Volcán Acatenango
19. december 2022, Guatemala ⋅ 🌙 12 °C
We got up early because we needed to be in a hotel lobby by 7:45 and repark Ruedi beforehand. This all went pretty well and we were picked up by the tour company on time to bring us to the trailhead leading up to the active volcano Acatenango, the 3rd highest volcano in Guatemala. A trip we've had in mind for a few days but postponed it because I wasn't feeling well. So today we tackled the ascend to the volcano even though I wasn't at a 100%🌋
We were dropped off close by to the place where we had slept two nights ago and there were already quite a lot of people waiting, overall we were a group of 34. Many Germans and Dutch people but also a few from Spain and France and even one from Liechtenstein 😁 We were provided with some equipment and lunch provisions before being sent on our way up the volcano...
And it was extremely tough to climb! Almost everyone in the group struggled in the first hour as it was so steep and the underground was loose gravel and dirt. Then it changed to a section with staircases but with higher than usual steps which went hard on the strength of the upper legs. After a toll section to enter the National Park, the trail changed to rather switchbacks and a lesser angle. We also made a lot of breaks to adjust to the height without getting altitude sickness. It went better than expected and after 6 hours we reached the basecamp at 3640m, where we had started at 2360m.
The view from the basecamp over to the volcano was stunning, we even saw two eruptions 🌋 The backdrop of the sunset and mighty clouds made it spectacular!
We settled into our tents and sorted out what we're going to need for the second part of the tour, the hike closer to the eruption area. Usually the Acatenango erupts about 3 times every hour so we were told that we would see lava just 300 metres away. But this turned out to be a lie, same as that the hike was pretty easy and not very challenging and that it takes 3 hours... When we started it already got dark and the "trail" was a messy, steep dirt way without any switchbacks and slippery. All people in the group fell several times and it was pretty dangerous. A girl had vomited and the group was extremely exhausted after returning to the basecamp after 4.5 hours at 22:30 with 600 metres of altitude more. We just grabbed a quick dinner and a hot chocolate before going into the tent. We both were physically and mentally absolutely exhausted and had been looking forward to the bed for hours... We had reached our goal to hike on a volcano ☺️Læs mere
Jalpatagua
20. december 2022, Guatemala ⋅ 🌙 24 °C
But I couldn't sleep at all, my fever and sickness flared up again and my heart was racing. My body had entered some kind of emergency state 🙈🤒 Julia also couldn't sleep because she was freezing despite jacket and sleeping bag. So we passed the night suffering in silence until we were woken up at 4 am by the guides to the sunrise hike up the hill...
We thought about it but in our state we continued to lay in the tent until 06:30 when they came back and the breakfast was served: Some surprisingly good pancakes, coffee, an egg and a cereal bar. It helped me a bit to get some energy and motivation back and an hour later we started the descent which went really smooth easy. As we arrived down at the office we dropped off the rented stuff and got a nice celebratory bottle of beer 🍻 We cheered with the people that we had spend so much time the last 24 hours and suffered together. With some we exchanged info and maybe we'll get the chance to see them again.
In the early afternoon we arrived back in Antigua and saddled Ruedi to continue in direction of El Salvador. But we had planned a stop in between at another volcano where it's possible to get a volcano baked pizza and roast your marshmallows directly on the lava... Unfortunately we were already a bit late and super tired, so we continued on to Jalpatagua, a little town near the border to El Salvador, to check for a hotel. We urgently needed a shower and to rest. But we still treated ourselves to a pizza 🍕 before going to bed ☺️Læs mere
Ruta de las Flores
21. december 2022, El salvador ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We drove the remaining kilometers in the morning and were at the border crossing shortly after 8. Julia managed the whole procedure and I was just occasionally moving Ruedi and standing in the way 😅 After just a little bit more than an hour we were on El Salvador soil and driving on a perfect road 😍 The contrast was extreme because the street leading to the border crossing on the Guatemalan side was awful with huge, deep potholes and people swerving over the whole street, which made challenging trying to avoid them.
Some stats or things we noticed from Guatemala:
- The people are super friendly and it feels very genuine, we felt very welcome, comfortable and safe everywhere we arrived.
- It has a lot to offer (we skipped some things) for it's size.
- The tortillas are massive compared to the Mexican ones.
The arrival in El Salvador has been very easy and efficient. The only thing that lacked was that we didn't get a stamp in our passports 🥲 you can just get them if you arrive via airplane.
Right after the border we changed the remaining Quetzales into US Dollars, the official currency with the second currency being Bitcoin 🪙 It was just a short drive of about half an hour to Concepción de Ataco, the first of several towns making up the Ruta de las Flores. We stopped in the city center and walked around a bit until we found a good spot to try El Salvador's national dish: Pupusas! Freshly baked maíz (and rice dough) filled with anything your heart is craving for, like cheese, frijolitos, jalapeños. I've tried the Pupusa loca, filled with everything that's possible and about three times the size of a regular one!! 😅
We stopped at more towns, walked the town centers, drank a tasty coffee with fig cake, bought some lychees at a market and got an "El Salvador" Patch as a gift from a police officer. It was a perfect day, especially in the town parks where the temperature was a bit cooler. My cold is getting a lot better, it's mostly just the coughing left.
For the end of the day we drove up to a hotel called "El Tibet" which is also the trailhead to go up to the volcano Santa Ana. We arrived there pretty early and had some time to sort the van and finally take some pictures and videos of the insides. Then we walked a little bit to a nearby viewpoint and then ordered some more Pupusas for dinner ☺️ Tomorrow morning we're planning to walk up the volcano 🌋 It's supposed to be a lot easier than Acatenango, but we're expecting the worst now 😁Læs mere
Volcán Santa Ana y Joya de Ceren
22. december 2022, El salvador ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
We got up relaxed at 7, prepared some coffee and then got ready to hike the Volcano Santa Ana. As there were no tourists yet at 8 we decided to get a guide on our own to hike up because it's a National Park you need to be with a guide. Our guide, Nacho, was really nice and knowledgeable about the area and it's flora and fauna. We made several stops at viewpoints but the hike was pretty easy and we could actually enjoy the way ☺️
After 1.5 hours and 400 metres of altitude change, we arrived at the top and looked down into the crater. The view was amazing with all the colours of the different layers and the intense green lake at the bottom. We spent about half an hour up there at the edge of the crater taking pictures and snacking on Lychees while Nacho told us interesting facts about it. Then it was time to make our way back down and we encountered soooo many people going up! Apparently there are no tours leaving after 11am because the wind intensifies during the afternoon. We've had perfect weather and even got lucky to have some cloud cover on the way up!
