In the heart of every nature lover, there is the call of Galapagos. Pikaia Lodge has created a setting that captures all that’s best of the Archipelago, with many added perks, and the flexibility to explore from a privileged base. Pikaia lodge is, in my reckoning, the only way to stay in Galapagos without a liveaboard.
Sailing aboard the M/Y Grace, I see before my eyes the story of how life triumphed in the unforgiving Galapagos, some 1000 km off Ecuador’s coast, right on the Equator. The yacht cruises the archipelago with unparalleled style. She was Grace Kelly’s honeymoon yacht and remains true to her namesake. The lines she carves in the water evoke the journeys of another legendary vessel: The Beagle.
Travelling to the remote reaches of the Amazon rainforest is a feat in its own right. Now picture doing it in style! The Aria Amazon is a small river ship that hosts state-of-the-art design to bring you a luxurious and life-enhancing experience while floating on the waters of the world’s greatest river.
The Fortress of Kuelap fulfills all the requirements for a just-do-it-before-word-gets-out holiday. These ruins are testimony of a pre-Incan culture that was conquered by the powerful Incan Empire. The fortress dates to the 6th century and once was the stronghold of “The Warriors of the Clouds”. Mysterious enough?
Blue caribbean waters meet lush jungles that reach toward the sky to turn into misty forests, full of ancient ruins and isolated tribes. Sounds like something out of an explorer’s log, an impossible place in this day and age. More so because Tayrona has been practically ignored by mass-tourism and travellers seldom venture to this wonderland in northeastern Colombia.
Nestled in the mountains of Sierra Nevada, Casa Galavanta is eco-luxe done right. This beautiful property offers 3 luxury bedrooms, breathtaking views, a resident chef, intimate proximity to nature, and that ever-rarer commodity: a chance to disconnect.
Nestled in Colombia’s Coffee Triangle and endless expanses of misty greenery, Hacienda Buenavista is a small 5-room boutique hotel that has a passion for comfort and tranquillity. The breathtaking view of the valley from the infinity pool is mesmerising and has the calming effect of spa day.
In the heart of the old city of Cartagena, in Colombia, Casa San Agustín successfully blends an evocative, Spanish colonial building, with the amenities and comforts that the modern traveller demands.
Whoever said that the world is a small place, never travelled in Patagonia. We have been driving south on the Chilean side for several thousand kilometres. There seems to be no end to the landscape. I feels like we could drive for a million more.
What I found unbelievable as I travelled was how alive Andean culture and religion are: all the pre-Spanish beliefs and the ways they worshiped to the gods and the mountains. These rituals are very much alive
