South America Travel Tips

“Chelsea, oh my God, so fab to hear from you!” the English girl screamed into her mobile, disturbing the peace in La Paz’s Coca leaf museum. An hour later I overhead a conversation in a cafe held amongst some newly met English gap year students “yeah, well we were in Peru for 2 weeks, we did Machu Picchu, and Cuzco was, like, wicked, then Lake Titicaca blah blah……”. She had just “done” Machu Picchu…. it then struck me that now, we really were on the “gringo trail” in South America. Hello La Paz…. Read the rest of this entry »

Trips to the Salar de Uyuni (the worlds highest, and largest, salt plain / lake) are an absolute must on any vacation to Bolivia. You can either take day trips from nearby Uyuni to visit the Salt flats, but it’s really worth going on a more extended package that includes the amazing volcanoes, multi coloured lakes and lunar like highland landscapes further South.

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Tupiza is a cool little town in Southern Bolivia, not far from the border with Argentina. It’s very much on the “gringo trail”, and is used as a base for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tours, as well as being a start point for trips to the truely amazing Salar de Uyuni. Read the rest of this entry »

Iruya is a traditional village set in a stunning valley in North Argentina. There’s a few buses every day to and from Humahuaca - travel time is a little over three hours. Of all the villages I visited in this part of Argentina, Iruya has the most spectacular setting. It’s a great place to spend a bit of time hiking in the surrounding countryside. Read the rest of this entry »

North of Salta, in Northern Argentina, are various interesting, dramatically set traditional highland towns. Purmamarca, Tilcara, Uqura and Humahuaca (and also Iruya - see following article) can all be visited on a day tour from Salta. Those with more time on their hands could spend a night or few in one or more of them, especially if you’re travelling North to Bolivia.  Read the rest of this entry »

Cachi is a peaceful village in the Calchaqui valley in North Argentina, about 3 hours from Salta. From Salta it can comfortably be visited on a full day tour, or alternatively it is often combined as an overnight package with Cafayate which is further down the valley. The main reason to visit Cafayate in addition is to take wine tours, as the area is famous for it’s wine. Read the rest of this entry »

Salta is a graceful large colonial city in the North of Argentina. It is the country’s finest colonial city, and despite it’s size it’s a tranquil place to spend a couple of nights. Read the rest of this entry »