Two Backpackers

Road Trip: Northern Chile Altiplano

| by Jason | 35 Comments » | Adventures, Chile, South America

Entering Northern Chile from Peru will most likely lead you to the coastal town of Arica.  Check out our article on discovering Arica to find out what adventure lies there, but for this article we are jumping right into Northern Chile’s great Altiplano! (more…)

Belize Adventure Travel Destination

| by Globetrottergirls | 21 Comments » | Adventures, Belize, Central America, Guest Post

Despite bordering major countries on the backpacking trail (Mexico in the north, Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the south) many travelers skip Belize all together because of the much higher costs involved in a trip here.  With some clever planning, however, Belize is a perfect spot for water sports enthusiasts and adventure junkies alike, and can be enjoyed without going too much over a tight budget. (more…)

NYC Marathons

| by Jason | 11 Comments » | Adventures, North America, United States

I attended my first NYC Marathon, while Aracely ran in her first NYC Marathon.   This was an amazing event to both participate in and be a spectator.  The race had over 45,000 starters, ranging from 18 years old to 87 years old.

NYC Marathon Course

The NYC Marathon is considered a difficult course, spanning the 5 boroughs of New York City.   The starting line is in Staten Island, and runners first cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge bridge to Brooklyn.  After running through the narrow streets of Brooklyn, they cross into Queens and then onto the Queensboro bridge landing on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  Running north on 1st Avenue through Harlem, they enter the 5th borough, the Bronx.  The runners finish by returning south and running a half a loop around Central Park.  The 26.2 marathon distance is challenging in NYC because of the many turns, spanning bridges and crowded field of runners. (more…)

Backpacking the Grand Canyon

| by Jason | 16 Comments » | Adventures, North America, United States

We were looking for a challenging outdoor adventure, but we knew we didn’t exactly have the experience to do it safely on our own.  Once we decided on our destination, the Grand Canyon, we began researching guided hikes and camping.

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a World Heritage Site which encompasses 1,218,375 acres and lies on the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona.  Our goal was to experience the Canyon to the fullest; that can only be done by hiking to the very bottom.

The Grand Canyon National Park offers a variety of choices to experience the inside of the Canyon; guided tours, mule trips, river trips, hiking and camping.  If you are interested in backpacking and camping on your own, you must acquire a backcountry permit.  The permits are very challenging to obtain due to the volume of requests, but the organizations conducting the guided hikes all have access to those permits. (more…)

Hiking With Condortrekkers In Sucre Bolivia

| by Aracely | 4 Comments » | Adventures, Bolivia, Photo Essays, South America

We joined a 3-day trek with Condortrekkers, a non-profit tour company based out of Sucre, Bolivia.  Our tour included walking on an Inca Trail, visiting the crater town of Maragua and seeing ancient fossilized dinosaur footprints.

On day one we took a microbus from Sucre to a nearby small town where our group of 7 hopped into a “camion,” the only local transportation available to the town of Chataquila where we began our hike.

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KanBa River Caves of Semuc Champey

| by Aracely | 6 Comments » | Adventures, Central America, Guatemala

Like our visit to Semuc Champey, we had no idea what we were getting into prior to leaving for our tour.  This point is echoed throughout most of our Guatemalan journeys.  The KanBa Caves are only a short walk from the metal bridge that spans Cahabón River. (more…)

Mud Bath in Volcano Totumo, Colombia

| by Aracely | 10 Comments » | Adventures, Colombia, South America

Just an hour outside of Cartagena, Colombia you can visit Volcano Totumo and experience a volcanic mud bath.

We booked our tour through our hostal, Casa Viena.  The cost was $20 USD and it included transportation to the volcano, entrance fee, and a snack. When we arrived, our van pulled up next to a hill about 50 feet tall (15M).  We were all eager to have some fun in the mud! (more…)