Episodes

LANDED Podcast 013 Stephanie Bonham-Carter & Galapagos Safari Camp Stephanie Bonham-Carter hails from northern Quito, Ecuador. While at school in the UK, she developed her love of travel and cultivated her sense of adventure. In 2003, while traveling in her home country with future husband Michael Mesdag, the two made an unplanned, life-changing bushwhack hike on the Galapagos Island of Santa Cruz. Together, they created one of the finest tented-camp experiences in the Western Hemisphere. Wit...

LANDED Podcast 012 Facon by Martin Bustamante Martin Bustamante is the creator and curator of Facon, his singular shop in the Chacarita neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Facon is a treasure trove of Argentine heritage and craftsmanship. In Martin’s words, “Facon is a craftsman friend, a braider of tientos, a silver laborer, a patient weaver, a wood artist, a creative designer, a dream maker, a whistler of zambas, a carver of saints…a restless traveler, an inventor of stories, a faithful of Gauchit...

LANDED Podcast 011 ISLAS SECAS by ANDREY GOMEZ Andrey Gomez is at the top of his game. After more than 25 years as a general manager at top-tier retreats in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Andrey was named Managing Director of Islas Secas—Panama’s premier island hotel—in late 2020. This appointment caps an impressive string of bar-raising accomplishments. Those successes are especially inspiring when you consider his modest beginnings, picking coffee on his father’s farm in the hills outside the Al...

LANDED Podcast 008 CHOCOLATE AS CHANGE ENGINE: AJ WILDEY, EL CACAOTAL AJ’s been traveling throughout Peru’s cacao growing regions since 2013. Her work brings together Peruvian farmers, chocolate makers, and chocolate lovers. In 2017 she opened El Cacaotal, a showcase for the finest Peruvian craft chocolate. Here in the Lima neighborhood of Barranco, visitors immerse themselves in the world of Peruvian chocolate – from its broad spectrum of flavors, to the stories behind each bar. Let’s meet...

LANDED Podcast 007 ENRICHING LIVES AND THE ENVIRONMENT–LUZ & ROBERTO: BOENA LODGES Luz Cacares and Roberto Fernandez make the most out of life. When we visited them for this interview, we spent the day hiking in the private rainforest reserve at Lapa Rios, on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. Simultaneously, they were directing operations at four hotels, working with education and conservation foundations, and rebuilding the riverside restaurant at Pacuare Lodge. Luz and Roberto are the husband and...

LANDED Podcast 010 Aria Cruise: Exploring Peru’s Amazon Basin with George Davila and Roger Tejada East of the Andes, Peru’s landscape descends into a densely-forested river basin. The waters collected here merge with those from the northern half of the continent to form the tributaries of the Amazon. In the north, the island city of Iquitos is the launching point for multi-day river cruises. Each day, guests are presented with full or half-day options to explore narrow river branches, visit i...

LANDED Podcast 009 IBITIPOCA: Rewilding the land through tourism, with Renato Machado and Nadja Hoffman Reserva do Ibitipoca is located in the interior state of Minas Gerais, Brazil—about an hour by private charter flight from Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. The project is dedicated to the reforestation and rewilding of 9,800 privately-owned acres of temperate grassland, granite mountains, and rare Mata Atlantica rainforest. If you’ve seen Wim Wender’s Salt of the Earth, you’ll have a leg up on u...

LANDED Podcast 006 Responsible travel in the Galapagos, with DOLORES GANGOTENA de DIEZ Dolores Gangotena de Diez, along with her husband Eduardo Diez, founded Quasar Expeditions in 1986. Their mission was to show the world why the Galapagos was a global treasure, not just another fishing ground and guano mine. Dolores first came to the Galapagos in 1969 as a teenager aboard an Ecuadorean Navy cargo ship. During this three-week boat trip with schoolmates (arranged by her high school biology te...

LANDED Podcast 005 Luxury of Experience — Matias de Cristobal, Director General of Awasi Matias de Cristobal is the Director General of Awasi. He’s also a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of Relais & Chateaux, and a Board Member of the W Hotel in Santiago, Chile. In a relatively short time, Awasi has developed a reputation for operating some of the finest lodges in South America. Awasi Atacama — a boutique hotel in the heart of San Pedro de Atacama. Private vehicles a...

LANDED Podcast 004 Brazilian style with mad genius Bob Shevlin Bob Shevlin is a true character. In person, he’s the definition of cool: “cool doesn’t say much, but it knows what to say.” He’s a creative genius, but he’s humble and a little camera shy. That’s why I’m posting a photo of his bull terrier, Zero. Happily, Bob was willing open up and offer he backstory to his unforgettable hotel in Trancoso, Bahia, Brazil. We met Bob in 2015 at a conference in Switzerland, a few years after our f...

LANDED Podcast 003 Sunniva Sorby Sunniva, or Sunny, is a polar explorer, fundraiser, motivational speaker, and friend. Although she’s disarmingly friendly and self-effacing, Sunny has jaw-dropping resilience and strength. In 1993, as part of a historic four-woman expedition, she skied 67 days across Antarctica, covering more than 700 miles in -60 degree weather. Headwinds topped 50 miles per hour. Each woman pulled 200-pound sled. They were the first women’s team to reach the South Pole with...

LANDED Podcast 002 Experiencing Belize and Guatemala with Coppola Family Hideaways Francis Ford Coppola is widely regarded as one of the best directors in the history of cinema; a 2002 Sight & Sound readers’ poll put him at #4, and the critic’s poll listed him at #10. His films have earned more than 20 Oscars and 17 Golden Globes. His body of work includes such classics as the Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, The Cotton Club, Patton, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, American Graffiti, Peggy Sue Got M...

LANDED Podcast 001 Petit Miribel Marie Helene (know as “Petit”) Miribel and her husband Franz Schilter are the creators of Sol y Luna, a Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel located in the town of Urubamba, Peru. Petit was born in France. She studied economics, and then came to Peru for her work in the mining industry. There she met Franz, and began exploring the Andes. The Sacred Valley, between Cusco and Machu Picchu, seemed like the ideal spot for a hotel; the region was close to two major to...