What is the ADV Summit all about?

The ADV Summit aims to bring like minded people together once a year. It is a non-profit weekend organised by RightRoute filled with adventure. Unlike other ADV festivals I have attended, it is much smaller and has a much more intimate feel to it. Instead of pitching your tent on a field amongst hundreds of others, most people sleep in cosy wooden huts located in the Katun Vranjak Eco Village. It borders the ‘Biogradska Gora’ National Park and is surrounded by rugged terrains, high altitude passes, pristine forests and cold rivers and lakes!

In total we were about 50 people sharing one passion: Adventure Bikes! During the day there was a choice of riding twisty mountain roads and explore the National Park with a guide. Alternatively, you can hit off-road trails which start directly in the village. Personally I didn’t ride any asphalt during the weekend! In the evening we enjoyed delicious local food, listened to interesting presentations and enjoyed a few drinks!

ADV Summit Day 1

Upon arrival I set up my tent and enjoyed the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Soon after more adventure riders started arriving. There was also an organised ride from Podgorica with most people reaching the village around 6pm.

Once everyone had settled in, dinner was served. Unlike other festivals where you queue at food vans, this was a very different experience. Katun Vranjak Eco Village treated us to a variety of national specialities. They farm their own foods which is 100% organic. It was delicious and everyone got to eat together!

After dinner, Rakija started flowing. It’s Montenegro’s national drink, which is produced from very strong fruit spirits. We had the pleasure to listen to interesting presentations from far-away travels in this magical outdoor setting until around midnight. And we didn’t even finish all the Rakija on the first night

ADV Summit Day 2

The big decision on the second day was whether to return to asphalt or head further into the mountains. I decided to head into the mountains on my Tiger 1200 Rally Pro! The bikes varied from big Adventure Bikes to two stroke dirt bikes. The trails were absolutely great, with stunning views and varied terrain. I was comfortable on about 80% of them. The other 20% was pretty challenging for me, as there were a few hill climbs with loose rocks. Coming down from them on my Tiger 1200 Rally Pro was tricky at times! But thanks to some other guys running road tyres and taking it slowly I wasn’t the last

It was a full on riding day. Honestly, a little too long for me. We had left around 10am and when the clock hit 4pm I was shattered! The only opportunity for rest was during a tube puncture repair. And to my surprise it was fixed in less than 15 minutes. I took a short cut with three others and returned to the village early for a hot shower. Meanwhile the rest of the group finished with a short road ride through the National Park to finish off the day!

After a hot shower and another delicious feast there was one more highlight! Vasilis Orfanos, who won the Dakar Rally in 2003 (400cc category) shared his journey with us. Watching his Dakar footage and hearing first hand what it takes to prepare for and win a Dakar race was pretty awesome!

ADV Summit Day 3

I woke up aching a little from the off-road. Either I was the only one or nobody else wanted to admit it. But 6 hours of solid off-road riding is definitely more than I am used to. After a hearty breakfast we started to take down our tents and load up our bikes as everyone prepared to go home. With temperatures reaching 39 degrees during the hottest time of the day, some decided to leave in the afternoon.

I stayed for another delicious lunch as I exchanged contact details with new friends we made over the weekend. We’d agreed to meet and ride with various people in Montenegro, as well Kosovo. After lunch it was time to leave with nothing but beautiful memories of an awesome weekend off-road riding in Montenegro!

Do you want to be part of the ADV Summit 2023?

Then follow RightRoute on Instagram or drop Djordje a line.

You can also visit the ADV Summit as part of a motorcycle trip through Montenegro. Bike rentals start from only 40 Euros a day, up to 140 Euros if you want to rent the BMW 1200 Adventure. You can explore Montenegro independently or join a tour.

My highlights

I love attending ADV festivals but this smaller event was very special. I made so many new friends and I’m super excited to do some more riding together during the next few weeks. Eating high quality, organic food instead of queueing at a food van was also super nice. And the off-road trails we were able to ride directly from where we were located beats any other ‘Adventure Trail’ I’ve been able to ride at any other festival. Hanging out with a Dakar racer and spending a day off-road riding together is also not an opportunity you get every day!

I can wholeheartedly recommend the ADV Summit Montenegro and I am sure it wasn’t our last one. We are heading to Africa next but I’m sure we will be back when we find ourselves in Europe again.

Are you ready to explore Montenegro?

We’ll definitely be exploring a lot more of Montenegro and sharing our favourite routes with you over the coming weeks

If you have any questions about the ADV Summit or Montenegro in general just drop us a line or get in touch with Djordje directly!

! How to prepare for a round-the-world trip by motorcycle !

The post ADV Summit: The best way to explore Montenegro! appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

This Guide includes our Top 10 Things to See on the Isle of Skye and useful advice to planning your trip!

Top 10 Things to See on the Isle of Skye

1. The Quiraing

The Quiraing offers views of some of the most spectacular landscapes in Scotland. It was formed by a massive landslip, which has created high cliffs, hidden plateaus and imposing rock pinnacles. The Quiraing walk is particularly popular with hikers and photographers, but I think EVERYONE should make time for this 2 hour walk and soak in this otherworldly landscape.

The Quiraing is part of the Trotternish ridge, the nothernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye. If for any reason you choose not to do the hike, I strongly encourage you to at least walk from the parking lot to the Quiraing Lookout. It only takes about 5 minutes and the view is stunning!

2. The Fairy Glen

The Fairy Glen is like a miniature version of the Quiraing, where a tiny single track road winds around small round topped grassy hills with lochands. The landscape is very enchanting and picturesque. It’s best to explore these unusual land formations by following one of the trails, getting lost and taking in the views. You don’t need to hike very far. In fact, it’s not even a 5 minutes walk from the car park to immerse yourself in the landscape. It wasn’t busy when we visited but if the car park is full you can also park in Uig from where it takes about 30 min. to hike to the Fairy Glen. We absolutely loved it here!

3. Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls

Kilt Rock is a 90 meter rock formation resembling a pleated kilt, both in shape and colour. But arguably most people come here to watch the mesmerising Mealt waterfall plummeting from the top of the cliffs into the sea. The only other time I’ve ever seen this before was the McWay Falls along the Big Sur of California.

From the parking lot it’s just a few steps to this gorgeous look out point and during peak season there is usually a piper, adding to the dramatic atmosphere of this awesome place!

4. Brother’s Point

The Brothers point, also known as Rubha nam Brathairean, is a dramatic headland walk along the coast marking the easternmost point of Trotternish. It wasn’t the highlight of all the places we visited on the Isle of Skye but what I liked is that most people don’t bother with this hike. During peak season the Isle of Skye can attract big numbers of tourists and this walk allows you to get away and enjoy some of its beauty to yourself! It’s very beautiful and well worth the hike but if you find yourself strapped for time then I would give this one a miss, because the other highlights are simply unmissable!

It’s worth pointing out that some of the headland can be quite wet (even on a sunny day) and we both got wet feet so perhaps bring a spare pair of socks. Outside of summer I would probably skip this one altogether unless you are very confident that your footwear will keep you dry

Click here for directions!

5. The Old Man of Storr

Now this was probably my favourite and certainly the most jaw-dropping place we visited on the Isle of Skye. ‘The Old Man’ refers to one of the majestic rock pinnacles you hike up to from where you will experience 360 degrees views of some of Scotland’s finest landscapes. Hiking up to ‘The Old Man’ was a little steep. Instead I followed the trail path further along from where you get an incredible view of the rock pinnacles.

From the car park there are stone steps leading up to the top. I was surprised that a lot of people turned around at this point to get back down. One of the highlights for me was the actual walk past the pinnacles and further along, so if you’ve made it this far, just push yourself a little bit further.

This hike takes about 2 hours and here are the directions of how to get there. If it’s a misty or foggy day you may not see anything from the top (or bottom). But catch it on a clear, sunny day and you’ll be mesmerised by the beauty of this place!

6. Fairy Pools

The Fairy Pools are located at the foot of the Black Cuillin mountain range from where a series of waterfalls creates beautiful rock pools with crystal clear spring water. The beauty of this place is undeniable but it was also the busiest place we visited on the island and the hike felt a little ‘crowded’ compared to everywhere else we’d been on the Isle of Skye.

The hike takes about an hour and the car park charges a whopping £5 GBP even for motorbikes. We managed to find off-road parking which I like to think was legal but it’s certainly difficult to park for free around here.

It’s worth mentioning that we had to wear our midge head nets during the majority of this hike. Midges generally like damp conditions and the water pools provide a perfect breathing ground for them. Although we hiked here on a rainy and windy day (they don’t usually like winds) we could not avoid them. So come prepared!

The ferry pools are definitely worth visiting, although between the midges and crowds of people it wasn’t my number one highlight. That said, the wild camping around here is simply awesome and that’s what really made it for us!

The walk to Coral Beach from the gravel car park is about 25 min. each way. However the car park is small and at the end of single track. This means it fills up quickly with nowhere else to park and you may need to turn around if you arrived here too late in the day during peak season. Luckily there is no issue parking a motorbike without taking up a car parking space!

Best wild camping spot

Once you pass the Fairy Pools continue towards Glenbrittle Campsite & Cafe. It’s roughly a 10-15 min. drive and you’ll notice a few suitable and stunning wild camping spots along the way. We wild camped next to a river with stunning views of the mountains. But beware, it’s generally pretty bad in regards to midges out here. If you need a hot shower or laundry facilities then just head to the campsite.

The Fairy Pools are located 20 miles (35 minutes drive) from Portree.

7. Coral Beach

Coral Beach is the prettiest beach on the Isle of Skye and pretty unique as it’s made of crushed white corals. When the sun is out the beach looks tropical as does the turquoise coloured sea. Visiting when the tide is half in will give you the best opportunities to photograph Coral Beach from its best side. Right next to the beach is a small hill, known as ‘Ghrobain’. It only takes a few minutes to hike up it and be rewarded with stunning panoramic views. During low tide you can explore the small island called ‘Lampay’ via a coral causeway.

It is possible to wild camp on Coral Beach just behind the little hill, out of sight. However, you’ll have to be able to carry all the camping gear and supplies 3.6km each way as you can only get to this beach by foot. I think it’s one of the best wild camping spots on the isle of Skye!

Coral beach is located about 26 miles (45 minutes drive) from Portree.

8. Neist Point Lighthouse

On the most westerly tip of the Isle of Skye you’ll find the Neist Point Lighthouse. It’s a popular sunset point with stunning views of the surrounding cliffs and lighthouse itself. During the day it’s meant to be a good spot to spot dolphins. So if you bring a good picnic and some patience you might just get lucky! It’s also possible to wild camp out here but it does get very windy!

Neist Point Lighthouse is located about 31 miles (1 hour drive) from Portree.

9. Camasunary Bay

There is a lovely hike through the Cuillin Mountain range in the south of the Isle of Skye leading to Camasunary Bay. The southern part of the Isle of Skye is much quieter than the north. So if you want to enjoy a beautiful hike away from the crowds then this is it!

Whilst in this area it’s also worth checking out Elgol & Torrin. The winding single track roads are very scenic, passing a 16th century church & graveyard, a marble quarry. The hairpin road leads to an old port with beautifully restored croft-houses, some of which have been turned into AirBnB accommodation. From here you can book boat tours to visit the nearby Spar marble cave.

10. Camas Daraich

Camas Daraich is another beautiful white sand beach but much quieter than Coral Beach. The reason for that is that it’s located in the southern part of the Isle of Skye which many people don’t bother to visit. Perhaps that even makes it more unique and beautiful! It’s not too easy to reach and the hike takes about an hour with some steep hills and boggy terrain. But in return you might just have this awe inspiring beach all to yourself!

You can combine a hike to Camas Daraich with a hike to the Point of Sleat – the southernmost point in the Isle of Skye. The hike also provides nice views of the surrounding islands. But of course nothing beats setting eyes on Camas Daraich!

