Category: Travel

Travel

Day Trips and Driving in Bogota Colombia

Post author By Ryan
Post date March 6, 2023

We love the freedom to go where ever we want and be on our own time frame. That means we always find ourselves renting a car and planning to drive to where we want to go. We have driven ourselves around many countries and large cities and we figured Bogota would be no different. Turns out there is a lot you need to know to drive in Bogota.

First of all there are license plate restrictions to help limit traffic within the city. On odd days you can drive if the last digit on your plate is 1,2,3,4 or 5. On even days you can drive if the last digit on your plate is 6,7,8,9, or 0. The restriction is in place from 6am to 9pm Monday-Friday. We rented a car from Tuesday-Friday during our trip. We didn’t realize this rule lasted most of the daytime hours. We were actually not supposed to drive the car on Friday so our rental company allowed us to return it Saturday morning instead with no additional charge.

The second thing we didn’t quite realize is just how much traffic there really is and how much time it takes to get out of the city. We quickly changed our plans and combined two of our day trips to allow us to get the most out of our time outside the city.

Our recommendation would be to combine any items close together on your list vs splitting things up and trying to drive in/out of the city each day. Another great idea would be to stay outside the city for a few days to better allow you to take your day trips and drive back into the city on a day your allowed to drive.

It isn’t just the volume of traffic, driving in the city is stressful. There are motorcycles everywhere and people on bicycles (even on the highway there were people on bicycles). The motorcycles take any opening they can and often passed in-between the lanes of traffic on either side of the car. The buses and collectivos also drive quite aggressively to keep their schedule. We did it and we were fine but we wouldn’t recommend driving here if you haven’t driven in Latin America before.

Given the restrictions we only got to three of the four day trips we had planned ahead of time. We were planning to do the a hike to Colombia’s tallest waterfall- La Chorrera. We ended up cutting that out of our trip and spending more time in the city given the challenge it is to get in/out. We did read that you can take a bus from the city to this hike if you do want to check it out.

Now onto the day trips we did actually take:

From where we rented our car it took us about an hour and a half to get to Chicaque park. This park is not far outside the city. It was the city traffic that made the trip take so long. The park is privately owned and there is a restaurant at the parking lot and a refugio along the trails where you can eat or stay the night. We read online that there was a cost to enter but when we arrived the gate was open and there was no entrance fee. We walked the trail down to the refugio, stopped for lunch then continued on to the waterfall before heading back to the car. In total the hike was about 4.6 miles.

What we weren’t super prepared for was that this hike is basically all downhill to get to the refugio so the hike back up is quite challenging. It was cloudy while we were there but the breaks in the clouds allowed us views of the large rock cliffs surrounding the trail. This place is beautiful and well worth a visit.

There are many species of birds in the region that you can see and hear on the trail. We saw a few humming birds up very close to us. Unfortunately we couldn’t get our camera out in time to capture them. You will also find some very friendly dogs along the trails here. We had one follow us all the way from the refugio back to the parking lot. He hiked with us for almost an hour, waiting for us as we fell behind.

The second day we left the city we decided to combine a visit to the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá with a trip to Laguna Guatavita and the Guatavita Village. All of these are north east of the city. We left our apartment early to arrive at the cathedral when it opened at 9am. It takes about an hour and a half from where we stayed in the city (again traffic is a big part of this). Tickets cost us 98000 COP each to enter the cathedral. We were given an audio guide so we could listen in English along the way. Most of the guide was focused on explaining the religious importance of various structures in the church. There was some information on the mine and the construction but that wasn’t the main focus of the audio guide.

We aren’t religious people, we visited more for the experience of seeing the old mine and the beauty of the cathedral they have turned it into. We ended up only listening to some of the guide along the way but we still really enjoyed our visit. In total it took us about an hour to go through, explore and take pictures. There are restaurants and other attractions on site around the cathedral, most were not open yet as we were there earlier in the morning. It does get crowded during the day so we would recommend first thing in the morning if you want to avoid crowds.

From there we headed to the Laguna Guatavita. We had read mixed reviews online and not a lot of very recent reviews. We were hoping to be able to walk the trails on our own but we were told we needed to pay 20,500 COP a person and we had to stay with the local guide. We were also told the tour ended on the other side of the mountain and then we would need to take transportation to get back to our car. The tour is about two hours long.There was a tour leaving immediately when we arrived at noon and then again in twenty minutes. We made the tour starting immediately. The tour was in Spanish only. We do understand more than we can speak but we did not pick up on most of what was discussed.

The tour starts with a stop at a ceremonial house made in the style of the indigenous Muisca people. We all sat in the house and were given a very lengthy bit of education. It would have been better if we spoke Spanish and could understand. We were there about 20-25 minutes. Then we walked a very short distance and made another stop to talk more. We had a total of two stops along the path before even starting to climb the steps up towards the laguna. We were pretty antsy and frustrated that we had barely gone anywhere at this point.

We didn’t get to the top of the trail to see the lake until nearly the end of the two hour tour. There was much more talking once we got to the lake but at least then we could take in the views while our guide was talking and we weren’t understanding. The tour ended at the first viewing platform for the lake. From there, we were free to walk to the other viewing platforms, take pictures and take our time enjoying the view. The trail leads you down to an area where there is a small food/drink stall with snacks and several buses. We found the driver taking people back to the parking lot and after waiting for about 10 minutes for anyone else needing a ride we left. We didn’t see most of our tour group so we actually are not sure if we had to take the bus back or if we would have been allowed to just turn around on the trail and walk back to our car. Either way the bus took us back no trouble and only charged us 5000 COP total for both of us.

The lake is beautiful but we would have found the experience much more enjoyable if we were able to walk around on our own or if the tour was also offered in English. The signs along the trail that we stopped at were in English so that did give us some context. We feel the lake is worth a visit if your combining it with another stop outside the city but we wouldn’t recommend leaving the city to only see this, it just isn’t worth the hassle driving in/out of the city.

If you want to explore a crater lake like this and be able to hike around and be on your own check out our post on Quilotoa in Ecuador.

From there we drove down to the village of Guatavita which is about 30 minutes south of the laguna. We found parking for free in the center and walked around the main square admiring the architecture.

We had a really good late lunch at Restaurante posada del tomine before heading back into Bogota.

Our drive back into the city from Guatavita took us through the countryside before crossing back over the mountains into the city closer to where we were staying. This was a much more enjoyable drive than going through the city. We really enjoyed the scenery here. We also pasted several cute little towns/areas as we got closer to the city. If we had more time we would have loved to explore this area some more.

The rest of this trip we spent in the city of Bogota. You can find more information on that in this post- A week of life in Bogota.

There are many other day trips and areas to explore near Bogota. What did we miss, where have you traveled in Colombia. Leave us a comment below.

Tags bogota, bogota day trips, bogota travel, chicaque park, colombia hiking, driving in bogota, guatavita village, lake guatavita, salt church

Travel Uncategorized

A week of life in Bogota

Post author By Ryan
Post date March 6, 2023

We aren’t usually big city people but after lots of searching for cheap flights we decided on a week long trip to Bogota. Typically we tend to drive around, staying at different spots along the way. This trip we decided to rent an apt in the city and stay the entire trip. We got a discounted price for staying 7 nights and we loved the apartment and its location.

We stayed north of the old town, La Candelaria district where most of the main tourist attractions are located. We were still within walking distance and we had several good restaurants nearby.

We love starting any trip with a free walking tour if the city we are in offers them. We have never been disappointed and this time was no different. Our flight landed at 5am and we took the 10am walking tour with Beyond Colombia that day to get a lay of the land. This tour happens every day at 10am and 2pm. It leaves from the gold museum (museo del oro).

The tour will take you through the historic district of La Candelaria and will make a stop at la Mercada de la Concordia. At the market you can grab a quick snack and as part of the walking tour you will get to try chicha. Chicha is a traditional drink made by the indigenous people of this region, it’s made from fermenting corn.

Near the market you’ll find a small street full of chicha bars where you can try more chicha variations if you’d like. This drink is not mass produced so each bar ferments their own. We stopped in at el refugió del gato later in our trip to share a bottle of chicha. It certainly isn’t our favorite drink but worth a try. You have to have it while you are in Colombia!

You won’t have time for a full meal at la Mercada de la Concordia on the walking tour but we would strongly recommend returning here for lunch. The place is full of locals and the food is amazing! There are several food stalls/restaurants in the market to chose from and you can’t go wrong here.

The walking tour will also take you through the main plaza- Plaza de Bolivar. The plaza is huge and full of locals and tourists. We enjoyed walking through here several times on our trip. Earlier in the day it is less crowded and better for getting your photos.

