As soon as we jumped off the bus in Vicuña, we began to relax. Looking around, we straight away knew that we’d made the right choice to head to the Elqui Valley. We’d had a rather stressful time in Chile so far, crossing the border from Bolivia and arriving in San Pedro de Atacama, just days after the largest political unrests since Pinochet had begun. We’d had...
San Pedro de Atacama was our first stop in Chile, a country I had dreamed about visiting for years. I was especially looking forward to visiting this little desert town, packed with fun tours and activities. I’d allocated six full days there, to let us make the most of it. However, little did we know that when we crossed the border from Bolivia into Chile, our time...
We knew our tour of the Salar de Uyuni would be nothing short of spectacular but really, nothing could prepare us for just how incredible it is. So many people that we met raved about it. However, as much as we thought we were prepared for its awesomeness, the Salar de Uyuni exceeded our expectations. The Salar de Uyuni was like nothing we’d seen before. It’s the...
When in Bolivia, a lot of people head straight to the Uyuni Salt Flats and miss a very beautiful part of the country, the Sajama National Park. That’s a real shame because the Sajama National Park certainly shouldn’t be missed. With its magnificent Andean landscapes, this park is heaven for photographers and adventurers alike. There are many reasons why you should...
At 3640 metres above sea level, La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world. Surrounded by beautiful mountain views, the administrative capital of Bolivia is certainly one of a kind. With Aymara ladies strolling the streets dressed in their traditional outfits, street vendors galore and its weird witch markets, La Paz is a great place for observing and exploring...
In October, we completed a huge milestone, one year of travelling full time! But we didn’t give ourselves too much time to celebrate as we exited Peru and headed down South into Bolivia and Chile. To date, our travels had been relatively peaceful, with only a few small incidents along the way. We were nearly refused entry into South Africa, broke down in the middle...
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and spans the border between Peru and Bolivia. After ending our five weeks in Peru at Puno by the lake, it was time to move on to Bolivia. Our first stop was Copacabana, to check out the Bolivian side of the lake. Because we were traveling with Bolivia Hop, our border crossing went very smoothly (read more...
Peru is one of the most visited countries in Latin America. Why’s that? Well, it’s home to many natural treasures and it has such a huge range of things to do that you are unlikely to get bored. You’ll find a beautiful coastline, some stunning mountain scenery, the second deepest canyon in the world, the Amazon jungle and the world’s highest navigable body of water...
The Lost City of Machu Picchu needs no introduction. This pre-Columbian Inca site, located high up in the Andes, is for many people the highlight of Peru. You really can’t visit Peru without spending a day exploring this inspiring site. After looking at pictures of it for years, there is something magic about finally setting foot on Machu Picchu and seeing it with...
We always knew we wanted to visit Machu Picchu while in Peru but there was one thing that we weren’t quite sure about. Should we do it the easy way and take the train, or should we do it the hard way and hike there? When people talked about hiking the Inca Trail, I always thought that it wasn’t for me. For starters, I’m not a fan of camping. I was only 23 years old...