I did the drive from Jeddah to Taif around Mecca. It's very well labelled where you'll have to turn off the highway for the ridiculously long bypass. My GPS kept telling me to turn around as the bypass makes no sense. But it's almost impossible to get lost.
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9039 results for tefl
balaroth
Hello friends. First of all sorry my English, my question is about the best spot in Sumatra for underwater life and SNORKEL: corals, coloured fish, easy access... etc.
Pulau Weh? Banyak?
I will go in the middle of april. One week before Ramadan begins. (One month in North Sumatra and then I meet my girlfriend in K.L. for Taman Negara and Perhentians).
After that tell me best jungle life:
Ketambe? Bukit Lawang? Both?
Also... is Berastagi worth a couple of days. Maybe three?
What about Lake Toba?
Will visit Sumatra north.
Thank's for your time.
Good luck. Happy trips, journeys and travels.
GRACIAS
hemis
Capilla de Marmol:
Most people go in middle-sized motorboats to see the 3 marble caves (roughly CLP 10’000 per pers.) but you can also visit them by kayak which is a much more adventurous option.
Valle Leones - www.valleleones.cl / Email: psoto@valleleones.cl (gerente: Pedro Soto Seron) Tel. +56 977 031 622
Trips by kayak take around 3h and cost CLP 40’000 per pers.
They offer various departures per day but calmest and generally first outings in the morning around 07.30am. After a short drive you arrive near the 3 marble rocks from where you board a single or a double kayak and head out to the caves after a safety briefing and some paddling exercise.
Yep it’s shaky and yes you can flip over quite easily but if you follow the instructions nothing should go wrong. Best is to bring a waterproofed camera / smartphone.
Logically on this trip you’ll get much closer to the rocks as you can principally touch them but are not allowed to leave the kayak. The smooth lines of the engravings are beautiful especially in the first light of the day where you’ll see much more contrast. Through the largest of the 3 rock islands you can pass through with your kayak via a narrow tunnel. Great trip, cool guide and a good experience.
The same company also offers other tours like the day trip to Glaciar Exploradores for CLP 80’000 per pers. - check their website.
Other companies doing the Glaciar Exploradores with similar prices are:
Huenteco / Eco Patagonia, Tel. 987 451 480 and Eco Exploradores, Tel. 957 490 261
Puerto Cisnes:
It’s worth detouring to sleepy Puerto Cisnes and walk around the quiet village, drop in some of the old town’s shops and talk to locals.
Chaiten:
Hike up Volcano Chaiten:
With your own wheels it is easy to access the hiking trail up to Volcano Chaiten. It’s a climb of about 600 height meters, count on 1-1.5h each way. On the top you’ll be greeted by a forest of burned trees (the volcano erupted in 2008 and devastated its surroundings including the town of the same name) and you can walk along the crater rim for about 1km in total passing here and there rocks of black glass called obsidian. In short - it’s an amazing place. You don’t need a guide to walk up as the trail is clearly marked. Along the steep crater rim, watch your step!
If you haven’t got a car, there are a few busses as I was told – otherwise try to hitchhike from Chaiten. The drive takes about 20min. Back at the car park it should be fairly easy to hitch a ride back to Chaiten.
Accommodation: Hospedaje Rita, Arturo Prat 352, Tel. +56 997 782 351 looks a bit shabby but has ok rooms. You can share a room for CLP 10’000 per pers/bed. No breakfast. Wifi included.
Breakfast, kuchen and snacks:
The Natour bus, next to their office surely has the best “kuchen” (cake) in the country. Just forget about Puerto Varas and other places if it comes to kuchen. They are done every morning by Lotta (from Germany) and her crew inside the bus and they are simply delicious as is the rest of their food. Try the Champions breakfast.
They’ll soon have another food bus opening up in Santa Barbara (read below)
Natour Tour – tour operator:
www.natour.cl / Email: hola@natour.cl / Tel. +56 942 342 799 or 803 (Whatsapp)
Next to the food bus on O’Higgins No 166 is this friendly tour operator. Tommy Hidalgo is the boss (Lotta his wife). He speaks English and can help you organising different half day and day tours in and around Chaiten.
They also hand out self-made maps of the area which are useful if you want to get your bearings and decide where to go, e.g. for hiking.
