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Sophie's Trip
  • Sophie Jones
12月 2022 – 11月 2024

Sophie's Trip

Sophieによる712日間のアドベンチャー もっと詳しく
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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Santa Ana Cathedral
    Some of the beautiful buildings in Santa AnaPupusas!The ruins of the old art schoolClimbing Santa Ana volcanoThe view from the top1Some legend was selling ice lollies on the topCoatepeque CalderaInside the chicken busAtaco on the Ruta de FloresAtaco central plazaSouvenir market in AtacoJuayua central plaza and cathedralSanta Theresa Hot Springs1The natural hot springEl Cuco beach

    El Salvador

    2024年4月28日, エルサルバドル ⋅ 🌩️ 26 °C

    With limited time to get through Central America I headed onto El Salvador. All I knew about El Salvador before going there was that for a long time it had terrible gang violence problems and one of the highest homicide rates in the world. In 2022, President Bukele declared a state of emergency and had a massive crackdown, imprisoning 72,000 people with any association to gangs. As a result El Salvador is now a much safer place.

    First up was Santa Ana, a colonial town but without the sheen of more popular colonial towns like Antigua or Oaxaca. In fact you saw very few tourists as you wandered around, most just went straight to the natural sites nearby. But I loved exploring Santa Ana, it felt very local and was the perfect antidote to the popular tourist towns of Guatemala. There were some stunning buildings from the gothic cathedral to the national theatre to the abandoned art school, and a range of architectural styles surrounded by the more traditional grid-like streets. And one thing you have to have when in El Salvador of their famous pupusas, a cheap street food of a thick maize tortilla stuffed with various meat, cheese or veg, and grilled until they're crispy. My favourites were bean and cheese, or jalapeño and cheese.

    One of the main reasons to visit Santa Ana is to climb the nearby volcano. We hiked up the side through the jungle and then breached the tree line to reach the top. As I was there in the wet season it was an overcast day so we had no view of the surrounding countryside and volcanoes, we just kept hiking towards a wall of cloud. But luckily the view of the bright turquoise crater lake was clear, making it all worth it. There were even some people selling ice lollies out of a cool box on the top, so it seemed rude to say no! After coming down from the volcano we visited the nearby Lake Coatepeque in a huge caldera 26 km across.

    Next I headed to the Ruta de Flores (route of flowers), a scenic road in the north of El Salvador that is lined with flowers. The road is also lined with small towns that are nice to visit. I stayed in a pretty town called Ataco and used it as a base to visit the other towns via the chicken busses. Chicken busses are the main way to get around in Central America, they are repurposed American yellow school busses that get packed full and wizz around the roads, often belching black smoke! The towns on the route usually have nice central plazas with some nice cathedrals and buildings, and a mix of local and tourist markets to browse. One of the towns Juayua holds a food market on weekends that I had to check out, mostly consisting of stalls selling barbeque type food. I have to admit that it was kind of hard to enjoy the food when you had several very skinny dogs watching you, I ended up giving most of my food away to them! I also visited the nearby Santa Theresa Hot Springs, a series of pools of varying temperatures from tepid to scorching! A perfect way to spend a day.

    With only one night spent in the capital San Salvador, I headed on to El Cuco, a small beach town in the south of El Salvador. El Cuco has a large black volcanic sand beach which was pretty striking. However it was so hot and humid in this part of the country that I mostly only wandered along it in the late afternoon as the weather got more bearable! Luckily I had treated myself to a room with air conditioning so I just enjoyed my time doing not a lot for a few days before heading off to the next country...    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Our mode of entry into Nicaragua, it all felt a bit dodgy!
    Plaza de Armas in LeonLeon CathedralThe rooftop of Leon Cathedral1A view of Calvario Church from the roof of the Leon CathedralRevolutionary street artWeird stuff going on on the streets of LeonLa Recolección ChurchSome of the high camp of the catholic churchGranada CathedralA street view of GranadaFried plantain and cheese wrapped in banana leaf, the Nicaraguan version of a chippy teaVolcanoes in the background of GranadaLaguna de Apoyo

    Leon & Granada

    2024年5月14日, ニカラグア ⋅ 🌩️ 31 °C

    Another day in Latin America, another beautiful colonial town! There's no shortage of colonial towns in this part of the world, and they only seem to get more beautiful. After leaving El Salvador by small boat, we crossed the Gulf of Fonseca and landed on a black sand beach in Nicaragua. We had to take our shoes off and wade to the shore, it all seemed like a bit of a dodgy way to enter a country! But sure enough, when we got off the beach there were some immigration officers there ready to check us into the country before getting on a bus to Leon.

    Leon is one of the more gritty colonial towns in Central America, with a lively revolutionary history. The beautiful and colourful buildings are contrasted with revolutionary street art. The history of violent revolution in this area spans from the 60-70's when the war to overthrow the Somoza regime became a proxy war between the Russians and Americans, to the 2018 protests against the current regime. I visited a revolution museum that was interesting enough when discussing the more historical conflicts, but was clearly giving out a heavy dose of propaganda when discussing the more recent 2018 protests. According to this museum, the protesters were planted by America to make the government look bad, because clearly no Nicaraguans are dissatisfied with the way that the country is being run. And people dressed as police, but who definitely weren't police, and weren't ordered by the government to beat the protesters resulting in around 30 deaths. Sure Jan.
    Aside from learning about the interesting history, there were plenty of beautiful old churches, plazas and streets to explore, I always enjoyed looking at the high camp that is the catholic art. I also spent a lot of time trying to avoid the unbearable heat! Whether that be in air conditioned cafes or in the tiny hostel pool with a beer.
    Granada is a more polished colonial town on the shore of the huge Lake Nicaragua. The colourful streets are particularly attractive with the volcanoes visible in the distance. Granada was named in 1524 and is supposedly the earliest colonial town in mainland America. With many streets to explore and rooftops to visit, I spent a few days in Grenada before heading to the beautiful Laguna de Apoyo for a day of relaxation. The Lagoon is a crater lake in an extinct volcano and is a perfect place to spend a day chilling with a cocktail and taking a dip to cool down!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    The ferry to Ometepe
    One of many volcano sightingsOff on my quad!1Ojo de Agua spring poolsA storm approaching at the natural springA spiced hot chocolate at the eco lodgeConception Volcano hiding underneath a cloud in the distanceAnother storm rolling in minutes before I got drenched2A view of Conception Volcano from Mango Beach1My quadMaderas Volcano under the clouds

    Ometepe

    2024年5月26日, ニカラグア ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    One final stop in Nicaragua was to the volcanic island of Ometepe. Ometepe is made up of two volcanoes in the vast Lake Nicaragua. One of the volcanoes, Volcan Conception, is an active volcano that last erupted in 2010... that is until about a week before I arrived! I saw huge plumes of smoke on videos circling on the news and social media, but with no advisories to avoid the area being issued I headed off to the island anyway, and luckily it paid off as there were no further eruptions!

