2018 South America

We spent 6 weeks in total travelling through South America, trying to get to as many countries as possible on a short time frame.

We visited these countries in order;

1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Chile
4. Bolivia
5. Peru
6. Ecuador 

I will go through some of the places we visited in each country and what you can do/see there. I will make another blog post on tips to help you get around South America.

Brazil

• First stop Rio de Janerio. We stayed in Mango Tree Hostel, which were very helpful and central to get to most things. 
• You can take cable cars up the Sugar Loaf Mountains for R$85, the views are amazing. 
• Visit the botanical gardens, lovely park to walk around and Lagoa lake which runners use its a 7.5km loop and there's tennis courts, skateboard parks dotted around the lake
• Ipanama beach has gorgeous sand and huge waves. Here you get a great view of the shanty towns and islands from the coast line.
• A Favela tour is a must. I would not go on your own venture. We booked a tour through our hostel and our tour guide lives in the Favelas. We were picked up by mini bus at our hostel and drove straight to the top and walked down through the narrow passageways and streets. There are some incredible viewpoints here, Tiarnach had a dance off with a local and we had delicious ice-cream for R$2.
  
  
  
  
• Of course Christ Redeemer is what Rio is famous for. I would recommend hiking up to it, as it was a great feeling when we reached the top and there he was in all his glory. You should not go on a cloudy day, you won't see a thing so keep an eye on the weather forecast. You start hiking at the Arts House and the route is clearly signposted. You can start at 8am when it opens. It took us an hour and 40mins to reach the summit. We worked up a sweat but I thoroughly enjoyed it. If this isn't your thing there is a train and bus that will get you to the top. Take your time there and take lots of pictures. Having a stand for your camera is handy here too as the statue is so large you have to have your camera at a sharp angle. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Lapa steps are 215 steps all tiled with different patterns and mosaics. The tiles are also from all over the world so try and find some Irish ones. 
  
• Copacabana beach is another famous landmark here in Rio. It has lots of stalls and vendors dotted about. It was great to walk the length of the beach.
• We used Uber to get around the city so make sure to have that downloaded on your phone. 

• We flew from Rio to Igascu Falls (Brazilian side) and the waterfalls park is right beside the airport. There are lockers for luggage available and a bus brings you to the viewpoint. There are lots of raccoons so be careful with food in your bags as they will try take them. There's a boardwalk that brings you right underneath the waterfall so bring your poncho! 
• We got a bus across the border to Argentina and went to a light show at the 3 frontiers which is 3 countries bordering at the river point- Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. We stayed in the Jasy Hotel.
• Then we went to the Falls on the Argentina side where 80% of the waterfalls are located. Paul brought a waterproof bag which came in very handy as we paid for a boat trip to go right up to the waterfalls. That was great fun and well worth paying for! We brought a change of clothes and you can place them in lockers there. There's lots of walks to do in this park so plan plenty of time to get around them. 
• Prices Argentina Park include ARS150 entrance fee, ARS60 bus there and back, ARS150 boat ride, so around $76 in total per person 
• Prices Brazil Park BRZ 42 and BRZ12 for bus

Argentina

• We flew to Buenos Aires and stayed in Milhouse Hostel which was great for planning trips and lovely accommodation. 
• Browse the stalls in San Telmo- they have everything and anything. You will pick up some souvenirs here or presents to bring home. 
• Plaza de Mayo is where the government buildings are located. There were lots of flags there protesting over a submarine that went down with 44 people in it. The Argentinians are known for their protests but it is all done very peacefully. 
• Cementerio de la Recoleta is another famous place to visit. It is full of mausoleums which as tomb vaults and you can get a tour of the most famous ones. In total there are about 5000 mausoleums, including Eva Perón (First lady of Argentina).
• You can take a tango lesson in B.A. and we booked it through our hostel. Don't worry about not having a partner there is plenty of people to dance with and they change up partners too. Our lesson was followed by a 3 course dinner and tango show. The performance was amazing! You should eat steak here in B.A. as they are famous for their beef too. 
• We happened to be in B.A. for their Independence Day, so there were stalls, marches and lots of music and people waving flags. 
• We took a cycle tour around B.A. and it was a great way to see all parts of the city as it is spread out. We visited La Boca and stadium, main street and new modern area of town where there is an exact replica of the Harp bridge in Dublin. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Chile