When coming back we changed and then drove to a viewpoint overlooking the nearby lake Coatepeque. I've tried the local "Quesadilla" which doesn't make sense as it's a biscuit pie and doesn't contain any tortilla 😅 It was pretty decent together with a coffee though. And we also tried the local beer 🍺
The next stop was about an hour away but there was heavy traffic in direction of the capital and it took us half an hour longer to reach the archeological site Joya de Ceren. It's remarkable in different ways, like in Pompeii a volcano eruption froze the village in time. It was left and the mixture of ash, rain and dirt cemented the village in 14 layers that kept it perfectly preserved. Also it's the only relict of the everyday life of Mayan citizens, the other ruins are temples and palaces. Here are the huts that tell about the lives of peasants and artisans. A really interesting and well made museum offering a different viewpoint.
We had thought about visiting the capital, but after the traffic we had, decided to drive North in direction of the Honduran border. There was a hotel half an hour before, Hotel Maya where we stayed for dinner and the night.Læs mere
Gracias y Comayagua
23. december 2022, Honduras ⋅ 🌙 22 °C
We were prepared for the border crossing and the process on both sides of the border went pretty easy and quick. A major factor was that there were not a lot of vendors and money exchangers which made the experience overall more relaxed. The majority of the time we were standing around and playing with the stray dogs and cats while waiting for the authorities to fill in our information into forms. All of it together took us about 1.5 hours, so not too bad ☺️
After a quick stop at a bank to get the local currency, Honduran Lempira, we were on the way to our first stop. A little colonial style town about 100km further inland, named Gracias. The drive took around 2 hours and by the time we arrived we had started to get hungry and it was lunch time. So Julia looked for and quickly found a Pupuseria ☺️ We had a little lunch and then walked the little town for the few sightseeing spots. The woman at the immigration health check had mentioned that it's one of the most beautiful towns but we're going to have to see 😁 Even though there was a small National Park nearby we decided to drive on because it's not supposed to be very accessible and were planning on going to another one. So after seeing everything we wanted to we hopped back in Ruedi and on the, quite terrible roads. Especially after having absolutely perfect roads in El Salvador.
In the evening we reached Comayagua and a hotel parking spot where we could spend the night. It is conveniently located just 10 minutes walk from the town center. There were a lot of Christmas displays and we walked through the beautifully decorated alleys 🤩 Then we sat in a restaurant right next to the Cathedral and tried some Honduran speciality, roasted beef with sides.Læs mere
La Tigra y Tegucigalpa
24. december 2022, Honduras ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We took it slowly, it's Christmas after all, and drove to La Tigra National Park in the morning, the oldest National Park in Honduras. On the way we had some rain, probably the first time since Los Angeles 😳 When we arrived at the Park, the rain had intensified, so we put on another layer of clothes and then stepped into the rainforest. It was pretty wet and cold and it wasn't that surprising that we were the only visitors. It felt like a proper rainforest and we spent about three hours trekking through the jungle. Unfortunately we didn't see a lot of animals but it was still a nice walk. We got to eat some of the berries that the Quetzals enjoy, and could hear them in the trees, but they don't get out of their nests that late in the afternoon, so we could not see them.
In the end we were cold and were glad to be back in the cosy warm van and then even the sun came out.
The drive to the capital took about an hour and we were glad that the hotel we had checked out still had a room available. We relaxed with a hot coffee on the porch and enjoying the few sunrays warming us. In the evening we got ready for our Christmas dinner in town: Pizza Party 🍕😍 We had planned to go to Little Caesars but it was already closed so we went to Domino's. We spend the rest of the evening in our hotel enjoying each others company 🥰Læs mere
León
25. december 2022, Nicaragua ⋅ 🌙 28 °C
We slept in (just until about 8) and then enjoyed the complimentary breakfast before packing Ruedi and making our way to the border crossing. And Honduras really did it's worst in terms of road what it could offer... Giant potholes and cracks through the whole road. But we managed to arrive at the border at around 11:30, so plenty of time. First we stopped at the Honduran side to cancel our Temporary Import Permit. But the border agents there and also at the immigration said that we should go to the Nicaraguan border agents first. They should verify that we can go there before our status is cancelled, even though it makes sense we were still a bit confused... If they recommend this behavior, there must be a reason for it, meaning that they oftentimes don't let people immigrate 🤔 But for us it seemed okay and we could continue. The border agents on the Nicaraguan side seemed very bored and they had a curious look into our van. Then we got into a bit of an argument because we hadn't filled out the immigration form online but we had tried and we couldn't do it. So they let us wait until they cleared the paperwork. Overall it took us three hours and cost some nerves but we made it into Nicaragua and were on our way to León!
It was a 4 hour drive and we had some delay because of the time it took at the border. But we were so very positively surprised by the roads in Nicaragua!! Despite some potholes, the overall conditions were pretty much perfect and we even managed to catch up on some time. Also the scenery changed in a remarkable way to a flatter profile while still keeping the green tones. It felt generally cleaner and prettier than what we had seen in Honduras even though it's supposed to be a poorer country. Our first impression was great!
Also when we arrived in León, found a hostel and then went out to get dinner, the town looked run down but with a charming atmosphere. On the main square and park were people sitting, chatting and eating. The general feeling was very welcoming and we enjoyed the festivities. We found a little restaurant with local foods and tried the options, finally even one with a vegetarian speciality, Gallo pinto ☺️ Even though the name contains a meat, it's a rice beans combination and very popular to every meal in Nicaragua. We walked through the whole historical center in the evening until we felt the exhausting day in our legs and especially minds.Læs mere
Volcán Cerro Negro y Granada
26. december 2022, Nicaragua ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We had set our alarm pretty early because we wanted to join a tour group going up a nearby volcano, named Cerro Negro. The volcano is the second youngest in the world and pretty active (in volcano terms), meaning that he had a small eruption more than 20 years ago. We met up with the rest of the group in a nearby hostel, from there it was an hour drive in an open truck. We were glad that we didn't drive there with Ruedi, besides being an unpaved road, it was very bad and most of it just sand. So with the tour bus we could enjoy the view of the mighty black volcano inmidst of the small, green trees.
