summit, Mount Fuya-Fuya, at 4263m.
A visit to the village of Guatape was not part of our plans. But one recommendation and some googling later and here we were: soaking up the charm of this colorful village nested in a fantastic blue and emerald landscape.
Less than 2 hours away from brustling town Medellin, Guatape is a famous weekend getaway for paisas(locals) looking for some quiet time in the countryside. But for some reason, it still remains off the track of most tourists. 4 years ago, there were still no hostels there.
Trust me, add a stop in Guatape on your Colombian itinerary, you will not regret it!
Around the year 800 AD, some 600 years before Machu Picchu, Teyuna was chosen by precolombian indigenous culture as political and spiritual center of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia). At its peak, the city was home of 2000 people, living in harmony with nature and working on precious metals. Today, the only way to admire the ruins of this ancient city is to trek through the mountainuous jungle of the Sierra Nevada for 4 days.
A room with priceless view, camping in Norwegian fjords
“Waouh, look at this! Best room with a view ever!” We couldn’t stop congratulating ourselves for finding such a great camping spot (above). After a day of travel from Trondheim, it looked like we (I travelled with my brother) found our little corner of paradise, here in Romsdal.
Norway is among the most expensive countries to live in and to visit, it was not my first time there and I knew that. But this trip to convinced me once more: it really worths it and with a bit of flexibility and creativity you can have an amazing time with a reasonable budget. ( Note for the inpatients: you can directly scroll at the end of the article to see our budget. For the others: keep reading!).
Once the “most isolated village of Bosnia”, Lukomir probably lost that status when it made it to guide books . If you might be disappointed by the village itself, the splendors of the hike in the Bjelasnica mountain guarantees you won’t regret your trip.
It took us only 1 hour from Sarajevo to get there. Just 1h from the busy, vibrant capital. And here we were.
At times, it felt like we were in Switzerland. Only the Muslim cemetry to remind us we were not.
For lots of travellers who went to Sri Lanka, the hike of Adam’s Peak which combines climbing a 2200m peak and diving into buddhism spirituality and traditions, is one of the highlights of their trip. (You can read the story of my own pilgrimage to get an idea). Thinking about doing it yourself? Good pick, here are a few tips for making it happen!
Sri Pada’s shadow over the cloudy summits of the hill country.
2.40 am. “Hey, good morning. It’s time to go.” It’s one of these mornings when you know snoozing is not option and when you just get up even if you just got a few hours of sleep. Like when you have to take an early plane or are going on vacation and the excitement awakes 2 min before the alarm rang.
Water, check. biscuits and fruits, check. Flash light, check. Sarong to be used as a scarf – apparently it can get pretty cold in Sri Lanka, check. Let’s go.
Outside it’s pitch dark. Continue reading