Bocas Del Toro Snorkeling Tour

The easiest way of finding some decent Bocas Del Toro snorkeling locations is to take a full-day boat trip from Bocas town. This isn't a bad option for just $30 per person, including 5 different activities and locations.


Bocas Del Toro Snorkeling Tour Itinerary
The tours leave in the morning most days from the central jetties. In addition to the snorkeling, you get to visit a variety of locations including Dolphin Bay, the mangoves and coral off Isla Bastimentos, the Zapatillas islands, and some smaller islands where you might sight some sloths.


Dolphin Bay - Laguna

Venice Osteria and Trattoria

Considering that Italy is pretty much one big restaurant, there’s never any difficulty finding somewhere to eat. Whether a Venice Osteria and Trattoria or Pizzeria, there are plenty of places to choose from.

Unless you like to snack throughout the day, you can pretty much calculate that during a 2-day city trip you will need 4 meals: 2 lunches and 2 dinners. This is assuming that you have breakfast included with your hotel. We were staying at the centrally located  hotel, which included an excellent breakfast for 2 in the room price of €59 per night.

In our experience, the overall

Vaporetti Day Pass - Essentials for a short weekend in Venice http://www.sandspice.com/vaporetti-day-pass/ #Venice #Vaporetto #Pass

Vaporetti Day Pass - Essentials for a short weekend in Venice
http://www.sandspice.com/vaporetti-day-pass/
#Venice #Vaporetto #DayPass

Booking a Venice Hotel

Choosing the Ca ’Fortuny Hotel Venice was the result of some precise online research. Finding a good, reasonably-priced hotel in Venice that’s not too far from the centre can be a challenge in itself. It's therefore always a good idea to scrutinize the best deals that are currently on offer.

We shortlisted a dozen hotels that were rated 80% plus by travellers. We then started to whittle down

Venice off-Season

How much should a short 2-night break in Venice off-season really cost?

With low-cost airlines flying from numerous destinations, the return flight is possibly one of the cheapest items of a trip to Venice. However, even this can be deceptive: The budget airlines fly to Venice Treviso, not to Venice Marco Polo. Treviso is a good 31 kilometers from the outskirts of the city: A return taxi fare

Temple of the Tooth

Before we left Kandy we took a few hours to visit the celebrated Temple of the Tooth. This is where they keep one of Buddha’s teeth as a holy relic. The relic is regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and is the focus of a daily series of offerings, rituals, and ceremonies.

Every day of the year, this relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and

Karimunjawa Scooter Rental - Getting Around

There are 22 kms of ‘road’  between the main port of Karimunjawa and the furthest point north on the island. This is a little too far for walking, and there are no buses or taxes as such. So unless you pay for a guided tour, the only viable way of discovering the island is with a Karimunjawa scooter rental.
Karimunjawa Scooter Rental
Almost all accommodation options in Karimunjawa are close to

Beneath the Knuckle Mountains

During our stay at the , we arranged several treks through the surrounding thickly-jungled mountain areas. Whenever we emerged into a clearing, we could see the Knuckle Mountains bathed in mist in the far distance.

It's clear to see how these mountains got their name. Local residents simply refer to them as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning ‘mist-laden mountain range’.



 
In the Knuckle

Polwaththa Eco Lodge

From Kandy, we had arranged a pickup by tuk-tuk to take us up into the surrounding mountain jungle to the Polwaththa Eco Lodge.

We were looking forward to a peaceful break, close to nature and away from the hustle and bustle. Our tuk-tuk driver arrived on time shortly before noon. We paid Rs 1,000 for the transfer from our hotel in Kandy.

The journey took around 45 minutes. As we

Elephant Orphanage - Return visit, but none of them remembered me... http://www.sandspice.com/pinnawala-elephant-orphanage/ #ElephantOrphanage #Pinnawala #SriLanka

Elephant Orphanage - Return visit, but none of them remembered me...
http://www.sandspice.com/pinnawala-elephant-orphanage/
#ElephantOrphanage #Pinnawala #SriLanka

Kandy by the Lake... and the Wood Apples are Delicious! http://www.sandspice.com/kandy-lake-comfort/ #Kandy #Lake #SriLanka

Kandy by the Lake... and the Wood Apples are Delicious!
http://www.sandspice.com/kandy-lake-comfort/
#Kandy #Lake #SriLanka

Lion Rock Sigiriya - Monkeys, Elephants, Crocodiles - What more do you want? http://www.sandspice.com/lion-rock-buddhist/ #Sigiriya #SriLanka #LionRock

Lion Rock Sigiriya - Monkeys, Elephants, Crocodiles - What more do you want?
http://www.sandspice.com/lion-rock-buddhist/
#Sigiriya #SriLanka #LionRock

Ceylonica Beach Hotel Negombo

Ceylonica Beach Hotel Negombo

Sri Lanka Travel Plan - 21-day rollercoaster to World’s End and beyond http://www.sandspice.com/sri-lanka-travel-plan/ #SriLanka #Budget #Itinerary

Sri Lanka Travel Plan - 21-day rollercoaster to World’s End and beyond
http://www.sandspice.com/sri-lanka-travel-plan/
#SriLanka #Budget #Itinerary

Bocas Town - Bocas Del Toro, Panama

A water taxi is most people's introduction to Bocas Town, Bocas Del Toro, though you can also fly directly to their small air strip not far behind the town. Since we were travelling in by bus from Boquete, we made our way to Almirante and took a boat from there

Our initial impression was of a town out of the wild west movies: Wooden shacks with boardwalks and upper level balconies. Most of

Maldives Under the Reef - An Abundance of Vibrant Tropical Fish http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-under-the-reef/ #Maldives #Reef #Snorkel

