This was in fact my first long travel as a truly backpacker and the following report describes the highlights and the do’s and don’ts of such a trip, and is dedicated to my nephew J.M.T.R. who once expressed his wish to travel through that magnificent continent.
On planning such a long trip is essential of course to consider: how much time you have; how much money you have to spend on it; priority places to visit; the time of the year; safety aspects (avoid war zones and/or areas under social conflicts); health and food aspects; and other things…
Don’t forget to take with you: sleeping
kit for public transports and some hostels (should include: neck pillow, ear
plugs, eye blind, duct tape – very useful to cover bus speakers that are always
too loud and never have quality sound – …); Swiss knife or equivalent (remember
to store it with the luggage, and not in the hand-luggage, when traveling by
airplane); flip-flops (to rest your feet & use in the showers); fork &
spoon & cup/dish (you’ll never know when you’ll need to prepare your own
food; I, myself, planed to do camping so I took a mountain stove and bought
locally a little gas can; fast cooking pasta soup is available on
mini-supermarkets); first aid kit (should include at least: band aids, Compeed
for heals & toes, aspirin, Brufen, digestive pills/salts, antiseptic,
cotton & Betadine, diarrhea & constipation pills); headlamp; batteries
(check your batteries are charged); pen and paper; a book; photo/video camera;
batteries charger; voltage adapters (check it at http://mochileros.org/enchufe-voltaje-frecuencia-viajes/);
small locker (some hostels provide room for backpack storage or phone charger,
but you’ll need a lock); nécessaire/toiletry
bag (include: brush and tooth paste, small soap, shampoo sachets, toilet paper
and ‘humid towels’); water, cookies/cereal bars (you may wake up in a place and
have no breakfast at hand); take enough money, several currencies, split it and
hide it well on your body (remember you have to declare amounts of money
superior to 10.000 USD, but you will never need this much).
Remember, before your trip: check your
passport is valid for more than six months after the date you are supposed to
return home; get informed about vaccines needed on the countries (or areas of
the countries) you want to visit; cut your hair & nails if you are going to
be out for longer than one month. Also, at some borders (Chile, Argentina…)
your luggage will be examined: remember to declare any food items you are
carrying which are listed on their regulations (like meat, plants and seeds,
cheese…).
You will
have the sensation that you are carrying too much weight and, at the same time,
that you would need to pack some more stuff: do not take too much clothes (3
t-shirts, 2 underwear shorts, 1 swimming suit is enough), you’ll be able to
wash them and/or buy new (cheap); one pair if soft boots or sport shoes and one
flip-flops or sandals.
10 Basic
Rules of a traveler (valid for most Latin American countries):
#1 Have a
plan A (even if rough) and a plan B; and even a plan C, for your routes (you’ll
have to do changes on your original plan not to get stuck on a small village
waiting for the next bus, or because you are tired or got sick…). In short, be
flexible.
#2 Always
carry your full travelling kit next to you (you will be doing long trips on buses
or airplanes, and sharing rooms with other/foreign people).
#3 Never
accept the first offer (this is especially valid for accommodation, buses and
taxis): always look for more and compare prices and conditions.
#4 Never
believe at first the information people give to you (especially in
Peru-Bolivia-Ecuador where people are very ignorant & careless): ask again
and again to confirm any relevant information.
#5 Avoid
reserve (tours and accommodation) from a distance (by phone or internet): except
some cases (like the ‘Inca Trail’ tour and the ‘Wayna Picchu’ access, where the
entrance is limited and book with months in advance is needed) you will get a
better deal locally and directly, preferably with those that run the tour
(avoid intermediates).
#6 Do not
look for tourist offices (unless you just need a local map): these are often
closed (in Peru and Bolivia they’ll send you to the ‘tourist police’ which is
not the same thing) or on the hands of bureaucrats who are not experts and/or
do not care. Go better to travel agencies and get informed as if you were to
take part of the tour (but remember they’ll try to sell you their tour). You
can get a city map (and information about spots, markets, and so on) on your
hostel.
