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Getting to Isla Negra

11/12/2014


Entering the Museo Neruda of Isla Negra, one of three homes the famed Chilean poet designed as a retreat, one follows not only his travels but the sources of his inspiration. The house’s proximity to the sea and the nautical theme of many of its contents give visitors on Chile tours the feeling that they are indeed on a boat or at least an island, not just the village of Isla Negra.

Humpback Whales of Costa Rica

11/12/2014

When people think of whale sounds, it is usually the humpbacks they have in mind. The humpback’s songs are the most complex of any of any whale species and longer, lasting twenty to thirty minutes. Humpback males sing, scientists believe, as a mating ritual, but where those sounds come from is not fully understood, since the species has no vocal cords and does not appear to open its mouth or exhale while emitting tunes repeated over days of presumed wooing.

Markets of Tungurahua and Chimborazo

11/12/2014

Less than ninety miles south of Quito is Ambato, the provincial capital of Tungurahua. Though much of Ambato’s colonial architecture was wiped out by an earthquake a half century ago, its picturesque flora gives photographers on Ecuador tours plenty of photogenic subjects. Monday is market day when visitors on Ecuador tours will find crafts from the surrounding villages, predominated by leather goods. A smaller market takes place Wednesday and Friday.

The Kuna Yala

11/12/2014

The Kuna's struggle to regain land that was theirs for centuries has been long fought, culminating in a revolt against the government in 1925. With US forces backing the Kuna effort from a naval vessel stationed off the coast, Panamanian troops withdrew. It took another thirteen years before the Kuna were finally granted a comarca (reservation). Today some 50,000 Kuna live in the Comarca de Kuna Yala's forty-nine communities. Most Kuna live on the islands, and a few thousand make their home on the Kuna Yala mainland. Transportation is primarily by dugout canoe.

The Sacred Valley

11/12/2014

Pisac
The Sacred Valley Often travelers begin their visit to the Sacred Valley in Pisac, a colonial town 19 miles north of Cusco that is famous for its ruins and its large market, attracting artisans from throughout the region. A pleasant walk takes visitors to the ruins of agricultural terraces, rooms, temples and ceremonial baths as well as views of hundreds of tombs carved out of cliffs.

The Northwest Region

11/11/2014

Terrain and Weather
The northwest is a region of diverse landscapes. Its mountain peaks include 18,200-ft Cerro del Bolson. There are high plains, colorful sierras, many canyons and valleys as well as tropical cloud forests and flatlands. The climate ranges from arid, with some of the country's highest summer temperatures and very cold winters, to subtropical areas that are warm year-round, making for a variety of different experiences on Argentina tours. Tucuman Province is called the Garden of the Republic for its lush and diverse vegetation.

Habits of Chile’s Flamingos

11/11/2014

Fortunate indeed are travelers who see a colony of flamingos take flight during their travel to Chile. They will most likely to have this opportunity if their Chile tours take them to San Pedro de Atacama, on the eastern side of the desert where a large reserve protects them in their habitat of saline lakes and marshes. Visitors who travel to the Atacama during their Chile tours may encounter one of three species, the James, the Andean or the Chilean flamingo.

The Dolphins of Costa Rica

11/11/2014

Most of the locations where dolphins frolic are along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast as far north as the Gulf of Papagayo in the protected waters of Santa Rosa National Park and beyond. Though Cocos Island National Park is not exactly on the beaten path for most visitors who travel to Costa Rica, the waters that surround it are home to a group of bottlenose dolphins. Since baby bottlenoses spend their first three to six years at mom’s side, watching pods of this species is always entertaining. The marine park is located three hundred miles off the Nicoya Peninsula.

The Craft Villages of Cotopaxi

11/11/2014

Cotopaxi’s provincial capital is the market town of Latacunga, located fifteen miles southwest of the Cotopaxi volcano. The largest of Latacunga’s markets is held on Saturday at the Chile Plaza, and another on Tuesday, offering a wide array of items appealing to visitors on Ecuador tours as well as local residents.

The Embera-Wounaan People of Panama

11/11/2014

The Embera and Wounaan people lived unprotected until 1983 when the Panamanian government designated a 740,000-acre Comarca Embera-Wounaan in the vicinity of remote Darien National Park. The comarca is divided into northeastern Cemaco and southern Sambu districts. Union Choco is the capital of Cemaco and Rio Sabalo is the capital of Sambu.
 

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