Worldwide Walkies

Category: Day Walk

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • Los Glaciares in El Chalten: Patagonia’s Most Famous Hikes & A Moral Conundrum 

    Los Glaciares in El Chalten: Patagonia’s Most Famous Hikes & A Moral Conundrum 

    It’s curious to consider how a region gets famous, and the fine difference between popular and overrated. Is it the difference between online-generated expectations and reality? Is it the crowds of people? Is it the burgeoning prices? Or some perfect, unfortunate combination of the above.

    Parque Nacional Los Glaciares is probably the most heavily visited area of Patagonia, iconic for Petito Moreno Glacier in the south, near El Calafate, and for the Cerro Fitz Roy mastiff in the north, by El Chalten. The accessibility of natural beauty from these two towns is a key reason for their popularity. Petito Moreno is an hour bus ride each way, but only a 30 minute walk to see an advancing glacier. And while trekking to Fitz Roy is a fairly long day (25km return), the trailhead is right in town. These two small Argentine towns have a mountain-village charm that – for us – was somewhat worn down by exorbitant prices. 

    Prior to summer 2024 – 2025, there were no fees to enter Los Glaciares. Prior to January 2025, there were no camping fees in the park, and wild camping was permitted – but all of this changed, quickly, without warning, and without the infrastructure to support the changes. 

    Entry to Los Glaciares now costs 45k ARS per day – although Guardparque Stations only exist on some trailheads, and the Guardparques are only serviced from 7am-5pm, so avoiding the fees is very much doable. A night’s stay at any of the campsites in the park costs 15K ARS per person – with long-drops available, but no campers’ shelter.

    As in our previous budget posts, the high cost of goods is some unlucky combination of Argentina’s changing economy and Patagonia’s isolation, but all prices are also driven by demand, of which there is plenty. Of course, we are complaining as reasonably well-off tourists – so if we found the prices in supermarkets rough, it only stands that the locals have it even harder.

    But while consuming food and booking accommodation supports the local community, it sounds like the changes to the park and park fees themselves are having little impact on the local people or the park maintenance itself. Although, whether that is the truth or a tale designed to make us all feel better, we have no proof.

    We’d say that in general, we’re pretty rules-driven people. We like lines. We think sign-in books are cool. We’re comfortable paying for an honesty campsite. And we both instantly feel guilty when we do something that we know isn’t right – so camping in Los Glaciares was a mixed bag for us. 

    We planned the trip to El Chalten based on information collected from the previous year – which turned out to be wildly wrong. It wasn’t until we had booked flights in and out that we checked again – on reddit – only to find out about all the changes to prices. We were already massively over-budget in Patagonia (a good start to a year travelling!), and couldn’t even remotely afford an extra 60USD each per day. Our only option was to hide out in the park, free camp in secluded places, and enjoy the solitude as much as possible.

    Tell me everything:

    Overall, we spent 11 days in Los Glaciares, with one restock. Five days were on the Huemul, which we’ve detailed in another post, then another 6 in the ‘main’ section of the park.

    Skipping Petito Moreno

    We flew from Ushuaia to El Calafate, as we’d already travelled through Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, and didn’t need to return (and it ended up cheaper). We decided to only spend a single night in El Calafate, skipping a visit to the Petito Moreno Glacier. If you’ve the cash to burn – don’t do what we did! It does sound spectacular. The walkways are close to the glacier front, so you get stunning views all around. In the afternoon, it’s supposedly common to see the glacier calving, where it sheds chunks of ice. But it’s 45k ARS entry (as part of Los Glaciares), plus 50k ARS for the return bus. That’s about 100USD ea…

    Bus Prices: Calafate to Chalten

    Talking about extortionate – buses in Argentina are far more expensive than those in Chile. The three hour ride between the two mountain towns will set you back 38K ARS per person, each way. Apparently, there is one bus that’s cheaper, but we don’t think it runs often (or at all) anymore.

