Perfect 3 days on Lake Geneva and Lausanne

Lake Geneva is a perfect stopover before or after your hike in the French/Swiss Alps. If you are flying through Geneva, add this quick itinerary to your trip.

DAY 1 – Arrive Lausanne

Arive Lausanne by train.

Take the metro for one stop to Lausanne-Flon and walk to the Lausanne Palace Hotel, Rue du Grand-Chêne 7-9, 1002 Lausanne, Switzerland

Explore the beautiful town of Lausanne! Try a fondue at the Giraffe Bar.


DAY 2 – The Olympic Museum, City Tour, Wine Tasting, Paddle Wheel on Lake Geneva

Take the metro and walk to The Olympic Museum. Arrive at the museum by 10:30am at the latest to have plenty of time to visit the museum and the gardens.

Make a reservation at the TOM Café at The Olympic Museum for the brunch.

After brunch, take a guided city tour of Lausanne.

Hop on the 15h33 train to Grandvaux for a Wine Tasting at La Croix Duplex.

Descend through the vineyards to Cully.

17h30 – 18h05: Cruise on a CGN boat to Lausanne-Ouchy.


DAY 3 – Rochers-de-Nave and Chillon Castle

Today is for Rochers-de-Naye and Chillon Castle. You are free to choose your own schedule as no reservations are needed.

When you arrive at Montreux station on your way to Rochers-de-Naye, you need to get tickets from the MOB ticket counter on the mezzanine level before boarding your train.

Take a trail to the Veytaux-Chillon station and walk to the Chillon Castle (or take a bus).

After the visit of the castle, take bus 201 or just walk to the Montreux Casino and visit the Queen Studio Experience (inside the casino, free). Then walk along the lake to the pier (there is a boat back to Lausanne at 18:10 and it takes 1 hour) or to the train station (there are trains every 10-20 minutes). Montreux has many restaurants along the water and one block up.


DAY 4 – Depart

Train transfer to Geneva Airport.

Posted in Travel Advice | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Palazzo Nazarene

This is an old nunnery with 55 rooms, which are all suites.

There are Junior suites, Inca Wall suites, and View suites. Rooms have an espresso machine, minibar (free), butler service, 2 kinds of robes, pillow menu, and 1 king bed or 2 twin beds. Roll-away beds are available for kids.

There are 2 courtyards. One is a “secret” courtyard filled with herbs and white cedar that was planted from a seedling of the Monasterio next door.

The outdoor swimming pool is the only heated and uncovered pool in Cusco. There is also a full spa with steam room.

This is a great 5-Star hotel option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Inkaterra La Casona

The boutique hotel has 11 suites — Patio Suites on the 1st floor, Balcony Suites on the 2nd floor, and 2 extra large Plaza Suites.

Rooms have double sinks, bath robes, slippers, safe, minibar, fireplace, and either 1 king bed or 2 twin beds.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is no bar, but a lovely lounge where they will serve drinks.

The front door is always locked — just use the knocker!

This is a great 5-Star hotel option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Monasterio

The Monasterio is a historic seminary. Inside and to the left is the chapel with original art and spectacular gold leaf. There is a large and beautiful central courtyard with a 330 year old white cedar tree.

It has 122 rooms, and they are all different but with original floors and doors. Superior rooms may have a terrace. Deluxe rooms have a desk. All rooms have a safe, robes, and slippers. Oxygen is pumped into 82 of the rooms.

Breakfast is a buffet from 5am to 1:30am. Dinner is served in the monk’s dining hall. Opera singers perform during dinner on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

There are two massage rooms. Check-in is at 11am and check-out is at 3pm.

This is a great 5-Star hotel option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Novotel

This is about 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas and right next door to the Marriott hotel. The enclosed courtyard is really the highlight of the hotel and makes it one of our top choices. It feels very cozy, and the staff are very attentive.

Rooms have a TV, minibar, work desk, and some have a patio. The rooms around the courtyard are slightly more expensive.

This is a great mid-range hotel option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Marriott

Built in 2012, the Marriott is a converted convent. It has 153 rooms with oxygen, express, minibar, safe, robes, shower, and tub. It is about 2 blocks from the Plaza de Armas and right next door to the Novotel hotel.

The Classic Inca Wall rooms are on levels -1 and -2. Deluxe rooms are on floors 1-4. They all have different views. Some family rooms for 2 kids under 12 years old. Terrace (Superior) rooms have a private terrace, king bed, and face the courtyard (no twins or roll-aways). Suites are 2 rooms together.