How to get to the Isle of Skye?

You can take a ferry to the isle of Skye, however you don’t have to! In fact you have 3 options to get there, so let’s take a look at them!

1. The Skybridge (cheapest option to reach Isle of Skye)

There is actually a free road bridge spanning the sea between the villages of Kyle of Lochalsh (mainland) and Kyleakin (Skye). It is 1.5 miles long. Since the toll charge was scrapped in 2014 it now provides the cheapest way to cross over to the Isle of Skye!

2. The original Glenelg-Skye Ferry (coolest option)

The MV Glenachulish is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world! It runs annually from Easter to October, seven days a week, roughly every 20 min. between 10am and 6pm. The 550 metres crossing only takes 5 minutes, making it the shortest sea crossing to the isle of Skye!

Note: It’s not possible to pre-book this ferry!

3. The Skye Ferry

This is a much BIGGER ferry which runs all year round between Armadale and Mallaig. The crossing takes about 45 minutes and can be booked online (highly recommended in peak season!).

Note: You can pre-book your ferry here!

Bridge crossing vs Ferry to reach the Isle of Skye

Why pay for a ferry if the road bridge is free you might wonder? Well, in our case we were coming from the south having visited the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Morar Beach earlier that day. Taking the Skybridge would have meant a 2.5 hours (110 miles) detour, requiring us to backtrack to Fort Williams where we had stayed the previous night. So the ferry option from Armadale made much more sense for us. The other advantage with this ferry was also that it takes you to the south of the Isle of Skye. Knowing that we were leaving the island from Uig, which is in the north, this option saved us many unnecessary miles.

There is definitely something special about taking the turntable ferry, if you aren’t on a tight time schedule. It is also the shortest sea crossing. But which option makes most sense for you will largely depend which direction you will be coming from and if you are heading back to the mainland after your visit or continue island hopping. Just be aware that there the Skybridge and Skye Ferry are pretty far away from each other and plan accordingly.

I also cannot urge you enough to pre-book your ferry tickets during peak summer season. With a motorbike you might be lucky enough to still get onto a fully booked ferry. But with a car you may need to wait several days if you simply turn up on the day. So plan ahead to avoid disappointment!

Where to stay on the Isle of Skye?

Portree is the largest town on the isle of Skye and an excellent base to explore the island from! The most popular place to visit on the island can easily be reached on day trips. If you are wanting to spend time in the Cuillin mountain range you are better served finding accommodation in the southern part of the island. If a daytrip is enough though, then consider visiting the mountains after you take the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale and then base yourself in Portree to visit the rest of the island.

Fiona and I wild camped on the isle of Skye! There are fantastic wild camping spots near the Ferry Pools, Corral Beach and Neist Point. Looking for campsites with facilities? Here is a list of all campsites on the isle of Skye!

But if you are looking for a base to explore the island from then Portree is where you’ll want to be!

Where to eat on the Isle of Skye?

There are many restaurants in Portree, no matter if you are looking for gastro pubs, Fish & Chips by the harbour, gourmet burgers or oriental food. However, we also found that while riding around the island there were inexpensive food trucks serving decent food and we often relied on those. You might also want to check out The Oyster Shed, a seafood market, just half an hour away from Portree where you can taste delicious, fresh oysters.

For a list of fine dining options, including Michelin Star restaurants click here.

Are you ready to explore the Isle of Skye?

I hope this in-depth guide has provided you with some travel inspiration and useful information to plan your trip. The Isle of Skye is no hidden secret and attracts many visitors. To escape the crowds make sure you explore the south of the island also! The Isle of Skye is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit in Scotland! We loved our visit and hope this blog post will ensure that you will too

The post The Ultimate Guide to the Isle of Skye appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

I count myself incredibly lucky that I was able to take the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro for a little spin ahead of the global Tiger 1200 reveal! Whereas I didn’t have enough time on the bike to provide a detailed ride report, I do want to share my first impressions with you. I am also very familiar with the Tiger 900 Rally Pro, having ridden over 15,000 + miles on it since its launch, so I will also point out some similarities and differences, for those wanting to make up their mind between the Tiger 900 Rally Pro vs Tiger 1200 Rally Pro.

My First Impressions

My first thought was: “Wow. The Tiger 1200 doesn’t actually look much bigger than the Tiger 900”. It has the same slim and narrow design which I really love.

Next the 21 inch front wheel stood out immediately. As a tall rider (I’m 1.80 m) who doesn’t struggle with the seat height, having maximum ground clearance is a huge advantage!

Then my eyes caught the shaft drive and I thought “yes”!! When you live on the road, having one less thing to maintain is a big bonus!

But of course what left me speechless was the low weight of the bike! It feels light and easy to handle. I honestly can’t wait to put some proper mileage onto the Tiger 1200 and take it off-road!

Tiger 1200 Rally Pro vs Tiger 900 Rally Pro

As I know the Tiger 900 Rally Pro so well, I was happy to see some of my favourite features carried over to the Tiger 1200. Let’s take a look at some of the similarities and then dive into all the new features the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro offers!

T-Plane Triple Engine

The Tiger 1200 features the same T-plane triple engine featuring the new 1-3-2 firing order. But what does that actually mean? Simply put, the bike feels like a V twin at lower speeds to provide a better off-road riding experience but delivers all the benefits of a triple engine at higher speeds. You are essentially getting the best of both worlds!

7 inch TFT Screen

The 7 inch TFT screen displays the information crisp & clear. You can change the colours and layout however you like. And the graphics on the new Tiger 1200 are now even better!

6 Riding Modes

You can select one of 6 Riding Modes from the home screen. Choose between standard Road riding, Rain, Sport mode and two off-road modes. The regular Off-road mode will disable ABS on the rear wheel, whereas Off-road Pro removes it completely and also switches off Traction Control. And just in case that’s not enough you can even fully customise your own Rider mode. Honestly, I never tried as I feel that the various riding modes cover any riding situation I might find myself in already. But I think it’s pretty impressive to have this option!

Easily Adjustable Seat & Windscreen

The windscreen is easily adjustable to suit your adventure! You can lower the windscreen for off-road riding and raise it up for touring! I really like this feature as Adventure Bikes often come with tiny little windscreens designed for off-road riding. They often aren’t suitable for long-distance travelling. However, the new aero windscreen on the Tiger 1200 deflects even more wind providing maximum comfort for long-distance riding!

The seat is also easily adjustable by 2 cm. At my height I prefer the higher seating position. However, when riding two up fully loaded off-road I like the option of lowering the seat to give me a bit more confidence that I can still reach the ground on uneven terrain. You can also purchase a lower seat option which will reduce the height by an additional 2cm. The standard seat height on the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is 875-895mm.

My Triumph Connectivity App

Underneath the seat is a little storage with usb charger. So you can charge your phone on the go and control calls and music via Bluetooth using the “My Triumph Connectivity” app. You can also access turn-by-turn navigation via the app. It works pretty well but I still like seeing a map, so personally I prefer to use Google Maps on my phone instead.

Control your Go-Pro on the go! We don’t use this feature enough because having the Go-Pro in stand-by drains the battery faster. But when we ride off-road it’s so handy not having to stop and start all the time. You can also see on the screen that the camera is actively recording so you are less likely to accidentally record or even worse think you are recording when you are not!

Quickshifter & Cruise Control

The new Tiger 1200 also has a quickshifter. Having enjoyed it on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro for the last couple of years I have to say I would miss not having one anymore. It’s so much fun in the twisties and surprisingly handy when switching gears off-road.

Cruise control is another very useful feature and really handy for the occasional long, mandane rides down the highway. I also find that I tend to go too fast on boring straight stretches so cruise control definitely helps me avoid those speeding tickets

Tubeless Tyres

Both the 21” front and 18” rear spoked wheels are tubeless

New Tiger 1200 Rally Pro Features

Now let’s take a look at all the fantastic NEW FEATURES you can expect from the TIGER 1200 RALLY PRO:

Keyless Drive

Keyless Drive including ignition, steering lock and fuel cap. Opinions always seem divided on this one, personally I love it!

Shaft Drive

Lightweight shaft drive. Again, for someone who travels permanently, the lower the maintenance the better!

Hill Hold

Hill Hold prevents the Tiger 1200 from rolling backwards by applying the rear brake until sensing that the rider is starting to move off. Although I never had issues starting on a hill I am embarrassed to admit that we did roll backwards once down a steep hill in Costa Rica. Our break pads were completely worn out and I panicked on a steep hair pin turn. I didn’t have the reflex back then to stall the bike in gear, so instead I pulled the clutch in and we essentially started rolling backwards. A horrible feeling! I doubt it would ever happen again (lesson learnt!) but nonetheless I think Hill Hold is a pretty useful feature to have!

Semi-Active Suspension

Showa semi-active suspension automatically adapts the pre-load for each riding mode. The rider is then able to adjust the front and rear suspension damping, which can be selected from 9 predefined settings. This can all be easily selected directly from the TFT screen. Now this is something I missed on the Tiger 900 Rally Pro and I’m very happy to see this feature on the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro!

Magura HC-1 Lever

The lightweight, compact Magura front brake and hydraulic clutch are easily adjustable and offer better feel and control off-road!

Brembo Stylema Monobloc Brakes

New category leading Brembo Stylema Monobloc brakes. As somebody who has been in a head-on collision I certainly appreciate having the best quality and most responsive brakes available!

LED Lights with Adaptive Cornering

The new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro also features a lightweight silencer and new LED lights with adaptive cornering

How does the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro compare to the old Tiger 1200?

It truly is a completely new bike compared to the old Tiger 1200 which was quite top heavy. The new Tiger 1200 is a complete transformation in weight, performance and capability and a whole 25 kg lighter than the old model! A lot of the weight loss comes from the new lightweight frame which is about 5 kg lighter. 

But the Tiger 1200 is not only significantly lighter than the previous model, it is also significantly lighter than its closest competition! If you compare it to the BMW R 1250 GS Adventure, you’ll find that the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is 19 kilos lighter!

How much will the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro set you back?

The cost of the new Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is £ 17,700 ($ 22,500).

It’s available in the following colours: Matt Khaki, Sapphire Black and Snowdonia White.

The high service intervals of 10,000 miles help keep the maintenance costs down!

And if this is your first Triumph motorcycle, you will benefit from 3 years warranty (unlimited mileage) which can also be extended!

What accessories are available?

Triumph provides 50+ accessories to fully customise the style, comfort, technology and protection of the bike covering everything from luggage system, crash bars, seating options and even a Bluetooth communication system designed in partnership with Sena to offer an improved sound system!

Tiger 1200 Rally Pro vs Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer

I have only had the chance to ride the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro (not Explorer). But let’s have a quick look at the ADDITIONAL FEATURES you can expect from the higher spec TIGER 1200 RALLY EXPLORER:

• The 30 liter tank offers a fantastic range of up to 600 km for long-distance riding
• The Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer has higher and wider handlebars for better off-road handling
• Both rider and pillion seats are heated and can be adjusted individually
• It has a newly developed Blind Spot Radar system. Blind Spot Assist uses a rear facing radar to let you know when another vehicle is in your blind spot. Lane Change Assist gives off a warning if you want to change lanes while a vehicle is approaching!
• In addition to engine crash bars you also get fuel tank protection bars
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring

Why I am tempted to switch to the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro

The Tiger 900 Rally Pro was love at first sight for me. But certainly after putting some proper mileage on it I was sure – this is the the perfect adventure bike for me! I have ridden a few 1200cc Adventure Bikes before (KTM, BWM) and I never felt I wanted such a big bike for a round-the-world trip! Why? I felt that the additional benefits (more comfort, more power) outweighed the disadvantage of having a much heavier bike.

But now the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro is only 10% heavier than the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. That’s pretty impressive! And when I rode it, I really liked it.

