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Hot Chicama

Some say she’s more popular than the President, and she’s certainly made a splash on the world stage, but world surfing champion Sofia Mulanovich is happiest spending her days on the beach in her home country of Peru. Back in 2004, when this then 21 year old became the first South American to win the world title, surfing in Peru was only known to locals and a select group of pro surfers.

The new lodge-to-lodge alternative to camping

In the “top ten things to do before you die” list, trekking to Machu Picchu just became more than just a pipedream for those who simply could not face the idea of camping out. Two incredible initiatives have accomplished amazing feats of engineering by building top quality lodges at high altitudes in remote areas of Peru.

Celebrating the beauty of Chachapoyas

Poised on the brink of mass exposure, Chachapoyas, a swathe of dense cloud forest in the Andes of Northeastern Peru, holds a special place in our hearts.

Once upon a time, our great friend Susy Dyson was spotted for American Vogue by the Countess Aileen de Romanones in Marbella. Countless magazine covers followed, together with catwalk appearances for, among others, Yves Saint Laurent.

A second area enjoying the attentions of travel writers in the know, Patagonia is an immense, beautiful land brimming with variety. A mere two and a half hour flight south from Buenos Aires, Patagonia offers a totally different take on Argentina. The North boasts awe-inspiring natural beauty, the Lake District of thousands of kilometres of pine-covered landscapes bursting with impressive waterfalls, forests and, of course, lakes – without a boat in sight. It is a haven for those who enjoy outdoor pursuits – horse riding with the gauchos (cowboys), fishing with the experts or simply contemplating life. Or you can cross into the Chilean Lake District perhaps via the pretty Tyrolean-like town of Bariloche.

Just 100 miles or a four hour car journey north of Arequipa, Peru, lies a stunning natural phenomenon, the Colca Canyon, the deepest canyons in the world. This is home of the Andean condor and a rich, fertile land where centuries of agriculture on pre-Inca terraces sustain the traditional villages that dot this magical landscape. It is also home to one the people closest to our hearts, Mother Antonia, who has run a soup kitchen for over 30 years in the Valley. Now this and the many charms of the Colca Valley have been embraced by the Orient Express Hotel Group, which opens the first luxury hotel in the area this April.

One of the smallest countries in South America is having something of a renaissance in 2008, with the New York Times declaring it one of the top 53 places to go to this year, and Condé Nast Traveller magazine dedicating a sizeable chunk of editorial to Ecuador in its December issue. So what is the appeal and why now?

Amidst the doom and gloom of environmental predictions there are always elements of light shining through. Environmental scientist Oliver Whaley is one such enlightened individual. Based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew near London, Oliver and his team are dedicated to a three-year project supported by the UK Darwin Initiative to save the last few remnants of the Huarango forest on the south coast of Peru, on the edge of the Atacama Desert. Felled for charcoal or to make way for agriculture, this destruction is opening the door to spreading desertification.

Redefining travel in the Chilean and Bolivian Altiplanos, including the Salar de Uyuni

Photo Credit: Leo Hwang

In March 2007 we suggested a visit to the highlands of south-western Bolivia, calling it an Adventure of a Lifetime. In late 2007 we revisited the region to re-experience this journey – only this time our travel experience was taken to an entirely new level.