Sacha Mama Coffee Farm, Salento - Colombia

23.01.13 

A group of us trekked for an hour and half to 'Sacha Mama's' coffee farm. The reserve is run by Pedro Grojales who is extremely Eco-friendly and lives completely self sufficiently. He is extremely passionate about what he does and explains the whole process of growing to brewing coffee, guiding you along the way around his coffee farm. Pedro's house, built entirely by hand stands in a peaceful setting, where you can see a variety of birds and butterflies. We had a great home cooked lunch with vegetables from the garden and of course, Pedro's organic coffee which you can also roast, bag and purchase yourself. 

Cocora Valley, Salento - Colombia

22.01.13

A group of us from the hostel spent 4-5 hours trekking through the 'Valle de Cocora' which is part of the Los Nevados National Park. The valley is home to the national tree of Colombia the 'Wax Palm' reaching up to almost 50 meters in height. 

Whilst here, we stopped at a Hummingbird Reserve to admire these beautiful creatures. There super speedy so its almost impossible to get them to stay still long enough for a decent picture. We also indulged in more of the hot chocolate and cheese snack. Weirdly, I think its growing on me. Something to take back to the UK perhaps.....

Salento, Colombia

21.01.13 - 28.01.13 

Salento is a stunning little place set amongst the coffee region of Colombia, close to Armenia. I stayed at a fab hostel called 'La Serrana' about 15 minutes walk out of town. Its impossible to get a bad view at this place as your  completely surrounded by glorious, green mountains. Its the perfect spot to relax a while and laze around in the hammocks with a good book.I ended up staying a week and probably now have a full on coffee addiction, having local organic coffee on tap.  

Popayan - Colombia

14.01.13 - 16.01.13 

I was super excited to get into Colombia, as I've heard such positive things on my travels so far. The drive up to Popayan from Pasto was simply stunning. Rolling green hills with a tropical edge and leafy palms. 

I stayed in Popayan a few days with its beautiful architecture and white washed walls. Many of the museums are set in colonial buildings which were lovely to stroll around. 

Popayan has been named the 'City of gastronomy'. I had one of the best 'Alumerzos' ( lunch of the day ) with tender chicken in a creamy spinach sauce, seasonal vegetables and a chocolate mousse. Sadly I do think the chef was French! 

Otavalo Market - Ecuador

                                       

     

12.01.13 

Otavalo is like walking through a rainbow. Wherever you look there is colour. Stalls sell throws, hats, local crafts, art and so on. There´s also heaps of fruit and vegetables to be bought, as well as stalls preparing cheap lunches. This is one of South America´s largest markets and it was great to see the local 'Otavalenos' in their traditional dress. 

Telef'eriQo, Quito - Ecuador

 08.01.13 - 11.01.13

I arrived in Quito early January, the second highest capital in the world. Whilst here I decided go even higher by taking a ride on the multi-million dollar 'TeleeriQo'. The gondola travels up the east side of the Pinchincha Volcano, revealing stunning views of the city and surrounding Andes at just over 4,000 feet. Its so high you can even watch planes coming into land. 

Parque Nacional Cotopaxi, Ecuador.

                                     

                                           

07.01.13 

We spent a few days in Lataunga and visited ´Parque Nacional Cotopaxi´ with the dam right, astonishing ´Volcan Cotopaxi.´ Ecuador´s second highest peak, this bad boy sits at 5897m. We drove to base camp and that was cold enough for us. 

We did hike around ´Laguna de Limpiopungo ( 3830m) which was a pleasant walk with a few horses to say hello to along the way. 

Banos, Ecuador

05.01.13

Set in a valley surrounded by glorious green mountains, Banos is quite enticing. There is a beautiful waterfall nearby and lots of thermal springs. 

We climbed the ´Bellavista, a huge cross sitting on top of one of the mountains. It was pretty steep but the views were worth it. 

I bloody love a sunset - Montanita, Ecuador

02.01.13

We spent New Year in Montanita which was absolutely loco. Surfers all take to the water at midnight, fireworks are lit and paper mache sculptures are burnt. It was definitely a NY I will never forget. 

We spent a few days on the beach watching the surfers do their thing. We were usually too hungover to have a go, woops. 

Chan Chan, Trujillo - Peru

23.12.12 

Built around AD 1300 this site once formed the largest pre-Colombian city in the Americas. At the height of the Chimu empire, Chan Chan contained over 10,000 structures. The Incas conquered the Chimu around 1460. 

The muddy walls cover approximately 20km, it´s incredible how well still intact they are. 

Huaraz, Lake 69 Trek - Peru

18.12.12 

My amigo Sam and I decided on trekking to ´Laguna 69´, set amongst the Cordillera Blanca over 4000m high. 

After we were given extremely basic directions we set out on our 3 hour trek to the lake. Luckily we spotted a tour group and followed them most of the way, otherwise we would have gotten completely lost! The trek was tough in this altitude and we also had to jump a few rivers along the way.

The lake was the most incredible colour but unfortunately far too cold to take a dip. After 20 minutes of so, the weather changed entirely and began hailing. I made a speedy, downhill escape  back to the trees. 

Huacahina, Ica, Peru

13.12.12

Miles of sandy dunes surround this small natural lake in ´Huacahina,´nick-named the ´Oasis of America´. It´s such a relaxing place, I could have stayed for days.

 A group of us hired a sand buggy along with a driver and sped over the dunes, which are around a hundred feet high. It was so much fun but unfortunately way to bumpy and sandy to bring the camera along. We also had a go at the sand boards, the baby slope was enough for me!