Knowmad News: “Tis the Season to Lend

Tidings from all at Knowmad Adventures! There’s just something about the holiday season that makes us feel lucky. Maybe it’s that we’re warm and toasty inside as it grows frosty outside, but I think it’s the fact that we just are plain lucky. We find ourselves thriving in a downturned economy, living our dream, and helping to build unique travel experiences everyday in the far-flung corners of Chile, Argentina, Peru & Ecuador.
 
It’s when one’s traveling and gaining different perspectives on the world that one often times realizes how good you’ve got it (and that there are people out there that aren’t nearly as fortunate as you are). Through Kiva, an organization that strives to empower people around the world with their micro-loan programs, Knowmad is able to help in a little way.

Culture: La Prisa Mata

As the holidays descend upon us, with shoppers forming lines at insane twilight hours to get into their favorite retail stores and buy, with Santa Claus is Coming to Town playing in malls before Thanksgiving even, and lists being checked and rechecked – I’d like to share this image by a graffiti artist in Valparaiso, Chile. It translates to “Rushing Kills” and makes me smile, because somedays in South America you feel like no one has to be anywhere. If you give your waiter any sort of look after waiting for your bill for forty-five minutes, he’s really the one thinking you’re crazy!

Read Full Post

Parting Shots: Deanna & Brett Hike the Inca Trail

Deanna & Brett created a unique itinerary in Peru. They spent a day meandering around the barrio of Miraflores after their arrival to Lima and before their flight to Puerto Maldonaldo, in the Amazon Rainforest. Here they spent three days enjoying the tropical cuisine, rainforest excursions, and intense hammocking at the jungle lodge Reserva Amazonica.


Next Deanna & Brett flew up into the Andes and explored Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire, before heading to the Sacred Valley to visit the Amaru weavers and to get their legs working on some hikes near the Pisac ruins. A couple days there and they felt acclimatized to the Andean altitude to start their 4 day, 3 night trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, arriving to the Sun Gate just in time for sunset. They spent their last couple nights at the world-renowned Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel where I’m sure those thermal baths were appreciated!

Thanks again to Deanna and Brett for these wonderful shots.

Featured Itinerary: Northern Patagonia Odyssey

The Story

We are thrilled to be kicking off another great Patagonia travel season and would like to share an itinerary that will always remain close to our hearts with you all. Just after we got hitched three years ago (wow, how the time flies!), Jordan and I hopped a flight down to Chile to start the journey that is Knowmad Adventures. Chile’s about as diverse as you can get, with the Atacama Desert stretching north, the vineyards and cities of Santiago and Valparaiso in the central region, and all the way down to the end of the world – Patagonia. We decided to start with Northern Patagonia, a region that held a lot of intrigue for us. It saw very little international tourism, and even the Chileans that had visited there were few and far between. But what we had heard of it sounded like a little slice of paradise; giant volcanoes sleeping over lush green landscapes, gauchos living off the land as they had for generations, German immigrants brewing tasty beers and serving up that delectable kuchen. Who wouldn’t get lured by that?

Read Full Post

Good Eats in Santiago

The travel magazine Afar boasts in its October issue about a yummy find in Chile’s capital city:

“The chef behind Santiago’s restaurant Boragó is on a mission to promote his country’s overlooked ingredients, such as the superacidic copoa fruit, which grows in the Atacama desert.“

Pictured above (courtesy of Afar) is grouper baked in a mud oven, a technique used by the indigenous Mapuche peoples for centuries.

Knowmad Adventures provides restaurant recommendations for each destination that you arrive to in your Buen Viaje document before you depart. The Buen Viaje document also contains handy info like 24-hour emergency contact numbers, your hotel addresses and maps.

Win this FREE Daypack & Knowmad Gear!

Win this FREE daypack and Knowmad gear! How?

1) ‘Like’ the Knowmad Adventures page on Facebook.

2) Get your Facebook friends to ‘like’ our page too. (Hint: More the merrier! The more friends of yours that like our page, the better chance you have to win.)

3) Once we reach 1,000 likes we’ll choose a winner at random and if you suggested they like our page you win too.* (Can you say win, win?!)

It’s simple. Get Knowmad to 1,000 likes, and you and a friend could be hiking in style in no time!

*The chosen winner will be contacted via Facebook message.

World Wide Image

Oh my life is rough – here I’ve been finding myself going through countless amazing images of South America as my job. Couldn’t help but share some of these that haven’t quite made it into any of our publications yet…

Un Beso, Tara

Ps. All of these photos were taken on travels to South America – click on any photo for an itinerary that will bring you there.

8 Women, 8 Days in Peru

Amy is one of eight women recently returning from eight days in Peru. The women’s group connected through AdventureHer and created a custom Knowmad itinerary journeying through Lima, the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu and more.

Muchisimas gracias to Amy for her delightful travel journal. Below are just a couple morsels from the full journal.

 
“Each of us has different backgrounds, occupations and life experiences but were all brought together by the desire to experience a new culture.”

Top 6 Ecuador Destinations To Visit Before Or After Your Trip To The Galapagos

Ecuador Mainland Destinations

The Galapagos Islands is one of the most incredible places to visit: to behold wildlife unafraid of human interaction and the rare and wonderful flora that abound the islands is truly spectacular. But en route to the Galapagos Islands are some equally special places that often get overlooked: the wonderful and varied mainland Ecuador destinations. One of Knowmad’s favorite things to do when planning trips to the Galapagos Islands is to supplement the trip with a few days or more in Ecuador’s mainland, which is sure to capture every traveler’s heart.

Read Full Post

Parting Shots: Anniversary Adventure to The Inca Trail & Sacred Valley, Peru

Sacred Valley Peru To Inca Trail

Explorers through and through, Deb and William decided to spend their anniversary trekking the Inca Trail. Spending their first few days in the Sacred Valley, Peru, they got to behold some of the incredible local culture, explore Inca sites, visit with community members, and learn about the history and traditions that make Peru such a uniquely beautiful country.

Read Full Post