My South American adventure!

Where did the time go?

Well, I did make it back from South America in 2012 and yes, it has been an obscene amount of time since I have utilised this blog space!

I had an amazing trip and cannot recommend SASPO, the tour operator I used highly enough. Find them here or give them a call on 020 8123 1827. Five weeks wasn't nearly enough time and I only scratched the surface of this amazing and diverse continent.

Here's a brief overview of my itinerary and some pictures...

Peru itinerary:
Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Puno - Taquile & Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca (Border crossing into Bolivia)

Cusco

Two very different Peruvians!

The infamous Machu Piccu

Taquile island - Lake Titicaca

Uros 'floating' Island - Lake Titicaca

Traditional Peruvian weaving

Bolivia itinerary:
La Paz - Moon valley

Uyuni - Salt Hotel & Salt Flats 

Colchani, San Juan , Ojo de Perdiz, Bolivian National Park - Laguna Verde, Laguna Blanca, Laguna Colorado, Hito Cajon (Border crossing into Chile)

Geyser of the Morning Sun 

Geyser of the Morning Sun

Moon Valley

Driving across the salt desert...

Arbol de Piedra (Stone Tree) Siloli 

One of many Lagunas along the way

Chile itinerary:

San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago, Puerto Natales - Patagonia (Border crossing into Argentina)

Andean Mountains

Geyser del Tatio

Lago Pehoe - Torres del Paine

San Pedro de Atacama 

Spectacular Torres del Paine

Patagonian sunset

Tulor Archeological Park

This place deserves a special mention...

I had the most amazing stay at Indigo Patagonia Hotel & Spa on a full board package. It was one of the few hotels that was open out of season so it was quiet but the staff were 100% attentive - especially the chef!  I also hired a local guide who was associated with the hotel and was very pleased with his services too.

Everything was amazing here - the room   was very simple, clean & modern, the location and views are stunning, the food and wine pairings both at lunch and dinner, menu selection - scallops yum, the spa, the little pool on the terrace - if you can brave the wind - and sauna are all great. 

Take a look their website for yourself here.





Argentina itinerary:
El Calafate - Perito Merino Glacier - Patagonia
Buenos Aires

Cataratas del Iguazu - Falls from Argentinian side

(Border crossing into Brazil)

Perito Merino Glacier - Patagonia - reaches up to 35m high

Colonial Buenos Aires

Lively Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Mafalda

Cataratas del Iguazu - Argentinian side

Cataratas del Iguazu

Cataratas del Iguazu

Uruguay itinerary:
I had an extra day free in Buenos Aires so decided to add in another country - as you do!

Day trip on the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento
Very easy trip - well worth it to spend the day in this beautiful old town with fabulous cheese and wine.

Brazil itinerary:Foz do Iguacu - Falls from Brazilian side
Rio de Janeiro

Foz do Iguacu - Brazilian side

Foz do Iguacu

Foz do Iguacu

Christ the Redeemer

Beautiful views of Rio

Escadaria Selaron - Selaron's Staircase

The artist himself - Jorge Selaron

Copacabana beach at night

Reflection:
I am super grateful to have been able to travel to many parts of this beautiful globe and I'm still planning on seeing more of it (dv). South America is definitely my favourite continent! I first visited Brazil 8 years before and had a completely different experience back then.

Admittedly, my last time there was doing volunteer work with street kids for 2 weeks in and around Belo Horizonte. I stayed on a farm in a respite care orphanage and in hostels - an amazing experience in itself.  I got to travel round for a week (on a shoestring) with a few friends at the end of our volunteering and the highlight of that time was spent in a beach guesthouse on Ilhe Grande.  There, I had my first caipirinha and perfected my pronunciation of "Una cerveza fría por favor" - the Portuguese speaking Brazilians very graciously granting my spanish request! I remember Ilhe Grande being a pain to get to - involving overnight coaches, boat crossings - cold pizza for breakfast!  It was an absolute joy - so much so that we extended our stay there only leaving a day and a night in Rio.

Rio was a different story then, it wasn't as 'safe' as it is now. Two of my friends were mugged at gunpoint on Copacabana beach and we were warned to be very careful if we went out at night - even to watch the sunset on the beach.  Visiting in 2012,  I was amazed at the transformation of Copcabana beach at night - from dodgy to divine - with volleyball and football spaces set up along the beach and the promenade dotted with market stalls and evening cafes - I was so pleased to see such a transformation and a much safer feeling environment. Well done Rio!

If I did this trip again - I wouldn't change a thing.  I'm planning to go back and discover more of South America - I just hope it doesn't take me another 5 years before I write about it...