Last month we challenged you to complete our Latin America-inspired cryptic crossword.  Published on the Friday before the August Bank Holiday weekend, we were suitably impressed when the first completed grids arrived in the next day’s post!

Ten people beat the crossword and scored 100%, but a further nine entrants got all answers correct except one – significantly the same clue, 17 Across!  See what you think:
 

Chris Parrott has been travelling to the equatorial tropics since 1960, almost exclusively within Latin America. In the last couple of years he’s been four times to the Guianas to research and lead our pioneering tour, Trail-blazing through the Guianas. In this packing guide he shares his tried and tested tips to help ensure you are adequately prepared for a visit to the extreme climate of the tropics.

The “tropics”, technically, are those regions of the world which fall between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn – i.e. 23½⁰ north and south of the equator. This packing list is aimed at lowland areas 6⁰ north and south of the equator, but also applies to lowland rainforest in Central America. The humid equatorial stuff...

Tailor-Made Travel Consultant Sophie Barber shares the experience of taking on the tempestuous Pacuare River on her latest trip to Costa Rica.

We were picked up bright and early at 5.30am for breakfast and the bumpy journey to Pacuare. When we got to the river, I was starting to feel a bit apprehensive having never been rafting before. However, as soon as I met the guide and safety kayaker I knew I was in safe hands and began to let myself relax.

We were given our helmets, buoyancy aids and paddles before clambering into the raft. The guide...

 
If the thought of ending up stranded and luggage-less after missing your connecting flight causes you to break out in a cold sweat, take heed of this advice from Journey Latin America's flights guru Chris Rendell-Dunn and escape the perennial travel nightmare of missed connections.

There are few direct flights from the UK to Latin America, so before the long-haul leg of your trip you will usually first need to reach your chosen airline's "hub" (the airport to and from which their flights operate; for example Iberia's hub is Madrid, Air France's Paris, and KLM's Amsterdam). Many airlines provide a number of “feeder flights” to their main hubs, and of course you may also...