Join me as I travel the world and give regular insights into what it is really like being a solo backpacker and tips to help you plan your own adventures
This is it - my last post in South America (for now)! Next, join me in Europe. For me, Cartagena was a jewel in the crown of South America. I found the place enchanting. I stayed for 4 days and didn't leave the city for any excursions, I found that it was a great place... Continue Reading →
I had heard mixed reviews about the trip to the northernmost tip of south America, generally either five stars like at this blog or one star*, with few in between. So it was with a slight sense of defiance that our group of seven intrepid explorers set out on this journey to the end of the... Continue Reading →
I left Santa Marta with Tom and Lilly and we headed for a night at Costeño Beach Surf Camp. We caught a local bus along the main road past Tayrona and then hopped off at the entrance to Costeño.The walk is about 40 minutes down the sandy track but luckily we were able to hitch a... Continue Reading →
Minca was a cool place and worth a couple of days, it is super easy to get to from Santa Marta; you just hop on a collectivo or you can arrange for one to swing by and collect you from a hostel. We paid $10.000COP per person for the hair-raising ride along steep winding roads... Continue Reading →
After such a phenomenal time diving in the Galapagos, I genuinely felt a huge amount of trepidation ahead of my next dive - what if diving just wasn't the same now?! Fears were unwarranted - the diving here is great! I went with Oceano Scuba, a German-owned 5-star PADI dive centre that has been running... Continue Reading →
I had heard such good things about Tayrona National Park that it was great to be able to explore it with a good group, so soon after I arrived at the Caribbean Coast. A short bus ride from Santa Marta lies Tayrona National Park, a tropical paradise where the jungle runs right down to meet... Continue Reading →
At Santa Marta I stayed at The Dreamer Hostel. A place I have been hearing about for months and an absolute must if you are staying in the North of Colombia. It's not cheap, with rooms costing upwards of $30.000COP (10-bed basic with fan). $33.000COP per night will get you air-conditioning - the first I... Continue Reading →
You ever decide to do something and before you even get there you realise it's gonna be awesome?! Today I visited La Piedra, a giant rock that you can climb up near a tiny town called Guatapé, a 2-hour bus journey from MedellÃn. You take the bus from the North Terminal, just outside the Caribe... Continue Reading →
I can certainly understand why so many people end up staying here indefinitely, it's an intriguing place. I wonder if I will end up joining them. I've decided to write this after my first day in the city to see how it compares to my thoughts after more exploring. El Poblado One of the main... Continue Reading →
The bus arrived into Bogotá central station at 1:30am, much earlier than we expected. The other girls managed to get a reservation at a hostel in La Candelaria district which is the ideal place to stay and I managed to get a bed at an awesome hostel called Masaya. Dorm beds are $32,000COP per night... Continue Reading →
I couldn't love this game any more!! Los Amigos Tejo in Salento is where I first played, it usually costs around $3.000COP to play and you're expected to buy a beer (practically part of the rules!). The game itself is simple. Each player picks a lead weight which they then throw from an agreed distance... Continue Reading →
The next stop on my adventure is Salento, in the heart of Colombia's coffee region. After my final salsa lesson with Alex I caught the bus from Cali to Armenia (3hours, $22.000COP) and arrived at a very futuristic looking bus terminal where I found it easier than expected to locate the bus to Salento (1hour20,... Continue Reading →
I returned to Cali for almost a week to take salsa classes and go out to the famous salsa bars. I had a fantastic time! First things first - Salsa and a Place to Stay I stayed at Hostal El Viajero, which isn't cheap but it's a great hostel with a nice atmosphere, plenty of... Continue Reading →
Everyone I have met that has been to Colombia has loved it, without exception, and I have been so excited deep-down ever since I left the UK to reach this place. And now I'm here!! I touched down in Cali Airport after a terrible hungover journey and shared a taxi into the old part of... Continue Reading →
