Tag: Waterfalls

Walking Horton Plains to World’s End

Horton Plains National Park is a plateau sitting over 2000m / 6500 ft in the centre of Sri Lanka between the 2nd and 3rd highest peaks in the country.  It’s often called out as being one the of highlights of Sri Lanka because of World’s End, a 880m / 2900 ft sharp drop at the end of the walking route, that gives good views of the valley below when the clouds part

 

I’d probably hold back on calling it a highlight of Sri Lanka though for two reasons – 1. World’s End isn’t all that impressive.  Yes, it’s a drop into the nearby valley, but the valley is fairly basic and not that much better than some of the steep valleys you see in the likes of Ella and even more generally on the train through the Tea Country; 2. The Horton Plains landscape is mild undulating hills with a few small rivers, which is nice, but nothing more than that.  Combine it with the cold and general wet, and you’re getting more autumn Scotland, less tropical Sri Lanka

 

That being said, it is a nice walk, I really enjoyed it.  Just manage expectations.  A few tips to help:

 

 

1. The weather – good and bad. I went in mid December, which is dry season and supposed to be the best chance for clear views … but the hill country is very unpredictable and tends to be wet so it was raining most of the time I was there (bad) … but the plains tend to be clearer than the surrounding areas (good).  I didn’t quite believe this at first, but it was certainly true for me – the whole journey up was super misty and raining, but around 10mins into the walk it cleared up significantly

 

2. They say go super early. This is for 3 reasons: 1. Chance to see the sunrise; 2. Chance to see leopards – it’s a long shot (although we missed one by 30 seconds as a guy who’d been waiting to see one for 5 days saw one walking along the road at 730am just before us); 3. Better chance of Worlds End being a clear view – you should aim to get there before 830am ish.  So, assuming you’re not bothered about the sunrise, a 6am start from Nawara Eliya is best (1.15hrs drive, 15mins faff with tickets, 1 hour walk from the entrance to Horton Plains to World’s End)

 

3. The walk – it’s a 9km loop. It’s more strenuous than the guidebooks and locals make out – mostly either uphill or downhill. Very doable in 2hrs quickly or 3 hours if going slow. 13k steps, equivalent of 56 floors climbed 

 

4. Where to stay – stay in one of the towns nearby such as Nuwara Eliya (see Staying in Nuwara Eliya’s “Little England’), or at a stretch Ella (see The Hill Country Village of Ella) which is a bit further. There is nothing around Horton Plains 

 

5. Cost (in Dec 2022) – US$40 entrance fee (it says US$25, but in Sri Lanka they tend to add all sorts of extras); transport US$40 (although in sure you could haggle down)

 

 

Hiking and swimming Wadi Shab

Wadi Shab is a large gorge that makes its way from the Eastern Hajar Mountains to meet the Arabian Sea.  Purely for looking at it is beautiful – steep arid dramatic sides rising above and crystal clear turquoise water rushing through the streams and irrigation channels that cross all through the gorge (and are actually UNESCO World Heritage sites on their own).  But, the main reason the trip is so cool and worth the visit is the mini adventure of hiking and then swimming through the warm water of the gorge to find the partly submerged cave with small waterfall at the end.  Great fun

Top tip – get there early.  I arrived at 745am and had the walk and swim into the gorge completely to myself, which was magical.  The way back I counted maybe 50 people passing me, which would have been a very different vibe and suggests that groups arrive around 9am.  The small boats that transport you the first 2-3 mins across the water start at 7am (1 Omani Rial / USD2.5), so you can start anytime from then

How much time is needed – the guides say 4 hours, but I think you only need 2-3 hours – 45mins to walk to the start of swim, 30mins for the swim (wading / swimming / standing – not all swimming!), and then a bit shorter on the way back.  I was back on the small boats after 2 hours and wasn’t at all rushing

What to bring – because the swim is at the end, I reckon you could get by without a dry bag or water shoes because you can just leave your dry stuff at the start of the swim.  That being said, the adventure feel of taking the dry bag with me through the swim was fun

The gap into the partly submerged cave at the end is very small!  I turned up, on my own, not knowing there was a cave or a small gap – quite the moment deciding to go for it!