You will also walk through- Chorro de Quevedo Plaza which is smaller than the main plaza. It is right in the heart of La Candelaria and is said to be where the city was founded. You’ll find lots of students and young people here, hanging out enjoying chicha or other drinks from the small restaurants along the edge of the plaza.

Along the way our guide pointed out several great places to eat or drink. We got a lot of history of the city and country as well as education on the current political situation from our guide.

After our walking tour we stopped for lunch and then went to the Museo de Botero. Botero is an artist from Colombia who depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume. He donated a large portion of his art collection to the city which is now housed in the museum. He wanted to ensure that everyone had access to view his collection so the museum is free to enter. You’ll find pieces from many other famous artists here as well.

Our apartment was north of La Candelaria, near the Santa Fe district. We walked down the main street- Carrera Siete to get from our apartment to La Candelaria. In Bogota all the streets are either carreras (running north and south) or calles (running east and west). A portion of Carrera Siete is always for pedestrians only. Street venders of all kinds line the street selling anything and everything you can imagine. This is especially true on Sundays. We happened to arrive on a Sunday so we got some great insight into life in the city just walking down the street.

While you walk down this street you will see many, many stands with people selling grilled arepas. They will warm them on the grill for you, in butter and they are AMAZING! You cannot miss the arepas! Many stands will have several sauces you can top your arepa with. In the morning we grabbed arepas for breakfast and added a blackberry sauce on top, so good!

Also of note on Sundays many of the city streets close down to allow bikes to use the road. This makes walking around the city nicer because there are less cars but the number of people on bikes is crazy! Make sure you pay attention and keep out of their way while your walking around!

Our second day in the city we took advantage of a couple more free tours to really learn all we could about the city. We started the morning on a Graffiti tour. We went through Bogota Graffiti Tour because we read they were the best experience for this type of tour. Beyond Colombia does also offer a Graffiti tour which is likely also very good. The Bogota graffiti tour starts at 10am or 2pm daily at the Liberator monument in the Gabriel García Márquez Park for Journalists. The tour will explain how graffiti started in the city, how it became decriminalized and evolved into the beautiful street art that covers much of the city today.

After the graffiti tour we spent the late afternoon back with Beyond Colombia on their free food tour. The tour happens on the weekdays at 2pm, again starting at the gold museum. The tour stops at several street venders and small restaurants providing education about the food and making recommendations as to what to try. If you try everything they recommend you will spend in total about $10 USD. Items we tried on the tour include- arepa de huevo (fried arepa from the Caribbean region of the country), buñuelos ( cheese and corn dough fried with sweet jam inside), grilled arepa de queso, obleas (waffle sandwich with cream, blackberry and other sweet fillings), aguardiente liquor, chocolate completo ( hot chocolate served with cheese which the locals break into pieces, dip in the chocolate to get it melty then eat), and high end coffee at Arte y Pasión Café.

The group size was very large which meant that we took over pretty much everywhere we stopped. It worked okay but we felt it would have been a better experience in a smaller group. We are very independent travelers and aren’t afraid to struggle through trying to order from street venders even though we aren’t fluent in the language and may not know exactly what we are ordering. For us, we felt like most of what we tried we could have gotten on our own.

We enjoyed the food tour and met some great people but we weren’t feeling like the tour was a must do. The last stop, however, the Arte y Pasión Café changed our mind! This place was amazing and we got to learn about different techniques used to make a quality cup of coffee. This experience would have been challenging without the tour as most people in the city don’t speak English. If we didn’t have our guide we would have missed most of what we learned. We enjoyed the coffee here so much we went back a few more times during our time in the city. They have two locations in La Candelaria. One near the gold museum and another near the main plaza.

While we are on the topic of food here are a few other places we really enjoyed in the La Candelaria district and closer to our apartment near the Santa Fe district:

Outside of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Center there is a teal ice cream stand- Selva Nevada. They have a variety of flavors including many fruits from the Amazon region of the country. You can sample two flavors for free before deciding. The people working gave us their recommendations as well. We really enjoyed all the flavors we tried!

Near the Plaza de Bolivar you will find one of the oldest restaurants in the city, La Puerta Falsa. Every blog we read said this place was a must and it certainly is! This is not a tourist only place, it is full of locals and the prices are amazing! It is very, very small and will be packed everyday.

We strongly recommend going earlier in the morning, before 10am to get a seat without waiting in line. This is a great place to try chocolate completo. It comes with cheese as well as buttered bread. It is a snack in itself so come hungry! You also must order a Tamale here. The tamales are wrapped in leaves and filled with chicken and chickpeas. The tamale here was hands down the best thing we ate in Bogota! They are also huge, very filling and very cheap!

Near all the chicha bars, across from la Mercada de la Concordia there is a small shop/bakery selling baked goods and snacks as well as drinks- Panaderia Donde el flaco. You’ll see several tables in the front but if you walk through the narrow hallway to the back of the place it opens up into a nice sitting area with several tables, chairs and couches. We were told about this place by our first Beyond Colombia guide. We ordered a beer and after a few minutes sitting at a table up front we were escorted to the back area. The beer here is $1 USD a bottle. Our guide said “it doesn’t get more local than this place”.

Near our apartment, we found Calle Bonita which is a beautiful street full of colorful buildings and restaurants. We walked by several times at off times of day before figuring out that these restaurants are open for lunch but they close around 4-5pm. Lunch seems to be the main meal in the city. Restaurants are busy and people seem to eat their large meal then. At typical dinner time for us from the U.S, a lot of restaurants near our apartment were closed. Do go to Calle Bonita and sit inside or outside to enjoy a great lunch!

Plaza de comidas La Perseverancia is a small market near where we stayed. This place was packed at lunch time, we never actually ate here but it seemed to be a popular place with the locals.

Lima Cantón- This place was right around the corner from our apartment. The ceviche here was some of the best we have ever had!

Restaurante Aria- Also very close to our apartment. We were craving pizza and beer and were very happy with our meal here. The restaurant is small but has several stories and large windows so you can sit higher up and have a view of the street and surrounding area while you eat.

Must do within the city:

You cannot miss the Museo del Oro (gold museum)! The museum is closed on Mondays and free on Sundays. Tickets cost 5000 COP a person. There is an audio guide you can purchase as well but all exhibits are in English so we didn’t find it necessary. The museum is three stories and has a very impressive collection of gold artifacts dating back to prior to Spanish Colonization of the region.

Monserrate is a mountain on the edge of the city, standing at 10,341 ft tall. Go on a clear day and you will get great views of the city down below. There is a white church at the top as well as several food and drink stands. To get to the top you can take the funicular, cable car or hike. We opted for taking the funicular. We arrived in the morning and had only a short line. This is a popular attraction so it does get busy later in the day.

Every blog post we ready showed beautiful pictures of Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen. This is a large red and white stripy church near La Candelaria. It is supposed to be open in the mornings until 11:30am. When we walked by the front door was open and we watched two girls go in. We took a photo of the outside then crossed the street to go inside. As we did the guard shook his head at us and closed the door. We aren’t sure why we weren’t allowed inside but we had to admire it from the outside only.

The Chapinero district is worth spending some time in. We took a cab in the morning and started off at Libertario coffee roasters. The coffee and the food here were amazing! Chapinero is full of coffee shops and restaurants. There are also several streets lined with cute houses. You’ll find very different architecture than in other areas of the city. After wandering around for the morning we stopped in at Vida café y jardín for some fresh juice before continuing on. This cafe has a great little garden area where you can escape the busy, noisy city streets.

The main plaza in Chapinero surrounds Iglesia Nuestra Senora de Lourdes church. You’ll find street vendors and locals just hanging out in the square.

Two important apps you will likely want while visiting Bogota include Cabify and Rappi.

Uber is illegal in Colombia although the app does work and lots of people use it without any issue. If you do use Uber, the driver will likely ask you to sit up front so that it appears as if they are driving a friend. We read from several different sources that using Cabify is the best way to ensure you will be safe when getting a cab. On the Cabify app you can chose a cab or a private car (we are pretty sure the private cars are just Ubers on a different app). We used both private cars and cabs from the Cabify app and found the cab drivers to be better drivers. You can pay on the app just as you do with Uber so you know how much your ride will cost before you get in the car. We never had any issues with Cabify and felt safe with every driver we had.

Rappi is the equivalent of uber eats. You can order take out and have it delivered right to you. You will see Rappi delivery bikes all over the city. We used this app to order dinner a few nights after getting back to our apartment after day trips outside the city. The cost is much lower than using uber eats in the U.S.

