Andes to the Amazon: a Journey That is All About the Journey
I really enjoy looking back at different trips I’ve planned for Vaya travelers. It’s amazing to see how some destinations have changed over the years, while others have remained largely untouched. For me, an incredible way to experience a place that has had minimal outside influence is on an overland trip to the Amazon. This… Read Full Post
Traveling to South America with Minors
If you plan to travel with your underage (17 years or younger) child without their other parent, or if you plan to travel with your underage grandchild, niece or nephew without their parents, we recommend visiting the US Customs and Border Protection website (hyperlinked). This site provides information about what documentation you need in order… Read Full Post
A Day on a Galapagos Cruise
Our travelers often ask what life is like on a Galapagos cruise. What excursions will be available, what is the schedule, and what can be expected? The exact answers to these questions will, of course, vary between ships and itineraries, but as a general rule, it goes something like this: Early morning (often at about… Read Full Post
Santiago Metropolitan Park
The Santiago Metropolitan Park, which stretches across 1,780 acres, is currently the largest metropolitan park in South America. The park has two main entrances, located at Pio Nono 450 in the Recoleta neighborhood and Pedro de Valdivia Norte in the Providencia neighborhood. The northern end of each road (Pio Nono and Pedro de Valdivia Norte)… Read Full Post
The Sol y Luna Hotel, Peru: Great for Travelers, Great for the Community
The Sol y Luna, a Relais and Chateaux property set in the beautiful Sacred Valley of Peru, is one of our favorite hotels in all of South America. Based on the glowing feedback we receive about this hotel, it’s safe to say that many of our travelers feel the same way. One of the reasons… Read Full Post
Antarctic Ocean Optimism On the RCGS Resolute Marine Mammals Voyage
After two days of blue skies and uncharacteristically smooth sailing through the Drake Passage south from Ushuaia, Argentina, we were greeted in Antarctica by a most enthusiastic welcoming committee: several pods of killer whales hunting penguins, breaching and blowing all around our ship. This late-March expedition would be the last departure of the season for… Read Full Post
An Icy Adventure: Kayaking in Antarctica
There’s something special about the serenity and proximity with nature you feel when kayaking, and the experience of paddling through icebergs in Antarctica is a memory that will last a lifetime. To be so close to the water, with penguins shooting past, mountains towering overhead, and icebergs floating by, is an incredible experience. It’s also… Read Full Post
The Most Fascinating Wildlife Habits in Antarctica
Most trips to Antarctica involve a two-day crossing each way of the infamous Drake Passage, the 600 mile long body of water between the tip of South America and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula where the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern oceans converge. When you find yourself in the middle of this epic journey, with… Read Full Post
The Mangrove Labyrinth
It was a hot, sunny morning when we pulled up to La Boquilla, a small fishing village on the outskirts of Cartagena, Colombia. The white sand beach was wide and flat and the ocean calm and inviting, but we were headed away from the coast and into the mangrove swamp in a dugout canoe. The… Read Full Post
The Human History of the Galapagos Islands… and a Murder Mystery
“The gray outlines of the little fishing boat slowly faded in the mist lying over the sea, till at last they disappeared altogether. She was the boat which had brought us here, and half an hour before we had been still aboard with her skipper and crew. Now we were on our own, ‘stranded’ on… Read Full Post