October 29, 2020

Images of South America - Our Favourite Shots

October 29, 2020/ Ken Hardaker

We’ve taken two trips to South America. The first was in 2007/08 for 8 weeks with our then teenage sons, Alex and Zac. Cally and I returned in 2016 to fill in some of the gaps left after our first trip. This time we spent four and a half months visiting Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, and Columbia. It was a fabulous experience. In this post we’ve chosen our favourite photos from our two trips. We hope you like them.

May 27, 2016

A Taste of Colombia

May 27, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

For decades Colombia has been known for drug cartels and civil war, but in recent years the security situation has dramatically improved and tourists are starting to arrive. We think that Colombia will become the next big thing in South American tourism over the next decade. We spent two weeks there and got a small taste of some of what Colombia has to offer.

May 17, 2016

Two Weeks in the Ecuadorian Highlands

May 17, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

We arrived in Ecuador less than 24 hours after the April 2016 earthquake which devastated much of the NW and coastal regions of Ecuador. We were initially unsure as to what to do. But once we received information locally it was clear that the Highland areas of the country were unaffected. We decided to continue with our plans to travel the Ecuadorian Highlands. Here is our experience.

May 11, 2016

Best of Brazil - Part 2

May 11, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

In Best Of Brazil - Part 1 we visited the south of the country - Florianopolis, Curitiba and the state of Minas Gerais, which lies between Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janiero.

In Part 2 we start in Rio, head north to Salvador and finish our Brazilian trip in the Amazonian city of Manaus. Here's what happened.

May 04, 2016

Best of Brazil - Part 1

May 04, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

We spent a month in Brazil. This was our second visit but we still felt that we'd barely scratched the surface of this fabulous country. Nevertheless, we were very happy with the choices we made and the places we visited. Here is Part 1 of our Best of Brazil.

April 23, 2016

Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina

April 23, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina is a 1520 square km national park 400 kms to the west of the city of Salvador in Bahia state. It is famous for it's spectacular mountains, stunning waterfalls, limestone caves and thick forest. It attracts many Brazilian and international travellers who come to trek in the park.

We had 3 days/4 nights there and got a brief but very worthwhile taste of Chapada Diamantina. Here is a post about our trip there.

April 17, 2016

Exploring Minas Gerais - Brazilian Roadtrip

April 17, 2016/ Ken Hardaker

The Brazilian state of Minas Gerais lies between Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janiero. It is one of Brazil's most historically significant regions. Gold was discovered there in 1693 and this was followed by gem and diamond finds.

It's colonial legacy is still very accessible through towns such as Ouro Preto and Tiradentes. Some of Brazil's most impressive artworks are to be found in the region, particulalrly in it's historical churches. We were keen to visit the state and so we hired a car for the trip from Belo to Rio. Here is what we found.