Posts from the road
Written as we went, mostly on long bus journeys. Newest first.
Exploring Peru’s prettiest city, Arequipa
We were so impressed with Cruz del Sur, the bus company we choose for our previous twenty hour journey from Mancora to Lima, that we almost looked forward to this next trip.
La Paz, chaos in capitals
We booked a bus for the capital, the day after presidential elections. Other events on the continent would suggest this was a route with some potential complications but if we…
The Colca Canyon trek
The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru, 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of 3,270 metres, it is the fourth deepest in the world.
Mancora
We experienced everything Mancora has a reputation for in our first 24 hours there. A noisy, party beach town popular with gap year students – and a relaxing, beautiful beach…
The Galapagos
Arriving in a place you’ve seen so well covered and narrated by David Attenborough creates a strange feeling, everything is completely new and yet somewhat familiar at the same…
Cuenca
Cuenca was our first stop in a city in several weeks if a small one at that (population 330,000). As it turned out it was the perfect size for us after coming from a series of…
Hiking the Quilotoa Loop
The Quilotoa loop is a self-guided hiking trail, high in the Andes in the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador.
Mindo
Jorge our guide who drove us up to the mouth of the volcano outside Otavalo gave us some advice on stops in Ecuador. We had Mindo in our list of places but our intended next…
Otavalo
Having only briefly researched Ecuador before arriving in the country, we didn’t quite know what to expect of Otavalo, our first stop. What we did know is there’s a famous…
Two weeks in Medellín
We travelled from Foz do Iguacu via São Paulo via Bogota without giving it much thought. We later calculated it was a distance equal to that of Dublin to Abu Dhabi.
Salento
When you hear that a town is located in Colombia’s coffee region, you know it’s an essential stop on your route. It also boasts excellent hiking, stunning scenery and a lively…
Jardin
Having heard too many good things about Jardin, we used a public holiday in the middle of the week to travel there for a 24 hour trip. It was well worth the visit and probably…
A weekend in Sao Paulo
To make the most of the winter sun, we opted for an evening bus to Sao Paulo. After quite a few Brahmas and yet another fish lunch, we boarded the bus ready to snooze for most…
Discovering Paraty
A scenic bus journey hugged the coastline as we left Rio and headed south. Fully reclining seats helped prepare us for a welcome change of pace in our next stop, Paraty. A small…
A guide to Rio de Janeiro
A guide to Rio de Janeiro, a major city offering the best and worst of what South America has to offer, we were both nervous and excited touching down on a new continent.
Travel resources
More →Money in South America
Some countries have free ATM’s and all have ATM’s that will add an extra fee on top of your bank. Usually it’s around $4. I wish I could remember which banks were free, but…
What to Pack for South America – for men
This is a detailed packing list for men. Though they’re similar, here’s a guide for women .
What to Pack for South America – for women
This is a detailed packing list for women. Though they’re similar, here’s a guide for men .