Maldives Under the Reef - An Abundance of Vibrant Tropical Fish http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-under-the-reef/
#Maldives #Reef #Snorkel

Sandbank Affaire - Dinner on your Private Island http://www.sandspice.com/sandbank-affaire-makunudu-maldives/ #Makunudu #Maldives #Travel

Sandbank Affaire - Dinner on your Private Island
http://www.sandspice.com/sandbank-affaire-makunudu-maldives/
#Makunudu #Maldives #Travel

Makunudu Island - A Miniature Island Paradise http://www.sandspice.com/makunudu-island/ #Makunudu #Maldives

Makunudu Island - A Miniature Island Paradise
http://www.sandspice.com/makunudu-island/
#Makunudu #Maldives

The luxury of smaller Maldives islands comes at a price: Why not dilute the cost? http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-planning-a-break/ #Maldives #Makunudu

The luxury of smaller Maldives islands comes at a price: Why not dilute the cost?
http://www.sandspice.com/maldives-planning-a-break/ #Maldives #Makunudu

Waterfall Rappeling in Boquete

Absailing down a waterfall might not be everyones cup of tea, but for an adrenaline rush its hard to beat. Waterfall rappeling in Boquete, also known as canyoning, is one of Panama’s most thrilling and popular adventure sports.
The concept is simple: suit up in a harness and belay your way...

In a Zombie Apocalypse, the Dubai Mall is where I'd be holed up. http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-mall/ #Dubai #Mall

In a Zombie Apocalypse, the Dubai Mall is where I'd be holed up. http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-mall/
#Dubai #Mall

Unless you're Tom Cruise, you won't get to sit on the very top. http://www.sandspice.com/burj-khalifa-dubai/ #BurjKhalifa #MissionImpossible

Unless you're Tom Cruise, you won't get to sit on the very top.
http://www.sandspice.com/burj-khalifa-dubai/ #BurjKhalifa #MissionImpossible

Hotel Central Boquete Panama

“Hotel Central” is quite a misnomer for a hotel name, since the Hotel Central Boquete Panama is anything but central. You'll have to walk a good 15 minutes uphill from the centre of town before you reach the hotel.

From the outside, with garish yellow paintwork and an odd structure, the place looks more like an office block than a hotel.

The reception is bizaarly located in an over-priced

Dubai Desert Safari Without needing any subtle hints, our driver put the pedal to the metal http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-desert-safari/ #dubai #dunebashing #desertsafari

Dubai Desert Safari
Without needing any subtle hints, our driver put the pedal to the metal
http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-desert-safari/
#dubai #dunebashing #desertsafari

Dubai Stopovers: A great addition to your vacation http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-stopover/ #Dubai #Stopover #Emirates

Dubai Stopovers: A great addition to your vacation
http://www.sandspice.com/dubai-stopover/
#Dubai #Stopover #Emirates

Kuala Lumpur Chinatown Everywhere... the delicious aroma of food... http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-chinatown/ #KualaLumpur #Chinatown #Streetfood

Kuala Lumpur Chinatown
Everywhere... the delicious aroma of food...
http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-lumpur-chinatown/
#KualaLumpur #Chinatown #Streetfood

Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre & a tree-top canopy walkway through the jungle http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-rainforest-discovery-centre/ #Borneo #Jungle #Rainforest

Borneo Rainforest Discovery Centre
& a tree-top canopy walkway through the jungle
http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-rainforest-discovery-centre/
#Borneo #Jungle #Rainforest

Ziplining in Boquete Panama

Ziplining had already been on our hitlist for a couple of years. When planning our trip to Panama, we discovered that the Boquete TreeTrek Mountain Resort operate one of the largest and most popular ziplining experience in Latin America, so what better place to start than ziplining in Boquete Panama?

Our tour was organized from a small office near the bank just off the High Street in the

Orangutans are curious at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-center/ #Orangutan #Borneo #Sepilok

Orangutans are curious at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center
http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-orangutan-rehabilitation-center/
#Orangutan #Borneo #Sepilok

Sepilok Borneo - Where to Stay Close to the Orangutans... http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-borneo/ #Orangutan #Sepilok #Borneo

Sepilok Borneo - Where to Stay
Close to the Orangutans...
http://www.sandspice.com/sepilok-borneo/
#Orangutan #Sepilok #Borneo

Borneo Wavehunters "The Washing Machine” rapids... http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-wavehunters/ #Borneo #Rafting #Padas

Borneo Wavehunters "The Washing Machine” rapids...
http://www.sandspice.com/borneo-wavehunters/
#Borneo #Rafting #Padas

Boquete Mountain Trails - The Hills Have Eyes

The hills and mountains around Boquete are a huge draw for tourists who want to enjoy some serious trekking off the beaten path. However, you may first want to take into account some recent and not-so-recent incidents before heading out alone on the Boquete Mountain Trails.
Boquete Mountain Trails - Tourist Murders
As much as the local media and authorities try to play down the risks, there

Kuala Penyu and the Paradisi FlyingSnake! http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-penyu-tempurung-seaside-lodge/ #KualaPenyu #Paradisi #FlyingSnake

Kuala Penyu and the Paradisi FlyingSnake!
http://www.sandspice.com/kuala-penyu-tempurung-seaside-lodge/ #KualaPenyu #Paradisi #FlyingSnake

Kota Kinabalu, Borneo

From Kuantan, we would have to take 2 flights to reach Kota Kinabalu, with a change in Kuala Lumpar.

After the disappearance 6 days earlier of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 out of KL, we were a little apprehensive about our forthcoming flight with the same airline, also travelling into and out