You don’t need a guide – it’s a very straightforward route and not really worth the OR25 / USD65

Where to stay – Wadi Shab Resort was basic (most places are in Oman) but really nice with immediate access to the pebble beach where you can spot sea turtles

PR3 hike from Ermelo to Figas de Ermelo

If you’re staying around the Duoro, or maybe Porto, I’d really recommend this 5 hour roundtrip hike from the beautiful mountain town of Ermelo to the waterfalls in the heart of the Alvao National Park.  Clearly signposted all the way, you’ll get some great views over the nearby mountains, walk through some of the gorgeous forest and reward yourself at the top with a swim in the natural pools and waterfalls.  Best of all, you’ll have it largely to yourself as, from what I saw, there are only see a few people along the way

Overall a great hike for a break away from the various wine tours!

7/8 week itinerary for the highlights of South East Asia

South East Asia has to be the premier world traveling region.  A big call?  For sure, but consider what genuinely world class offerings it can provide:

 

  • World class beaches and coastal areas – think of THAT beach in Ko Phi Phi and HaLong Bay, one of the Natural Wonders of the World
  • World class food – think Thai, Vietnamese, Malay and the genuine fusion into the mix with the large established Indian and Chinese communities
  • World class ancient sites and history – think of the temples of the “8th Wonder of the World” of Angkor Wat, and the breathtaking site of the pagodas stretching across the plain in Bagan
  • World class cities and party locations – think of Singapore as the city of the future and the Full Moon Parties on Ko Pha-Ngan

 

And all this in a place that is super safe, outrageously friendly, easy and cheap to travel in.  A must for any keen traveler and the below itinerary will give you the highlights – enjoy!

2 days in Singapore

Similar to Hong Kong and Bangkok, Singapore is a place that people tend to pass through rather than visit purely for the city on its own.  But, just like those cities, Singapore is really worth the stop over for a night or two.  More than anything it’s great just to see what the “model city” could look like – wandering around has the combo feel of Disney Land / Truman Show / Stepford Wives meets tropical island functional finance hub, and it all … well … works very very well. Always worth a trip into the future

 

I’ve listed below the top 5 things I really enjoyed doing, plus some extra tips

 

6 months trip of a lifetime around Latin America

My girlfriend and I went on a 6month trip around Latin America (excluding Brazil).  Started in the far South in the Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and, broadly, made our way up the west coast to the Yucatan Peninsular of Mexico.  Best large scale trip I’ve done, and wanted to share the overall itinerary and tips here to hopefully help those who are considering something similar

A few high level points:

  • Other than the flights there and the first hotel, there were only three things we booked in advance: the Inca Trail (which we knew we needed to for permits); plus for Patagonia a trip through Torres del Paine National Park and a ferry through the fjords (as we were going at peak season and only a couple of weeks after we landed).  Everything else, we booked when in Latin America and, in our opinion, that is the best way to do it – gives you the freedom to relax in the places you find that you love and be super flexible to do what you want to do
  • Total costs – my girlfriend and I went in our 30s, with no kids and on sabbaticals from work.  We’re not poor, but certainly not mega wealthy.  We didn’t stay in super expensive hotels (other than for the occasional splurge), flew economy and used a bit of common sense for timings of certain expensive items, but never held back on doing the things we wanted to do.  Some examples of big ticket items: US$5k for a week diving in the remote Wolf & Darwin Islands in the Galapagos; US$1.2k for 4 days in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia; US$800 for a helicopter trip to see the El Mirador Mayan ruins in the Guatemalan jungle; US$700 for the Inca Trail.  Total cost of the whole trip was US$34k each.  This included all flights, transport, hotels, activities, food, drink, guides, screwing things up, credit card fees – the lot.  Expensive, but so are most Experiences of a Lifetime
  • It’s not about trying to “do everything” – in a place as large as Latin America, you couldn’t even if you tried – so don’t think of things as a big tick box exercise.  Brazil, for example, we knew we couldn’t do justice whilst also trying to enjoy all the other amazing places we’d heard of, so left it for next time
  • In the similar vain, make sure you give yourself big chunks of time to chill out.  Not only to recharge the batteries, but also because most places are enjoyed when you spend time to soak up the feel for the place.  There were some places . . . like Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Isla Mujeres in Mexico, Bocas del Toro in Panama . . . where I could have spent weeks there just because the general vibe of the place was so wonderful
  • Safety – we weren’t robbed, but many people do either having a bag stolen or, unpleasantly, get robbed face to face.  Other than a couple of cities, we generally felt super safe the places we went and tried to just apply common sense to reduce our risks
  • Learn a bit of Spanish before you go – the app DuoLingo was great for getting us to a basic level that made a lot of difference.  But also don’t be afraid to pull out google for simultaneous conversation translations to really be able to have a conversation with someone – some long trips became some of our highlights just from being able to properly talk with the driver / locals.  I particularly remember a long taxi ride in Colombia where we went back and forward for 2 hours with the driver on everything from his home town to politics to football to his favourite movies to his family problems- never could have done that without Spanish or google.  In a similar vein, and using the right level of common sense, don’t turn down an invite for drinks / dinner / house visit with locals.  There are some truly unforgettable natural and cultural spots to see, but similarly an evening with a local family will be something likely to be just as unforgettable
  • Whenever checking out a place or must-do-site, its easy to get templed / churched / ancient site / beached out.  Always do a very basic bit of research to see if there is a more out of the ordinary way to experience it – by bike / drinking tour / kayaking / helicopter / whatever.  Thats what we tried to do, and I hope it reflected in some of the cool stuff listed below