It’s light, has a low centre of gravity and is very easy to handle and maneuver!

FIrst impressions riding the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro – Sandra (ADV TRavelbug)

Taking the Tiger 1200 for a spin has definitely inspired me to consider a larger Adventure Bike to continue my round-the-world travels on! Of course I need to spend much more time with it, take it on some adventures and most importantly see how I feel riding off-road with it. And I certainly can’t wait!

We’ll be sure to update you with a more detailed ride review next year after taking the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro for more than just a spin!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our first impressions of the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro. Check out our YouTube video as well and stay tuned for more updates! We’d also love to hear your comments below. Looking forward to the Tiger 1200 Rally Pro? Do you have any questions or feedback on this blog post? Let us know below

The post My First Ride on the NEW TIGER 1200 Rally Pro appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Triumph Adventure Centre

The day started early with an 8am meet up at the Triumph Adventure Centre. Outside the entrance Triumph’s latest generation of Triumph Tiger, Bonneville Street Scrambler and Scrambler 1200 motorcycles were ready to greet us. Inside, Matt and his great team of instructors met us, sorted us out with refreshment and kindly asked us to sign our life away Nothing to worry about, just a standard piece of paper reminding you of the risks when riding off-road!

We then walked towards the changing rooms where each participant had a locker set up for themselves with off-road body armour which we could request in advance. Everything was ready. Knee braces, body armour, jackets, trousers, gloves and even rain gear. Not that we’d need it. The heat wave across England meant the trails were bone dry. It was going to be a scorching hot day!

Everyone arrived and geared up within the next half an hour. The refreshment area was a nice space to socialise and introduce each other. Meanwhile, a pretty cool video was projected in the background giving us a taste of what the day had in store for us. Steep hills, deep gravel, river crossings and dusty power slides. Everyone was buzzing to get out on the bikes!

The Triumph Experience Day helped me improve my riding confidence, bike handling and maneuvering skills. The terrain was really varied and quality of training top notch!

Sandra (ADV TRavelbug)

Picking our Triumph weapons for the day

We all had a preferred motorcycle. To my surprise, most people wanted to jump on the Scrambler. I know the Tiger 900 Rally Pro handles beautifully off-road and is very easy to handle. Why make life harder for yourself? In other words, the Scrambler didn’t tempt me! I had taken it on a test ride just a few weeks ago and wondered why anyone would ride it off-road, when the Tiger was clearly a much easier and more comfortable choice for off-road riding. Granted, doing power slides on a scrambler looks about 10 times cooler than doing it on the Tiger! But other than that I assumed everyone would be fighting over the Tiger 900 Rally Pro. I was wrong!

In any case, we needn’t have worried. The day is designed for everyone to try the Tiger and Scrambler! Though you don’t have to switch if you don’t want to!

I will add here that by the end of the day everyone who tried both the Tiger and the Scrambler agreed that the Tiger 900 Rally Pro was definitely easier to handle for off-road riding. See … told you all

Quick briefing before we hit the road

Some of us were quite familiar with the Scrambler and Tiger and others hadn’t ridden one before. So we had a quick briefing to make sure everyone knew how to adjust the settings and switch into off-road mode. And so no one would start searching for the key on their keyless ride. So after a brief intro of the bikes and what to expect from the day we hit the road!

Slow speed maneuvers

We had just enough time on the road to get a feel for the bike, especially for those that hadn’t ridden it before of course! Then we hit the gravel and once we were inside the Triumph Training arena ,we stopped to split into groups and go over the basics. Everyone wanting to hit the trails hard went into one group. There were some seriously good riders on the day and I knew better than to fool myself that tagging along with them would be a good idea. That thought was confirmed when I saw them power sliding literally into each corner they took shortly after!

I stayed in a group of four riders that all had some off-road experience but never had any training. Except Karen. She is a very confident on-street rider who hadn’t been off-road before. To my surprise you couldn’t tell. Her tight turns on gravel were solid! But Phoenix impressed me most! At only 5ft she handled the tall Scrambler like a boss! I have always had huge respect for off-road riders that can’t reach the ground properly with their feet and not letting it hold them back.

The exercises on the day were all aimed to drum the correct body position for off-road riding into you, enable you to shift your body weight to initiate turns and counter steer for tighter turns. We also spend some time focused on braking and getting a feel for what exactly the front brake and rear brake do by themselves. So no one would be scared of a drifting rear tyre and learn how to apply brakes properly. We also covered hill climbs. But throughout the day we would always return to turns which got tighter and tighter with each exercise!

Trail riding

Trail riding can be pretty exhausting! So the day was split between doing an exercise, followed by some trail riding, another exercise, a little break, some more trail riding and so on. It was the perfect mix to get a lot of riding in, but also enough brakes to hydrate and practice slow speed maneuvers.

The trails were mostly gravel, with ruts, potholes and loose stones with some single trail sections. I was particularly impressed with one particular loop of the training ground covered in all sorts of ruts. Some pretty deep, and a couple really muddy despite the otherwise dry conditions. The loop is pretty small so you can do it over and over again and really nail riding through ruts!

Meanwhile the other group was riding up steeper hills, focused more on single trail riding, jumps and power sliding. The terrain also has some awesome water crossing, although sadly we didn’t get a chance to ride it on our one day training. There were a few muddy paddles which are usually much more challenging but we just so happened to visit after the heat wave so there wasn’t much water or slick mud.

Back to the Triumph Adventure Centre

Throughout the day Triumph provided us with refreshments, plenty of water, various energy bars and of course a much needed lunch! It was also a nice way to catch up with the other group and hide in the shade for a bit.

Around 3.30 pm the day had finished and both groups got together for the final ride back which would leave the Triumph training arena and take on some byways open to the general public. Everyone was pretty exhausted! But we had an awesome day and were up for one last ride. So we blasted down some more gravel roads and Matt delivered on the water crossing he’d promised me to finish the day on a high!

I cannot tell you how grateful I felt for the clean showers and fresh towels once we got back to the Triumph Adventure Centre. We were all dripping with sweat and desperate to clean the dust of our faces!

Overall impressions of the Triumph Adventure Experience

The training was really top-notch and focused on improving our techniques! My Triumph Adventure Experience Day was equivalent to a Level 1 training. Despite that I definitely feel I learnt how to improve my body position and turn tighter. I would have loved to stay another day to practice hill starts, ride more single track and take on water crossings but that simply means I will be back for more soon

The instructors were all brilliant, the terrain was very impressive and the facilities were top-notch! Can I recommend it? 100%. Will I be back? You bet!

Sandra (ADV Travelbug)

The post TRIUMPH ADVENTURE RIDING EXPERIENCE appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

There is no denying that Grutas Tolantongo is a place of divine natural beauty. But we definitely feel that pictures only tell part of the story. In actual fact it was quite different from how we may have imagined it from seeing it on social media previously.

So let us provide you with a more complete picture and share this honest, unfiltered review with you. Grutas Tolantongo is a stunning destination, which embraces Mexican culture but should not be confused with a luxury spa resort.

Here is everything you need to know before you go to make the most of your stay!

For more inspiration also check out TOP 20 THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO or watch our travels through Mexico on You Tube!

How to get there

Grutas Tolantongo is about 200km (125 miles) north of Mexico City. The drive takes around 3.5 hours and it’s definitely recommended to secure a hotel nearby and arrive nice and early in the morning to ensure you get the maximum amount of time to enjoy all that Grutas Tolantongo has to offer.

We found the drive, especially the closer we got, absolutely stunning. We saw the sun rise across the beautiful mountain range with breathtaking views of the valley on our way there.

The last stretch is a long and curvy serpentine gravel road until you reach the entrance. You don’t need a 4×4 and it’s not a challenging stretch of road for Adventure motorbikes either. We were fully loaded and enjoyed the ride.

When to visit Grutas Tolantongo?

First of all, forget about having this place to yourself as you may have seen it on social media posts before. Yes, it’s not as well known in other parts of the world but in Mexico it’s a very popular place to visit. Avoid any kind of national holidays or weekend if you want to share this place with fewer people.

Fiona and I visited Grutas Tolantongo as part of a bigger road trip. We were just coming from visiting San Luis Potosi and heading towards Mexico City. So it was very much a stop off on our way through and unfortunately for us this happened to fall on a busy weekend. Ouch!

Take our word for it how busy this place gets and pick a quieter time than we did!

You won’t be able to pre-book hotels

There are four hotels located inside the Grutas Tolantongo.

• “La Gruta” hotel: closest to caves, tunnel and river
• “Hidden Paradise” hotel: best for natural landscape and proximity to thermal pools
• “La Huerta” hotel: best for views of the river and surrounding mountains
• “Molanguito” hotel: recent addition to meet demands and probably the least exciting option

None of the hotels inside Grutas Tolantongo accept bookings !!!

If you want to reserve a room, you need to get here as early as possible, queue, cross your fingers and hope for the best. We found it very unrelaxing standing in line not knowing if we’d be able to get a room or not for quite some time.

Click here to find out more information about opening times, prices and other useful things to know.

Your best shot at securing a hotel room at Grutas Tolantongo

Fiona and I wanted to be here at 7am to increase our chances of securing a room. We were still quite a drive off and had to get up at 4.30am to make it happen. But imagine our surprise when we started passing big, huge tour buses heading in the same direction. We certainly started to get a feel for how busy this place would be. We got here early but we were far from being the only people here. After we got into the queue many more people kept arriving closer to the opening time.

If you want to secure a hotel room get here as early as possible! The Grutas Tolantongo water park opens at 6 am. Fiona and I arrived around 8am. But we still had to wait for a good hour to find out whether or not we could check into the hotel.

The hotels are in different locations. So while you queue at one hotel, you can’t really check for availability in the others. We queued for “Hidden Paradise” and around 9am we found out they had a room for us.

Check-in

Sometimes early check-ins are possible but certainly not on a busy day like ours. We were told to come back around 1-2pm. Meanwhile we could store our belongings at the office and enjoy the thermal waters. It was a mission carrying all our stuff as the parking space were we left our fully loaded motorbike was a little walk away from the hotel. But we were grateful they agreed to take in our belongings at least (which they looked like they dearly regretted once they realised how much stuff we had). Their office is tiny!

Grutas Tolantongo Thermal Pools

As we were staying in the “Hidden Paradise” hotel, we were located closest to the thermal pools. We were finally ready to experience the hot spring wonderland we had imagined! Picture a bunch of infinity pools carved into a natural cliffside overlooking the beautiful Sierra Madre mountain range.

I want to tell you that it took my breath away. But instead I was really surprised to see that amongst the stunning infinity pools people had pitched their tents. It was an eye sore to say the least.

Then we got into the water. Surprisingly it was lukewarm. I expected the water to be nice and hot. I should add that I’m a HUGE fan of thermal pools! But I’ve never visited thermal pools that were lukewarm. It was a warm, sunny day with bright blue sky. Nonetheless, I couldn’t see myself chilling in the pools for longer than 15-20 minutes.

Yes, we took beautiful pictures. But be under no illusion. The pools were busy! People kindly moved out of the way when we tried to take a picture though. So with a bit of patience we got some pretty awesome shots.

Getting around Grutas Tolantongo

The entire complex of the water park is huge. The main attractions are the thermal pools, the thermal river and the cave. But it can take around 45 min. walk one way along the river to get from the thermal pools to the cave. There are taxis, but we found them relatively expensive (in relation to the entrance fee anyway). And besides, we wanted to explore the place and were keen to get around by foot, taking in the pretty views.

Watch out for on-going construction works

The walk was indeed beautiful. But surprisingly we passed so many building sites. There is a huge drive to expand the water park and accommodate more visitors. So everything from new hotels to new man-made pools and even restaurants are being built. Watch out for the odd metal rods sticking out from the ground and make sure you don’t trip on any debris whilst walking around.