We had expected to walk up and just board down and be done in 2 hours, but the view from the crater ridge and over the surrounding area was so beautiful and unexpected. Also it was pretty hot so we took it slow walking up with the board. Within the crater you could see the different elements colouring the volcano white, red and yellow against the pure black sediment. We got into our boarding dresses, gloves and goggles and then went down on our boards one by one. It had looked very steep and that we'd get a high speed but it was barely moving in the beginning and you needed to push to help. The lower part got steeper and you could actually slide ☺️ It was fun and something different but sliding in snow definitely works a lot better 😁
We were driven back to town and walked a bit to see the buildings by day. Then we went back to Ruedi and drove about 2.5 hours to Granada, a pretty town next to a large lake named Lago Cocibolco. We spent some time finding a room for the night until we got two bunk beds in a hostel. We came just in time for the pasta night 🥰 But it was a really small portion and we walked the town to see if we can get a dinner that wouldn't leave us hungry 😅 There was a nice restaurant that offered local specialities buuut was out of Granada's speciality dish: Vigorón! I still found something and so did Julia with a vegetarian dish.Læs mere
Isletas y Volcán Masaya
27. december 2022, Nicaragua ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We slept surprisingly well in a 14 bed dorm room but needed to get up at 8 for breakfast and then we were picked up for a kayak tour to the nearby little islands (Isletas). They were created by volcanic, seismic activities and form a labyrinth. The waterways are covered in lush green rainforest and water plants. The forests are loud with the sounds of birds and monkeys... Overall it made a healthy impression despite not being a National Park or specifically protected. The tour took two hours and it was a really interesting and relaxed way to experience the islands, especially compared to the boat tours.
When we came back to the hostel we could move in our private room and relaxed a bit before going into town for lunch. On the way we visited the municipal palace and the cathedral and the historic clock tower overlooking the town 😍 Then we visited the same restaurant from yesterday again and they finally had the desired Vigorón mixto! It wasn't that special but a generally really nice dish. Julia had fried bananas with cheese which was interesting and delicious.
In the late afternoon we were picked up to the volcano and spent hours in traffic and waiting to drive up to the crater. Apparently it has never been that bad to get there and while we were sitting in the bus it got dark 🤷♂️ The reason for the delay was apparently an increased volcanic activity and therefore the access had been closed for a while. Afterwards the cars allowed to go up to the crater had been limited to 10 at a time. Anyways, we were finally allowed to go up and it was amazing to see the red glowing lava moving so close to us. The fumes of the lava are toxic and we could only stay for 15 minutes but that was sufficient to watch the lava flow 🌋 A really amazing experience!!
For the evening we went into town and grabbed something small and then spent the rest of the evening in the hostel chatting. It was an interesting and fun conversation.Læs mere
Bijagua de Upala
28. december 2022, Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
It was pretty hot and humid all night and I was glad for the cold shower and cool down in the morning. We had breakfast and then went - finally - back on the road leading South and to Costa Rica. The drive through the Nicaraguan backcountry was scenic and pretty relaxing. Overall we enjoyed the scenery in Nicaragua very much with the iconic volcanoes standing out of the intense green flats.
I didn't think much about the exit because usually the entry is more complicated... But we hadn't exited Nicaragua yet, which was pretty much pure chaos 🙈 Absolutely no indication on where to go next and who to ask... We even needed to chase down a police officer to review Ruedi. Overall we spent more than an hour before we could exit Nicaragua. Then we entered Costa Rica and the process seemed to be more orderly and we finished the immigration and first part pretty quickly. But when we arrived at the second checkpoint we were told that they just went on their lunch break and will be back in an hour 😵 This gave us enough time to sort a bit through Ruedi, read and get some local currency (Colon) from the ATM. When their lunch break was over we were the first in line but it took another 45 minutes because of some issues with the system 🥴 So after 3 1/2 hours we were in Costa Rica and on a - pretty nice - road leading us to Bijagua de Upala, a sleepy little town at the start of a more mountainous area. And it's a great base to go explore the surrounding areas in search of sloths 🦥
We arrived later than expected at the Jungle Life Tours, a tour company that we had read about on iOverlander. When we arrived they were super friendly and sweet, we asked about a tour tomorrow morning and if we could stay for the night. They immediately said yes and the owner's wife, Vilma, brought us a sweet, local drink named Agua dulce made of sugar cane in a special preparation. She also gave us some sweet empanadas 🥰 Unfortunately they didn't have a restaurant, so we went to town and stopped at a pizza place. We both weren't feeling like pizza so we were glad when they had a large menu also with local choices. I tried Chifrijo which was a great choice!
We then drove back to the parking of the tour and listened to the sounds of the nightly jungle buzzing with life. Tomorrow morning we're going to join the first tour into the jungle 😍Læs mere
El Arenal
29. december 2022, Costa Rica ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
We had opened the doors at night again and I got woken up by some light rain on my face at 6 am. It was a nice, refreshing breeze and perfect temperature. Soon afterwards the screams of the howler monkeys and several bird species joined in on the orchestra. Even though it might sounds loud and annoying, it was a beautiful way to wake up! Julia encountered a bat in the bathroom while I had a visit from three large birds. We made some coffee and around 07:30 the people from the tour started coming in. Each one greeted us with a handshake and the general feeling was rather like friends than work colleagues. Our guide, Fernando, then took us on the trail into the rainforest... Just after 5 minutes he showed us a sloth 🦥😍 in quite the distance sleeping comfortably in its tree. He was very knowledgeable and told us a lot about the flora, fauna and even a bit of history. He showed us all the sloths in the area, three different species of frogs (one being extremely poisonous), a bat, a basilisk and many plant species. Overall we spent two hours on the perfectly maintained trail watching the wildlife 😍 An amazing experience so close by nature. We've had a coffee at the camp and said goodbye to the people who we had grown fond of since yesterday evening.
