This is the story of the greatest backpacking trip of my life. Nine months of exploring a 20 country route from Mexico to Brazil. These places are full of unique sights, sounds, foods and people that made it so memorable. I made the trip my own by incorporating marathons, kayaking, high altitude climbs, and long distance treks. With luck on my side I got everything I wanted from the trip, and far more. I hope to pass on a lot of what I’ve learned here.
Backpacking Central America covers the three months through Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica & Panama. The following six months through South America has been divided into a four part series.
This is Part 2: Backpacking Peru & Bolivia.
Peru
Huaraz
Huaraz sits high in the Cordillera Blanca and is considered one of the best trekking bases in South America. Surrounded by snow-capped peaks, glaciers and turquoise lakes, it attracts hikers from around the world looking to explore Peru beyond Machu Picchu.
Lima
Lima is Peru’s sprawling capital and home to nearly a third of the country’s population. Founded by the Spanish in 1535, it combines colonial history with a modern Pacific coastline and has developed a reputation as one of the best food cities in the world. Many travellers pass through quickly, but there’s plenty to explore.
Huacachina
Huacachina is a tiny oasis town surrounded by huge sand dunes in the Peruvian desert. Once a retreat for wealthy Peruvians, it’s now a backpacker favourite for sandboarding, dune buggies and watching sunsets over an otherwise empty landscape.
Arequipa
Arequipa is known as the White City thanks to its buildings made from volcanic stone. Overlooked by towering volcanoes, it offers colonial architecture, excellent food and access to the nearby Colca Canyon, making it one of Peru’s most popular stops.
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca sits high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia and is considered the birthplace of the Inca civilisation. The world’s highest navigable lake is home to traditional communities and floating reed islands that have preserved ways of life stretching back centuries.
Cusco
Cusco was once the capital of the Inca Empire and remains one of South America’s great travel hubs. Its cobbled streets, