Chimu Blog Updated February 2020
Busting to get off the grid and immerse yourself in the best unplugged destinations in Latin America? Join the club!
The best unplugged destinations in Latin America are set to revitalise your soul, quieten your mind and recharge your spirit, all the while offering cultural and nature-infused experiences galore. For your digital detox, look no further than the most pristine pockets of wilderness in the continent, where Wi-Fi plays second fiddle to magnificent nature and outstanding wildlife.
So turn off that device, pack that camera and come discover the most beautiful and restorative places of all.
7. Chocó Cloud Forest, Ecuador
Floating halfway between the Andes Mountains and Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador, the little-known Chocó Cloud Forest is an unplugged Utopia in Latin America – due to its startling isolation and blissful anonymity. Not many people know this haven of nature even exists, which is amazing considering it’s barely an hour’s drive from the capital, Quito.
Ecuador’s latest UNESCO-listed treasure is widely considered to be one of the last virgin cloud forests left in this part of the world, and one of our planet’s best bird and butterfly spotting destinations. You’ll see iridescent butterflies here that are twice the size of your hand and rare birds, like the Toucan Barbet, that can only be seen in a few select places on earth. Home to an array of endemic and oftentimes endangered species of flora and fauna, Chocó offers an exquisite unplugged escape. Our escape hatch of choice here is the stunning Mashpi Lodge, thought by many to be the best place on earth for birdwatching and considered, by us here at Chimu, as the most sustainable way to experience the forest. Yes, you’ll have Wi-Fi-connection in your room if need be but we guarantee that the last thing you’ll desire, should you be lucky enough to stay here, is to connect to anything other than the magnificent wilderness. Mashpi is one of National Geographic’s Unique Lodges of the World.
SEE CHIMU’S BEST TOURS OF ECUADOR
6. Patagonia, Argentina & Chile
Latin America’s wild south is a mountainous maze of stark beauty, extreme remoteness and isolation – just the ticket for your next unplugged vacation. Choices here abound with the expansive region of over one million square kilometres boasting one of the world’s lowest population density but with a generous sprinkle of off-grid wilderness lodges. If you think you may be tempted by Wi-Fi connection, then best to choose a place that doesn’t even offer it, right? To this end, head to EcoCamp Patagonia, the first geodesic dome hotel in the world and a gorgeous project that takes environmental and cultural preservation to heart. This unique camp promises to reconnect you with Mother Nature whilst disconnecting you from the internet. A stunning deal by all accounts! Not only do you get to stay in arguably the coolest lodge on earth but you’ll have the breath-taking peaks of spectacular Torres del Paine outside your dome window, an impressive array of hikes to keep you busy and that dreamy peacefulness you can only find in the world’s remotest destinations.
EXPLORE CHIMU’S OUTSTANDING PATAGONIA TOURS
5. Bacalar, Mexico
When you imagine a tropical paradise, complete with turquoise seas, the warm sun on your back and swaying palm trees, it’s Mexico’s Bacalar that you’re conjuring up. Famous for its seven-coloured lagoon, rustic cabins, camping on the sand and legendary jungle surroundings, this is one unplugged destination that needs little introduction.
You won’t find any tourist complexes here, and most restaurants or hotels don’t even have Wi-Fi, so all you have to concentrate on is breathing in the fresh ocean air, and enjoying the laid back, Caribbean way of life. If you’re feeling active, you’ll find a few wildlife-spotting excursions to enjoy. However, in this drop-dead-gorgeous lagoon, the focus is very much on relaxation. The wonderful thing about Bacalar is that it’s easily reached via a short flight from Mexico City, so it’s incredibly easy to add a few unplugged days at the end of a whirlwind tour of Mexico. The most enticing 2-in-1 deal on earth!
CHIMU BRINGS YOU THE BEST OF MEXICO TOURS
4. Cabo de la Vela, Colombia
Want more tropical paradise? Then leave the sun-worshipping crowds of Cartagena behind and escape to the picturesque, secluded paradise that is Cabo de la Vela in Colombia. This sleepy little fishing village is located on the La Guajira peninsula. Although it requires a bit of effort to reach (a 2-hour drive on a bumpy dirt-road), it’s worth every pothole on earth.
Cabo de La Vela is the most idyllic spot for a romantic getaway or to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The locals have a very simple and laid-back lifestyle here, revelling in the little joys each day brings. So while you’re here, make sure to take a leaf out of their book: relax on the unspoilt beaches, chow down on freshly caught lobster, get into the local sport of kite surfing and enjoy yet another dreamy unplugged stint of R&R.
3. Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica
Given Costa Rica’s popularity among North Americans and its famous tourism scene, the country is often overlooked by those chasing an unplugged destination in Latin America. Yet look beyond the glossy façade, 5* all-inclusive resorts and ready-made tourist highlights, and you’ll find a biodiverse pocket of heaven that is unplugged personified.
The Osa Peninsula is the wildest and most remote region of Costa Rica, two-thirds of it taken up by the exceptional Corcovado National Park. Considered the most biodiverse reserve in the most biodiverse country in all of Central America, Corcovado is a spectacular place to visit if you want to hide away from the rest of the world for a few days. Here, off-grid eco-lodges like Lapa Rios replace i-phone pings with howler monkeys calls and i-pad scrolling with superlative wildlife-spotting walks. From sloths to ocelots, tapirs, jaguars, tamanduas, coatis, four species of monkey and hundreds of species of exotic birds, Corcovado is the place you need when you prefer your company to be of the feathery and furry kind. This is truly paradise on earth.
COSTA RICA AND PANAMA TOURS ARE A BRILLIANT MATCH
2. Atacama Desert, Chile
We’re not sure how such a rugged place can be so idyllic but when it comes to unplugged destinations in Latin America, and superb remoteness, the Atacama Desert simply ticks all the boxes. As far as visual feasting is concerned, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more seductive place than Chile’s crown jewel of the north, the Atacama’s dramatic and multi-hued contours bewildering even the most travel-weary explorer. At night, when the desert is plunged into darkness, the spectacle continues above, the night sky here considered one of the best stargazing meccas on earth.
Atacama is home to a few off-grid lodges that make an unplugged vacation the stuff of desert dreams.
CHILE TOURS – THE FASTEST RISING TRAVEL TREND RIGHT NOW
1. Antarctica
Ever get the feeling you need to travel to the ends of the world just to get some peace and quiet? You’re absolutely right!
Antarctica rates as the most unplugged destination you can reach from Latin America, the southernmost continent on earth serving up a transformative and immersive travel experience that’s made all the more intense by the lack of, well, everything man-made – except the expedition ship that takes you there.
When you spend your days kayaking amongst eye-popping icebergs, visiting mind-boggling colonies of penguins and sea lions and dodging ice-floes in search of migrating humpbacks, the rest of the world simply ceases to exist.
The most unplugged destination in Latin America turns out to be the world’s last true wilderness paradise.
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Want us to pull the plug on your next tour of Latin America? We can! At Chimu Adventures, we’ll stay online and plan all the logistics of your trip so you can stay offline and simply enjoy your adventure. From the wildest depths of Central America to the dizzying heights of South America and even way south, to Antarctica, where nature (not technology) reigns supreme.
