The snake winds itself beautifully around the tree trunk. Another poses on a lush green leaf, with the Arenal Volcano in the background. Simply incredible, the perfect coincidence – or is it?

We have often wondered how it is that animals in photos always pose so beautifully – mind you, wild animals.

The answer? It’s sobering: the animals are placed exactly where people want them.

The methods behind the photo

With cold-blooded animals, there are particularly questionable methods: when they are chilled, they hardly move. There are even reports of limbs being suspended by threads. A famous photo of a frog riding a beetle was likely staged this way, as the two species are not active at the same time of day.

Bringing a jaguar into the right position in the wild is difficult – if not impossible. To give tourists a guaranteed sighting, providers resort to aids. Feeding stations are far more common than one might think.

We have also been offered a guaranteed sighting of a “wild” ocelot, or taken to a feeding site for tapirs; even the Orinoco crocodile is fed regularly so that it remains within the national reserve and isn’t killed outside its borders.

Feeding stations for birds are found almost everywhere: Bananas and sugar water are popular choices.

As long as tour operators can guarantee sightings, their income is secure. This leads to a dangerous set of expectations. Tourists want “wildlife photos”. In Costa Rica, the practice went so far that sloths, for example, were taken down from trees just for a “wildlife selfie”. The government launched an awareness campaign in 2019. Perhaps it helped. We didn’t experience anything of this sort ourselves, but we read about it.

With snakes, however, we witnessed a different side of the story.

The business of “perfect” nature

In Costa Rica, we came across a particularly negative practice: a photographer told us about providers who carry snakes around in boxes to position them in the perfect spot. We also came across a post on Facebook denouncing this exact practice.

And why? Simply to offer tourists the perfect picture. It would quite frankly be too exhausting to spend the night in the jungle without a guaranteed find – plus, you can’t see the volcano at night.

Unfortunately, this practice is quite widespread – even in countries like Costa Rica, where animal welfare is supposedly a high priority. What can then be expected from other countries that hardly care about it at all?

Looking back on 2025: a year full of adventures.

In 2025, we were on the road for the entire year. There were no quick flights back to Europe and no visits to see family – although that’s not entirely true, we visited Michael’s sister living in Costa Rica and his other sister came to visit us.

We experienced a great deal, mostly good. Nevertheless, there are moments when homesickness creeps in.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe we had the time to live all these things. The year went by so quickly. Here is a brief look back to remind ourselves of all the wonderful things we saw and experienced.

Peru

Things got off to a great start in Colombia with the world’s smallest monkeys, the pygmy marmosets. Then the itinerary included a drive through guerrilla territory for Cora’s birthday, followed by a few weeks helping out on a cocoa farm and searching for anacondas in the Llanos. During the search, we were surprised by an Orinoco crocodile coming our way.

We also went on a hippo safari on the Magdalena River – we couldn’t stop marvelling at it all. Afterwards, Michi did his dive instructor training. For once, we stayed in one place for an entire month and were able to do some repairs on the car, such as fixing our window. Only the Airbnb host was peculiar; we definitely don’t want to go back there.

Venezuela

Venezuela – our favourite! Finally, a real adventure! Right at the start, we were met by the secret service and asked into a white container for a three-hour interview. That wasn’t exactly great. But once we were allowed in the country, everything went like clockwork.

Maracaibo was like a journey back to the 1970s. The food and service were good—a blessing after Colombia. And the people were exceptionally kind – everyone. They invited us into their homes for barbecues and rum. They organised diesel whenever things didn’t go smoothly.

Only the amount of driving was exhausting. Unfortunately, our container ship to Panama departed from Colombia, so we had to do a round trip through the vastness of Venezuela. We sat in the car for hours and had the occasional row. However, prospecting for gold in the Wild South of Venezuela put everything right again.

The food was mediocre. The last day was lovely, though: we visited local weavers, walked through a colonial town, and bought cowboy boots for Michael. Finally, we went to the thermal baths to relax. One week was enough.