During our trip we did a few day trips outside the city. We rented a car to drive ourselves. For more on those trips and driving in and around Bogota check our our post- Day Trips and Driving in Bogota Colombia.

We enjoyed the city and felt safe walking around and exploring on our own everywhere we went. Colombia is a beautiful country that we would love to come back to. What do you love about Colombia, let us know in the comments below.

Travel

A Weekend in Sevilla

Post author By Ryan
Post date November 9, 2022

We spent a weekend in Sevilla at the end of our Portugal Roadtrip. From the Algarve it is only about 2 hour drive to Sevilla. The city is full of beautiful architecture, culture and great food and wine.

We got our bearings taking the White Umbrella free walking tour. We have always enjoyed free walking tours and this was was no different. Our guide was super friendly and we learned alot about the city.

The tour starts at Plaza de España. The plaza was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is very impressive. We highly recommend walking up to the balcony and taking in the view from higher up during your visit. It is completely free to walk up.

Another very impressive site is the Cathedral de Sevilla. This is by far the largest cathedral we have seen and it is a UNESCO world heritage site. You can buy tickets and visit the inside. We opted to skip the inside as we only had limited time in the city.

The Real Alcázar is the palace where the King stays when he visits the city. You can also buy tickets to visit the inside but again we skipped that due to our limited time. Our tour guide said between the Real Alcázar and the Cathedral de Sevilla he recommends visiting the Real Alcázar.

The walking tour will also take you by the:
Torre del Oro- The gold tower is 36-meters high. It was built by the Almohads in the 12th century and was part of the Moorish city wall, which ran between the Real Alcázar and the rest of Sevilla. The purpose of the tower was to control shipping on the Guadalquivir River which runs through the city.

Plaza de la real maestranza de caballería de Sevilla– the bull-fighting ring. We didn’t have a great vantage point for photos. During the season you can see a bull fight here but unfortunately we were there on the off season. There are often concerts and other events he as well if you are interested.

Hotel Alfonso– This may be one of the prettiest buildings in the city. It will cost you quite alot to stay here but you can go inside and order a coffee or drink at the bar. Then you can enjoy the inside at much less cost.

The Royal Tobacco Factory- this is free to visit inside and is now owned by the University.

There are several other stops within the city on this tour. We have only included the highlights here. We also would recommend taking a walk along the river. There are large running and bike paths and many small restaurants lining the waterfront.

Now for the food! We mostly hoped around enjoying tapas but we did do one actual sit down meal. We ate at Restaurante A Banda for paella. We really enjoyed the paella and all the staff were super nice and very patient, letting us practice our Spanish speaking as best we could.

Tapas Tour:

Tapas traditionally were a small snack that you got for free when your ordered a drink. Today, in Sevilla anyway, they are no longer free. Most restaurants will have a tapa, half ration and full ration of their items listed on the menu. Most places have tables inside and outside and were very crowded. Our first night we lucked out and found space in several tapas places. Our second night it was more crowded and we struggled a bit to find tables or open spots at the bar. We would suggest that you get a table and order a few tapas at 1-2 places, take your time to enjoy and take in the city. Our group really enjoyed Los Coloniales. There are plenty of other great places in this area to eat. Walk around until you find the places full of locals or the places that smell amazing and then go there!

We may be a little partial after spending so much time in Northern Spain but… in our opinion we felt the food in San Sebastian and Bilbao was better. We need to spend more time in Southern Spain to really judge but for now that is where we stand.

Another great cultural activity in the city to see a Flamenco show. We did see some dancers around the city during our walking tour but we didn’t go to a full show. Next time we are in this region we really would love to see more Flamenco.

Although our time here was short we did really enjoy the city! For us it was mostly about the food, the wine and the friends we were with!

What are your favorite parts of Southern Spain? What did we miss? Leave us a comment below.

Tags cethedral de sevilla, free walking tour, plaza alfaro, plaza de espana, plaza de la real maestranza de caballeria de sevilla, real alcazar, sevilla, sevilla tapas, seville, southern spain, torre del oro, white umbrella tours

Travel

Southern Portugal Road Trip

Post author By Ryan
Post date November 8, 2022

We love exploring the coast and Portugal is a perfect place to drive, stop and wander along the way. We started our road trip in Lisbon and drove south to the Algarve. There are plenty of great little towns to stop at along the way. No need to rush to the Algarve, take your time exploring.

Sintra:

Our first stop was just a short drive outside of Lisbon. Sintra is about 40 minutes outside the city. Many people do this as a day trip from Lisbon but we chose to visit on our way out to the coast. From our research online we knew that you can buy tickets ahead of time for your visit to the castles. We also knew that for the Pena Palace specifically the tickets are time slotted.

It seemed from our reading that we would be able to walk/hike around and get views of the castles from the trails in the area. We had saved a trail on Alltrails intending to do just that. With further research the night before we planned to drive to Sintra, we realized you can’t park anywhere near the castles. You can park for free at one of the lots in town and then you need to take a bus up the hill to see the castles.

The bus cost was 11 euro a person and that got you endless hop on/hop off rides for 24 hours. After taking the crowded bus up to the top of the hill we got off at the Pena Palace stop. The line to buy tickets and to enter the palace was insanely long. We also saw no why to get any sort of close view of the palace or surrounding grounds without a ticket. We walked a short way back down the hill to visit the Moorish castle instead. This castle had a very short line. Tickets were 8 euro a person.

We did enjoy climbing the walls of the Moorish castle and we did get pretty good views of Pena Palace from the castle. While we were glad we visited, this was probably our least favorite part of the trip. We enjoy less crowded areas and getting off the beaten path. If you have a very strong desire to see the castles this place is beautiful and likely worth a stop for you. If you are like us and like avoiding the crowds, skip Sintra and move on. You will have plenty of other opportunities to see castles in Portugal.

After exploring the Moorish castle we headed back down the hill and into town. We stopped for lunch at Kebabish. This place had really good doner kebab for a great price! While we don’t highly recommend Sintra, we do highly recommend lunch here if you do decide to visit!

Peniche:

This is a sleeply, little beach town. It does get a bit of surf tourism when the waves get big. There was not much going on while we were in town. Peniche is out on a small peninsula meaning lots of great coastline to explore here. We stayed near the water at Guest House Beach Break. We would highly recommend this place! Our host was so great, he gave us several great recommendations.

We got into town in the late afternoon. After settling in we began walking along the water. The views along the sea cliffs here as stunning! After taking our time exploring we grabbed an uber to arrive at our dinner location before sundown. Our host recommended dinner at Marisqueria dos Corticais. This restaurant is build down into the rock, right on the water. The full glass panels along the wall allow for great ocean views as you eat. We arrived at 7pm which was right when they opened for dinner. This was just before sundown so unfortunately we only got to enjoy the view for a few minutes. The views would be better enjoyed while they are open for lunch.

We were a group of four so we decided on their seafood platter. The amount of food easily fed the four of us! This is a great way to try a large variety of seafood if you are in a group and can share. Our waiter also recommended a really nice wine that was a great price! We had the entire restaurant to ourselves that evening. Our waiter also gave us several other wine recommendations before we left so we could find good bottles at the local grocery store.

After dinner there were no ubers available so we ended up walking back to our booking, across the peninsula. Surprisingly, there was a very large grocery store in town. We were able to grab snacks, wine and toiletries on our walk back.

The next morning we hiked out to the end of the small peninsula near our booking- Pedra Alta e Forte da Luz. This is an easy hike and the views are worth it!

From there we drove the short distance to Baleal. You can park for free at Parking da Praia do Baleal. From there you can walk along the sidewalk that runs along the center of two beaches. The beaches are full of people surfing and just enjoying the beach. We stopped at a small beach-side cafe for coffee and a snack. Our last stop in this area was to walk out to the Baleal view. Again a very short, easy walk and the views at the end were beautiful!

Obidos:

We stopped in this small, medieval town on the recommendation of our Peniche host. We were happily surprised to see a beautiful, walled city. This place is so pretty! After entering under a large arch which is part of the old, castle wall you will find small, windy, cobblestone streets. You can climb along the wall in parts of the town. After wandering the streets we stopped for lunch at Madok before heading out of town. Madok had great tapas for lunch and a warlock/wizard type vibe which our group enjoyed.

Porto Covo:

Once again, this is a sleepy, little beach town without much going on. We arrived late afternoon and really enjoyed our evening. We walked to the water and found a really nice trail that followed the cliffs with stairs down to most of the small beaches and coves.

