falling in love with colombia: a month itinerary

jardin Colombia month itinerary waterfall

crunchy kat explores guide to one month in colombia
colombia month itinerary

jardin Colombia month itinerary waterfall

Cocaine, Narcos, war, coffee. More likely than not these are the main things that come to foreigner’s minds when they think of Colombia. I can’t even tell you the number of people who said to me “you’re not going to Colombia right?” when I told them I was traveling to South America.

Sure, Colombia is still recovering from the civil war which brought the country into headlines worldwide for all the negative reasons, but it has also really emerged from its troubled past. What if I told you that Colombia is a traveler’s delight. Full of beaches, mountains, deserts – all for an affordable cost. Not to mention, the friendliest people I’ve met anywhere in the world! When it comes down to it, Colombia was my favorite country in South America and I’m already itching to go back.

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giving back: volunteering with angeles de medellin

angeles of medellin

angeles of medellin

High in the mountains outside of Medellin (a few cable car and bus rides away) in the town of Bello is a small village named Regalo de Dios. Somewhat ironic this translates to English as “gift of God” as it is home to widespread poverty. Most of the residents that live here are displaced from the civil and drug violence in Medellin and live here in the hills as a hope for survival. In fact, this community is still controlled by gangs and if you ask Marcos, the founder of Angeles de Medellin, he’ll have more than one insane story to share with you.

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chilean road trip: exploring the carretera austral

puerto rio marble caves

queulat national park bridge Carretera Austral

The famous Carretera Austral – otherwise known at Chile’s Route 7 which runs 1,240km/770mi from Puerto Montt in the North to Villa O’Higgins in the South. This mostly unpaved road is the jumping off point for some of the most of the beautiful parts of Patagonia.

This road trip is easiest to see with your own car, but (infrequent) public transportation (bus), hitchhiking, and biking are also options. I didn’t manage to see the entire route, only about half, but it marks some of the best times in South America (but also, some of the hardest travel wise!).

Beautiful scenery, rugged nature, wild camping, endless trekking opportunities – this Patagonia road trip is 100% full of adventure.

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from deserts to beaches: exploring northern chile

bahia inglesa beach

crunchy kat explores northern chile.
exploring northern chile

pisco elqui hike north chile

After visiting San Pedro de Atacama, I thought I was heading straight to Salta and spending my days drinking Malbec. So yeah, that didn’t happen. Luckily, a friendly local heard the panic in my voice at the bus station and suggested a few places north of Santiago I could stop at. So, naturally, I bought a ticket to Caldera on the spot with no research.

Northern Chile is often skipped, and instead people will hop on a 24 hour bus (or a cheap flight) down to Santiago. However, if you have the time, I recommend heading down the coast and seeing an often skipped (but beautiful and worthwhile!) portion of Chile.

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