Worldwide Walkies

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  • Traveller Talks: A Debrief on Touring India

    Traveller Talks: A Debrief on Touring India

    India is a privilege. 

    You’ll read and hear both sides of the spectrum. People love India – it’s culturally rich, the people are genuine, the food is incredible, there’s so much variety. People hate India – it’s hot, loud, overpopulated, dirty, smelly. Some people are unsure about India – it is foreign, huge, overwhelming on the senses and the mind. 

    But above all else, it is a privilege.

    In a hugely diverse country with over a billion people, and some of the richest people in the world and a lot of the poorest, you can only expect there to be an extreme range of individual experiences. As a tourist in a place that can feel so foreign it is almost unbelievable, it is most important to keep our perspective in place. The perspective that we are the foreigner; we are a guest in this place; that it is not simply a playground for us to spend our ‘strong’ currency with no regard for local customs or priorities. 

    We feel privileged to have visited, and to have seen so much of this country over three months. It was some seriously challenging travel – the stark difference in cultural practice absolutely takes a toll; most days something would happen to make us feel disrespected, cheated, or misunderstood. But we also experienced incredibly genuine kindness; we met locals wanting to share with us their land and their culture; and holy mcfreaking moly we got to eat some of the most incredible food on the planet. It was really a time of growth, and after a number of months of introspection and reflection we are finally feeling a little bit ready to write about it.

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Geography

    India is massive, so it’s got a bit of everything. High mountains in the Himalayas, lush forests in the foothills, the desert of the west, magnificent beaches on the southern coasts, and the jungle inland. One thing that surprised us was how green India is – cities can be fairly concrete, but there’s big swathes of forest.

    Climate

    India’s got the usual four seasons, but they’re a little different to temperature countries, as the tropical monsoons have a big impact. With such a massive variation in geography comes substantial differences in weather cycles regionally.

    .Summer | Mar – May | avoid especially May – the hottest it gets | Monsoon | Jun – Sep | hot and humid | Post-monsoon | Oct – Nov | still humid, but cooler and much more manageable | Winter | Dec – Feb | a good time to visit.

    cultural quirks

    There is so much that feels different about India from the west, but what stands out is the incessant staring, the lack of women in public, especially in Delhi, and the slightly hilarious, slightly irritating habit of asking ‘where are you from’ with no prompting, and certainly no ‘hi, hello’ first.

    costs

    You can visit on either end of the spectrum – spend the big bucks, or take every local route you can to be a real saver. Even on a shoestring budget, you can eat out every meal, though your stomach will need to be strong, but we’d recommend a the slightly more expensive options for travel – the ‘local’ routes in India are not for the faint-hearted, and a little bit of cash can go a long way.

    safety

    Safety varies a lot across India, but in general we felt safe, if not quite uncomfortable. I’d say that for a solo woman, or even women travelling together, a lot more lines would be crossed for the discomfort would be higher. The concept of personal space doesn’t really exist, and, as above, the tendency to stare can make you feel very defensive.

    transport

    The train system in India is well connected, but books out well in advance. Buses are also a great option, with lie-flat bed options. In the mountains, catch shared taxis or jeeps. Flying is a good option; there are lots of airports, and prices are really reasonable (even with bags).

    food

    The food in India is incredible… In the west, we talk about ‘curry’, but the variety is something you can’t access; wet gravy, dry meat, a thick sauce; completely different applications of spices; parantha and thali for breakfast; wazwan in Kashmir, kebab in Lucknow; momos and noodles in the mountains… Pure joy. You won’t find beef or pork; vegetarian, mutton (goat) and chicken are the main options.

    walkies?

    Hell yeah! While Nepal is known for its Himalayas, a good chunk of the lower valleys and mountains are in India, through the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, and Sikkim. These regions can reach high altitudes, so don’t be underestimating it. Our to-do list is below, but we recommend checking out India Hikes for an almost exhaustive list, and they are really helpful if you want to send them an email!

    our stops

    Usually this section is ‘hotspots’, but there are too many to name, so we’ve put in our highlights instead (yes, in order; yes, they don’t make any logistical sense)

    delhi

    We had to, but we would avoid it if we could… Delhi is a hellhole, but it’s got some beautiful monuments and wonderful history.

    ladakh

    An ancient kingdom with customs and vibes that mirror Tibet more than India; a high altitude desert perfect for hiking

    kashmir

    The disputed region of Kashmir has some of the most beautiful and dramatic landscapes in the world – unfortunately, unrest in the region makes it difficult to explore.

    mumbai & aurangabad

    Bollywood and bollywood’s money is evident in the classier side of Mumbai; yet it holds the world’s slum. We headed out of town for a day to visit the Ellora and Ajunta caves – incredibly preserved religious craftsmanship.

    sikkim

    Bordered on three sides by other countries, the beautiful mountains of Sikkim hold of our favourite memories. Gorgeous people, wonderful hospitality, stunning landscapes.

    rajasthan

    If you want a fort, or many forts, go to Rajasthan! Its history of Rajput royalty separates it from the Mughal royalty in the central regions of India. We visited Jaipur, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.

    agra

    Off to see the great Taj! It was really very impressive, and Agra wasn’t as awful as all the reviews describe – though we wouldn’t say ‘visit Agra for Agra’

    varanasi

    The most spiritual place to visit in India. Experiencing night-time pooja on the riverside was spectacular, and taking a walking tour is a great way to understand more of the local perspective.

    lucknow

    Food!! Lucknow is a gastronomical delight with phenomenal specific local dishes, and there are a few beautiful Islamic monuments to visit in the centre.

    where next…?

    We missed all of the hiking in Himachal and Uttrakand, and apart from Mumbai, didn’t even touch the south of India! That’s half the continent left to explore, one day.

    Tell me everything

    We approached India with a languidity born of 7 months of prior travel; while this is a manageable strategy for those with time, it did lead to a fairly rag-tag route. We were heavily impacted by the summer monsoon, so despite an initial determination to spend two solid months hiking in the Himalayas, Mother Nature had other plans. 

    India was a little bit of everything – we went to the limit of our visa, spending 3 months exploring as far as we could. The hiking was meant to begin in Ladakh, then we’d work our way through trails in Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakand (the lower Himalayas) as the monsoon eased. Everything got derailed when the monsoon stretched out longer than previous years and was far more devastating – not just in the Himachal, where the road from Leh to Manali got completely washed out, but also in Ladakh itself, which saw unprecedented rain and caused many buildings – not built to withstand the onslaught – to leak. So instead we bounced around – as above – in the most chaotic way possible.

    Interestingly, while it can be very affordable, India is no longer one of the cheapest places to travel, especially if you want a moderate level of comfort. In fact, with the extreme wealth disparity in India there is a lack of infrastructural support that seems mind-boggling, the preference for locals who can afford it is to take private transport, so public transport can be neglected and become overwhelmingly overcrowded for a traveller.

    important note!

    Check your visa carefully! Even though we got a year long visa, it was explicit that with 12 months we could only be in india for 6 months total, and within that, only 3 months (90 days) at a time. We also miscalculated that (3 months doesn’t mean exactly 90 days), so we had to move our flight forward…

    Geography

    The third largest peak in the world is in India, on the border of Nepal (Kachenjunga). It’s got a huge coastline with multiple ports that enabled the trade from East to West – centres of gold routes for centuries. There are natural parks filled with tigers, elephants and other large and small fauna. The Thar desert of Rajasthan borders Pakistan, filled with golden sandstone. To its east is the Aravalli Range, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, a crumbling relic of tectonic movement which holds many forts. It really has it all, with the variety in the population to match.

    Land border crossings in India are generally a no-no – our visa explicitly said that we could only enter and leave by air. Even over the Nepal border (with whom India have good relations), foreigners cannot pass.

    The higher risk disputed regions have a serious military presence. In Kashmir (where there was a terrorist attack in April 2025), there is military everywhere, but we also had trouble with very strict immigration at the airport in Bagdogra (the entrance point to Sikkim), as it is right at the intersection of a number of countries. We had to get permits to travel to places in Ladakh and Sikkim, and certain tourist attractions are too close to the border, so are inaccessible for foreigners.

    From the Thar desert…
    … to lush greenery in Kashmir

    climate

    As the geography varies so much, as does the climate. Every season is different in every region – you could freeze to death in the middle of the day in Ladakh or Sikkim, but in Rajasthan you’d still get a burning sun – though nights are always cold in the desert.

    For the part of the monsoon season we were in India, it really was wet. In South East Asia, monsoon means rain every day, but usually not for the whole day. In India, it was constant – and even in the rain shadow of the Himalayas in Ladakh, the conditions were bad in 2025.

    Even though India is hot as balls most of the year, having skin showing is pretty uncommon for the locals, both men and women. Awal wore a singlet a couple of times and got a lot of attention! You only really see modern western clothing in centres like Mumbai (not even in Delhi). Take light, loose clothing that covers your whole body, and if you’re a woman, try to get it as shapeless as possible – it helps to stave off the staring.

    Costs in 2025

    India is pretty damn affordable. As we said, it’s a spectrum – there are heaps of holiday packages that people take which are all inclusive – 5 star hotel, private transport, no thinking, the guide takes you from the monument to the bar. It’s visit, eat, party (idk who’s doing eat, pray, love). However, if you want to backpack, you can totally do it on a tight budget and a bit of patience.

    Accommodation was usually alright, but really frustrating in Delhi. Most of the hotels and hostels have fake reviews even on booking.com, so they can actually be super terrible – we ended up spending around 2500INR (~50NZD) per night in Delhi to make sure we got a hotel that actually exists. Mumbai was also really expensive – even a dorm room was 1000INR each (~20NZD). It’s really variable per town – but on average, we spent about 1600INR per night (32NZD).

    We cooked one time during our 3 months in India. We ate out every meal we could. Food prices have a massive range – a thali is a great basic meal; dahl, rice, roti, papad, and a curry or two. Sometimes, they’re refillable! It ranges from really cheap, around 150INR for a basic one, to 400INR for a ‘special thali’ with the fancier curries. There’s lots of snacky street food to try that’s around 50INR a pop; sit down meals at local cuisine AC restaurants will be more expensive, maybe 500-1000INR per person. There is literally a menu in the AC room that has different prices to the menu in the non-AC room – but some days, you gotta. 

    Because we caught flights for really long distances, our land transport budget was pretty low on average. However, we found it pretty variable, but here are some benchmarks: 

    • Agra to Varanasi |  10 hrs | 2000INR pp | the nicest lie-flat bus we caught by a LONG way
    • Lucknow to Delhi | 8 hours | 1200INR pp | a fine lie-flat bus.
    • Jaisalmer to Agra | 15 hours | 1500INR pp | a fine lie-flat bus
    From modern monuments…
    … to ancient monolithic temples, representing Hinduism, Buddism, and Jain religions

    Cultural Quirks

    There’s a lot going on in India, but we thought to list some of the things that jumped out… and it turns out there are quite a few.

    • Rubbish – okay, we thought the rubbish culture in Bolivia was bad. Nope. You will see people from all walks of life, from wealthy to poor, throw rubbish on the streets.  This is embedded a bit in the caste system, where cleaning is seen as a ‘low caste’ activity, and comes also a bit from the general living conditions – for many people, rubbish is the least of their problems.
    • Personal space doesn’t exist! Of course, in a place with overpopulation, you know that this is bound to happen, but it’s one thing to know it in theory, and another to experience it.
    • Staring is prominent – wherever you are, wherever you walk – especially for women. Staring is not seen as impolite as it is in the west, and even if you glare back, people often won’t care to look away. A smile and wave, will get you one back or they’ll finally look away in some embarrassment, so try that!
    • Dressing appropriately goes a long way to being more comfortable. Long pants, and at least t-shirts will mean you stick out less. Or get some ethnic wear! They’re usually really comfortable and floaty.
    • Something that was pretty uncomfortable was seeing predominantly men in public, especially in Delhi. In places like Ladakh and Sikkim, this was much, much less prevalent.
    • Despite being colonised by the British, the English language is not as common as you’d think in India. Thankfully, Awal speaks Hindi, so we (he) could navigate any sticky situations
    • Don’t expect kindness, but give it out – this sounds really awful, but hierarchy in India is deeply ingrained; service people might be hesitant to engage because they’re used to being completely shat on by locals, so be patient and ask clearly. Also, there’s just a lot of scams, so it’s worth being on your guard.
    • Haggle for everything except cooked meals – I know there is a lot out there that says ‘when your currency is so strong, there’s no point haggling for a couple of dollars’, but this is seriously just the way in India. Everyone will try to charge you at least double once they realise you’re a tourist, Awal could literally hear tour agencies talking in Hindi, asking what they should charge for the ‘white people’ price. If they start at 1000INR, you should start at 200INR, especially with clothing and jewellery (literal advice we received from a local)

    Safety

    As a foreigner in India, you attract a stupid amount of attention. Although we are not white-passing, we still got lots of looks, probably because of our clothing. As with some of the ‘quirks’ above, there are a lot of things which can make you feel really uncomfortable and obvious in India, however in general, we’d say that India feels safe. There’s unwanted attention but it’s generally not malicious, and if it is, there are usually so many people around that you could yell and someone would help you out.

    The biggest thing in India is the ridiculous number of scams that people try to pull. While travelling, it’s often the most fun to go with the flow, but if someone is offering you something insistently, it’s probably good to do a quick check of all the facts that are involved. If it’s too good to be true? Probably is. We came across so many scams that we could make an entire blog post on it.

    transport

    Whereas countries in South America have extraordinary alignment between the needs of the locals and the desires of backpackers, in India it doesn’t feel the same way. The train system is well connected, but popular routes will book out weeks in advance, so it is useless for last minute planning. Additionally, the locals often jump aboard without a ticket, even in some of the higher classes, so you aren’t guaranteed a stress-free ride.

    Buses prices are generally comparable to the trains, and the quality is fairly variable. They do have lie-flat sleeper buses, which are great, but on the daytime or cheaper lines, sometimes the driver will pick up people at any random location and the bus will end up super crowded. Our advice is to pick a top bunk so nobody can sit on your bed.

    In the border regions, bus options don’t exist, but you can catch a shared jeep or taxi. You might be able to find some information online, but often you’ll have to check in with a hostel to get confirmation.

    Flying is really common and really easy in India. There are plenty of well serviced airports. If you don’t have luggage, it can end up cheaper than catching the bus, predominantly because the country is huge, and so some of the distances are ridiculous.

    Tuktuks or auto-rickshaws are the normal way to get around in cities in India; in 2025, the normal going rate was around 100Rs per 10 minutes, but you’ll need to bargain them down. Check Uber prices to get a comparative negotiating point, but don’t order an auto through Uber – you’ll still have to negotiate with the driver!

    yeeewwww we miss the food
    We miss the food so muchhhhh

    Food

    The food… there will have to be a whole post on this, but we’ll go through the basics. Most meals can be eaten at any time – there’s not a ‘set’ breakfast-lunch-dinner spread, rice and roti are for every meal.

    • Paratha – stuffed roti (basically), pick aloo (potato) or pyaz (onion), or both
    • Thali – a complete meal at any time of day, dahl, rice, roti, papad, and a curry or two
    • Curry, roti, rice – if the flavours and gravies you want aren’t in the thali, pick your own.
    • Chai – get your local tea in a tiny cup to start your day
    • Gulab Jamun is incredible, but other hand sweets like barfi had too much ghee for us.
    • Kheer and halwa… my gosh.

