Guest blogger: Nick Snakenberg of Denver Botanic Gardens For several travelers in our group, today is the day we’ve been looking forward to since we first signed up for this trip. Today we will receive a guided tour of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel grounds to see the hundreds of orchid plants and flowers […]
Read PostIn October 2011, I traveled to Chiapas, Mexico for the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s Annual World Summit. While there, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo (“Pati”) between seminars. Martha “Pati” Ruiz Corzo is the founder of Sierra Gorda Ecological Group and former federal Director of Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in […]
Read PostGuest Blogger: Nick Snakenberg of Denver Botanic Gardens I have wanted to visit Machu Picchu since I first glimpsed a photo of it in my 4th grade geography text book. Today, along with the rest of our tireless group, I would get that opportunity. Construction of Machu Picchu is believed to have started around 1440 although […]
Read PostEarly last month, the US State Department updated its travel advisory for Mexico. This version is broader and more detailed than those in the past and it lists specific areas that should be avoided by travelers. Less than a week later, Mexico’s Tourism Board reported a record number of foreign visitors in 2011. More than […]
Read PostGuest Blogger: Nick Snakenberg of Denver Botanic Gardens After a quick breakfast at our hotel, our adventurous group of travelers loaded a bus and began a day of exploration of the Urubamba Sacred Valley. After following the UrubambaRiver out of Cusco, we began climbing along a new highway to Cuyuni Pass, a mountain peak at […]
Read PostGuest Blogger: Nick Snakenberg from Denver Botanic Gardens Our second day of discovery begins with a flight to Cusco, the historical capital of the Inca Empire. We had time to rest and adjust to the high altitude (over 11,000 feet) before meeting our guide Carlos Seminario (a Cusco native) and beginning a tour of the […]
Read PostGuest Blogger: Nick Snakenberg of Denver Botanic Gardens In mid-February a group of Denver Botanic Gardens’ supporters and I began an exciting journey to Peru, spending time in each of the three major climate zones – the coastal desert, mountainous Andes highlands, and the rainforest of eastern Peru. Over the next several weeks, I will […]
Read PostFrom May to September, whale sharks congregate in the nutrient-rich blue waters off the coast of Isla Mujeres, Mexico. In 2009, the Mexican government designated the Whale Shark Biosphere Reserve (Reserva de la Biosfera Tiburón Ballena) to help protect this important feeding area for whale sharks. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world […]
Read PostOn my last trip to Africa from the US, a change in flight schedules resulted in long layovers at Frankfurt International Airport of more than 8 hours on both flight rotations. That left plenty of time to kill between flights so I had to think of ways to make the most of the situation. Hopefully, […]
Read Post