    Camping at Laguna Sucia

    After the Huemul Circuit, we restocked and reentered the park late, snagging an uninspired camping spot in some trees a couple of hours in. The next day, we continued on with the intention of enjoying Fitz Roy from the neighbouring Laguna Sucia, rather than the main track, and camping there the night – we’d read and heard that there were lots of good campsites on this track. As mentioned, we had snapped a picture of an old park map, which had multiple tracks that are no longer displayed or ‘recommended’. So when we went to turn off onto the Laguna Sucia track, there were a couple of signs telling us to turn back! We ploughed on, crossed the river and did some fun boulder hopping to get to the laguna – which is absolutely worth it. It was super quiet, and the weather was stunning – no wind, no clouds, and only one other person, who wasn’t camping there. We picked a spot with a big rocky barrier someone had kindly built, and settled in for a calm evening.

    Little did we know – although perhaps it should’ve been obvious by the absence of other campers at the laguna – a storm was coming over the mountain. And that’s the problem with camping near such dramatic peaks; the sudden changes they can cause. From 9pm, the wind and rain picked up more, and more, and more, until we were pulling on rainproofs, crawling out of our shaking tent, restaking pegs and tightening guys – and eventually, changing clothes completely, packing up everything non-sleep related, and considering packing down and leaving. But at 3am, the storm eased off a bit (to the point where we didn’t have to hold up the tent’s buckling pole system), and we slept uneasily until sunrise. We snapped a cute photo and enjoyed the morning light on the mountains, slept a few more hours, then made our way down the mountain and away from the horrors of the previous night.

    Camping by Lago Electrico

    We’d wanted to spend two nights at Laguna Sucia recovering from the Huemul, but there was no way we were taking another chance there. Our next goal was Lago Electrico – at the far end of the park, and far away from the big crowds. It also turns out, Lago Electrico is actually private land and isn’t technically part of the park. There’s a shitty little barbed wire fence that has been maneuvered to fit a hiker, but otherwise we were easily able to move between the two without any guard stations.

    From the base of the Fitz Roy trail, we traversed down the true left of the Río Blanco, which enables you to take a side trip to some cool views of Glaciar Piedras Blancas. There’s a bit of rock hopping around this section too, which is fun, but will slow you down a bit. With the pack weight and the tiredness, this actually ended up being a much longer day than we anticipated.

    Río Electrico and the valley run perpendicular to the Cerro Fitz Roy mastiff – that is, it runs in the direction that the storm came the night before. This didn’t become obvious until we exited the cover of the forest, right after the Piedra Del Fraile refugio. Camping at the refugio was available for 20k ARS a night, so we continued on to brave the winds…

    … which did not work out in our favour. It took over an hour to reach the shores of Lago Electrico, where again, we’d read there were good camping spots – all of which were super exposed! There were a few ‘sheltered’ areas amongst the rocks on the way, but the wind simply said no – it must’ve been gusting at well over 100kph, and always found a way to rush around or over the surrounding escarpment. As we retreated back from the beach, we tried to set up in three different spots, quite unsuccessfully, and eventually were forced to run back to the trees, racing a rain front and the dying sunlight, and setting up camp alongside the cliff-face ascending to Piedra Negra. It was cookies and nutella for dinner.

    We spent three nights in the same spot – the next day, the sun shone and the trees gave us shelter, so we spent the whole day lazing around, eating our spare food and enjoying the break. The following day, the rain packed it in again, so we had a slow morning before taking a day-walk back to the shores of Lago Electrico. Emma really wanted to see the marked ‘Playita’ campsite on the map, but the river was impossible to cross without getting boots wet – so in the spirit of taking it easy, we enjoyed the view of the back of Fitz Roy and headed back for an early night.

    Cerro Fitz Roy

    Day 10 in the park – a few hours walking took us from Lago Electrico and back to the big crowds, and it was time to join in – for the most famous peaks in Patagonia. Actually, only Emma ascended to admire Fitz Roy from the traditional spot, and Awal stayed with the packs (a kind gesture, but also driven by being a wee bit hoha). It was a gorgeous day; although the wind was howling the whole time, the clouds would part to expose the peaks. What I found most hilarious was the line of people waiting patiently to stand on ‘the’ rock in the laguna, which provides the best shot of you, the clear blue waters, and the dramatic peaks. Do take care heading up – there is a steady line of people in both directions, and some places are well worn and quite slippery. It’s great fun to race up and down (especially being pack-less after walking 10 days with a pack!), but watch out for the wind in the exposed sections, it will blow you over if you’re moving too fast…

    After snapping a few shitty (hilarious) selfies with ol’ Fitz, we carried on to find a new campsite, again running away from a rainfront, and trying to find a spot nice and close to a trailhead for an early morning exit. We eventually set up near Laguna Capri, and had an early night hiding from the rain.