    The trip starts with an hour long ferry from the mainland, giving a perfect view of both of the volcanoes getting closer and closer. When in the port town of Moyogalpa I rented a quad bike (because I was too chicken/sensible to hire a scooter) to explore the island for a couple of days. Being so isolated from the mainland, Ometepe is a much more chilled and peaceful place than I had experienced so far in Central America. There are very few other vehicles on the roads, and I was just as likely to see someone riding a cow as on a vehicle.

    I rode off in the glaring sunshine towards the other volcano, where I stopped at some spring fed pools to cool down. The weather since I had left El Salvador had been oppressively hot and humid, so this was a much needed break. However as I was there the weather seemed to break and a tropical storm rolled on. I ran for cover in the little restaurant as it passed, and I was kind of glad that the temperature didn't quite recover to the previous highs for my remaining time in Nicaragua. However, this did mean that the volcanoes were almost permanently covered with clouds after this!

    Due to the tropical climate and the volcanic ash, Ometepe is very fertile and has rich agriculture. One night I stayed at an ecolodge that grew all of its own food, and specialised in growing chocolate. The onsite restaurant had amazing vegetarian food and an amazing range of drinks and food containing cocoa. The change in the weather continued and I got caught in another downpour while on the quad! Luckily I had a poncho to keep my bag dry but I must have looked a sight driving through the pouring rain with nothing but sunglasses to keep my eyes dry as I looked for somewhere to stop and take cover. But as always with tropical weather, the rain soon passed so I headed to Mango Beach to chill with a cocktail while watching the clouds think about leaving the peak of Conception Volcano.

    After a couple of days exploring the island by quad I headed back to Moyogalpa to return the quad. But I was enjoying the island vibe so I found a guesthouse with a pool to hang around in for a few more days before I had to head off to my next exciting destination...    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者

    Havana

    2024年6月4日, キューバ ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    With a quick bus across Costa Rica to the capital San Jose, I hopped on a flight and was off to Cuba! I had been looking forward to finally meeting up with one of my besties Mel! We got this beautiful apartment in Old Havana where a lady came every morning and made us an amazing breakfast. Eager to explore we headed out into the city. Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish so has a lot of really beautiful architecture. However the sanctions of the last half century means that many of them have fallen into disrepair. It's both beautiful and sad to see these buildings, a lot of them with only the facade remaining or totally missing a roof. Yet often people will still be living there and by night you'll see lights inside.

    One of the other side effects of these sanctions is the number of vintage cars in Cuba. A must do activity for us was to take a tour of Havana in one of these cars. We found a guy (or he found us more like) with a bright pink 1950's Buick. We toured the city for a couple of hours like ladies of leisure, taking on some of the famous sights and historic buildings, and driving through some of the more affluent suburbs. Driving through Havana's streets feels timeless the roads don't have modern infrastructure and there are no billboards or advertisements. There are vehicles on the road from every decade since the 50's in various states of repair. Nothing is thrown away in Cuba, everything is repaired or recycled into a different use.

    We spent the rest of our time wandering the streets, admiring the street art, being serenaded by buskers, and trying multiple mojitos. As Havana is supposedly the home of the mojito it would be rude not to!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    The view from our rooftop
    Rooftop breakfastThe town square at sunset2Out taxi for the dayOn the caveThe tobacco farmDrying tobaccoLearning the traditional way to roll a cigarThe prehistoric muralViñales valleyViñales town, a pretty quiet placeA street party in ViñalesThe fairground was in townOne of many DaqurisThe main highway through Cuba

    Viñales

    2024年6月7日, キューバ ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Escaping the chaos of Havana, we headed a few hours west to Viñales. The main road to Viñales was pretty quiet, with very few cars on the road, in part because of the sanctions leading to fuel shortages. There were some long queues at some of the petrol stations.

    Viñales Valley is famous for its beautiful landscape and traditional methods for growing tobacco. We had another great host that made us breakfast every morning on the rooftop overlooking the town and the beautiful hills. We explored the area by hiring a taxi to take us around for the day. He turned up in an old school taxi drove us around the gorgeous countryside. We visited a cave where escaped slaves hid back in the colonial times, but is now a bar. Then we visited a tobacco farm, where a man showed us how to roll a cigar and smoke it the Cuban way. As fun as it was I don't think it's a skill that I'll be using any time soon! Then we went off to see a cliff that had been painted with a mural with dinosaurs sometime in the 1960's. It felt a bit like they were scraping the bottom of the barrel of what to show us at this point! But we finished up at a miradore (viewpoint) overlooking the valley so the day ended with a high point!

    Viñales town was pretty small and quiet, we wandered the streets and looked in some of the shops and market. People definitely moved at a slower pace here than in Havana! We also enjoyed some of the excellent cocktails, we loved anything rum based like mojitos, daquris, Pina/mango coladas. One evening there was a street party going on, with food and drinks being sold in the street along with music. There were also some pretty old looking fairground rides, including a small rollercoaster and a pirate ship ride. I'm sure they were perfectly safe but I didn't feel brave enough to take a ride!

    We headed back to Havana for one more day before flying out. I loved Cuba, it was a beautiful and fascinating place, but going through some hard times. It was also unbearably hot and humid, I was so eager to be sipping mojitos with Mel that we forgot to check the weather report! But I would love to visit again at a cooler time of year 😅    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    A view of San Jose from the resort hotel
    1An early surprise birthday cake!1On one of the hanging bridgesBlue jeans poison dart frogPit viperDinner in La FortunaArenal VolcanoBats!1A toucanOur first sighting of a wild sloth!Three toed slothSloth crossing!Two toed slothOne of the many hot springs in the resortA cacao fruitChocolate makingHummingbirds!

    Costa Rica - La Fortuna

    2024年6月12日, コスタリカ ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Flying back from Cuba I had a few days before another treat, my parents were flying out for a visit! I got to the airport just in time to surprise them before we picked up the hire car and headed to a resort overlooking San Jose. We only spent a night there before heading to La Fortuna, where we stayed in a resort with an amazing view of Arenal Volcano and multiple hot springs at various temperatures. It was lovely to relax in one of these watching the hummingbirds zipping about.

    Our first activity was a trip around Místico Arenal Hanging Bridges Nature Preserve, where we walked through the forest and canopy viewing a multitude of snakes, frogs, insects, bats, and birds. Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, so there's plenty to see! But of course the most famous animal is the sloth. So the next day we headed out on a specific sloth safari, where we headed to certain patches of trees that were known to house sloths. It didn't take long to find some thanks to the beady eyes of the guide. We watched one three toed sloth climbing around in a tree, they both seem to move in slow motion and are faster than you'd expect. While viewing this sloth we also saw a large toucan hopping about, which is another very cool sight! We moved on to see some more sloths in other parts of the area, seeing a few more three toed sloths, and a couple of two toed sloths, which had longer and shaggier fur. As you watch them through the binoculars you can see the moths that live in their fur crawling about. They're lovely creatures but I can't imagine that they smell too good!