We decided to stop into the local grocery store, grab some food to make dinner at our booking for the night. We grabbed a few beers and took in the sunset from the large deck area on the water before heading home for the night.

The next morning we wandered some more before heading off further south. There was a really nice bakery in town and a small coffee shop. That was all we needed while in town on this trip.

During peak, summer months this place is likely more lively. We saw several hostels and condos on the water that looked closed up for the season. There are also several restaurants and shops.

Sagres:

After our morning walk we set out to the furthest point south, Sagres. We stopped for lunch at the Laundry cafe. This place had nice salads and smoothies as well as coffee or alcoholic drinks. There is literally laundry in the back of the restaurant. The place is full of young travelers and surfers hanging out, working remotely and of course, doing laundry!

After lunch we walked along the main beach in town- Praia da Mareta before driving to the Sagres point. You will feel you are at the end of the world, looking out over the large, white sea cliffs there.

From the point we headed to the Surf beach- Praia do Tonel. We spend the rest of the afternoon enjoying a beer on the beach and watching the surfers.

Lagos:

Our final stop was the Algarve. We chose to stay in Lagos, and we spent two nights here. Our first night we wandered around the marina and around town before heading to Mar restaurant for dinner with a view. The food was good, overpriced from what we had seen so far on our trip but worth it for the beach views from the top of the cliff.

We ate at Studio Coffee Roasters for breakfast while we were in town and really enjoyed that. Our final night in town we had dinner at
Nah nah bah burgers. The burgers were great and just what we were craving after many miles walking around town and the coastal cliffs.

We had pretty foggy weather but we still loved exploring along the Farol da Ponta da Piedade hike. If the weather hade been better we were hoping to kayak along this route but with the fog and wind we opted for exploring by land.

You can walk down to several of the small beaches along the hike. Once on the beaches you will find small paths that are only open at low tide and allow you to walk to several other beaches.

Back in town, we walked Praia dos estudantes to take in views of the roman style bridge right in the rocky coastline. We would highly recommend taking your time and just wandering these beautiful beaches.

From Lagos we set off further into the Algarve to do the Seven Hanging Valleys hike- Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos. We only ended up doing part of this hike before our group was hungry for lunch. We would love to go back and do the entire thing! Again these cliffs and rocks along the coast are so pretty and worth taking time to explore!

Evora:

From The Algarve we headed to Sevilla, Spain for a few days before heading back to Lisbon. One of our previous hosts had recommended we visit Evora on our way to the Algarve. We didn’t have time to stop on our down the coast but we did do a quick stop on our way back into Lisbon.

This small, medieval town again is surrounded by old, castle walls. There are some old, Roman ruins in the center of town and a very nice central square. After walking around we stopped for lunch in the square. The food here was not great but the town was worth stop so all in all we called it a success!

We really enjoyed our road trip through this part of Portugal! It was a very easy country to travel through. We found enough English spoken to get us by and everyone was very friendly and happy to help us along the way!

What do you love about Portugal? What did we miss, where should we go next time we are in Portugal, let us know in the comments below!

Tags algarve, algarve portugal, evora, lagos, morrish castle, obidos, peniche, porto covo, portugal beaches, portugal roadtrip, portugal southern coast, sagres, sintra, southern portugal, walled cities

Travel

Why we love Lisbon

Post author By Ryan
Post date November 2, 2022

Lisbon is an absolutely beautiful city! We really enjoyed our time in the city and would love to visit again! There is so much great food and drinks to be had, culture to dive into and so much more.

Our trip started and ended in the city. We spent the first two nights in the Graça neighborhood. This area was very nice, close to many restaurants and a short walk to most of what we wanted to see. At the end of our trip we stayed just outside of Barrio Alto. The Barrio Alto neighborhood its self is a nice area full of restaurants and shops. Where we stayed was a bit on the outskirts. The area we stated worked well for us on our last night in the city but ideally we would recommend staying in Graça, Barrio Alto or Alfama.

City Lookouts:

There are many lookouts around the city that offer great views and can be a great way to orient yourself to what is around you. We visited a few and would highly recommend all of them.

Miradouro da Graça- The Graça neighborhood is one of the highest in the city so this view really gives a great overview of the entire city.

Miradouro Sao Pedro de Alcantara- We happened upon some really amazing street performers here. There is a kiosk here where you can get snacks and drinks. We grabbed a glass of wine and sat on a bench to enjoy the music and the city view.

Miraduoro de Santa Canatrina- This one is closer to the water. There is also a kiosk here to grab snacks and drinks.

Food and Drink:

10 dish tasting dinner at A Taberna do Mar– We stumbled upon this place on our first night in the city. It is a very small restaurant in the Graça neighborhood. We lucked out and got in without a reservation but it is likely a good idea to reserve your table as this place is likely to gain in popularity.

The chef was wonderful and the food was some of the best we have ever had! Our waitress and the chef were also able to speak to us in English to explain each dish. They also helped recommend wine to pair with tasting. They do only take cash or local credit cards as of the writing so come prepared for that.

Maria Catita- Our second night in the city we had reservations here for dinner. We were with friends so we shared a fish cataplana and a shellfish cataplana. This dish is a rich, Portuguese stew and a must try!

Time Out Market– Another must while in Lisbon. This place is crowded but the food was excellent! Everything we saw looked very good. The market has multiple small restaurants/food stalls so you can chose where you want to order from. The center is full of tables so you can grab seats and eat wherever you can find a spot. Be sure to grab some pastéis de nata while in the market. The best ones we ate on our trip were the ones we ate here.

Pastéis de Nata- These little custard pastries are an iconic Portuguese treat! Pastel de nata originated in the Belem area of the city. If you don’t mind waiting in line, you should try the original recipe in Belem- https://pasteisdebelem.pt/en/. We passed on this as the line was extremely long when we went by.

Ginjinha- Another iconic Lisbon treat is ginjinha which is a cherry liquor. It is basically brandy with different spices and sour cherries. We visited two of the oldest establishments in the city- Ginjinha Sem Rival and A Ginjinha Espinheira. We enjoyed both and they are right around the corner from each other so it is easy to visit both. These are small, hole in the wall places. You walk in, tell the man behind the small bar how many you want and then enjoy your shot out on the street.

PanorámicaTejo- This seems to be a newer set up. If you walk from Barrio Alto, down the hill all the way to the water, you will see several beer and drink tents set up along the waterfront. This place was full of locals sitting around enjoying a drink by the water. It was a really nice place to see the sunset and just relax. We enjoyed watching the ferries and all the sailboats pass by.

Ninja buns- This place was right across the street from the last place we stayed in the city. Although not the best area to stay and explore the city this place was really good! We grabbed lunch here and killed some of our final time in the city before heading to the airport. The bao buns were very good. If you find yourself in this part of the city we would recommend stopping in for lunch.

Lebanese Corner- Again this place was very close to the last place we stayed, also would be a short walk from Barrio Alto. We grabbed take out here after walking around the city our final evening. The shawarmas were very good and a nice change after eating so much seafood throughout the trip!

Walk the City and Explore:

While you wander you will notice the sidewalks are cobblestone and many of them feature detailed designs, adding to the city’s beauty. You will also notice the tiles that line many of the buildings. The colors and patterns are a site to see. You won’t have to wander far to see these important parts of Portugal’s culture. We do have some specific recommendations for things to see in the city, listed below. There are many more things not included here. We only had a couple days in Lisbon so we couldn’t get to everything!

Igreja de São Domingos– This church experienced a fire in 1959. It has been reopened but the much of the walls are still black and you can see the affect the fire had on the original building and decor. We didn’t spend much time inside but it is free to enter and worth a quick stop. Apparently neither of us took any photos while inside, so you will just have to visit yourself to see it.

Lisbon Cathedral– This is the oldest church in the city. It is beautiful to walk by and is located in the center of the city. You won’t miss it if you’re wandering around, exploring.

Castelo Sao Jorge– You can’t miss this large castle while looking out on the city. We wandered up the hill towards the entrance and found quite a long line of people. We decided to skip the line and view the castle from the outside only. We did see several peacocks roaming the grounds which was unexpected.

If you do really want to go inside the castle, tickets can be purchased ahead of time to help save time and avoid some of the line. Use the website linked above.

Praca (Plaza) Dom Pedro IV– This is also referred to as Rossio Square and is the main square within the city. It is a beautiful to see and a nice place to sit and relax for a bit. The area around the square is paved with cobblestones in a traditional wave pattern. There is a large marble monument in the center and surrounded by beautiful buildings.

