In 2022, I spent 14 weeks travelling around South America on my first backpacking trip. We started in Peru, crossed the border into Bolivia, had a brief stay in Chile, flew to the end of the world and then made our way back up to the top of Argentina. I was fortunate to see so many incredible places and have some of the most unforgettable experiences imaginable. Although we were far from seasoned backpackers, and certainly learnt a lot from this experience – the below is a small insight into the things we did, some of which I had heard of and researched, and others that we just happened to stumble across. That’s the beauty of backpacking, you can plan as much as you want but realistically, plans change and that’s when the hidden gems are uncovered.
The Inca Trail – Machu Picchu
Perhaps the first thing you think of when you picture Peru is the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. This was obviously planned way in advance (in fact, it was the first thing we booked – even before flights). The Inca Trail is a 4-day, 43 KM hike through Peru’s Andean Mountains where you walk the path of the Incas, discovering several ruins along the way and experiencing life at high altitude (not fun but worth it!) You NEED to book this in advance as there are limited permits and to do the Inca Trail, you will need experienced guides. You could just visit Machu Picchu for the day, but if there’s one trek you should do, it’s this one. Our guides were so insightful and passionate about their Incan heritage and taught us so much along the way that when we finally reached Machu Picchu, I felt I understood it’s significance and appreciated it more than I could have imagined. You also get to share this experience with incredible strangers who fast become friends over the most amazing 4 days of your life!
Mountain Biked down “Death Road” in Bolivia
We cycled the 64 KM downhill road, dropping 3500 meters from the Andean peaks to the tropical jungle. This is a full day adventure that starts on paved road but quickly descents to gravelled terrain where you will pass by some waterfalls and make your way down some extremely narrow paths with some drops up to 1000 meters!! The North Yungas Road gets its morbid name because until the mid 90s, it was considered the most dangerous road in the world due to its narrow, unpaved lanes accompanied by sheer cliffs that were susceptible to frequent, fatal landslides. An estimated 200 – 300 travellers were killed annually. Fortunately, a new, paved highway opened in 2006 so Death Road is mainly used for cycling and local traffic.
Fished for piranhas in the Amazon (and enjoyed them for dinner)
We spent 3 nights in the Amazon which in itself was an unforgettable experience (for good and bad reasons). I have never experienced as much discomfort as I did here due to the millions of mosquitoes that literally ate through my clothing. On the bright-side, our guide taught us how to fish for piranhas using a make-shift fishing line. We managed to catch a few and he cooked them up for us for our dinner!
Spent a night with a local family in Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca is South America’s largest lake, and the highest navigable lake in the world located on the Peru-Bolivia border. It is known as the birthplace of the Inca Empire, and you will find artificial, floating reed islands (Uros Floating Islands) You can do a two day tour where you will visit these islands, and also venture out further to Amantani to stay with a local host family. We stayed with a woman called “Mama Flores” and her husband in their beautiful home where they cooked for us and took us to a local dance, dressing us in their traditional clothing. It was such a special experience, seeing how these people live in such an isolated place, making do with what the land has to offer. It is a simple life, but they seem truly content and were so generous to share their home with us. They also speak a language called “Ayamara” but thankfully our Mama knew a little Spanish so we were able to have basic communication.
3-day trek into one of the world’s deepest canyons
Colca Canyon is a river canyon in Southern Peru that is easily accessible from the city of Arequipa. This isn’t your average trek. You will encounter different villages of local Indigenous communities who call this remote land home. They will probably pass you on horseback, trotting up the canyon with ease as you struggle to catch your breath. The trail can be completed in 2 or 3 days. It is approximately 19 KM and descends over 1200 meters, which of course you will need to climb back up on the last day. I found the altitude change very difficult but the landscape of this trek is incredible and makes it worthwhile.
Witnessed glacial calving
The Perito Moreno glacier located near El Calafate in Patagonia, Argentina is a massive, unique glacier known for its stability despite the effects of climate change. The ice is a stunning, blue colour standing at 74 meters high and 5 KM wide. The glacier experiences high-frequency calving (the breaking-away of ice chunks) because it is a fast-moving glacier which creates high pressure and tension as it pushes into the lake. The deep water allows large chunks to break off rather than being supported by shallow ground.
Watched Southern-Right Whales breach in Puerto Madryn
Spotting the whales was amazing in itself but we were so fortunate to see a female whale breach which our guides told us was very uncommon that time of year as she had just recently birthed her calves and don’t usually breach as she needs to conserve her energy. Puerto Madyrn is an epic place for wildlife-viewing, we also saw elephant seals, penguins, and an armadillo!
Hiked in Patagonia
I would love to go back and spend more time in Patagonia. We did two long trails: Laguna de los Tres (24 KM) which takes you to a glacial lake directly below the iconic Mount Fitz Roy peak and Laguna Torre (20 KM) which leads to another glacial lake with views of Cerro Terre’s spires. If you only have time for one, make it Laguna de los Tres. Because of wind, sun exposure, and glacial inflow, the lake sometimes ends up partly frozen and partly open turquoise water which was insane to witness! The weather wasn’t the best when we did it, we unfortunately couldn’t stay too long here because it was so windy and even started snowing.
Stayed in a hotel made of salt
Yes, you read that correctly. We spent 3 days travelling across Bolivia’s salt flats which involved countless flamingos, more shooting stars than I’ve seen in my whole life, and spending a night in a hotel made of salt!
Rode horseback through the countryside of Mendoza
We visited a local ranch where we rode horses and were treated to an Argentinian barbeque at sunset. It was just as perfect as it sounds.