    On our final rainy afternoon in La Fortuna mum and I headed to a chocolate farm, where we saw some chocolate trees and learnt a bit about how they grow and make chocolate. We also got to see a small part of the process and taste some at different parts of the process. Best of all was trying spoonfuls of melted chocolate with different flavours such as spices, fruits, nuts, or liquors. You could go back as many times as you wanted to try as many different combinations as you wanted. My favourite was probably the Mayan spice mix, as I became such a fan of that while in Mexico!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    A resting hummingbird
    Some of the beautiful fungi in the forestA blurry shot of the Resplendent QuetzalA sleeping toucanTiny frogSpot the sick insectTouring a coffee farmA pit-stopZip-lining on my birthday!The zip-lining teamBirthday cocktails in the poolNatural hot springsMoneys were frequently in the forest around the poolsStrolling the beach at Tamarindo

    Costa Rica part 2

    2024年6月17日, コスタリカ ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Next up we headed to Monteverde in the cloud forest. We kept driving up and up until we were driving through clouds. The cloud forest is an interesting place with unique mosses and fungi growing all over the place. We saw more interesting insects, butterflies, frogs, monkeys and birds, including the much sought after Resplendent Quetzal. We also took a tour of the forest at night and saw more of the same plus fireflies, spiders, including a huge tarantula, a snoozing toucan, and we were very lucky to see a White-Nosed Coati, a mammal that belongs to the raccoon family.

    Our next destination was a special treat for my 40th birthday! We headed to a fabulous hot spring resort deep in the forest with chalet style accommodations. As an extra surprise, mum had booked zip-lining for us! It was exhilarating as we flew through the canopies and over deep canyons. I absolutely loved this and it was a perfect birthday treat! Dad seemed to enjoy it too but I'm not too sure how much mum enjoyed it 😅

    After the exhilaration of the zip-lining we had to check out the resort facilities. Even though it was raining we went for a dip in the pool for a mojito, then we checked out the hot springs. There were three pools of varying temperatures, I of course preferred the hottest one, at least for a while! I also smeared myself in the volcanic mud which is supposed to be good for your skin or something, I'm not too convinced but it was fun! It was pretty blissful passing time in the springs, at times watching the spider monkeys and toucans in the overhanging trees.

    For our final stop we spent a couple of days in the beach resort of Tamarindo. There was a nice and bustling beach over the road to the hotel which we strolled along, plus a strip of nice shops, bars and restaurants. We had some excellent seafood including my favourite, fish tacos. The rest of the time we enjoyed the pool facilities with another swim-up bar for some good cocktails and beers!

    Once again I loved having my parents visit, I really enjoyed the trip and hope they did too. Thank you for coming ♥️    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Puerto Ayora
    Watching sunrise from my hotelHungry birds waiting for scrapsTurtle Bay beachA marine iguanaSea lions chillingA frigate bird off Santa Fe IslandThe boat trip to Santa Fe IslandOur snorkelling spot by Santa FeFish sheltering under our boatSea lions are everywhere in town!

    Galapagos - Santa Cruz

    2024年7月6日, エクアドル ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Next up was a real bucket list destination, the Galapagos Islands! I flew to Santa Cruz island via mainland Ecuador, and even on the bus from the airport to Puerto Ayora, the main town on the island, I saw marine birds, huge land iguanas, and a giant tortoise casually strolling the road. I knew at this point that it was going to be a special place!

    Much of my first few says spent on Santa Cruz was spent trying to organise a last minute sleep on boat trip. But even time spent in the town is a marvel as there are hundreds of maine iguanas sunning themselves on the lava stone paving, but there are also countless sea lions, herons, pelican, crabs, and multiple other forms of wildlife right there in the town. The local beach also homes many sea lions that swim and sunbathe along with the tourists and locals. Any spare time that I had in Puerto Ayora was spent either chilling with the sea lions on the beach, or sat by the fishing boats watching the sea lions and pelican hoping for some scraps.

    I also hiked out to Turtle Bay, a white sand beach famous for its turtles, and visited the Charles Darwin research centre for information on some of the conservation work being done in the area. Wanting to explore a bit further I went on a day boat trip to Santa Fe, a small island about an hour away from Santa Cruz. The Galapagos is in the middle of the Pacific, so once you get away from the shelter of the land, the water is pretty rough. We braved the waves and even though I got drenched, I wasn't sick so I saw that as a win. First we went around to look at some sea birds on the rocks, including red chested frigate birds, then we found a nice sheltered bay with a large sea lion colony. The water was bright turquoise and crystal clear so we did sime snorkelling; i saw turtles, rays, plenty of fish, plus swam with some of the sea lions that were chilling on the rocks.

    Back on Santa Cruz I finally negotiated a deal for a space on a yacht, but I had a week or so to kill before it started so I went off to do some island hopping first...    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Snoozing sea lions are everywhere
    Reef sharksMarine iguanasGiant tortoises strolling down the roadA ray in the surfA rainbow appeared at the top of Volcan Sierra Negra as the clouds clearedA view of the sulphur mines from the volcano rimA sulphur ventTaking in some sulphur gasLos TunelesA blue footed booby incubating its eggsA baby tortoise

    Galapagos - Isabela Island

    2024年7月11日, エクアドル ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After Isla Santa Cruz I jumped on a public ferry and headed to Isla Isabela for a few days. Puerto Villamil, the main town on Isla Isabela is much quieter than Puerto Ayora, but it made up for that by having a 5km stretch of pristine beach right on its doorstep. I would frequently stroll alongside the almost deserted beach, looking out for sea birds, crabs, and the occasional ray hiding in the sand.

    The nature on Isla Isabela was my favourite, almost every day i would go out walking or cycling along the Camino de Tortugas Gigantes, or the Walk of the Giant Tortoises. I came across many giant tortoises, sometimes they were hiding in the bush but sometimes they were just confidently strolling down the road! The camino also led to beautiful cliff tops and small beaches with huge marine iguanas sunning themselves. There was also an estuary that you could get to by wading through a mangrove forrest. If you got the timing right you could be in the estuary while the marine birds are feeding, i was in the water while blue footed boobies and pelicans were dive bombing the water in unison all around me. While this was going on sea lions and penguins were also swimming right past, presumably also on the hunt for food. I felt a bit like I was in a disney movie! There was also incredible snorkeling right outside of town, with turtles a metre long, huge rays, and yet more sea lions!