Alfama– This is one of the oldest parts of the city. It features narrow, cobblestone streets that wind the hills. Traditional houses and small cafes and shops line the streets. We walked through on a Sunday morning so alot of the shops and cafes were closed. You will see the streets narrow and the whole look of the area change. That is when you know you are in the right place. It isn’t a place where you need a plan, just wander and take in the people and the neighborhood.

Belem– The Belem area is a bit outside of the city. You can get there on public transportation however ubers are cheap in the city so we took an uber right from our booking. We took the free walking tour of the area. We always recommend free walking tours, we have taken them in many different cities and have never been disappointed. Belem has alot of history and we never would have learned without the tour.

The entire area holds significance in the age of discovery when Portugal was exploring and building colonies all over the world. On the tour you will see the Jerominos Monastery, where the pastel de Belem originated. You will also see the Belem Tour and The Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries).

The ground as you approach the monument to the Discoveries is a marble map which was a gift from South Africa in remembrance of Portugal’s rounding of the Cape of Good Hope, which led to a new sea route to the East. The map shows the routes and dates of the Portuguese voyages, which essentially covered the entire globe. The entire area is quite small and you can also easily see everything on your own in an afternoon if you prefer not to take the tour.

We aren’t usually big city people but we really enjoyed our time in Lisbon and would love to go back! What is your favorite thing about Lisbon, what did we miss. Leave us a comment below.

More from our Trip to Portugal- Southern Portugal Roadtrip

Tags a taberna do mar, afama, barrio alto, belem, castelo sao jorge, ginjinha, graca, jerominos monastery, lisboa, lisbon, lisbon portugal, lisbon travel, Miradouro da graca, miradouro de santa canatrina, miradouro sao pedro de alcantara, panoramica tejo, pasteis de nata, praca dom pedro IV, time out market

Overlanding Travel

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Post author By Ryan
Post date September 6, 2022

This trip took our little DIY teardrop international! We headed off to Bruce Peninsula National Park in Ontario Canada. Typically we like to find our own free camping, outside of campgrounds. The Bruce Peninsula is mostly National Park or private land so that wasn’t going to work this time.

We decided to stay at Cyprus Lake Campground in the National Park it’s self. There are a few other campgrounds in the area around Tobermory however camping at Cyprus lake gets you access to the Grotto and other hiking trails. If you are not staying here you will have to reserve your spot to park and hike to the Grotto. You will have a specific time slot that you’re allowed to park.

What we didn’t know ahead of time was that you will need to pay for parking and/or reserve your parking spot ahead of time in order to access all of the popular spots/hikes in the area. This is true May through October in the popular months for tourism in the area. The Bruce Peninsula and Tobermory are small areas, not set up for the boom of popularity/visitors they receive. Parking is often limited so that is why you will need to reserve. It is a relatively new issue for the area. This article gives more context. Even staying at Cyprus Lake only gives you access to that part of the park. If you want to explore around the visitors center for the park you will need to pay for parking and we believe an additional occupancy fee.

It is very understandable that they are adding fees and limiting access. Over-tourism is clearly a big issue for this area. We know we are part of the problem as we try to travel as cheap as possible and we are now promoting this area as a destination. When you visit, do so responsibly , respect the locals and their land.

We always try to travel for cheap and were pretty shocked that hikes were going to cost us additional fees. We had plans to visit most of the big name sites you’ll read about ahead of time (Lion’s Head Lookout, Devil’s Monument, Big Tub lighthouse are a few examples) but once we realized the extra costs we quickly changed our plans. Parking at Lion’s Head was going to cost $20-30 for a 4 hour time slot and that had to be reserved ahead of time. Most parking is not quite that expensive. Most places have a $3 per hour pricing. We honestly can say, we found travel to Hawaii via camper van was cheaper than travel to the Bruce Peninsula via our trailer.

All this being said, we loved the Bruce Peninsula! It is so beautiful and well worth a visit. We will share with you how to experience it without spending lots of extra money on fees!

Staying at Cyprus lake we had access to alot of trails and popular spots. Book your spot ahead of time for the campground, they are reservation only during the popular months (May-October) and will fill up. We found Cyprus lake to be one of the nicest campgrounds we have ever stayed at. We stayed in the Poplars section of the campground. We chose a corner spot for more privacy but honestly all the sites are pretty well sized. There are plenty of trees to offer privacy and there is space between the sites so you won’t be on top of other campers.

From your campsite you can walk towards the trailheads and hike to the Grotto, Natural Arch, Indian Head Cove and Overhanding Point. We set off hiking early in the morning to see these popular spots with less of a crowd. You can easily see these sites in a short morning hike. We were back at our campsite by noon. After a quick lunch and changing into our swim suits we headed back to Indian Head Cove for a swim. This was really the highlight of our trip! The water was cold but we got in and swam to the Natural Arch and the Grotto. Unfortunately we didn’t bring the GoPro so we don’t have any photos or video from under the arch or in the Grotto.

We had brought our inflatable stand up paddle board on this trip. We didn’t end up bringing it to Indian Head Cove because it is still a pretty big backpack to carry and it was a bit of a walk from our campsite. If you are willing to carry your gear this would be a great spot to paddle board. The water is so clear! Definitely bring your mask, snorkel and fins. From inside the Grotto there is a hole that you can swim down and trough, leading to outside the cave.

The following day, instead of paying for Lion’s Head or the other trails we had read about we chose to stay in the area around the campground. We had already paid for our campsite and access to this area and there were more trails to explore! We headed towards Stormhaven and High Dump which are two backcountry camping areas. You can hike in this direction along the Bruce Trail which follows the coast fairly closely in this section and offers many view points/lookouts along the cliffs. We really enjoyed our hike in this section of the park. It is also alot less crowded but the views are just as good as anywhere else we hiked!

After our morning hike along the Bruce Trail our second day we decided to head to Tobermory and wander the harbor and get some food. It will cost you the $3 an hour pricing for parking in the town or on the streets around the town. Getting there mid-afternoon it was very busy! We parked a short walk from town and took our time walking along the harbor, looking at the boats.

We really wanted to find access to see the water and Big Tub Harbor. There is a lot of private property so it isn’t as easy as we hoping. We did finally find that at the end of Highway 6 there is access! You’ll need to walk by the Glass Bottom Flowerpot Island Boat tours office/dock. From there, there is a small path down to the water where you will get views of the Big Tub lighthouse and Big Tub Harbor. The path is actually on the Church’s property but they allow you to access it during the day.

You can also park at the Lighthouse (paying again for this) and walk out to the lighthouse for closer views. We also read this is a nice spot to swim. It was very windy and wavy the second day of our trip so we opted to just take in the views of the lighthouse from the free path.

Tobermory its self is a very small town. There are a few shops and restaurants around the harbor. We ate at a couple places during our trip.

Shipwrek Lee’s- The fried fish here was very good! Other than the fish it wasn’t anything special. They gave us little packets of Kraft tartar sauce to accompany our fish and chips. It isn’t fancy but worth a visit for the fish.

Coconut Joe’s- We enjoyed the fish and chicken tacos here. Why we really chose this place was so we could sit outside right along the water and watch the kayaker’s and boaters come in and out of the harbor. We were also hoping to see the Ferry come in. The Ferry goes from Tobermory to/from South Baymouth. We did watch it come in and out while we had dinner. You can see them unload and load the cars from the restaurant.

The Sweet Shop- The fudge here was so good! We enjoyed an ice cream sunday while we wandered the harbor. Well worth a visit!

Our final stop on our last morning was to the visitors center. You can access more trails from the visitors center as well as a 65 ft tall viewing tower that gives great views of the surrounding islands. The visitors center is a short walk from downtown Tobermory. You are supposed to pay for parking here as well and it appears you are also supposed to pay a park entrance/occupancy fee. There we signs at the start of the trail indicating you needed to have your park access pass. We showed up before 9am to find the actual visitors center building not open yet and the parking meter had a sign on it saying “out of order- enjoy the trails”. We were so excited! Free parking and entrance! We walked up the viewing tower and then hiked the Burnt Point loop trail. The views from the end of Burnt Point are well worth the short hike. It was a perfect way to end our trip!

We can’t wait to come back to this area and explore more. We have been daydreaming of seeing Resande on anchor in these gorgeous bays ever since we arrived to the Bruce Peninsula! We will be back in this area as cruisers soon!

Tell us what we missed? What do we need to see and do when we make it back to this area? Leave us a comment below!