Buffet breakfast 6am-10am. Happy hour every afternoon. Check out the Inca Wall exhibition area.

The spa has an indoor heated pool, sauna, jacuzzi, and massage rooms.

There are daily activities including photos with a baby llama, cooking class, and making pisco sours.

This is a great 4-Star hotel option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cusco Hotel – Casa Andina Premium

The Casa Andina has 6 courtyards. Rooms have 1 queen or 2 double beds, robes, slippers, tea, mini-fridge, hair dryer, safe, and reading lights.

Breakfast is a large and interesting buffet, including omelets made to order. There is a bar, lounge, ATM machine, and massages.

It is an extra $45 for a late check-out at 3pm.

This is a great mid-range option for your trip to Peru!

Posted in Peru | Tagged | Leave a comment

Things To Do in Entebbe, Uganda

If you have an afternoon or day to spend in and around Entebbe, there are several areas we can recommend visiting.

  1. Botanical Gardens
  2. Uganda Wildlife Education Center
  3. Mabamba Swamp Visit

1) Botanical Gardens

The Entebbe Botanical Gardens, which border the shore of Lake Victoria, are home to an impressive collection of indigenous forest, shrubs and plants. Laid out in 1898, these expansive gardens are perfect for a leisurely stroll.

The highlights are its pockets of thick rainforest, which locals claim some of the original Tarzan films were made in, and excellent bird-watching with 115 species. You’ll see plenty of monkeys, including black and white colobus, and tree squirrels too. There is also a superb array of birdlife here, ranging from species endemic to the Lake Victoria area (such as the grey kestrel, Jackson’s golden-backed weaver and yellow-throated leaflove) to more widespread species (such as the red-chested sunbird and black-headed gonolek). If you’re lucky, you may even spot a great blue turaco, which are truly magnificent, in the forest areas!

The gardens are also home to tree squirrels and vervet and black-and-white colobus monkeys. This is a lovely place to stroll for a few hours.

It is a 15-minute walk from the hotel and costs about $10/person.

2) Uganda Wildlife Education Center

Another option is the Uganda Wildlife Education Center, commonly misconceived to be a zoo, but actually an animal orphanage that is home to wild animals which have been rehabilitated but cannot be returned to the wild. It’s a good place to see some rare and endangered species, including a pair of black rhino, giant forest hog, chimpanzees, grey-cheeked mangabeys, lion, shoebill and serval.

There is a good curio shop here if you’d like to buy some souvenirs, too.

It is a 15-minute walk from the hotel and costs about $15/person.

3) Mabamba Swamp Visit

Around an hour outside Entebbe is the Mabamba Nature Reserve. You’ll have a guided boat ride in either a traditional canoe or small motorboat. The main attraction is the fiendish-looking shoebill, a member of the stork family that stands over a meter tall. As you negotiate the papyrus waterways, there is also the opportunity to see a number of other birds, such as the blue swallow, the yellow warbler and the papyrus gonolek. There is also the opportunity to go on a guided walk at the reserve to see wildlife that lives closer to the shore.

It is a 45-minute drive from the hotel and costs about $150/person.

Posted in Uganda / Rwanda | Leave a comment

Patagonia W-Trek Mountain Huts

You can stay at mountain hut refugios while hiking on the W-Trek. Here are the available huts:

  • Central Sector
  • Frances (French) Sector
  • Paine Grande Sector
  • Cuernos Sector
  • Chileno Sector

Central Sector

Offering mixed dormitory rooms with bunk beds for 6 people, shared bathrooms, and hot showers. Curl up at night in a warm, fully made bed, equipped with sheets, a pillow and a bed cover.

Strategically located close to the stunning Lake Nordenskjöld and at the beginning of the trail that heads to the famous Las Torres Mountains. This is the primary base to reach the Las Torres Base Viewpoint.

Alternatively, stay at Hotel Las Torres (self-guided treks) or EcoCamp (guided treks).

Open September 12th (camping) and October 20th (mountain hostel).


Frances (French) Sector

Offering mixed dormitory rooms with bunk beds for 6-8 people, shared bathrooms, and hot showers. Sleeping bag required.

This is the primary base to reach the French Valley. The stunning 360 degree views from the outside of this hostel will be beautifully ingrained in your memory forever. Looking around at Lake Nordenskjöld, Mount Paine Grande, Mount Ferrier, Mount Tenerife and the Balmaceda and Chacabuco Mountain Ranges is a humbling and inspiring experience. You’ll likely also see the famous “foehn” winds zipping like little tornadoes of water around the lake, and hear the sounds of avalanches from the Francés Glacier.