    When i wasn't exploring the island independently, i was on boat trips to see other areas. One iconic place to visit on Isla Isabela is Los Tuneles, a unique volcanic formation that shelters a lot of marine life including turtles, reef sharks, rays, and sea horses. There were even some penguins zipping about. I went on a few more snorkelling trips where i saw more of the same animals, but i never got bored of it!

    Taking a break from the ocean, i headed inland to some old sulphur mines in one of the crater of Volcan Sierra Negra. We headed up to the crater rim, driving through thick cloud and past trees covered in moss, before reaching the crater rim where luckily the clouds had cleared. We hiked down into the crater and up to some steaming vents where there was a thick odour of sulphur. The bright yellow of the sulphur was all around, and we could only spend around 30 minutes at the mines before we had to leave due to the sulphur smoke. It may have knocked a few years off my life but it was worth it for the views!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    One of the beaches in the town of San Cristobal
    Hiking to a beach out of townBaby sea lion!Kicker Rock, a famous landmarkA giant tortoise in the hatcheryFeeding timeBabt tortoises in the nurseryThe Beluga!My cabin

    Galapagos - San Cristobal Island

    2024年7月23日, エクアドル ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On the move once again, i headed to San Cristobal Island. If i thought that i had seen loads of sea lions on the other island, that was nothing compared to San Cristobal! Sea lions dotted the shore of the town of San Cristobal, walking along the waterfront took me ages as i kept stopping to watch them sunbathing, swimming, and squabbling. I came across a tiny baby sea lion that was just happily entertaining itself, apparently its quite normal for them to spend days at a time alone as their mother goes off to hunt.

    San Cristobal was where i was starting the boat trip. I was due to spend 5 nights on The Beluga, a live aboard yacht that would take me to see some of the other islands that i couldn't reach by ferry. I was collected from the dock by the captain, Isreal. On board the boat i met the guide, Juan, the 8 crew that would be taking care of us, and the other guests. The yacht sleeps 16 people, but aside from me there was only a family of 5 from Switzerland, so there was plenty of room. I had a cabin to myself, there was a nice saloon and dining room, and a large deck with loungers to enjoy the view.

    Before setting sail, we headed back to San Cristobal Island to visit an inland lagoon. However, the weather was so gloomy that day that we couldn't see the lagoon at all! Just thick cloud in every direction. Still, it was interesting to learn about the wildlife and the limited water sources on the island. Then we visited a giant tortoise hatchery, which wasn't so dependant on the weather. The Galapagos Islands are the only place where giant tortoises exist, and each island has its own species. Historically the tortoises didn't have any natural predators on the islands, but humans have hunted them almost to extinction, and introduced species such as rats will eat the eggs and babies. So hatcheries are an important part of their conservation. Eggs are dug up from the nests and incubated until they hatch. The baby tortoises are then kept in nurseries until they are big enough to survive, usually around 5-8 years old, and then released into their natural habitat.

    Back on board The Beluga, we were treated to an amazing three course meal, before we set sail into the night! It was pretty loud on board while we were on the move, not to mention the constant movement of the waves, but i soon got used to it. Every day on the trip we would set sail after dinner, get an early night and then wake up in a new exciting destination to explore ...    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Curious sea lions
    Frigate bird taking a rest on our boatSo many marine iguanas!An Albatross and its chickBlow holeBlue footed booby and its chickHawkAn Albatross showing off its wingsNazca boobysA bonded Albatross pair and their chick

    Galapagos- Española Island

    2024年7月27日, エクアドル ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Each day on the yacht would follow a similar pattern, we'd be up and ready for breakfast at around 7:30 am, and then ready to leave the boat at 8:00. We'd head off for a "wet landing", which basically means getting your feet wet, to explore the island a little. We'd be back on the boat for some tea and snacks a couple of hours later and then kitted up and ready to go snorkelling by 11:00. We'd spend around an hour in the water, which is more than enough in these cold waters, before heading back to the boat for a well deserved lunch. We would then be allowed to rest for a couple of hours, I'd usually go and chill on the deck at this point. Sometimes the boat would move to a new location during this period in which case we'd often have frigate birds circling the boat. Then we'd go back out for a "dry landing" at around 15:00, where we'd explore the interior or the island a bit more. Back on the boat a couple of hours later, we'd have another free hour or so before dinner around 6 ish. After dinner we were given a brief from the guide about the next day, after which he always advised us to go to bed early because of the long day. Although they probably just wanted us to go to bed so we'd be out of the crew's hair, they were right we were pretty exhauted after the full days of activities! After dinner around 8pm, the captain would set sail and we'd be off again, usually sailing until around 2am so that we were in a new location for the morning.

    On our first morning we had arrived at Española Island. Our wet landing took us to a beautiful white sand beach, where we could see many species of bird, more marine iguanas, and some characterful sea lions hanging around with a whale carcass. We were given the option for some swimming, but the sun had disappeared that day and i didn't fancy the cold water! Later that mornig we went snorkelling around some rocks, the water was pretty deep and rough but i still loved it as always. There were loads of colourful fish, starfish, interesting coral, and a snoozing turtle. But i was glad to get out of the water after, despite the wet suit!

    In the afternoon we visited the only Albatross colony in the Galapagos. Albatrosses are one of the largest sea birds, with a wingspan of 2.5 - 3.5 metres. A pair mate for several years and are quite sweet as they do their ritual dances of tapping their beaks together. There were lots of chicks when we were there which was great to see. There were also other sea birds and their chicks, such as the blue footed booby and the nazca booby. Once again there were loads of marine iguanas on this island too. But due to the unique way that wildlife has evolved on the Galapagos, each island has its own species. Española island is the only island where the marine iguanas have red patches on their skin. Aside from the wildlife, the scenery was also stunning to see. Even though the sun was well hidden, the cliffs were dramatic and the power of the ocean was fierce. There were a couple of blow holes on the coast, the most impressive one you could hear roaring away for ages before you could actually see it. Done for the day, we headed back to the boat for some excellent food before getting some rest for the next day.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Volcanic sand beach on Floreana Island
    Galapagos flamingoesKayakingTurtles popping up for airA sealion diving in front of meThe barrel post boxInside the lava tunnelA penguin swimming byAnother curious sea lionThe BelugaDinner

    Galapagos - Floreana Island

    2024年7月28日, エクアドル ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Day 2 of the boat trip was spent on Floreana Island. In the moring we had a wet landing at a volcanic beach, populated with the usual snoozing sea lions. We headed inland to a lagoon with Galapagos flamingoes. Many species in the Galapagos are named after the Galapagos because they are unique species to the islands, they have been isolated for so long that they have become different species. We then walked to another white sand beach, which is really beautiful with the contrasting black volcanic rocks, turquoise water, and turtles popping up for air every now and then. Next up that morning was some more snorkelling in deep water, where we mostly saw loads of fish plus some turtles.