Tags big tub lighthouse, bruce peninsula, bruce peninsula national park, bruce trail hiking, burnt point loop, cyprus lake camping, georgian bay, indian head cove, lake huron, ontario camping, ontario canada, overland ontario, the grotto, tobermory

sailing Travel

South Manitou Island Adventure

Post author By Ryan
Post date August 23, 2022

We visited South Manitou Island on our sailboat this summer and we absolutely loved it! We stayed on anchor in the bay but you can also visit via the Ferry for a day trip or camp overnight. Either way this is a beautiful summer destination!

South Manitou island is part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. You can read the story of how the Sleeping Bear Dunes got their name here. North and South Manitou islands are said to mark the spot where two bear cubs disappeared. The large dune on the Michigan mainland is said to represent the mother bear. There are two versions of the story but both describe a mother bear and her two cubs coming from the Wisconsin shoreline across the lake to Michigan.

South Manitou island is uninhabited and there are not many services on the island. You should be prepared to pack in and pack out everything you need. The Ferry runs from Leland. Round trip tickets will cost $45 per adult and $23 for kids 12 and under. You can find more information and book your Ferry here.

There are three campgrounds on the island and camping is not permitted outside of these campgrounds. All of these campgrounds have vault toilets, no water, no electrical. You will need a backcountry permit to camp on the island. You can find more information here.

The main attraction on the island is the scenery! From the lighthouse you can hike the main trail to a few specific things worth seeing.

ShipWreck:

First there is the shipwreck. The wreck of the Francisco Morazan is visible above the water. The ship ran aground in November of 1960 on voyage from Chicago to the Netherlands. The crew was saved, the owner of the ship was never heard from and so the ship sits just off the island to this day. There is a great lookout point from the trail where you will get nice views of the wreck. If you are visiting by boat you can get even closer but visiting the wreck from the water. We took our dinghy over to the wreck and drove all around it which was very cool! It has been taken over by a large colony of birds and it does not smell good when you do visit up close!

Old Growth Cedars:

The next stop if you hike further down the trail is to see the old growth cedars. This group of cedar trees are some of the oldest and largest white cedars in the world. Many of them are 300-500 years old! This was a really pretty portion of the hike! It was quite buggy while we were there so we didn’t stop moving for long! Be prepared and bring some bug spray or wear long sleeves/long pants.

Sand Dunes:

If you hike further you will get to the dune hike. This will lead you up to the top of the sand dunes where you will get amazing 365* views of the entire island. It seemed like the trail just kept going all throughout these dunes. We would have loved to keep hiking around this area if we had more time on the island. We stopped here and turned around as we had already hiked several miles more than we thought we were going to for the day and wanted to get back to the boat for lunch.

Ghost Towns:

You can also hike to the old Village originally settled in the mid 1830s. The village included a house, blacksmith shop, grocery store, barn and a railroad for the steamers to haul wood from the dock inland. We didn’t hike this way so cannot speak to how much of these things are left visible. You will see the signs for the village along the main trail if you are interested in seeing what’s left. You can also hike to the old weather station which again we didn’t do as we had already hiked quite a bit!

Lighthouse Tour:

There are tours of the lighthouse that run if you do want to walk up to the top. We didn’t do this but friends who did said the views from the top were great and it was worth it to do the tour.

The Water and the Beach:

The water is of course the other reason for visiting the island. The water is so clear and changes from turquoise to a beautiful deep blue as it gets deeper. We enjoyed taking the dinghy around the island, taking in the views. The anchorage/bay is a great place for paddle boarding or kayaking if you are traveling by boat and can bring these items with you. Lake Michigan does take while to warm up, we visited in early August and the water was comfortable in the low 70s for swimming.

Our course, taking some time on beach is also a must! The beach is a mix of sand and rocks so wearing some type of water shoe or sandal will likely make your beach walking more comfortable.

We would have loved to have more time here to hike further, explore and just relax and take in the views! Unfortunately we had to take our weather window and sail home so we only had two days on the island. While that is certainly enough time to see most of the main attractions more time is always better when your in such a pretty place!

Have you visited South Manitou Island? What did we miss? What are your favorite Lake Michigan destinations? Leave us a comment below.

Tags Franscisco Morazan wreck, great lakes cruising, great lakes sailing, great lakes shipwrecks, lake michigan sailing, lake michigan shipwreks, lake michigan summer trip, michigan camping, michigan destinations, michigan hiking, old growth cedars, sleeping bear national lakeshore, south manitou, south manitou island, south manitou old growth cedars

Travel

Backpacking the Four Pass Loop at Maroon Bells

Post author By Ryan
Post date June 21, 2022

We set out to complete the four pass Loop at Maroon Bells Wilderness 6/16/22-6/18/22. This would be our first big backpacking trip and we were feeling ambitious! We had a group of five people and planned to complete the loop in three days. We did have additional food packed in case it took four days. Most people complete the four pass loop in 3-4 days. We planned to go counterclockwise, ideally making it to Maroon Lake on night one then camping part way up Frigid Air pass on night two to set us up for completion of the loop on day three.

This is early in the season for the four pass loop which we were aware of. We did make it fully around but we do agree it was early to attempt the trail. The hike, while doable, would have been more enjoyable and likely much easier later in the season.

Logistics:

You will need to park at Aspen Highlands and take the shuttle up to the trailhead. You can drive up there if you have a reservation at one of the three Maroon Bells campgrounds. We got a bit of a later start than ideal for day one. We drove in from Denver Thursday morning and caught the 11:15 shuttle up to the trailhead. The shuttle runs approx. every 15 minutes with the last shuttle back down to the Highlands at 5pm. We did reserve spots on the shuttle up, no reservation was needed to take the shuttle back down when we finished our hike. You can book your shuttle here and find campground information here.

Now for the Hike:

Day one: We ended up going approx. 8 miles total on day one. After Crater lake which is just under 2 miles in you won’t see many people. We didn’t end up making it all the way to Snow Mass lake, we camped just before Snow Mass creek. The trail on day one was pretty easy to follow. Buckskin Pass (12,500 ft) was fairly clear of snow until the very top which did have a large cornice. We went off trail at the end and rock scramble up to the top to avoid the cornice.

Coming from sea level we both were moving slow up this pass. We did acclimate well after day one but ideally an additional day in Denver or Aspen prior to starting the trail would have been beneficial. We had no major complications on the way down Buckskin pass. The hike went fairly smoothly for the rest of the day. We camped very near to the creek so we had plenty of fresh water to top everyone off and make dinner.

Day two: We got up and started hiking right away. The creek crossing was easy for us as there was a log bridge right where we camped. A bit furher down the trail is where the actual creek crossing was located. The water there was much higher and faster moving which would have made for a much more challenging crossing. From our camp spot it was just over a mile to Snow Mass Lake. Once we reached the lake we stopped for breakfast and coffee, taking some time to enjoy the views of the lake which is arguably one of the prettiest spots on the entire trail.

From the lake we headed up Trail Rider Pass (12,420ft). As we got higher up the trail become quite snow covered. We ended up going straight up vs curving around and following the trail. With the snow covering the trail it was too steep an angle to walk safely across. Once we got up the snow bank we encountered a large rock field that we had to cross to get back to the trail. This added about two hours to our trip as we were moving slowly over the rocks.

It was definitely the safer option based on the trail conditions we encountered. We had a little bit of time after that where we got to follow the trail before once again we encountered significant snow.

It appeared everyone abandoned the trail here as we saw footprints going straight up the snow in every direction. With our micro-spikes and hiking poles the snow was fairly easy to get through and we all made it up the pass with no further complications.

We arrived at the top of the pass seeing a large thunderhead in the distance. The storm moved quickly and we scrambled down to get to some trees right as the thunder and lighting started. It was briefly rain and then turned to dime size hail coming down on us. We stayed low, sitting under the small trees for about an hour unitl the lighting stopped and we saw a small patch of blue sky. The sun did end up staying out the rest of the day so we could dry ourselves and our packs out.

The final designated camp site on the trail before going up the next pass is at approx 10,800 ft. We went down the valley and then began our hike back up and stayed at that camp site to set our selves up for the final two passes the following day. Again this site is right next to a river so we had plenty of fresh water.

There is a river crossing in the valley that was just above ankle deep for us. The current was fairly strong, we could feel it pushing us as we set our feet down each step of the way but it was doable to cross. We had a dog with us and did end up carrying her across. In total this day was about 9 miles.

Day three: This was our big day, we had to go off trail quite a bit so in total we ended up with about 13 miles completed including the final two passes. We woke up early and began hiking up Frigid Air Pass (12,415ft). We left camp at about 5am. Frigid Air pass did have some snow but overall we were able to follow the trail most of the way with no complications. After that pass it is less than 3 miles to the second pass of the day. You don’t hike all the way down the valley, you only descend to approx. 10,500 ft before starting back up the next pass.