    There’s also big variations by region. Lucknow has rich, spicy curries and kebabs. In Rajasthan, there’s a lot more ghee, and a few different desert-specific ingredients in their curry. Kashmir’s wazwan has big, bold, mutton flavours. And up in the mountains, Nepali and Ladakhi cuisine involves momo (dumpling) and noodle soups.

    If you want a break from curry on a budget, the takeaway chinese food is pretty great – noodles are Emma’s favourite food group, so we’re always hunting them down

    A Himalayan valley… grand on a whole different scale.

    Walkies!

    Up and down the Himalayas you could spend several seasons walking. While the Andes were incredible, the Himalayas have a scale that we’d not seen there. It’s actually really difficult to perceive how tall an 8000m+ mountain is from its base, but you can get an idea from the grandeur of the places you walk through just to get that peek of the peak.

    Ladakh | high altitude hiking | dry alpine desert

    • Markha Valley Trek | 4-8 days | Starting from Spiti is an 8 day route, starting from Chilling will be 5 days, all in homestays + one night in preset tents | done
    • Phyang to Hunder Dok | 3 nights | Over a massive 5400m pass, an isolated, incredibly thrilling walk in the mountains | done
    • Rumtse to Tso Moriri | 5 or 8 nights | Take a shorter route by starting near Debring. A wild, windy track over barren highlands | missed because of bad weather, so high up on our to-do!

    Himachal Pradesh | moderate altitudes

    • Hampta Pass | 2 – 3 days | 4200m | A good introductory trek for the region | End point can link up to Pin Bhaba or Pin Parvati
    • Pin Bhaba Pass | 5 – 6 days | 4800m | Longer and beautifully varied, but less technical
    • Pin Parvati Pass |  8-12 days | 5300m | Quite technical with glacier crossings | A guide needed without experience | a real challenge!

    Uttarakhand | moderate altitudes

    • Valley of Flowers | Overnight | Pick your season correctly to get the blooms
    • Bali Pass | 4 – 8 days | 4800m max | A tougher hike in the region

    Sikkim | moderate altitudes

    • Goecha-La | 8 days | Must be done with a guide | No longer going all the way to the Goecha Pass, but still providing views of Kachenjunga – as close as you can get in India | Done with India Hikes
    • Sandakphu | 5 days | Must be done with a guide | Homestays available | Runs along the border with Nepal.

    And a final word of warning for hiking in India: leeches.

  • traveller talks: a debrief on touring colombia

    traveller talks: a debrief on touring colombia

    A place of passion, a country of colour. Colombia is terrific. It has incredible biodiversity, an eclectic mix of culture influences, wonderful people, and a tumultuous history – some of which is very, very recent. While it is very stable compared to some years back, and is pretty safe for travellers, Colombia was the place we felt the most guarded over all of South America. Yet it is also the place we felt the most wowed – the two go hand-in-hand, and you can see how the strength and motivation and pride of the people of Colombia has helped them build a gorgeous place to live, plus a substantial tourism industry.

    Our travels in Colombia took us in a big loop – from Medellín, to the coffee regions, over to Bogotá, up to do some exploring in San Gil, up to the Caribbean coast to see the coastal jungle, 

    We missed a few major hotspots, unfortunately, because they fell outside our budget (and, a little bit, our capacity for heat). We didn’t complete La Ciudad Perdida, a very famous hike in the Sierra Nevada coastal mountain range which takes you to an ancient pre-colombian ruin in the middle of the jungle. It must be walked with a guide, and the fees are pretty high as it’s in demand and on indigenous land – absolutely fair, not in our budget. Tayrona National Park was another one we missed. Supposedly, the most beautiful caribbean beaches, including Cabo San Juan, are only accessible by a hike in the jungle (or a pricey trip by boat), but the entry fee is pretty high, which means it’s only really worth it if you camp a few nights in the jungle, which was something we weren’t super keen on. To be honest, we regret it a little, we could’ve prioritised it more monetarily and got over our perpetual fear of heat and mosquitos to enjoy a little Colombian paradise.

    However, we will return! Also, because we never went further south than the coffee region – we were told point-blank by a Colombian friend that by not visiting Cali, we had not seen the real Colombia. Cali has a reputation, so we were a little to chicken to see it this time, but after the wonderful experiences we’ve had in other places, we would definitely prioritise it next time – just staying sensible at the same time.

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Geography

    Colombia isn’t huge, and a large portion of its area is in the Amazon basin, but the geography is super varied. The mountains carve up the mountains into three sections, so you get plenty of regions in the hot tropical zone, but you can quickly climb into cold alpine sections. It makes for a really varied land to explore!

    Climate

    Colombia has two monsoon seasons!: wet (Apr – Jun & Sep – Nov) & dry (Dec – March & July – August). However, it’s always hot on the coast, and always cool in Bogota & other high altitude places.

    cultural quirks

    Tipping! We hate tipping! But in Colombia it has become a common occurrence in a certain type of restaurant.

    costs

    It’s economical, but less so than other places in South America – being close to America and loved by ‘digital nomads’ and rich immigrants, tipping culture is big and the safe areas are often gentrified.

    safety

    Colombia has a reputation (or, lack-thereof) for safety and you can definitely feel it. Check with your hostel, stay inside at night, and stay in recommended areas in cities.

    transport

    Colombia’s bus system is not on the same level as other places in South America! We took some really uncomfortable buses (narrow, poor recline, no footrests!), and the scheduling is pretty whack – on short journeys we’d arrive a few hours early (e.g. overnight = no sleep), and a couple of times we got stuck in mad traffic and spent extra hours on already long journeys.

    food

    Food in Colombia is awesome, and there is SO MUCH CHEESE. It’s got insane fruit variety and plenty of creativity in frying items, so always get on the look out for snacks.

    walkies?

    Yes, although unfortunately not unguided 🙁 Most of the national parks can be hiked, to some extent, though some are more accessible than others.

    hotspots

    We started in Medellín, but had done some poor planning and had to return to see the flower festival, so we visited Colombia in a loop! However, we did hit most of the ‘popular’ places on a Colombia itinerary.

    medellín

    Other than the flower festival in Medellín (highly recommend if you’re there in early August), Medellín has some popular suburbs around town for exploring, and a few walkies in the valley, great nightlife and beautiful streets. The metro is great for getting around.

    Guatapé

    A day trip from Medellín but worth an overnight stay. A beautiful lakeside town, with a big-ass rock that you can climb – it’s a cool staircase up, and the views from the top are pretty swell.

    coffee region

    South of Medellín is the coffee region with plenty of cute little towns – we visited Filanda and Salento, where you’ll also be able to see the tallest palm trees in the world in Cocora Valley.

    cali

    South of the coffee region and Medellín, head to Cali, for the dancing and the nightlife and a different type of Colombian culture.

    Bogota

    Instead we travelled to Bogotá to experience a little more altitude in the capital, and to visit some museums, including Botero’s wonderful collection, and learn more about the history of Colombia

    san gil

    Adventure capital San Gil sits at the centre of a few old colonial poblados, offering some gentle hiking, swimming holes, and some high-adrenaline activities over the canyons if you’re looking for it.

    Santa Marta

    Santa Marta is a display of Carribean influence. We were there during the city’s 500th year anniversary, so there was a mini carnival and lots of partying going on!

    minca

    Minca was one of our favourite stops in Colombia. This small jungle town has been gringo-fied in the central streets, but is still remote and beautifully natural outside the centre. Walk in the jungle, find waterfalls and watering holes, enjoy the peace!

    palomino

    Then we took a turn for the worse, as Palomino was meant to be a beachfront paradise but turned out to be be less than what we wanted – the beach was rough and windy and a bit dirty, and we don’t like to party, so we didn’t take advantage of what some would think is the saving grace! Other beaches up the coast may be better.

    Cartagena

    Our final stop was Cartagena – despite low expectations after being warned it was overtourised and expensive, we adored the vibes here! It’s full of colour and we only had lovely interactions with people (probably partially luck).

    Tell me everything

    Geography

    The variation in the geography is outrageous in Colombia – from the temperate hills in the coffee region, to cold days and colder nights in the heights of Bogotá, over to an absolute sweltering tropical Carribean coast, coated in humid jungle. Not only that, but the Andes splits into two sub-ranges, the Occidental and Oriental, which makes traversing the centre of Colombia by road really windy in a lot of places.

    Even without recent events, the border with Venezuela is passable but seems a bit dodgy – we had a mate who crossed over in 2025, and he got absolutely scammed by the border police there (eventually, another border control officer got him sorted, but it sounded like a fairly awful experience). Unfortunately, Venezuela is probably not super high on the ‘to visit’ list for a lot of people at the moment.

    The crossing through to Ecuador is doable, and is part of the normal backpacking route, but there is a lot more drug and human trafficking along that border. So take more caution than normal and read a few others’ experiences to know confidently where to go and where not to go.

    Out of interest, there is no land border crossing to Panama – it is only possible to do so by boat. The region between Colombia and Panama is dense, mountainous jungle, supposedly full of guerillas and traffickers. Sufficiently dodgy!

    climate

    Colombia was the first place we’d been in South America where we felt hot… and there were a lot of mosquitos everywhere again. In the valleys, it is pretty consistently warm all year around, so it’ll take some adjusting if you’ve come from somewhere cold – we struggled, and even more so on the Carribbean coast, where it’s consistently around 30degrees. Fair warning that some of those jungle treks which are so popular will be through those same conditions – that was enough to make us second guess it.

    We were in Colombia in one of the dry seasons, spending most of July and a little of August there. However, it is tropical so there were still storms every now and again. Our interpretation is that the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ seasons are a guide, not a rule. Expect rain all year around, though it was never for more than a couple of hours.

    Costs in 2025

    The Colombian peso operates without cents, working in the thousands (mil in Spanish). When we travelled, 1NZD = 2320 pesos.

    In Colombia the menu del día is less common in all areas, especially in more tourist-heavy locations where restaurants focus on local specialties. The ‘normal’ local restaurants need to be sought out, and it seemed like the cheapest menu del día would be around 20K peso pp. 

    For a really cheap lunch or breakfast, we would usually go to a panadería (bakery), and pick up a few fried snacks, around 10K peso pp. 

    We probably averaged a sit-down meal once a day to try a local dish, and we cooked for other meals. Even so, on average, we spent more on food in Colombia than anywhere else in South America.

    Transport cost was quite variable. We took two 12 hour overnight buses, one cost 50NZD pp, the other 80NZD pp. And the 5 hour bus from Medellín to Salento was 35NZD pp (and a really terrible bus).

    Private rooms in basic homestays and hostels cost us between 50k – 100k pesos depending on location; our average was 80k per night.

    Sweating at the football game.
    Bandeja Paisa – a feast!

    Cultural Quirks

    Unfortunately, the American tipping culture has made its way here. In restaurants it’s expected to tip 10%. In traditional establishments, the menu del día type, it seems less common – it’s predominantly the gentrified and touristed areas have picked up the habit. Honestly, we hate this so much, it’s so annoying to have to add on the extra cash when it could just be built into the cost. 

    There is a lot more English in Colombia than other places in South America, as there is a lot more tourism from the US, but it’s still important and helpful to know basic Spanish.

    Safety

    As we said, we felt substantially more uncomfortable in Colombia than we did in the rest of South America. Hostel and hotel staff consistently told us not to walk around after dark, and to take a taxi, even in suburbs that we felt should be quite safe at all times. It is just safer to trust the locals, though on a couple of occasions we did walk home – it just feels like such a waste to catch a cab for 5 minutes.

    During the day, it is safe to walk around in most tourist places; of course, keep your wits about you, and if someone tries to mug you, just give them your stuff… it’s not worth any injury and certainly not your life, and that’s why you get your insurance sorted (DO NOT TRAVEL WITHOUT INSURANCE, WALKERS). 

    We felt the most uncomfortable in Santa Marta – it’s a bigger city, and we were there during the 500th anniversary celebrations, so it was constantly busy. However, there were a huge number of buskers, hustlers, beggars, and generally people peddling stuff in a way that sometimes felt too insistent. One guy followed us down the street seemingly friendly, before try out the baby formula scam – it’s just frustrating!

    transport

    We travelled by bus, which is, as always, the cheapest way to get around. In saying that, flight prices aren’t as outrageous as in other South American countries – Cartagena and Medellin both have well serviced airports, being popular destinations from the USA, and of course Bogota is the capital, and is also well connected. Some routes are better than others – the best company was Berlinas del Fonce

    Although buses are the cheapest way to get around, the pricing model was unpredictable. Different routes with similar distances & times can be wildly variable. We got scammed in person once (double charge babyyyyy – we should’ve known we were getting hussled), but aside from that, we saw the differences in the online Redbus prices, which was quite odd. If you’re tight on the budget, it is probably worth doing a bit more research in advance to find the most economical route, as it may not be what you expect.

    Flowers!
    More flowers!

    Food

    Ahhh Colombianos know how to eat! Almost all the snacks are fried, meals are big and hearty, and the fruit is gorg.

    • Arepas con queso – corn meal and cheese snack. The best version is the one with the cheese melted in the middle, though I’m not sure on the terminology because sometimes a bit of cheese is just slapped on top.
    • Buñuelos are super spherical deep fried balls of the most incredible dough. Get them with arequipe (dulce de leche), chocolate or cheese.
    • Snack on empanadas or papa rellenas Colombian-style – deep fried.
    • Bandeja Paisa is the trophy winner plate. Fried pork belly, mince, sausage, egg, beans, plantain, avocado, one full as puku.
    • Search out Patacones in the hot regions – unripe plantain fried with toppings. So YUMMY.
    • Try Ajiaco in Bogota or around the mountains – it’s a warming soup classic to the mountainous regions.
    • Chocolate con queso – hot chocolate with a slice of cheese on the side. Gotta do it.
    • Coffee in Colombia is actually quite terrible, despite it being a coffee growing country – but of course, all of the good stuff gets exported.
    • Try mangosteen and rambutan if you haven’t been to Asia, and of course the mangoes are heavenly.
    From the rock – Guatapé

    Walkies!

    There are options, but the information is not always clear, it changes often, and generally cannot be done unguided. Almost every national park requires you to be guided, which is actually quite expensive, and you cannot stay overnight in a number of them. It seems to be a combination of factors: there’s no search and rescue, it’s not a popular local activity, and safety as there is still guerilla presence in some parks. And, of course, to increase the monetary output of tourism… Nevertheless, here are a few options that we found, but mostly uncompleted due to the guide situation.

    • From Medellin, there are day hiking areas to the north – Parque Arvi has lots of tracks, or try Cerro Quitasol.
    • Los Nevados National Park connects up to the trails from Cocora Valley. We completed a 3 day hike unguided, staying in homestays in the mountains, although we did leave early to avoid any awkward questions at the entrance. We’ll put details in a different post, but start from Salento for the easy options, and consider a guided hike from Manizales for a traverse of the range.
    • In the areas around San Gil you can complete the Camino Real, an old path which connected several colonial towns. We only walked a day hike, but it can be done over three days, staying in homestays.
    • El Cocuy National Park – there was once a 3 day hike through this park and it looks beautiful! Since COVID, you cannot camp in the park, and to complete dayhikes you must take a guide. It ended up well out of budget from the reviews we found. El Cocuy town is the place to book your excursion. Unsure if this compulsory-guide-situation may change, so it’s worth checking if you’re keen to walk.
    • Minca has plenty of day-walk options. For many of them, you can catch a moto part or all of the way, but the roads are very walkable and you’ll still see wildlife (saw howler monkeys one day, and there’s lots of birdlife, especially in the mornings). Marinka waterfall was one of our faves; there’s lots of spots along the river you can bathe in; or you can overnight at Moncho Hostal to see the sunrise at Cerro Kennedy
    • As mentioned, there is hiking in Tayrona, though the fee is a bit extortionate. It’s probably worth it if you’re planning on spending a few days in the jungle, but hiking in 30 degrees with a full pack sounds rough.
    • And of course, Colombia’s biggest walking drawcard, the 4 day lost city trek, La Ciudad Perdida.
  • Traveller Talks: A Debrief on touring peru

    Traveller Talks: A Debrief on touring peru

    The famous lands of the Incas have captivated travellers of all backgrounds, but it’s a country that’s greater than its history of empire, and that has so much to offer other than Machu Picchu. 