    In the afternoon we took the kayaks out in a beautiful sheltered part of the coast. In the shallower parts the water was crystal clear, so as I rowed around I had a good view of the turtles swimming about below. Out in the deeper areas I frequently saw larger turtles coming up for air, often right next to me. The ever present sea lions also came over to have a nose at times.

    Then we went back onland to another volcanic beach to visit the barrel post box. In 1793 an old whisky barrel was used as a post box by passing sailors. Someone would leave their letter in the barrel, and if there were any letters addressed to the sailors onward destination, they would take them to be hand delivered. While the original barrel isn't there anymore, there is one still in use by tourists! People write their postcards and leave them in the barrel, hoping that another tourist from that area will come along and take them home with them to be delivered. I left a couple there myself, and took a card that was addressed to Lima, where I was headed after the Galapagos. Once we were done with our postcards, we visited a lava tunnel, which is essentially a huge cave that had once been filled with lava headed to the ocean. Once back on the boat, we had another amazing meal of fresh fish that the on board chef had bought fresh from passing fishermen. Every meal that he made was excellent, we were certainly spoiled on the boat!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Santa Cruz Island
    Our lovely guide JuanA basking marine iguanaA large male land iguanaThe Beluga from the hill top2A curious sea lionEn route to Santiago IslandSantiago IslandLava flowWatching sunset from the deck

    Galapagos - Santiago Island

    2024年7月29日, エクアドル ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    This morning we woke up moored by Santa Cruz Island, the one that I started on. But this time we were on the other side of the island, in an area that can't be accessed by land. The sun was out for a change so the water looked extra beautiful, bright turquoise against the white sand and black volcanic rocks. We hiked though the island, past some basking marine iguanas and brackish lagoons with flamingoes, to an arid area more inalnd. This area was one of the main sites for land iguana conservation. Contrasting to the black of the marine iguanans, land iguanas are a beautiful gold colour. We saw some pretty large ones just chilling in the sun as we hiked. We eventually made it to the top of the hill with a nice view of the surrounding area, before heading back to the boat.

    Later in the morning we went on another snorkelling expedition, where we again saw loads of fish and interesting coral. There was a particularly friendly group of sea lions that came out to play with us, often swimming right up to take a good look at us as we looked back at them.

    After lunch we set sail for Santiago Island, which is characterised by its more recent volcanic eruptions and lavaflows. The most recent eruption on the island was around 1904-06. We went for a hike on the lava flow on "spaghetti lava" which has the most interesting patterns that looks like bundles of string. This is in contrast to what they call "ow ow lava", which was more explosive in formation and is very spikey and painful to walk on, hence its name. Later that evening we shared some wine on the top deck of the boat to celebrate the sun coming out before dinner.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Red footed booby
    Baby boobyBaby frigate birdMany frigate chicks!Great Darwin Bay, a large caldera that provided some shelter from the open sea.The stream we hiked up, and a chilling sea lionA sea lion with two cubs, one of which is a bit too old to be nursing!Hammerhead shark!SealsHeronNazca booby caring for its eggsGalapagos OwlThe steep cliffs of the CalderaThe Awesome Beluga CrewAnimal highway in Black Turtle CoveReef sharkRayBaby sharks!

    Galapagos - Genovesa Island

    2024年7月30日, エクアドル ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    On our last full day we arrived on Genovesa Island. The night before we had sailed for about 6 hours, our longest trip yet, on pretty rough water. I barely got any sleep before we moored at 2 am in Great Darwin Bay, a large caldera, so I was grateful for the shelter when we finally got there. In the morning we went onland to see some nesting sea birds including red footed boobys and frigate birds. There were also loads of other birds to be seen such as various gulls and some of Darwins famous finches. We hiked through a small river and then over some lava to reach a viewpoint of the entire caldera.

    We went on our last snorkelling session of the trip in deep, choppy waters. I wasn't hopeful to see much as it was high tide, i just saw large shoals of silver fish. But then I finally saw what I had been wanting to see for the whole trip, hammerhead sharks! I saw a couple of the sharks swimming below me and i couldn't believe it, I followed them until I could barely see our tender! I eventually realised that i had to stop following them and head back to the boat, but i was lucky enough to see a few more. Just as it was time to get back on the boat, a huge shoal of rays passed below me, there must have been a hundred or more! It was a magical site seeing them all glide effortlessly through the water.

    After lunch we headed to a different part of the island to see some more birds. On the boat trip there we saw some seals, which are much more rare and more difficult to see on Galapagos than sea lions. As we hiked on the clifftops there were thousands of birds and their chicks. As well as the usual boobys, gulls, and frigate birds, we saw herons, hawks, and the Galapagos Owl. Then we headed back to the boat for the last evenings dinner, where we also shared a drink with the crew and thanked them for being awesome. But the crew soon had to get back to work as we had another 6 hours to sail back to Santa Cruz Island, once again on choppy waters.

    On our last morning we had one last excursion in Black Turtle Cove, back on Santa Cruz Island. The cove is surrounded by mangrove forrest, which acts as a shelter for many marine animans, and a breeding ground for sharks. Around sunrise we rowed the boat without its engine running near the entrance of one of the mangrove channels, and just waited. Before long you could see that the channel was a highway for turtles, various rays, and reef sharks, as they swam back and forth from the protection of the mangroves to the cove. Mangroves are also nurseries for sharks, so you can see lots of baby sharks of various types swimming about.

    The trip was finally over and I have to say that it was worth it, such a unique experience, I loved every second of it! After we were dropped back at the port, I headed back to Puerto Ayora for one more night before heading back to Lima to explore more of South America...    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    A rare sunny day in Lima!
    The malecon in MirafloresDancing in the parkCats of Kennedy ParkSome of the cat housesHuaca Pucllana ruinsA reconstructed tombHow the mummys are formedFriends not food 😅Come historical colonial buildings in the historic centreThe Plaza ArmasA traditional food marketPeruvian churrosPisco sour cathedralTrying to make sense of it all at an improv show in Spanish

    Lima

    2024年8月2日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    I arrived back in Lima, a city I'd already spent a week or so in before heading to the Galapagos. I was staying in Miraflores, an area that is considered the most safe, but is not that interesting. It has a nice malecón, or promenade along the coast. Unfortunately with it being mid-winter there was also a near constant cloud coverage so it all looked a bit grim. On the occasional day that the sun was out it all looks so much better, and everybody is out enjoying it. Its like a different city when it's sunny. One thing that i did love about Miraflores was Parque Kennedy, a public park that is filled with cats. They aren't your typical stray cats, they are fed well looked after by local groups. There are boxes and cat houses with blankets dotted around the park, and every night they are fed and watered. Despite the constant clouds, Lima is one of the driest capital cities on earth so the cats seem pretty happy living in their cosy cardboard houses. If you sit in the park a cat will eventually come over to sit on you, after all a warm lap is nicer to sit on than the floor! People love to come to the park just to play with the cats. On weekends people also come to the park to dance and many people also gather around to watch.