    Over and Out

    We exited super early the next morning down the main Fitz Roy track, and en route were greeted by dozens and dozens of other early risers! So many people complete this trail, from keenos who want to see the sunrise to trail runners getting their ks up to the majority – who just want to get through before the guard gets onto their shift. Since we’d been off the main tracks in the popular hours, this final part of our hike was the real ‘holy shit’ moment of the density of people walking in Los Glaciares.

    And it was a good thing we left early – we rocked up to the bus stop to check our tickets at about 7:50am, and found out that our midday bus was cancelled and we could only get on the 8am bus! There was a rush to grab some snacks, and then it was a prompt return to El Calafate and the biggest pot of post-hike maccy cheese you’ve ever seen. Delicious!

    Keep it Short and Sweet

    Normal Routes

    So we did a few odd things, and spent a few extra days just chilling out, but in the end didn’t backtrack on ourselves that much. We’ve put a little annotated map below, with a similar circuit and some options for wild camping that we thought might be good. Aside from our recommendation, there are apparently two massive circuits that you can complete – one that links up the Huemul to the main attractions instead of re-entering in the town, although you’ll need to do an extra Tyrolean and hire the harness for your whole trip. There’s also a super hardcore route, which you should only do guided or with expertise, that takes you over the ice sheet itself from Lago Electrico down to midway on the Huemul – it sounds so amazing!

    Our route in Los Glaciares
    Our recommended route in Los Glaciares

    So… Our Recommendation

    In conclusion, we had a superb time enjoying the hiking in Los Glaciares – there are plenty of trails to fit a journey to your liking, and plenty of spots that are less crowded to explore. What we did absolutely not enjoy was the continuous stress. Will someone find us without a ticket? Are we allowed to camp here? Is someone going to fine us? Is any of it worth it? On this trip, we realized the extent to which we are not rulebreakers, and while we loved the walking we were able to do, we aren’t sure that we could stomach doing it again.

    So, a lesson for us and maybe some insight for anyone reading, always stay true to your values, because doing the opposite doesn’t feel good!

  • Exploring The End of the World: Puerto Williams & Ushuaia

    Exploring The End of the World: Puerto Williams & Ushuaia

    Keep it Short and Sweet

    Puerto Williams:

    • Awesome 5 day trek- De Dientes De Navarino; to be some of the most southern people in the world
    • Chill and relax, very cosy and comfortable vibe

    Ushuaia:

    • The boat fromj Puerto Williams to Ushuaia costs $160USD per person. Pay at the only tour agency in Puerto Williams (Turismo Shila) in Chilean Pesos so you aren’t disadvangted by the Argentinean Peso exchange rate!
    • Day hike to Laguna Esmeralda and if your up for it, continuing further to Glacier Albino del Ojos
    • If you got the $$$ bills, take a tour to Antartica. If the tour leaves tomorrow, make sure you bargain because you can get a massive discount (We heard from other travelers who were offered $5000USD compared to the usual $10,000 USD)
    • Take a boat tour to see penguins.
    • High end cafes and shopping
    • Pretty expensive overall

    Tell me Everything

    Puerto Williams

    Reaching the end of the world – except Antarctica – is a pretty exciting feeling. We flew from Punta Natales to Puerto Williams, officially the southernmost city in the world. Hilarious fact: this is a reasonably new title, as Chile only recently changed their municipal definitions to include the tiny population of 2000 to be defined as a city. Puerto Williams pushes boundaries in that sense and no other. It is a quiet, sleepy coastal town, boasting a single tourism agency. It’s vibe is “end of the world”, but in the sense that it’s the end and nobody goes there. It is honestly,  completely lovely. Not that there is anything to do; our opinion is probably skewed by our choice of accomodation – a cottage that we found on Airbnb, tucked into the forest, away from the township with chooks, a garden and a wood-burning stove. We picked it because it was only 5 minutes away from the the start of the Dientes de Navarino, the southernmost hike in the world & the reason we visited Puerto Williams. However, it turned out to be the best choice, and the peaceful setting gave us the utmost sensation of being at the end of the world.