    Visiting in June 2025 marked our second time in Peru – with Machu Picchu done and dusted in 2022, this time we decided to excuse ourselves from revisiting the ancient ruins (and the massive detour that Cusco presents), instead focusing a neat line up the coast, inland to Huaraz’s mountains, then back to Lima. There were some key things that drew us back to Peru – aside from it being the next obvious step in our journey through South America. The most prominent of those was the Huayhuash, an 8-day trek around a sub-range of the Cordillera Blanca near Huaraz. We’d heard wonderful things about the trek in the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. And last time, we’d only spent a couple of hours in Lima while transiting buses, so we wanted to experience some of the cuisine that Peru’s capital boasts.

    Our first piece of advice to someone visiting Peru is: do not underestimate how long and how mountainous this country is. The first time we visited in 2022, we learned this the hard way. Having entered Peru at its northernmost point from Ecuador by road (the worst border crossing we’ve ever done, to date) and with a mere 2.5 weeks to explore, we picked a few key locations to hit – Huaraz for the mountains, Cusco for Incan history and Arequipa for the canyon and colonial beauty. While that doesn’t feel like an unreasonable amount of time for only three places, starting at the northernmost part of Peru added in two days of bus travel – and choosing to bus from Huaraz to Cusco (via Lima) is also nearly a two day journey. Don’t underestimate Peru!

    Even without the allure of trekking to ancient ruins, Peru has some of the most incredible walking in the world. There are uncountable unreal vistas around Huaraz and through the Cordillera Blanca, with an offering of both day walks and multidayers. Although Machu Picchu is the main attraction in Cusco, the walking in the Andes of that region makes a definite mark, too.

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Geography

    The geography is crazy; don’t underestimate how long this country is and don’t rush. Across the country, Peru has coastal surfing, massive dunes, incredibly high mountains and also dips into the Amazon basin – really a bit of everything, and the activity variety to match.

    Climate

    Peru only has two seasons: a wet summer (nov – mar) & a dry winter (may – aug)

    cultural quirks

    You’ll see plenty of trash on the roadside, people throwing it out of bus windows, though it’s not as pervasive. Basic Spanish goes a long way, even though there’s a bit of English spoken.

    costs

    It’s economical, but not incredibly so – tourism booms in Cusco, but the effect is felt throughout the country and gringo and immigrant prices will catch you all around the country. On a backpacker budget, you won’t be eating out every meal, and you may have to skip some activities. Guided hikes are pricey.

    safety

    We felt Peru was quite safe where we visited and stayed. However, Lima has a reputation for violence in many suburbs. Keep your street smarts on and always check in with your hostel for their recommendations.

    transport

    Peru’s bus system is very good, reliable and safe – though the quality of the buses does vary (the 2-1 seat layout is far more comfortable than the 2-2 for overnight rides). Flights between Lima and Cusco are regular, but not cheap.

    food

    Food in Peru is varied over the regions, and it probably has the most interesting cuisine across all of South America due to more international influence. Fruits are also plentiful and delicious.

    walkies?

    Hell yes, both around Huaraz and around Cusco. Going without a guide can be tough work with the altitudes involved; get fit, get acclimatised, and be prepared for some serious cold.

    hotspots

    Machu picchu

    While it was easily sorted only a few days in advance in 2022, in 2025 Machu Picchu sounded like a shitshow – be prepared to drop some serious cash and book well in advance.

    the amazon

    Take a multi-day river adventure to arrive in Iquitos, then explore the Amazon. Or head to Puerto Maldonaldo for a good chance to see Giant Otters.

    The capital

    Get gastronomical and learn of Peru’s complex history in Lima. Take your pick of museums, ancient sites, or modern parks.

    Arequipa

    Explore Arequipa to see more of how colonial architecture is preserved in Peru, visit the Colca Canyon, and summit a mountain while you’re at it!

    Northern Beaches

    Try your hand at surfing or get partying in the northern coast, like Mancora, if you’re visiting in summer.

    Huaraz

    For some world-class hiking and mountaineering, or just to get some clear air, head to Huaraz

    Nazca

    If your budget allows, take a plane tour over the Nazca Lines and admire the work of the ancients (aliens?!?!)

    Huacachina

    Check out Huacachina, near Ica, for an oasis town and some massive sand dunes – a place for a little bit of adventure by sandboarding or hire an ATV.

    paracas

    While the town-side beaches won’t amaze you, visiting the ‘Poor Man’s Galapagos’, the Ballestas Islands, is a great way to spot some marine wildlife.

    Tell me everything

    Geography

    You could pass months in Peru feeling like you’re moving into different worlds. Hit the beach one day, climb a 6000m peak the next, hop on a slow boat to cruise along to the Amazon basin as the recovery. Hence, prepare for crazy bus rides, both in length and road quality. Pack clothes for all temperatures; it’s cold at altitude but you’ll melt in the rainforest no matter the time of year.

    The border from Bolivia was a breeze to cross – Bolivia and Peru have good relations.

    We crossed over from Ecuador in 2022, it was unbelievably awful. We can’t offer updated information, but we’re a little traumatised.

    We also crossed into Chile in 2022, which was pretty smooth – we got in a collectivo to head there from Tacna, arrived before the gate opened – and there was already a line. So it seemed like it’s best to try to get over there first thing in the morning. Best to check a more recent experience.

    It’s also possible to cross into Colombia via boat from Iquitos, at the port of Leticia. It’s a real adventure, and we were considering doing this, but ended up prioritising time elsewhere.

    climate

    Being coastal and inland, there is definite variety in the ways the ‘dry’ winters (May-Oct) and the ‘wet’ summers (Nov – Apr) present themselves. On the coast, there’s a definite temperature difference across the two seasons, and the dry winters tend to be foggier (hence, ‘Lima the grey’). The temperature is more stable in the mountains, only varying by a few degrees between the two, and in the rainforest, the humidity will knock your socks off.

    In addition to all temperatures with the different geographical regions, prepare for all levels of precipitation. Even if you’re travelling in the dry season, there’s always a chance of rain; it’s not a drought season.

    Costs in 2025

    The Peruvian Sol is one of the most stable currencies in Latin America, despite political instabilities. It is also one of the strongest, making Peru a more expensive country to travel. When we were there, 2 sol = $1 nzd approx

    In 2025, a menu del dia cost 8 – 15 sol depending on your region (4NZD – 8NZD); we tended to eat out once or twice a day, and cooked for the other meals. It was economical, but not incredibly so; you might need to shop around for the best price.

    Transport is generally good quality and so a little pricey. An 8 hour bus cost about 100 sol per person (50NZD),

    Private rooms in basic homestays and hostels cost us between 50 – 100 sol depending on location (e.g. Huaraz vs. Lima)

    A Picanteria meal.
    Chicharron!

    Cultural Quirks

    Rubbish is in a lot of places, and the locals aren’t concerned about it – while it’s not the worst place in the world, you’ll likely see your share of people dumping rubbish in the gutters, out of bus windows, and along highways, especially in the desert, it just blows all about the place. If you’ve been to Bolivia first it won’t be a surprise, but it’s certainly a difference if you’ve come from the West!

    Despite being very popular with tourists, there is not a lot of English spoken throughout Peru. It is well worth brushing up on your basic Spanish to get the best experience.

    Safety

    We felt safe in all of the places we visited in Peru. While there is some instability in the region, tourists are generally not the targets in most cases. 

    Lima has neighbourhoods that are very unsafe, as do all cities so large, although if you are a tourist there is no reason for you to go out in those directions. The centro historico is more unsafe & scammer heavy than immigrant-dense suburbs like Miraflores and San Isidro.

    Cusco has a growing reputation for unsafety, partially due to gang violence and partially due to overtourism creating local dissatisfaction. When we visited in 2022, we felt no insecurity, but check recent updates – protests are regular, and there is increasing discontent which commonly affects holidayers.

    transport

    The bus network is excellent in Peru. Some people swear by PeruHop as a method to get around, but using an app like busbud or redbus is cheaper and is still easy to use. Booking directly via WhatsApp or in person should be a little cheaper because they avoid commission.

    Note that the journey from Lima to Cusco takes around 20 hours by bus; it’s a big journey inland, which is why many people will fly. For the remainder of the main tourist route, there are plenty of stops up and down the coast which should max out your journey at 12 hours.

    Views from the National Park near Paracas.
    The coastline in Lima.

    Food

    Food in the south moves more around picanteria culture, which is an experience we love. On the coast, ceviche thrives, and the fusion of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine is super popular. In the mountains, potato, quinoa and maize rule – a carb-heavy diet is what sustains you at altitude. Lima is a place for gastronomical tourism, with two restaurants in the top 10 of the world (mad), but also incredible food in markets and from street vendors.

    • Like much of Latin America, the menu del dia is a lunch staple and the easiest way to get an economical meal. Expect a soup and a main, and maybe a dessert or drink. 
    • Also head to local markets at breakfast and lunch for economical, fresh and local meals. Just be prepared for all the aunties to yell you over to their stores! To be honest, it’s a hilarious and really fun experience.
    • Chifa is the Peruvian interpretation of Chinese food – a bit of fusion, and a great way to get a cheap meal or a big fancy one – family style.
    • Japanese influence is also seen in Nikkei restaurants, which are particularly popular in Lima. Be prepared to part with a pretty penny, though!
    • In the highlands and parts of the south, you will also find picanterias, which we highly recommend; traditional Peruvian food in relaxed, family-friendly locations.
    • A few other dishes to try include: chicharron in a sandwich (breakfast), ceviche (as long as you’re by the sea! Don’t eat it if it’s not fresh) and llama or guinea pig (cuy) as part of a meal.
    Laughs on the Huayhuash!

    Walkies!

    There are two key hiking hotspots in Peru: Huaraz and Lima. Both offer tough, high altitude Walkies bound to leave you awestruck. The following list isn’t exhaustive, but should give you an idea!

    Huaraz (full post coming):

    • Huayhuash | 5 or 7 nights
    • Santa Cruz | 3 nights
    • Paso del Zorro | 1 night
    • Day hikes | Laguna Churup | Laguna 69 | Laguna Paron |

    Cusco:

    • Inca Trail | 3 nights | guide compulsory | ending at Machu Picchu
    • Salkantay Trek | 4 nights | ending at Machu Picchu
    • Lares Trek | 1 night
    • Day hikes | Rainbow Mountain

    Near Arequipa, try something more relaxing with the Colca Canyon (1-3 nights), or for something less relaxing, summit the nearby Misti mountain (guide required, 1-2 nights)

  • How to explore Copacabana and Lago Titicaca [May 2025]

    How to explore Copacabana and Lago Titicaca [May 2025]

    The final stop in our 67-day tour of Bolivia – the birthplace of the sun, and the highest navigable body of water in the world. Bolivia’s navy do their duty out on this lake (can’t get out of it even if you’re landlocked), which seems to be a prime job in a pristine location. We spent 4 days around Lago Titicaca with hardly a single cloud, and just the barest breath of wind. Isla del Sol is a place of cultural importance for both the original indigenous population (for whom this and other islands on the lake are sacred), and following on from them, the Incas, who believed that the sun god was born on the island and built temples accordingly.

    Getting to Isla del Sol’s history and views generally requires a stop at Copacabana. While there isn’t a heap to do here, it’s worth staying a night before or after visitng the isla to store your bags. Lago Titicaca is at 3800m, so clambering around Isla del Sol takes a lot of effort even without a big pack – especially when arriving at the south port, where all of the homestays are directly up the ridgeline!

    There’s also not a lot to do on the island apart from admiring the views and visiting a handful of historical markers. For us, that added to the allure; having had a number of full-on stops in Bolivia, we were looking forward to relaxing with some sweet views. Just keep in mind that the relaxing probably won’t include swimming – the water is bitterly cold, along with the air, even though the sun is strong!

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Getting there

    Copacabana to La Paz only takes four hours, and the cheap buses run most of the morning (from next to the Cemetario General). Once in Copacabana, is a ferry in the morning to Isla del Sol, and again around lunch. If you need to get over there in a day it can be a bit tight, you’ll probably need to stay one night.

    getting back

    Copacabana connects to Puno (in Peru) for onward travel.

    Where to stay

    We stayed at a random cheap hotel in Copacabana, which was nice enough, and on Isla del Sol there are plenty of local families with homestays to choose from. We stayed at Inti Wasi, which is a huge yes as our room had an incredible view of the sunrise over the Andes, and the family were shy but quite lovely.

    where to go

    From Copacabana, ferry over to Isla del Sol or Isla de la Luna to see historical places are great views.

    Fees

    Copacabana and Isla del Sol are both quite expensive for Bolivian standards as they’re popular tourist locations. On the isla, you will need to pay tourist fees as you walk through the different villages on the island. There are 3-4 different payments, and there’s no signposting or information – someone will just run up to you with a ticket book and name a price. Keep the ticket with you always

    walkies?

    The daywalk around Isla del Sol (it’s quite small) is super lovely and can be done in a day; we would recommend it. You can make it into an ‘overnighter’ (albeit a short one) by staying at Challapampa (north) one night and Yumani (south) the other.

    Recovery

    Drink or dine on the ridge at Yumani for overpriced food but a wonderful view, or grab a few snacks and enjoy the sunset from the top of the hill. And go for a cold, cold swim if that’s your idea of relaxing…

    tell me everything

    It was finally time to leave Bolivia, having explored and eaten our fill of the areas around La Paz. Our last stop on the way to Peru would be the sacred Lago Titicaca. For our final morning in the capital, we set a new record for the number of salteñas eaten for breakfast and nearly missed the bus to Copacabana in the process. We’d already travelled along the bus route on the way to Sorata, but had missed the most entertaining (and confusing) part of the bus ride, where the main road is blocked by an arm of Lago Titicaca. We all disembarked onto a crowded passenger boat while the bus floated alongside on a rather dodgy-looking single vehicle ferry. Nevertheless, everyone and everything made it across without incident, and another hour later we arrived at the main body of Titicaca and the town of Copacabana. 

    Copacabana doesn’t boast a wealth of activities – there’s lots of tourist shops on the road heading down to the waterfront if you want knick-knacks, and there are plenty of coffee shops aimed at gringos. On the waterfront, to the left are a row of shops in shacks which all sell basically the same variety of freshly-caught lake trout. It’s a great place to sample the local cuisine, but it’s definitely a tourist setup, with prices to match. The beach itself isn’t very nice, with a fair bit of rubbish on the beach, inflatable obstacle courses in the shallows and tonnes of speed boats and jet skis making a racket further out in the water. A few streets back from the water is the main plaza and cathedral, which is quite pretty, and off from that stems the local market, with some restaurants that are more reasonably priced, but in general we found the quality of the food here to be below the normal Bolivian standard. 