From our perspective, the American continent is bordered by two oceans: the Atlantic and the Pacific. For most travellers, the sea accompanies them along the entire route from north to south, or vice versa. For us, however, it was slightly different. For long periods, we travelled almost exclusively inland through South America.

But now, in Central America, there is no escape. The sea is never far away and provides us with wonderful places to stay time and time again. The sea creatures are fascinating too, especially in the middle of whale season.

Visiting humpback whales

We hadn’t seen any for a long time because we hadn’t been near the coast. In Ecuador, we arrived either too early or too late for the season, as there was no sign of the whales.

But in Panama, we arrived at just the right time. This meant that we absolutely had to get out on the water to see them!

Whale watching has become big business in this region. Prices are often correspondingly high. In Panama, specifically in Santa Catalina, they wanted to charge between 80 and 100 US dollars. To be fair, this includes not only whale watching but also snorkelling and the park entrance fee.

However, we received a tip from other travellers about a cheaper option with fewer tourists. Since we had already been fortunate enough to see a humpback whale calf practising its jumps and observe other whales from a distance during our diving trip, we thought long and hard about it. But at 30 US$ per person for six hours on the water, we couldn’t complain.

We drove to Boca Brava. Despite it being the rainy season, our guide was waiting for us there on a beautiful sunny day. Five American expats joined us on the boat. The eight of us set off in the small boat for Chiriquí National Park. Right in the middle was a mother swimming with her calf. They kept coming very close to the boat! It took an hour for another tourist boat to arrive. So we were almost alone the entire time.

Seeing these little calves swimming, and then seeing the mothers appear right next to them, was deeply impressive. This is especially impressive given how much bigger they are than our little boat. These giants can grow up to 15 metres long, which is rather small for the rorqual family, and weigh between 25 and 30 tonnes. We saw whales repeatedly that day, both from the beach and from the boat.

Can you do whale watching from bed?

In Costa Rica, we tried again. This time, from our bed looking through the tent window, parking on a beach near Puerto Jiménez where whales are often seen. We didn’t see the whales, but we did see dolphins, rays and turtles.

The second time we went whale watching, it was in Uvita, with a colleague of Michi’s brother who organises whale-watching tours. He took us on a fishing trip with his friends. I still find fishing boring, but there were whales in the bay. We saw them jumping in the distance repeatedly, and then a mother and calf came very close.

It was different here, though. Despite it being the off-season, five other boats carrying up to 15 people surrounded the animals. So much for whale watching alone! It’s a completely different experience to have the animals almost exclusively to yourself. We are looking forward to new encounters on our way north. After all, we will continue to encounter the coast and its fascinating inhabitants all along the way.

Projects worth the journey: brave indigenous women that unite tourism, tradition and conservation

Indigenous and woman… A combination that in itself makes life difficult all over the world. It is no different in South America. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, only one in ten indigenous girls finishes secondary school in Latin America.

In general, being a woman is hard enough in these parts. Even I, a privileged white woman, often notice it when they explain to me how the world works, when they don’t believe I know how to drive, or when they correct my Spanish because they use a different word here and the one I use is probably made up. Depending on the day, I don’t cope too well with it.

Imagine not having had the opportunity to receive a good basic education, living in a tribe and growing up in a cultural and economic context different from that of the upper caste. In short, you are in the lowest possible status. The realities of the rich and the poor differ much more in this part of the world. But sometimes you come across extraordinary initiatives that seek to change the paradigm somewhat.

The women of the community of San Pedro, in Misahuallí Ecuador, are one such example to follow. Despite being indigenous, and women, they have created their own business from which a whole community lives. And it is beautiful.

Sinchi Warmi Lodge – Brave women

Sofia welcomes us. She explains everything to us, invites us to guayusa tea and prepares some potato chunks, which is what they have at the moment instead of bread, then takes us to the bridge and throws the chunks into the water. Bam! There is a loud noise in the water. It is the mouth of something gigantic. “A paiche of about 2.50 metres,” she explains. It spits out again the potato, the fish doesn’t like vegetables too much.