Our next stop was the Mistic Arenal Hanging Bridges, a popular canopy walk. It's a very easy walk offering great views over the treetops. We've even been lucky enough to spot a black snake 🐍 and a pair of Tapir 😍 They've become really rare and shy with people so we hadn't thought we'd see them. Also because they're active at night or in the early morning, there's apparently one visiting every morning around 5:30. So we had probably missed him but we were fortunate to see them both and even took pictures 😊 When we left the bridges there was a bit of a traffic jam after 15 minutes... As we came closer we saw people on the streets looking up and taking pictures. Just as we passed we saw the sloth hanging on the outer branches, looking a little lost. It was very active, scratching and stretching 🥰
For a very late lunch and early dinner we had looked up a restaurant with typical Costa Rican food. It was generally a little more touristy than we are used to but delicious. We even ordered a coffee and dessert (Flan de la casa), but the way coffee is prepared (chorreada) here is too watery for my taste. It was a really great restaurant! Then we went to find a spot for the night, unfortunately a camping spot we wanted to stay at was already closed. So we drove back to La Fortuna and stealth camped right at the church in the city center which was a little loud in the beginning but we were tired enough to fall asleep soon 😊Læs mere
Jacó
30. december 2022, Costa Rica ⋅ 🌙 27 °C
We both spent the night surprisingly well in the city center despite it being a bit warm and humid in the van. Even though it cooled down at night we couldn't open the doors as it was directly on the street 😁
But we had planned to get up early anyways, so with the first noises in the morning we packed up our things and drove in Southwest direction... We had decided that after about a month it was time again for some more beach days 🥰
About halfway on the way to Puntarenas we had pretty intense rain and the temperature had dropped down to 13 degrees Celsius. It felt like the right time to get some coffee but the little shop we stopped at just had some with milk. Luckily there was a restaurant next to it with proper black coffee and also a selection of breakfast menus. We both decided to get the typical Tico breakfast which turned out to have similar content as the Nicaraguan and Honduran 😊 Especially the fried banana are a highlight of it! Interesting is also the change in the use of tortillas... In Guatemala they were common to every meal and sometimes in absurd amounts. Since then it got less and here in Costa Rica they're more like rice tortillas. Before noon we had reached Puntarenas, a beach town mainly known for the ferry service over the Gulf of Nicoya to a peninsula. We parked at the end of a long malecón and peninsula next to a pretty little lighthouse and walked from there first in town and then back along the beach. It was nice to stretch the legs and at a dock we saw a pretty huge iguana 🦎😍
As we had seen everything we wanted to see, we decided to continue on to another beach town about 1.5 hours South named Jacó. It's a famous for surfing and has an annual Quicksilver competition. We went to a surfer hostel and stayed in the secluded parking lot but paid a bit to use the facilities. Then we checked out the tours that they offered but the only interesting one (snorkeling to Islas Tortugas) was a full day tour with all kinds of stuff that we weren't that interested in. They also offered a little hiking tour in the afternoon to a viewpoint.
As we had plenty of time we went to the beach and walked along it and saw a viewpoint from there. After checking it on the map, it was just a little walk away. With flip-flops and a beer each we did the nice and easy ascend to be rewarded with a lovely view over the beach and the rainforest canopy. As a bonus the abandoned ruins had some great graffiti art! After getting back down we had lunch and then got into a downpour but it was a comfortable warm summer rain.
We spent the evening watching the sunset and relaxing at the beach 🥰Læs mere
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
31. december 2022, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
In the morning we got us early to take the one hour drive to the National Park Manuel Antonio. Before we headed out we had encountered that there is a reservation system and you have to buy the tickets online for a certain time slot. Buuut the reservations for today and tomorrow were completely booked. We decided to go there anyway and see if there's anything we can do at the gate. Already a few kilometers ahead of the park entrance all arriving cars were swarmed by "guides" helping you with the park entrance. But they said it's fully booked for today and tomorrow.
We drove a little bit back to the hostel and hotel area where Julia asked to join a tour. At the second spot we got an offer and accepted it for noon. We had more than two hours until it departed so we spent some time at the beach swimming and sun bathing and had a little breakfast. We entered the park at 12 and right after the entrance the tour guide spotted a sloth. There was a lot of wildlife all around: sloths, agoutis, three different species of monkeys, a basilisk and lots of big lizards and hermit crabs at the beaches. The highlight was definitely a sloth that was just about 8 metres away in a low hanging branch and extremely active. It was looking around all the time and watching us and the monkeys jumping around on nearby branches. A very special moment seeing this unique animal so close 🥰 Just a few minutes later Julia spotted an agouti at a small river bed foraging for food. The tour guide showed us overall 4 more sloths in the trees along the trails, one of them sleeping with it's baby 😍🦥 After we finished the guided tour we were left at the beautiful clear beaches of the Manuel Antonio National Park with a really fine sand. The water wasn't that clear and when Julia went snorkeling she couldn't see a lot. But we only had an hour left anyways before the beaches closed. Unfortunately some of the trails and facilities were closed in the park so we left shortly afterwards.
For the evening we had decided to check out a campground about an hour away. We wanted to be there early enough because of the New Year celebrations. And the owners were still home, a Swiss couple that had moved to Costa Rica 10 years ago and bought the house and surrounding lot. They were really nice and sweet, so we felt welcome. They went out for a party later and we also went out to get pizzas and wine for the night and to celebrate the New Year together 🥳Læs mere
Playa Negra
1. januar 2023, Costa Rica ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
We slept in a bit and fixed some things around Ruedi. Then we grabbed a coffee with the owners and chatted a bit. When we were about to leave she gave us some bananas (and ginger 😁) from their garden on our way 🙂
Our next stop was the capital, San José, about two hours away. We parked right in the center and then explored everything by foot. It has some really nice buildings and I appreciated the car free walk passages. But in general it was pretty run down and it was weird that all the churches had big fences with on top. After one hour we were already back at the van and then had a short stop in Cartago which is one of the few spots in Costa Rica with colonial style buildings left. From there we continued on to a viewpoint and picnic area overlooking the valleys and mountains. It was a really beautiful spot but unfortunately they were already about to close for the night. We made the most of it and stayed until we were almost the last ones.
