Chile
Santiago; Los Lingues; Santa Cruz; Vina Del Mar; Punta Arenas; Puerto Natales; Puerta del Hambre; Islas Magellanes; Patagonia
Ecuador
Quito- LOVE this place. The kids had a blast and there is so much to do. We have a soccer playing boy and a girl who likes the park so we picked a hotel on the Parque Carolina in front of all the soccer pitches (where anyone just jumps in and plays young and old), and there is a track for running, a kids playground, street vendors, a lake and pedalo boats. It’s a hive of activity most days and more so on the weekends. There are even group exercise classes over by the basketball courts on the side of the Qui Centro mall. There is another mall at the lower end of the park called El Jardín.
One of my favourite Ecuadorian local restaurants of all time is El Antojo Manabita by the mall, it’s not upper end at all, but I’ve eaten there many times, never got sick, and it’s good normal Ecuadorian soups, meats and seafood. Of course the expats eat at the nice plush restaurants on Eloy Alfaro and Gonzalez Suarez, and the tourists eat at the Crepes and Waffle or Magic Bean in the Mariscal tourist area, but I like this basic and good outdoor/indoor restaurant cafe called El Antojo Manabita on Polonia and near to Vancouver. Website elantojomanabita.com. There used to be a really good restaurant in the old town called La Cueva del Oso but last time I went it was closed, that was upmarket Ecuadorian food and was delicious for an evening meal.
When we weren’t hanging out at the park, we took a taxi to the funicular cable cars in Quito which take you to the top of Pichincha volcano. Well not quite to the top, but high up in the altitude over Quito, any there are horses up there which we rode around a loop with the kids. It was lovely. Also at the bottom of the cable car was an amusement area. There’s a lot of hiking at the top of the funicular if you don’t have young family, it’s a fun day high up in the clouds with great views and lung busting walks. Take food as there wasn’t much up there when we went.
The Old Town- El Centro- also great for a visit and the plaza grande is full of life while the old church and government buildings surround you. Plenty of folks sitting in the square chatting or brushing shoes, selling food and goods, kids playing. The old town was always a draw for me as it felt more Ecuadorean than the more affluent areas in the north by the Carolina park, I love it there, although I’m always a bit more wary about my bag and stuff when wandering, and I don’t go far from the main areas if I’m on my own. There are some cool streets with artwork and restored buildings. 20 years ago many were no go zones but more recently they are lovely areas of local artesanía. In particular the 24 de Mayo street now sells delicious humitas and cafe, empanadas, boutique crafts and various other local products.
It’s also possible to get a taxi from the Plaza Grande up to the Virgen de Quito- el Panecillo. She is the great statue on top of the hill overlooking the old town. Once you climb the bumpy street for 20 minutes you pop out at the top with a bunch of market stalls selling Ecuadorian goods, and some lovely views to the mountains and over Quito. When the weather is nice the kids can run around up there for a while.
Over on the other side of Quito up past the glitzy office buildings on Gonzalez Suarez street is another park called the Metropolitano. It has statues inside and various walks and paths. A good day out in nature despite being in Quito. Not much else up there though, at least there wasn’t when we went.
Itchimbia Park is also in Quito and has a large glass house, views of the city, running and walking paths, all quite close to the centre. It’s where the QUITO sign is for a nice photo as well. Busy on Sundays and lots of families out for a stroll!
There are many tours available in Quito on the main tourist stretch of Amazonas or Juan Leon Mera streets that will take you to Cotopaxi volcano for a hike, horse riding to the plains, to the Pululahua volcano lake, to Baños town at the foot of Tungurahua volcano, to the jungle. I did many of these when I lived in Ecuador and there are many amazing areas to visit. With the children I found a driver lady who would take us out of Quito for the day, and she had car seats as well. There were also newer car rental companies at the airport and the improved road in particular towards Ibarra and Mitad del Mundo meant that next time I would consider renting a car. It was always less desirable to drive to the beach or across areas unknown due to carjackings or theft however possibly this is less prevalent now.
Ibarra; Cotopaxi; Pululahua;
Arizona
Tucson; Flagstaff; Bisbee; Lost Dutchman; Grand Canyon; Oracle; Picacho Peak, Tombstone, Mount Lemmon, White Mountains
The Lost Dutchman state park is one of my favourite local places near to our original home in Tucson. It’s off to the east of Phoenix, in gold mine territory. There is a cool old town right opposite the park where you can mine for gold, old buildings, a saloon restaurant and great views. In the park are many RV and camping spots in front of the imposing Superstition Mountain. You can take a hike up into the wilderness from the campsite. I never tire of going here.
Arizona-Utah-Idaho-Montana-Wyoming-Utah-Arizona
Hit the road from Tucson north through Phoenix and straight through to Bryce Canyon in Utah. Bit of a drive but we switched through the night while the other slept. With the Covid curfews it was a little confusing if we could stop so we just carried on. After Bryce we went up through Idaho and into the Yellowstone national park. We slept on the west side in an area recommended for RVs on Boondocking app. Then we went north in the park to Montana end, and back down though all the key points of interest and geysers. We stayed outside the park each night Boondocking, making it to the Grand Tetons on the final night. We saw bison and birds, but no bears thank goodness! We then travelled south from Yellowstone Montana side out through the Flaming Gorge and down to the Arches and Canyonlands national parks in Utah.
As we drove the miles across open mountains through the Flaming Gorge, with the Colorado river alongside, we had breathtaking views and snow at the top with warm weather lower down. It was wonderful. We found a campsite at the top of the gorge where we bought wood and camped- I had not packed for deep snow conditions given the heat elsewhere, but we made do for one night stopover with a few blankets. In the morning we hiked along the gorge and then I took a run out along the ridge where there were bison roaming around. It was a really cool place and the kids had great fun. would definitely go back.