The paiche, also known as arapaima or pirarucu, is one of the largest freshwater fish, reaching up to four metres and weighing up to 200 kilos. It has large black scales and a huge red tail. Its eyes and tail scales reflect the light of torches at night. It looks like a giant monster approaching with only its eyes showing.

It feeds mainly on other fish, but also eats birds, insects and other small mammals. They hunt them by suction: they open their big mouths and create a vacuum that attracts their prey, which causes that characteristic noise.

At Sinchi Warmi they have three giants, the oldest is about eight years old. The fish accompanies us throughout our stay and, at night, we can hear them hunting as they propel themselves quickly to catch their prey. By the way, it is also a very tasty fish to eat.

Projects worth the journey: an animal paradise on the Pacific side of the Andes

We continue our journey through Ecuador, a country full of contrasts. While there are many private initiatives to protect species, the extraction of raw materials is also booming. The country’s biodiversity is immense, both in terms of species and raw materials.

In 2021, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Energy expected to have reserves of 1.3 billion barrels of oil, most of which are located in the Amazon Basin — and this is just one of the smallest countries in South America! There are also rich deposits of gold, silver, copper, zinc and much more besides. These are all highly sought-after products in world trade.

However, legal mining can also be problematic, particularly in countries where the government does not enforce environmental regulations. Consequently, heavy metals find their way down the rivers into the Pacific or to the Atlantic through Brazil.

While we were in Ecuador in mid-March, an oil spill occurred in Esmeraldas. An estimated 25 000 barrels of oil spilled out when the oleoduct burst and affected 300 000 people in one of the poorest regions of the country. And this happened in an area where the rivers do not still have thousands of kilometres of land to cross.

A bird paradise close to the capital

Isabel welcomed us with a beaming smile and perfect English. She had lived in the USA for a while because her mum studied and worked there. Her parents wanted to turn part of their home country Ecuador into a protected area.

The Maquipucuna Foundation was established 35 years ago. The land had lain fallow for a long time, but the Chocó Andino region of Ecuador, characterised by its biodiversity, had become a second home to the family.

They had reforested much of the area with wild avocado trees. A native tree species. They also began to develop a tourism project involving a small lodge.

The trees grew and the forest recovered, and around 20 years after planting, the first bears arrived. Without realising it, they had created a new food source for the spectacled bear. These animals love wild avocados, but the season is in August and September. So, we were unlucky. We were definitely there too early to see them.

However, the lodge and the park attract many other animals. The area is renowned for its diverse birdlife, particularly hummingbirds, and it is also home to a variety of snakes. That’s why we were there. We were allowed to walk up and down their hiking trails, and they trusted us completely. It’s nice because it’s often forbidden to walk alone on clearly signposted paths. We’re not talking about treks through the middle of nowhere in the jungle.

During the night, we saw giant snails and a kinkajou. During the day, our long-awaited wish was finally granted when we spotted an American lance snake, Bothrops asper. In Ecuador, it is known as ‘Equis’ because of its X pattern. It was curled up right next to the hiking trail.

We walked past it first. My heart stopped for a moment when I looked back: “Michi, there’s a snake right here!” First, we put some distance between us and calmed down, and then we got the camera ready. The snake lay there and watched us. And we watched back.

Yes, I’ll answer the question up front: it’s venomous. It’s also known for causing most bites. However, as we often repeat, as long as you don’t attack the snake or step on it, it won’t do anything. This is the best example. It was less than a metre away, and we both walked pass it really close.

Sumak Kawsay in Situ: Science and tourism on the edge of the Andes.

People are an integral part of any journey. No journey is complete without them. Although people often cause trouble, nature itself rarely does — unless a swarm of insects invades the car or it rains for weeks on end. However, although problems usually originate from people, they also make travelling a special experience.