    This is our recommendation for Puerto Williams, if you aren’t (or can’t be arsed) hiking. Enjoy the peace. Unless you’re made of money and can head to Antarctica, this is the time to appreciate the fact that you’re one of the southernmost people in the world!

    Ushuaia

    Now, while Puerto Williams gives you the sensations of isolation and tranquility at the end of the world, you will find neither at the original Fin Del Mundo. Ushuaia feels like a city, and has the price tag to match. Picture this: two silly kiwis enter Argentina at its most isolated town, at the country’s most expensive point in history. That makes two hungry, hungry kiwis. To be fair, the “ferry” crossing from Chile to Argentina costing 160USD ea should have given it away. “Ferry” = 60 mins of driving along the coast of the Chilean side to reach the narrowest point of the Beagle Channel, then 30 mins on a speedboat to reach Argentina. 

    There are many more activities in Ushuaia, but all of them have a hefty price tag. 

    Channel cruises to see seals, penguins, and a few random attractions (lighthouse, anyone?) can be taken on big catamarans, or you can take a smaller boat for a higher price. We opted for the latter, and got to see some penguins up pretty close, but we would say it wasn’t worth it for the cost. There are better, cheaper places to see penguins, and the breeds aren’t endemic to the Beagle Channel. The channel itself has some interesting history – we enjoyed some explanations of the local indigenous population and

    As with all the national parks in Argentina, Tierra Del Fuego is now a pay-to-enter model. There’s a single shuttle group which has a monopoly of price, so you’ll be paying around 50k ARS to enter the park. There are options for camping, with a multi day circuit available. For reference – kiwis should be thinking “west coast”, aussies should be thinking “tassie”. It rains a lot in this region, so be prepared for some very boggy group and knee high mud patches. With a big price tag and tough conditions, we avoided!

    There are a few other day hiking options around Ushuaia which are not national parks. Absolutely our favourite was Laguna Esmeralda and Glaciar Albino del Ojos. This was also a shuttle ride away, so they took a fair bit of money off us for a very short ride – but we spent the whole day out, enjoying the track. This is an out and back – Laguna Esmeralda is an easy walk, well graded and well marked. It’s worth it and gorgeous. However, if you’ve got a good pair of boots and are feeling strong and fresh, we highly recommend continuing onto the glacier. The track is not well graded, it’s big rocks and some scree, which eventually turns into some rock climbing. It’s technically a little challenging and so – to us – super fun! As long as you have good weather, good boots and experience using them, there is no need for a guide. The glacier at the top has receded a fair bit but is still very cool to look at, and a great reward. We saw some people hanging our right under its shadow (but always take care doing this – glaciers can calve at any time!). We spent so long enjoying the views and chatting that we had to run back to our shuttle – worth it, though. 

    Glacier Albino del Ojos

    There are also some options for short hikes closer to Ushuaia. We climbed around the old ski lift, which is near the entrance to the Martial Glaciar track, for some great views and generally nice walking. We think we read you can get to the Martial Glacier yourself, although there are lots of (expensive) tours if you want to do it guided. Wandering around the wetlands and along the promenade is also pleasant, although the wind can really chill you, and watch out for the seagulls! They’re super aggressive. 

    Other than that – being a city, Ushuaia has plenty of cafes, restaurants and cute nooks that you can sit and have a bevvy and a treat. It’s also got at least three supermarkets (Emma’s dream), which gives you plenty of options to cook at home if you’re on a budget like us. It’s definitely a different “end of the world” vibe – think ‘Fin del Mundo’ plastered on shopfronts, the world’s southernmost mall, European and American outdoor brands in stores, flash coffee places. It’s a place made for money, especially with the Argentinian currency as it is, but there is still a place for a backpacker if you’re willing to skimp a little!