The final pass, West Maroon (12,500ft) was a challenge! We encountered snow, wet trails and a very steep trail up to the top. We made it to the top and it felt so great to have completed our final pass!!!!

We soon realized the way down would be even more of a challenge. The trail was steep, snow covered and muddy. It had rained most of the night before which likely did not help our trail conditions. It was not easy to get good footing coming down this pass. One of us did fall and thankfully didn’t slide far as there wasn’t much space before the steep drop off down the mountain.

This really freaked us out. After we all made it to a safe spot a bit further down we needed a minute to compose ourselves again. There was a brief time where the trail flattened out a bit and we were able to walk along it before quickly encountering more snow. We walked across the snow fields trying to find the least steep areas to go across, trying to avoid sliding down. We have no pictures of the hike after the top of West Maroon pass so unfortunately we can’t show you. The lack of pictures speaks to how stressful this part of the hike was for us.

Once we were through the snow things calmed down for a bit and we were able to make good time. The rest of the trail is downhill with two final river crossings as the final obstacle.

When we got to the river it was very high and the current was very strong. It was not safe to cross where we were supposed to. We walked up and down a little way with no safe crossing located. After looking at the trail map again we realized the trail crosses the river and then crosses back over.

We decided the best course of action was to go off trail and bushwhack, picking up the trail again without having to cross the river at all. This was successful for us but was slow moving. In some areas the bushes were quite thick making it difficult to get through. We also had to go across several rock fields, there was once fairly steep area that worried us but we all got through. It was approx. .8 of a mile in total that we had to cover before picking up a trail that lead us back to our trail. This added considerable time to our day, setting us back about an hour.

After we were back on our trail we had no other major set backs. We made it back to the shuttle around 4pm. Overall we all felt we were in a little over our heads. Because of the time of year and conditions we were off trail more than we thought we would be. It was more mountain climbing at times than hiking. We would strongly recommend hiking poles, micro-spikes and some type of water shoe for the river/creek crossings. Even with the water shoes prepare for your feet to be wet most of the time due to snow and wet trails with rain. Bring socks for each day to have something dry to change into when you arrive at camp.

It is impossible to know the exact weather and trail conditions you may encounter. Be prepared for anything. We had one Garmin in-reach to check weather and let someone know that we had made it to camp each night. There is NO cell phone service once the shuttle leaves Aspen Highlands. Once you head out, you are on your own until you complete the trail. You are required to have a bear vault for all of your food, this will add weight to your pack and they do take up quite a bit of space. You can buy or rent these at REI. Bear spray is also a good idea just in case. We did not see any bears or see any evidence of bears but you still want to be prepared. We also had one person with AllTrails Pro so we could see the trail map without having cell service. This helped significantly and we would highly recommend it! We also referenced Gaia GPS for trail and campsite locations.

We all experienced a range of emotions on this trip. We had great times and times full of anxiety and nervousness. Having a good group of friends was helpful. Whenever one of us was nervous there was someone to help pull them through. The trail is absolutely beautiful! It is probably best for those with some backpacking/backcountry camping experience. We made it through and are happy we did it. The four pass loop was a trip we will never forget! Our friends at the Passport Pair put together this short video of our trip!

Have you done the four pass loop? What was your experience? What other questions do you have? Leave us a comment below.

Tags aspen, aspen colorado, backpack camping, backpacking, buckskin pass, colorado camping, four pass loop, frigid air pass, hiking colorado, maroon bells, trailrider pass, west maroon pass

Travel

4 Day Adventure Road Trip Around Puerto Rico

Post author By Ryan
Post date February 14, 2022

On our Puerto Rico roadtrip we drove all around the island. We had 4 and half days to explore and we wanted to see as much as we could. More time is always better but this was enough to circumnavigate the island and get a good feel for various areas.

Our Puerto Rico roadtrip started in Old San Juan. We landed in the afternoon and got an Uber to our booking.com hotel. Taxis from the airport have a set fee of $21 to bring you into the city but Uber was cheaper at $15. We spent most of our time in Old San Juan just wandering the streets, admiring the colors and colonial architecture.

We headed for Castillo de San Felipe in the late afternoon and arrived just before 4:30 which is when it closes. We didn’t get to go into the fort but we did find that there is a walking path that starts in Old San Juan and follows the channel all the way around the fort.

You will get great views of the water and the fort and see a lot of stray cats on this trail. There is an organization- Save a Gato that is working to capture, spay and release them as well as provide them food. Being the cat people we are this was a very exciting part of the walk and we couldn’t help awe at these cute kitties!

For food we had a great Burger and Mojito at St. Germain cafe in the afternoon during happy hour which is always good! Later in the evening we were surprised to find that it was difficult to find a lot of open restaurants. We wanted to eat at El Jibarito however they were packed! They had a capacity (maybe decreased due to COVID) and the door was locked. There were several groups of people waiting outside. We assumed they were waiting to get in so we moved on. Most of the more touristy restaurants were open but usually that isn’t where we like to eat. We ended up having dinner at Puerto Criollo. The food here was very good. The stuffed mofongo was an excellent choice. Be warned the garlic sauce is very, very garlicy!

The next morning, we picked up our rental car. We chose not to deal with parking in Old San Juan so we got an Uber to Popular Auto the day after we arrived vs getting our rental car right away. Popular Auto was significantly cheaper than other car rental companies and we would highly recommend them. They even upgraded our car for free!

The first stop on this Puerto Rico roadtrip is El Yunque. This National Park is said to be the only tropical rainforest in the U.S and is filled with lots of hiking trails to chose from. We hiked El Yunque trail which takes you up to one of the tallest peaks in the park.

We didn’t make it to the top because several miles into our hike, it began to downpour and the trail quickly became more like a shallow river. It is a rainforest so do expect rain and be prepared for the weather to change quickly. Overall we still really enjoyed the hike.

After the hike we drove through the park a little more, stopped at Bano Grande which is a large natural pool and then headed off, out of the rainforest and into the sunshine.

Our Puerto Rico roadtrip continued, driving towards 7 Seas beach in Fajardo. We kept driving a short ways past that beach and found a small area near the water with several restaurants and a small park area. We stopped into one of these restaurants for a beer and some fried calamari.

That night, we stayed in a beach front apartment in the small town of Naguabo. There were two restaurants right down the street. One was empty, the other filled with locals, so we ate at that one- La Nueva Casa del Mofongo. The food was really good! Be prepared for Spanish speaking only here. Our waitress fired off the most rapid Spanish we’ve ever heard and didn’t slow down for us! We struggled through the language barrier with our minimal Spanish and we were so happy we did. The chillo frito (fried snapper) was delicious. We also got two pastelillos con carne (beef turnover/empanada) and they were awesome!

The Puerto Rico roadtrip continued and the following day we beach hopped our way along the southern coast. The best beaches seemed to be on the west side of the southern coast so we drove past Ponce and our first stop was at Playa Tamarindo and Playa Atolladora. These two beaches are along the same road, very close together. We tried to walk to Playa Pelicano along this road but we couldn’t get through, there is a marsh area and the water level was high when we were there. These beaches are really nice and not crowded at all.

Our favorite beach that day was by far Las Playuela! Be prepared to drive through the mud and along some bumpy roads to get there but it is worth it!

That night we stayed near Miradero at a wonderful place we found at this link on booking.com. Our host was super nice! He made up fresh passion fruit juice when we arrived and was just overall really welcoming and kind! We got take-out from a little food truck near our booking called, Después de María Pinchos Artesanales. You can order online for take-out which is what we did. They did not start making our food until we actually showed up to pick it up. It was pretty quick but just something to be aware of.

The following day the Puerto Rico roadtrip continued with more beach hopping. We drove north towards Rincon. This area is full of beautiful hillside houses and surf shops. We stopped off at Casa Isleña for brunch. This hotel and restaurant is right on the beach and the food was great! After brunch we walked along the beach here before setting off for Domes beach.

Domes beach is a surfing haven, the waves here were nearly perfect. There are plenty of places in the area to rent a board, we opted to just take in the views and watch for a couple hours before moving on.

Survival beach was our next stop. We did not do much research before arriving at this beach. When you visit at low tide you can walk under the rock arches but when you visit at high tide there isn’t really a beach. The views were amazing along the path, still worth a visit at high tide. Just expect this to be more of a beach walk/hike than a place to sit and relax on the beach. Also do NOT wear flip flops on this walk. You will be walking on the rocks and it does get steep in some parts. So, wear some shoes with a good sole.