    That evening, we did enjoy the walk up Cerro Calvario for the sunset – Lago Titicaca and its surrounds are so spectacular. There are no really large cities nearby so there’s no pollution; the air is clear and the water is a pristine blue and the snow covered Andes make an unreal backdrop. Unfortunately, apparently the lake mineral balance is worsening, and the water levels have dropped nearly a metre over the last few years due to glacial melting… but uhhh, it still looks good… Anywhooooo, the walk up to the summit is worth the effort for the sunrise and for the peaceful feel!

    The sunset from Copacabana – pretty incredible

    The main thing to do from Copacabana is get out to the lake. Staying a night means you can watch a sunset and sunrise, and leave the majority of your luggage at your hotel. The ferry leaves in the morning and the afternoon, but we’d say get on that morning one. El Isla del Sol is the largest island and main attraction, with two different villages with ports at the north and south ends, several homestays to choose from, and a day’s worth of archaeological sites and viewpoints to visit. El Isla de la Luna is much smaller, but also offers homestays and a historical site if you are really interested in Incan history and a more remote visit. 

    We only visited the island of the sun, spending two nights in the same homestay in Yumani. Yumani is more populous than Challapampa, and has better views and worse beaches. From Yumani, the homestays are all directly up the ridgeline, which makes for great views from most of the accommodation options but a rough start to your stay. Leave most of your luggage in Copacabana.

    Challapampa is much flatter and easier to access, with some really nice beaches. However, to reiterate, we aren’t sure if you’d really like to swim, as the air temperature is always low here, and the water’s maximum average is around 15°C. Even with the strong afternoon sun, it sounds like too much! The ferry can drop you in either village, so if you only have a day to spare it’s possible to get dropped in Challapampa and walk through the central part of the island to Yumani, then take the afternoon ferry back to Copacabana. We’d definitely recommend staying at least a night though – if you’re dropped at Yumani, you can walk to Challapampa and stay the night, or complete the whole loop in a day and sleep back in Yumani (gives you an option to leave your sleeping clothes at your homestay, too). Staying two nights will actually give you an opportunity to relax and enjoy a moment of slow island life.

    When you land at either port, you’ll pay a tourist fee (~10bol) for that part of the island – there are at least three, maybe four different ‘areas’ of the island, where the local community charges you to visit their land (even if you are literally only passing through), so keep it in mind if you take the trail around the island. We got charged at Challa, and again in the centre of the island on the main track (when we were walking to the south). Each was 10-20 bol per person. 

    The day we arrived, we just enjoyed the views from our homestay which looked to the east over the Andes, and took a short stroll up to the mirador to the north of the Yumani ridgeline. South of Yumani is el Templo del Sol, which is one of the main attractions on the island, but we’d read that the entrance fee is not really worth it without a guide, or at least to find some relevant information online, as there’s not any information at the site itself.

    We followed the trail around the island the second day. There is a track around the island which forms a loop; we walked anticlockwise, starting from Yumani and following the tracks on the eastern side of the island; they’re a bit random at times, heading alongside farmland and through other villages, but in general it’s easy walking and really picturesque. There’s a few homestays along a beach in a community called Challa, which is just over half way to Challapampa. Grab lunch when you read Challapampa, as there are a handful of basic restaurants on the beachfront opposite the mini-port. The track then continues on to the north towards a series of archeological sites. The first is a rock formation, but as with el Templo del Sol, there’s not a lot of information about the archaeological sites. Unless you’re aware of the significance beforehand, they just look like curious rocks. The final part is an out-and-back to the end of the island, but we were both uh… needing the loo… so we didn’t complete the full length, instead taking the direct way back to the south, towards Yumani.  

    View from near Challapampa – the water is a stunning colour
    The beach at Challampampa – and a local resident

    The central part of the track is well defined and doesn’t pass through any villages, just a few small stores. We think this part of the track is more popular with the people who are only staying a single day. It is also much hillier – expect a lot of ascent and descent, but great views to match. It took until the evening to reach Yumani again, where we got a few snacks from a store, and then a pizza for dinner. A great day!

    The ferries leave in the morning back to Copacabana, and you can only get your ticket on the day, so arrive a little early to pick one up. Once you’re back in Copacabana, there are options; the buses onward to Peru leave a few times a day if you just want to go to Puno, but the overnight bus to Arequipa (where we went) or Cusco doesn’t leave until 6pm, so you’ll have some time to kill. Also note that the bus price increases a lot here – you’ll still pay in Bolivianos, but the price will be adjusted to match the Peruvian currency.

  • Rurrenabaque: an experience of bolivia’s amazon [May 2025]

    Rurrenabaque: an experience of bolivia’s amazon [May 2025]

    One of the biggest attractions of South America is the Amazon Rainforest. No matter if you’re an animal-lover, an amateur birder, a tree-hugger, or none of the above, the Amazon is a place of such wonderous natural beauty that it will certainly leave you in some kind of awe – as long as you get to see the real thing. Covering an area twice the size of India (what a CRAZY statistic), the internal parts of the Amazon are primarily in Brazil and totally untouched, but the fringes of the Amazonian bowl sit at the base of the Andes in Peru (2nd greatest in area), Colombia (3rd in area), Bolivia and Ecuador, all of which have access points, along with the northern countries of French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela (probably also with access points, but less travelled). Each port of entry can offer different experiences, pricepoints and slightly different likelihoods of seeing different wildlife. 

    With the dollar conversion for bolivianos being so strong, we decided to attempt the Amazon experience through Bolivia’s main jungle town, Rurrenabaque. Bolivia doesn’t have an amazing reputation for eco-tourism in the Amazon. Of course this can be an issue anywhere, but we’d read multiple blogs that commented on the general poor practice of Bolivian companies in the Amazon. We understand that over the years, practices have become more ethical, with more companies leaving nature as it is & appreciating whatever you can see; however, many companies still had one or two telltale reviews on Google – the guides bait animals by feeding them, or catch anacondas to get that good photo opportunity. It’s important to do your research to ensure the company you pick really is ethical.

    Nevertheless, Rurrenabaque offers a unique animal-watching experience because you can see two different animal-dense areas. The first is the jungle (la selva), which is in ‘the Amazon’ as part of Madidi National Park. This is broken up into the secondary forest – closer to human habitation, smaller trees, more sparse undergrowth – and the primary forest – deeper jungle, huge trees, dense undergrowth, difficult navigation and far more spectacular flora and fauna. However it’s important to consider the realities – in the thickness of the forest, it is really difficult to see animals! This is where Rurre’s outdoor experiences offer something quite cool – the second animal-dense area is called the pampas, which is a large wetland area that also holds plenty of fauna, and it’s so much easier to spot them. This is particularly true in the dry season, as the tour route sits on the main river, and animals are much more likely to come to the river to drink and eat.

    It’s common to take tours of 3 days in either, if you’re short on time or are only interested in one region. However, there are also plenty of tours of 5 days across both regions – which we decided on and thoroughly enjoyed.

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Getting there

    Catch a 12-15 hour bus from La Paz – according to many, ‘the worst bus in South America’, thanks to a combinations of road and bus condition. It wasn’t truly terrible, but many people decide to fly instead to avoid the hassle. There are ‘cheap’ flights from La Paz, but that’s cheap for South America, not truly cheap! Return the same way.

    Where to stay

    There are a few hostels in town – get one with a pool and good mosquito nets!

    where to go

    Getting animal spotting! Take a tour of the Selva or Pampas or both

    Fees

    Rurre has fairly standard prices for Bolivia, though the restaurants with a menu del dia are harder to find – it’s a little more tourist-oriented. Madidi National Park has an entrance fee of around 400bol pp. Our 5 day tour was 3000bol pp – but they go for as cheap as 1600 pp with other companies.

    walkies?

    With a guide, as part of your jungle or pampas tour, totally! Rurre itself doesn’t have a lot to offer though.

    Recovery

    Staying an extra day after your tour at a hostel with a pool is a great way to chill out (while elements of the tours can be pretty luxe, you still need to decompress)

    Picking a Tour

    three days in either the selva (jungle) or pampas (wetland/flooded grasslands), or some combination of both. We think the combined tours (3/2 split) give enough time to enjoy different activities and see animals. Of course, personalised tours are available too for a extra $$$

    Picking an Agency

    Check the Google reviews to ensure the agency is ethical, alongside whatever else is important to you! We went with Mashaquipe Travels and they were awesome (albeit on the pricier side; but we’d been well below budget until then & could afford it).

    Animals we saw

    in the jungle: howler, cappaccino, spider (from afar) monkeys; small black caiman; so many birds & insects including macaws. In the pampas: ; cappuccino monkey; small black caiman; snakes; capybara; river dolphin; rhea

    Animals we missed

    anaconda (it seems reasonably common to see these otherwise); jaguar (very, very rare)

    tell me everything

    Let’s start with getting there. You’ll read horror stories about people getting stuck en route to Rurrenabaque because the bus service is so unbelievably bad. The companies are uncaring of the condition of their buses; they’re pretty dirty, and both the buses we took sounded like the engine was about to cark it the whole way (which does seem to happen quite often). The bus apps say it should be a 10 hour journey, but 15 hours is more realistic – especially in the wet season when the roads will be in poor condition. Despite that, we still had comfy seats that fully reclined, and with ear plugs and an eye mask you can conquer any journey. The only problem with the delays is that the bus ended up dropping us in Rurre too late to start our tour the same day – so we had a day to spend exploring this little town.

    The first two things about Rurre – there are tuktuks! So grab one from the bus station into the main town, because the second thing is that it’s hot. Maybe not hot like India, but incredibly hot for two people who’ve been in the mountains for a month, and certainly too hot to walk 30 minutes from the bus station to our accommodation – something we didn’t realise until we were half way there.

    Once we found a hostel for the evening, we got a feed at a nice cafe and then spent the day hopping in and out of the pool to stay at a reasonable temperature. During the day it’s alright, but watch out for the little bitey bugs from the evening onwards. We took a pleasant walk down the river in the evening, then ate outside somewhere for dinner… without bugspray on hand. Big mistake.

    If a mosquito bites you, bite them back.

    The tour started by motorboat, heading upriver into the jungle. The jungle lining the river is stunning to look at, and we spotted a small alligator hanging out on one of the beaches. The current is strong so going upriver is slow. The day was broken up by a visit to a local home, where we crushed sugarcane and drank the juice, and learned a bit about the villages in the jungle. The Mashaquipe lodge is about 3 hours upriver, so we arrived by early afternoon. We did mention we paid a bit more than we were expecting – and it showed, in the quality of the buildings and upkeep of the facilities. We had a room to ourselves, the bed was comfortable and the mosquito net didn’t have any holes. We had termites munching away in the corner of our room, but that’s all just part of being in the Amazon! What’s more, we were lucky enough that some wildlife decided to wander through the lodge grounds. We could see red howler monkeys from our bed, and there were cappuccino monkeys mucking around in another tree in the middle of the courtyard. It was such an awesome start.

    Pampas vs Selva

    In the pampas, you may see far more animals, but you won’t truly be in the Amazon. The tours are predominantly by boat – the two or three days you’ll spend motoring around, admiring monkeys in the bushes around you, birds flying above you, river dolphins hanging out around the boat, and caimans watching you from the edges of the river. Depending on the season and where your company is located along the river, you may take a walk on an island where anaconda tend to live. We did walk in the genuine swamp to get to an island – which was incredibly cool, even though we didn’t see any anacondas! However other than that, the tours are pretty light on activity.

    The selva gives you an opportunity to see the real Amazon. We saw a small family living in the national park, just alongside the river, which was quite humbling. From the lodge, we saw monkeys (so lucky they were living there at the time!) but it’s only in the primary forest, so while it was beautiful, it didn’t compare to the flora we saw in the secondary forest. It really feels so ancient, and it is a privilege to experience walking through such ancient places.

    That afternoon, Jhomar took us on a walk to teach us more about jungle-life. We learned about using different plants for medicines, the dangers and signs of different animals (lots of ants stories), the spiritual significance of certain trees and shaministic rites and a lot about his own upbringing – which was, literally, in the jungle. We had so many moments of insight and even though the walk was only a couple of hours, came away with so much respect for the land and the people who care for it.

    The next highlight was dinner – and the food in general across the Mashaquipe tour continued in this manner. We had a buffet dinner, with fried chicken, local stews, fresh veg, and carbs galore. The food was fantastic and plentiful and as you can imagine, we ate far more than our needed share. All of this in the middle of the jungle! It was the best we’d eaten in months.

    Day 2 saw us walking from the secondary forest on the river’s edge into the primary forest. The trail was fairly well trodden, but we had rain all day, which meant there was very little animal life to be seen (a combination of ducking the head to avoid the rain, and the fact that nobody is stoked to be getting soaked – including the local residents). After a couple of hours, we made it to the campsite in the primary forest, where we were to be sleeping on a mattress on a raised platform with a mosquito net. It’s not really roughing it (especially when there’s a lad cooking you an awesome lunch, dinner & breakfast), but it was a very cool experience. Once we set up our beds, chowed down lunch we had a little rest (some did see toucans in this period – but we missed them)… then returned to find leaf cutter ants all over our bags. They ate so many holes in one of Awal’s dry compression sacks ($rip$), were all over Emma’s backpack, and were really keen on the plastic sole of both of our boots.

    Once we’d encouraged them off our gear, and ‘hid’ it off the ground, we headed out a night walk. We started just before sundown, enjoying the light in the trees and the density of the forest, but when we stopped and turned around, it got properly dark. We saw a few massive spiders and a caiman in a stream alongside the trail, but while our lightning-fast guide caught a few glimpses of other animals in the trees, we were all a bit too doddery to see much else. But seeing the jungle at night, and hearing the eerie noises that all the animals and bugs make, leaves a distinct impression.

    The sleep that night was super peaceful, although one of the others heard something rustling in the bushes, we slept right through. We awoke early to wander through the bush, to hear the dawn chorus (which includes howler monkeys announcing themselves, though in a different part of the forest), though we didn’t spot any animals. After breakfast, the walk of day 3 was to the third camp, back in the secondary forest, stopping at a site for nesting macaws en route. This day we also saw spider monkeys feeding and disrupting some other birds from a distance – sooo cool! We were able to see the macaws from the top of the cliff, and after lunch, from a viewpoint at the base of the cliff. If you have the option, doing both is worth it. The colours of the macaws from above are incredible, the views of the jungle are unreal, and you can see them flying in from afar. From below, you can watch them scrambling into their nests together, possibly a peek of their juveniles, and watch how affectionate they are. They’re wonderful social birds, and their noises are so hilarious.

    We didn’t stay at the 3rd campsite/lodging place (though lunch there was excellent, once again), but our last activity for the day was to build a raft and drift along the riverbank to the first lodging site. It turned into a combination of swimming, singing, and only at the very end, paddling to the riverbank, and it was an activity that we really ended up loving. Macaws flew overhead multiple times, and thankfully there were no caiman this time!

    After another huge breakfast to start Day 4, we started the motorboat journey back down the river (much faster than the journey upriver) to Rurre and then onwards via car to the pampas. In the 2-hour car ride to the pampas, we saw rhea and capybara, and tried in vain to spot a toucan. Once arriving at the port, it’s onto another motorised boat, which you will spend most of your animal-sighting time on. The Mashaquipe lodge is only 20 minutes by boat from the main pier, though many other companies seem to be a couple of hours in the opposite direction. Already on the way to the lodge we spotted several monkeys and plenty of birdlife. Again, the lodge itself was ridiculously nice, especially perched right on the riverside with a deck to relax over the river, and all the rooms were massive (and we had a private bathroom! Serious luxury). Again, we were lucky enough that there were howler monkeys just living in the trees around the lodge, so we didn’t have to go far to watch the wildlife.

