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Mountains. I love them and I hate them. It’s always been this way. When I’m there, I hate it. The struggle. I never find it easy. Never! It doesn’t matter what I do to prepare. For whatever reason, I always find it difficult. No matter how fit I tend to be. Yet I keep going back. I think it’s the […]
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“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” – Jack Kerouac It’s been a while since I’ve been climbing mountains. I miss it. Having said that, this particular hike was gruelling! Hiking the Trolltunga involves a 1,000m ascent (3,000 ft), and took us about […]
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This is a, well basically, out of focus panorama of a glacial lake we encountered while hiking the Besseggen Ridge in Norway. I’d dreamed of hiking it for years. It was harder than I thought – I felt like I was rock climbing up a cliff at some points! It was worth the effort though
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This is Andrew on our way back from climbing the Half Dome. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, and the views from the top were stunning. It rained torrentially that afternoon which caused a huge rock fall. I was soaking wet and freezing cold by the time we got back to camp.
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This is the path to Mirador Cuernos in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile. It’s one of the most scenic places I’ve ever visited. It’s also one of the windiest! The wind in Torres del Paine is crazy! Gusts would appear from nowhere, knocking us down like demons. We could hardly stand up, let alone walk, at some […]
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This is a guy in our group making his way up Tunupa Volcano. Tunupa is a dormant volcano that lies above the salt flats in Bolivia. This part’s about 5,000m up. It started to get pretty steep at this point. I was exhausted and hadn’t been well for a few days. I probably shouldn’t have done it but I’m glad […]
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The weather wasn’t great when we were in Norway. But we had a few hours here and there when the sun was shining. This photo was taken between the quaint village of Skjolden and Solvorn. It was the day after we had finished hiking the Besseggen Ridge and I was pretty tired still! Lustrafjord is the innermost arm of the […]
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I’m often asked for recommendations on what to pack on extended trips. My Ultimate Packing List is here, but where do you start? Here is what you need to think about, before you even start thinking about packing, or choosing the best rucksack. I know….if you’re busy saving to go travelling, the last thing you want to hear is that you […]
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Here’s the packing list which got us to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. We were backpacking before and after our Kili hike so weight was a huge issue for is. We were planning on doing more trekking too, so whatever we took with us was going to be with us for a long time…. Unless you are a keen walker/camper, (or […]
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Walking up Kilimanjaro is not cheap. It costs thousands of dollars. Want to spend all that money and time training only to walk down the mountain with your tail between your legs? That would be embarrassing, and depressing! Yet it happens to thousands of people every year. So how do you get to the top of Kilimanjaro? Maximise your chances […]
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Getting to Torres del Paine can be a bit of a mission, but it’s well worth it. If you don’t have your own vehicle then you’ll need to get a bus from Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales is a 3 hour bus ride from Punta Arenas or a 6 hour bus ride from El Calafate. You can fly to either from […]
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The Grey II is a tourist boat that leaves Hosteria Lago Grey and makes it way up Lago Grey to collect people near Refugio Grey. The boat then makes it way up to Glacier Grey so that tourists can get a closer look at the glacier while drinking a pisco sour made with ice from the glacier. It then returns […]
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Seeing mountain gorillas in Rwanda in the wild is one of the most memorable experiences you can have. Here’s how you can do it: Where do you need to go? You can see gorillas in their natural environment in Rwanda and Uganda. Parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo are a possibility, but the political situation is volatile at the moment. Best time to […]
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1. The Boring but Essential Bit – DO NOT SKIP This is tedious but you’ll gain a lot from spending a couple of minutes looking at the W Trek map (above). It is a bit out of date but is useful to look at while you are reading this post. It also has useful approximate walking distances. The red line is […]
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There are several accommodation options on the W Trek. Refugios Refugios are basically expensive up market hostels at Glaciar Grey, Paine Grande, Los Cuernos, El Chileno, and near Hosteria Las Torres (where there are two, Refugio Torre Central and a smaller one called Refugio Torre Norte). In refugios you stay in dorm rooms with between 6-9 beds in each room with shared bathroom […]
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First of all, make sure you’re aware of the highlights. It’s a tough walk but nothing that a reasonably fit person can’t handle especially if you’re not camping and carrying 15kgs of gear on your back. Dealing with the wind People talk a lot about the wind in Patagonia. I didn’t really know what to expect but I’ve never experienced […]
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The W trek is a multi-day trek through Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia (see below for details on how to get there). It’s called the “W” trek because the walk traces the shape of a “W”. There are other legs that you can add on to do a whole circuit, the “O”. There is also a “tail”, best done as […]
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Wear dirty clothes, don’t shower for a few days, stay on a bus with the same strangers for over twelve hours a day, (a few of which must be able to get on your nerves), and at night sleep in a tent with one of the loudest snorers you’ll ever meet a couple of feet away for you – you’ll get a […]
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We did one 17 day trip with Intrepid Overland Travel to Rwanda and Uganda, and then a trip that took 42 days with Dragoman from Zanzibar to Cape Town. If you’re trying to choose between Dragoman or Intrepid for an overlanding trip, I would recommend Dragoman. (Intrepid sell Dragoman trips – the trip code usually has a D in it […]