My first trip to the Amazon Rainforest will certainly not be the last. I loved it!! I can't believe I nearly skipped it. For this 4-day trip I was with Sharon and Paul from the Netherlands and Elaine from Ireland and we made a great bunch. We left Quito at 11pm on a nightbus transfer... Continue Reading →
A group of five of us set out from Secret Garden to hike for three days to a volcano crater (Paul joined us on the first night). We stayed overnight in Latacunga at Hostel Tiana which was actually a fairly decent hostel with interesting split-level rooms, costing $10.50 per night including breakfast.We had breakfast, bought... Continue Reading →
The journey to Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel from Machachi was so uncomfortable that it was funny. Finn got grumpy about it so I left him to it! The Secret Garden is in the middle of nowhere, across a valley from Cotopaxi, surrounded by other volcanoes. We arrived as it was getting dark so the place... Continue Reading →
After the Galapagos, I spent two weeks in a coastal town called Montañita, learning to surf and taking Spanish classes at Montañita Spanish School. It is a huge party scene as well, with parties on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, and you can easily stay out until sunrise dancing your feet off. I loved... Continue Reading →
Day 1 - Hike to Laguna Torre My first day hike was an 18 kilometre round trip to visit a lagoon at the foot of a glacier which has a lot of nature-sculpted icebergs in. The first step is to hike to the top of the village up this rather fancy staircase. This is a... Continue Reading →
That's her! That's my boat!! First cruise in my life and I choose over 20 days at sea on the roughest sea in the world. Haha this could be interesting. That said, I have packed sooooo many pills for this trip - sea sickness, altitude sickness, malaria, vitamins... I thought I was going to be... Continue Reading →
To get to Montevideo we decided to pay for a direct ferry as it takes about 2 hours less than the ferry + bus combo and the tickets only cost about $10USD more as we booked last minute. The alternative route does a short ferry hop from Buenos Aires to Colonia in Uruguay before continuing... Continue Reading →
There are lots of faces to Buenos Aires so it's worth spending at least 4 or 5 days here to see all the major sights without rushing. I've got until 9th January before I fly down to Southern Argentina so we're splitting the time between Buenos Aires and a few days in Montevideo, Uruguay. On... Continue Reading →
Alongside our adventuring at the Iguazu falls we stayed in both Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazu (Argentina). On our way over the border from Brazil we stopped at the Monument to the Three Borders in Brazil, with great views across the river to Argentina and Paraguay. It was a nice place to chill... Continue Reading →
The monumental power of the falls has to be seen to be believed. We spent a day exploring the Brazilian side and another day on the Argentinian side. It's worth having a day or two spare to allow you to pick a day with good weather. Park Entrance Prices Entry in Brazil costs 63.60 Reals... Continue Reading →
Today I experienced what it's like to drive through a giant swarm of wasps at 85 miles an hour. It was not cool. I also hit a bird (or three) and am still cut up about it. Apart from all that death and destruction, the drive was fantastic. We drove 750km from Rosario to Corrientes... Continue Reading →
I arrived in Rosario bus station on time at 7am and had completely run out of money so I had to walk 3.5km with my bags to get to the hostel in the city. It was nice and cool in the early morning but my bags weigh a tonne and I was exhausted when I... Continue Reading →
At the end of my last post I arrived at around 9:30pm in a village called Uspallata. I only intended to stay overnight and leave early the next morning but I loved it so much I stayed for the weekend. Close enough to the Andes for them to dominate the horizon, and at an altitude... Continue Reading →
Today, 15th December, I caught the bus from Mendoza to a national park and hiked to Aconcagua base camp and back. It was a really long day but it was fantastic! I decided to catch the 10:15 bus (more details about the practicalities later) and it takes you almost all the way back to the... Continue Reading →
Today, 14th December, was my first full day in Mendoza. It's flat and surrounded by world class wineries producing millions of litres of wine per year, including my favourite - Malbec. What better way to explore than to take a bike and wine tour!! The tour started at Bodegas Lopez, one of the best in... Continue Reading →
