One of Colombia’s most interesting geographical features has to be the Andes-Choco divide, a transition point on the western slopes of the western Andes where Andean species meet those from the Choco. At the highest altitudes, enough time has passed for speciation to occur – PNN Tatama is a medium-sized national park of 51,900ha that … Continued
Some 45mins’ drive from Santa Marta, at the base of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, lies the National Natural Park of Tayrona. The park’s habitats change from dry forest nearer Santa Marta to humid tropical forest towards the east, and display a startling level of biodiversity. Its beaches, once noted by the Discovery Channel … Continued
Thanda means ’love’ in Zulu and this reserve is ideally suited to couples who wish to get away from it all either in luxurious bush villas or a well equipped tented camp. A special feature of this reserve is the opportunity to explore Zulu culture in addition to wildlife viewing. Zulu people benefit directly from … Continued
Running the length of the country and rising to over 6000m (20,000 feet), the Andes dominate the geography and climate of Ecuador, creating a landscape of snow-capped volcanoes, open plateaus and verdant valleys. With an altitude of 2,850m and a pleasant spring-like climate, Quito is the world’s second highest capital city. It has a beautifully … Continued
Dubbed the “poor man’s Galapagos”, the Ballestas Islands are an important breeding ground for sea birds including the guanay cormorant and Peruvian booby, found in huge colonies. The islands are also home to large numbers of sea lions, pelicans and penguins. Dolphins and small whales can be seen swimming in the bay, and sea lions … Continued
Found in the northwest of Argentina, the Calchaqui Valleys are characterised by traditional colonial towns and stunning landscapes with many weird and wonderful rock formations in a variety of surprising colours, including The Friar and Devil’s Throat.
The Carretera Austral, or Southern Highway, has been described as Chile’s “ultimate road trip”. It is the name given to Chile’s route 7 which begins where the Lake District ends, running 720 miles north to south through sparsely populated Northern Patagonia from Puerto Montt to Via O’Higgins. The spectacular landscape is one of dense forests, … Continued
The narrow plain of the Central Valley stretches for over 300 miles southwards from Santiago to the Biobio River, sandwiched between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west. River valleys bisect the Central Valley producing some of the most fertile land in Chile and giving rise to Chile’s most … Continued
In heritage terms, the Cultural Triangle is the most important region of Sri Lanka. It embraces three ancient UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Dambulla, Sigiriya and Polonnoruwa, all within easy distance of each other but all very different, and easily combined. A sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site for an incredible 22 centuries, Dambulla is the best preserved … Continued
Covering 438 square kilometres of pristine dipterocarp rainforest, the Danum Valley is one of the most outstanding wildlife areas in all South East Asia. With its towering rainforest trees and stunning landscapes, the reserve holds a vast array of fauna including all ten of Sabah’s primate species, wild elephant, the beautiful clouded leopard and 275 … Continued
The Dolphin Coast stretches for 80km north of Durban from Umhlanga Rocks to the mouth of the Tugela River and is renowned for its beach resorts such as Ballito and Shaka’s Rock for a real ‘holiday’ feel with all amenities and entertainment. Bottle-nose dolphins are attracted to the warm shallow waters to feed at all … Continued
The c.200km Garden Route is a world-famous scenic drive through verdant and diverse scenery with various stops of interest. There are ten nature reserves, protecting varied ecosystems and natural features such as lakes, lagoons, tall indigenous forests and Cape fynbos flora, mountains, rivers and sandy beaches as well as marine reserves. Southern right whales make … Continued
