travel reports & Posts about traveling by summer long-distance travel

Here you can follow the current travel reports and travel contributions from Sommer Fernreisen and thus participate directly in our trips. Be inspired and excited to contact us for further questions – we look forward to your comments.

Reforestation Eco farm NATURALANDIA, private reserve in the foreshore of Ecuador

Discover the biodiversity of Naturalandia: Brownea grandiceps or also called Cruz Caspi, is a plant genus in the subfamily locust bean family (Caesalpinioideae) within the Leguminosae. The 25 to 30 species are common in South America. This species in the photo is also called “Rose of Venezuela” and is used medicinally. Visit from forestry engineer Leila and her husband Brian, who tested my reforestation program and supported me with 3,500 WWF foundation seedlings. The farm Naturalandia is of hilly topography, with watercourses, secondary rainforest and many exotic plants. Particularly striking is the Warsewiczia coccinea, which is the national flower in Trinidad and Tobago. Colorful birds and colorful butterflies delight the …

Travel Report: From the Western Cordillera to the Eastern Cordillera and the Amazon Basin of Ecuador

Four on the way + guide and driver from 20.11. – 03.12.2018 Upon arrival in Quito we were picked up by Ralph Sommer (and our driver) at the airport, who also led us during the tour. The first two nights we spent in his hosteria summer garden in Sangolqui – a beautiful area with a very well-kept garden and delicious food. We visited Quito and Sangolqui. Our journey then took us to the Equator Monument and on to Mindo for hummingbird and butterfly farms. Early in the morning, we walked in the dark with flashlights through a forest to experience the courtship of the “Cock of the Rock” at sunrise. The striking orange-red birds flew …

Ecuador – Land of Hummingbirds

Occurrence of Hummingbirds: Hummingbird (Trochilidae), engl. Hummingbird, order: Sailor birds Due to the differences in altitude, contrasting landscapes, climatic levels and the geographical location on the Equator, Ecuador is a unique country for nature observations on our planet. Due to these conditions, so many different bird species live here, in total 1,632 species were counted. Ecuador alone has 132 species of hummingbirds, subdivided into 57 genera that can be found in almost every type of habitat, from sea level to snow-capped mountains and even downtown areas. The most amazing hummingbird, Andean Hillstar, occupies the highlands of the Andes below the snow line (up to 5,000 meters above sea level). To survive at this altitude, …

Charles Darwin and the Galápagos Islands

“Chance is an unforeseen event that makes sense,” recognized the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes of Siope. People remember such events and some of them decisively shape our current world view. The discovery of penicillin, for example. And if Newton did not like sitting under an apple tree, maybe we would not know anything about the gravitational force today. All these modern legends have something in common – an ingenious mind and a good deal of chance, luck or divine providence, depending on the interpretation with which one wishes to look at the events. The young Charles Darwin, author of the theory of evolution and today an icon of science, would have it as a person of the 18th century. and budding theologian anyway, as the latter …

In the cave of Greater Schwalm / Ecuador

One of the most extraordinary species of birds in the world Few of you have probably heard of the South American Greater Schwalm. They are one of the night swallows and are one of the most unique bird species in the world. They live mostly in caves, fly out at night and feed exclusively on fruit and orient themselves in the dark by “echo sounder.” The Greater Schwalm, also oil bird, in Ecuador but called Tayo and Venezuela Guacharo (Screaming Bird), comes from Panama Colombia and Venezuela east to Trinidad and Guyana and along the Andes south via Ecuador and Peru to central Bolivia. However, since it is nocturnal and still nests in difficult to access caves, it is …

The Tagua nut palm in Ecuador – the vegetable ivory miracle

The Tagua nut also known as Corozonuss or as a vegetable ivory or peanut, is the seed of a palm tree that belongs to the genus of the pear palm (Phytelephas). Its scientific name Phytelephas macrocarpa refers to the characteristics “plant-ivory large-fruity”. The large-scale fruitiness refers to the 20 to 30 kg heavy spherical fruit stands, in which the stone nuts are. Tagua nut, vegetable ivory After harvest, the nuts are filled with a sour, drinkable liquid. In order to be able to process them for works of art, that is, to be able to turn, carve, saw, mill and polish, they must be dried for several months before they finally reach the hardness of ivory. Under the brownish outer skin is the cream-colored material, the shock-absorbing …

Spitting lizards, peaceful sharks and penguins in the tropics – Galápagos, an open-air laboratory of evolution

The Galápagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean are known around the world for their unique nature and as a source of inspiration for Darwin’s theory of evolution, thus having a decisive impact on our current world view. But what is really in the myth of Galápagos? First of all, let’s take a close look at the facts: 13 major islands formed by a volcanic, undersea hotspot, together with more than 100 small islands cover a total surface area of approximately 45 000 km2 and are located 1000 km away from mainland Ecuador. There, at the equator, several gigantic warm and cold ocean currents meet each other, which decisively shape the weather in the entire Pacific region. The Galápagos Islands have been designated by the Ecuadorian state as a nature reserve since 1959 and have been UNESCO World Natural Heritage since 1978. …

The Sathya Sai School in Ecuador – an outstanding example of a social school project

Occasionally, just as a traveler, one might get the impression that all over the world it is teeming with relief projects, non-profit organizations and the like. They all probably have wonderful goals and motives, but unfortunately the plan does not work out too often and the project ends up in the sand, it does not have the hoped-for effect or the help does not come where it’s needed. How good that there are just as many successful and well-designed models! An outstanding example can be found in Bahía de Caráquez in Ecuador. Since 2001, the Sathya-Sai School has been a unique private educational project, aimed primarily at socially disadvantaged families …

Family travel in Ecuador

In Ecuador, Families Experience the Whole World in One Country Anyone traveling abroad with their children has certainly experienced worried relatives, jealous neighbors, and friends shaking their heads off. When the language still comes to Ecuador and thus to Latin America, even with more liberal contemporaries the alarm bells are ringing completely wrongly. The reason is probably that most of them do not know about this fascinating country. We want to clean up with prejudices and introduce the uniqueness of the travel destination Ecuador. Below you will find 3 reasons why Ecuador is an unforgettable destination, especially for families. Afterwards we will present the “best of” the …

Nature calls – and they come: traveling birdwatchers

What do Prince Philip, Albert Einstein and Paul McCartney have in common? They are all supposedly enthusiastic birdwatchers. Just like countless other hobby ornithologists, who like nothing more than to lay in wait with spotting scope and guideline and to wait until copies of rare, beautiful or typical for the surrounding bird species show up.

The author of this long-distance travel blog is the tour operator Sommer Fernreisen, which offers trips on the subject of nature, culture and adventure. Employees and enthusiastic customers of summer long-distance travel write here in the blog posts around travel.

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