    I then checked out some of the other sites in Lima, such as the Huaca Pucllana, ruins from the pre-Incan Lima culture. The ruins are from 200-700 AD and were almost completely destroyed for urban development before 1981 when they were protected. Since then they have attempted to preserve and reconstruct the pyramids, and there some pretty interesting reconstructions of tombs and other parts of life in this period.

    I also visited the historical centre which is chock full of beautiful colonial buildings, as expected. I also went around some of the markets to taste some of the local produce, including coca leaves, which were nicer than i expected but just left me with a numb tongue. I couldn't bring myself to try the cuy, or guinea pig though! Peru has great food, probably the best in Latin America after Mexico. One of my favourite dishes is cerviche, raw fish marinated in lime juice with slithers of red onions, chili peppers, and coriander, served with corn and sweet potato. I ate this every chance that I got, it's amazing! Another peruvian classic that i was a fan of was the pisco sour, a cocktail made from pisco, lemon juice, and egg white. After visiting the markets for some food, i went to a bar in a historic hotel for a pisco sour cathedral, basically a large pisco sour with 6 shots of pisco! Later that evening i had to deliver the postcard that I'd taken from the barrel post box in the Galapagos. Feeling tipsy after all of that pisco, I delivered the letter to what turned out to be some kind of community centre. The guy that had sent the postcard was there and very excited that it had made it to the centre. That night they happened to be putting on an improv show and invited me to watch. I obviously had no idea what was going on as it was all in Spanish, but it was still quite funny seeing the slapstick moves and telenovela style acting. Although i think the pisco sours helped!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Paracas National Reserve
    A turtle shellFishing boats in Paracas harbourThe Paracas CandelabraThe red sand beachHuacachina

    Paracas

    2024年8月4日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Out of Lima I headed to a the town of Paracas on the coast, so that I could visit the neaby Paracas National Reserve. The reserve protects a huge area of desert and marine ecosystems. With some other travellers I went for a sunset hike along some of the coastline which was stunning.

    The next morning I went on a boat trip to see some of the coastline and islands. On the islands we saw penguins, sea lions, and sea birds. We also got to see the Paracas Candelabra, a 600 feet tall geoglyph from the Paracas culture dating from 200 BCE. Later on we headed back to the park by land to see some of the more beautiful viewpoints and beaches, including one of the few red sand beaches in the world.

    Paracas is only a few kilometres away from Pisco, one of the places that claims to be the origin of pisco. I stopped to do a tasting, but it doesn't taste as good without the sours! Then i headed into the nearby Huacachina, where I was only spending one night. Huacachina is a town that has sprung up around an oasis in the Pacific Desert. It's super touristy and most people go sand boarding, dune bashing, paragliding etc. I spent my time there drinking pisco sours by the lake!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    A nazca line from a viewing tower.
    The frogOur little plane - not on fire!1We hit some crazy anglesThe monkeyThe condorThe spiderThe lizard, sliced in two by the highway!Cahuachi PyramidsCementerio de Chauchilla

    Nazca

    2024年8月7日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    One site in Peru that I was excited to see was the Nazca lines, geoglyphs from 500BC to 500AD that you had to take to the sky to see. The geoglyphs were made by removing the top red layer of rock, revealing a yellow layer of rick below. There are hundreds of lines, many are straight lines or simple patters, and around 70 are animal designs often made from one single line.

    I headed up in a tiny 8 seater propeller plane that is notorious for making people motion sick as it twists and turns in the sky to give everyone a chance to see the lines. It was a little scary, but once we were up it was amazing, you quickly get distracted by the huge patterns and the beautiful landscape. Some the patterns included a spider, whale, hummingbird, lizard, flamingo, condor, monkey, tree, and what they call the "astronaut". It was a fascinating experience, but i was glad to be back on solid ground.

    With a few hours to kill before I needed to catch my bus, I went to see Cahuachi Pyramids and the Cementerio de Chauchilla, both from the Nazca culture around 1-900 AD. The extremely dry climate means that the mummies in the cemetery are very well preserved, with the remains of bone, hair and even skin being seen. Before they were protected, many of the tombs were broken open by grave robbers to steal the archeological items for sale, which is why they can be viewed now. There are many more that are undiscovered. It was a very eerie site, but very interesting.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    A view of the Monastery and volcano from my bedroom.
    Arequipa CathedralMonastery of Santa CatalinaPigeons enjoying their bathStreet party1The anniversary parade

    Arequipa

    2024年8月9日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After a long night bus I finally arrived in Arequipa in southern Peru, my favourite Latin American city since Mexico City. Arequipa is famous for its grand colonial architecture made from white volcanic rock, which when seen in the sun against the backdrop of snow capped volcanes was really beautiful. Despite the frequent earthquakes in the region, one of which happened a few weeks earlier that I had felt 400km away in Lima, there are still a lot of interesting historical buildings to be seen. Ok, many of the buildings have been rebuilt multiple times but they are still beautiful!

    The entire historical centre of Arequipa is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Plaza de Armas (main square) by the Arequipa Cathedral is a beautiful spot to sit amongst the locals as the sun is setting and enjoy a queso helado, or "cheese ice cream". Despite its name queso helado doesnt actually have any cheese in it, it's made from milk, egg yolks, sugar, coconut, cinnamon and cloves. It is sold on every street corner from traditional wooden vats and it's very delicious! Some more of the excellent Peruvian cuisine that I tried was Caldo de Gallina, or hen soup, which was perfect for the cold nights at high altitude. Lomo saltado is another peruvian favourite, which is basically stirfried beef with onions, peppers, and tomatoes, served with chips and rice. Peru is the only country other than Wales where I've seen chips and rice served together so I had to try it! I guess that as Peru is the home of the potato they want to put it in everything and I can't really blame them.

    One of the most famous sites to visit in Arequipa is the Monastery of Santa Catalina. The huge site dates back to the 16th century and was a working monastery that housed about 300 isolated nuns until 1970. It was completely shrouded in mystery until it opened it's doors to the public, surrounded by a 4 meter high wall that no one other than the nuns were allowed to pass. It was an amazing site, a huge city within a city complete with picturesque alleyways and courtyards, lined with living quarters, kitchens, study areas, and churches.