It’s also totally unrelaxing to use some of the facilities with the noise of building work going on in the background. Even the main thermal pools are being expanded and depending on where you are, you’ll hear the building work.

The thermal river of Grutas Tolantongo

After some walking we reached the volcanically-heated river which originates in the main grotto and follows the canyon floor. It flows down in sections creating perfect little pools to relax in. As the water is flowing down a slope you can hear the water flow from each pool to the next.

But something was taking away from the river and the natural beauty surrounding it. The entire stretch along the river was covered in tents, people barbequing, music blasting out of big speakers and it was so crowded that it felt like we were walking through a funfare.

It was like a little festival was going on with people pitching their tents right by the river. We continued towards the cave which was a further 20 min. walk.

The cave of Grutas Tolantongo

The closer you get to the cave, the hotter the water of the river gets. Finally, I thought … hoping the water would be warmer than the thermal pools.

As you get close to the cave, you’ll be required to lock all your belongings into a locker as you are not allowed to take anything with you inside the cave. So we followed the instructions and then proceeded to the cave where we were greeted by a queue leading into the cave.

The cave is located inside a cliff which is covered in vegetation with a stunning waterfall flowing right down it. It’s so beautiful to stand in front of it that we didn’t mind queuing for the cave at all. The cave is also the source of the water which flows directly down the river from it.

To enter the cave you need to walk through the waterfall. Despite all the thermal waters and hot temperature inside the cave, the water running down the cave as you enter is cold. But don’t worry, as soon as you enter it’ll get seriously hot so we actually appreciated this refreshing surprise.

The tunnel of Grutas Tolantongo

After entering the cave you can walk through a 40 meter long tunnel which features stalactites and stalagmites. The temperature rises significantly the further in you go. The warm water is about knee high with only one part that requires you to swim a few meters across (ropes provided). I almost didn’t make it to the very end of the cave as I felt so hot I thought I was going to faint. You can turn back at any time if you feel unwell though.

We really enjoyed visiting the cave despite it being quite busy. It’s absolutely beautiful and after feeling disappointed with the temperature of the water so far, I certainly appreciated what felt to me like entering a steaming, hot sauna.

Eating at Grutas Tolantongo

There is no food shortage here and there are many different places to eat. Some basic looking eateries and some proper restaurants, but essentially all serving more of less the same food. You can definitely find cheap enough places to eat if you are on a budget. Many families also BBQ all along the river so there is always a smell of freshly grilled meat in the air.

Nighttime at Grutas Tolantongo

After sunset and dinner we decided to go back to our hotel. The walls were super thin so we could hear every word the people next door were saying. Although we all had private rooms it still felt like a shared space. But what really bothered me is the ever louder blasting music coming from the various speakers around. Taste of music aside, the quality of sound the speakers were producing was terrible. Never mind that different music was being played on top of each other at full blast. We just wanted to relax in our room but it was impossible. I feared it would continue all through the night and I wasn’t looking forward to it. Then, completely out of the blue, all heaven broke loose. It started thundering and you could hear the windows being battered by torrential rain.

I immediately thought of the many poorly set up tents we saw throughout the day. I was pretty sure that many people would not be able to stay dry in these weather conditions. But almost instantly all music stopped and it was quiet and peaceful. I felt so relieved and it was so relaxing for the rest of the night. Yes I felt pretty bad for anyone camping that night, but I was too busy enjoying the outcome of the drastic change in weather, as that it would cause me a sleepless night.

If you like the idea of walking around, having some drinks and quesadillas to loud music, this might be just your ticket. But if you want to relax away from the noise you may prefer to find a hotel located outside of the resort.

Best time to take photos

The best time to take photos is to get up super early in the morning. Of course we had planned to be the first ones up and take some awesome shots before leaving. But it was miserable the next day! Really foggy, cold … there was no way the pictures would do the natural beauty and views any justice so we decided to have a lie in instead.

How much time to spend in Grutas Tolantongo?

The complex is pretty big so it definitely takes a day to check it all out, even if you pay for transport / taxis and don’t do it all by foot. For sure many families stay here for a week to camp out by the river, gather with friends and family and enjoy the thermal waters.

I was very happy with our one day visit. We saw everything and experienced all it had to offer. Even if it hadn’t been as crowded or noisy, I am not sure I would have stayed longer. The thermal waters just weren’t hot enough for my liking to spend another day here. If you arrive first thing in the morning then I think one day is enough.

So is it worth visiting?

Yes, but pick your time better than we did. Avoid weekends and holidays. Weigh up the options of queuing for a room to stay on-site vs booking a place within a short driving distance. It might be easier knowing you have a place to stay for sure and not losing time in the morning to queue and look for accommodation. We were lucky but it’s frustrating to not know if you can have a room for sure.

Also, despite the fact that not everything was to our liking I need to say that after our 4 months stay in Mexico we learned a lot about Mexican family life and entertainment. So a lot of it was down to cultural differences.

One person might think that the people managing Grutas Tolantongo don’t care about preserving its natural beauty. But others may embrace how liberally people can enjoy all the natural beauty around them. There is no denying the locals were all having a great time! And after all, this place is in Mexico, run in a way that is most likely to be enjoyable to Mexicans so I don’t believe it should change just to accommodate us tourists. Natural beauty aside this place will definitely give you a feel for the Mexican way of life.

Even though Fiona and I picked a super busy day to visit we are both grateful that we could experience it!

Are you ready to experience Grutas Tolantongo?

Hopefully this blogpost has helped you understand what you can expect from a visit to Grutas Tolantongo. The good, the bad and the ugly. Once again, we are happy we got to see this place and certainly don’t mean to put people off. We just felt this place is being really hyped up by social media and felt it would be worthwhile to write a transparent review, not just posting awesome pictures. Though we love the pictures too of course

The post GRUTAS TOLANTONGO: All you Need to Know Before You Go appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

And if you are looking for some awesome travel inspiration check out
TOP 20 THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO or watch our travels through Mexico on YouTube!

How to book the La Paz to Mazatlan Ferry Crossing ?

The two companies that operate this ferry crossing are Baja Ferries and TMC. Baja Ferries focuses mostly on passengers and is popular with overlanders. TMC is predominantly a cargo ferry. That said, you can go with either company as they ultimately both offer passenger and cargo crossings.

Both ferries travel overnight. TMC allows you to stay in your vehicle. Baja Ferry doesn’t but allows you to book a cabin. The cost is more or less the same. For Fiona and I, it wasn’t important which ferry we would travel on.

Can I book online?

In theory yes. However, it was not possible to buy tickets online at the time we tried to book. You can call the company directly and our Mexican Couchsurfing Host was luckily around to help with this. Despite his help we also didn’t succeed to book over the phone though. We therefore decided to arrive in La Paz two weeks before our intended departure in order to book the tickets in person, directly at the ticket booth.

What are the ferry operating times?

Both companies usually offer regular services throughout the year. However, during the time of our booking (August 2019) TMC had no departures at all for several weeks. We could therefore only travel with Baja Ferries.

Baja Ferries Ticket Office in La Paz

Upon arrival we were first told that Baja Ferries weren’t able to sell us a ticket either. We were so stressed at this point! We had committed to a house sit on the mainland and didn’t have the luxury of waiting around for a few weeks. After some more spanglish we understood they could only offer us a ticket for a cargo ship. That was fine with us. We just needed to get across! The lady at the counter then wanted a bunch of paperwork but wasn’t able to sell us an actual ticket still. Our place will be reserved she said – just like that! No ticket, no formal reservation of any kind. Fiona and I had very little trust in this process. So we decided to travel to the actual ticket booth at the ferry departure terminal and try our luck there!

Baja Ferries Ticket Booth at Terminal Pichilingue

If you type “Baja Ferries Pichilingue” into Google Maps it’ll take you to the La Paz to Mazatlan ferry crossing departure. This is also where you should in theory be able to buy your ticket in person. It’s roughly a 25 min. drive from La Paz downtown.

Upon arrival the situation was still pretty much the same. Provide a whole bunch of documents and just rock up on the day. No payment required in advance. I insisted on an email confirmation stating that we had a reservation at least. Luckily the lady behind the desk agreed to provide us with one. We felt a little better about that already.

Paperwork required to book the La Paz to Mazatlan ferry crossing

T.I.P. (Temporary Import Permit)

In order to get our paperwork sorted, we first visited the Banjercito (little booth next to the ticket counter). The T.I.P. is an essential document to travel across mainland Mexico. You will need it when entering and exiting. The idea is that you pay a deposit for your vehicle which you’ll get back once you exit the country again. Providing you haven’t illegally sold your motorcycle of course

The fee for preparing the T.I.P. is roughly 60 USD. The deposit will depend on the registration year of your vehicle.

The documents you’ll need to provide are:

1. Passport
2. Vehicle Registration & Title
3. Insurance (both for Mexico and USA where we purchased the bike)
4. Driver’s license
5. Mexico Tourist Card (you receive this at the border when first entering)

Note: It helps to have several copies of each document above. If you don’t, you’ll need to run back and forth to another little booth to get copies for a small fee.

Once you provide all necessary documents and pay (card or cash) you will receive your T.I.P. and a sticker for your windshield. I strongly advise you to check the documents for typos. Pay special attention to the VIN number, license plate, passport number and make sure everything matches. Typos are common and cause such a headache later if not immediately rectified. We learned that lesson at a later stage in Panama where it caused us huge issues later with our sailing trip to Colombia.

Ticket reservations are meaningless – don’t rely on them!

Once we obtained our T.I.P and showed our documents we finally received our e-mail confirmation for the La Paz to Mazatlan ferry crossing. Once again, they don’t normally send any kind of confirmation. We insisted on it for peace of mind. Little did we know, that it counted for nothing!

We now had two weeks to enjoy Baja California before our actual ferry departure. And we felt happy it was all taken care of. Off we went to explore Baja California Sur. You can read more about our favourite places below:

TOP 10 PLACES TO SEE IN BAJA CALIFORNIA

We returned to La Paz the night before the ferry crossing. The ferry departure time was 5pm. However, we were told to arrive no later than 1pm to complete all necessary procedures before we could board the ferry.

The day of our La Paz to Mazatlan ferry crossing

So here we are. We arrived nice and early and proceeded to the very same ticket booth where we reserved our tickets. But surprisingly we were told that we couldn’t buy a ticket and that the ferry was sold out. We were furious!

Next we were told to go to another ticket booth where we might be able to obtain a last minute ticket. In case of cancellations or any left over space as they explained. So now we found ourselves in a tiny little booth filled with lots of other people wanting to take the ferry. There was no information how long we would need to wait or how many people may be able to travel. And there was no system to determine who arrived first. So we didn’t move and waited impatiently!

Last minute tickets … but not for us!

Around 4pm the people behind the desk started giving out tickets. But not to us. Just anyone else … including people who walked through the door only minutes before. We were outraged!

Someone later provided us with the following explanation: The ferry can only carry a certain amount of passengers. It is therefore in their interest to carry as many vehicles with the fewest amount of people (ideally one vehicle and the driver). In our case the transport of the motorcycle was cheaper than a car or van or truck and we were riding two up. In essence, we were taking up valuable passenger space and more money could be made selling tickets to single drivers of larger vehicles.

I can’t confirm if this is what happened. But it certainly felt like it. And without any other plausible explanation we accepted that this might be how Baja Ferries operates. By this time it was around 5pm. Tickets were now all sold out and we were told that around 7pm we could board another ferry going to Topolobampo. We checked our phones … Topolobampo was 280 miles and roughly a five hours ride north of Mazatlan. No way! We declined and demanded to be put on the next ferry to Mazatlan. But of course, we could not buy any tickets again. Imagine returning the next day to find yourself in the exact same situation.

We were so upset at this point that we just wanted to get out of Baja and reach the mainland at any cost. So reluctantly we accepted the ferry crossing to Topolobampo after all.