Then we discussed our options before driving North-East to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. So we drove from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean within one day 😊 There we stayed at the camping of a Reggae Bar and enjoyed a beer on the beach. The temperature was comfortable but the mosquitoes were crazy out for blood 🥲 We found a little restaurant that was still open and just as we sat down there was an intense downpour. Also during our dinner we had three electric blackouts ⚡ It was a fun and interesting evening and even though it isn't that far, the Caribbean coast feels very different.Læs mere
Bocas del Toro Archipelago
2. januar 2023, Panama ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
It had rained occasionally all through the night and in the morning as well. We had thought about going to the nearby National Park Cahuita but decided against it because of the rain and also we've already seen a lot of wildlife 🙂 So we drove the remaining hour to the border crossing to Panama, it turned out to be a good decision as they're in a different time zone and hereby an hour later. The process on the Costa Rican side was pretty quick but weird as you had to pay a fee to exit the country. Afterwards we crossed the bridge to Panama and were surprised by the efficient and easy process for the migration. The import permit of Ruedi and everything around it was then quite slow and it took around 2.5 hours until we've entered Panamá. After about 10 km there was another checkpoint where a guard reviewed out documents and then we were free to roam the country.
Our next stop was the town of Almirante which has not a lot to offer but is the gateway to the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. A huge archipelago with hundreds of little islands (and some large ones) offering something for everyone. So we parked Ruedi and hopped on a water taxi that brought us to the main island and the main town (which I'm still not sure how it's named - I think Bocas del Toro 😅). There we checked out two hostels and found a place to stay for the night. Then we explored a bit the town and informed us about the tours that are offered. Even though they start a little late (10 am) they had tours for exactly what we wanted: Snorkeling and beach 🏖️🥰 Afterwards we went to a restaurant that the receptionist in the hostel had recommended. We didn't check it out upfront, so it was a little surprise that it had a rather upscale menu. But it wasn't that expensive (compared to European standards) and it sounded very interesting as a Panamanian and Caribbean mix. And the food was absolutely delicious! Interestingly enough we had a banana differently prepared in each of the three courses. A well deserved treat!! ☺️
For the evening we wanted to go to a nearby bar for live music. But it was raining so hard and we could hear the music from our porch in the hostel that we stayed there and had a relaxing evening 🥰Læs mere
Cayo Zapatilla
3. januar 2023, Panama ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We had a relaxed morning as the water wasn't working in the hostel so we couldn't take a shower 😁 For breakfast we checked out several places on the way to the departure of the tour and then decided for a little café that offered Eggs Benedict, which I've never tried before. So the last two days have been our splurge days 😅
Also the prices have been more budget friendly in Panamá compared to Costa Rica. The boat trip started almost on time and we went to the first spot, Dolphin bay. As the name implies you can usually see dolphins there at the right time of day. Even though it's not the main season anymore there was still a small pack of dolphins around. The guide said that they are usually more playful but with so many boats around they don't come out and jump. And it looked and felt like the many boats are stressing them while following the dolphins closely. In the end as our boat accelerated there were some jumping in the trail of waves the boat left. So it really was maybe just the impression we had 🤷♂️
The next stop was at the Cayo Zapatilla, one of the most famous spots in Bocas del Toro. And this is well deserved, the beaches are beautiful, clean and with fine white sand. We took a walk around the island which is only about 2.5km in circumference. The water is crystal clear at most parts and it looks just incredibly scenic with the palm trees hanging over the water 🥰 We spent about two hours overall walking, swimming and relaxing at the beach before continuing on to a restaurant on one of the islands. We had brought some chips that we had eaten at the beach, so we instead of lunch we explored the waters around it by snorkeling. There are a lot of coral reefs 🪸 , unfortunately there were also a lot of dead coral around the docks. But there are a lot of fish species anyways! 🐟🐠 Especially under the docks they were swarming in all colours... We were absolutely amazed by the variety and how close you are to the corals.
From there it was a short stop until the so-called Hollywood Island because of its many seastars ⭐ They were all over the seabed in so many different colours... Around 4 we came back to Bocas Town and quickly had a shower before boarding the water taxi back to Almirante. The day has been perfect with no rain and just a little bit of cloud cover when we did the walk. We hopped in Ruedi and were on the road again back south to the Pacific side. Finding a spot to park and sleep turned out to be a little difficult because the first option didn't have parking except next to the road. Then we asked at a hotel but they didn't have a bathroom available... So we continued on for another half an hour and parked behind a gas station. It was pretty secluded next to a (closed) bar and we had the spot to ourselves.Læs mere
Valle de Antón
4. januar 2023, Panama ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We had discussed to go to another island today, Isla Coiba in the Pacific Ocean. It's known for the diving and snorkeling spots. But it would have been a two hour detour and probably two days more because we wouldn't catch a boat today anymore. Also we need to figure out what to do with Ruedi to continue our tour in South America. Therefore we decided to go to the Anton Valley which is on the way to Panama City.
It was still a 4 hour drive so we started already at 7 in the morning. Right when we had set up a van pulled up and asked where we're from and if it's a converted van. I was confused (my brain doesn't function well in the mornings 😁) but Julia realized that he has also a converted van and just wanted to see what we've done. He showed his set up (with his wife laying sleepy in the back 😅) and a neat water construction. We gave him our stove as we won't be needing it anymore and he was super excited.
On the way to Anton Valley the road changed to the Panamerican Highway and a well maintained two lane road. In most parts the speed limit was at 100 buuut at a part going downhill it was 80 and I got into a speed trap of a police officer 🙈 He wanted to see my license and passport... He explained that I should obey the speed limits and let me off with a warning 😌 Afterwards I tried to stay below the speed limit and at least we weren't caught 😅 The drive to the valley was very scenic but that also meant narrow and winding roads for more than hour. When we arrived our first stop was at a hotel from where a nature walk led through a forest and pleasantly along a little river. Unique in the entire world to this Panamanian crater - and the reason why we visited, a group of cottonwood trees have grown with square trunks. There are about four trees that you can see on the walk buuuuut it's honestly not that visible 😅 Except for a pretty perfect right angle on one side of one of the trees they didn't look as baffling as advertised. But it was still a beautiful little walk to stretch our legs in the cool shade.
