Cuenca II

Since we spent the night after the Cajas with an American and a German-Brazilian couple we had met on the walking tour the day before, the next day started slow and was filled with some admin tasksOkumaya devam et
Guayaquil

The next stop is Guayaquil, from where we will take the flight to Galapagos. Guayaquil is the largest city and economic center of Ecuador.
The bus ride was a highlight itself, going from Cuenca atOkumaya devam et
Galapagos: Puerto Ayora

Next up: Galapagos. A 1.5h flight from Guayaquil (we only learned in flight that there is an additional time difference, so now 8h behind Germany). They also hadn't mentioned that you needed to payOkumaya devam et
Galapagos Cruise I: Santa Cruz

Since the cruise would only start at noon, we had a surprisingly delicious breakfast and then walked from town down a cactus-lined path to Tortuga Bay. This was not only a beautiful white sand beachOkumaya devam et
Galapagos Cruise II: Floreana

While our cabins were quite comfortable, our journey unfortunately wasn't. On our cruise, we traveled between islands overnight. 6 hours of strong waves caused by the Humboldt current had reduced ourOkumaya devam et
Galapagos Cruise III: Española

Next up: Española. The only island you can only visit with a tour and not independently. The morning was spent at Gardner Bay with a small boat ride into a cave and snorkeling from the beach (meetingOkumaya devam et
Galapagos Cruise IV: San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal was the last island we would see, and luckily with a good night's sleep to start the day.
Pitt Point is the easternmost point of the Galapagos Islands and amongst others, breedingOkumaya devam et
Galapagos Cruise V: Return to Quito

We had spent the last night on boat near San Cristóbal. In the morning, we explored Lobos Islet before breakfast to see some nesting frigate birds, hoping to see some of the famous res pouches.
AfterOkumaya devam et
Quito to Isinlivi

Since we only had a half day, we did not explore the inner city of Quito, but instead went up the "TeleferiQo" - a cable car that takes you up from Quito's 2800m to 4000m. Up there, the highlights weOkumaya devam et
Quilotoa Loop I: Isinlivi to Chugchilan

The next morning, we chatted a while with our fellow hikers, but then start the first day of the hike. Leaving Isinlivi village, we first went downhill to the Taochi river and then went up the canyonOkumaya devam et
Quilotoa Loop II: Chugchilan to Quilotoa

The next morning, we started early to walk the 1000m difference in altitude that separated us from the Quilotoa lagoon, the volcanic caldera lake which is the main draw card of the region.
Once againOkumaya devam et
Quito

On our last day in Ecuador, we finally explored the historic center of the capital, Quito. Walking from our hostel through the adjoining parks, we did a great Free Walking Tour with Iván, who notOkumaya devam et
++ Guatemala++ Antigua

After a great last day in Quito, we had an early flight the next day to Guatemala (via Panama). Quite proud we managed only carry-on baggage:)
Since Guatemala city is considered neither safe nor tooOkumaya devam et
Acatenango

One of the most spectacular things to do near Antigua and in all Guatemala for that matter is climbing Acatenango. Itself a volcano (one of many in the area), it is most famous for watching eruptionsOkumaya devam et
Atitlán I: Santa Cruz & San Juan

Straight from Acatenango, we had driven 2.5h the day before and arrived at Guatemala's second tourist highlight: Lake Atitlán, a huge volcanic lake, ringed by mountains and picturesque villages. WeOkumaya devam et
Atitlán II: Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango is a mid size city, whose market has attracted merchants since before Spanish times. It is held Sundays and Thursdays. We took a 1.5h shuttle to explore the city and market. While youOkumaya devam et
Atitlán III

The day started great with stand-up paddling on the lake near our accomodation.
Our next highlight should have been paragliding over the lake. The weather wouldn't allow it though. We drove up theOkumaya devam et
Atitlan to Semuc Champey

Today was a long drive. We set out at Atitlán at 7:00 for a boat to the main town again and then boarded a Tourist shuttle that would drive us into the heart of Guatemala: Semuc Champey.
8h driving.Okumaya devam et
Semuc Champey

After yesterday's long drive, today we explored Semuc Champey. It is a series of pools along a river in the middle of the rainforest.
Most people not only go to the pools, but do a full day tour, asOkumaya devam et
Semuc Champey to Flores

Another 8h on the road. Further up north to island town of Flores, which is the gateway to the famed Maya ruins of Tikal. The road passes through rainforest and fields and we arrived in our hotel justOkumaya devam et
Tikal

Tikal. Once one of the most important Maya cities, built between 700BC and 900AD. It is still unclear why exactly it was abandoned well before the Spanish arrived. Climate change, deforestation orOkumaya devam et
++ Belize ++ Flores to Caye Caulker

Another early rise in order to catch the bus from Flores to cross the border and then go straight to the beautiful Carribean island of Caye Caulker.
The border was quite straightforward (we almostOkumaya devam et
Caye Caulker I: Esmeralda Dive

Today was our first dive on Caye Caulker at the Esmeralda dive site, which is actually near San Pedro (Caye Caulker's rival sister island - walking around this rather busy island a bit between bothOkumaya devam et
Caye Caulker III: Blue Hole

After a day in the hammock (something didn't agree with my stomach, so yesterday we did nothing apart from a yoga session in the morning), today was gonna be the great day, i.e. the reason why EstherOkumaya devam et
Lamanai

We started early to catch the 6:30am boat back to the mainland. There, we got picked up by our guide to drive 1h up to the town of Orange Walk (yes, Belize towns have funny names, such as IndianOkumaya devam et