Encounters with new people, large and small projects, and spectacular hospitality make travelling an adventure. In the Places of the Future series, we will present some surprising and memorable projects, we’ve come across along our journey.

We spend a lot of time travelling in nature and looking out for animals, so most of the projects focus on nature and species conservation in harmony with tourism. These are all places that should be visited, and we hope to revisit them at some point.

Because they all show one thing: there is another way.

The 300-year-project

The property is located at an altitude of just under 1,400 metres on the Ecuadorian Andes. The view stretches from the El Altar and Tungurahua volcanoes to the Amazon rainforest and from Llanganates National Park to Sangay National Park. In the middle of this corridor, unspoilt nature thrives. This is thanks to a private initiative.

At the end of the 1990s, the family cultivated much of the land using traditional methods: They planted lulo, a very popular citrus fruit in South America. However, before they could clear more land to expand cultivation, young Henry approached his parents with a strange idea. What about protecting the forest and focusing on tourism and science? He had clearly been watching too much National Geographic on TV.

Almost 30 years later, researchers and experts from elite US universities come to sleep on mattresses in his jungle camp.

Sumak Kawsay in Situ is a biodiversity paradise, and, unlike in the lowlands of Ecuador, visitors won’t be swarmed by mosquitoes, which is very pleasant. There is plenty to discover. Tourists can bathe in crystal-clear streams, enjoy a clay cure for their skin, listen to a live frog philharmonic orchestra, trudge through the forest in rubber boots in search of animals, and enjoy delicious dishes prepared by Mama Gloria.

Scientists enjoy a prime-location laboratory with a forest view instead of white walls, exploring new paths and repeatedly discovering new plant and animal species. A mere half a hectare is home to 145 different plant species, offering plenty to see. Therefore, the hope of finding the fountain of youth here is high. Nevertheless, it is already a source of life as it is the water source of the Amazon basin.

And not easy to find.

First we have to thread our way round a very tight bend. And right in front of a church where an Ash Wednesday service is being celebrated. Then down a muddy road. It’s the middle of the night when we finally arrive at the car park.

“I’ve seen them”, says Michi. Two bears are sleeping on the other side of the valley, only visible through the thermal imaging device. The anticipation builds. We get up very early in the morning, right at sunrise, and sit on the observation tower. Michi is ready with his camera and thermal imaging device, I make coffee.

There are lots of Andean bears on the other side of the valley. Over the course of the morning, we observe five specimens. The first is still sleeping, the second is already foraging.

There is only one species of bear in South America: the spectacled bear. It is actually very well known, as the Paddington bear cartoon character was modelled exactly on it.

A bear of the Andes

The Galapagos. Is it paradise on earth, or a little hell, as the first seafarers thought? The mostly barren landscape made survival difficult for humans, but it was a true paradise for the animals. Consequently, an enormous variety of endemic species developed on the Galapagos Islands — species that only exist there.

The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. He found inspiration in the famous finches with their adapted beaks, the iguanas that feed on sea algae and the renowned Galapagos tortoises, of which 12 subspecies are still alive today. Each tortoise specialises in a particular island or volcano and is visibly different from the others.

The wildlife in the Galapagos is overwhelming, not because of the diversity of species, but because of the sheer number of animals and how unafraid they are of humans. Sea lions lie in the middle of paths and benches that they have reserved for themselves, even throwing tourists’ belongings aside. It’s impertinent of tourists to think they can use them – probably thinks the sea lion.

Arriving in the provincial capital

We fly to San Cristóbal, a small provincial capital. The islands were discovered in 1535 and have belonged to Ecuador since 1832. Before that, they were a pirate stronghold, as the poor access to drinking water made the islands an unattractive place to live.

We spent a long time on the archipelago to make the most of the entrance fee. The Galapagos are expensive – unless you stay long enough. Entry to the national park is paid for directly at the airport, and thee doubled to 200 US dollars in 2024. It doesn’t matter how long you stay, but you must show proof of a return flight.

