Wednesday 19/08/2020 Clover Hill Road, Clover Hill, Rainbow Falls, Macquarie Rivulet
Macquarie Pass National Park, NSW
Tharawal country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
On a day with afternoon rain forecast a short local walk was in order. Sue was keen to explore Macquarie Pass so off we headed.
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Friday 14/08/2020 Belmore Falls – Fitzroy Falls
Morton National Park, NSW
Tharawal country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
We may have been a little late but after an east coast low dropped a lot of rain over the area recently, we thought it would be a good time to revisit these waterfalls and check out all the walking available around them.
Monday 3/08/2020 Kembla Lookout – Mount Kembla Ring Track – Mount Kembla Summit Track
Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area, NSW
Tharawal country
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos, Report), Sue Davies
Sitting on the edge of the Illawarra Escarpment directly above Farmborough Heights and Mount Kembla this combination of walks gets you into the bush very quickly from anywhere in the Wollongong area. Two or three hours should be enough to see most people have an enjoyable walk, taking in the bush, some history and fantastic views.
25/6/2019 – 28/6/2019 Vaqueria – Quebrada de Paria – Taulipampa – Llamacorral – Cashapampa
Santa Cruz Hike, Corderilla Blanca, PERU
Distance: 82km Total Ascent: 8,500m Total Descent: 9,300m Time: 25 hours
(Inaccurate distance & ascent/descents due to gps reception errors during day 3)
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Elva Marcos Campos (guide), Emilio Gloria Arevalo (cook) Javier valdivia Melo (donkey driver)
This is a popular walk in the Corderilla Blanca and can be organised through several trekking companies or walked independently. There are buses that travel to the trailhead. This is a stunning mountainous area of Peru yet it is in the tropics about 9 degrees south of the equator.
Saturday 24/06/2019 Laguna 69
Huascarán National Park, PERU
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Elva Marcos Campos (guide)
This incredible day walk can be accessed from Huaraz by a four hour bus trip or three hours by private car. We chose the latter more expensive option along with a guide which was not really necessary. However, it enhanced our experience having a local give us information along the way. All the lakes in the Huascarán National Park are numbered and there are at least 300 of them. This is number 69.
Sunday 23/06/2019 Laguna Churup
Huascarán National Park, PERU
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Elva Marcos Campos (guide)
Laguna Churup is a popular but relatively uncrowded walk which is reasonably close to Huraraz. It is not necessary to have a guide for this walk but a private car needs to be organised for drop off and pick up. National park entry fees of 30 soles (about $13) per person needs to be paid at the car park. The toilet costs 1 sole (about 40c).
Saturday 22/06/2019 Quilcayhuanca Valley
Huascarán National Park, PERU
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
This walk was recommended as an initial acclimatisation walk after arriving in Huaraz at 3,092m as it reaches an altitude of just under 4,000m and is relatively flat. As there is no public transport available into the area we organised a private car to transport us each way from Huaraz.
18/4/2018 – 5/5/2018 Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley
NEPAL
Distance: 362km Total Ascent: 35,900m Total Descent: 34,800m Time: 123 hours
NB: The GPS tracking results of distance, ascents and descents on this trek with its very deep valleys and surrounding high peaks is highly exaggerated, see my Track Info!
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report), Kaka Dural (Porter), Emily Jayne, Prabin Kumar Karki (Guide), Ralston Keyt, Sarah Keyt, Pawan Nepali (Porter), Ravi Phuyal (Porter), Rosan Rai (Assistant Guide), Wendy Young
At 8,163m the impressive Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world. Meaning “mountain of the spirit” it’s name is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “intellect” or “soul”. This trek is considered to a less crowded alternative to the more popular Everest Base camp or Annapurna circuit treks.
As with most treks in Nepal, it starts and finishes in Kathmandu. It is mandatory to have a guide on the Manaslu circuit, we had a very positive experience with Kathmandu based Himilayan Encounters.
This trek provides geographical and cultural diversity and when also completing the Tsum valley, provides an insight into remote Nepali village life.
The diversity of the scenery was remarkable over the 18 days of the walk, from subtropical jungle to the desolate and cold Larkya La pass at 5,160m. Stunning alpine scenery, unique remote villages and beautiful Tibetan Buddhist monasteries all combine to make this one of the best treks in Nepal.
23/03/2017 Martial Glacier
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, ARGENTINA
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
The Martial Glacier is only a few kilometres from the city centre of Ushuaia and offers a pleasant half day walk with good views back to the coast and Ushuaia. It is possible to walk from the town but we drove up to the chairlift at the base of the walk. Continue reading
24/3/2017 Lake Lapataia – Lago Roca – Cerro Guanaco
Tierra del Fuego National Park, ARGENTINA
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
The Cerro Guanco trail is the longest of the day walks in the Tierra del Fuego National Park near Ushuaia, Argentina. The walk promises outstanding views of the Fuegian mountains and peat bogs and on this occasion it did not disappoint. The park is twelve kilometres outside of Ushuaia and we drove our hire car to the trailhead. Bus transport is available from Ushuaia. Continue reading
1/03/2017 – 11/03/2017 The O Circuit
Torres del Paine National Park, CHILE
Distance: 196km Total Ascent: 9100m Total Descent: 9100m Time: 73 hours
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
The Torres del Paine circuit, otherwise known as “The O Circuit”, is considered one of the world’s truly great treks. The route includes the shorter “W” Circuit, side trips to the iconic towers or “Torres”, the beautiful Valle Frances, crossing over the Paso John Gardner and the expansive Grey Glacier. The walk is situated in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, at the southern tip of the South American continent, in the area known as Patagonia. The park sits on the edge of the Southern Patagonian ice field, the largest sheet of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica.
The start of the walk can be reached from the southern town of Puerto Natales with regular buses travelling to the park during the walking season from late November to late April. Direct flights to Puerto Natales are available twice weekly from Santiago with Sky Airlines. Continue reading
16/03/2017 Viedma Glaciar
Southern Patagonian Ice Field, ARGENTINA
Participants: Stephen Davies (Photos), Sue Davies (Report)
The Viedma Glaciar is a large glacier in Argentina that is part of the Southern Patagonian ice field. The closest town is El Chalten. This day trip was an incredible adventure that was a highlight of our trip to Patagonia. Continue reading