Patagonia Travel: An Inside Look

Traveler riding through the Andes

Having been intrepid travelers all over the world, we were honored when John and Diane came to Knowmad Adventures looking for a vacation focused on Patagonia travel, one that was an incredible adventure involving plenty of hiking, kayaking, and outdoor activities with great photo opportunities, but one that would also leave them feeling rested and rejuvenated. We welcomed the challenge and were happy to receive John’s email following the trip; “I would say the unanimous judgment was this was one of the best trips we have ever taken.” And now, we’re so happy to have just planned another adventure for this amazing group, an Ecuador and Galapagos trip next year. 

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Travel Photography 101

photography 101

Truth: Great photos have very little to do with the camera and almost everything to do with the photographer. Even with the fancy Instagram filters and the handy “enhance” button on iPhoto, it’s the person behind the lens that’s making the difference between a mediocre image and a masterpiece. I’m nowhere near the masterpiece side of the spectrum, but can offer a couple of tips on photography for the amateur photographer looking to experiment with their SLR camera on their next trip abroad.

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Best Chile & Argentina Travel Agent & Trip Operator: Travel & Leisure Awards Jordan Harvey

Best Travel Agent Jordan Harvey

Ladies & gents, damas y caballeros, he’s done it again! Jordan Harvey’s travel planning skills have been praised before, but this week they’ve gotten international recognition as he was named the best travel specialist for Argentina & Chile vacations in Travel + Leisure Magazine. Check newsstands for the October issue and flip to page 94 or read about the Travel + Leisure A-List online.

“I almost fainted right there in the Dallas/Ft. Worth customs after landing from Chile,” Jordan says of finding out. “We work really hard and have unparalleled levels of knowledge and operating capabilities in our regions, but we focus much more on the experience and staying on the cutting edge in our destinations than we do on getting press and winning contests, so this came as a huge shock. Not to mention we’re probably the newest and smallest company on the list,” he added.

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Arboretum to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador

Galapagos Islands and Ecuador
Knowmad Adventures
in conjunction with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is proud to announce an incredible group tour to the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador. “Darwin’s Galapagos Islands and the Flora and Fauna of Ecuador” is a two week journey that will highlight the incredible landscapes and diverse ecosystems of mainland Ecuador, and includes a luxurious 6-day small ship cruise around Darwin’s Galapagos Islands which are full of fascinating endemic species and beautiful volcanic landscapes. Join Director Emeritus Peter Olin and Knowmad Co-Founder Jordan Harvey along with excellent local guides. In addition to cruising the Galapagos, on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, you will have unique cultural interactions, explore the cloud forest’s plants, orchids, and over 132 hummingbird species, visit a rose plantation, and much more!

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Patagonia Vacation Packing List

patagonia vacationPacking for a trip can be an overwhelming task, especially when you’re headed out of the country – on a Patagonia vacation perhaps. Most people advocate for packing light but if you’re anything like me, this concept is merely inconceivable. Instead, I like to focus on packing appropriately. This means including all the necessary items on my packing list, and throwing in a few extras, just incase.

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Find Comfort in a Good Book: Books by Isabel Allende

Atacama Desert Chile South America

Knowmad Co-Founder, Tara, picked up her first Isabel Allende book as she was navigating an uncertain future 11 years ago – moving across the world with her husband and Knowmad Co-Founder, Jordan, and starting a business together – and she found solace in the pages as she dove deeper into the story. She hopes that as you navigate today’s changing landscape, you can also find comfort in a good book.

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The New KnowmadAdventures.com

knowmad adventures website

We are proud to announce that the all new Knowmad Adventures website is live! The new site, which was completely redesigned by Knowmad co-Founder Tara, has greatly expanded content including more in-depth bios of the growing Knowmad team, more suggested trip ideas including exclusive Galapagos yacht cruises, and a traveler review section. We’re also jumping out of our seats excited about improved functionality letting travelers design their very own trip as well as searching by travel style such as family, luxury, active and more (kudos to super programmer Josh and nose-to-the-grindstone Media Manager Lisa!).

It is with as much relief as joy that we make this announcement. As a small company building a site this expansive had us all wearing the proverbial many hats, and for that or otherwise it’s safe to say we’re all left with a lower thread count atop the cabeza, if you know what I mean! But hopefully what didn’t kill us made us stronger and we proudly invite you to explore the new face of Knowmad Adventures today.

My Conversation with Carolina in the Atacama Desert

atacama desert hike
We met late in a trip that had already taken my husband Jordan and I deep into the Chilean Patagonia. Journeying to the ends of the earth we rode sturdy criollos alongside spindly guanaco herds, hunted fossils of giant sloths, felt the grumbles and groans of crumbling glaciers before flying north. Waking in Patagonia and ending your day in Atacama Desert is truly like traveling to Mars – although separated by only a few hours in a plane, the landscapes are completely opposite. Arriving content but weary, I found myself wrestling with the dry altitude (the Spanish-colonial pueblo of San Pedro de Atacama rests at 7,900 feet above sea level). Jordan, however, had his mind set on one thing: summiting one of the majestic volcanoes lumbering in our horizon. We chose Cerro Toco, elevation 18,386 feet.

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Book your Inca Trail trip by July 31st and receive $200 off per person!

Inca Trail Deal Knowmad Adventures

Inca Trail permits for 2019 will be going on sale in just a few months. Some of the most popular travel dates sell out as soon as the permits go on sale, so don’t miss your chance to hike the famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in 2019, and start planning today. Book before July 31st, 2018 and receive $200 off per person for trips 1 week or longer, and $300 off per person for trips 2 weeks or longer!* Contact a Trip Specialist today about booking this trip of a lifetime!

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Parting Shots: Antarctica Family Trip of a Lifetime

Knowmad Adventures Antarctica Trip

One of the greatest compliments we can receive is when past travelers come back to us for another adventure in South America. Barbara, Eric, Kathy, and Lenny had done two previous trips with Knowmad, to Easter Island & Patagonia and to the Galapagos Islands. So when they came back looking to go off the beaten track for their third trip, exploring the contrasting deserts of the Atacama in northern Chile and Antarctica, we were really excited to help them plan this awesome multi-generational Chile + Antarctica family adventure.   

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The Casa Oficina

Knowmad Adventures South America Travel

Welcome to the Casa Oficina. That is the house that is an office, or the office that is a house. Not technically – we don’t actually live here (although during the busy season, many of us feel like that!). We affectionately call it the Casa Oficina because it’s an old Minneapolis house that we remodeled into the new Knowmad Adventures office, and although filled with desks and computers and coffee makers and such, its underlying texture is that of a light-filled home.

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