They rent cars and bicycles for a day and offer day tours to West Pumalin and South Chaiten (both include transport and different short hikes), hikes up El Chalten (volcano) and the one which I have done with them the …
Kayak Safari Santa Barbara – to see sea lions, dolphins and a couple of Magellan penguins:
CLP 25’000, 3-4h, max. 4 pers. Transport provided if necessary from El Chalten to Santa Barbara village, 10km north of town. At the beautiful beach you’ll get your neoprene wetsuit and shoes and grab a kayak.
The kayaking briefing (both theory and practise) was much better than the one in PRT and Tommy suggests you even to flip and get wet if you are in the mood (so that you don’t panic in case it should happen out there in the water).
It takes about 45 min to an hour of paddling to get to the sea lion colony. You may also see some Magellan penguins (but only few and always in the water), 3 species of cormorants (black, grey and imperial) as well as dolphins. The dolphins however are often just found in front of the beach. Just wait on the rocks for them to arrive.
We did this tour early morning in beautiful sun light when the water was rather calm. You don’t have much choice here as you have to check on the wind conditions. On our way out it was calm but on the way back the wind got quite strong and it became more difficult to keep the kayak steady and moving forward. In general: Mornings are not ideal for taking picture of the sea lions as they are in back light.
Santa Barbara village and beach is by the way a much nicer place to stay if you have a mobile home. It has a vibe of a family friendly hippy place and it’s the place where Tommy and Lotta have their home. By next summer they should have another food bus here with more elaborate meals available and should also offer camping in their garden in addition to the kayak tours which are already done here.
Ferry to Chiloe with an onward bus to Castro: http://www.navieraustral.cl/itinerarios-y-tarifas
Currently twice a week Tuesday and Saturday – the trip takes 4h, costs CLP 15’000 per seat and gets you to Quellon on Chiloe. Leave the ferry and walk up to one of the two bus stations. I found a small bus heading to Castro soon after arriving.
Chiloe:
What a change from the Carretera Austral where indeed quite a few people were grumpy especially in the accommodation sector others were not very hitchhiker friendly. The moment you step on Chiloe you realise a change, people are eager to talk to you, busses are a real possibility and close to frequent, still hitchhiking is as easy as walking your dog on a leash. In short a great and beautiful place to explore where I stayed longer than expected due to visiting fascinating Chepu, see below.
Castro: Day trip by bus to Achao, Curaco de Velez, Dalcaue (and La Estancia)
Castro itself is a very interesting city and worth exploring at least one day on foot to see the various palafitos (houses on stilts) and the rather busy city center.
Getting to Achao is easy, take an early morning bus, walk around the village of Achao, be sure to check the Unesco listed church and catch another bus to nearby Curaco de Velez (do the same) and head back to Dalcaue for more church seeing and sampling sea food. A sure bet is Ceviche but if you dare it – try “piure” (I have never seen anything like that before…) If you are here on a Sunday check out the huge Sunday market which became a very touristy affair these days.
By hitching two rides I got to La Estancia where on that Sunday they celebrated a local festival. Basically lots of happy locals eating mounts of food and drinking bear, some dare devil boys on horses without a saddle and a band performing with people dancing. If you are in the area in January and February there are lots of these festivals on Chiloe.
2
wus
I agree with Laszlo about the Biodiversity Resort, stayed with them a few days December 2018. Some dives were with strong currents, they were the best :-)
But others were in easier places, and still excellent dives. If you tell them they will take you to such places. Although they will be able to tell you how to handle the currents.
When on Gam, don't miss the chance to see red birds of paradise. Biodiversity can call a local guide if you tell them the day before.
On the other hand, staying in Waisai has advantages, too - lots of accoms, shops and restaurants to choose from. (I don't know Waiwo dive resort, so can't comment on it). And on Waigeo you can see Wilson's bird of paradise. I went with Benny Mambrasar from Yenkangkanes Homestay.
Which Orangutan tour do you want to make? Where?
2
JohninHoiAn
This article tells you everything you need to know (ticket prices, trip schedules, etc.): https://hiddenhoian.com/travel/guide-da-nang-to-hoi-an/
7
mstep
Yes, definitely the tuk tuk drivers and taxi drivers will try to rip you off or scam you. In north India it's a certainty. So you will need to negotiate and even then pay prices higher than ordinary Indian people. You should never arrive someplace and tell the random driver you find to take you to a lodging. That's a really bad idea, due to the commissions that lodgings pay tuk tuk and taxi drivers. Instead tell the driver which hotel/hostel you need.