Off The Beaten Track
Andean Trails give you top tips on suggestions of where to travel ahead of the pack.
Toro Toro National Park, Bolivia
Kat Dougal, Intrepid explorer and family travel expert, gives as her hot tip the Toro Toro National Park in Bolivia.
She says: “With every year Bolivia is becoming more popular, but there are still many places that lie off the beaten track – my hot tip for 2018 is the amazing Toro Toro National Park. From dinosaur footprints to fascinating landscapes, caves and waterfalls, it’s a wonderful place to visit before more people do. I remember exploring the enormous Umajalanta Cave – just myself and two guides… and barely meeting a soul on our hikes and explorations.”
Chiloe Island, Chile
Alan Lyall, also known as aviation man and for his preference for travelling in comfort, has Chiloe Island as his input to the list.
He says: “Chiloe is an island that has evolved with its own culture, traditions and legends. Off the beaten track, rolling green countryside, wild undiscovered coves, bird and sea life galore, good hearty food and friendly and welcoming islanders as well as world heritage sites – the destination has a little for all. I have just returned and felt privileged to have been there. I did a 10 Km trek on the North west coast of the Island from Duhatao to Chepu. That day, on the trail, we didn’t come across any other people. Nice.”
Andean Trails will be publishing a Chiloe Island programme on the web site in the New Year.
Northern Patagonia
Kathy Jarvis, avid mountaineer and keen developer of off the beaten path itineraries, recommends northern Patagonia, driving down the Caretera Austral (Austral highway) to the end of the road then crossing from Villa O’Higgins to El Chalten overland.
She says: ” We spent four week travelling through Patagonia this year. We visited parts of northern Patagonia that were truly spectacular and still rarely visited. We trekked into remote mountain areas, and for 5 days we didn’t see a soul. Away from the small towns there is just no one and the impact of man seems negligible. Visiting Aysen in Chile was like stepping back in time 15 or 20 years, to what Patagonia is so good at, the wilderness, stunning scenery, the isolation, and above all the warm and friendly people”
Los Nevados Trek, Colombia
Tom Shearman, trekker extraordinaire and always up for a challenge, has put forward the Los Nevados trek in coffee region of Colombia.
He says: ” Colombia’s coffee region is well known, but not the longer hikes in the mountains behind Salento and Cocora. Put 5-6 hours into climbing out of the more popular valleys, past humming birds flowers, and to head another landscape entirely – the Paramo.
Here you can camp or stay in fincas with families who live above the cloud forest while enjoying their hospitality along views to snow-capped volcanoes and the strangely incredible frailejones plants. There are hidden ancient burial tombs to try to find as well as some fascinating legends a local guide can bring to life for you.”
