Extend Your Argentina Trip With An Exploration of Uruguay

Three photo layout of best places to visit in Uruguay including Colonia, Uruguay, horseback riding and the coast.

Just thirty miles away from Buenos Aires, Uruguay is a country that often gets overlooked by travelers heading to South America. Without the name recognition of sites like Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, or Patagonia, the country ends up as a hazy gray spot on the map, perhaps known to exist but any other information about it still shrouded in mystery. Here at Knowmad Adventures, we strive to fill in those spots on the map for you and create lifelong memories in amazing destinations, even ones you may not know much about yet. Uruguay, being so close to the world-renowned metropolitan city of Buenos Aires, works wonderfully as an extension to a trip to Argentina, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks long.

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Condé Nast Traveler Top Specialists

Knowmad team members working together to create an itinerary, pointing at a map, with a Condé Nast Traveler 2023 seal on the lower left.

Not one, but two Knowmad Trip Specialists have earned a spot on the Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists list! A big congrats to Jordan Harvey and Renee Davies for their continued excellence. See their travel planning profiles to find out why Knowmad travelers describe our Trip Specialists like this, “I’m not sure which metaphor to use to describe your travel knowledge – you are like a chef or a magician or an artist in the way your mind works.”

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Knowmad Founders Adventure Series: All Things Brazil

It’s been thirteen years since Jordan and I founded Knowmad Adventures. We’ve spent years in South America, built an office and a team in Minneapolis, had babies, moved to the ski town of Telluride, weathered a pandemic, and are, just finally, getting into a travel routine that not only melds with our work and kids’ schedules, but brings us to out-of-this-world destinations, creating lifelong family memories and phenomenal recon missions for Knowmad trip ideas. Discover how adventure travel company founders explore: this year, we travel to Brazil.

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Parting Shots: An Inside Look at an Epic Antarctica Expedition

In the vast Antarctica wilderness, Ron and Russel cross off a significant milestone and discover word-defying beauty. These two are no strangers to Knowmad, they took their first trip with us in 2014 to Peru and have done three other trips since (including Antarctica). They’re fantastic writers and their kind, adventurous spirits are apparent in all the stories they’ve sent us after their trips. We caught up with them from their home in Connecticut after 31 days of adventure. Read their story below.

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Simply the Best: Knowmad Photo Contest Winners

We’ve brought it back after a two year pandemic hiatus; a travelers all-time favorite, the Annual Knowmad Photo Contest. It’s not only the striking images from our favorite South American destinations that keep us inspired, it’s the stories that come with them. Submissions span categories from landscape to wildlife to portrait and capture moments unequaled; the quiet puma in Patagonia’s wild, the sheepish smile of a local child, a rainforest orchid blooming brilliantly. All category winners will receive Knowmad gear and the overall Knowmad Adventures Grand Prize Winner wins a 2-night/3-day stay at Hacienda Zuleta in Ecuador.  Keep scrolling for the results!

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Lifelong Friends Take the Trip of a Lifetime – Galapagos to Machu Picchu

south america custom travel

Having known each other for decades, this group of four already knew any adventure they planned together would be a ball. They came to Knowmad to handle the details and craft experiences that would invite a deeper connection with the landscapes, wildlife, and locals. Little could they have imagined sharing a glass of vino with Margarita, the charming owner of 17th-century Hacienda Zuleta nestled in the Ecuadorian Andes, or exchanging stories with their guide Miguel at Machu Picchu as they walked through mazes of dry-stone walls built over 500 years ago.

Join this lively group of friends as they travel throughout western South America and see why they said, “Our trip was absolutely amazing! An unforgettable experience full of adventure and unexpected beauty”

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Knowmad Wins Condé Nast’s Top Honor for Galapagos, Peru, Patagonia, Argentina, & Chile

Four Knowmad Adventures team members in Knowmad hats walking and laughing together with a Condé Nast Traveler 2022 seal on the lower left.

Knowmad is proud and humbled to once again be one of the few operator/agencies in the world to have not one but two of our specialists awarded with the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Experts accolade. Knowmad General Manager Renee Davies is recognized as the top expert of Galapagos, Ecuador & Peru; while Co–Founder Jordan Harvey for Patagonia, Argentina and Chile.

Travel + Leisure A-List Winner for the 10th Year in a Row!

This is a big one folks!! Knowmad Co-Founder Jordan Harvey won a spot on the Travel + Leisure A-list for the 10th year in a row. 

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Jordan “almost fainted right there in the Dallas / Ft. Worth customs,” after finding out he had won the T+L A-List award for the very first time in 2013. A lot has happened in the last 10 years, we’ve grown, expanded into new territories, helped more and more travelers and at the same time, not much has changed. Our commitment to unparalleled levels of knowledge and operating capabilities in our regions has only strengthened and we continue to work hard to build innovative and unique travel experiences for our travelers. 

We asked our past travelers to help us in congratulating Jordan by sharing some of their favorite travel moments, keep reading to take a trip down memory lane with us.

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Where To Go In Colombia

Colorful buildings on a street in Bogotá, Colombia.

WHY VISIT COLOMBIA?

An up-and-coming destination in South America, Colombia is still relatively unknown and unexplored by international travelers. That being said, it has so much to offer visitors:

  • A huge variety of landscapes and wildlife that make Colombia one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
  • An incredibly rich history and melting pot of cultures, with different indigenous groups in the mountains & jungles contrasting the African diaspora on the coast, and the remnants of the Spanish colonial period in towns across the country.
  • Opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and more which make it a destination for adventurers.
  • Destinations that are little-visited by international travelers and off the beaten path.
  • One of the fastest-growing tourism regions in South America, which has helped to shed its image of instability and complex social issues.

Connect here with a Knowmad Adventures Trip Specialist to help you create a custom travel experience throughout Colombia that is as unique and authentic as you are.

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KNOWMAD 2024 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

Knowmad Adventures 2024 Contest Winners

 

The Knowmad 2024 Photo Contest Winners are in! This past year was full of incredible stories and images from our Knowmad travelers. The pictures and comments that were sent in inspire us to keep exploring. Thanks to all who shared their impressive pictures throughout the last year.

To give you a little taste of it all, the winners have been broken down into 7 different categories; adventure, culture, landscape, cityscape, portrait, flora, and fauna. All category winners will receive Knowmad gear, and the overall Knowmad Adventures Grand Prize Winner gets a 2-night/ 3-day stay at Hacienda Zuleta in Ecuador. Scroll down to see inspiring Knowmad traveler stories, from connecting with locals to jaw-dropping wildlife encounters, and find inspiration for your next South American adventure below.

 

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Jordan Harvey Joins Travel + Leisure’s A-List of Top Advisors

Jordan Harvey listed as Travel+Leisure's A-List Travel Advisor for 2025 Patagonia and Galapagos

 

Huge congratulations to our Founder, Jordan Harvey, on earning a spot on Travel + Leisure’s A-List of Top Travel Advisors for the 13th year in a row!

Perfecting travel in South America takes passion, expertise, and an incredible team. This honor reflects the hard work of our knowledgeable Travel Specialists and the inspiring travelers we collaborate with every day to design exceptional journeys.

Check out Jordan’s Travel + Leisure feature here, and connect with one of our Trip Specialists to start planning your own South American adventure!

 

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