Kathryn Rhodes
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.
After graduating from the University of Manchester with a degree in Philosophy and French, Kathryn decided to head for South America and backpack around the continent. She began her trip in Mendoza and has fond memories of cycling through the region’s vineyards. She then spent six months exploring Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before deciding to set down her backpack for five months in Cusco, where she worked in a hostel as the bar manager.
She loves Latin America for its scenery, wildlife, history and locals, whom she thinks of as the warmest and most fun-loving people on the planet! A favourite memory is of stumbling across a carnival-esque procession in Arequipa and being dragged in by enthusiastic locals – she spent the next three hours in a crowd of hundreds spraying water and foam over everyone before being invited to lunch in the town hall!
Since joining Journey Latin America as a Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours department, Kathryn has travelled to many other of the continent’s countries, including Costa Rica and Brazil, which have become two of her firm favourites!
PersonAL favourites:
Place:
Anywhere I can see the Andes! The Altiplano that spreads from northern Chile into southwest Bolivia has the most amazingly beautiful scenery and the colours never fail to take my breath away
Hotel:
Hacienda Zuleta – it’s simply idyllic. The roaring fires, delicious home-cooked food and rural setting make it an ideal place to wind down after a busy week in the Galapagos. The on-site dairy production also makes it a must for cheese lovers!
Excursion:
Snorkelling in the Galapagos. I love being in the water anyway but here you really enter another world and realise just how much life there is on the archipelago. We were lucky to have crystal clear water and were joined at one point by a playful sea lion swimming around with us – such an incredible experience!
Latin America is so inspiring that it can be tempting to try and fit it all in to your holiday, but countries like Argentina and Brazil are huge and it’s impossible to see everything in just two weeks. Focus on one or two regions and you’ll spend less time in airports and have more time getting to know the people and the country you’re visiting.
A few light layers will always come in handy wherever you’re travelling to – even in the jungle the nights can draw in quickly and if you’re getting around on planes or buses you’ll be glad of an extra layer against the A/C.
