Jake Aley

Latin America is simply astounding. My passion for the region began when I was a teenager during a self-drive with my parents around Costa Rica in search of wildlife. Not only that, but a few years later, I embarked on a marvellous Brazil trip and spotted jaguars in the Pantanal, ultimately kicking off my love for travel. Alongside this, I’ve travelled extensively around South-East Asia, Australia, Europe and parts of the Middle East and East Africa.

Since 2019, I’ve worked as a Travel Consultant for a scuba diving tour company as well as STA Travel and G Adventures. Just a few years later though, I would set out on a journey of a lifetime.

In 2023, I took a one-way flight to Mexico City with limited plans other than to head south and visit almost everywhere I could. From January to October of that year, I explored Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil. It was a trip unlike any other I’ve ever experienced.

During this time, I had the opportunity to visit some amazing nature areas such as the Andes, the Amazon and Galápagos Islands. I spent lots of time hiking around towering mountains, scuba diving through tropical waters, watching wonderful wildlife and enjoying the incredible food and culture.

One of my favourite places to visit was Honduras, where I qualified to scuba dive and explored under-visited areas, as well as Colombia with its diverse wildlife, beaches, cities and hiking trails. However, it would be impossible to pick a single favourite out of such amazing parts of the world!