    Mosquitos

    Now, I (Emma) fucking hate mosquitos. They make me anxious, jumpy and incapable of concentrating. They also seem to love me – I’ll always have far more bites than Awal! The mosquitos in the Amazon are feisty, but if you’re there in the right season they aren’t actually heinously bad – we didn’t get a ridiculous number of bites over the time. They are also not unmanageable in the jungle, though in the evenings in the pampas they are out in force. There are a few tricks to minimising the onslaught. 

    • Wear loose, flowing items, or waterproof clothes. They will happily bite through all sorts of material if your skin is in contact, so I ended up wearing my waterproof pants most of the time despite the heat, and spraying repellent on my clothes where they always touch (ankles and shoulders).
    • Deet is the best chemical repellent, though seriously watch how much you put on. If you have a cream or gel, also get a spray that you can put on your clothes. 
    • Supposedly, mosquitoes are more attracted to dark clothes, so light colours are meant to help (idk tho). 

    When we checked, the Rurrenabaque area is not malaria prone – it’s best to check for updates, and still try to avoid getting bitten for other diseases, but it’s one less thing to worry about.

    Day 5 began with a (bat in our room lol) sunrise boat ride – some gorgeous colours across the sky. Then back to the lodge for breakfast, and onwards for a real adventure. Jhomar knew an island that the previous season, had anacondas living on it. The only catch was that the island wasn’t accessible by boat… we were going to be slogging through swamp to get there. This was a bonkers experience. We all had poles to shoo away any caiman who happened to be in the water about us. The water was nearly up to Emma’s chest (okay, I’m short, but still!). The swamp plants were thick, so most of the time the going was slow as we stepped over concealed roots and thick vines. At one point, we heard a wee chirping sound, which our guide identified as a baby alligator calling for its mum… so we kept moving. Once on the island we walked quietly in hopes of the elusive snake. We didn’t see any anaconda, but Jhomar found an old jaguar den. He was seriously concerned there was actually a jaguar in there – we suppose if there had been, she would not have been happy to have people near her safe space. He also found cattle tracks – unfortunately, some livestock had obviously got loose and were using this little island for foraging, which he suspected had forced the anaconda to move onwards. It was a sorrowful moment, as for him this was another marker of how humans have continued to encroach on wild spaces in ways that they can’t see – but ways that seriously damage the homes of native animals.

    We followed the cattle tracks back through the swamp to the ‘main’ island, which were far easier to follow, started a few lizards and frogs on the way back, but generally the mood was a bit more somber as we arrived back at the boat. We finished off with another tour around the laguna – a few dolphins to uplift the spirits, plus some capybara and vibrant birds. Then it was another (giant) lunch, and back to Rurrenabaque with a new appreciation for what nature this little pocket of the world holds.

    Other notes & tips (on how to pick a tour)

    Which tour operator?

    We touched on ethics – though of course that’s something to check before any tour.

    Mashaquipe only employs local guides from local tribes. The people of the land being able to showcase their own land is one of the best ways to really support ecotourism, because you know that they are the most likely to truly care. Our guide was so passionate about the jungle, he literally grew up in it, attends conferences about eco-tourism, and trains up other kids in his village to follow a similar path. We’d highly recommend their service.

    The tours can be quite different too. We had time (and money) to spend five days across the pampas and selva. While the pampas are at a high standard, the selva experiences sound like they can be kind of… lame. Many of the cheaper operators will do a normal night in the selva, and a day & night doing a ‘survival’ experience, where you have to make your own shelter, find your own food… which didn’t sound super fun to us when there are so many animals to see. We’d also say it’s important to make sure some of the experience is in the primary forest, which really is the most impressive part of the jungle to visit. If you’re doing a combination of the selva and pampas (which we recommend).

    Of course, it’s really important to read recent reviews. As we mentioned, not all companies are created equal, and many will handle or feed animals to get better tips. Please, do not fund this behaviour – it creates unhealthy reliance and relationships and disturbs the natural order. Observe from a distance, enjoy what you see (even if it’s only plants), and be appreciative of nature no matter what it gives you!

    Other amazon options

    We had an amazing time in Rurre, but you can see different animals in all sorts of different parts of the Amazon. There are blogs that make better comparisons, but the three locations that we were considering were:

    Puerto Maldonado’s Tambopata in Peru is the best place to see giant otters (near the Bolivian border), and may be reached by road. It’s closest to Cusco.

    Iquitos is Peru’s most popular destination for Amazon tours. Iquitos itself is quite big, but can only be reached by plane or 3 days on a boat. Just getting there can be an adventure!

    Leticia is the Amazon port of Colombia – another day speed boat ride away from Iquitos, or a plane from Bogota. We had a friend who had a great tour here for a reasonable price, although the accommodation & food is far more basic (hammocks with mosquito nets).

  • Sunny Skies in Sajama National Park [May 2025]

    Sunny Skies in Sajama National Park [May 2025]

    Sajama National Park is a mountain-climbing, day-hiking, sun-kissed gem. It’s another high-altitude desert, so our memories are of beautiful, sunny days and freezing cold nights. The main village of Sajama is the starting point for two different day hikes and close enough to the thermal baths to walk (although, we did take a cab – by our last day we were a bit knackered…). This gives you great freedom to get outdoors right from your doorstep.

    We read other blogs saying Sajama was deserted of tourists. While we’re sure that at one point it was, but it’s now quite a popular place – our homestay was full the whole time, but all were chilled out people who were just there to get outdoors. Whether you’re visiting Bolivia on a short trip, or spending two and a half months here, we do think that Sajama National Park is a worthy detour to get a taste for incredible landscapes and a closely knit Bolivian culture.

    Keeping it
    short and sweet

    Getting there

    From La Paz, take any bus going to Oruro and get off at Patacamaya (~20bol pp). Alternatively, head to the bus station in El Alto (blue line gondola) and take a collectivo – the buses are quite slow, we left at 7am and only arrived at 12:10pm! Arrive at Patacamaya before 12:30 to get on the connecting collectivo to Sajama (only one per day, 50bol pp).

    getting back

    Return the same way, but book your collectivo ticket to Patacamaya the evening before. The office opens around 6pm and it gets full fast.

    Where to stay

    There are plentiful options in Sajama village, the easiest point to get to, but we recommend Mario and Ana’s homestay. They were awesome, the food was yum, and if you want to cook for yourself there’s a kitchen you can use (with a donation)

    where to go

    Staying in Sajama Village means you’ve got activities which start right in the village. However, if you want to see more of the park & an even smaller village, you can take a tour to Tomarapi

    Fees

    Sajama village is inside the national park – when you arrive on the collectivo, you’ll need to pay the park entry fee of 100bol pp, but it will be good for your whole stay.

    walkies?

    Hell yeah! Climb up to Wisalla peak (5050m) for incredible close-up views of Sajama. Take a long day-hike or do an overnighter to the Sajama geysers and Laguna Chiarcota (and jump over the Chilean border!). If you’re looking for a challenge, attempt Acotango (6052m, an ‘easy’ 6000+m summit), Pomerape (6282m, more technical), Parinacota (6380m, less technical) or the highest peak in Bolivia and the park’s namesake, Sajama (6,542m).

    Recovery

    Visit thermal baths after summiting or hiking for an outdoor hot spa with incredible views.

    Tell me everything

    Bolivia is filled with wonders, truly! Even though we visited Sajama as the Bolivian weather changes from wet to dry, as it’s part of the desert plateau we experienced days of cloudless sunshine and nights perfect for stargazing. We spent four nights in Sajama, and 2-3 days is the perfect amount of time to tick off all of the standard activities in this little village.

    Sajama National Park is named so for the towering volcano right next to the village – the highest peak in Bolivia at 6542m. You can certainly attempt Sajama – but so soon after Huayna Potosi, we weren’t mentally ready for an even harder challenge. There are other summit options in the park – the three common peaks are Acotango (6052m, another ‘easy’ 6000+m summit), Pomerape (6282m, more technical) and Parinacota (6380m, less technical). While the national park is a popular place for mountaineering, and is a great learning ground, it isn’t compulsory!

    If you are considering doing a summit, there are a couple of the day hikes around Sajama are good ways to acclimatise more. Sajama village itself is at 4200m, so sleeping a few nights and doing some daily walking will definitely help. The easy option is climbing Wisalla peak directly to the east of the village. The walk will take you up to ~5000m, there are a few ways up depending on whether you prefer doing a circuit or a simple up and back.

    The longer option, best done on the second day of acclimatisation, is to visit the geysers and the lagunas. This is a massive loop if you start from town, but the best way to do it is to catch an early morning taxi to the geysers (they look the most impressive right after sunrise, due to the temperature differential, so getting there by cab is most efficient), then walking the rest of the loop. This track is incredibly lovely, a really varied daywalk with three different lagunas, high altitude meadows, lots of wildlife to spot, and plenty of peaceful spots to admire the views. If you’ve got the gear, you can turn this into an overnighter and camp by the first laguna, though by ‘the gear’ we mean stuff that is super, super warm! At 5000m it is below freezing every night. The last section of the track is a bit less interesting – once you exit the final valley, it’s about 8km over flat farmland, in, over and around fences to take the most direct route back to the village.

    Wisalla peak – so close that Sajama (almost) looks climbable
    Halfway through the lagunas loop – so beautiful!

    If you’re so inclined, take your swimwear on the hike above – not for the lagunas (WAY too cold!) but for the thermal baths – with a small detour, these are on the way back, and can be a lovely way to relax after a hard day’s hike! Just note that after you’ll have to put the boots back on to make it down the road. There are a few different options for thermal baths – as they are natural, there are supposedly a few free pools on unclaimed properties. The two ‘main’ pools are privately maintained and will cost about 20bs pp. Rather than following on our hike, we took a cab the following day to relax, to the termas of Dona Ines – this had a stunning view of Sajama from the pool, plus lots of llamas chilling out all around us. Iconically Bolivia! The water is actually so hot it can be a bit much – our advice is don’t go in the middle of the day, because it’s really easy to keep jumping in and out and get sunburnt…

    So unless you’re planning on summiting anything, two days is enough to pack in both hikes and the termas. We did it all over three days to just enjoy the peace of being in the desert. If you want to do summits, Mario from the homestay seemed super reliable and had a lot of gear, but when we visited he was booked up to the ears – he told us he was guiding 7 summits attempts consecutively! That’s basically no sleep for a week. You can also book the mountaineering expeditions from La Paz, if you prefer doing it a more ‘official’ way, but if you have a little experience or are attempting an easier peak, it’s totally fine (and more economical, probably) to sort it out in Sajama.

    The hot pool (best visited NOT in the middle of the day) with an awesome vista above.

    The local transport to Sajama is fairly easy to navigate, although we did have a little bit of a panic. Our bus leaving La Paz got stuck in heinous traffic up to El Alto, and then stopped at three different stops to wait for passengers – which delayed us by about an hour, and meant we only arrived in Patacamaya 20 minutes before the collectivo was meant to leave. Thankfully, we’d found the collectivo driver’s number online (well, through a series of online numbers), and so they knew we wanted a seat and were waiting for us. We think that catching the teleferico up to the main El Alto bus station and hitching a collectivo from there might be a better bet for a fast journey. Getting stuck in Patacamaya isn’t ideal, as there’s nothing there and there’s only one collectivo to Sajama village daily. If you are stuck in Patacamaya, there is an option to catch the bus that heads down the highway to cross the border with Chile. However, if you hop out at the junction, the dirt road to Sajama village is about 12km from the main road, so you’ll need to hitch, take a loooong walk, or get a cab.

    However you get there, once arriving in Sajama there’s a fee to enter the national park of 100bs; this will cover the length of your stay.

    We stayed at an amazing homestay run by Mario and Ana; Mario is a mountain guide, so this is a perfect place to stay if you’re keen on climbing mountains and supporting local guides. The food is great and the guest houses are amazing – they’re built in the traditional style with dome styled architecture and adobe (mud) walls. The adobe is a traditional method that is excellent at retaining heat, so they get toasty as in the night, but to capitalise on that the rooms are quite tiny. There are plenty of options in Sajama village, but we really enjoyed our stay here and would absolutely recommend it, they were so so lovely. They also have a separate kitchen which you can use if you prefer to cook yourself.

    Sajama has a few shops with basic provisions – excellent for a post-hike icecream – but if you have specific tastes while hiking, make sure you stock up in La Paz. The homestays provide breakfast and dinner at a fee; they are usually a bit more pricey than your usual Bolivian menu del dia, but it’s convenient to eat in the house, plus it’s a nice way to meet and chat to other people. If you’ve a strict budget, a couple of the restaurants around the town do provide a slightly cheaper service, although the exact schedule is a little confusing.

    We were also in Sajama for the town’s anniversary – in the morning, marching bands filled the streets, and in the afternoon, everyone filed along to the town hall for group feed and plenty of drinks. There was plenty of merriment and generosity – Emma poked her head in, looking for something to take for Awal to eat (sick & in bed! The cold is harsh on the body), and they piled up a plate of potatoes and lamb without question. So kind, and so humbling to see such a tightly knit community coming together!

  • Why La Paz is the Perfect Base for your trip to Bolivia

    Why La Paz is the Perfect Base for your trip to Bolivia

    Have you ever wanted to explore a city – yet still wake up amongst great snow capped mountains? Felt the urge to wheeze your way up (and down) every street? Thought to commute by the absolute best method in the world – telēferico? La Paz holds potential for all that and more. Bolivia’s capital – the highest in the world – has something for everyone, from mountain summits to wrestling extravaganzas, street market chaos to fancy cafes and restaurants. We spent over a month jumping to and from La Paz, always revisiting between sights to recover for a day – recovery meaning grabbing coffee, boba and as many saltenas as it’s possible to consume at breakfast. 

    La Paz is a ridiculous logistical nightmare. It sits in a narrow, rocky valley, hemmed in on one side by the heights of the Andes. La Paz extends massively eastwards and upwards and to the plains where sub-city El Alto lies, and downwards to the south into lower, milder elevations – and more posh suburbs. The demographic changes massively with altitude, which is a curious and somewhat controversial facet of the city’s layout. Whatever biases it represents, the vistas are spectacular – the best way to get an idea of the craziness of the geography is to catch the telēferico (gondola) around the city. As its purpose is to more effectively navigate the steepness of the city, the lines take you to all the good viewpoints. The carriages (what else do you call them?!) are clean, the lines are efficient, it’s smooth and quiet, and for foreign currencies, it’s incredibly affordable.

    Being the nation’s de facto capital, La Paz can also be tumultuous – fireworks on the weekend = party, but fireworks in the week = protest. Although we were always safe, there were protests where tear gas was used while we were in the region, and it’s quite common to have the road blockaded between La Paz and Cochabamba.

    Bear in mind that we visited Bolivia while the Blue Dollar was particularly strong – so our experiences of eating in more upscale restaurants and cafes was very affordable, and we were more flexible than usual with taking tours.

