Bolivia: Uyuni Salt Flats and Beyond

I’d heard mixed reports about Salt Flat tours in Bolivia so it was with some trepidation that I booked a three day, two night tour starting in Uyuni and ending in Chile. Some people swore it was the best thing they’d done in South America while others lamented it as little more than a boring and drawn out drive. In the end my worry was for naught as, after an admittedly less than auspicious start, the tour proved to be one of the highlights of my South American adventure.

The Wonders of Perito Moreno Glacier

I saw a lot of natural wonders on my recent jaunt around South America including roiling lava in the crater of an active volcano, a collection of ferocious waterfalls and innumerable snow-capped mountain peaks. For me, however, the most astonishing of them all was Perito Moreno Glacier situated in Argentinian Patagonia where you can while away hours listening to the creaks and groans of the ever expanding ice and watch enormous chunks of it crash into the beautiful azure waters of Lake Argentino.

The Long Hard Road to Machu Picchu

Getting to Machu Picchu on a budget is not as straightforward as you might think – the journey to this wonderful site can be a real challenge and, at times, is certainly not for the faint-hearted! If you want to visit while spending as little cash as possible be prepared for arduous walks, nerve-shredding drives and times of overwhelming exhaustion. Read on to find out how I sorted tickets and travel arrangements before I made my way from Lima to the mountain citadel via Cusco and Aguas Calientes.

Iguazu Falls: A Real Creature Feature

Iguazu Falls sits on the border of Argentina and Brazil and is the largest waterfall system in the world. People often visit both sides as it is said they offer completely different experiences of this great natural wonder. In addition to the roaring walls of cascading water, Iguazu also offers visitors the chance to spot a massively varied collection of wildlife from colourful birds, enormous reptiles and cheeky racoon-like creatures.

Buenos Aires: Boca and River Stadium Tours

Buenos Aires is a football fan’s dream. The Argentine capital is home to a great many football teams and offers the chance of catching any number of games with electric atmospheres if you are willing to pay enough to see them. Those in Buenos Aires outside of football season or between games need not worry as two of the country’s biggest teams, Boca Juniors and River Plate, offer stadium tours to any fan who wants to catch a glimpse of what goes on in the background at these two famous clubs.

Summiting Volcan Villarrica

When, over breakfast at our hostel in Valparaiso, a young couple told us of a climbable active volcano in Pucón near the Chile-Argentina border we knew we had to go. Pucón, a hub for adventurous travellers, offers opportunities to hike, white-water raft, ski and snowboard. Its most famous attraction, however, has to be Volcan Villarrica which allows those hardy enough to reach the top a glance at a bubbling lava lake deep within its crater.

South America: Bus and Air Travel

If you are planning to travel South America on a shoestring then you should expect to spend a good few hundred hours on buses. This is a big old continent and some overnight bus journeys can last well over twenty hours. Obviously trips like this aren’t a lot of fun at times, so read on to find out what to expect when using buses in South America. Also includes a small section on air travel.

South America: Thoughts and Helpful Hints

As I travelled across Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina I was constantly jotting down little facts and titbits that I thought might be useful to share with other would-be travellers when I got home. In this short blog article I share a few of the things I noted in the hope that other folk will find them useful when preparing for their trip to South America.

My Food and Drink Guide to South America

Let’s be honest, you don’t go to South America for its culinary delights and, once you return home, it’s unlikely you’ll go out of your way to find a Peruvian restaurant near your home. That said, there are a few dishes and snacks that are worth keeping an eye out for if you do decide on a lap of the continent. On the other hand, each country has their own unique beverages which are well worth trying. In this blog I’ve listed a few of my favourites foods and drinks from my recent South American trip.