The Llama Travel Blog

Renowned for its world-class textiles and artisan treasures, Latin America goes hand in hand with souvenir shopping. You’ll find markets of all shapes and sizes in most major cities, towns and even the most rural areas, serving as an important trading place for the locals. Piles of fruits and vegetables lining the pavements, vendors in traditional dress chanting their prices, craft stalls laiden with alpaca jumpers and colourful textiles, locals tucking into hearty soups and slow-roasted meats - these are all common sights throughout the continent. Instead of just passing through each place, by visiting a market you will be rewarded with a more authentic experience, knowing that you are helping with the development of a local community. With this in mind, we’ve put together a selection of some of our favourite markets in Latin America, plus some top tips.

One of the iconic images of Namibia is the huge rolling sand dunes found in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. They are some of the highest dunes in the world, and have developed over many millions of years. Visiting these characteristic orange dunes from the region of Sossusvlei was one of our Product Manager’s standout highlights from his trip to Namibia. Read on to find out about Scott’s experiences of climbing the aptly named ‘Big Daddy’ and exploring Deadvlei. 

One of our customers, Mr Kilner, visited Peru and Easter Island as part of a spectacular 19-night South American adventure with Llama Travel. Have a scroll through his photos to see some of the spectacular sights he explored including Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the mysterious volcanic island in the Pacific, almost 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile. 

I was impressed as soon as we arrived in the Galapagos. We got to Puerto Ayora port on the island of Santa Cruz and there were several sea lions sleeping on the benches, and some lazing around on the jetties leading out to sea, plus rays and sharks and sea turtles swimming around below us. We were transferred across the bay in a little dinghy to our home for the next few days – a sailing boat gently rocking on the crystal-clear water. Our cruise itinerary took us to the western side of the archipelago, around the seahorse-shaped island of Isabela, which meant visiting some of the most remote parts of the islands which you could never get to on a day trip.

Perched on the South Atlantic Ocean with the imposing Table Mountain as its backdrop, Cape Town, the Mother City of South Africa, is one of the most scenically beautiful cities I have ever visited. With its varied history involving the Portuguese, Dutch and British, it is a cultural melting pot.

Known for being the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, Peru’s tourist capital is nestled in the Andes at 3,400 metres above sea level. The historic centre of Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has a mix of colonial and Inca architecture, making it a truly fascinating place to visit. As well as the 500 Inca sites and museums, the city boasts excellent opportunities for shopping, eating and trying one of the many adventure sports in the vicinity. 

Victoria Falls is one of the most iconic destinations in Africa, and there is plenty to see and do to keep you busy for several days. Activities here cater for everyone - from the less adventurous who simply want to admire a Natural Wonder of the World and discover its history, to adrenalin-seekers looking to zip-line or bungee jump off the bridge. There's also Chobe National Park across the border in Botswana, home to Africa's Big Five.

The main reason the Galapagos Islands have become such a popular tourist destination is because of the ability to observe so many species of animals at such close quarters. Galapagos wildlife is fearless and will come right up to you, so you can snorkel with sharks and turtles, play with sea lions, learn about fascinating finches and walk amongst giant tortoises and iguanas. Read our blog to find out which wildlife can be found on which island. 

The African bush. Whether you visit it from South Africa or Botswana, you will find that the format on our safari trips is similar. Of course each day is unpredictable depending on the weather, time of year and herd behaviour, but as a general rule of thumb there are game drives in the early morning and late afternoon (this is essential to see the animals at their most active), with plenty of time to relax in-between. This blog helps you to make the most of your safari by knowing what to expect on a typical day.

Something I had been looking forward to before I even set foot in Namibia was tracking black rhinos in Damaraland. There are less than 6,000 black rhinos left in Africa, and while they don’t disclose how many rhinos there are in the region in order to combat poaching, there is a sizeable population still in the Palmwag concession, so the chances of seeing them are high.