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The Caribbean coast of Colombia is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. You can easily spend days driving and hiking around the region while enjoying some of the greenest parts of the world.

Also situated along this coast are historic towns like Cartagena and Santa Marta. Just be mindful of the toll roads while driving as the rates are just out of this world. @ Tayrona National Natural Park

Given the emphasis now on social isolation, this post is about how we inadvertently almost ended up isolating ourselves high up in the Andes mountains.

We went in search of the Salar de Tara from San Pedro de Atacama on Ruta 27. This road has a 40 km linear ascent leading up to the Bolivian border, before finally entering Argentina.

We were miles from any other humans and as the sun descended, our car got stuck in the shifting sands. With great effort, we escaped and gradually made down that long descent, all the while trying to avoid brake failure.

Despite this harrowing drive back, we highly recommend going up that road as you'll experience deep isolation and come across a landscape few places can rival.

🇨🇱

@ Atacama Region

One life, seven wonders.

We inadvertently ended up seeing all 7 new wonders recently. While we are aware that not everyone can claim to have this one ticked off their bucket list, our opinion about this list stays the same - it's hyped up and probably not worth pursuing.

The wonders on this list are impressive no doubt, but they are not the only ones deserving the top 7 spot. Moreover, the list is private, unsupported by UNESCO and deeply manipulated.

For a list of alternative wonders of the world, check out our bio link.

Machu Picchu is the 6th of the '7 new man-made wonders of the world' that we have seen. Of all these wonders, this is perhaps the one that requires you to travel the furthest.

You will preferably land in the town of Cusco, take a train to the town of Aguas Calientes and then take a bus up to the entrance. It is an expensive trip when you factor in all these. You can price-hack your way through this journey and there are many articles on the Internet about it.

Here are a few recommendations:

- Book your entrance ticket as early as possible as the number of entries per day is limited

- The same goes for the train ticket. You can buy the bus ticket at Aguas Calientes a day before departure.

- Come prepared if you are planning to do the difficult Montana hike. It is a steep hike and also very narrow at some points. The view from the top is pretty good but not too different from what you see at the actual site.

- It is best to acclimatize in the town of Cusco for a couple of days before visiting the site to avoid altitude sickness.

We did not do the Inca Trail but we know people who did. Apparently, it is an arduous trek but one which feels very rewarding. As for the site itself, it is definitely in our top 3 of all time along with Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal.

Onwards to Chichen Itza in a few days to complete the list!



@ Machu Picchu