    Keep it Short & Sweet:

    • Getting there: if you’re starting your South America journey in Bolivia, this is where you’ll probably land (though, El Alto is technically not La Paz). By bus, La Paz is very well connected – as the financial capital and largest city, it only makes sense!
    • Where to stay: Central suburbs, Rosario or Centro Historico, when first arriving. Universo Hostal for a quiet vibe, Wild Rover (not that we stayed there) for an iconic La Paz hostel experience. Stay in Sopocachi if you’re staying longer or looking for a more authentic time, we wholeheartedly recommend Raven Hostal.
    • Where to go: Take a walking tour – exploring Mercado Rodriguez, the Witches Market and the Centro Historico is best with a guide. Visit the El Alto market at 16 de Julio, then go experience a Cholita Wreslting match. Bike down Death Road for an adrenaline rush, or use La Paz as a base to explore many other areas of Bolivia.
    • Fees: Despite being a bigger city, La Paz has prices at both ends of the range and we found it very comparable to the normal Bolivian prices – upmarket tourist areas and gringo-centric cafes charge a premium, but local restaurants with excellent menu del dias and cheap produce at markets will exist just a few blocks over. If you’re on a budget, just keep hunting. 
    • Walkies? Yes! Huayna sort-of fits the walkie category – and check out the Condoriri Trek nearby, or the Illampu Circuit & Sajama National Park further afield. Nearer to La Paz but dependent on the wet season is also the El Choro Trek (we didn’t complete this). Closer day walks in the valley of the moon & the dead are accessible by pupblic transport.
    • Recovery: Eat salteñas from Los Castores or Salteña Mania. Relax with views on the teleferico (not at rush hour though!)

    Tell me everything:

    Our arrival into La Paz was ungracious – travelling by overnight bus from Cochabamba only takes 7 hours, so it’s a leave-late-arrive-early situation no matter what departure time you select. We walked 10 minutes in the wee hours of a Sunday morning and arrived at our hostel doors unhassled and sleep-deprived. Thank god for South America’s chill hostels for relaxed check-in times – by 6am we were in a proper bed (and a proper bed – it was at least a super king!) and ready for a decent sleep in. We stayed at Universo Hostel, which isn’t on any websites, but the rooms are so incredible, the staff are ridiculously helpful, the location is central but not hectic, and the beds – well our bed – we still remember as the best bed we’ve slept in (at time of writing – in 9 months). It’s a pretty quiet vibe, there aren’t great common areas, but if you’re looking for something cheap and quiet, it is perfect. We stayed there two separate times before moving suburbs. 

    We also stayed in the Greenhouse Hostel (good social vibe, but 0% recommend unless you’re looking for a bargain – the rooms were a bit dirty and small, and the guys owning the place were unfriendly, and we’re pretty sure they tried to scam us), and Raven Hostel in Sopocachi. Raven was incredible – really good vibes, super friendly staff, and also really amazing rooms. It’s a bit pricier, but the facilities are extraordinary and it’s in a great location.

    Now – why to move? The area around Universo Hostal is central as it gets – Sagarnaga is the key road for tourism, lined with tour operators and international food options. A visit is essential to organise tours in and out of town. One of La Paz’s main tourist attractions, the Witches Market runs parallel – shops filled with stillborn llama fetuses, items for offerings, and charms and potions for whatever you can imagine, next to stores packed with knick-knacks and ponchos. Sagarnaga ends at the Basilica of San Francisco, which marks the start of the Centro Historico – a great place to check out some old churches, refreshed museums, parliamentary locations, and a plaza that’s seen some serious history – we definitely recommend getting an overview with a walking tour. Sagarnaga and the Centro Historico sit on either side of the valley, and La Paz’s main road sits in between them. Combine steep hills, a single key thoroughfare of the city, old architecture and therefore street layout… and we have some serious crowding and traffic issues! There are plenty of cool hostels on both the western (Rosario) and eastern (Centro Historico) sides of the highway, but the chaos and clustering of tourists and locals in the area can be a bit overwhelming at all times of day. Sopocachi is about an hour’s walk to the south, it’s a little lower in altitude, a little warmer, and a lot more relaxed. If you’re planning to stay in La Paz for a while, we think you’ll end up here naturally.

    Activities in La Paz

    We’ve already alluded to a few key spots to visit – Sagarnaga, el mercado de las brujas, centro historico. We also loved the sprawling Mercado Rodriguez on a weekend – there is so much produce to sample, and it’s a wonderful way to interact with locals. Most of these sites you would explore if you took a walking tour – and the history of La Paz is quite interesting, so we absolutely recommend it. We went with Red Cap Tours, which we found pretty great. 

    We visited the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, which was quite cool – although most of the plaques were only in spanish. We never made it to the Coca Museum, but this shouldn’t be something you also miss – as such an essential and unique part of Bolivian culture.

    Going further abroad, it really is easiest to use the teleferico. Traffic is heinous, and while taxis are cheap and respond to bargaining, getting stuck for an hour is not great fun. Looping around the teleferico is a chill activity – just don’t go at peak hours as the carts can get really full. If you started the loop at Prado (midway between Sopocachi and central), you’d travel via:

    (prado) celeste > (del poeta) blanca > (villarroel) naranja > (central) rojo > (16 de julio) plateada > (faro murillo) morada. There are other lines – the two majors are the verde line taking you down into the gentrified lower suburbs, or the azul line which traverses El Alto. 

    The teleferico is by far the best way to get to El Alto if you want to explore. Thursdays and Sundays are the best days – for the El Alto market, South America’s largest outdoor market, which sprawls over streets and streets, selling all kinds of goods (and snacks). In the evening on both days, you should also be able to catch Cholita Wrestling – Lucha Libre, but with women in traditional dress. It’s a pretty amusing spectacle, and while it now caters in its majority to tourists, it began as a form of protest for the rights of indigenous women – so its roots are in a pretty special place.

    Going wider afield, but still in the city – a half day trip to the Valle de la Luna or a full day to Valle de las Animas can get you off your arse and on your feet for some more crazy rock formations. Buses or collectivos can take you to both locations – just check in with your hostel for the exact location.

    Activities Around La Paz

    There are two main excursions out of La Paz. A one day adventure cycling down Death Road (though we’ve also heard that staying a night in Coroico and exploring some of the lower elevation is a good way to tack on some more exploring) is one of the most popular activities in La Paz. Named Death Road for the ridiculous number of accidents which occurred along its length, this was previously the main road towards the Amazon, but since a new (safer) highway has opened, it has been closed to general traffic and opened up as an adventurous downhill biking experience. We didn’t actually spend the money on this – but it’s done by basically all travellers, so take from that what you will!

    The other is Huayna Potosi – one of the ‘easiest’ and most accessible 6000m+ summits you can do. It’s super popular; there’s a trail of lights heading up the mountain every night to hit the sunrise summit. It’s also very affordable, and a really incredible first-time mountaineering experience. Experienced (or time-poor, though we wouldn’t recommend it) climbers can do this in two days, but the three day option gives you an extra day for acclimatisation, which really makes summiting a lot more likely! We’ll make a separate post dedicated to Huayna – while it’s not quite a Walkie in our traditional sense, it was a pretty special experience!

    Other Destinations

    In the end, we visited La Paz six separate times – staying between two and four nights depending on how much recovery we needed. We returned after the Condoriri Trek, Huayna Potosi, Sorata & the Illampu Circuit, Sajama and Rurrenabaque. Because a lot of that was recovering from hiking, we didn’t do a lot in La Paz in the days that we were there. But we could always find a good spot to eat a Saltena, or drink a coffee, or somewhere to wander about and watch the people of the city go about their days. It’s a place that holds a special place in our memories, for the people we met and the experiences we had.

  • Everything you Need to Know About Exploring Southern Bolivia: Potosi, Sucre AND Cochabamba

    Everything you Need to Know About Exploring Southern Bolivia: Potosi, Sucre AND Cochabamba

    Two essential pieces of information for this post: first, that the currency in Bolivia is going through some crazy times, so visiting with foreign currency in hand means that everything is half the price*. Second, that we absolutely adore eating. Here we have cheap cafes, markets and restaurants, and two hungry kiwis who’ve spent the last 2 months cooking for themselves almost exclusively in Argentina and Chile. 

    Across our next three stops, PotosI, Sucre and Cochabamba, we didn’t do a lot. Although there is a lot to be done across all of the cities, we mostly enjoyed just being present. Visiting markets, wandering streets, appreciating the performances of marching bands that seem to be a constant in Bolivian life, and nibbling on food in plazas or cafes. 

    Bolivia is full of complex and sometimes uncomfortable history. Potosi and Sucre are two places where the Spanish were particularly present, which has impacted the development of these cities and its people. If you want to understand more about Bolivia, taking walking tours and visiting museums in both of these cities is a must. 

    * See our general post about Bolivia for a full description on how the currency discrepancy works.

    Keep it Short & Sweet:

    Potosi: Now a small town with a decreasing population, Potosi once fueled the Spanish presence in Bolivia through the richness of the Cerro Rico silver mine. The town exists with incredible, if disturbing, history. Take a walking tour (Mariam from Koala Tours was excellent) for a detailed, local view. Many tourists take a tour through the mines of Potosi – now bereft of silver, local workers still try to exploit it for less valuable metals. Conditions are still pretty dire and while companies claim to give back to the community and the families of miners, many are questionable. We were not convinced that this is a good way to support, and if you’re interested in doing this kind of exploration we urge you to complete research thoroughly.

    Sucre: Bolivia’s capital, nicknamed the White City for the preservation of its historical centre in traditional colonial white, is a beautiful place to park up and take a break from constant travel. There’s not a lot to do here, but the vibes are great, there are plenty of lovely hostels to pick from, and if you have the time, it is an excellent place to take a week or four of Spanish classes. The quality of classes in Sucre are really high, there are plenty of schools to pick from, and the prices are much better than other places in the country. There’s a sizable rich immigrant population, and the large number of gringos has led to considerable gentrification of the centre – take your pick of cafes to complete your homework.

    Cochabamba: ‘Cocha’ has a little bit of everything, but is prized as Bolivia’s gastronomic centre. The country’s third-largest city has a large, fun historical centre, with multiple markets to explore, and a beautiful plaza to hang out in. The city sits in a valley of towering peaks, so there are a few high altitude day hikes that you can tackle. Easier to achieve but also enjoyable is the walk up to Cristo de la Concordia, a massive monument to Jesus with incredible views over the city. Cochabamba is a good base to visit Torotoro and the national park there, or the Canyon Tuta Wallpas (though we didn’t make it to the latter, it seems to be growing in tourism but is still off the beaten path!)

    Tell me everything:

    Potosi

    We travelled to PotosI immediately from Uyuni – as we mentioned, Uyuni is very much a tourist town, with people visiting almost exclusively to see the Salar. We read it’s pretty seedy and there isn’t a lot to do other than the Salt Flats – so we were straight on the next bus, along winding roads up to 4000m and PotosI.

    PotosI is centred around an old, Spanish centre. The plaza is lovely, with an ancient cathedral and old government buildings surrounding the corners. Because of the historical concentration of wealth in the town, there are plenty of fancy facades to admire, and historical names have resided in many unassuming buildings. The streets are narrow and winding in this mountainous town, which makes exploring a breathless exercise – again, the altitude here can mess you up, so take it easy! 

    The best SalteNas in Potosi can be found at la SalteNeriael Hornito. Get in early as they are super popular, and do sell out. They are spectacular. Also try the K’alaphurca, a local delicacy of beef & corn soup – what’s special about it is they throw in a fire-hot rock in before serving, which initially keeps the soup splattering all over you, but does ensure that it doesn’t cool down too fast in the freezing air. We ate at Restaurante Tambo SeNorial, which was a lovely traditional restaurant with a cute vibe.

    We stayed at Hostal Los Faroles – a really lovely homestay with a delicious breakfast and large, comfortable rooms. It’s really well placed (right next to the market). We took our walking tour from Koala tours, with Mariam – she was so awesome, even though it was just the two of us and her, she was really detailed and when we started asking questions about food she got us a few treats to fuel us on the way. We really recommend asking for her if you are in Potosi!

    It’s popular to take a tour of the mines in PotosI – we didn’t think this was a super ethical thing to do, so preferred the Walking Tour only, although Koala Tours has great reviews for the mine tours, you can never be 100% sure where your money is going. If you’re going to take one of these tours, make sure you do your research before, understand the history of the mines and the current working conditions, and make sure you are comfortable with the impact you’re having.

    We also visited the National Mint of Bolivia, where the silver collected in the mines was minted into coins during the Spanish rule. The tour was really interesting but in Spanish, so we missed quite a lot of content – there was meant to be an English tour, but it never happened and we just got lumped into a Spanish one. Still – worth it for the history!

    Because PotosI is in the mountains, you can imagine that there should be some nice hikes to gorgeous viewpoints. There are, although the ‘niceness’ of the hikes seem debatable, as PotosI is an industrial/mining town outside of the city centre, so the walking is mostly along rough roads. However, on these hikes you have to be super, super careful of dogs, which can be really aggressive in this area. We met one guy who actually got bitten on the way to Laguna Kari Kari, and Emma was exploring PotosI a few blocks to the east of the city centre, and got barked at (almost to the point of snapping) by a dog. It was totally out of nowhere – I was stopped on the roadside, there were other people out, I was checking my phone – and this dog wandered out of the corner of my eye and turned on me – at least it was a busy road, so I could run behind a moving car, but it was so bizarre and pretty scary!.

    We spent a couple of days in PotosI – eating treats and exploring, before moving on to Sucre. This trail also takes you down more of the historical trail of the Spanish. The altitude of PotosI makes it a pretty undesirable place to live; it’s cold all year round, and bitterly so in winter. Sucre, sitting at about 2800m, is much more mild, with cool nights but warm days, and consistently pleasant weather. It’s also still close to PotosI (today, only a 4 hour bus ride), so the Spanish had much of their government working here.

    Sucre

    In Sucre we were planning to finally take a bit of a break – we could stay in affordable hostels, do a mix of home cooking and eating out cheaply at the market – and most importantly, we could finally, officially learn some Spanish. We’d both been learning haphazardly on the road, using reels, podcasts, conversations and Google Translate to pick up words and grammatical structures, but really nothing beats some structured classes. There are plenty of Spanish schools in Sucre – pick based on your preferred style of learning and the Google reviews, although almost all are favourable. We decided to go with Spanish Friends School – they had a good deal including a private room and the private classes for a week, and they were one of the few schools which offered a focus on speaking rather than technicalities and grammar – which is exactly what we were looking for. While initially, Awal wasn’t super interested in the classes (as he’d been leaving the learning and talking mostly to Emma), the price was so reasonable that we decided ‘why not’, and doing a class together (and having shared homework) is always a fun way to bond.

    Unfortunately, we also both got food poisoning during this week. Emma was first, and was up all Monday night, and was totally wrecked on Tuesday, so we had to postpone the day’s classes until Saturday. Awal’s reaction was more mild, but lasted longer – he felt ill, though never actually threw up, throughout Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. What’s more – we were cooking for ourselves at the time, so it was our own fault that we got so sick! 

    Classes were in the morning until 1pm, so we had the afternoons to ourselves – more practice, or feeling unwell, eating, and a little bit of exploring. In total, we spent two weeks in Sucre – a few days before the classes, and a few days after. The Freedom House National Museum is a great place to visit for some history. There aren’t a lot of plaques, so make sure you take a guided tour – they have them in English in the afternoon, though it’s best to check in person when exactly they run. The Mirador de la Recoleta is a great place to visit for stunning views over Sucre. Adjacent to it is the Museo de Arte Indigena – also a really cool museum which focuses on detailing, preserving and revitalising indigenous art forms. There’s a store out the front with beautiful works of art from the artists participating in the revitalisation, particularly of weaving, and you can have a complimentary tea in the garden afterwards. It’s a great spot.

