South America Travel Tips

It’s always a pretty raw, fascinating experience to witness places were people have been or are locked up in prison. I guess I’m getting into the promotion of “dark tourism” here, but there really are some amazing prison tours that can be taken in Central and South America - and a lot of travellers really do rave about the experience of visiting such places.  Here’s my pick of the best prison islands to visit, and prison tours available in Latin America. Read the rest of this entry »

Every now and then an airline makes a howler with their booking system and releases ridiculously cheap flights.  Right now, Air Comet has made such a howler. If you want really cheap flights to Colombia, book them right now… Read the rest of this entry »

Much of the latest James Bond film (Quantum of Solace) was shot in Latin America (in Chile, Panama and Mexico - though much of the film was apparently set in Bolivia).   There’s plenty of other great Bond moments from other Latin American countries too… Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone will have their own opinions about the best places for a road trip in Latin America.  Here’s some personal suggestions of mine, and some tips about organizing it all. Plus some suggestions of places you definately don’t want to take a road trip, advice on fiding the best car hire deals, and tips if you’re planning a trip of the whole region… Read the rest of this entry »

About this website. Read the rest of this entry »

This isn’t a packing list - it’s a list of items you probably never considered taking with you on your trip to Latin America (or anywhere else for that matter), but would be well advised to think about bringing.  It’s a list mainly for backpackers, or those that might be travelling off the beaten track.

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Where are the trendiest, coolest, most up-and-coming travel destinations in Latin America for the year 2009?  Every year, Lonely Planet produces a book (which used to be called the Lonely Planet Bluelist - now it’s called the Best in Travel) offering advice on the top cutting edge travel experiences and destinations for the forthcoming year.  So which travel destinations in Latin America appear?  Where to head in 2009? Read the rest of this entry »

Providencia is one of the few remaining beautiful Caribbean islands yet to see mass tourism. Here’s my trip report and travel advice following our visit in February 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

Just back from Colombia’s Caribbean, this is, I hope, the first of various trip reports for 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

While Rio de Janeiro is preparing for it’s world famous carnival and the tourist hordes that come with it, I thought I’d shed some light on alternative carnivals in South America - one’s you’ve probably never even heard of. Read the rest of this entry »