• We flew to the capital Santiago and visited Cerro Santa Lucia which has a nice viewpoint of the city. Keep your belongings close to you. Unfortunately I had my bag stolen here while watching the World Cup semi final in a restaurant. 
• We did a day trip to Valparaíso where buses leave every 20 minutes from Santiago and the journey takes an hour and a half. We got a tours for tips of the city and it took us round Cerro Alegre, Cerro Concepion and a ride on the Funiculars and saw lovely modern street art. At the end of the trip we stopped at a small alleyway where a man who makes alfajores had one for everyone in the tour. It's two biscuits with caramel in between and covered in chocolate. 
• Vina del mar is another seaside city you can visit on a day trip from Santiago. We did another tours for tips and we got a chance to see the flower clock that was gifted from Switzerland, the presidential 2nd home, parks and stadium where famous concerts are held.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• We flew next to Calama which is the very north of Chile and stayed in Eco Explore- if you're looking for an environmentally friendly hostel this is it! We wanted to visit the Atacama desert from here and get a tour of the salt flats. 
• We went with Cruz Andina for the Salt Flat tour which we booked in Calama. We were delayed by a day due to heavy snowfall at the border crossing into Bolivia. So you need to be aware of this when you are booking tours. It's best to wait till you get there. 
• Heading to Salar de Uyuni at 4am, we were picked up in a mini bus, then changed to a 4x4 jeep at the border, had breakfast from the jeep surrounded by snow and mountains. We stopped at Lagoon Canapa which has many flamingos and then Laguna caral and canon piedra. We stayed in a makeshift hostel in Villa Mar. I was never as cold in my whole entire life. 
• Next on our trip we visited Valle de Rocas, Canon del Inca, Lagoon Catal and the old train station. We arrived at a village called Catha K where the Bolivian Barracks were stationed and we had our first experience of a salt hostel. All the walls, bed, chairs everything was made from salt. 
• An early start at 5am in the pitch black to get to the salt flats fro sunrise. One of the highlights of the trip was spending the day at the salt flats. The sunrise gave way to a mixture of pinks and blues in the sky. We also got to go into the Island of Cacti where huge Cactus are everywhere. Our trip ended in Uyuni which has nothing there only buses out of it, so don't spend too much time there. We got a bus to La Paz. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Bolivia

• We stayed in the Wild Rover in La Paz. It's known to be a party hostel with lots of events happening each night. We took a walking tour organised from them and it was very good. They talked about the president of Bolivia and the crazy statements he's made. We went through the many markets La Paz has, and we got juices and avocado sandwiches from "Castaricas". Then we headed to the witches market which was very cool. Then we walked to the San Pedro Prison. If you have read the book "Marching Powder" you will know all about this prison and the corrupt and crazy things that happen. We could see all the wives and children of the inmates just walking in and out no problem. 
• We took a cable car over the city which is well worth it. You might suffer from altitude sickness as La Paz is the highest city in the world over sea level. 
• Highlight here in La Paz was taking a bike tour down 'Death Road'. Again we booked this through our hostel with a company called Altitude. It cost €55 and we paid for full suspension bikes (recommended). It's one of the more expensive companies but you pay for what you get and what you want is safe bikes and good guides. We were picked up in a mini van to the starting point. We had loads of protective gear and had warm clothes underneath. It's not a tiring exercise as you barely pedal since it's all downhill. We started our cycle with snow all around us and finished in the dead heat with a swimming pool for us to cool off. You go flying down hill so just take care, and your hands will get sore from using the breaks consistently. We stopped every 10-20 minutes to take breaks and pictures. We had a buffet at the end of our cycle and then got a bus back to the hostel. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Peru

