Two Backpackers

KanBa River Caves of Guatemala

| by Aracely on March 8th, 2010 | 2 Comments » | Adventures, Central America, Guatemala

KanBa Caves courtesy of semucchampey.com

Like our visit to Semuc Champey, we had no idea what we were getting into prior to leaving for our tour.  This point is echoed throughout most of our Guatemalan journeys.  The KanBa Caves are only a short walk from the metal bridge that spans Cahabón River. (more…)

Mud Bath in Volcano Totumo, Colombia

| by Aracely on February 7th, 2010 | 10 Comments » | Adventures, Colombia, South America

Scott, Aracely & Jason at the Mud Volcano of Totumo

Just an hour outside of Cartagena, Colombia you can visit Volcano Totumo and experience a volcanic mud bath.

We booked our tour through our hostal, Casa Viena.  The cost was $20 USD and it included transportation to the volcano, entrance fee, and a snack. When we arrived, our van pulled up next to a hill about 50 feet tall (15M).  We were all eager to have some fun in the mud! (more…)

Volcano Boarding in Leon, Nicaragua

| by Aracely on October 27th, 2009 | 14 Comments » | Adventures, Central America, Nicaragua

Volcano Boarding on Cerro Negro

It had been a long travel day for us; we spent 9 hours on the road on six different buses and crossed two land borders.  Jason and I were relaxing over drinks at Big Foot Hostel Bar in Leon, Nicaragua when we noticed a sign that read, “Volcano Boarding Top Speeds.”  It had two lists of names.  One list of females and the other for men.  Each list had a speed associated with the name.  We asked our friendly bar tender and hostel attendant, Alberto, “What’s Volcano Boarding?”  He smiled and pointed to some pictures on the wall of people wearing orange jumpsuits, goggles and each were holding what looked like laminated wooden boards.  “Why don’t you guys sign up and find out,” he said, “You’ll love it.”  So we did. (more…)

Lost in a Volcano Crater

| by Jason on October 25th, 2009 | 11 Comments » | Adventures, Central America, El Salvador

Laguna de Alegría

While staying in Alegría, El Salvador it’s necessary to visit Laguna de Alegría, a green hot spring fed sulfur lake inside the crater of volcano Tecapa that exudes mysticism.  From Alegría’s town center you can easily walk 45 minutes in sandals along a cobblestone road or hire a guide to take you on a 2-hour hike up and over the crater’s ridge then down to the lakes edge.  Of course, Aracely and I opted for the hike.  Our hostel recommended a local 21 year old to guide us with complete confidence. (more…)

Seven Waterfalls in Juayúa, El Salvador

| by Aracely on October 13th, 2009 | 2 Comments » | Adventures, Central America, El Salvador

Seven Waterfalls Tour

When we decided to begin our journey in Central America, El Salvador was the country we decided to avoid.  The decision was not based on any specific reason, we simply preferred a more direct route south and planned to travel from Guatemala to Honduras to Nicaragua and onwards.  However, with Honduras’ current political instability, which is causing some border issues, we decided to take a detour through El Salvador instead. (more…)