Machu Picchu Summer Solstice

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, Horse Riding Holidays, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

The Incas and the Sun
Inca lore has it that the Sun God, Inti, rose from Lake Titicaca to control the heavens and the seasons. The Inca, the eponymous emperor of the Inca people, was believed to be a direct descendant of Inti.

Inti was anchored to the earth by The Intihuatana Stone, known as “The Hitching Post of the Sun” in English, which stands inside Machu Picchu. This remarkable stone is a precise indicator of the two equinoxes, spring and autumn, as well as other celestial events.

The name Intihuatana is derived from the local Quechua language and is rumoured to have been coined by Hiram Bingham. It comes from inti meaning “sun”; and wata which is the verb root “to tie or hitch” (huata- is simply a Spanish spelling). The Quechua -na suffix changes a verb into a noun for things like tools or places. Hence inti watana is literally an instrument or place to “tie up the sun”; in English that makes “The Hitching Post of the Sun”.

There is a similar, though totally unconnected, link with Ra, the Egyptian sun god. You could say that the dynasty of the pharaohs in Egypt and the much later dynasty of the Incas were each sun cults. And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of sun worship!

Machu Picchu and the Spring Equinox
Machu Picchu is south of the equator, just, so the spring equinox happens in September rather than March; March is the beginning of autumn here in Peru, whereas in the northern hemisphere, it’s t’other way around.

What is the Equinox?
The Earth is in ceaseless orbit around the sun and is tilted at 23.5° off the vertical which means the sun’s light and warmth swap between the two hemispheres twice per year, March and September. At equinox the sun is directly overhead at noon, as seen from the equator; night and day are of equal length. The name equinox comes from Latin aequus = equal and nox = night.

What is the ‘Solstice’?
A solstice occurs when the sun reaches the end of its tether, either in the extreme north, or south. There are two solstices: Summer on the 21st June and Winter on the 21st December. This year we have a very special opportunity to witness the Summer Solstice inside the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the company of one of the foremost Inca specialists, Edwin Duñeas.

Details of Edwin’s 14-day trip are here.

The Amazon just got closer

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Amazon Jungle, Peru.
Visiting the Amazon is a Bucket List event and one of the lodges we always recommend, and many clients have visited, is Tambopata in Peru. For birding and wildlife, this is the best. It began life as a research centre but has morphed into a comfy jungle lodge, with outstanding guides.

The bad news is that Tambopata Research Center (TRC) used to be a real mission to get to: 1 hr flight from Cusco, over the Andes and down into the hot, sweaty jungle; a road and canoe transfer and 8 hrs later you arrived. TRC just got closer thanks to a recently improved road, it now takes just 3 hrs to reach.

A 3 night stay is ideal for most people.

Timings are now:
Puerto Maldonado Airport to Rainforest Expeditions office – 5 mins by shuttle-bus
Office to Puerto Filadelfia – 1 hr by road
Puerto Filadelfia to TRC- 2hrs 30mins by boat. (This will come into effect from 1st November 2020.)

Beautiful Books!

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

The Most Beautiful Bookshop in the World?
Here’s a challenge for everyone who loves books as much as they love browsing bookstores: can you find a more beautiful bookshop than this Argentine gem?

El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookstore in the centre of Buenos Aires has to be the champ! It’s a stunning building (used to be a theatre) it’s distinctively Argentinian and is just plain unique, packed with new editions, new books, new authors, and the broadest spectrum of subjects.

We have created an Insider’s Walking Tour of BA which includes the ‘Grand Splendid’ (half day or full day) accompanied by a local university lecturer to interpret the subtleties, innuendos and implications of Porteño life a street café level. Explore like a Porteño (South American Spanish for a person who lives in a port city) and visit the ‘hoods, café scenes and imaginative graffiti spots; feel the Latin pulse of this most charming of South American cities.

Release the Inner Cowgirl!

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, Horse Riding Holidays, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Following a year’s research we have just released the “Gaucho Trail” which welcomes you to release the inner cowgirl (or boy!).