• We took a 12 hour journey from La Paz to Cusco. We booked our bus ticket at our hostel and left at 8am. Make sure to bring your own bottled water and toilet paper for long bus journeys. 
• We booked into the Wild Rover which is another party hostel but our room was far away from the bar which is perfect. We booked our Inca Adventure Trail with Loki Jungle and had that arranged a few months ago. 
• We left Loki Hostel early to start to Cocalmayo. We visited an ancient ruin of the Incas first and then a 3 hour hike of the original Inca trail. We stayed in the Loki Jungle hostel in Cocalmayo.
• We left really early for our hike to Machu Pichu, and got a bus to hydroelectra. We hiked 3 hours to the ticket control into Machu Pichu, then hiked again up the steps which was about 1.2 km upwards. It took us 50 minutes but it takes around 1 hour-1.5 to get up. We had a tour guide bring us around Machu Pichu and this was a fantastic sight to see with your own eyes. We took plenty of pictures but it is said that Machu Pichu will be closed in around 30 years due to the large footfall it takes but can't withstand it. Machu Pichu was discovered in 1911 and took 10 years to restore. We spent a while up there and then walked down in about 30mins but you can get a bus up and down to Machu Pichu. This was the best day of our trip! 
• Included in our tour were adventure activities so we did white water rafting, cliff jumping, zip lining and mountain biking. We had a 6 hour journey back to Cusco and booked back into the Wild Rover
• You have to go have breakfast in Jacks cafe bar. After the basic food we had on our trip this was just heaven. We ordered nearly everything on the menu and went back here twice! 
• We took a walking tour of Cusco, visited the markets and got cheap massages! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• We took a flight to Lima which was an hour and a half, and left on a bus the same day to Guayquil which took 29 long hours. We had this bus journey booked a few weeks in advance with Cruz del Sur. We brought as much snacks and drinks as possible. There are movies with English subtitles on the bus. (Tip- watch A Quiet Place, the actors hardly talk in it due to monsters killing anyone who makes sound, and also a brilliant movie)

Ecuador

• The border crossing was a nightmare. The queue was ridiculously long and we spent 3 hours there. We stayed in an airport hotel in Guayquil as we were flying out the next day to the Galapagos. 
• This was the most expensive part of our trip. You will be charged for everything and anything here on the islands. You pay $20 for baggage, $100 entrance fee to the islands, $5 for a bus and boat trip from Airport.
  
  
• Our first island was Santa Cruz. We stayed in Gardner Hostel which had a great location (look for room on 2nd or 3rd floor). We visited the Charles Darwin Centre. You can get your passport stamped there. It has a tortoise sanctuary and breeding centre. They have preserved Lonesome George's body who lived to be 130 years old. Everywhere there are seals, iguanas and huge pelicans.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We rented snorkeling gear for $5 (you could be really prepared and bring your own but we didn't have space in luggage for this) and headed for Tortoga Bay which has loads of iguanas, red crabs, and we managed to see fin sharks. 
• We got a taxi to Chato Reservation where tortoise roam freely. This was great fun walking around the paths seeing all these tortoise! Organise with a taxi driver to drive you out there and bring you back after a certain time- should only cost about $40 for the car. They get free coffee there. 
• We took a boat ride to Isla Isabelle at the pier early 7.30am for $30. Again you have to get a taxi boat to the actual boat for $1 then another one off the boat. Just don't be surprised when this happens. This was a horrific boat journey. So many of us got sick. Try not eat any breakfast or just water and take some sea sickness tablets a few hours before your journey. It is rough.
• It was another $10 to get onto the island and have our bags checked. We booked Pahoehoe for $120 to go see and snorkel at the La Tunels. You are given wet suits and fins. We got to see Blue Footed Boobies (my favourite), seahorses, sharks, turtles and colourful fish. 
• We rented bikes and snorkeling gear and cycled to the wall of tears- it's remains of an old prison and is now a World Heritage Site. It's 6km to the wall and you can hike to the top to see the views of the island. We snorkeled then in Laguna de Concha Perla. We got to see so much fish and a baby seal swam around us playing. We went back another day to snorkel here and were lucky to see a mantra ray!! 
• We visited another tortoise sanctuary and breeding centre- you can see them at different stages of age and on the way saw flamingos too.
• We got a boat back to Santa Cruz then a flight to Quito and checked into an airport hotel. Then got our flight home from Quito -> Panama -> Frankfurt -> Dublin. 

And here's two videos for you to watch of our trip!