The small airport is ideal: after the strict controls (everything that goes in or out is checked), we walked five minutes to the village.

The main attraction is the cruises: small cruise ships that allow you to visit uninhabited and remote islands. However, these cost several thousand dollars for a week. This was beyond our budget, so we had to organise our own trip.

We rented a small holiday flat. It was all about switching off and enjoying ourselves. That worked quite well. Everything is within walking distance, the promenade is full of sea lions – which are a bit smelly, but it’s worth watching them play, dive, sleep and suckle.

A holiday routine: snorkelling and eating

We swim every day – even when it rains. We stay in basic AirBnBs and eat at the market: fresh fish, rice, vegetables, soup and lemonade for just 5 US dollars. We have rarely eaten so well. Over time, we also found our favourite restaurant – of course. We often reminisce about this food, as we do now in Colombia, where it’s slightly cheaper but not very good.

There are more tourists on the islands than we are used to, but it’s not overcrowded. And we quickly realise that an organised tours cost a small fortune. It’s easy to spend a lot of money here. But there isn’t actually that much more to see. The sea is like an aquarium everywhere, with sea lions, sea turtles, lobsters, tuna, iguanas, penguins, eagle rays, stingrays, sharks, octopuses and starfish, not to mention countless other species of fish. You can see all of these from the shore with just some diving goggles and snorkel. It’s indescribable.

What about sustainability?

The Galapagos Islands are also full of contradictions. While it presents itself as sustainable, there is hardly any investment in renewable energies. Solar panels would be very expensive (the locals say), so there are hardly any, but there is a diesel generator for electricity. The airport is an exception, as it has its own solar park.

Most vehicles run on petrol. Although some Chinese electric cars are already in use, the taxi drivers claim that they are inefficient. After a 70-kilometre round trip across the island, the battery is apparently half empty and a full tank lasts three days. Their explanation is that there are too many hills. Their calculations make no sense to us, but we soon understand why.

We treated ourselves to a short trip across the island, taking a taxi up the volcano and back down to a beach. The whole journey took four hours and covered less than 60 kilometres. We got out of the car several times to visit various places. The driver stayed in the car with the engine running at full speed for the entire journey.

It’s obvious that the battery would be empty if you left the car running for hours with the AC on.

Then there are the exorbitant prices. The island has a monopoly, which they maintain quite well through price agreements. A half-day excursion quickly costs 100 dollars, and the service is mediocre at best. The real luxury is on the cruise ships, which don’t cost much more if you’d take a tour every day.

Time is money

The sales strategies of the tour operators are interesting, too. They advertise lots of different animals, but you can actually see them too if you simply snorkel from the beach. All you need is time, but, as we all know, time is money.

As we had time, we visited three of the islands. San Cristóbal is full of sea lions that play with you in the water. We only briefly stayed in Santa Cruz, the tourist capital, where we watched baby reef sharks from the shore. We stayed on Isabela for 10 days and saw many animals right by our beach.

Nevertheless, we treat ourselves to one experience: diving with hammerhead sharks.

The dive is expensive, but impressive. Michael has done it twice, so it must be worth it. Before the dive, the dive guide scares everyone a little: strong currents and mistakes mean death. That sums it up.

The dive itself wasn’t that challenging afterwards. The strong swell kept rocking us back and forth, but everything went quite well. We saw eagle rays and swam with three-metre reef sharks and hammerhead sharks. They didn’t come too close, but they looked rather curious.

Then we swam through a shoal of mackerel. The fish stayed close together without touching us or each other, forming a kind of dark bubble. Suddenly, everything split apart as a shark swam through. It gets dark again, and the game starts all over — only this time, it’s a sea lion! It was spectacular and unforgettable.

For us, the Galapagos Islands were a break from travelling. We enjoyed the animals, the sea, and the delicious food. We were also glad that it didn’t rain every day and that we didn’t have to fix anything on the car. We put all of that off until afterwards.

