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Author Archive | Gilles Barbier

The Chauchilla Cemetery

A Photo Essay

Ica-Chincha Mummies found in the Chauchilla Cemetery ... near Nazca, Peru

Ica-Chincha Mummies found in the Chauchilla Cemetery … near Nazca, Peru

A sight less often visited in Nasca is the Cemetery of Chauchilla, a truly groovy place about 25 km north of Nasca right in the desert. The cemetery was used by the Ica-Chincha, a civilization that lived in this region long before it was conquered by other cultures, the last one the Inca, who also used this cemetery. Scientists estimate that there might be 2000 graves, but only about ten were fully excavated and restored. Continue Reading →

Trekking Mount Roraima

A Photo Essay

Trekking Mount Roraima, the highest Tepui or Tabletop Mountain, Venezuela - A rare view of Mount Roraima in the rain season

Trekking Mount Roraima, the highest Tepui or Tabletop Mountain, Venezuela – A rare view of Mount Roraima in the rain season

Trekking Mount Roraima was definitely one of the highlights of our trip in Venezuela, but it was also the toughest 6 days we ever had during a trip. This had to do with the fact that we were untrained and that the weather conditions were partly extremely difficult. Continue Reading →

Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine

Trekking the “W”

Los Cuernos del Paine, view from a boat on a trip to Pehoe

Torres del Paine is South America’s most visited National Park, with more than 200.000 visitors per year. It covers an area of 181.000 hectares and is on every tourist’s itinerary who is visiting Chile or southern Argentina. Continue Reading →

Argentina – A Selection Of 47 Pictures

Southern Right Whale or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina

We spent 74 days in Argentina, Chile & Uruguay and 54 in Argentina alone: since major points of interests are in nearby places in Chile or Uruguay, travelling in Argentina most certainly means crossing the borders into these countries. In Argentina, we visited most of the classical tourist destinations: Buenos Aires, Misiones, Iguazu, the Andean Northwest, Mendoza, Peninsula Valdez, the Lake District, Southern Patagonia with El Calafate & El Chalten, and Tierra del Fuego. Add to this Chiloe, the cruise between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine & Punta Arenas in Chile and Colonia & Montevideo in Uruguay, and we can say we almost visited it all! Continue Reading →

Bolivia – A Selection Of 46 Pictures

Andean Flamingos, Laguna Colorada, South West Bolivia

We simply fell in love with Bolivia … We planned to stay four weeks and spent almost seven there, which forced us to completely change the route for the rest of the trip! We visited Copacabana & Lake Titicaca; La Paz; Rurrenabaque, Madidi National Park & La Pampa; Death Road & Coroico; Sucre; Potosi; Tupiza; Uyuni & the Southwest Loop to the Salar de Uyuni.

Continue Reading →

Carnaval de Gualeguaychu

The dancers were a swaying sea of colours of elaborately designed costumes, headdresses made of feathers and beads, more beadwork for ankles, necks, belly and wrists. The costumes can be made of lots of material or of very, very little, Carneval of Gualeyguachu, Argentina

The dancers were a swaying sea of colours of elaborately designed costumes, headdresses made of feathers and beads, more beadwork for ankles, necks, belly and wrists. The costumes can be made of lots of material or of very, very little, Carneval of Gualeguaychu, Argentina

“The greatest parade in Argentina and one of the three most famous carnivals of Latino-America” that is how this carnival promotes itself. Although we lack the expertise to verify this, we definitely can say that it was very, very impressive and a lot of fun. We definitely would recommend everybody to do the trip while it is still kind of an informal event. Tours from Buenos Aires, only 3 hours south, especially for foreign tourists, just started last year! Continue Reading →

Iguazu Falls – A Photo Essay

View form a helicopter, Iguazu Falls, Brazil

View form a helicopter, Iguazu Falls, Brazil

No matter how many waterfalls you have seen in your life, these leave the most experienced travelers mumbling all kinds of words of excitement when you finally stand in front of “Garganta del Diablo” or Salto San Martin. This place was definitely one of the highlights of our trip through South America. These are some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, far more impressive than Niagara Falls, for example. Continue Reading →

Peninsula Valdéz – Whale Watching

A Photo Essay

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

The Peninsula Valdéz is one of South America most popular national parks, with 80.000 visitors a year, which is for instance ten times more than in the beautiful and very pristine Madidi National Park in the Amazon Basin in Bolivia. With 3.600 square kilometers and especially 400 kilometers of coast, it is home to many species like sea lions, the only colony of sea elephants on a continent apart from Antarctica, graceful guanacos, Magellanic Penguins and the endangered Ballena Franca Austral or Southern Right Whale, to only name some of the species we could spot, and of course many kinds of birds … Continue Reading →