South America

Rio8 days

Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful & intimidating 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.

Ilha Grande1 day

A supposedly beautiful island retreat a few hours from Rio - due to a fairly bleak looking weather forecast we decided to skip this and move straight onto Paraty.

Paraty4 days

A small and lively colonial coastal town set in a bay surrounded by islands and mountainous Atlantic forest. It is also famed for the production of Brazil’s most popular spirit cachaca, the main ingredient in Caipirinhas!

Sao Paulo4 days

A monster, São Paulo is home to 20 million fiercely proud paulistanos. We stayed in Villa Madellena and loved the neighborhood feel of the place. Low rise two story buildings in a hilly area with a high rise backdrop lend it a unique neighborhood feel and the limitless cafes, bars, boutique shops & restaurants would rival the offering of any city in the world. Add a sunny warm winter and it's hard to beat.

Foz de Iguaçu3 days

The most breathtaking thing we've ever seen. Knowing we'd be tight for time once we got to Argentina, we decided to visit from the Brazilian side and spend a day on either side exploring it from every angle.

Medellin13 days

We stopped in Medellin for two weeks to learn Spanish and stayed in the area of Poblado. While a little overrun by gringos like ourselves, it proved to be a very comfortable and enjoyable spot to base ourselves with more bars, restaurants and coffeeshops than we could afford to enjoy and a perfect climate in the mid 20s every day.

Jardin1 day

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 the most beautiful town we visited in Colombia (with possibly the best coffee too).

Salento3 days

Located in the coffee region of Colombia, Salento is a must visit on any itinerary. Incredible hiking, horse riding, coffee farms, tejo and a picturesque town center surrounded by green mountains.

Guatape1 day

A day trip and welcome escape from Medellin to some accessible swimming spots. A steep ascent up a 654ft granite rock surrounded by water in a man made reservoir in what looks like a natural archieapelago offer wonderful views and the colourful town is worth a few hours exploring too.

Santa Marta1 day

We stayed only one night in Santa Marta using it as a base to visit Parque Tayrona, and then went from Parque Tayrona straight on to Cartagena.

Tayrona National Park1 day

Stretches of golden sandy beach backed by coconut palms and thick rainforest. Behind it all rise the steep hillsides of the Sierra Nevada, the world's highest coastal mountain range. The park stretches along the coast and covers 12,000 hectares of land and 3000 hectares of coral-rich sea. We spent 24 hours here, the best of which were later in the evening and first thing in the morning when we had it almost to ourselves.

Cartagena5 days

A beautiful Spanish colonial walled city with high-end restaurants and plenty of sights. Undoubtedly Colombia's most beautiful city, well preserved lying within 13km of centuries-old colonial stone walls. Cartagena's Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site – cobbled alleys, balconies covered in bougainvillea, and massive churches that cast their shadows across leafy plazas.

Capurganá1 day

We only had a short afternoon here as we passed through on our way to the San Blas islands. We had lunch on the beach front and it was certainly enough to give us a taste of what life on the islands was going to be like. We could happily have spent more time here.

Cali3 days

Hot and gritty city. We arrived here a little worse for wear after a few days in the San Blas islands and unfortunately weren't fit enough to take part in it's main offering.. Salsa. We didn't manage to learn quite a lot about it nonetheless.

San Blas Islands3 days

The closest thing to paradise we're ever likely to experience. We spent 4 spectacular days travelling to 6 of the 365 mostly uninhabited islands.

Panama City1 day

Another short stop, on our way from the San Blas islands this time. We spent one night and flew straight to Cali early the next morning. We were there long enough to notice how it expensive it could be however.

Otavalo2 days

We were fortunate to catch Otavalo in full flow during its famous Saturday market. The entertainment didn't let up with plenty of live music on Saturday evening and hikes around a Volcano on Sunday followed by a local food market.

Mindo3 days

One of the most relaxing stops on our entire trip, helped largely due to the fact that we stayed in the incredible Bicok Ecolodge with onsite pool, indoor fire and impressive breakfasts.

Quilotoa Loop6 days

The Quilatoa loop is an incredible self-guided hiking trail, high in the Andes in the Cotopaxi region of Ecuador with great mountain lodge accommodation options along the route.

Quito1 day

We just used Quito as a stop off on our way to the Galapagos. We spent 24 hours here mostly stocking up on supplies. The fact that the bus terminals are split on either side of the city, about 40 minutes drive apart and the airport being 45 minutes away put us off spending any more time here.

