The Caribbean coast of Colombia is one of the top backpacker destinations in South America. You can visit the magical colonial city of Cartagena, go on a four-day jungle trek to the Lost City, or relax on amazing beaches like Parque Tayrona or Costeño Beach. If you want to fully explore this region, sooner or later you’ll need […]
Tag Archives: Travel Tips
22
Sep
Sep
So you’ve signed up to trek to Colombia’s mysterious Lost City. You’ve got four days of adventure ahead of you: fording rivers, climbing mountains, and exploring abandoned ruins sites. The bad news? You’ll have to do it all while carrying everything you bring on your back. The key to surviving this trek is to pack […]
15
Sep
Sep
Colombia’s Lost City (“Ciudad Perdida” in Spanish) is an ancient Tayrona ruins site abandoned during the Spanish conquest. It’s older than Machu Picchu and only reachable via a four-day trek through the jungle. You must do this trek as part of a guided tour — you cannot trek independently. I went with Expotur Colombia. In […]
25
Aug
Aug
By the time I landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC at midnight, I’d been traveling for nearly 16 hours. I was exhausted and dreading the idea of going to work in the morning. But I still had some hope of getting a reasonable amount of sleep. Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly dashed as I […]
04
Aug
Aug
Qatar Airways is consistently named one of the world’s top airlines. And it offers tons of connections between Europe/North America and Africa/Asia, for pretty reasonable prices. Often, these connections involve a long layover in Doha — 8 hours or more is not uncommon. Luckily, you don’t have to spend your layover sitting in […]
28
Jul
Jul
Trekking in Nepal is high on the bucket list of many outdoor adventurers. It’s the perfect way to experience the world’s highest mountain range. The views are incredible. It’s culturally fascinating. And completing a trek comes with a huge sense of accomplishment. But planning a Nepal trek can be daunting. After all, many folks […]
21
Jul
Jul
Over the course of two weeks, I trekked nearly 150 miles from the jungle, onto the Tibetan Plateau, and up and over a 5,200-meter high pass on the Manaslu Circuit Trek. It was an epic adventure and one of the hardest — but also most rewarding — things I’ve ever done. And it never would […]
14
Jul
Jul
It’s late on a chilly afternoon in the high Himalayas. For once, the weather is completely clear. I’m standing under the peak of the world’s eighth highest mountain, on the shores of a crystal-clear glacial lake with the bluest water I’ve ever seen. Getting here involved clamoring up a steep hillside using yak grazing trails, […]
23
Jun
Jun
Imagine this: It’s 7:30 am on a clear, sunny morning in the mountains. You’ve already been walking for four difficult, oxygen-deprived hours. But finally, you have reached the prayer flags and signs that mark the high point on a high pass in the Nepali Himalayas. At 5,000+ meters, looking down on snow-capped peaks all around […]
05
May
May
Top experiences when backpacking Nepal Catching your first glimpse of an 8,000-meter peak The sense of accomplishment you get from completing your Himalaya trek Exploring the old towns of the Kathmandu Valley Getting acquainted with Tibetan culture in small villages — or big cities like Boudhanath Chatting with guides, porters and trekkers around a […]
