agarston
How Much Time Do You Need? How much time can you take off? We could only take two and a half weeks, so spent three days each in St Petersburg, Irkutsk, Mongolia (not enough at all), and a couple of days in Beijing (could have spent longer). Take more time if you have it. Consider stopping off at Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Suzdal, […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
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 It is a bit out of date but is useful to look at while you are reading this post.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 […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
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 […]
agarston
Why go? Burma/Myanmar is a beautiful country with a wealth of things to see and do. It is like no where else in the world and we loved it (despite getting sick for a few days, which pretty much everyone we met did too)! The country’s changing all the time, and developing quickly, so visit sooner rather than later if […]
agarston
So what are the best places in Myanmar? Where should you stay and how long should you stay in each place? The list below indicates how long I’d recommend you need in various places in Burma/Myanmar. How do you book accommodation? It’s becoming easier to book online via Booking.com or using e-mail. However, some places still need you or someone […]