    While we stayed at Spanish Friends School for the classes, we preferred staying at Hostel Pachamama – we got a room on the top level of a three storey complex, with a lovely view over some of the city, in a beautiful courtyard filled with blooming flowers. The family living there was incredibly lovely and welcoming, and we were always stoked to hang out with Mango the dog!

    Special food mentions in Sucre:

    • Wawa Pizza for affordable, delicious pizzas
    • Bienmesabe for really flavoursome, healthy Venezuelan-style arepas. Really great for post-food-poisoning stomach.
    • The Mercado Central for all the different typical local foods – they aren’t as cheap as if you find a small specialty shop, but the convenience is worth it.
    • SalteNeria el Patio – delicious SalteNas and an amazing setting to eat them in! Don’t spill the juice!
    • Cafe Mirador San Miguel – have a drink at the top of the bell tower at sunset for a stunning view. The cakes are pretty tasty.
    • And of course, SOMOS, our favourite cafe and consistent haunt in Sucre. Get a cinnamon roll! We’re still dreaming about it.

    Our favourite experience in Sucre was a totally random one. Our friend Guilherme was also in Sucre learning Spanish. He was immersing himself properly, going to community events wherever he could find them, and kindly invited us along to a painting workshop at the cafe at the Mirador de la Recoleta. We learned to paint with instant coffee, practiced our Spanish and met some other locals – one of whom, Elida, invited us over for coffee the next afternoon. We were a little hesitant – without Guilherme, whose Spanish was already skyrocketing, we were both a little shy and uncertain in casual conversation. But politeness and a desire to connect pushed us through the nerves. We turned up with some treats to share, and ended up having an incredibly lovely afternoon. Elida’s two dogs were hilarious – a silly boxer and a big german shepherd – her son was hanging around as well, and he had a little english, so when our Spanish fell short we could use some Spanglish. We had Colombian coffee and cake and chatted about our trip and life in Bolivia. Eventually, Elida’s granddaughter woke up from a nap, so her daughter brought her down to say hello – and then another of her friends came over, just to visit. It ended up being eclectic, wholesome and such a lovely time – one of those unexpected interactions that makes you love a place so much.

    Our two weeks in Sucre came to an end – our Spanish was better, we’d met lots of new people, made some amazing connections, eaten incredible food, and in general had time to recharge and relax from constant movement. Our next stop – Cochabamba, Bolivia’s gastronomic city.

    Cochabamba

    Cochabamba was a bit of an unknown to us, but we luckily picked an awesome hostel called El Pueblito – owned by Sergio. Sergio was a real king – he let us check in at 6am, and gave us sooo many tips on how best to enjoy Cochabamba. Cocha is a newer city – think upmarket restaurants, big boulevards, malls. There’s still a real sense of Bolivia as you know it in the historical centre – tight streets and a chaotic market spread over several blocks. But modernity is prevalent. One of the benefits of this is the bike path, which extends over much of the city, including past the iconic monument of Christ and around Laguna Alalay. Renting a bike or spending a few hours walking (or running!) along the bike lanes is a great way to see some of the city safely and without worrying about traffic. 

    If you’re looking to do something more active, there are a few day hikes in the hills surrounding Cochabamba. The city sits in a valley at about 2500m, but the surrounding hills rise up to over 5000m. One peak that you can climb is Tunari, to the north west of the city. It can be reached via public transport by taking a trufi to Quillacollo, and then another minibus to the trailhead, going towards Piusilla. We didn’t end up completing the hike, but it sounds like an awesome adventure for a day – even if you don’t make it to the top (with that altitude, watch out!), the adventure of getting there and back is definitely worth it.

    There are some other treks in the area too. We’d read about the Circuito de 20 Lagunas, an overnighter to the north of Cochabamba, but getting there required a taxi and was a bit pricey. We’d also read that some of the trails are now mostly mountain roads, rather than tracks in the hills. Instead of exploring this area, we decided to move on to Torotoro – a small town with an increasing popular national park, a couple of hours (and a very windy road) away from Cocha.

    When we stayed in Cochabamba, there was actually a real lack of hostel options – there only seemed to be El Pueblito and another in the middle of town. This should give you an indication of the number of backpackers this town sees. However, despite not being a popular tourist centre, as above there is still a bit to do – and it’s a great launching pad to get to Torotoro if you want to explore canyons and caves.

    Torotoro exists as a tourist location to service its National Park. In the way that these things go, this means it’s a little bit of a tourist trap, but we do think that the excursions are pretty cool and it’s worth a visit (especially in the current Bolivian economy). The National Park access system is a little strange. It’s impossible to enter without a guide – which makes sense, as the two main tours are canyoning and caving. You must get a group together before booking a tour – splitting the tour cost across your whole group. If someone wants to join after you’ve signed the paper and paid, it’s strictly not allowed. Staying at a popular hostel is your best bet for meeting a group – or finding some people in Cochabamba before you arrive. Of course, people will always be on the lookout, so you can loiter outside once the offices open to try find some random friends.

    On top of the tour/guide payment, you must pay entry to the national park – which is 100Bs pp, although the ticket lasts four days, so if you are planning to take multiple tours you won’t have to pay again. The tour guide office and the ticket office are adjacent to each other, and you can get all the information you need there.

    As mentioned, the two most popular tours into the National Park are a hike into the El Vergel CaNon, or a caving experience in Umajalanta. We only did the former, as we are both a little claustrophobic, and we’d read a few things mentioning that the quality of the guides is quite varied – not what two first-time, nervy people are keen on. The hike to El Vergel was a half-day activity, but we really enjoyed the wander round the park, and then the descent into the canyon, jumping across rocks, and finally the view across the canyon – it was a really enjoyable morning. The tour cost 250Bs for the group. The caving tour cost 700Bs, but it is more of a full day excursion. For people who are hoping to cram both into a trip – catch an early collectivo from Cochabamba to Torotoro, drop your bags off at your chosen hostel, and head to the offices. Head out on a tour of the canyon that afternoon. That night, meet some people at your hostel who are keen to jump on the caving tour the next day. Book the tour the next morning – spend the day squeezing through little holes and having a real adventure – then return to Torotoro. Either stay another night, if you’ve got time and prefer to relax, or jump on the next collectivo back to Cochabamba, as they run pretty constantly. 

    From the collectivo stop at Cocha, we walked straight to the bus terminal and booked our bus onwards – our next stop would be La Paz, the highest capital in the world!

  • Visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats From Tupiza (Bolivia): Everything you need to know

    Visiting the Uyuni Salt Flats From Tupiza (Bolivia): Everything you need to know

    The Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats) is Bolivia’s major attraction. The greatest salt flat in the world brings in thousands of tourists annually, both in the dry season for blinding white perspective, or in the wet season to see the world’s largest mirror. Both are famous for the extraordinary photos that arise from them, but it’s not just the Salar that is popular. While you can ‘just’ tour the Salt Flats, the surrounding desert offers plenty of sights to see. 

    Otherworldly rock formations standing randomly amongst otherwise empty desert. Snow-capped volcanoes rising up far above your bumpy 4×4 route. Toxic lagunas of all kinds of colours – pretty means don’t touch. Flamingos and alpacas galore! All await on a multiday tour of the Salar de Uyuni.

    Keep it Short and Sweet:

    Touring the Salar & Surrounds:

    • Start from: Uyuni (cheapest (BOB) – salar first), San Pedro de Atacama (more expensive (CLP) – salar last), or Tupiza (more expensive as there is an extra day – Salar last)
    • Booking in person is cheapest, and the tours leave from Uyuni/San Pedro daily – the market is smaller in Tupiza.
    • Be aware of the altitude – if you can acclimatise beforehand, that’s best!
    • Bring your own snacks – you’ll get hungry
    • Be ready for lots of driving and viewpoints, but not a lot of walking.

    Tell Me Everything

    Tours of the Salar begin in three different locations, Uyuni (Uyuni), San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), and Tupiza (Bolivia). Generally, people will take the tour from Uyuni to San Pedro (or vice versa) to combine it into the rest of their travel, although you can return to your start point – but the costs may be different. This tour takes three days. The tour from Tupiza to Uyuni (which we took), takes four days, but only the first, and part of the second day, is really very different. 

    So which tour is the cheapest:

    Tours from Uyuni will give you the best chances of getting a good deal – there’s lots of competition and the Bolivian exchange rate is very favorable to foreigners. Tours from San Pedro de Atacama will be more expensive, as the Chilean Peso is much stronger, and Tupiza will be slightly more expensive, as there is an extra day involved and there is less competition amongst tour operators.

    However, the great thing about starting from either San Pedro or Tupiza – your tour finale is the Salar. While everything included in the three/four days is cool, nothing comes close to the beauty and otherworldly feeling of the salt flats, so finishing off on that high is, in our opinion, the best way to complete your little adventure.

    Additionally, Uyuni is not a lovely place to be – it’s not a wealthy city, although during the age of silver mining in Bolivia, it was a central point for the movement of the metal throughout the country. It’s cold and dusty, with people really only arriving with the aim of touring the Salar. We left immediately after our tour, preferring to catch the bus to our next stop (Potosi) and rest there, rather than risking a bad experience in Uyuni. If you start from the other two cities, you can do the same, but it’s nearly impossible to book a same-day multi-day tour (as they start so early), and if you book a same-day single day tour you’ll be pushed for time… so staying a night is basically unavoidable.

    How to Book a tour and whats included:

    Booking the tour itself is pretty easy, just check in with some operators for prices on Whatsapp (or in person – you may get a better deal, though we’ve generally found that the Whatsapp prices are fair – much fairer than those online, for sure!), make sure their Google Reviews aren’t horrific, and confirm that they’re able to start on your preferred day – you may have to shop around to find a combination of best price and starting date, as they’ll only send a car out with 4 people minimum. Of course, if you’re on a very tight schedule you’ll probably want to book online in advance for peace of mind, but as always this costs far far more than it needs to. 

    As far as we know, all the tours go to the same attractions – it’s just the hostel at the end of each day that differs. Whatever you pick, there is very little walking involved, only short opportunities to stretch your legs by wandering the shores of some lagunas or around windswept rocks. We found that the food on the tour was somewhat lacking – good quality, but low quantity. We heard that this is pretty consistent across the different tour companies, so bring your own snacks! One thing that they may be relying on is the altitude. The tour takes you up to nearly 5000m on one day, and you sleep at over 4000m most nights, so there is a real chance of altitude sickness – if not serious (one guy on our tour spent a whole day wiped out – it seemed like food poisoning, but could’ve just as easily been the altitude. He didn’t eat anything!), often one of the minor symptoms is reduced appetite. Do take it easy and go hard on the sweet treats, coca and water – altitude sickness can really ruin your trip. Don’t push yourself on the walking parts, just enjoy stretching your legs, and always, always be realistic with how you’re feeling – altitude sickness is no joke and can be fatal!

    While it’s a lot of time driving, it’s a nice way to bond with some people over your country’s most iconic tunes, stare at incredible moonlike landscapes, practice your Spanish with the tour guide, and really experience some 4×4 adventure. For parts of the Salar, especially the route from Tupiza, there is no true road – paths will disappear into the dunes, or your driver will be picking one of many tracks winding all over desert hills. It’s a pretty humbling experience, as you’re entirely reliant on the memory of your driver and their skill at handling an old Toyota in these freezing sands. Google Maps isn’t helping anyone!

    We really thought that the build up of the tour, through the desert scenes and alpine grasses, checking out alpacas and llamas and flamingos and rheas (seeing them run – simply hilarious), made seeing the Salar at the end that much more exciting. The whole tour is worth the time and the money. However, if you really are on a short holiday and don’t have that much time, and just want to check off the Salar, that’s okay too – as mentioned many times, it really is the highlight. Make sure your tour gets you either a sunrise or sunset on the Salar, as the flatness makes it a stunning place to watch from (and if you’re there when it’s wet, the mirror effect with the sun is truly incredible).

    Mirror effect on salt flats

    If there is water in the Salar, you may need to hire some gumboots – when we were there in April, it was so deep that Emma’s gumboots were almost not tall enough (short person problems). Basically, if the whole Salar is covered, there will be deeper and shallower sections, which are inconsistent, and the cars driving around create lovely wee waves that will send you jumping for higher ground. It’s important to have protection because the salty water can really irritate your skin. If the water is low enough to use your own boots, probably in the shoulder seasons, take care to clean them afterwards to prevent damage.

    Another curious thing about the Salt Flats – they are a highway, as the salt is mined in parts of it, and it’s an easier, flatter path to enter Bolivia from Chile. Expect to see some big trucks randomly moving though, plus locals using it to get from place to place. However, the composition of the salt flat does make this complex. It’s not the most stable of ‘roads’ due to the compacting and crystalline patterns of the salts. There are sometimes massive pockets under the top layer of salt, which can cause a vehicle to sink entirely! The salt itself is problematic too – it can do some major damage to cars if left to marinate on the metal, so it’s important to clean it all off once you’re off the flats. 

    A Day by Day Summary of a Tour From Tupiza:

    Day 1: Lots of driving! We didn’t stop a lot – first, to enjoy the view of the hills around Tupiza. Then to watch some wild alpacas. There was a ghost mining town with a pretty crazy story to it. All day the views are great, but it is a long one!

    Day 2: Is inside the National Park. More llamas and flamingos today! Plus rheas and foxes on the roadside, if you’ve got your eyes peeled. Visit lots of lagunas of all different colours, take in desert vistas, listen to bubbling geysers and top it off with a relaxing stop at natural thermal baths. The views from the baths are pretty special too – Instagram worthy, if you’re going for that kind of thing. It’s a stunner of a day!

    Day 3: Start the day off by checking out some eroded rocks just sitting in the middle of the desert – if you’re good at taking photos, they’re great material, otherwise they’re just so curious to look at and consider just how they ended up like that! More lagunas await – we loved the vibe at Laguna Negra, which is one of the few lagunas which isn’t full of toxic chemicals. This means no flamingos, but a great variety of other birds – including Emma’s favourite, the Giant Coot, which builds a nest of reeds on the surface of the water and makes a call like a crazy person laughing – it’s incredible to hear. The last stop of the day is the train graveyard… we remarked that it’s impressive that they’ve managed to turn a bunch of useless junk into a tourist destination. It’s not super interesting for those who aren’t train spotters (and we think it’s also a great place to get tetanus, so watch out for the sharp edges), but it’s nice to wander around before settling in for one last night.

    Day 4: The Salar. Wake up before the sunrise, and be out on the Salar for the changing colours of the sky and some unbelievable reflections. Take breakfast with your group in the salt house, then spend some more time mucking around, taking photos, videos, wading through the flats, and generally enjoying this special experience. 

    If you’re starting from San Pedro de Atacama, cut out day 1 and the schedule should look basically the same. Reverse that – and it’s the tour starting from Uyuni. 

    There are plenty of ways to enjoy the Salt Flats, totally dependent on your trip length and the time you have available, but if you have the flexibility, visiting Tupiza in the first place (as detailed in our last post) and starting the tour from there is a great option to experience a little more about Bolivia and still end your tour at the Salar.

  • Travelling to Bolivia 2025/2026: Everything you need to know!

    Travelling to Bolivia 2025/2026: Everything you need to know!