Semuc Champey all to yourself

In central Guatemala, the Cahabon River bumps its way along a series of limestone mini bridges and caves to produce a little bit of jungle paradise.  Whilst it is quite a distance from Guatemala’s other star attractions such as Lake Atitlan (see the travel entry 3 days relaxing and diving by the beautiful Lake Atitlan for more details) and Antigua (see Soaking up Antigua) in the west and Tikal (see Mayan ruins of Tikal) in the east, the bright greens of the jungle mixed in with the whites of the mountain clouds and the turquoise blues of the water make Semuc Champey one of the most beautiful spots in the country and a perfect spot to visit as part of a 10 day trip around Guatemala (see here at Itinerary for 10 wonderful days in Guatemala for the itinerary)

Two big tips – get there for when the park opens to avoid the crowds (we had the place to ourselves); and don’t try to drive up the road from Lanquin when raining (seriously, it becomes a gushing river)

Camping in Corcovado National Park

Even in a country that prides itself for its abundance of wildlife, Corcovado National Park stands out in Costa Rica as the premier wilderness experience.  The park’s sheer size, remoteness and restricted number of visitors means that your group will often feel like you have the park to yourself to go adventuring.  And with the the diversity, concentration of wildlife and stunning views, you’re unlikely to be disappointed

A word of warning though – this is walking and camping in a remote rainforest.  Getting there alone takes the best part of a day from the more connected parts of the country and, although the campsites are clean and the guides incredibly helpful, the facilities are basic.  So, get yourself ready for . . . well . . . camping in the jungle ie hot, wet, muddy . . . but a fantastic experience and, in my opinion, the highlight of Costa Rica

Driving Argentina’s Seven Lakes drive from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes

The Lake District area of Argentina really is beautiful.  Not quite as dramatic as down in Patagonia or as mind-blowing as that in Peru, but a more picture-perfect countryside that you could imagine a couple of hobbits living out their days in

I found in particular the Chico Circuit by Bariloche a fantastic experience (details – Cycling and drinking craft beers around the Chico Circuit in Bariloche), but for the route from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes I was unfortunately a bit underwhelmed.  It’s probably because our expectations were so high after seeing the wonders in this part of the world, but either way we found ourselves less having an amazing experience and more just having a pleasant drive

For sure this would be a great place to completely relax for a few days, enjoy the scenery by one of the lakes and go for some easy walks through the forest, and I would stress that Bariolche and its immediate surroundings are a highlight of this part of the world, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to make the drive from Villa la Angostura to San Martin de los Andes

Bali – in and around Seminyak / Kuta

Kuta and Seminyak are the places that most first time travellers to Bali spend their time looking for that idyllic beach vibe.  Problem is that they are becoming super commercialised and, to be honest, the beaches can be a little underwhelming compared to others in the region mainly because of the sheer number of fellow tourists and amount of plastic waste.  My tip would be to spend your time either to the south in the Uluwatu area for  some truly beautiful spots and to visit UluWatu itself and Padang Padang Beach, or just to the north in Cangu, which has a similar beach to Kuta and Seminyak but is worlds apart in vibe

 

All that being said, Seminyak in particular is worth some day trip visits as it has some truly world class restaurants and beach bars – Potato Head is in my view the best beach bar in the world, with Kudeta not far behind.  Sardines, Sarong and Mehra Putih are restaurants I’d also really recommend.  And . . . if you must . . . visit Kuta if you’re on a stag do or just generally want some dirty lash