Last week, we took one of our guests, Aline, on a 2-day horse trek along the Patagonian fjords, exploring new trails along the Last Hope Sound. Estancia La Peninsula on Peninsula Antonio Varas, located across the bay from Puerto Natales , is our favourite working farm here in Chilean Patagonia. Here’s what she had to say about her experience! Q: Before travelling to Patagonia, did you have a lot of riding experience? A: Not much. I used to spend my childhood on big farms with

Last year, I hiked the Snowman Trek in Bhutan, which starts in the Western provinces of the country, skirting the Tibetan-Bhutanese border along the Himalayas, and is known as one of the toughest treks in the world. In 23 days, we walked for 300 kilometres traversing 4 provinces, crossed 11 high mountain passes, climbed and descended a total vertical distance of 14,000m, ate our way through 280kg of rice and 480 eggs. A few tears, some WTF moments, a lot of laughter. It was d

I recently hiked the 14-day Huayhuash Circuit in the Peruvian Andes, a 120km trekking circuit which circumnavigates the Huayhuash mountain range, and is one of the most beautiful high altitude treks in the world. I’ll share more information and photos of the trek in one of my next posts! On one of our rest days, the local cooks and horsemen prepared a celebratory feast for us, known as pachamanca. In Quechua, the language spoken in the area since the Incan Empire, pacha means

It's a long weekend here to celebrate La Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of Chile, and the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama is packed with tourists. Even so, we managed to find solitude in the ancient river canyons of Catarpe, located just outside of town. From the main biking trail in the Catarpe Valley, we took a detour into Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). Here, the wide canyon walls started to close in on our trail, and at times, I had to avoid scratching mysel

It’s winter in Patagonia and the steppe is covered in fresh snow. This far south, the sun rises just before 1000h and it’s still pitch black as Benja, our Patagonian guide, gets ready for his day hike in the eastern part of the Torres Del Paine National Park. The Patagonian steppe is rich in wildlife, and it is common to see herds of guanacos, one of the four South American camelids, here. Even while they are grazing, guanacos have to stay alert, keeping an eye out for the el

Let’s be honest - outdoor gear is expensive. When I was starting out, I was often confused by the variety that’s available (even though I enjoy spending hours in the REI store when I’m in the US). If you are looking for a windbreaker for your first hiking trip, there really isn’t a need to splurge on a branded jacket. Here's why we like the MH100 Jacket from Quechua: At less than USD40, this is a very affordable windbreaker, It has a hood to protect your head and neck from wi

Aleksei, our trusted guide in Kyrgyzstan, shares a quick snapshot of eagle hunters. Q: What can our guests expect when they meet the eagle hunters? A: A demonstration of the eagles and their skills, as well as some training process. The prey used could be just a fur or a live animal, usually a rabbit or a fox. The hunters would rarely take our guests on an actual hunt, but this could be negotiated. Q: When is the best season to participate in this? A: You can watch the eagle

Gino, a trekking guide in Patagonia, shares about a day trek to see the condors in the Torres Del Paine National Park and tips for wildlife photography. Q: The impression many travellers have about Torres Del Paine National Park is that you can only see the best bits by doing multi-day hikes, and this is not true! Tell us about one of your favourite day hikes. A: There are many places within the park with many attractions and good views to enjoy, other than the W and Paine ci

Autumn ushers in the low season in Patagonia, which allows our guides time to scout new routes and revisit less popular treks. Benja, one of our most seasoned guides, shares his recent experience of his ascent of Cerro Prat. Q: What was the most challenging part of the ascent? A: Summit days are always challenging, especially the first part of the day. The first hour of climbing is always the hardest for me - it's early, dark, freezing cold and my legs are still asleep! This