After visiting Ecuador’s capital, Quito, we headed to the small town of Baños situated between gorgeous lush mountains and cascading waterfalls. Baños gets its name from the many hydrothermal hotsprings in the area. We found a cute, clean hostel called Plantos y Blancos in a great location for just $19 a night for a private [...]
A quick 1.5 hour flight from Medellin brought us to Quito and country #8 on our trip – Ecuador. While still in Colombia, we decided to book a last-minute trip to the Galapagos, which would require us to be in Southern Ecuador in 10 days. With the clock ticking, we decided to skip through Quito [...]
We had heard a lot of good things about Colombia before setting off on our trip and it was certainly high on our list of expectations. Luckily, it did not disappoint. Highlights from our first country in South America included colorful Cartagena, bustling Bogota, the mountains of Manizales, and spectacular San Gil. After four months [...]
We decided our last stop in Colombia would be the small city of Manizales. The new bus terminal is conveniently located right next to a new metrocable station (another cablecar similar to the one we rode in Medellin) that heads up to the town center. This is quite unique, as usually the town or city [...]
Standing at an altitude of 5,300 m (approx 17,400 ft), the Volcano Nevado del Ruiz is truly a magnificent sight. Covered in snow and glaciers, this volcano – the highest in Colombia – can be climbed in a day, up to an altitude of 5,125 m. We booked a tour to hike Nevado from our [...]
There are two ways to get to Medellin, Colombia from the capital city of Bogota; 1) a quick 50 minute flight or 2) a grueling 10-hour bus ride through windy mountain roads. This huge time disparity is perfect illustration of just how mountainous Colombia is – while the straight-line distance between the two cities is [...]
A 5am bus is never really fun, but somehow we got up, packed and headed out into the darkness for our three hour trip to Bogota. With a population of nearly 9 million, this capital city ranks up there with the world’s largest, including our own New York City (10 million). We hadn’t been in [...]
Six months ago today on April 20, 2010, we left the US and set off to see the world. This adventure is absolutely incredible and no matter how much we write about it, it will never come close to fully encapsulating our experience. You have to live it. In these past six months, we have [...]
Just a few hours north of Bogota, the colonial town of Villa de Leyva provides a relaxing getaway in a quaint setting that is like a step back in time. Strict planning laws have outlawed all modern structures, leaving a perfectly preserved town of 4,000 inhabitants with beautiful Spanish colonial balconies, red tile roofs, churches, [...]
San Gil is quickly becoming Colombia’s hottest backpacker destination due to its proximity to many adventure sports and the beautiful nature that can be explored in the area. After Bucaramanga, we boarded a bus that winded through the stunning mountains of the Chichamocha Canyon. We saw the new teléferico (cablecar) there that stretches 6.3km/3.9miles and [...]
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