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.