Tierra Patagonia in Travel + Leisure

Travel and Leisure recently named Tierra Patagonia, a lodge located on the edge of Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park, Best Resort in the T + L 2013 Design Awards. Being a design junkie myself, I wholeheartedly agree with T + L’s perspective that good design makes better travel (and better everything really). Knowmad, upon its creation, has been sending happy travelers to Tierra Patagonia’s sister lodge in the northern Chilean Desert, Tierra Atacama, and was thrilled to hear of plans to build a lodge that would no doubt just as seamlessly live and blend into its natural surroundings.

We were so excited, in fact, that we’ve decided to hop a flight down to Chile in a couple weeks to check it out. Stay tuned for the next issue of the Knowmad Travel Journal for our thoughts on this and other lodges in both Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.

Un Beso, Tara

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Parting Shots: Family Visits their Daughter Studying Abroad in South America

Lisa Kellenberger, both Tara’s sister and Knowmad’s Social Media Guru, spent a semester studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina last spring. Without a moment’s hesitation (not that anybody needs any real valid excuse in this family to go exploring) parents Greg and Dana started dreaming up a trip with Knowmad to get down there. Greg had been to Machu Picchu before when Tara spent her summer after college backpacking around South America and couldn’t wait to see it again, this time with his wife and third daughter. So after a couple of days exploring Argentina’s capital, they flew from  Buenos Aires to Lima and then to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon for a stay at Inkaterra’s Reserva Amazonica. Next they flew to Cuzco to embark on a custom version of the Classic Machu Picchu itinerary. Thanks for sharing these wonderful shots Kellenbergers!

 
 
 

About.com Features Knowmad Adventures

Knowmad is thrilled to be spotlighted in the article Custom Adventure Travel in South America with Knowmad Adventures on About.com.

The author Louis Friedland, a big adventurer herself, outlines that Knowmad is a “U.S. based (company) and owned by an American husband and wife team who believe ‘Travel brings us closer to Earth’s natural wonders and diverse cultures, as well as to ourselves.'” She says that their “approach to creating trips reflects that philosophy.”

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How to Make the Most Out of Your Miles

Alright, I’ll admit it. I’m a hoarder. But, no, I don’t have some weird collection of dolls or cats. I hoard miles and I’m here to give you a couple tips on how to do the same.

First off, don’t let one single flight go by without collecting your miles for it. You earned them! I keep track of my miles with a simple spreadsheet that you can download here. This sheet helps me keep track of my usernames, passwords, and mileage for each airline.  

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Last Call for Photos!

The closing date for our annual photo contest is quickly approaching! We’ve been pulling our hair out trying to decide on winners for the categories of Action Adventure, Culture, Wildlife and Landscape or Scenery. If you’ve traveled with us in 2012 and have been holding onto a shot, please send it our way to [email protected]

ALL ENTRIES DUE BY JANUARY 31ST – WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN NEXT NEWSLETTER

Give the Gift of Travel

There’s nothing you can give your family and friends that is more valuable than life experiences, and no better way to start the year than with adventure in your sights. To encourage this Knowmad is offering a $100 per person discount on trips booked between now and December 31, 2012. 

*Deposit and registration packet must be received prior to December 31, 2012. May not be combined with any other available traveler discounts. Exclusions may apply. Discount code disc_holiday/2012 must be mentioned prior to the time of booking.

(Pictured above: fox in Patagonia, Chile)

Knowmad & The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Present “Lost Lands of the Inca”

Arboretum Peru Trip

Knowmad Adventures in conjunction with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is proud to announce an incredible group trip “Lost Lands of the Inca: An Exploration of Peru, Machu Picchu, and the Amazon.” The trip is our seventh with the Arboretum and comes in the wake of an extremely successful trip to Costa Rica last year. It is open to Arboretum members as well as non-members – this includes you!

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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!

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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.

Travel + Leisure A-List Recognizes Jordan As a Top Trip Advisor for the 7th Year in a Row!

Knowmad Adventure Travel + Leisure A-List

It’s a series of moments that have lead Jordan to his 7th Travel + Leisure A-List win. It all started with a big dream in a small cabin nestled in the Patagonian countryside. Here, Tara and Jordan spent many hours, days, and weeks developing their travel company. And today we take a moment to reflect on some of the triumphs and challenges that ultimately make Knowmad, Knowmad.

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Condé Nast Traveler Highlights Knowmad’s Off-The-Beaten-Path Specialty with Choquequirao Trek Mention

Conde Nast Traveler - Knowmad Adventures Choque Peru Trekking

We’re so thrilled that Knowmad was mentioned as the company to call for your Choquequirao trekking plans by Condé Nasts’s Traveler magazine! Traveler explains how the multi-day trek to the the lesser-travelled but equally magnificent Choquequirao indeed stands up to comparisons to Machu Picchu. Our founders, Tara and Jordan Harvey, have journeyed to the archaeological site themselves – affectionately called “Choque” – and came out of it more impassioned than ever, affirming that it makes trekkers feel about as much like Indiana Jones as possible.

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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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