Author Archives: Sarah
Swakopmund & Cape Town 23-24 March 2024 & Epilogue
March 23 Swakopmund – Cape Town As our flight to Cape Town would depart at 5 pm, we had a morning tour of Swakopmund a pretty city on the coast of western Namibia, about 35km from Walvis Bay. Founded in 1892 as the main harbour for German South West Africa, Swakopmund with a population of … Continue reading
Remote Atlantic Islands & Namibia 10-23 March 2024
March 10-12 Sailing to Tristan da Cunha Archipelago (1388NM) The weather is the king of the sea: we sailed on in search of the calm sea and sped ahead to reach the Tristan Archipelago where fine weather would expected as per weather forecast. Nature is incredible: no one knows what is installed ahead. On March … Continue reading
Silver Cloud March 2-10, 2024
Why this Expedition? This Silver Cloud expedition with 203 passengers onboard and an expedition team of 27 goes from Puerto Williams, Chile to Walvis Bay, Namibia from March 2 to 23. During this 22-day Atlantic journey, passengers would spend about ten days visiting the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, three islands in the Tristan Archipelago (Gough … Continue reading
Chile: Santiago 27 February – 2 March 2024
Why Chile? Chile is adorable. I first visited Chile in February 1999 before embarking on my first expedition to Antarctica. In 2013, I stopped over briefly for three days and visited Valparaiso. I returned in 2017 (March 3-18) for a hiking trip to Ojos del Salado. I have come for the fourth time because of … Continue reading
Brazil: Salvador & Boipeda 20-26 February 2024
Why Salvador and Boipeda? Salvador, founded in 1549 by Tome de Sousa, is the capital city of the state of Bahia known for its cuisine, music, architecture, Afro-Brazilian culture and carnival and a perfect end point of my trip to northeast Brazil. Boipeda , a small island (a part of the Cairu Archipelago with an … Continue reading
Brazil: Fernando de Noronha 16-19 February 2024
I have not heard of Fernando de Noronha (some 350km off the Brazilian coast and 500km from Recife) before I planned this trip. I discover this archipelago, a World Heritage Site, has become a popular destination for the Brazilians. As the Azul air flies there, I have been able to visit this island with my … Continue reading
Brazil: Recife & Olinda Carnival 12-15 February 2024
Brazil is most famous for its annual carnival in Rio. However, I am more interested in the festivities in the ancient colonial cities of Recife and Olinda known for their cultural heritage, colours and tradition. Frevo representing the main event of the carnivals and an energetic dance with frantic musical rhythms, is an important political … Continue reading
Brazil: São Luís & Fortazela 5-11 February, 2024
São Luís (5-9 February 2024) Located on the Saint Louis’ Island in the Saint Mark’s Bay bordering the Atlantic Ocean, São Luís, the only Brazilian state capital founded by France, is the capital and the largest city in the state of Maranhão. Its historic centre dating from the 17th century city, is a World Heritage … Continue reading
Brazil: Amazon River & Belem 31 January – 4 February 2024
The Amazon River The 6,400km-long River is the world’s largest river by discharge volume of water and longest river system passing through Brazil, Columbia, Peru and Venezuela with Brazil holding by far the largest portion of the River. The headwaters of the Mantaro River in Peru is considered Amazon’s most distant source and the Solimoes … Continue reading
Puerto Rico & Manaus, Brazil 23 – 30 January 2024
San Juan (23-24 January) The second destination of my journey is Amazon and northeast Brazil. In order to reach Manaus, I bought a ticket that first flew to San Juan for one night before catching an Avianca flight to Manaus via Bogota. This one-way ticket was only expensive but has given me a bad experience. … Continue reading