One of our favorite Moroccan guides, Jalil Benlabili, reflects on his year when the world stood still during COVID-19. Jalil writes, “COVID just as everywhere, hit Morocco hard and I went from being completely booked to no work at all. My livelihood is my country and I decided to start exploring areas I did not… Read more »

It’s a well-kept secret that the city of Popayán was the first city in the world to be registered as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. I have been there several times and was not aware of this fact. Indeed, it was not until I was doing research on Tucson that I learned that such… Read more »

Over the years we at Distant Horizons have had the pleasure of introducing travelers to community leaders all over the world. Through carefully created opportunities groups have met with local politicians, activists, storytellers, makers, artists and journalists to name a few. Creating these relationships is some of the most important work we do as a… Read more »

At Distant Horizons we have always stood for promoting understanding and compassion amongst all people and across all cultures. The events over the past month have forced us to confront not only police violence against African Americans, but also catastrophic inequalities in health, education, employment and endemic racial discrimination. The disregard for the dignity of… Read more »

Usually I would launch into a review of the El Monasterio Hotel right away, but this time I felt I really needed to talk about the site of San Agustin. I have never quite understood why so few people make it down to San Agustin. It is a short plane ride south of Bogota and… Read more »

We are excited to share a very simple Colombian dish that can be enjoyed with almost anything, Arepas! The Arepa is one of the most popular foods in Colombia and they are served in almost every home. Sort of like the tortilla in Mexico. There are different versions of arepas throughout Colombia, every region having… Read more »

This award winning Colombian film, Birds of Passage (2018); 126 minutes; Spanish with English subtitles follows an indigenous family torn apart by a marijuana boom. It combines the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez with the epic sweep of The Godfather and does an extraordinary job of telling a story about how the world changes… Read more »

When I woke up, I really had to think hard about where I was. Years ago when the only hotels outside of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia were government hotels, they all had exactly the same design. So you could wake up in Lake Tana or Gondar or Lalibela and the room design and shape, the furnishings… Read more »

Over the past decade, Ethiopia has achieved high economic growth, averaging 10.7% per year, establishing the country among the fastest growing economies both in Africa and in the developing world. Ethiopia, with a population of more than 109 million, is quickly becoming a hot spot for entrepreneurs with hundreds of Ethiopians who have been living… Read more »

When a new hotel opens in Ethiopia its news. It has given me great joy to watch the country come into its own in recent years. The opening of the Hyatt in Addis is a real game-changer. It is an indication that this country is committed to providing a comfortable tourist infra-structure. And we should… Read more »