Our final stop of the day was Playa Jobos. This beach had more of a party scene for sure. You can get drinks on the beach and there are restaurants pumping out loud music. But if you do walk a short distance away you can get a quieter place to sit. There is also a surf break here but it is further out and not for beginners. Along the side of the beach there are large rocks with cascading water crashing over whenever the waves are large enough. You can walk a short path up to the top of the rocks for great views of the rocky coastline on the other side. Again wear good shoes!

Our final day we needed to head back towards San Juan for a late afternoon flight. We had time for lone last stop on our Puerto Rico roadtrip. We tried to stop at La Cueva del Indio as we had read a lot about it. Google said it opened at 9:30 am but we figured, it’s a cave how can it be closed? We headed there earlier in the morning and found that the parking area is gated and you can’t park until 9:30. There is not really another way to get to the cave or another good place to park. We decided to keep driving instead of waiting around for it to open.

We decided to head closer to San Juan. We found Cueva Escondida on the map and went to check it out. It was a nice place to walk around and the rock formations were cool to see. It is a good place to explore if you have some time to kill but definitely not a must see. After that we returned our rental car and walked to our final beach- Hobie beach.

Hobie beach is very close to the airport which made it perfect for us to wait our or last couple hours before ubering back to catch our flight. We ate lunch at Alambique Beach Lounge, it was very busy, but the food was really good and it is right along the beach.

There is plenty more to explore on the island of Puerto Rico, we can’t wait to go back! Tell us what we missed. What are your favorite places on Puerto Rico? Leave us a comment below.

Tags 7 seas beach, castillo de san felipe, cueva escondida, domes beach, el yunque, el yunque rainforest, hiking puerto rico, la cueva del indio, las playuela, old san juan, peurto rico roadtrip, playa atolladora, playa jobos, playa pelicano, playa tamarindo, puerto rico, survival beach

Travel

A Weekend in Quito Ecuador

Post author By Ryan
Post date December 1, 2021

Ecuador’s capital city of Quito is where most international travelers will fly into. The city has a lot to see and do. It is worth staying a few days to explore the city. It’s a large, sprawling city full of lots of different neighborhoods to explore.

The city of Quito is at 9,350 feet elevation. It’s a good idea to give yourself a day or two here to adjust to the altitude before heading out into the mountains higher up. Quito is one of the tallest capital cities in the world. We chose to base ourselves in the historic center since that is where most of the attractions are located. Quito’s historic center has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There’s a ton of history here to learn about.

The first thing we would suggest doing when you arrive in the city of Quito is to take a free walking tour. We cannot say enough good things about these types of tours. They really help orient you to the city and help you gain knowledge you would not otherwise get. The tours are also a great way to meet other travelers. We went with https://freewalkingtourecuador.com They offer a morning and an afternoon tour. The tour starts at the community hostel.

From the hostel, we headed to the central market to learn about some of the local fruits, vegetables, foods to try and traditions. One tradition we learned about was using various herbs to treat symptoms of Espanado. The people of Quito believe certain herbs can cure many ailments. There is a stall in the market where they will put together all the herbs you need to feel better based on your symptoms and when/where they started. At the market, we also got to taste several different types of fruit. We had never heard of most of these fruits before coming to Ecuador. We tried, tomate árbol, naranjilla and chirmoya.

At another stop along the tour, we got to taste mistelas which are small candies filled with different types of liquors. Next to the candy stall was an ice cream place, our guide recommended trying taxo ice cream (a type of passion fruit) so we bought a small cup as we passed by. It was delicious!

In the historic center of town we learned about the nuns in the city and where they live. We saw the tradition of using cow, chicken and other animal bones on the floor in the entrance to homes as a type of “status symbol” that the family had money. We also learned that wealthy families would want to be buried as close to God as they could so would pay the church to be buried on the grounds. One church we visited had tombs under the floor which our guide said are all opened up on dia de los meurtos ( day of the dead) every year.

Our tour ended with a chocolate tasting near the Plaza de San Francisco. It was about three hours in total and well worth it. We did tip at the end, as is expected on these tours. Our guide said “typical” is $10 a person if you enjoyed the tour.

The other activity we really enjoyed in the historic center was climbing the Basilica del Voto Nacional’s spire. It cost us $2 to enter the church and walk around the main floor. From there, we then paid $3 for non-locals ($2 for locals) to go up in the spires.

You can take an elevator or climb the stairs, we chose the stairs. It is a small, winding staircase so if you have any mobility issues the elevator is likely a better way to go. After climbing around, exploring the church we enjoyed some empeñadas verde and some coffee at a small cafe in the main square of the basilica.

Another nice place to visit in this area of Quito is Parque Itchimbía. Up at the park there is a really nice walkway, lots of green open areas, a glass treehouse and great views of the city. It seemed to be a very popular place with the locals for dog-walking, biking and running.

We also really enjoyed Parque El Ejido. We walked over in this area on Sunday morning. There were local artists setting up exhibits along the park edge. We saw some really nice art here. There were several awesome paintings we would have loved to buy but they wouldn’t have fit in our backpacks for the trip home. The city of Quito also closes several major streets on Sundays for bikers. The park was a very busy place, full of lots of people biking through.

After exploring the historic part of the city we headed about 30-40 minutes outside of town to visit Mitad del mundo. Mitad del mundo is a monument that is located where the French first drew the line for the equator. It has since been proved by GPS to be about 240 meters/790 feet off the actual equator. But still, this is the place everyone comes to see.

You can meet at the community hostel on Sundays at 2:30 and take a bus to visit this site. We believe the cost of that is $10 a person plus entrance fees once you arrive.

We chose to uber for $10 and go a bit earlier in the day. The entrance fee once you arrive is $10 a person. Your entrance fee allows you to see the large monument and the surrounding shops and restaurants. We ate lunch here which was very good then wandered around the monument for a bit. There were a lot of people and a very long line to enter the monument. There is an elevator that takes you up near the top but we didn’t feel like waiting in line so we skipped it.

Also in this area you will find, Museo de Sitio Intiñan. The entrance fee here was $2-3 per person. They don’t have a website but they are about 3-5 min walk away from Mitad del Mundo. Walking along the road, the sidewalk does end before you get to the museum. It seems like you’re not really walking towards anything substantial. We were a little worried for a minute but then we rounded the corner and saw the museum.

The tour at the museum is offered in Spanish and English. You will get some history about the rainforest and the people who lived in this part of the world. After that you will get to participate in several experiments to prove you are at the equator. The best one was the water swirling as it goes down the drain. It truly does go counterclockwise in the north, clockwise in the south and straight down at the equator. You will see all of this demonstrated with the direction changing only several feet off the actual equator in either direction.

You can visit mitad del mundo and Museo de Sitio Intiñan in an afternoon. We spent a couple of hours here before ubering back to the city. Back in the city of Quito, we have several food recommendations:

Pizza at La Granja: This place was right outside our hotel so we enjoyed dinner here one evening. The pizza was delicious and the owner is super nice.

Bandido brewing: This is located right across from the community hostel. We did the 2:30pm walking tour and got there a little early so we enjoyed a beer here before our tour.

Hasta la Vuelta, Señor: This place is located in a beautiful indoor courtyard type building. We had really good potato cheese soup (Locro) here.

We didn’t eat in the market, we meant to but we just didn’t get back there after our walking tour. The central market in any city is always a great way to get local food at a good price!

Accommodations:

Breakfast was provided at Hotel David where we stayed. They served breakfast on the top level of the building with great views of the city as we ate. Breakfast here was good and the staff were very nice. The hotel was great walking distance to everything we wanted to see. Parking was available on site for an extra $5 a night. Parking in Quito can be challenging to find so we would highly recommend this place, especially if you have a car.

We ended our trip in Quito, staying in La Floresta which was a completely different experience. That part of town is a lot quitter, more residential with lots of cafes and restaurants. This is also where we found the best street food in Quito.

There is way more to Quito that we didn’t get to explore as we were only in the city a few days. What did we miss? What are your favorite parts to of this city? Leave us a comment below

For More on our trip through Ecuador:

Visiting Cotopaxi Volcano

Hiking Quilotoa: around the lake in one day

The edge of the Amazon: visiting Banos

Tags Basilica del Voto Nacional, chocolate tasting, free walking tour, Itchimbía Park, Mitad del mundo, Museo de Sitio Intiñan, quito, quito ecuador, UNESCO world heritage site