Going through customs

This part was very straight forward. We walked back to the parking lot and passed the main gates, proceeding in the “Nothing to Declare” line. They checked our passport, TIP and ensured the VIN matches the paperwork.

Weighing your vehicle

Okay so this part I was actually looking forward to. I knew our motorcycle weighed about 200kg. But with all the crash bars and luggage I was very curious to know what the scale would say. We paid and received a ticket in return. But no one had any interest in weighing the motorcycle. I insisted because we had two hours to spare and I wanted to know how heavy the bike is. No luck!

Finally … we could buy that damn ticket

Once you pass customs there is a little TMC office to your right. The exact same booth we previously queued for tickets. But only now, after passing customs and paying for not weighing our motorbike, were we actually able to buy our ferry tickets!

Boarding the ferry

We could board the ferry almost immediately despite being super early. Perhaps because motorcycles have to park at the very front. In any case I was pretty happy about that. The ferry staff then secured our motorcycle with straps. I will add though, that we bumped into some locals on GS Motorcycles that carried their own straps. They advised “it’s better” to secure the bikes properly and even helped us out with an extra strap.

Life on the ferry

We knew we had boarded a cargo ferry but I didn’t expect such a poor set up. There was a canteen which only served food at a specific time. No announcement was made and you could easily miss it and not be given any food. This happened to us but we managed to track down the chef (not like we had anything else to do). He kindly gave us a plate of leftovers. The food was extremely basic so we recommend you bring snacks!

Apart from the dining area, which was tiny with rather uncomfortable chairs, there is just one area for passengers. It’s quite small and consists of a few rows of seats. The room is pretty chilly, the tv is on non-stop and that is pretty much where you are expected to stay for the duration of your journey.

There are basic toilet facilities and you can go for a walk. But honestly, there isn’t much to explore. We were happy to have made friends with the chef and the other motorcyclists so we killed some time listening to each others travel stories.

Once we arrived, after a sleepless night, we had to ride five more hours to Mazatlan. In order to get there quickly we took the toll roads. The money added up quite quickly. Yet another unexpected expense! But then we arrived in Mazatlan where Mauro, our fantastic couchsurfing host, came to meet us. He took us out for some tacos and we headed to the beach. I’d love to tell you that the trouble of the ferry crossing was soon forgotten about. But honestly we still get worked up thinking about it today.

How can we avoid these problems with the La Paz to Mazatlan ferry crossing?

I honestly don’t know what we could have done differently or better to avoid the issues we had. Some people have a trouble-free experience. But we are one of many travellers that were not so lucky! The forums online are full of similar disappointments!

Understanding the process helps. Come prepared and understand that you can’t buy a ticket until you pass customs. And whatever you do, NEVER ASSUME it will be smooth sailing and bring that extra bit of time.

Sorry we don’t have a magic recipe to make the ferry crossing easier. But we hope this blogpost has helped to prepare you for some of the issues you may encounter nonetheless.

Last but not least: please share your experience with us! We’d love to know how the ferry crossing went for you. If you have any questions, tips or advice please comment below

The post LA PAZ to MAZATLAN Ferry Crossing: All you need to know appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

The ride itself through the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range is simply spectacular, revealing some of Mexico’s most breathtaking scenery! With so much beauty to explore, a trip to La Huasteca Potosina can be very rewarding. Let us share our absolute favourite places we got to explore and make sure you don’t miss out on Mexico’s perhaps best kept secret!

For more travel inspiration, also check out: 20 TOP THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO or watch our travels through Mexico on YouTube!

Puente de Dios

Puente de Dios was our first stunning stop during our road trip through La Huasteca Potosina. We based ourselves in the town of Tamasopo. A very small town, with basic accommodation and plenty of restaurants – the perfect base to explore the surroundings. From here you can visit the ‘Cascada de Tamasopo‘ waterfalls which are located only 2 miles from the town. With so many beautiful waterfalls to choose from and an ever growing shortlist of which to visit, Fiona and I did skip those. Instead, we had a good rest after our long ride through the mountains and early in the morning we set off for Puente de Dios.

How to get here?

Puente de Dios is located only 2 miles from the town of Tamasopo. After paying a small parking and entrance fee you need to walk down around 300 steps through a lush jungle path. At the end of this walk you’ll reach the picturesque Puente de Dios (Bridge of God). It’s a natural pool surrounded by beautiful waterfalls flowing directly into it. The walls from the surrounding rock formations are almost entirely covered in vegetation and the water has a deep blue colour. If you come here in the afternoon, the water will have the most magnificent colours, turning into a lighter turquoise but it’s also the busiest time to visit. There is a river flowing right through Puente de Dios too which can create a strong current.

You can either jump into it as Fiona did, or simply lower yourself into the water from some rocks. It can definitely be a little slippery so water shoes are nice to have but not essential. There is some rope you can grab in case you struggle with the current or want to have a rest in the water too. Once you made it into the pool you can swim through a cave leading to another waterpool on the other side also.

The best way to enjoy Puente de Dios is to soak in the views once you’ve jumped into it. The water is refreshingly cold but it’s definitely a great cool off before walking back up to the car park.

Watch out for this!

As you get closer to the entrance many locals will try to wave you down and offer you parking for roughly 1 USD. The parking can be quite far from the entrance so I would ignore it and drive all the way right up to it. In addition every parking lot will try to rent you a life vest (required to go for a swim). But then you have to hike with it, so just get it directly from the rental place directly in front of Puente de Dios. The entrance fee with life vest rental was about 2 USD.

Tamul Waterfalls

Tamul is considered the most spectacular waterfall in La Huasteca Potosina. The turquoise coloured water plunges 105m into the pristine Río Santa Maria. It is set in a jaw-dropping canyon surrounded by thick forest. The walls of the canyon are covered almost entirely in vegetation.

To visit the Tamul Waterfalls we based ourselves in the town of Tanchachín. We stayed at a lovely little hotel called ‘Cascada Huasteca‘ with secure parking, a pool to cool off and restaurant. You can book an organised tour to the waterfalls from any hotel in town. It includes pick-up, boat rental, paddling up to the waterfalls and drop-off. This is certainly the easiest but also the most touristy option.

How to get the waterfalls all to yourself?

If you type Tamul Waterfall into Google Maps it will actually lead you to a great hiking spot where you are likely to have the waterfalls all to yourself. The dirt road leading to the parking spot is maybe 20-30 min. ride from the town. At some point you have to pay a small fee (less than 1 USD) as you’ll be crossing private property. Never in my life have I paid to ride down such a terrible dirt road before. But do it – it’s totally worth it!

When you see the little wooden bridge towards the end, you’ve made it. We were the only ones parked up here and paid a small fee (2 USD) to enter. If you don’t feel like riding over all the boulders just before the bridge, you can also park your car up just before. The walk to the entrance will be less than 5 min. You might prefer this option if you aren’t driving a 4×4 or Adventure Motorcycle.

From here it’s a stunning 1 km hike to the waterfall. It takes less than 30 min. and you can’t really get lost. Just follow the sound of the water! Your first viewing point will be the top of the waterfalls. If you have a death wish, like Fiona, you can walk right along the top of the waterfall. Personally I think the view from the wooden viewing platform is just fine :-). Once you’ve taken in the stunning views you can cool off in a little natural pool. It is located on top of the waterfalls. But don’t worry! It is completely safe and separated from the current running into the waterfall.

How to get to the bottom of Tamul Waterfall?

If you have some energy left and don’t mind climbing down some dodgy ladders, you are in for a treat! There is a little path leading away from the natural pool and eventually a set of ladders that allow you to get to the bottom of the waterfall. Standing right underneath it, with the canyon walls rising up to both sides covered in thick vegetation is truly breathtaking.

Fiona and I didn’t take the boat trip because we had such a great time exploring the waterfalls by foot. We felt truly bless to have it all to ourselves! But that’s not to say the boat trip isn’t as well nice. You get to paddle upstream towards the river and the views from the canyon will no doubt be beautiful too. Everyone we spoke to enjoyed the boat trip. So it just depends if you are feeling adventurous and want to get away from the crowds.

Sotano de las Golondrinas

Sotano de las Golondrinas, also known as ‘Cave of Swallows’ is one of the most impressive limestone sinkholes in the world. At 372m it offers the highest freefall drop in the world. But the majority of people come here to witness the spectacle which unfolds every day at dusk and dawn.

Thousands of white-collared swifts live in nests along the wall of the cave. Around sunrise (6 am) they literally shoot out of the cave in a very chaotic and erratic way before they disperse. This entire process takes about 20 minutes.

Before sunset the birds gather in groups and circle above the cave before dive-bombing back into the cave to avoid predators. You can hear them drop into the cave, so fast it’s difficult to follow with your eyes.

The opening of the cave is about 62 meters wide. The deeper you go the wider it gets. At the bottom the cave is around 303 meters wide, the equivalent of 3 football fields. You don’t need to be a passionate bird watcher to enjoy a visit to Sotana de las Golondrinas. It is one of the top places to visit in La Huasteca Potosina and anyone who likes nature will enjoy their visit!

How to get here?

Once again Google Maps will lead you right to the entrance of Sotano de las Golondrinas. You can park right outside the entrance and pay a small fee (2 USD) to enter. You then have to walk down hundreds of steps to reach the cave but it only takes about 20 minutes to reach it.

Morning visits are busier as you can see more birds at once. Whereas at sunset the entire process is split over 2 hours so most people just watch for about 20-30 min. and leave. We arrived before all the tours arrived and there was only about 6 people sitting around the cave. So if you want to avoid the crowds arrive here around 4.15pm. Tours usually get here closer to 5pm.

Las Pozas

Las Pozas are a bunch of surrealistic structures scattered across a subtropical rainforest in the mountains of La Huasteca Potosina. They were created by Edward James, a british poet and art collector who used to rub shoulders with Dalí and Picasso. He moved to Xilitla in the 1950s and transformed a coffee plantation into a bizarre land of surrealistic structures surrounded by waterfalls and natural pools.

What to expect when visiting Las Pozas?

Getting lost in Las Pozas is super fun. You can’t help but wonder what went through Edward James’ mind when creating this. Many structures are unfinished concrete blocks. Some feel very imaginative and surrealistic, others don’t seem to make any sense at all. The structures wouldn’t have been half as interesting if it hadn’t been for the wonderful jungle setting. I kept wondering how much fun it would be to attend an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed tea party here.

Unlike other places we discovered in Huasteca Potosina, the Edward James’ garden are a man-made tourist attraction. They are also much more expensive than the usual 2 USD entrance fee we paid to visit waterfalls or caves. We spent about 90 minutes walking around and by the time we were leaving many tour groups had arrived. I’m sure I wouldn’t have enjoyed our visit as much in the afternoon. Our friends who visited recently mentioned they could only visit with a guide. Again, I’m not sure how much I would have enjoyed Las Pozas as a guided tour. Half the fun is getting lost in it all!

How long do I need to visit Huasteca Potosina?

It will depend if you have your own transport or if you are dependent on taking individual tours, generally offered from the main city: Ciudad Valles. If you have you have your own transport you can usually see the above mentioned places in a matter of 4-5 days. But bear in mind that Huasteca Potosina also has many more places of natural beauty. You could easily spent a month here hiking and chasing waterfalls. There are also many inexpensive campsites you can easily find on iOverlander.

For more stunning waterfalls check out: Cascadas de Micos, Cascadas de Minas Viejas, Cascada el Salto, Cascada El Meco. The Tamasopo Waterfall is fairly small but offers beautiful views and swimming opportunities with rope swings.

Best time to visit

It’s best to visit in winter when temperatures aren’t as hot and there are generally less tourists around!