That’s what the roads in South America are like. There are huge differences and conditions often change with the seasons. But on the whole, the countries are passable with any type of vehicle. You just have to choose your routes accordingly.

Motorways and toll roads

The main roads are paved and there are usually good motorways. You will make good progress, especially around the big cities. You usually pay a toll, depending on the country, a few cents as in Bolivia (although their tariffs were very opaque) or always a dollar as in Ecuador.

Tolls are usually charged on the motorways, but they’re in good condition. Only the speed bumps used to limit speed are a major hazard. Most local drivers, even those with the best off-road vehicles, brake very hard just before them, so you run the risk of hitting them from behind – it pays to keep your distance. And don’t forget that you have to expect everything on a motorway: walkers, cyclists, horse riders, cows, llamas, simply everything.

Mud and potholes

Country roads are different, they may have just been resurfaced or they may be full of potholes. The mountain roads are always a surprise – even if they’re supposed to be national roads, don’t expect to drive faster than 50km/h.

The smaller roads can have potholes and you have to be prepared for anything. But this is true everywhere. That’s where a high-riding car comes in handy. It doesn’t have to be a 4×4, but a two-wheel drive without a lift is definitely limited. And above all, every pothole (and there are many) becomes a major bump in the road.

Then there are the unsealed roads: some are brilliant, others almost impassable. This mainly depends on when they were last maintained and whether it is the rainy season. This means that conditions can change within months or from one day to the next.

The mountains slide, and there are places that are known for this. After a slide there is not much left of the original road and you can forget about getting through. However, the local bus drivers usually know what the situation is like. It helps to ask or just turn around when the road ends.

Is 4×4 compulsory?

Most routes can be done without 4×4; though if it’s very muddy or steep we’re happy to have it, but there are often alternative routes that are easier.

In our experience, your own driving ability is more important than whether you have 2WD or 4WD. Some drivers get further with their 2WD than any other driver of an off-road vehicle. So it’s worth investing in a good off-road driving course before you start your travels, as you’ll also get to know the car better.

We got stuck three times

We only got stuck three times: once because it had rained so much overnight that we couldn’t drive on the muddy country roads. We had to wait a day for it to dry. The other time it was also raining and we were going up a stretch where there wasn’t really a road – but we wanted to get to that bridge. Once we had deflated the tyres and put our recovery boards in place, we got out. Another time the road was completely washed away and we had to wait until another road was built. Luckily we were never in danger.

In Bolivia, we were stuck for a while because of protests and road closures, but we got to meet a lot of the locals in the town. In Argentina we had to turn back 200 km because we couldn’t cross the river – too much water.

So actually RAIN is the deciding factor. When it rains, you often have to wait for it to stop and the road to dry out a bit or find another route.

Road works and schedules

Roadworks are an often forgotten detail. Here, unlike in Europe, they like to close the road completely, without providing a diversion and without being able to keep traffic flowing in one lane. Then the road is closed either for the whole day – as happened in Ecuador from 9am to 6pm. Or by the hour, like in Peru when we went to Machu Picchu. That means they work for 2 hours and then take an hour break to let the cars through.

The many signs with the schedule would be great – if they kept to the time on them. Sometimes they work an extra hour – or two – or they don’t work at all, in which case ‘lucky you’. As a reminder, schedules in South America are only a guide and are never binding.

As I’m writing this, I’m waiting in line again. They need to fix a pipe and everything has stopped. All day long, from 9am to 6pm. Even though only one excavator is working. But they had already announced it at the crossroads. Two women stood there with a handwritten cardboard sign – just like the ones you draw in primary school. They told us that the roadworks had been announced on the Ministry’s website a week ago, but no one had thought to put up a sign.

We just laughed and knew that we’d be waiting for 4 hours (until 6pm) or 6 hours anyway. The detour takes twelve hours and is 300 kilometres longer.