Afterwards we wanted to go to the visitor center but it was closed until later in the afternoon, so we went for lunch. We've had typical Panamanian dishes which means at least one part of the meal was fried 😁 Surprisingly they gave a portion of lentils together with the rice, which I haven't seen yet on the trip. Then we had a walk through the little town up to the pretty church in the center. Overall the town is very neat and clean with pretty houses. When we checked the visitor center again afterwards it still wasn't open so we continued on to Panama City which was still two hours away. But the road was good and traffic not too bad when we arrived at the Hotel Caribe, located conveniently between everything we needed.
After checking in and enjoying a welcome drink on the rooftop terrace we decided to walk to a nearby peninsula called "Casco Antiguo" with the colonial style old town of Panama. It was about half an hour walk and we got amazing views over the skyline and old town while the sun was setting. The streets and buildings on the peninsula were incredibly pretty and we walked for more than an hour through them in awe. Then we got a little hungry and checked for restaurants... As the best option came up a restaurant "Lo que hay" (something like "You get what there is", a common phrase when mom's are asked what's for dinner) and as there was quite a long queue it seemed like a good choice. After about an hour we got our table and I ordered a Panamanian dish while Julia had a vegetarian variant of filled tortillas (??). But the general vibe and unfortunately also the portion size was rather fancy. The taste was good but not as delicious and special as we had in the Octo two days ago. Also it didn't have typical Panamanian (or central American) components like fried banana.
On the way home we bought some snacks and then almost emptied Ruedi and brought the stuff upstairs to sort it out.Læs mere
Panamá City
5. januar 2023, Panama ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We got up early to continue sorting out the luggage that we're going to need further on. Yesterday at night we had found a place called "The Overland Embassy" which handles all kinds of stuff concerning the overlander life. Meaning shipping to Colombia, repairs and also selling the vehicles. Julia had already investigated about the process but it's quite tricky and not very transparent. So our initial plan had been to go to the central customs office to inform ourselves and then find someone that would buy it or scrap it 🥲 But now that we heard about Alejandro and the services we decided to go directly to him as he had already done this in the past and it would save us time and especially nerves...
And as we arrived there were two travellers with their vans that are just getting shipped. He greeted us friendly, welcoming and reassured us that he provides solutions for everything which was super nice. Then we had time to gather and sort the remaining things in Ruedi and waited for Alejandro to finish loading the vans. Which unfortunately took almost 2 hours but then it went pretty quick and he said that he will handle it for us and we can take the plane to Colombia tomorrow. Unfortunately it won't be possible to sell the van as the nationalization will cost at least 2500$ and therefore the resale value is almost none. Especially the issue with getting spare parts makes it not very interesting for travellers and we don't want to spend a lot of time waiting to find a buyer.
He started immediately with the paperwork while we went out for a walk to Panama Viejo, the initial settlement of Panama that was destroyed by the infamous pirate Henry Morgan. Nowadays there are just a few ruins left and a well renovated bell tower. We strolled through the huge area, read signs about the interesting history and watched iguanas scurry over the grass. It's a really pleasant area with a little museum and snack shop. We spent about two hours exploring the ruins before we returned to Ruedi. The paperwork was ready and we needed to go to a notary to get the stamp because I couldn't write the same signature as in my passport 🥴 It went pretty quick though and then we were done for today and drove to a viewpoint overlooking Casco Antiguo. Unfortunately there was no parking available so we just had the quick glimpses from the street.
In the evening after dinner we relaxed some time at the rooftop terrace with a beer and talked about the trip we've had so far. In the hotel room we a little some more sorting to do before going to sleep 💤Læs mere
Cartagena
6. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We finished packing in the morning and then drove to a DHL shop to send some stuff directly back to Germany. It was pretty complicated as she wanted a detailed list of the contents and their value 😵 So we spent almost an hour also trying to explain that it's personal belongings. So it's now on its way hopefully, at least I already received the email with the tracking 😁 As this was handled we stopped by a car wash to give Ruedi a proper nice foam bath that was long overdue and well deserved. Then it was time to drive the last leg of our journey with Ruedi to the Overlander Embassy 😭😭😭 It feels very weird that we need to leave him behind and he will be thoroughly missed but it's the right choice after the issues we've had. And we're super happy that he made more than 30.000 km which seemed at times impossible...
There we sorted the last things and did some paperwork for us and Alejandro. He also reassured me that it won't be an issue at the airport with the stamp. As everything was in order we decided to book the flight to Cartagena for the evening. Then we had time to prepare for the flight as there were some online forms to fill out to enter Colombia. After saying goodbye to Alejandro and his crew and especially to Ruedi we took a taxi to the airport. Even though we were 6 hours early we got hungry and we wanted to get rid of the luggage. There were no food options outside of the security check, so we already checked our bags and then was the critical moment when I needed to go through customs 🤐 When they scanned the passport I was sure that he would ask for Ruedi... But he just swiped quickly through the pages (probably didn't even come to the part with the note about the arrival), gave it back and wished me safe travels 😌 That was a huge relief 😮💨 I had already pictured Julia flying to Cartagena by herself while I'm kept in a cell at the airport 😅
We had been hungry for a while and in the newly built terminal from where we'll be departing was no restaurant at all 🙈 We were about to buy some snacks from a vending machine when we asked an employee who told us to walk until the end of the other terminal 😅 And luckily there were some food stands. We spent the time until departure relaxing, reviewing pictures and watching series... A little bit late we started boarding and had an issue because the assigned seats didn't exist in the plane 🤷♂️ So they printed new boarding passes during the boarding and we were on the short 45 minutes hop over to South America ☺️
Colombia greeted us friendly with a nice customs officer singing quietly to herself while reviewing our passports. We grabbed our bag, ordered an Uber and within less than an hour from landing we arrived at our hostel. There we checked in and had two local beers (Aguilar) on the cosy little rooftop terrace. It was a long day and we've got a lot of plans also for tomorrow...Læs mere
Cartagena II
7. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We slept in a bit but it was a bit difficult finding sleep in the hostel we were staying at because it has a patio so when someone talks in the lower floor or lobby the sound is transported and magnified to our room 🙄 But we were tired and needed the sleep... In the morning we checked if we could stay another night because there were a few things we'd like to see and one day wasn't enough. Unfortunately our hostel and also almost everything else in the whole city center has been booked out 🙈 So we packed our stuff and wanted to check other hostels but when we came to the lobby, the receptionist greeted us with the good news that someone had cancelled and we could stay 😮💨 We'd have probably found something, but like this it was a lot easier...
