Packing for any Torres del Paine hike is no walk in the park. One of the easiest ways to make hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit or the W trek feel long and uncomfortable is to overpack your food (and gear – a subject of this post about the right equipment for the O Circuit). […]
Patagonia Backpacking Itineraries For Three Weeks & Beyond
As the most adventurous part of South America, Patagonia deserves some serious travel time. Previously on the blog, I outlined four Patagonia travel itineraries for one- or two-week trips, but this time I’m tackling planning a far longer route around this dazzling region. If a short visit just isn’t enough (believe me, it’s not), then the […]
Monkeys and Macaws in Bolivia’s Madidi National Park
Beneath the belly of the 20-person aircraft, the verdant jungle foliage of Madidi National Park, Bolivia scrambles to extract itself from a chaotic knot of dense branches, and indistinct clouds of crimson wings suggest macaws in flight through lofty treetops. Low mountains occasionally sprout from the landscape, but the miles of dense green are repetitive […]
El Dia De Los Peatones: The Day La Paz Fell Silent
One Sunday, I woke to the strangest of sounds. From my hostel bed on a busy street in La Paz, I was normally jolted awake by the blaring chaos of the city: cars beep a relentless tune as they narrowly skirt around one another, avoiding multiple potential collisions every second. Each morning at 6 am, […]
The Ultimate Guide to Volunteering in South America
Volunteering in South America is a life-changing way of travelling and can help you see a completely different side to the continent, all while making a tangible difference. But with 12 countries to choose from, a surprising eight different official languages and environments ranging from jungle to mountain and desert, it can be difficult to decide […]
5 Unmissable Places Around The Globe To Watch the Sunrise
*This is a guest post from my mum, Jane Dyson! In these days of electricity and instant light available at all times, it’s difficult to imagine how frightening the night could be for our distant ancestors. Watching the sun rise takes us back to that early reassurance that day would follow night, as well as […]
Is It Ever Safe to Hitchhike in South America?
For some, hitchhiking is a way of travelling that changes perspectives, allowing you to meet local people and really get underneath the skin of a new country; for others, it’s a dangerous, irresponsible act that they’d never, ever do. It follows that there’s little agreement about whether it is safe to hitchhike in South America. Speak […]
6 Indispensible Tips for Safe Hitchhiking in South America
I’ve done my fair share of hitchhiking in South America. I’ve ridden on the backs of trucks in Peru and Bolivia, thumbed a lift along Chilean Patagonia’s most famous road, the Carretera Austral and even used it to get me out of a sticky situation in the remote Bolivian pampas. I’ve hitchhiked with friends – both […]
South America Without A Plan: Meet Ash
An avid adventurer, once owner of incredible, luscious locks, and a real inspiration to me, I met Ash back in late 2014, soon after first arriving into Sucre, Bolivia. I didn’t know this at the time, but his journey had already been fairly incredible. 20 months previously, he’d arrived in South America without a plan. Instead, […]
Here’s Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Volunteering Is Wrong
Volunteering’s a great thing to do, right? All those sad-looking children, or abused animals, just waiting for you to come and help them escape the hand that old lady luck has dealt. You’ll change the world. You’ll inspire a whole community to dream bigger. You’ll become a hero. Maybe not. I’m not saying that volunteering […]