#7 Expect
poor conditions (especially in Bolivia where they have the saying: “everything
is possible; nothing is granted”): better to be positively surprised than
disappointed. And be patient: transportation is seldom on time (sometimes there
is no timetable) but is regular; roads are not like you are used to; on
computer keyboards the @ sign is often under Alt+Q (although it shows there
next to the 2) and all other signs (like: ?, &, / …) are all mixed up!
#8 Avoid
arriving on Sundays: many official institutions (tourist office, post office,
banks) are closed; also check out for local holydays.
#9 Be
prepared to abandon (give away) some old clothes & equipment: you can buy
some cheap stuff locally (shoes, t-shirts, razor blade, soap…); you will find spots
(hostels, cafes, stores) to leave or exchange books.
#10 Always
keep an eye on your luggage: at the bus terminal (sometimes you will have to
give your bag away) watch it until the personnel puts it inside the bus; when
traveling, give it a look when they open the trunks, in case there are
strangers around (if possible choose your seat at the same side of the luggage
trunks).
Highlights:
Ecuador (5 regions: Galapagos islands, coastal lowlands, Andean
highlands, Amazon rainforest)- Galapagos islands (I know the trip is expensive and that nature and iguanas are to be seen, but I have no idea)
- Jungle tour (best to book it in Quito; minimum 3 days, costs above 250 UDS)
- Hot springs: being the best at Baños de Agua Santa and Papallacta, among others…
- Cuenca, Riobamba, Quito, Otavalo (market and Cuicocha crater)
(Quito)
(Otavalo)
(Cuicocha, Otavalo)
Peru
- Cusco: Machu Picchu and the Inca trail; Moray Inca ruin; Inca's sacret valley- Puno: Titikaka lake and the artificial islands
- Arequipa: Nasca (not worthwhile if not seen from over 500 meters; if including airplane tour becomes very expensive); Colca canyon (best spot to watch condors; includes hot springs; long drive; a bit expensive); rafting (1 hour down river, 40 minutes away from the city); El Misti volcano (a few minutes from the city; don’t do it if you don’t have experience or if you are not fit)
- Lima: visit cerro San Cristóbal; the Plaza the Armas and the Miraflores neighborhood in front of the beach (for me this noisy city is just a stop-over on your way to somewhere else)
- Ica (3 hours south of Lima): sandboarding & buggy tour
- Huaraz: trekkings, mountains and lagoons, are the attractions (look for a smaller village to stay since Huaraz is just an uggly starting point)
(Arequipa)
Bolivia
- La Paz: death road by bike (a must); mountains (Huayna Potosi, 6.088 mts., is the icon, and trekkings); Chakaltaya (the old ski resort) + Moon Valley (landscapes, very good mountain experience of 20 minutes walk for beginners; drive through town to the south side; very inexpensive); use the red cable car to watch the city;
- Santa Cruz: haven’t been there but I heard people are really nice and different there.
- Uyuni: salted desert tour (3 days tour - or 4 days if included volcano ascent – this one, little above 4.000 mts. is recommended for people with little mountain experience) is a must (prices very affordable, book locally from 700 to 900 bolivianos, about 100 to 120 usd; 1USD=7Bob; expect some disconfort)
(La Paz)Chile
- S. Pedro de Atacama (hot springs, desert and lakes tours)
- Antofagasta
- Valparaiso (beach resort)
- Santiago de Chile (cerro Santiago)
- Pucón (Villarica lake and volcano)
- Chiloé island (typical fishermen houses)
- Torres del Paine National Park
(Villarica)
Argentina
- The clouds train (from Salta, 217km)- Iguaçu waterfalls
- San Rafael
- Mendoza
- 7 lakes route (Bariloche, Villa la angostura, Arrayanes National Park…)
- Valdez Peninsula (whales, penguins and sea lions watching)
- Los Glaciares National Park (Fitz Roy, El Chaltén…)
(Patagónia, volcano & lakes)
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