    On my last evening in Arequipa there was a huge party to celebrate the 400 and something anniversary of the founding of the city! I didn't realise that this was happening until I heard the fireworks booming away, so I had to go and see what was happening. I got to the Plaza de Armas just in time to see a celebratory parade, starting with some 10 foot tall skeletons! As they teetered past many other processions filed past in various outifts, some traditional and some just fun, along with scenes on trailers and lots of music. There were also street parties going on, long tables lining the street serving drinks and grilled meat. I felt lucky to catch this celebration before I had to move on.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    1We were surrounded by volcanoes in the distanceHot springsThe rickety bridge to get to more hot springsChivayAndean CondorsSankySanky juiceA typical andean valley in Peru with terraces on every surface.Mora

    Colca Canyon

    2024年8月12日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    As a side trip from Arequipa I visited the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world at 1 - 2000 metres deep. Arequipa is sat at around 2335 metres above sea level, and that was already giving me trouble. The highest point that I reached on the canyon was 4800 metres above sea level, I felt sick as a dog at that level! I felt queasy and shakey as I walked a few metres to a viewpoint to see some volcanoes. Still, at least I didn't need oxygen like the woman next to me on the bus! I tried chewing coca leaves too but they didn't quite do the trick.

    As well as some beautiful scenery and volcanoes, I saw some very cute llamas and alpacas, which are very characterful. I also had my first sighting of vicuñas, the wild relative to the alpacha, with very expensive wool! We finished the day up with a dip in a hot spring built into the valley. As scenic as it was, the water was nowhere near hot enough for me, especially as the air temperature was bloody freezing at that altitude! We then spent the night in the picturesque town of Chivay.

    On the 2'nd day in the canyon, we headed out early to the Cruz del Condor to see the famous Andean Condor, one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan of up to 3.3 metres. The scenery was also stunning here, with extremely steep and deep valleys that you can't even see the bottom of. We also passed through a beautiful valley covered in the pre-columbian stepped terraces that you see all over the andean region of peru. These terraces have survived for over 500 years and many are still in use today. We stopped to try some sanky juice, a fruit that only grows in the Andes. It's a fruit from a cactus that was a bit like a cross between a kiwi and a dragon fruit. Apparently it's very good for you, and it was very tasty!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    The Machu Picchu train!
    Heading through the Sacred Valley on the trainArriving in Aguas CalientesThe classic view of Machu PicchuLamas hanging around on the terracesThe hike to Inca Bridge - there wasn't always a wall!Inca BridgeSome of the Incan masonry

    Machu Picchu

    2024年8月18日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    The reason I had to leave Arequipa sooner than I wanted to was because I had tickets to see Machu Picchu, which you have to buy weeks in advance. As soon as I arrived in Cusco, I was straight off again to Ollantaytambo, where I had to catch my train to Agua Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. The train line runs through the Sacred Valley along a part of the Inca Trail, through beautiful valleys and past Inca ruins.

    After a night in Agua Calientes, I got an early bus up the mountain ready for my 8am time slot. The bus makes multiple switchbacks up the very steep mountain, but we made it up to beautiful views of the early moring mist over the steep hillsides. Climbing up the steep stone steps, I eventually got to see the classic view of Machu Picchu. It really is incredible to see, perched right on the mountain top. Machu Picchu was built around 1450, and is theorised to have been a private city for Incan royalty. It was only inhabited for about a century before being abandoned during the Spanish invasion.

    Before heading down into the Machu Picchu site proper, I went to see the Inca Bridge. The main historical entrance to Machu Picchu was via the Sun Gate, which is where the Inca trail leads. On the other side of the mountain is a secret entry to the city, which keads through a narrow path carved into sheer cliff face. The Inca Bridge is a section of the path which has a large gap that can be bridged with two tree trunks, but is otherwise impassable by invaders. I walked along the path to see this bridge, some of which is along very sheer drops! But it was very interesting and makes you wonder how on earth they built it. And the views were beautiful!

    I then headed into the central part of the site to see some of the famous Incan masonry up close. Incan buildings are often composed of precisely cut stone that are closely fitten without mortar. The city structures are surrounded by stepped terraces etched into the steep mountainsides, with llamas roaming around. Having been a bit doubtful about visiting Machu Picchu, believing it to be a bit overhyped, I was actually really impressed and can absolutely see why it's considered a wonder. It's beautiful and absolutely worth the trip!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Ollantaytambo town
    Terraces heading up to the Sun TempleThe remains of the Sun TempleView of OllantaytamboThe bath of the Incan PrincessA street with original Incan irriagtionMorayMaras salt minesChinchero

    Ollantaytambo & the Sacred Valley

    2024年8月20日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Back on the train I got, and headed back to Ollantaytambo, which I had briefly passed through on my may to Machu Picchu. There are many more Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley, with Ollantaytambo being one of the most impressive. The town is one of the most intact Incan towns, with original walls, layout, and irriagtion systems still in place. And looming over the town are the ruins of a sun and moon temple at the top of a steep terrace. Ollantaytambo is also the site of one of the few defeats of the Spanish by the Incans, which may be why the Spanish never made it as far as Machu Picchu.

    Leaving Ollantaytambo, I went to visit some of the sites in the Sacred Valley. First up was Moray, an Incan ruin of terraces in concentric circles. The differing levels of terraces in Moray results in a temperature difference of 5 °C from the top to the bottom, so the structure acts a bit like a greenhouse allowing them to grow crops that they otherwise couldn't in that environment. Next I went to see the Maras salt mines, where salt is mined from 4500 individual terraced pools fed by the mineral rich river water. It's unclear when the mines were bulit, but they are pre-Incan and are thought to be from 500 - 1100 AD. The mines are still in use today and have been continuously used since their construction.

    My final destination in the valley was Chinchero, more Incan ruins of terraces and irrigation systems, topped with a Spanish colonial town from 1607 that was built on top of the Incan palace. Chinchero is also the home of Peruvian weaving, so it was a good place to stop and see some alpacha producs, and of course the alpachas themselves!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Cusco Cathedral on the plaza de armasPlaza de ArmasIncan era aqueduct

    Cusco

    2024年8月24日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Finally I ended up back in Cusco. Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire until the 16th century Spanish conquest. There are still multiple Incan ruins in and around the city, but it is also a bustling city with both Spanish influences with the plaza de armas, cathedral and multiple churches other colonial buildings, as well as modern Andean culture, with a sea of low rise bulidings and streets lined with informal markets. The traffic was also horrendous and Cusco had to have the worst air pollution that I'd experienced in South America, but maybe that was just the altitude sickness speaking!

