agarston
This is one of my favourite photos. I’m not sure why. Maybe because it’s downhill and I like walking downhill. This was also taken when we had just finished hiking up to Dead Woman’s pass on the Inca Trail. It’s the highest point and I was out of shape – I was glad that it was over!
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This is the beginning of the Santa Cruz trek in the Cordillera Blanca mountains in Peru. This must be one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever hiked. We were lucky and met some great people on this trip too!
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This is the path to Mirador Cuernos in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile. It’s one of the most scenic places I’ve ever visited. It’s also one of the windiest! The wind in Torres del Paine is crazy! Gusts would appear from nowhere, knocking us down like demons. We could hardly stand up, let alone walk, at some […]
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This is a guy in our group making his way up Tunupa Volcano. Tunupa is a dormant volcano that lies above the salt flats in Bolivia. This part’s about 5,000m up. It started to get pretty steep at this point. I was exhausted and hadn’t been well for a few days. I probably shouldn’t have done it but I’m glad […]
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I’d heard people rave about the long haul buses in Argentina, “they’re like business class flights” I was told, “you’ll love them!”. So, I was pretty disappointed when our first long haul bus journey was on an average looking bus with a stinky broken toilet with the heating cranked up to sauna temperatures. Here’s a take on what I believe […]
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So can you really get from Foz do Iguazu from Bonito on public transport? Yes you can. It isn’t a direct bus so you’ll have to change but it’s easy to do and a well travelled route. We weren’t sure of this either. Our guide book didn’t have much information but buses ply this route daily. When does the bus […]
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When we were planning our trip to South America, we knew we would be pushed for time but didn’t quite realise how much! Time and travel is personal. Some can afford lots of internal flights, others are disgusted by people doing “highlight” tours, and insist on staying for three months in each country. You’ll figure out what’s best for you, […]
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If you’re in Bolivia or the far north of Argentina or Chile, you really can’t miss visiting the Salt Flats. Contrary to what I expected, it isn’t just one big white area – expect emerald green lakes, volcanic landscapes, amazing rock formations, bubbling pools of sulphurous mud, and gorgeous pink flamingo specked lagoons – it is stunningly beautiful! Visiting the area […]
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Iguazu Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world. It is huge, and sits across three countries – Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It’s easy to visit both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides of the falls. Both are very different experiences, so it’s worth visiting both. The Brazilian side is known for sweeping views of the falls, whereas on the Argentinian […]
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Getting to Torres del Paine can be a bit of a mission, but it’s well worth it. If you don’t have your own vehicle then you’ll need to get a bus from Puerto Natales. Puerto Natales is a 3 hour bus ride from Punta Arenas or a 6 hour bus ride from El Calafate. You can fly to either from […]
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The Grey II is a tourist boat that leaves Hosteria Lago Grey and makes it way up Lago Grey to collect people near Refugio Grey. The boat then makes it way up to Glacier Grey so that tourists can get a closer look at the glacier while drinking a pisco sour made with ice from the glacier. It then returns […]
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1. The Boring but Essential Bit – DO NOT SKIP This is tedious but you’ll gain a lot from spending a couple of minutes looking at the W Trek map (above). It is a bit out of date but is useful to look at while you are reading this post. It also has useful approximate walking distances. The red line is […]
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There are several accommodation options on the W Trek. Refugios Refugios are basically expensive up market hostels at Glaciar Grey, Paine Grande, Los Cuernos, El Chileno, and near Hosteria Las Torres (where there are two, Refugio Torre Central and a smaller one called Refugio Torre Norte). In refugios you stay in dorm rooms with between 6-9 beds in each room with shared bathroom […]
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First of all, make sure you’re aware of the highlights. It’s a tough walk but nothing that a reasonably fit person can’t handle especially if you’re not camping and carrying 15kgs of gear on your back. Dealing with the wind People talk a lot about the wind in Patagonia. I didn’t really know what to expect but I’ve never experienced […]
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If you are a tourist visiting Argentina, bring plenty of US dollar notes with you. To get the best exchange rate, exchange the US dollars using the blue dollar exchange rate – a more favourable exchange rate than the official one. In 2012/2013 the blue dollar rate was 50-60% higher than the official rate. This meant that tourists saved 50-60% […]