Then we went out to explore the old city that we had a little glimpse of yesterday at night. Just about 200m away from the hostel we walked through a park where a little crowd had gathered. On closer inspection there was a super active sloth 🦥 climbing through the tree 😍 On his way it was disturbing the chilling iguanas and we feared for it to fall down as the branches weren't looking very sturdy... But it climbed on without falling and after half an hour we continued on into the old city center where we were greeted by beautiful colourful buildings. Walking the decorated streets was amazing and we enjoyed the views, especially from up at the (completely intact) city walls that lead around it. Then we made a little stop at the bus operator to check the schedule to go to Santa Marta (tomorrow at 8). Right next to it is a public beach where we cooled down our feet in the coolish water. The atmosphere in the city is very lively and friendly and it feels very different even though it was just about 500km from Panamá to here. We continued our exploration at the old theater that was converted into a modern mall while keeping the old structures intact which resulted in a beautiful combination 🥰
From the theater it was just a short walk to the Castle San Felipe de Barajas overlooking the city. The castle offers magnificent views, a nice little walk on the walls and tunnels to explore. The tunnels were especially tempting as it was nice and cool there. Then we went back to the hostel for a bit of recovery and hydration and to look up what to do next. Also I went to a barber shop and we bought a large backpack to carry our stuff a little more comfortable. Afterwards we checked out a restaurant nearby that was recommended by the receptionist. The menu offered quite a lot of interesting options and I decided on a fish while Julia had a vegetarian rice. The taste was really good and we were both happy with our choices ☺️
For the evening we took a walk through the old city center again to see it illuminated. It was a whole different experience but I'd say it looks prettier at the day when you can see the colourful buildings. But the plazas were more lively with music, dancing and food and drink stalls. Then we went back to hostel to rearrange our luggage with the new backpack.Læs mere
Santa Marta
8. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
In the morning we packed our things and went to the bus line by taxi because we were a little late 😬 There we checked in, payed and then got us some delicious arepas filled with egg. Almost on time we made our way further East in direction of Santa Marta via Barranquilla. The drive was supposed to take 6 hours but we arrived almost an hour early.
The walk with the luggage in the midday sun was a little strenuous but luckily it wasn't that far. So we first dropped off the luggage at the hostel and checked in. This left us with sufficient time to go to the museum of gold just two blocks away. We spent two hours walking through the exhibition on several topics, especially the history of the indigenous people and the encounters with the conquistadores. It was very well made , interesting and free!
Then we quickly went to the hostel to drop off the remaining luggage in our room before continuing to explore the city. The Malecón is very neat and a lot of locals crowd the beaches right next to the city center. In general it's not as nice as Cartagena but that's a pretty high standard. Around the city center are some nice spots but also a lot of run down ones... We went to a restaurant that the receptionist had recommended and there was already quite a long queue at 15:00. But we had time and it seemed to be worth the wait then. Also it was pretty cool that there were two restaurants, one for seafood and the other with vegetarian options. So we could both get something that we wanted ☺️ I've had a big portion of shrimps, prepared in three different styles and very tasty. Afterwards we walked the calories off while checking off the remaining sights in the city (not too many 😁).Læs mere
Parque Nacional Tayrona
9. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
We wanted to go early to the bus station to catch the bus to the National Park but there was breakfast included in our hostel and it took a little while until we got it 😬 The guy at the reception had also said that currently during the high season people go super early and the park fills up. Our initial plan had been to hike a while from a secondary entrance through the jungle until the most famous stretch of beach, Boca De Saco. But the hike leads through a sacred village of the indigenous tribe, Pueblito. And therefore it has been closed for the public access and you can only go there with a guide.
So we reached the main entrance by 09:30 and had no issues at all to enter. We walked the 5km from the entrance to the parking lot because we thought there was a viewpoint on the way but it was just the name of a hostel 😅 The next viewpoint we had on our list turned out to be a dead end with pretty high inaccessible cliffs. But the view was great and there was a little secluded beach. From the parking lot there was a little loop trail through the jungle of 2km where we saw a lot of monkeys directly above us in the trees. Around 12 we were finally on the main trail leading to Boca De Saco and the trail was amazing! It doesn't have spectacular views but the trail in itself is so entertaining by changes in the underground and vegetation surrounding it. The infrastructures with the camping spots scattered along the way are well maintained and you can rent either the set up tents or hammocks.
When we arrived at Boca de Saco we had walked almost 15km along beautiful white beaches, lush jungle, palm gardens and the serene mangrove forests. There we had two beautiful beaches but the sea was very rough and cold. The few ones we saw snorkeling had a tough time. But it was perfect to enjoy our lunch and just as we had arrived the clouds came in and it was bearable laying in the open without shade. For dessert I got a delicious Colombian coffee and pan de chocolate. Since Central America there were quite a lot of Colombian bakeries so we had to try it and it was really good 😊
To get back to Santa Marta we decided to take a small boat as we didn't feel like walking all the way back that we came. Besides that we needed to check for buses going in direction of our next destination. But as mentioned before, the sea was pretty rough so during the hour of driving we were shaken thoroughly and Julia got seasick 🙈 When we arrived she had a lemon which eased the symptoms. Then we took a taxi from the cute little harbor town of Taganga back to Santa Marta. Afterwards we tried to get a bus to Tunja for tomorrow but it turned out a little complicated. First we went to two tour agencies in town but they only did local tours, so we needed to grab a taxi to get to the main bus terminal. There we tried several companies but they were fully booked to Tunja. So we tried it for Bucaramanga, North of Tunja, and there we had luck at the third bus operator to get a spot at 08:30 in the evening for tomorrow. Which means that we'll spend more time than planned in Santa Marta but we'll have the whole day afterwards in Bucaramanga!