We came straight south through Utah and all of the wonderful parks (which I will update more on here some day) and then came across Indian territory through to the Petrified National Forest and back home to Arizona. We were all very impressed with the history of the forest and the old trees everywhere that were thousands of decades past. Truly mind blowing to have that on our doorstep. We camped in a parking lot by the gift shop, bought some trinkets in the morning as a thank you, hiked the area with the petrified wood, and got on the road. A nice easy stop.
California
San Diego Torrey Pines State Beach no dogs, parking in state area $20 a day, have to carry gear from parking to beach area about 100m if you don’t mind people and about 200m if you want more peace. There are no food/drink amenities here but there are showers and toilets when COVID and drought aren’t present. Look at magicseaweed.com for the tide because when it’s up you can’t sit on the beach. Like this for kids as it’s flat and they can mess with boogie boards. Still has a riptide though. There is another parking at the base of Torrey Pines walking area over the top of the bridge, you might find some beachside parking here too although it’s always busy with surfers early and then walkers and all day campers. Hard to get a spot.
We have also camped here overnight even though it says no overnight parking, we only did it once because we arrived during COVID and the hotels were all closed, as we had our RV it was the only option. Street parking is illegal in California and there is a fine, so I don’t recommend arriving without somewhere to stay.
Also a little up the road is Del Mar beach, lots more people and dogs, and more shops and amenities. When the tide is down you can walk from Torrey to Del Mar which is about 2 miles. If you walk the other way on Torrey you’ll get to the state park hiking area, if the tide is down you can get to La Jolla and you will go past Blacks Beach too.
Alternatively go to Carlsbad beach, also has state parking, big drop off in the water and hard to swim, good for surfing, not so good for kids. Further up is Oceanside which is flat and decent although not as upmarket as Carlsbad and the others.
Also near to the Torrey Pines beach is a lovely playground for kids up in Carmel Valley, at Torrey Hills Park, it’s about 4 miles from the beach total. There are picnic benches, a sandy playground, baseball fields, basketball court and a good circular path to ride a bike for kids. Perfect for lunch if you’re not staying at the beach. There is a Fry’s supermarket and some other shops just near the park up on the bluffs which is useful.
In Los Angeles hands down the best place is Griffith Park for kids! You can park over on the other side of Hollywood by Los Feliz entrance. Drive in on Crystal Springs and stop for a pony ride and train ride, especially for little kids. Then keep driving in and you get to a playground (Shane’s inspiration) on the left which is huge, plus a really old merry go round. In the playground area are some vendors of little toys and a few folks with snack carts.
Further on in you can drive up to all the hiking and the lovely Griffith Observatory. There is road parking on the way in to the observatory and also a parking lot at the top that does get busy. There is a nice area at the top where kids can run around while you take a look round the outside of the building, round the back there is a planetarium and then inside is the Tesla Coil and the pendulum. There are trails that you can hike from the parking areas and you can even take a trail all the way over to the Hollywood sign (which is visible from the observatory outside area). Don’t recommend doing the trail to the sign from there with kids, it’s pretty far.
The LA zoo is amazing within Griffith too, plenty of animals and interactive opportunities. It’s a lot of walking but there are strollers for rent as well as adult electric vehicles. There is also a train thing that will go from one end to the other. The kettle corn in there is also amazing! The zoo can be cold in the winter, I remember multiple trips without enough jackets and it was a long way to find a coffee!
There is also an exec golf course in the park if you’re into golf. Griffith is definitely the best for a bunch of outside stuff all in one place.
Hong Kong
Poland
Warsaw day trips
4 hour trip- Wolf’s Lair or Wilczy Szaniec. Border with Russia. Can stay at barracks (rustic) or in campground (ultra rustic) or in local hotel farmhouse (not so rustic but still basic). Armoured vehicle rides, old mossy bunkers, tours.
2 hour trip- Panzer Farm for a tank ride and tour of the museum of tanks? This is a really rustic but amazing farm full of old tanks, some pulled up from the river after the war, others purchased and restored. There were over 20 there all fully functional. We paid for a ride on a tank for us and the kids, it was great fun and they rode around a muddy, hilly track several times with the kids perched in/on the turrets and us holding on behind. It might be a little rough for some, I don’t recommend for small kids, but it was exhilarating in the crisp cold winter air. The next group had organised a tank drive so they were actually controlling their own tank ride!
Just south of Warsaw- lake swim in the Jeziorko Czerniakowskie – there were a bunch of folks there for a dip in 0 degrees C on New Year’s Day! Not for kids until the summer but there is a beach there and street parking. Also south is the Kabaty Forest or Las Kabacki. This is a place where many travel to at the weekends for walks, runs, skiing in the snow, bike riding. There are a decent network of trails inside, a marked 5k and 10k, and an area at the front with little huts and many Polish with campfires and spending the day there. In the summer there is also a ropes course for kids (have not tried it yet but looks a little difficult for under 10s maybe), a mini golf putt putt, ice cream and restaurant, basketball and volleyball courts, a mini amphitheatre. I’m sure there’s more that I haven’t explored. Great place for a walk with the kids, see the huge fields of cabbage and potatoes on one side, and explore the forest and activities on the other.
Skierniewice to the West of Warsaw- we found a campsite with RV parking, a lake and boat for kids to hang out in, man-made beach area, option for kayaking down the river, restaurant and a bunch of kids sports options – football, badminton, trampoline. They also had rabbits, Shetland ponies and other animals . It was a completely random find but fantastic safe environment for the whole family. Address of the campsite – Ziemiary 56, 99-417 Bolimów
TotTravelTips 