The Galapagos Islands8 days

We joined an Intrepid trip in the Galapagos and spent the most incredible 8 days with a great group of people. Snorkling every day with sea lions, sharks, marine iguanas, rays, sea turtles and colourful fish that didn't even get a look in.

Cuenca3 days

A small riverside city full of colonial buildings, cafes and art galleries. The standard of the food we ate here was absolutely excellent and an extremely welcome change from the blandness of the preceding weeks rice & protein options.

Mancora5 days

A much needed resting spot spent relaxing on the beach. With temperatures in the high 20's, the warmest sea temperatures Peru has to offer and Pisco sours aplenty, it was hard to leave. We stayed in a lovely beach hut and listened to the waves crashing right outside our terrace all day every day.

Lima3 days

3 days mostly exploring the many great bars, restaurants and coffee shops of Barranco & Miraflores. One of the best cities so far on the continent.

Arequipa2 days

Arequipa is filled with baroque buildings constructed from sillar, a white volcanic stone. It was far more beautiful than we expected, with this stone making up most of the buildings in the large colonial era old town.

The Colca Canyon2 days

The Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru, located about 160 kilometres northwest of Arequipa. With a depth of 3,270 metres, it is the fourth deepest in the world. We took a 3 day trek down into it.

Cusco8 days

We spent 4 days here waiting for our trek to start and adjusting to the altitude. While obviously a little overrun with tourists coming to and from Machu Picchu, the city still had plenty to offer with excellent museums, restaurants, bars and the sun was shining the whole time we were there.

Trek to Machu Picchu3 days

We did the Lares 2 day trail combined with 2 days of the Classic Inka trek booked through a locally owned and run company called Wayki Trek.

Copacabana4 days

Our first stop in Bolivia and a great option for staying on Lake Titicaca (the highest lake in the world). It's also the closest point for a day trip to Isla del Sol.

Isla Del Sol4 days

The day we planned to travel out to Isla del Sol happened to be the same day as Bolivia's presidential elections. As a result, no boats or buses were running so we spent another relaxing day in Copacabana.

La Paz3 days

Eventful nights with protests right outside our hostel and tear gas being fired up and down the street. Our days were spent largely without incident and it was otherwise one of the safest and more relaxing cities on the continent. The Death Road cycle is a must.

Uyuni2 days

We took a 3 day tour from Uyuni with Salty Desert which dropped us in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile on the other side. The sights and changing landscapes along the way are other worldy and make for fascinating 3 days.

Sucre

It is probably the most attractive city in the country.

Potosi

Rurrenabaque

Tupiza

horse riding in Butch Cassidy country and the base for the Salar de Uyuni tour

PN de Medidi

Samaipata

Explore nearby El Fuerte ruins. Forested mountains, archaology; near La Higuera, where Che Guevara was executed

Chiquitana

Jesuit missions circuit

Santiago1 day

Our last stop as we fly out of here. Capital city with so much to do in and around it. Skiing in the Andes, nice beaches and interesting towns all very close to what is the beating heart of this country.

San Pedro De Atacama4 days

Stunning landscape around the laid back town. See it on a horse or bicycle. Geysers, mountains, sand boarding, star gazing (it's one of the best places on Earth to see the stars) and more.

La Serena3 days

Small city with a large beach. A short distance from the pisco distilleries and star gazing observatory in Elqui Valley.

Valparaiso2 days

Colchagua3 days

Puerto Natales7 days

Buenos Aires7 days

Take in a passionate football match, the vibrant street life, super shopping and lively clubs that party well past dawn. Many travellers view the giant Argentinean capital as their favourite city in all of South America.

Ushuaia3 days

El Calafate1 day

The gateway to Parque de los Glaciares which is where you can visit Perito Moreno Glacier.

Bariloche3 days

The furthest northerly town in Patagonia. Do the 27km cycle if you can. The Patagonia Brewery is a stop along the way and the views are amazing, as well as the beer. Bariloche is famous for beer and chocolate. Loads of hiking opportunities too which aren’t too far from town (Mount Otto - difficult).

Mendoza5 days

Excellent wine and it’s also not far from Mount Aconcagua, the tallest on the continent. Renting bikes and winery maps, and spend a sunny day cycling to winery after winery.

Salta

El Chalten4 days

Rosario

Puerto Madryn

Peninsula Valdes

Humahuaca