The most beautiful place I saw in Central America and, quite possibly, the most beautifully idyllic place in the world. Think Lake Como in Italy, but with volcanoes and indigenous villages dotting the side. Think originally scheduling for 1 night, but extending to 3 nights after one look across the lake. Think finding that spot nestled in the trees just above the water with a view looking across the lake and the volcanoes, and knowing your whole day will be happily spent there as you swing in the hammock only leaving for occasional swims
Ok, you get it, idyllically beautiful. A must if in Central America
If you’re a diver, its also worth doing a couple of dives here. Whilst the visibility is poor and not a huge amount of wildlife to see, its a good experience to be diving at altitude (1560m / 5100ft), plus checking out the now-underwater hotel and finding hot spots on the lake bed where the volcano heats the lake
Cuba really does feel like going back in time . . . or like you’re in a parallel universe as the country went off on a tangent to the rest of the world. Havana for sure has glimpses of this – the vibe is of a historic Old Town that generates thoughts of what it must have been like back in the days of Spanish colonial pomp, Caribbean pirates and vast trade running through to create such fine architectural buildings and general buzz – but it is when you start to leave the capital that you feel this more slightly . . . odd . . . feeling about the place. As you drive through the vast swathes of untouched tropical Cuban countryside you’ll see the pace of life drop significantly and small towns that feel more like small town America of the 1950s – a single main street with shops, each complete with a long porch for people to watch the world go by and an even longer queue outside of people there to buy whatever they are trying to buy. As you go a bit further out you will see evidence of the centralised planning with large complexes of apartment blocks or hotel grounds with practically no one there. And, in amongst all of it, the Cuban people who are as friendly as they are proud of their country
All this really is slightly odd – but it is also the key ingredient that makes Cuba such a unique experience
The itinerary I’ve listed here is more for the west of Cuba and the one we enjoyed. Your other option of course is to head south from Havana to the colonial landscape of Trinidad and then dive in Bahia de Cochinos, both of which we’ve heard great things about. The below itinerary though gets you more off the beaten tourist track and this was in particular something that we enjoyed so much about Cuba – a glimpse into that strange tangent the country has taken
Remote. Quiet. Slightly odd. Staying at the Hotel Maria la Gorda and the surrounding area feels a bit like if the hotel from The Shinning was on its own tropical island. The hotel is geared for large numbers of guests, with individual 1950s commune-style houses dotted all around the grounds, and is by a lovely beach . . . yet . . . as with many large projects in Cuba, it sort of misses the mark – in this case because there is no real reason to come this far to the end of Cuba other than for diving. Now the diving is great (great visibility in particular), but I can’t imagine there ever being enough divers to fill the facilities. Kinda spooky, but also very cool and certainly adds to the feeling of being in a bit of a parallel universe as part of an itinerary for Going back in time for a week in Cuba
Diving the Blue Hole is one of those bucket list items for scuba divers and regularly appears in the top 10 dive sites in the world
Yet it also comes with mixed reviews, mainly because the dive itself is a very different experience to what people may expect from seeing the aerial photos – which are from an aeroplane! And the shortness of the dive, which is only around 8mins before ascent due to the 40m / 130ft depth. The 2 hour boat ride there and back over very bumpy seas also doesn’t help
All that being said though, I’d really recommend the whole day to the Blue Hole. Not only do you have the uniqueness of the dive, with its stalactites and haunting feeling as you look up at the sheer wall above with deep blue below, but you also for the remainder of the day get to explore Half Moon Caye Island within Lighthouse Reef and dive in the crystal clear waters of 2 shallower dives
If in this part of the world and you’re a diver, its a must
8 days / 7 nights on one of the liveaboard dive boats sailing around the Galapagos Islands was an experience I’ll never forget. Whilst visiting the nesting sites of the Frigate Birds, Marine Iguanas and Blue Footed Boobies was super cool, it was the trip up to Darwin and Wolf Islands (to the north of the main Galapagos Islands) that was the highlight. The sheer number of Hammerhead Sharks we saw was mind-boggling, along with Manta Rays, Devil Rays, Sea Lions and Turtles. To add to the experience, spending time next to the sheer cliffs of these dramatic and isolated islands makes for a true feeling of adventure
Yes its expensive, but so are most trips of a lifetime
Moving from one spot of paradise to the next; super friendly people; picture perfect spots that scream “I want to go!”; and having some truly unforgettable adrenaline-throbbing moments by swimming with Humpback Whales and diving with the Tiger Sharks. For sure Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are in the middle of nowhere, but this is a world class 2 weeks
