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.....

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. 

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. 

24th Nov Colca Caynon Trek

The Colca Canynon´s are 100 miles North West of Arequpia and twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the States. We started early at 3AM stopping at the first village ´Chivay´ for breakfast. We then drove to Cruz del Condor but unfortunately only saw a couple of Condors flying in the distance. Too many tourists! We then started our walk downwards crossing the river Colca. The slippery, dusty trail and sorching sun were totally different conditions to Machu Picchu. Overnight we stayed in bamboo bungalows and enjoyed a swim in our pool with stunning views. Bliss. 

Day 2 was a 5AM start and a 3 hour climb to the top of the mountain to the village of Cabanaconde. This was tough, especially on an empty stomach. The afternoon was spent at hot spring baths which were lush. Just what the body needed. 

17th Nov Machu Picchu 4 day trek

Day 1 of our trek started in Ollantaytambo having breakfast before passing the Vilcanota River. It was a relatively easy day of 12km of hiking. We spent the night at Wayllabamba. Day 2 was tough! Climbing from Wayllabamba to Pacamayo (12km) all up-hill. We passed steepening woods and spectacular views. The highest pass on the trail ´Dead Woman´s Pass´was 4,200m exposing us to sorching sun and freezing winds. 

Day 3 was the longest, hiking 16km from Pacamayo to Winay Wayna. Passing through cloud forests and inca ruins the views were incredible. My favorite day so far. 

Day 4 was an early start of 3.30AM trekking from Winay Wayna up to the sungate to see the first glimpse of Machu Picchu through the misty clouds. Finally, we made our decent down to Machu Picchu arriving around 7AM and almost collapsing with exhaustion! 

´Peru Treks´ were a fantastic company to trek with. Amazing food, wonderful guides and hats off to the porters who practically run the trail whilst carrying around 20kg on their backs.