Thursday, March 29, 2007

HIGHLIGHTS - the places

My top top personal highlights - the elite of the cream of the crop - things that stand out in my mind:

The places...

In Argentina:

• 1. The region of Santa Cruz, Patagonia - Lake Posadas, Cave of Hands, town of Perito Moreno and La Casa Amarilla, Patagonian countryside, tranquility, wildlife.

Wrapping up warm in the south

• 2.Puente del Inca (Inca bridge) - natural bridge of beautiful colours from minerals in the mountains; surrounded by deep snow when I stayed there in a mountaineers hut.

In Chile:

• 3. The Carretera Austral region - lush temperate rainforest, mountains, fjords/lakes, rivers, autumnal colours, cute villages.

View from window over a fjord in the Carreterra Austral region

In Bolivia:

• 4. National Park Noel Kempff Mercado - remote and rarely visited huge park of jungle/rainforest, pampas and floodlands full of amazing wildlife and natural beauty.

In Peru:

• 5. Region around Chachapoyas, North Peru - rivers, canyons, remote pre-inca ruins and the world's 3rd tallest waterfall.


• 6. Huayna Picchu; the tall peak looming over Machu Picchu - a good, fairly quick hike up the mountain which itself has cool Inca ruins, awesome views of the surrounding mountains and valleys and a bird's eye view of the Machu Picchu ancient city.

In Ecuador:

• 7. The river Shiripuno and its surrounding rainforest - wild, absolutely full of life, beautiful, peaceful and challenging.


• 8. Isla Isabela, Galapagos Islands - from the relatively tiny corner of the island that we saw it is in a fantastically unspoiled state and literally alive with wildlife with idyllic beaches.

In Colombia:

• 9. National Park Tayrona - a tropical paradise but also very wild with untamed seas and forests and scenery that makes you want to just stay put.

In Venezuela:

• 10. Roraima - the Tepuy (table-top mountain) with unique vegetation and even animals, awesome views and one of the strongest and strangest mystical atmospheres I've experienced.