    Bolivia is a seriously underrated destination. We were just planning on ‘passing through’ and ended up spending 2 months there. It is filled with an incredibly special culture, marked by a strong blend between pre-Hispanic indigenous groups and Spanish, catholic influence. Pachamama is as important, as figures from the bible; pagan rituals are as impactful as Sunday mass. The mountains and the jungle are sacred in many areas, with tribes continuing on with their traditional rites. Communities maintain strong bonds, celebrations are common, and the people are so varied – from the altitudes of the altiplano to the heat of the jungle plains, ways of life change immensely. It’s a country that has so much to offer, but that is best explored with time and plenty of patience.

    Many travellers don’t dedicate a lot of time to Bolivia – they’re in and out with a few key sights – Salar de Uyuni, Death Road, La Paz’s night life and teleferico, maybe a quick stop at Copacabana and Isla del Sol on the way to Peru. But there is so much to see in Bolivia, with some truly awe-inspiring mountains, so many quirky cities, a really pleasant climate (god, we miss the cold), and an incredible culture.

    We’ve read some blogs that interpret Bolivianos as colder, less welcoming than other South American countries. We think that this is a miscommunication. Across the board, our feeling is that Spanish is a language of love, of welcome, of hospitality. But so often our sense of warmth is linked to a feeling of hospitality, and that can really be a Western Thing – experiences in the traditional settings of cafes and hostels and restaurants. But Bolivia is far from the Western World – and more so than its neighbors. It receives less tourism, and it’s less influenced by international parties. Its indigenous roots have more of a say in the overall country of the culture. It’s different. And a western mindset is different to the people – maybe it makes them uncomfortable, maybe it makes them shy. Understanding that and being open to that is important to making yourself recognize the hospitality in Bolivia. Making all efforts to speak Spanish – visiting local markets with real local people – being respectful of people’s dress and culture – there are a myriad of ways to engage in a scenario where you are speaking to a local as an equal – rather than as a foreigner.

    Hands down, the kindness, smiles and hospitality we received in Bolivia was second to none when compared to the other beautiful south american countries we visited.  

    Click here to take you to short and sweet that summarizes this blog post

    Tell Me Everything

    Altitude & Coca Leaf

    One thing that can really mess up your time in Bolivia is the altitude. If you are coming by land via Brasil or Argentina, you should be travelling a route that ascends gradually – this is perfect for acclimatizing. If you come through Peru, Copacabana and Lago Titicaca are high, but if you’ve already been to Cusco or Huaraz, you should be somewhat acclimatized. If you travel across the desert from Chile – well, that’s a high altitude journey in its own right, so take care. And if you’re flying directly into La Paz, don’t forget that you’ll be resting in the world’s highest capital city. Seriously – altitude sickness feels shit, can ruin your trip plans, and, worst case, genuinely cause fatalities – so don’t go messing around when you first arrive! Our advise is to take 2-3 days walking around the city, drink lots of water and eat alot during the day. Your body will be working on overtime as there is less oxygen in the air so you need to fuel it properly. Dont try walk superfast up the hills, listen to your body and try keep your heart rate in zone 2.

    Coca leaves are the Bolivianos’ answer to the altitude. Coca tea, coca leaf for chewing, coca lollies – all are widely available and are touted to be an excellent way to stave off altitude sickness. While we’re not sure at the effectively against altitude sickness, there is no doubt that coca leaves have a real impact on your system, and it’s a huge part of the local culture (there is even a specific coca museum in La Paz!). Purified cocaine is made in a pretty complex process from the plant, but the leaves themselves have only a small amount. Consuming coca leaf is similar to drinking coffee – it helps you focus, keeps you more awake, leaves you on a little buzz. It also tastes fantastic! It’s easy to spot locals munching on leaves – the normal thing to do is to shove leaves into your mouth (don’t chew them too much), until you have a little ball in the side of your check – 10-20 leaves should do the trick. Then you just… leave them there, letting the coca-juices mix in with your saliva and slowly make its way into your system. Don’t swallow the leaves!

    Pro tip from Awal: If you’re feeling a bit tired on a hike, put some coca leaves in your mouth and watch the magic happen. I dont know if this was placebo but i was boosting up the hill for several hours.

    The Blue Dollar

    Up until at least August 2025 (as of writing), Bolivia’s economy is a bit… fucked. In the same way that Argentina had the Blue Dollar rate for many years (the ‘tourist rate’), Bolivia now faces the same situation. Today, the Bolivian dollar is officially valued at 7Bs per USD – but to someone in Bolivia, the dollar is actually for 13.5Bs. Why? Some weird economic thing, where the trust in the Boliviano currency is so low, the locals tie it instead to a cryptocurrency. Awal can explain… 

    But while this is rough for locals, who are constantly seeking USD to exchange, it means that as a tourist – you have a real advantage. Bringing in physical USD (or euros – there is also a Blue Rate) will mean you can exchange your cash at any casa de cambio and more than double the official value of your money. Official exchange houses may display the official dollar – but if you enter and ask, they will give you the blue dollar rate. There are plenty of people exchanging cash on the roadside too. This makes travel in Bolivia at this time incredibly cost effective. Double your money – half the cost of everything. This is a major reason we could spend so much time in Bolivia; we could do so much, for sure good value.

    Its important to recognize that although this is incredibly advantageous to yourself, locals do not feel the same way. Its important to remain respectful towards locals, especially with regards to comments made. Saying things like ‘omg thats so cheap’ is incredibly disrespectful when general locals are really struggling to make ends meet and can only earn in BOL. This topic is the top of every locals mind and once you get to chatting to a couple of locals, the topic will come up.

    A scenario to explain how this is impacting the locals is to use your hostel for example. Booking.com will take a cut from the booking made, the price advertised on booking.com will likely be bolivianos, even if it is advertised in USD, the hostel will use a conversion close to the official exchange rate, something like 7-9bol max. This means that when they pay their commission to booking.com, they will pay in USD, which they can only exchange at a rate of 7bol, when compared to the 14bol you exchanged for. YES, this is an unrealized loss, but the feeling of ‘missing out’ when you’re trying to run a business is a tough one!

    Accommodation:

    Your best bet for booking accomodation is to message the hostel directly on whatsapp and locking in a price in Bol. The last thing you want to do is book on a platform like booking.com, show up and have a disagreement on the exchange rate used. You will definitely feel like you are getting ripped off even if the hostel is using a slightly higher rate than the official rate as their standard practice.

    In our experience, booking through what’s app gets you a better price anyway as there isn’t a 10% commission added on top, with regards to these booking apps.

    Safety

    We found Bolivia overall to be incredibly safe. People were welcoming or shy and very rarely did we feel watched. Homelessness and substance addiction wasn’t prevalent in the places we stayed or explored, even though it was readily available. Obviously, this is our personal experience – the political climate can change drastically over the months and years. And we travel as a couple – which generally makes a lot easier, we know. But truly, the most concerning thing in Bolivia is the number of stray, feral dogs. The dogs around towns and on the surrounding hiking tracks can be a major issue – having a few rocks in your pocket (or a pair of hiking poles) is the best deterrent, as unfortunately they seem to only respond to aggression.

    Climate

    The altiplano holds the major part of Bolivia’s main attractions, and many more besides, High altitude means freezing nights, cold days (even with sun), and a much higher chance of sunburn. Lots of layers and good sun protection is important. Don’t expect to walk about in your shorts and jandals – your gringo ass will stick out like nothing else.

    While still on the altiplano, towns like Sucre and Cochabamba are in valleys at far more reasonable altitudes – and to match, there is more mild weather.

    Bolivia also stretches out to the east into the plains towards Brasil, and north into the Amazon. These regions are hot, humid and full of biting things. 

    Being near to the tropics, Bolivia experiences a pretty mild temperature change between summer (Dec – Feb) and winter (Jun – Aug), but the more distinct difference is the amount of rainfall. The summers are wet and the winters are dry. The shoulder seasons are the best for the Salar – getting a combination of wet and dry across the desert gives you the best of both worlds (although – when it is completely full of water, it is a real spectacle). The dry season is the best for hiking, and although it will be a little colder it’s always tit-freezing cold on the mountains, so it’s no big deal.

    Getting Around

    Bolivian bus terminals are an experience. There is no quiet terminal; upon entry you’ll be assaulted with the cries of sellers and their wares – namely, the titles of cities that companies run to, at full volume. This can make it easy to find the company you need, but always check around the terminal (or on an App like busbud, although it may not have all the optional) for the closest leaving time – and to check you aren’t getting a cheeky tourist tax throw on top. Because of the Blue Dollar, we definitely recommend buying tickets in person or via WhatsApp rather than reserving and paying online. All Bolivian terminals also have a fee associated with them, so you’ll have to pay a few BOL as you leave the terminal. This also means that the bus will stop a minute outside the terminal to pick up locals who don’t want to pay the tax – fair warning to take scheduling in Bolivia with a grain of salt.

    Overall, buses are the way  to go in Bolivia. Flying around is always an option, but it’s pricey, and the bus system is great. Even the bus we took to Rurrenabaque (often travellers’ ‘worst bus experience in South America’) was reasonably comfortable, although it was delayed a few hours due to awful roads. The buses consistently have fold out leg rests, even if they’re older, which makes a huge difference to comfort. Most of them don’t have seat belts… but that’s just the culture. We met one traveller at the terminal in Potosi who said he will only go on a bus with seatbelts, I think the brother is still looking for that bus!

    We’ve heard that there can be blockades which can really mess with your travel plans, usually in major cities like Cochabamba and La Paz. We didn’t experience this at all, but that’s pure luck. Keep up to date through your hostel.

    If you’re planning to drive through Bolivia yourself – fair warning that the fuel situation in Bolivia is complex and rather dire. The supply of gasoline is inconsistent and seriously inhibits foreigners, both in terms of price and availability. The locals will get served first and only if there is more to go around, foreigners will get fuel at an inflated price.

    Taxis are a fine way to get around in Bolivia. Uber isn’t really a thing, but with the Blue Dollar again – taxis are fine and economical. Just check with your hostel or a friendly local what the price should be, and try name your price rather than letting the driver do so. Never ask ‘how much?’, always say the price and then stick to it. Because youre a tourist, you will likely pay 10-20% more – if you are good at haggling – so just take it.

    Food

    Bolivian cuisine may not be the most inspired – but there are some gems out there to be found. 

    If you’re on that shoestring budget, finding a menu del día is key – ask your hostel for the economical options in town (we learned not to use the word ‘cheap’ – it doesn’t have the same connotations in spanish), or spend some time wandering the streets. Google Maps will often not show you what you want! They’re also rarer in the night, it’s more commonly a lunchtime offer.

    If you want to cook (although, it’s often just as economical to eat a menu del día), the quality of produce is excellent, and the markets in Bolivia are so so fun. We’d definitely recommend picking up produce and staying in a hostel with a good kitchen for at least a couple of nights, to make the most of all the amazing fruits and veges to eat.

    We’ve got a few core memories of Bolivian foods: namely, Saltenas, Bolivia’s greatest gift to the world. Saltenas are a Bolivian creation; while the name alludes to the Argentine city of Salta, the story goes that the creator moved from Salta to Bolivia, and the idea was first birthed in Bolivia itself. I don’t think there’s much of a contest from Argentina for the rights to a Saltena (they seem to prefer their empanadas), but my god – a Saltena takes the crown on all stuffed pastries. The filling is sweet, spicy and liquidy – the act of eating a saltena successfully is honestly an art, and if you’re not careful you’ll lose all the tasty juice and burn your hands while you’re at it. The pastry is short, not puffy, but also a little sweet, and pleated like a dumpling or curry puff to make a cute wee package. 

    Other outstanding foods that come to mind include papa rellenas (stuffed, deep-fried mashed balls), charqukan (a dried meat typical of the altiplano, served with mote and chuno), and anticuchos (pieces of heart skewered and cooked over a grills). Both papa rellenas and anticuchos can be found in Peru, although the style is slightly different. 

    Soups are another staple of Bolivian food culture. With your menu del dia you’ll receive some soup to start, most often with pasta (fideos) or quinoa. However, our personal favourite is Chairo, which is a rich beef stew. 

    Another major, major prevalence in Bolivia – potatoes. There are so many different varieties of potato in the region. We think that the most curious one is ‘chuno’, which is a potato that’s dried to last multiple seasons. They must be rehydrated for hours before they can be eaten, and this results in a really curious texture but a lovely flavour. They’re also black – which is kind of wild.

    I wouldn’t say that we’re connoisseurs of fried chicken, but I think we’re pretty close – and the quality of the dirty bird in Bolivia is OUTSTANDING! Whether youre buying it from the side of the road, from a chinese restaurant or a chicken shop, Awal will be the first to tell you that Bolivia has consistently the best fried chicken in the world. It’s consistently fresh, crispy and never too oily. Chicken shops are everywhere, and our favourite thing about it was something we’ve affectionately named ‘the holy trinity’ – with your chicken, you’ll receive fried rice, some noodles (well, pasta), and fries. It’s a meal that’s cheap, massive, delicious and an absolute recipe for gaining some weight. 

    The last point on the food list is an honorable mention; not Bolivian cuisine. We spent two weeks in Sucre, and so got to know it’s cafe scene pretty well… and we’ll never forget SOMOS, a cafe near Parque Simon Bolivar which served excellent coffee and the most exquisite cinnamon rolls – as i said, not a Bolivian staple, but a pastry that i will dream about my whole life. Don’t miss it if you’re there!

    Availability of International Goods

    Because Bolivia had no port and a fraught relationship with the USA, many international brands simply cannot be found in Bolivia; or if you can find them, they’re hellishly expensive. Expect to live without a few of the classic haunts, and don’t plan to do any branded shopping in Bolivia.

    Navigating While Hiking

    Tracks are not well defined in Bolivia – trail management is not a thing. This is an iconic part of the Bolivian trail experience, but don’t let that put you off. A bit of bush bashing or back-tracking never did anyone any harm! Mostly…

    We also found that (at least in the altiplano), the ‘tracks’ that we walked tended to be near mountainous settlements. People live traditional lives all over the place in Bolivia, so you’ll never be far from a random homestead… or a misleading cattle track. Our best advice is to check your GPS regularly, and trust your trailfinding instincts a little less than usual – cattle, sheep, goats, llamas – they’re all out there walking tracks that will not take you where you’re planning!

    Rubbish

    It’s not the worst place in the world, but Bolivia, like many places in South America, does have a considerable amount of rubbish that piles up around the place. While there are often signs which state ‘no botar basura’, it is not followed or punished. There isn’t the culture in the local populace to maintain the environment trash-free.There’s not much that can be done, so fair warning.

    Keep it Short and Sweet

    • The altitude is no joke – take it slow and always listen to your body.
    • Make sure you know if the Blue Dollar is operating when you leave; bring in physical cash accordingly. Check our budget post for an ideal of how much you might need.
    • Always make your own assessments and read the latest political news, but in our opinion, Bolivia is a safe place to travel.
    • Take clothes for all seasons – but mostly for the cold! The altiplano is frigid att night.
    • You could travel by plane, but the bus system in Bolivia is great and works fine.
    • The local food can be tasty! It’s generally not full of flavours – spices are lacking! – but they do the basics well and there’s definitely stuff to appreciate. If you’re vegetarian, it’s a little difficult…
    • Hiking is amazing in Bolivia, there are so many mountains and gorgeous views. However, the tracks are not necessarily easy to follow, and we didn’t come across any trails where you actually completely avoid people – there are people living all in the mountains.