A couple of hours away from Buenos Aires in Argentina is a large estancia (ranch) which specialises in cattle rearing. The fertile land in this area is flat and criss-crossed with rivers creating a tapestry of rolling grassland which is ideal cattle country. The estancia’s gauchos are born and bred to their trade and the criollo horses they ride are ‘home made’, quick, agile and really well mannered. In February 2019 we had our first wanabee-gauchos return from Argentina and they really loved the experience, proving with complete confidence that this stunning farm, with outstanding accommodation, great horses and a genuine gaucho welcome delivers what it promises. Given its location, north of Capricorn in the tropics, it’s a 12-month of the year destination. Min stay 3 nights; the Gaucho Trail is 7 nights.

Patagonia – Latest News

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, Horse Riding Holidays, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Several of you will know Cathy in Chile and Dominik in Argentina, the wonderful characters who guide the trans-Patagonia rides. There are big changes coming up for 2020.

The problem we have noticed over the last two seasons is water – or rather the shortage of water in the rivers. The Grand Traversée ride contains as a star feature several river crossings which can be several hundred metres wide with the water lapping your stirrups and the horse’s belly all the way! It’s a thrilling experience, particularly because you can dip a cup into the river (upstream of the horses!) and drink directly from it; it’s that clean and glacier fresh.

The trouble is that rainfall in Patagonia’s summer (Nov to March) has declined significantly, making the lakes and rivers run lower than usual. Global warming? Well, probably. The glaciers still produce run-off but it’s not being topped-up from rain. We have traditionally crossed the Chile-Argentina border by boat across a lake to the rapids, up the rapids and across another lake to the new border. During late Jan, Feb and March there simply isn’t enough water in the rapids to make them navigable. The alternative is a 14 hour road / trail trip – which ticks everyone off!

Sadly we will not be running the Grand Traversée after Jan each year.

The Huaso Trail remains as it is but in a truncated season. We’ll be tweaking The Andes Crossing itinerary which will continue to run between Oct and March each year, but note the contingency plans on day 6. Here’s a summary of the Patagonia rides:-

Ride title	Days	Season
Grand Traversée	14	Nov, Dec & Jan
Huaso Trail	7	Jan & Feb
Andes Crossing	6	Oct to March
Patagonia cattle drive	Twice p.a.	Oct & March

 

The Grand Traversée remains my favourite, by far. An epic ride that takes you into the heart of remotest Patagonia giving you a glimpse of a way of life that is as far from ‘digital’ as it’s possible to get on a horse. I wonder how much longer this ultimate riding experience will be able to operate?

Shocking news from the Inca Trail, Peru

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Mid-December saw an armed robbery at Winay Wayna campsite on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu,

during the night. The group (not ours) were woken and robbed at gunpoint. I believe no-one was hurt physically, but the head porter had a gun to his head, and some clients lost possessions.

Travel, as with daily life, has risks. You are still much more likely to suffer an accident driving your car at home, than being robbed in Peru. Assessing and managing risk is essential to the safety of our clients and staff. But be careful of the company you keep: Cusco has 1,750 companies selling tours and only 320 of these are registered with the authorities. Of that 320, just 4 of us have a licence to offer adventure activities.

Quito: gateway to the Amazon and gateway to the Galapagos

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, Galapagos Islands, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Jet lag: that’s the first thing that strikes you upon arrival in Ecuador! So no matter where you’re staying, head to the café inside Hotel Plaza Grande and order “Los Corridos” which is traditional homemade ice cream …. lights dim, bells chime and a waiter wearing a purple cloak serves the desert that sits on a smouldering bed of dry ice! The perfect antidote to jaded in-flight memories.

Quito’s high, over 3,000m (9,350’) so take it easy: stroll around Mercado San Francisco, where the locals shop sell everything from Disney-inspired kitsch toys to fresh cow’s tails and entire pig’s heads. There’s an interesting herbal remedies section. Check out the Piñata shops featuring Minions, giant beer cans and terracotta donkeys (A piñata is a terracotta container, dressed up as something eye-catching and filled with sweets. A popular party game is to whack it with a stick till it smashes and the sweeties tumble out). Then seek out some of the legendary South American coffee, and Casa Gangotena café, which overlooks Plaza San Francisco, takes some beating. Try the ‘bonitisimas’ (corn patties made with quinoa and trout) or my favourite, ceviche, which is fresh fish marinated in lime juice and served cold (much, much better than it sounds!)