Avoid June – August due to the rainy season. The colours of the water aren’t usually as beautiful during this time and the roads can get very muddy and challenging to ride. Fiona and I visited in rainy season but were super lucky with the weather. We had a whole week of sunshine! But we also cut our visit short as the weather changed. I’m sure we would have spent more time in Huasteca Potosina if we had visited during winter!

Another busy period to avoid is Semana Santa (Holy Week) around Easter as it can get very crowded.

What are you waiting for?

La Huasteca Potosina is in our opinion one of the most beautiful, least visited and by far most underrated place to visit in Mexico! If you like exploring places of natural beauty that are completely off the grid and not overcrowded then visit La Huasteca Potosina.

You won’t find fancy hotels around like you would in Tulum or other places in Yucatan. But that’s also the beauty of it! Who knows how long it will stay like this until boutique hotels start popping up and the entrance fees multiply? Visit this hidden gem while it it’s still under the radar!

Have you visited Huasteca Potosina? Or do you have questions about your upcoming trip? Let us know your thoughts or share any questions you might have. We are always happy to hear from you

The post La Huasteca Potosina: This is Mexico’s Best Kept Secret appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

Mexico could not have welcomed us in a nicer, warmer way than Baja California did. The dry, rugged desert landscape has so many hidden gems and there is a lot of marine life to explore for divers and snorkelers as well.

For more travel inspiration, also check out: TOP 20 THINGS TO DO IN MEXICO or watch our travels through Mexico on YouTube!

1. Wine Tasting in Baja California

Our first stop when crossing the US/Mexico border was Ensenada. It was merely a stop-over on our way south. Or so we thought! We actually ended up staying here for an entire week, completely unexpectedly. A whole week of delicious food and wine tasting.

Get a friendly local to show you around

We got super lucky with our couchsurfing host José. He was a winemaker, surfer and knew the best places to eat in town. And this very much sums up our week together! In the mornings we went to work together. Fiona learnt how to clean the barrels whilst José and I tasted all the wines. Unfortunately Fiona doesn’t drink alcohol but she loved our wine tasting week nonetheless

Our work included checking the sulfate levels in the wine, adjusting them accordingly and checking on the grapes in the actual vineyard. Work finished pretty early and we always headed for some delicious seafood afterwards. Often it would be a very unassuming little food stand that we would have easily overlooked. Sometimes it was a restaurant. But no matter where we ate, we always ate very well. And after that we’d always head for the beach to try and catch some waves!

What to expect

If you want you can stay in one of the many vineyards. Just a heads up, the vineyard stays can get pretty pricey. If you are on a budget simply stay in Ensenada and take day trips from here. Organised tours are also pretty expensive. But it’s ever so easy to just ride around the ‘Ruta del Vino’ by yourself and stop off at the many vineyards. Those that offer tastings usually have a sign with opening hours.

Valle de Guadalupe is the more commercial part where you’ll find the boutique wineries that have put Baja on the world’s culinary map. If you are looking for a luxury stay, pick a winery around here. The lesser known parts of the historic wine route are: Valley de Santo Tomas, Valle de Grula and Valle de San Vincente. They are less touristy, cheaper and don’t have a commercial feel about them at all!

2. Sonoran Desert of Baja California

When travelling across Baja California you are almost certain to experience the Sonoran Desert. It covers most of Baja California! So you don’t have to go out of your way to find it. However, our absolutely favourite part was riding right through it shortly after leaving Ensenada and heading south on Highway 1. It’s a paved highway that goes from Tijuana all the way south to Cabo San Lucas. Expect many potholes and many tyre repair shops scattered across. We saw mostly old, used car tyres on sale so I doubt you’ll find anything for your motorcycle

We loved this part of our road trip. You’ll see cacti and desert all around you and very little traffic. In fact it’s also rare to find food places along the way that are actually open. There are many opportunities to take a dirt road running in parallel to the tarmac if you’re looking for some off-road riding. We had SO MUCH fun on those! After a couple of bike drops fully loaded and energy levels quite low in the scorching heat, we did rejoin the asphalt though. But experiencing the Sonoran Desert in this way was super fun!

3. Dunes of Soledad

The Dunas de Soledad lie about 6 miles north of Guerrero Negro. They are constantly moving and changing with the wind. There were very few people visiting when we were here and all the sand dunes around us looked completely untouched. The dunes are mostly white and seem to be melting into the pacific ocean. It is supposed to be particularly spectacular to visit at dusk or dawn but Fiona and I visited in the afternoon. We took a walk around the dunes, played around rolling off them and went for a dip in the sea before continuing our trip. We thought they made for a great visit to break up our journey south.

4. Bahía Concepción

Bahía Concepción is one of the largest bays in Baja California. We found it’s best to explore if you base yourself in the super cute oasis-like town of Mulegé. We used it as our base to do some beach hopping and explore the coast line.

Bahía Concepción is only about 20 miles south of Mulegé and features over 50 miles of beach. Some of the most popular beaches include: Playa Santispac, Playa Escondida, Playa Los Cocos, Playa El Coyote, Playa Buenaventura, Playa El Requeson, Playa Armenta.

Our absolute favourite beach day was hanging out at Playa El Requeson. The locals drive their car all the way onto the beach and set up camp for the day with a big picnic or BBQ. Local fishermen offer fresh seafood at small prices. We didn’t actually like that you could drive all the way onto the beach, but we appreciated that there were only locals here. We didn’t see any other tourists and it felt great experiencing a proper Mexican beach day!

Another reason I liked Playa El Requeson so much is that many of the beaches in Bahía Concepción are right next to the Highway. The colours of the sea are stunning and the desert like landscape with its cacti super pretty. But when you turn around and see the highway it does take away from it. You don’t see the highway from Playa El Requeson though. There is also another beach you can half walk, half swim to as the water is very shallow if you want an even quieter spot.

5. San Javier Mission in Baja California

We discovered the tiny town of San Javier by accident. We had just stopped in Loreto, a small but very cute town that breaks up the journey perfectly when heading to La Paz. Whilst enjoying a meal out, we got talking to locals who told us about it. It was a good hour ride uphill through the mountains to get there. The ride itself was truly stunning with winding roads through the dramatic Sierra de la Giganta range.

The highlight of San Javier is a visit of the Mission San Francisco Javier De Vigge-Biundo. It was founded in 1966 by Jesuits with the aim of converting Natives, the Cochimí, to Christianity. It is one of the oldest and best preserved missions in Mexico and still in use as a church today.

The population of San Javier is only around 130 people. It is a tiny but charming little village. When we arrived we were quite surprised at how small this place was. You’ll arrive to a cobbled street which has some very basic accommodation, shop and small restaurants. The mission is the centerpiece of the town and located at the end of the cobbled street. That’s pretty much the entire town centre.

The highlight for us wasn’t so much the church itself but it was a fantastic ride and we felt like we had stepped back in time. If you are looking for a fun ride or if you want to find out something about Baja’s history, then come and visit San Javier.

6. Todos Santo

Todos Santos is a small town on the pacific coast founded by missionaries in the 18th century. What attracted us to visit was that it sounded like the perfect escape for artists, surfers and anyone trying to get away from the busy party vibe of Cabo San Lucas. It was exactly that!

The town is super cute with many galleries, boutique shops and cute coffee shops. Some of the restaurants are definitely pricey but you can be sure to find a regular cheap taco stand around the corner too. We couchsurfed here for a couple of nights with our host Lauren who took us surfing and showed us the best places to eat. We had an absolute blast together and met many of her local friends! Although we had a lovely stay I have to say there is a huge community of Expats here and sometimes it can definitely feel like it has lost its local touch. BUT it really depends where you go. We had a lovely time!

7. El Arco de los Cabos

The town of Cabo San Lucas was SUCH A LET DOWN for us. It was super touristy and although it has a fair share of luxury accommodation it also attracts lots of young people looking to party. You’ll get hassled every two seconds about a place to eat or a bar to visit. We disliked the vibe of the town so much we decided to skip it. BUT we first wanted to take a boat trip to see ‘El Arco de los Cabos’. It was busy but we are glad we didn’t skip this also.

The boat tours are all pretty standard. They take you to ‘Playa del Amor’ where you can get off the boat and swim to the beach through the ‘Sea of Cortez’. From here you can walk onto the other side of the beach facing the Pacific Ocean. The water is much rougher here and we found the walk without flip flops very uncomfortable. The hot sand will literally burn your feet if you don’t walk fast enough. Maybe that’s why most people didn’t bother with it. It seemed everyone just wanted to stay around ‘Playa del Amor’ where the water is much calmer.

After the beach stop, our boat took us to ‘El Arco de los Cabos’ before heading back to the marina. The beaches were undeniably beautiful and what made the boat trip even more stunning where the dozens of rays jumping several feet up in the sky. We saw them throughout the entire trip (they are most commonly spotted in winter). We then stayed in San José del Cabo, a MUCH QUIETER option to Cabo San Lucas, where we even found a super nice jazz bar with live music in the main square.

8. Balandra Beach in Baja California Sur

We visited countless beaches during our road trip through Baja California. If I had to pick just one, my absolute favourite beach, I don’t have to think hard. It’s hands-down Balandra. It might have even been my favourite beach in Mexico altogether. It’s simply magical!

The crystal clear waters, white sand dunes and scenic view across the surrounding beaches and desert like landscape make this place so special! The water is super calm as the beach is sheltered and the colour of the water crystal clear turquoise. The water is also very shallow making it possible to walk to the surrounding beaches.

Fiona and I did just that. We packed our waterproof bag and walked 40 min. to the beach directly opposite of Balandra. We had it all to ourselves and enjoyed our little picnic. During our week stay in La Paz (waiting for our ferry across to the mainland) we returned many times. Most of the time we stayed on the main beach but we walked to the very end of it which was less busy.

9. Cabo Pulmo

Cabo Pulmo is super remote, tranquil and offers some of the best snorkelling spots around. Worlds apart from Cabo San Lucas, you won’t find much entertainment here. Cabo Pulmo is for those wanting to reconnect with mother nature! We found a basic, little AirBnB next to a diving resort and were told to expect the electricity to cut out any minute. And sure enough it did. We weren’t camping at that point but it’s a perfect spot for wild camping. There are no tarmac roads here – expect lots of washboard and loose sand!

The best thing about Cabo Pulmo is how undeveloped the beaches are. We found many beaches with mexican families and the perfect set up for a day on the beach with picnic and BBQ of course. Perhaps a little food stand near the parking lot at most. Then other beaches would be completely empty and untouched. You can easily find a beach all to yourself here!

10. Espiritu Santo Island

Espiritu Santo Island is a National Park and UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. You can easily arrange a tour from La Paz to go diving and snorkelling around the surrounding reefs. One of the best times to visit is without a doubt from October to February during Whale Shark season. The tours can be quite pricey from 100 USD upwards but it’s one of the best things to do in Baja California. Depending on when you visit you can see dolphins, sharks, rays, turtles, sea lion, herons and countless other fish and birds. Punta Baja is a reputable tour operator with top reviews!

Unfortunately Fiona and I visited Baja California off-season and therefore we didn’t take the tour as we already knew we had some top notch diving spots a bit later on in our trip, for example in Belize. Our friends visited some months later and got to swim with whale sharks. We heard from many other travellers that this was a highlight of their Baja California trip too. So although we didn’t take the tour, we had to make sure to include it so you don’t miss out if you are visiting in the right season!

Summary

If we had to pick the absolute highlight of our trip to Baja California we would seriously struggle. We look back at it as a super fun road trip that had a lot to offer. From delicious seafood, to wine tasting, surfing, snorkeling and scenic ocean views and crystal clear waters! What made it wasn’t a single destination, but the road trip itself!

Hopefully this blog-post will provide you with some insight as to what to expect from a trip to Baja California. Have you already been to Baja California? What is your favourite spot? If you have any questions, suggestions or tips then please share them below. We’d love to hear from you

The post Baja California: Top 10 Places You Have to See appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

A beautiful slot canyon, carved out by mother nature (literally!) Antelope Canyon is a natural phenomenon created by flash floods. Its perfectly smooth, orange sandstone walls are a result of water running through it for hundreds of years.

