Every day, dozens of energetic, bilingual paisa tour guides stand beneath vibrant red and blue umbrellas outside the San Javier Metro Station, each collecting a small group of travellers with whom to walk through Comuna 13, share stories of Medellín's darkest days, and showcase the incredible tran[...]
In 1988, Time Magazine wrote an article titled "Welcome to Medellin, coke capital of the world", which dubbed Colombia's second largest city the most dangerous place on earth, a city whose every move (and whose every politician) was seemingly controlled by the cartel. Government officials were assa[...]
Travelling from the sultry Caribbean cost to the lush mountains of Colombia, you've got a few options, including a long bus ride and a quick (but more expensive) flight from Cartagena to Medellín. This Colombia transport guide will cover absolutely everything you need to know about travelling from[...]
After exploring Colombia's most innovative city, swap rolling hills and vibrant street art for the crystal-clear water and sticky heat of the Caribbean coast. It's a pretty fair distance from Medellín to Santa Marta, though, which leaves many travellers wondering whether it's better to save a few[...]
An Andean resort town situated on the shores of a spectacular reservoir in central Colombia, Guatapé is without a doubt the most colourful city I've ever seen. From the jaw-dropping lake views atop La Piedra to the rainbow-coloured streets decorated with bas-relief zócalos, there is seriously SO[...]
Medellín is Colombia's trendiest destination, risen from the ashes of its turbulent Pablo-tainted past to become one of the most innovative and progressive cities in all of Latin America. From the adventure hub of San Gil, you've got both public buses and flight routes available to reach Medellín[...]
Still something of a hidden gem in Colombia, the laid-back mountain town of San Gil is paradoxically home to the country's greatest assortment of extreme sports and adventure activities, from white water rafting and abseiling to bungy jumping and caving. Most travellers to San Gil arrive via bus fr[...]
Most travellers to Colombia will find themselves transiting between Bogotá and Medellín at some point, swapping the country's metropolitan capital for the trendy, graffiti-covered streets of the second largest city. There are essentially just two options for the journey from Bogotá to Medell�[...]
Nestled between verdant mountains and cut by the Fonce, Suarez, and Chicamocha Rivers, San Gil (sahn-híll) is a small, picturesque town in the Santander Department of Colombia, a day's travel from the bustle of Bogotá or Medellín. Although its quiet streets, filled mostly with locals, would neve[...]
Dozens of active volcanoes, lush Amazon Jungle, UNESCO World Heritage-listed cities, the incomparable Galápagos Islands, and some of the best beaches in South America come together to form this small but amazingly diverse country, a destination quite unlike anywhere else. Ecuador dazzles, from[...]
As one of the world's foremost destinations for wildlife and marinelife, the Galápagos is a classic bucket-list topper, a place people dream of going their whole lives— but somewhere that often feels too distant or too expensive to actually visit. As for mainland Ecuador, it's often overlooked i[...]
Grampians National Park, located just 3 hours northwest of Melbourne CBD, has long-since been one of my favourite places to explore, its dramatic rock features, sparkling waterfalls, and sweeping views over a patchwork of green valleys and blue lakes quite unlike anything else in the state. So when[...]
In crafting a small section of the 13-day Grampians Peaks Trail into a 3-day loop, VicParks included the official trail between The Pinnacle and Mt Rosea as the first two days, but today's walk now takes us off the scenic, well-graded trail and onto fire trails whose only purpose is getting us back[...]
After an incredibly scenic start to the Grampians Peaks Trail yesterday, our second day involves even more sweeping views, this time from the top of Mt Rosea over the Serra and Mt Williams Ranges. The distance covered is slightly longer at 14km, but it's still a comfortable day full of interesting[...]
About 250km NW of Melbourne, the Grampians Peaks Trail is set to be the state's newest "iconic walk", a 13-day journey along the peaks and through the forests of one of Victoria's most spectacular (and often overlooked) national parks. I absolutely can't wait for the project to be completed so I ca[...]
For all of South America, but particularly for an incredibly compact country like Ecuador, there is no better way to travel around than by bus— the scenery is beautiful, buses operate to every possible destination multiple times a day, and tickets are amazingly inexpensive. But how does travellin[...]
The Galápagos Islands are widely regarded as one of Latin America’s top scuba diving destinations, but I still wasn’t prepared for the incredible diversity of marine life I would discover there. Diving through enormous schools of hammerhead sharks and flocks of eagle rays made me fall in love[...]
Ecuador's undisputed adventure capital and gateway to the nearby Amazon Jungle, Baños de Agua Santa (or simply Baños) is one of the country's most spectacular destinations, a lush riverside town whose love for high adrenaline is every bit as alluring as its pumping waterfalls, boiling hot springs[...]
Situated in the misty foothills of Volcán Tungurahua, the jungle air thick with a palpable, infectious energy as countless cascadas drum out a beat amongst the trees, Baños is THE place to go for outdoor activities in Ecuador. Amazingly, its high adrenaline offerings are every bit as spectacular[...]
Snow-capped and burnt-red Cotopaxi is one of Ecuador's most striking natural icons, but also one of the world’s highest active volcanoes, rising nearly 5,900m above sea level and erupting more than 50 times in the last 300 years. It is an absolute highlight to see this volcano up close, and[...]