Below I’ve given the itinerary we took and the links to the individual entries on each of the travel experiences
Maybe don’t watch Jaws before you try this! Unforgettable, thrilling and scary. People regularly go diving with sharks – reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, maybe some hammerheads – but to do so with Tiger Sharks and Bull Sharks . . . not in a cage . . . is unique and, at times, proper poo in your wet suit stuff. A truly fantastic, if slightly risky, experience
To do it or not to – firstly, if you are at all a nervous diver, don’t do this. The sharks can get very close and the potential for you either getting so scared you don’t have a pleasant experience, or having a freak out, don’t make it worth it. But secondly, in deciding whether or not to do something like this, there is also the moral consideration. We hadn’t really thought about this before the dive as we didn’t realise quite how much of a close encounter it was going to be (someone really is one day going to be seriously hurt doing this) and also, rather naively, that there was going to be chumming (they added something like 10 tuna heads from a container underwater, which changes the behaviour of the sharks). For sure there are other benefits to be considered, such as the employment provided (the community on Beqa Island is a environmentally friendly one and is heavily supported by the diving) and the generation of funds that helps protect the area, but its worth weighing these up in your decision
For so many divers its all about seeing a specific thing, like certain sharks, a giant coral wall, or a cave, but sometimes you just want a shallow dive along a beautiful reef with good visibility and in a chilled out tropical beach place. Balicasag Island, just off Panglao, is the later. Very nice spot
Top tips:
- Dive Sites – we dived the Royal Garden, with a max depth of around 25m and great for seeing turtles, and Rudy’s Rock, with a similar max depth and a rock wall to explore
- Stay on Pangalao Island – Tagbilaran didn’t look too appealing. Aim instead to stay on Pangalao Island. We splurged a bit and stayed at the South Palms Resort, which was great and would recommend
- Bohol – if in the surrounding area, be sure to explore the Chocolate Hills in the centre of Bohol by quad bike and see the Tarsiers, the world’s smallest primate – see Quad-biking through the Bohol Chocolate hills for further tips on this experience
- Getting to Bohol from Cebu City is relatively straightforward, but its not a bad idea to ask your hotel / hostel to help you with getting the ferry tickets you want
- See if you can visit Malapascua Island – you’ll most likely be flying into Cebu. If so, and you are a diver, be sure to head up to one of the other idyllic paradises of Malapascua Island ,which is the only place in the world you can dive with Thresher Sharks – see Diving with Thresher Sharks at Malapascua Island for further tips on this experience
Malapascua Island is the only place in the world where you can regularly see Thresher Sharks – a 6m long shark that has a very distinctive long sloping tail used to stun fish during hunting and, as they usually live at 350m / 1150ft, are very rare to see. This makes it a real must for divers, but Malapascua is also an idyllic small tropical island to relax on – certainly worth checking out as part of a broader Cebu trip if a non-diver
I remember when returning from my first long trip around South East Asia, that the place that most stuck in my mind as meeting the expectations of island paradise was Ko Phi Phi. It had white sand beaches, stunning jungle interiors, coral reefs just off the beach and tall jagged karst hills jutting out throughout. In the middle of all that you had the wonderful Thai people and Thai food, the ease of travelling, plenty of options nearby for world-class diving and, of course, THAT world-famous beach
That experience is still there to be had, but you just need to plan it a bit more to avoid what, unfortunately, has become a bit of a mess in various parts of the town as the development has been allowed to run riot. The effect is that large parts of the islands won’t give you that island paradise vibe and, also unfortunately, THAT famous beach is often closed to allow it to recover from what has been years of damage
(I decided, frustratingly, to lose most of my photos from my trip, so this is a very short travel entry)
So, my key tips for giving yourself the best chance of that paradise vibe:
- Aim for the east coast or Hat Yao area. It’ll take you longer to get there by speed boat, but once you’re there it’ll be worth it and, to be honest if you’ve chosen the right place, you’ll probably want to stay there and just enjoy for a few days
- Make sure to still take one of the day trips to Ko Phi Leh (Ko Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Lei are the 2 islands that make up Ko Phi Phi). Whilst THAT beach may be closed, the island itself is still beautiful and untouched by development
- Hike the 30mins up to the Phi Phi viewpoint as it will give you unbeatable views around the island and a chance to go for a bit of an explore
- Give yourself a day or two for scuba diving. There are beautiful reefs nearby and the chance for whale sharks in February and March
- Include Koh Phi Phi as the centre part of a trip between Phuket and Krabi – Phuket for its beaches and sophisticated restaurants, hotels and partying / lash; Krabi for the kayaking by the impossibly steep karst towers on the beach. Boats run super regularly from both spots and only take 1.5-2 hours