One of its most iconic features are the swirling canyon walls that rise 120 feet up from the ground. And of course the famous sun light beam shining down right between them.

But is visiting Antelope Canyon really as awesome as the pictures make it out to be? Or is it just another beautiful place ruined by tourism after going viral on social media? Keep reading to find out more so you know what you are getting yourself into!

Don’t forget to check out our blogpost on USA ROADTRIP: 15 Places to See in the West or check out the full YouTube video below!

Book Ahead!

So we got to the U.S. We figured out our route. And we knew roughly when we’d be in Arizona. Great! Next we wanted to figure out how to get into Antelope Canyon. We were in for a BIG SURPRISE!

It turns out you have to book weeks ahead (if not months during peak season). There was absolutely no way for us to get in! And besides, even if we could get a date, I can’t think of anything worse than losing all your flexibility to work around this time slot. We felt gutted!

Click here for the list of companies offering Antelope Canyon tours!

You might get lucky

Two months later, whilst riding across Arizona, we suddenly saw a sign post for ANTELOPE CANYON. No way! We stopped the motorbike, nodded to each other, and immediately turned around.

Can you imagine the surprise when we realised we could join a tour in half an hour? We were over the moon! And of course we felt super lucky. Although I found it was rather odd just how many time slots they were able to offer us. They were obviously not fully booked, yet I couldn’t buy a ticket several weeks before. VERY STRANGE !!!

Be prepared to spend a lot of money!

As we couldn’t even get a time slot online, we hadn’t really paid attention to the price. And Antelope Canyon doesn’t come cheap! We had to fork out 70 USD each for this tour. It wasn’t an easy decision. We had already visited other beautiful slot canyons which WE LOVED and didn’t have to pay for. Was Antelope Canyon actually worth spending so much money on?

We were here now and somehow we felt it was meant to be! So without paying much attention to our budget we went for it. There was no queue for paying and we were able to join a tour to Upper Antelope Canyon almost immediately!

Upper Antelope Canyon is much MORE EXPENSIVE than Lower Antelope Canyon

WHY you might ask. Well, the famous light beams can ONLY be seen in Upper Antelope Canyon. This makes it more popular and as a result … you guessed it … much more expensive!

But before you choose to follow suit, bear in mind that the conditions need to be right. The light beams ONLY occur in high season (March – October). And only around midday. And only if the weather is good. So it’s a bit like the Northern Lights … only visible at certain times of the year but never guaranteed!

Generally speaking the walk through Upper Antelope Canyon is completely flat and quite short (100 yards). The walk through Lower Antelope Canyon is much longer (600 yards) and requires you to climb up and down a series of ladders and step over some boulders.

You may only enter Antelope Canyon with your camera and a bottle of water

You need to leave your belongings with the tour operator! The only items you can carry with you are your phone and/or camera. In addition you may carry a bottle of water.

I couldn’t even enter with my hydration pack. Instead, I had to purchase a bottle of water. Personally, I don’t like hiking while carrying water in my hand. Little did I know that I need not have worried …

Visiting Antelope Canyon involves ZERO hiking

So we had our tickets sorted and the tour was about to start. I quickly applied some sunscreen and put on my sunglasses, ready to hike! But as it turns out we were rushed into a 4×4 vehicle instead. After a 2 miles off-road ride they dropped us RIGHT OUTSIDE the entrance of the canyon.

That’s really not how I had imagined our visit. In addition the walk through the canyon is short so even if Lower Antelope Canyon is significantly longer (600 yards) it can barely be considered a hike. As soon as we exited the canyon we drove straight back to where we had purchased our tickets. The whole experience felt commercial and underwhelming – but more details below!

Get ready for the crowds inside Antelope Canyon

We generally make an effort to avoid crowds. Naturally this is not always possible. Some places simply require a guide and visiting Antelope Canyon was one of them!

Don’t get fooled by ‘small group sizes’

Our group consisted of only Fiona and I. We felt super excited about our ‘private tour’. Unfortunately we quickly had to join other ‘small groups’ as they split us into 4×4 vehicles. The group quickly grew to 8 people. Still, not too bad I thought to myself. But once we started driving towards the entrance of the canyon, we started seeing more and more off-road vehicles filled with tourists.

We soon realised that no matter who you book your tour with, you’ll end up as one huge crowd. The more vehicles joined our convoy, the less excited I became about this entire experience. But the worst was yet to come!

There might be a queue to get inside Antelope Canyon

Given our allocated time slots I was gobsmacked to discover there was a queue to enter the canyon. Really? Initially I thought we had to wait for the group in front of us to finish before we got in but I was wrong. We simply joined the very end of the queue.

The queue NEVER disappeared! The entire ‘hike’ is nothing more than walking through the canyon at a ridiculously slow pace. If not for the crowds, you could walk it within a couple of minutes. But because of the crowds and constant stop and go it took around 45 min. By this point, I deeply regretted our decision to spend so much money on this highly commercial experience.

Once you reach the end, you have to turn around right away. The walk back is brisk and you cannot take ANY more pictures! The main focus is basically to get you out of there as soon as possible.

The guides will RUSH you through it

How can they rush me if I’m walking at a snail’s pace you might wonder? Well despite the crowds the canyon is actually very beautiful. And no matter how many people are in front or behind you EVERYONE is taking photos.

As soon as there is a gap when people start moving forward someone will try and pose for a picture. The guides of each group (EVEN YOUR OWN!) will prevent this and quickly close those gaps. This makes it very unlikely, if not impossible, to take a nice picture.

There is just one exception! One single spot where guides will take a photo of you, so that everyone can walk away with at least one picture! That picture will be taken as quickly as possible and of course you can’t review it, let alone ask them to retake it!

The only people that really got the chance to take pictures, are those that were part of a special PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR. They paid a premium for their tour and in return the guides would block traffic and throw sand in the air for them to capture the perfect shot!

Fiona and I stopped a few times just before the canyon curved around to take a photo without the crowds. We got SHOUTED AT! By the visitors, the guides … so yes we got a few shots without people in it but at what price?

Photography Tours were banned in 2020

Shortly after our visit, and following many complaints and negative reviews, the popular Photography Tours got banned! Photography tours interrupted the natural flow of regular visitors but were also disappointing for those who paid for them.

Given the price tag around 200 USD I can’t blame them! The only way to visit these days is by booking a standard “sightseeing tour”. However, you may no longer enter with tripods or even monopods.

Your Guides know the best PHOTOGRAPHY SETTINGS on your Phone

All tourist guides are EXPERTS on which PHONE SETTINGS work best for photography inside the canyon. It doesn’t matter if you have an iPhone, Samsung or Google phone.

While you queue to get into the canyon, they will grab each phone and pre-select the best setting to take pictures. Great service? Or just another reminder of how commercial this tour is? You tell me!

In any case that doesn’t mean they won’t rush you through as previously mentioned! You can still take beautiful pictures of the canyon walls pointing your camera up, even if you are sandwiches between a dozens other people.

Don’t make this RIDICULOUS MISTAKE

I feel a little foolish to even share this, but if it is saves just ONE SINGLE person from doing it, I figure it’s worth it. Remember how I thought we were going on a hike and put on sunscreen and sunglasses?

Well that’s pretty dumb because you can’t see much with sunglasses inside the canyon! And why would you want to miss out on those beautiful colours it’s so famous for? Unfortunately for me, I was wearing prescription sunglasses and as I wasn’t allowed to bring my hydration pack (which contained my regular glasses) with me, I was stuck with them for the whole trip!

The walls of the canyon are pretty high and create a lot of SHADE! It actually felt a little cool inside. Not cold, but pleasantly cooler compared to the hot weather outside. Only towards the end could we see the blue sky as we got closer to the exit.

Conclusion: Is Antelope Canyon worth it?

If like us you have already visited other beautiful slot canyons without the crowds then you are more likely to be disappointed. Especially given the steep price tag!

But despite all that, you cannot deny that Antelope Canyon is a particularly spectacular slot canyon. Is it worth seeing? Of course!

How off putting has this blogpost been to you? If it’s put you off going, then I guess your decision is already made. And rightly so! But if you think you still want to see it, despite everything you’ve read, then perhaps you should go.

Personally, if someone told me all these things before I went in, we would have skipped this! BUT sometimes knowing what to expect ensures you don’t set your expectations too high. So perhaps if you decide to visit with lower expectations, you might like it and feel less disappointed!

TO SUM IT ALL UP

If you don’t like highly commercialised tourist attractions, give it a miss!

If you are dying to see it and can get over the fact how commercial and busy it is, go!

So if Antelope Canyon isn’t all that, which slot canyons are worth a visit?

Our absolutely favourite slot canyons were Peekaboo and Spooky slot canyons in Utah. If you want to find out more about our visit or how to get there check out USA ROADTRIP: 15 Places to See.

Was this blog-post helpful? Do you still want to visit Antelope Canyon? Or have you been and want to share your experience? Please share your comments below – we’d love to hear from you!

The post Antelope Canyon: Commercial, Overrated but Beautiful appeared first on ADV Travelbug.

The USA has so many different, unique landscapes to discover. There is something about the vastness and immensely diverse landscape in the USA that simply screams out for a roadtrip! I have never been to anywhere else where the landscape can change so quickly and so drastically. Our roadtrip through the USA took 3 months in total. Determined to take in as much as we could, we were pretty much on the move every single day. During one of our longer riding days, we even crossed three time zones in a single day!

Overall, our USA roadtrip was even more incredible than either of us could have imagined! We hiked across untouched sand dunes, squeezed through beautiful slot canyons and even visited some pretty impressive cultural sites of Native American tribes.

If you want to make the most of your USA Roadtrip, make sure you don’t miss our Top 15 recommendations!

1. Crater Lake National Park (Oregon)

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in America and one of the most pristine in the world! Why? Because there are no rivers flowing into or out of it. The entire volume of water consists only of rain and snow!

Fiona and I felt incredibly lucky that we made it here on a sunny and virtually cloudless day! We spend a while sat in the snow, watching the crater’s perfect reflection in the water. Although we were not the only visitors, it was somehow pretty quiet as everyone was captivated by the magical views.

Crater Lake is certainly the biggest highlight but the ride up to it was pretty spectacular too! Imagine yourself driving up some bending roads with a two meters high snow wall to each side. It certainly gets a little colder with the gradual elevation so make sure to layer up. You should also check for closures online before visiting as opening times can be effected heavily depending on the weather. Make sure this magical place features on your USA roadtrip itinerary!

2. Redwood National & State Parks (California, USA)

After visiting Crater Lake, Fiona and I continued on Highway 101 which goes directly through Redwoods National and State Parks. They run along the north coast of California and feature old-growth rain forests. What makes it so unique are its humongous trees. They are so gigantic that they made us feel like tiny ants. The highest tree is about 115 meters (379 feet) high. The trees are among the oldest in the world and the tallest which can be found on earth!

The weather changed rapidly as we drove into Redwoods National Park and it got very foggy. But we kept driving and it eventually cleared up. It’s actually very common to be foggy and misty here. But I felt it added to the sense of mystery and quite liked it!

It also feels slightly cooler inside the woods so we felt very comfortable walking in our motorbike gear for once. You don’t need to wander far to completely surround yourself by trees and forest. And what we loved most is that it’s easy to pick a trail where you won’t bump into anyone else and have it all to yourself!

3. Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA)

Do you want to explore a world of erupting geysers, colourful hot springs, bursting mudpots and hissing steam vents? Then make sure Yellowstone features on your USA roadtrip itinerary! In fact, 50% of the world’s geysers are located right here – inside an ancient volcano caldera.