Happy to have something we returned to the hostel, had a cocktail by the pool and then made ourselves presentable for dinner where we had Mexican 😬 Mainly because they had vegetarian options and Poutine on the menu 😁Læs mere
Bucaramanga
10. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
As our bus was just leaving in the night at 08:30pm we had the whole day in Santa Marta. Therefore we tried to sleep in and once again didn't succeed 🙄 But at least we had plenty of time to have breakfast and a little nap afterwards 🙂
Then we checked out and walked along the Malecón, booked an appointment for a massage later, shopped some sunscreen and bought a patch of the Colombian flag. Afterwards we went to the beach for a bit of sun bathing but the spot we went to was pretty dirty so we skipped the swimming part. Besides I didn't want to get all sandy before the massage...
Afterwards we went to a little restaurant that we had walked by already several times and looked interesting, named Kiwi. I've tried the seafood soup as appetizer and salchipapas as main but the portions were massive 😅 So we packed half of the salchipapas as dinner for the bus and went back to the hostel. We needed to work on some things regarding the DHL package and around Ruedi. Then we took a taxi to the bus terminal and arrived earlier as requested. They had asked to be there an hour early but only started boarding the bus 20 minutes before the departure 🙈🙄 So we started with a little delay in the overnight drive. But the bus was very modern with big reclining chairs, screens for entertainment and - in theory - WiFi. So we made ourselves as comfortable as possible and pretty soon fell into an uneasy sleep.Læs mere
San Gil, Barichara y Guane
11. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
The night was pretty rough but we got a few hours of sleep in and arrived early in the morning in Bucaramanga. We had decided to continue directly on to San Gil because from there we can take the tours. We got the tickets for the bus at 07:00 at 07:02 and ran to catch it. But that wouldn't have been necessary as they just started boarding 20 minutes later 😅
The drive was super scenic through mountains and canyons through winding roads. And I could actually enjoy the view. On a little downhill slope a truck drove into the back of our bus 🙈 We stood there for about half an hour with the drivers and the police sorting things out. But at least we were able to drive on to San Gil and despite some weird noises we made it there just a bit later than planned.
We had found a hostel directly in the center and were lucky to be able to check in already at 12. We had planned to go paragliding in the afternoon but the better tour leaves in the morning. Therefore we reserved the tour for the next morning and went to explore the surrounding area as we were told that there is a scenic little town just about 20 kilometers away. It's considered to be the most beautiful little town in Colombia, so we couldn't miss the opportunity to pay a visit. And it is really beautiful with the cobblestone streets, white houses and colourful doors and windows 🤩 We walked through the town and checked out some viewpoints, especially into the surrounding valleys.
A trail named Camino Real led down from Barichara to a small village in the valley, Guane. It is about 6km and mostly downhill, so not very tough and we needed to move our legs after the bus rides today. And the walk was great with shadow giving trees and a well maintained trail. Also the village at the end of it was a real treat with a beautiful little church and a cosy town square. The bus that would take us back to San Gil was supposed to come after about an hour so we walked a bit over the main plaza with a tasty Aguila beer. The bus was late but at least it came because it was the last one of the day and brought us in an hour back to San Gil and the Terminalito.
On the way back to the hostel we stopped by a supermarket to buy something to drink but they also offered Arepas filled with cheese that Julia had wanted to try for a while. And we also had leftover vegetarian rice from lunch, so we cooked that in the hostel. It was really tasty or we were really hungry but either way we were happy with it 😅 Afterwards we went almost directly to bed 💤Læs mere
Cañon del Chicamocha
12. januar 2023, Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
We had time until 9 to get picked up for the paragliding so we took it slowly with getting ready. The drive there is supposed to take one hour but there is always quite a lot of traffic so we were half an hour more en route. When we arrived at the starting point we filled out a form about insurance and got a quick introduction into what we're supposed to do and what not. Basically you just need to know 3 commands: stand, run and feet up 😁 Then we were sorted by weight because the later in the day the more winds are present and give enough upforce for the heavier ones. So I got into the second to last group while Julia came in the second one. We watched some starts and saw that it was all pretty relaxed.
Julia's flight was pretty good but she had expected a little more adrenaline and height. I was happy with my flight although I think he flew higher and went a little tougher with the tricks. It was an amazing experience that we had on our bucket list a different way to see the world and this beautiful canyon. The flight was chill and you could just take in the views and gliding close to birds.
After my flight we got onto a bus as many had already been done by then. We were happy that we didn't need to wait for everyone to finish buuuuut then we got into a traffic jam on the way back due to a flipped truck. We stood there for almost two hours until we decided to start walking in direction of San Gil which went great for 5 kilometers until the jam cleared up. So we stopped by the road and waited for the minibus to pick us up again 😁 Ultimately we arrived back at the hostel 5 hours later than planned but we still wanted to continue on to Tunja... We tried getting a taxi but this failed so we walked the 2km to the main bus terminal and were lucky to get a ticket for the 20:00 bus. We finally had some time to get something to eat (streetfood ❤️🤩) and relax a bit.
This ended when they called Julia over the speaker to come to the office 😅 They had changed us to an earlier bus at 19:30 which left on time and drove recklessly quick 🙈 We just got held up at another - luckily smaller - traffic jam. But we still arrived on time at midnight in Tunja because of the speeding of the bus driver. There we took a taxi to a nearby hotel which was closed, the next one only had a suite available, the third one - a bakery and hotel - was the charm. It was pretty chilly at night (around 10 degrees) because Tunja is at 2800 metres above sea level. Luckily they had warm blankets though 😊Læs mere
RejsendeWoww super, muy bien Jonas y Julia! Hay que vivir la vida intensamente!!!