Open September 12th (camping) and October 20th (mountain hostel).


Paine Grande Sector

Our refuge has capacity for 100 passengers daily in private rooms with 2, 4 and 6 bunk beds (with mattress cover, pillow and pillowcase). Sleeping bag required.

On the shores of Lake Pehoe there is an incredible refuge, with beautiful views of the Cuernos del Paine and Cerro Paine Grande. It is the starting point of the route to the French Valley and the path to the Grey Glacier.

Paine Grande refuge is open from October to April.


Cuernos Sector

Offering mixed dormitory rooms with bunk beds for 6-8 people, shared bathrooms, and hot showers. Sleeping bag required.

It’s hard to pick favorites in Torres del Paine, but this camp is truly stellar. The Cuernos Mountain Hostel sits under two epic mountains, next to the Lake Nordenskjöld and not far from a powerful, cascading waterfall.

Open December 1st (camping and mountain hostel).


Chileno Sector

Offering mixed dormitory rooms with bunk beds for 6-8 people, shared bathrooms, and hot showers. Sleeping bag required.

Being the closest camp to the Las Torres Base Viewpoint, you can relax at the end of the day and get a good night’s sleep, making sure you’ve got your internal batteries recharged for the highly anticipated next day. This camp is perfect for those who want to wake up before dawn, hike in the dark, and arrive in time to watch the iconic red sunrise over the Las Torres Mountains.

Open December 3rd (camping and mountain hostel).

Posted in Chile, Patagonia, Trekking | Tagged | Leave a comment

5 Options for the Ultimate Luxury Fly-in SkySafari in Tanzania and Kenya

Loisaba Star Beds

There are now 5 amazing luxury fly-in safaris in Tanzania and Kenya to choose from:

  1. 8-day / 7-night Tanzania (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti)
  2. 10-day / 9-night Tanzania (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti)
  3. 8-day / 7-night Kenya (Meru, Loisaba, Masai Mara)
  4. 10-day / 9-night Kenya (Amboseli, Loisaba, Masai Mara)
  5. 13-day / 12-night Kenya + Tanzania Combination

See Also:


#1) 8-Day Tanzania SkySafari

VISITING: Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti

  • DAY 1: 1 night at Arusha Coffee Lodge (suite)
  • DAY 2-4: 2 nights at Tarangire Treetops
  • DAY 4-6: 2nights at the Manor at Ngorongoro
  • DAY 6-8: 2nights at Serengeti Migration Camp (Jun-Dec) or Pioneer Camp (Jan-May)

#2) 10-Day Tanzania SkySafari

VISITING: Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti

  • DAY 1: 1 night at Arusha Coffee Lodge (suite)
  • DAY 2-4: 2 nights at Tarangire Treetops
  • DAY 4-7: 3 nights at the Manor at Ngorongoro
  • DAY 7-10: 3 nights at Serengeti Migration Camp (Jun-Dec) or Pioneer Camp (Jan-May)

#3) 8-Day Kenya SkySafari

VISITING: Meru, Loisaba, Masai Mara

  • DAY 1: 1 night at Hemingways in Nairobi
  • DAY 2-4: 2 nights Elewana Elsa’s Kopje
  • DAY 4-6: 2 nights at Loisaba Tented Camp in Laikipia
  • DAY 6-8: 2 nights at Sand River Camp in Masai Mara

#4) 10-Day Kenya SkySafari

VISITING: Amboseli, Loisaba, Masai Mara

  • DAY 1: 1 night at Hemingways in Nairobi
  • DAY 2-4: 2 nights at Tortillis Camp in Amboseli
  • DAY 4-7: 3 nights at Loisaba Tented Camp in Laikipia
  • DAY 7-10: 3 nights at Sand River Camp in Masai Mara

#5) 13-Day Kenya+Tanzania SkySafari

VISITING: Amboseli, Loisaba, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater

  • DAY 1: 1 night at Hemingways in Nairobi
  • DAY 2-4: 2 nights at Tortillis Camp in Amboseli
  • DAY 4-6: 2nights at Loisaba Tented Camp in Laikipia
  • DAY 6-8: 2 nights at Sand River Camp in Masai Mara
  • DAY 8-11: 3 nights at Serengeti Migration Camp (Jun-Dec) or Pioneer Camp (Jan-May)
  • DAY 11-13: 2 nights at the Manor at Ngorongoro
Tarangire Treetops
Posted in Kenya, Luxury, Safari, Tanzania | Leave a comment