As we rode through we saw loads of wildlife and thermal features. We enjoyed stopping for all the bisons crossing the road but the main draw were the geysers of course! Walking around we’d pick up the most bizzare, odd smells, followed by steam suddenly shooting out from somewhere in the ground. The colours of the water and ground surrounding the geothermal areas are really vivid and fascinating too. Even on a dull, cloudy day!

Apart from wildlife and thermal features, you can also find lakes, canyons, rivers and stunning mountain ranges all around. Unfortunately, we were a little unlucky with the weather when visiting though. We ran into very cold weather, a ton of rain and even a little snow. As a result, we didn’t explore as much of the park as we had wanted to. However, if the weather cooperates it’s truly a hiker’s paradise.

4. Zion National Park (Utah, USA)

Zion was for me personally the most beautiful and scenic National Park to ride through! Get ready for this twisty road leading you past beautiful, red, rugged sandstone cliffs centred around the Zion Canyon. We found the red, tan-coloured canyon walls really impressive and truly stunning! Hike up to Angels Landing and it will reward you with one of the most spectacular sunsets overlooking Zion Canyon.

Zion is the fourth most popular National Park in the USA and can get pretty busy if you are planning your USA roadtrip anywhere from February to November. We visited in May and were lucky to find it wasn’t too busy though.

5. Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)

Fiona and I visited Bryce directly after Zion National Park. If you start early and don’t have the luxury of time, it’s very easy to combine. For some odd reasons it receives far less visitors than Zion. We found this surprising as it is quite different but every bit as impressive. DON’T MISS IT!

We loved the distinct, giant rock formations and its vivid, red, orange and white colours. Bryce is significantly smaller than Zion and there are many hikes that will reward you with stunning views. However, the most spectacular is no doubt from Sunrise Point overlooking Bryce Ampitheatre.

6. Peekaboo & Spooky Slot Canyons (Utah)

Peekaboo & Spooky were our absolute favourite slot canyons! And, brace yourself, far more scenic and enjoyable than our expensive and highly commercial visit of Antelope Canyon. Why? Well, first of all getting here is super fun! Then the hike to the slot canyons itself is absolutely breathtaking. Last but not least, you don’t require a guide to visit (let alone pay an entrance fee). And the best part yet, you don’t need to queue or squeeze past anyone else. We bumped into very few people out here. So how do you get here?

The Hole-In-The-Rock-Trail, is a super fun and scenic gravel road! There is quite a lot of washboard and a few sandy patches but otherwise it’s a pretty easy ride. It has many different trailheads but to discover Peekaboo & Spooky head to the Dry Fork Overlook. From here it’s a 3.5 miles circular hike through stunning landscape.

Click here if you want to find out more about our visit of Antelope Canyon !

7. Arches National Park (Utah)

North of Moab in Utah lies Arches National Park featuring 2,000 natural sandstone arches. By now Fiona and I had spent quite a bit of time in Utah and seen many stunning red sandstone rocks and features, which are so common for this state. Still, the arch formations make this National Park very unique! It actually has the highest density of natural arches in the world, including the well-known Delicate Arch. We found the drive-through very scenic with many beautiful viewpoints across the way. However, if you want to get really close up to the arches you need to hike. It’s by far the best way to truly appreciate this stunning National Park.

8. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (Utah/Arizona)

Many Western Movies have been filmed across Utah but no other location has been imprinted into my mind like Monument Valley. So naturally it was pretty high on my list of must-see places during a USA Roadtrip. The desert like landscape with its deep red sandstone rock formations are like something straight out of a Western movie. And Monument Valley makes you feel like you are right in it! There are many different shapes and sizes of rock formations, some as high as 300 meters (1,000 feet). Even the drive itself to get to Monument Valley is super scenic and offers breathtaking views. But the highlight was of course riding on our motorbike straight through the valley!

Monument Valley is a tribal park, owned by the Navajo Nation – the largest American Indian tribe. Unlike most other National Parks you cannot just walk or drive wherever you please. So to avoid disappointment make sure to check out our Monument Valley: Know Before you Go guide.

9. Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly (Arizona)

Spider Rock is located inside the Canyon de Chelly National Monument which also belongs to the Navajo Nation! There are currently about 40 Navajo families living in the park. This means you might only be able to access certain parts with a Navajo guide or park ranger. The exception to this is the White House Ruin Trail which Fiona and I hiked during our visit.

Spider Rock and the White House ruins were the absolute highlight of our visit to Canyon de Chelly. Imagine standing on top of the valley overlooking a sandstone spire that rises 229m (750 feet) up from the ground. Fiona and I felt absolutely spoilt being the only ones here, sat on the cliffs and taking in the views.

The White House Ruin Trail leads through the valley of Canyon de Chelly and descends nearly 600 feet down the cliffs. At the bottom of the valley, you’ll need to cross the muddy waters of the Chinle Wash via a footbridge. You should see the ruins by this point. We found the ancient dwellings 50 feet up in the alcove most impressive.

This was one of our favourite hikes we did during our USA Roadtrip too!

10. Grand Canyon (Arizona)

You can’t go on a USA roadtrip and not visit the Grand Canyon! Crazy as it may sound, my first impression was a little underwhelming. The National Park was completely overrun by tourists lingering along the viewing platforms to take in the views and take photographs. Given that we had just visited a bunch of breathtaking places across Utah and Arizona which we had largely to ourselves, this felt like such a let-down!

It didn’t take long for us to break free from the crowds though. After a little hike we found a cliff edge awarding us the most spectacular views of the canyon. Our initial disappointment was quickly forgotten about!

The South Rim is much busier than the North Rim! It caters way more to tourism and is closer to the airport and larger cities. The lower elevation also provides better views of the canyon walls of the opposite rim. The North Rim is much more rugged, unspoilt and more popular with campers and hikers.

Getting from the South Rim to the North Rim is a 5 hours ride (or 2-3 days hike). So most people choose to visit either the North or South Rim. We only visited the South Rim, but next time we really want to check out the North Rim. I suspect the smaller crowds and trails instead of perfect footpaths would be more enjoyable for us. Besides, it’s easier to set off for longer hikes as the temperature is much cooler on the North Rim.

11. Horseshoe Bend (Arizona)

Horseshoe Bend has become so popular on social media that you’ve probably seen countless pictures of it. So it’s barely surprising that it’s the most visited place in Glen Canyon National Recreational Area!

We’ve been dying to see it and were surprised to discover just how easy it is to access. The parking lot and trail is located just off US Highway 89. Pay for parking, take a 5 min. walk and you will be standing right in front of it! We always thought we’d be needing to hike up to it and didn’t expect such a commercial welcome. To tell the truth, the ease of access did take from it a little!

Nonetheless it’s undeniably breathtaking to stand right in front of it. Sure, it can get pretty busy but there is no barrier separating you from the 1,000 foot drop, so you can still get a completely unspoilt view! An absolute must-visit for any USA roadtrip!

12. Death Valley National Park (California)

Death Valley … the hottest place on Earth! It’s probably already high on your USA Roadtrip List, right? It lies in the northern Mojave Desert, borders the Great Basin desert and is less than a two hours ride from Las Vegas.

I recommend you time your visit better than us. Riding through it at 46 degrees Celsius was extremely challenging! When we reached the Badwater Basin salt flats, the heat was really unbearable! Upon arrival we encountered a red STOP SIGN: “WARNING. EXTREME HEAT DANGER. Walking after 10 am not recommended!”

It was about 2pm and we were exhausted from the ride. But there was nothing going to stop us from exploring the salt flats. We barely walked 50 meters when I suddenly felt really sick from the heat. I had never experienced this feeling before, turned around immediately and walked back towards the car park. With no shade in sight Fiona asked another visitor if we could sit for a moment in their air conditioned car. Those two minutes with air con felt like such a relief!

We continued towards the Mesquite Sand Dunes next. They are located at the northern end of the valley floor surrounded by mountains from all sides. You can access them easily from the road and the heat was much more bearable here.

There are around 25 places of interest to visit in the Death Valley area. One of our favourite things was how quickly the landscapes kept changing. It offers everything from sand dunes, salt flats, colourful rocks, tall mountains and rugged canyons! Make sure you bring plenty of water when visiting, start early in the morning and avoid the hottest months. If you don’t want to suffer as much as we did that means avoiding June – September.

13. McWay Falls, Big Sur (California)

We discovered McWay Falls by accident as we were riding along the Big Sur coast. An absolute stunning stretch of coastline with breathtaking views! This part of our USA Roadtrip was just about riding down the coast and stopping off to take in the views. Oh and unfortunately also quite a few traffic related stops due to ongoing building works (that part was annoying)!

Then we stumbled across McWay Falls. I have never seen a waterfall pouring straight into the sea before! It’s incredibly BEAUTIFUL! We parked up the bike to get closer and soon discovered that you can’t actually access the beach.

And that’s exactly why it’s so PICTURE-PERFECT. I actually appreciated that we couldn’t access the beach, in order to have this magnificent unspoilt view! Swipe right to see the actual viewing point. It’s located just 5 min. walk from where we had parked the bike.

14. Taos Pueblo World Heritage Site (New Mexico)

Do you want to find out more about Native Americans? Then visit Taos Pueblo and meet one of the oldest communities in the United States! A Native American guide will show you around and you’ll learn some super interesting things about their fascinating culture, traditions and architecture.

Speaking of which, have you ever come across a 100% organic house? Believe it or not, but all houses in this community consist of only 3 ingredients: water, mud and straw! This also means that the outer layer of the adobe houses needs to be rebuilt every single year. But that’s only one of many interesting facts you’ll learn during your visit.

Visiting Taos Pueblo is a privilege! The Taos community is considered one of the most private, secretive and conservative pueblos. Even their native Taos language has never been written down. Therefore much of their culture remains unknown to the rest of the world! There are still many Native Americans living in Taos Pueblo today. This means that you cannot roam around wherever you want. Instead, a local guide will show you around, teach you a lot of interesting things and answer any questions you might have. You’ll even be able to try their local cuisine. Don’t underestimate the unpretentious food stand – the food was absolutely delicious!

15. White Sands National Park (New Mexico)

White Sands National Park was definitely out of the way but we were both dying to see it! The snow-white sand dunes are unlike anywhere else on earth and were a huge highlight of our USA roadtrip. They are also considered the world’s largest gypsum dunefield!

This place gets SERIOUSLY HOT with temperatures exceeding 100°F (38°C) in the summer. You should generally plan your hikes in the morning or late afternoon. Starting a hike around 2pm can be pretty dangerous as we discovered first hand. No one will stop you, but it’s not recommended and seriously … WE SUFFERED!

Once you pass the entrance you’ll ride mainly on sand (and some washboard) to one of various parking lots. It’s an incredibly beautiful ride! From here you can go on a short boardwalk across the dunes or ride further in for longer hikes. Despite our poorly timed visit, we decided to ride further in as we really wanted to experience walking on the dunes!

Timing aside we were soon caught up by our SECOND BIG MISTAKE! Lack of water! We hugely underestimated how much water we may need, carrying only 2 liters for two people. Significantly less than the 4 liters (one gallon) per person the National Park recommends. We got really thirsty on our walk, feeling quite unwell halfway through and a little worried too. When you can just see desert all around you, following some sticks in the sand for directions, and no other hikers, you’ll quickly question your sense of direction!

So please be smarter than us but don’t miss out on the wonderful White Sands during your USA roadtrip. It really is SPECTACULAR! Just remember to time your visit better than we did and bring way more water than you think you might need

Planning your USA Roadtrip yet?

Hopefully this blog-post provided some inspiration to explore the Western part of the USA. Or perhaps you found some tips for your upcoming USA roadtrip? If you enjoyed this blog-post or have any questions let us know in the comments below please. What are your favourite places to see in the USA? We’d love to hear from you

The post USA Roadtrip: Top 15 Places to See in the West appeared first on ADV Travelbug.