    It was a beautiful city to explore, with the mountains towering behind the impressive buildings, if a little challenging considering the altitude of 3,400 metres. To get by I just drank the coca and muñeca (a relative of mint) teas, I'm honestly not sure how useful they were for that but they were certainly useful with warming me up during the freezing evenings and nights!    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Above the clouds
    A traditional andean town en route to the AmazonQuetzalToucanetCock of the RockCapuchin monkeysKing vulturesGreat potooEmerald tree boaLunch on the boatOur basic hide out for the nightTapirHiking through the Amazon at 3amOur guide leading the way

    Amazon Rainforest 1

    2024年8月27日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Despite being high up in the Andes, Cusco is a great place to see the Amazon from due to its proximity to Manu National Park, and that's where I was headed for a 7 day excursion. Leaving Cusco, you keep driving up and over the peaks of the Andes. You enter the park at around 4100 metres above sea level, then keep descending down through cloud forest and eventually rainforest until you are in the Amazon basin, at around 350 metres above sea level.

    Heading through the cloud forest we saw all sorts of interesting birds, such as hawks, toucanets, well camouflaged potoos, a quetzal, and the unique looking Cock of the Rocks, which is the national bird of Peru. We also saw many butterflies and some capuchin monkeys. As we reached the rainforest we also saw hummingbirds, toucans, vultures, and a beautiful Emerald Tree Boa.

    We spent a night in a lodge before heading off again to the boat dock, where we transferred to a lancha with all of our provisions for the next few days. We travelled down the Madre de Dios river, one of the many tributaries of the Amazon River. Passing beautiful scenery and many birds, we finally reached another lodge where we were welcomed by more monkeys.

    We weren't actually going to get to sleep at this comfortable looking lodge, we just stopped for dinner and a rest before hiking for an hour into the jungle at dusk. This night we were going to be staying in a simple lookout next to a clay lick. Many of the animals eat and lick areas of exposed clay in the jungle for the nutrients, and these can be excellent places to spot wilflife. At this particular clay lick we were hoping to spot tapirs. As the tapirs are very elusive and can take a long time to appear, if at all, we were going to take it in turn to keep watch while everyone else got some sleep. So we watched out over the clay and every 30 minutes woke up the next person along for their turn, not seeing much more than a deer for the first few hours. I had just finished my look-out shift when Alex, the guy next to me nudged me awake to alert that a tapir had finally appeared! I woke up the person Jess on my other side and so on. The tapir is an unusual animal with a stubby trunk, we were very lucky to see it! Having seen one we all went to sleep until 3:30 am, when we had to get up, pack our camp away and hike back to the lodge in the dark, with just enough time to have a shower before getting back in the boat for our long journey up the Manu River.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Sunrise on the Madre de Dios River
    Registering our entry into the Manu Reserve ZoneTurtles sunbathing on the logsCapybarasInteresting fungi on the night walkA foggy start on the riverHiking through the jungle to the ox-bow lakeEarly moring sun on the ox-bow lakeParakeets at the clay lickA wild peccaryGiant river ottersSunset on the ox-bow lakeA rare frogNavigating the river by night

    Amazon Rainforest 2

    2024年8月29日, ペルー ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Just as the sun was rising we left the lodge and continued down the Madre de Dios River until it met the Manu River, where we headed upstream. It was a long day on the boat with no stops, breakfast and lunch were both taken on the boat. After the little sleep we had the night before I really struggled to stay awake on this leg! However, I still managed to see capybaras, turtles, crocodiles, and countless birds including cormorants, herons, and kingfishers.

    The basin of the Manu River is a reserve zone with limited tourism allowed to preserve the pristine rainforest. We were staying for two nights in a lodge in this zone. At the lodge after a rest and dinner, we took a guided night walk, where we saw frogs, lizards, insects, spiders, and a tarantula. In the morning we headed out early to take a trip on an ox-bow lake where we were hoping to see some giant river otters. On that trip we didn't get to see them, I guess they were still sleeping in their nests. Still, the scenery was beautiful in the early morning light, and as the boat was being maneuvered by pole it was very peaceful. As always we also saw some many more interesting birds.

    In the afternoon we hiked to another clay lick, this time to try to see macaws! Macaws in the wild are very cautious of humans and also very intelligent, so you have to be very careful if you want to see them. As we got closer to the clay lick we could hear them calling, so we silently crept to the hideout. As we got there there was one red macaw up in a tree, but it quickly flew into the thick canopy. But we could still hear them in the trees above us, so we knew that we hadn't scared them away. We waited for two hours, but unfortunately we didn't see another macaw, although we did see parakeets which was still cool. We also saw a wild peccary, a type of wild pig, which was very lucky.

    After a break for lunch we headed back to the ox-bow lake for another chance at seeing the giant river otters, and this time we were much luckier and got to see a family playing on the shore. We stayed on the lake until sunset, seeing more birds such as hawks, eagles, and even an osprey flying with a fish.

    We hiked back to the river in the dark and saw some more interesting spikers and frogs, including one that even the guide was excited to see because it was rare. The next two days we had to repeat the long trip back to Madre de Dios River, and then to the boat port, seeing yet more caimans, birds, and capybaras. We almost saw a jaguar, one of the boat crew saw it but by the time he could point it out it had run off into the jungle! We also saw macaws flying overhead, always in pairs, and always distinctive by their constant cawing.    もっと詳しく

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  • Sophie JonesSophie's Trip旅行者
    Puno on the edge of Lake Titicaca
    A ruined chullpasPuno CathedralTrout from Lake TiticacaSunset at Lake TiticacaTemple of the Virgins of the SunIsla del SolIncan ruins on Island of the SunA sacraficial tableTerraced hills on Isla del SolTrout pens in the lake, lunch can't get fresher!Arriving back to CopacabanaCopacabana cathedralLocal band with some tunes

    Lake Titicaca

    2024年9月4日, ボリビア ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    My final stop in Peru was Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is one of the highest great lakes in the world at 3813 metres above sea level. When I arrived in Puno I went to visit the nearby Sillustani, a pre-Incan cemetery. The tombs are tower like structures called chullpas, which house entire families.

    Saying goodbye to Peru I crossed the border to Copacabana in Bolivia. From Copacabana I visited Isla de la Luna and Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca. I sat on the roof of the boat as we headed off towards the islands, through the crystal clear water and past the beautiful terraced mountains.

    Isla de la Luna, or Moon Island, is a small island home to only around 80 people. On the island is the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun. Not much is known about the ruins, but they are assumed to be Incan, and a type of convent for women worshiping the sun. It was quite beautiful perched on the hill overlooking the lake.

    Isla del Sol, or Island of the Sun, according to Incan lore is the birthplace of the sun god, and of the first two Incan people. The island is home to over 80 Incan ruins from the 15th century. I explored the north side of the island where there were the ruins of a labyrinth like palance, and what is assumed to be a sacraficial table where animal and human sacrifices took place.

    Back in Copacabana I enjoyed the local scenery and watched the sun appear to disappear into the lake at sunset. You can understand how the Incans believed that that is where the sun is born! I also had some of the delicious lake trout, where you could get a huge plate of food for about £3. Then I wandered around the town where there was a lively band playing some awesome tunes!    もっと詳しく

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