Mid-day is the perfect time to visit middle earth, and Quito boasts 2. There’s the state run “Middle of the World Park” which erroneously claims to be Earth’s mid-point @ 0° latitude. But it isn’t. It’s actually several hundred metres out! Get a guide to show you the actual point and there you can do the ‘water down the plughole’ test (clockwise in the north; anti-clockwise in the south, or is it the other way around?)

Pululahue Volcano is 20 mins from the city centre. The Geobotanical Gardens cling to the slopes and the plants are remarkable to wander around. They also have various animals (Spectacled Bear, big cats and so forth which may or might not appeal). But you have to head to El Crater Restaurant, which is right on the crater’s rim, and try some cocoa tea.

If your stamina allows, visit Vista Hermosa, which is a rooftop restaurant, for supper. Live music and excellent people-watching provided free.

Day 2
Get out of town: head to Rosadex rose farm which is two hours away through the volcanoes. It’s a lovely drive matched by a beautiful destination, far from the hum of the city. The roses are mostly for export, and too many are scentless, but beautiful to look at.

On the way back to Quito, stop in Guayllabamba to enjoy the “chirimoyas” a so sweet, and utterly typical fruit (no English translation for this one!)

All Latin cities have one now: a Teleferico Gondola. Quito’s runs from downtown up the Pichincha volcano (13,450’) so take it easy. The view from the top is just superb and you get a real sense of why Quito is built where it’s built.

And to round off your two days in Quito, a choice!
1. Urko restaurant, serves traditional Ecuadorian food with a twist; for example, their version of ceviche is called jipijapa (octopus). They also have the city’s best live music venue, Misquilla.
2. Competing for your custom is a visit to Ichimbia; another great view of the city while dinner at Café Mosaico is served.

To make any or all of this happen, give the office a call, or speak to our resident Quito guide, Paulina Vivanco: Paulina@ventureco-worldwide.com

Virgin: the first

Posted by Mark / in Africa, Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Virgin Atlantic has recently flown from Orlando to London … nothing new there! Expect the flight was 100% powered by biofuel! A world first.

Vigin’s 747 ‘Queen Of The Skies’ flew the trans-Atlantic route using waste gasses captured by some scientific wizardry and turned into ethanol, also known as jet fuel! Amazing! A company called LanzaTech carried out the clever stuff that has the potential to change commercial aviation. And about time too.

Good old Richard B slipped into his high-viz to welcome the plane home. Good on you Richard!

An Anaconda on the Amazon

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Tavistock Travel Agents, Traveller's Tales /

Amazon river cruise

Explore the upper Amazon, sailing through the forest, to see pink river dolphins, turtles and a host of wildlife – some 1 million species to choose from!

We have been working with Paulina Vivanco Paulina@ventureco-worldwide.com for about 25 years. She is actually Ecuadorian, lives in Quito, and looks after all Venture Co travellers who visit either the Galapagos or mainland Ecuador. She’s brilliant and adds so much value to travellers who visit.

Old family friends of hers, Raul and Martha Garcia, have launched a second cruise ship on the Amazon. Check this out: https://vimeo.com/168119195 and our first two clients are heading out to Ecuador for the experience early 2019. I can’t wait for the feedback!

Chile & Peru Combo

Posted by Mark / in Blog, Featured Posts, frontpage, South America, Traveller's Tales /

It’s been a long time coming but from August 2018 Latam Airlines began operation of a non-stop flight between Cusco, Peru and Santiago, Chile (flight time 3:25 hr).

This new route creates the perfect opportunity to combine two completely different countries and offer a multi-destination holiday. Santiago, the vibrant capital of Chile, is surrounded by winelands on one side and mountains on the other with skiing 35 miles away from downtown. There are two different mountains offering you plenty of choice (the season is mid-June to mid-Oct).

Cusco, the Inca capital, is the jumping off point for the Sacred Valley and of course the Machu Picchu trek (best seasons May to October).

A Chilean wine weekend, skiing and Machu Picchu all in the same week

? That’s a pretty neat trip!