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Trip Highlights
Understanding Maradona, Understanding Argentina
To understand the gargantuan shadow Maradona casts over his soccer-mad homeland, one has to conjure up the athleticism of Michael Jordan, the power of Babe Ruth – and the human fallibility of Mike Tyson. Lump them together in a single barrel-chested man with shaggy black hair and you have El Diego, idol to the millions [...]
The Acequias, Veredas and Plazas of Mendoza
Mendoza is prone to earthquakes, which means that it doesn’t have many historical buildings of interest. But that’s not say that it is not an urban space worth taking notice of. First-time visitors to Mendoza, Argentina‘s wine capital, especially those who arrive by plane, do not usually realise that the city is located in what [...]
What’s That Gourd? An Introduction to Yerba Mate
My first experiences in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay all involved mate… In Argentina the guy who sold me my bus ticket from Puerto Iguazú to Córdoba was drinking some strange green substance from a sawn off plastic flask, but my Spanish was at that stage not sufficient to ask anything of it. I had to [...]
Lake Titicaca: A Special Place
At 12,500ft above sea level and with an average depth of 350ft, Lake Titicaca is oft referred to as the highest lake in the world which is navigable by large craft. Commercial boats and Peruvian and Bolvian navy vessels do sail its waters regularly, so it lives up to this description. To those who have [...]
Awakened by Antarctica
The day started with a landing at Half Moon Bay, our first opportunity to step off the ship in 3 days. As we disembarked from the zodiacs we were greeted by a group of Gentoo penguins squawking and milling about. After snapping several dozen photos we strapped on our snowshoes and headed off across the [...]
A Bird Like No Other
Travel to me has always been an eye-opening experience, whether that’s exploring the local trails around Oakland and Berkeley, or expeditions off to far flung places like Antarctica. And while these adventures offer an incredible array of new information, there is typically more to each destination than first meets the eye. This became abundantly clear [...]
Galapagos Wildlife Spotlight – The Galapagos Green Turtle
The Galapagos Green Turtle is a subspecies of the green sea turtle that is found in many different places throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Hawaii. The Galapagos version is typically smaller (though still reaching lengths of around 4 feet for full-grown adults) and darker in color than those found in other [...]
Galapagos Wildlife Spotlight Series – Wildlife as a Tool for Cruise Planning
On any Galapagos cruise, even on shorter 4 and 5 day options, you will see a tremendous amount and variety of wildlife. Trying to figure out the “best” wildlife is a bit tricky, because all the visitor sites have unique charms and the place is kind of an embarrassment of riches. With the unique and [...]
Kayaking in Patagonia
Many of our travelers head to Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, with the desire of seeing the park’s namesake: glaciers. The Perito Moreno Glacier is famous for its incredible rate of movement (up to 2 meters per day) and the fact that you can hike on it and gaze into its eerie blue depths. For [...]
Visiting Lima: A Country In Itself
We had originally intended to bypass Lima entirely. Snippets from fellow travellers and crime warnings in guidebooks had brought us to the conclusion that a visit to Peru‘s capital city would break the carefree mood of our beach holiday. Ironically, a robbery in Ica forced us to spend a few days in Lima while we renewed [...]
Peru Highlights
Machu Picchu & Galapagos Islands Tour
Buenos Aires, Iguazu, Patagonia and Lake DistrictVaya Adventures brochure
We create exceptional travel experiences for independent travelers, with top quality regional hotels, outstanding private guides, and unique excursions.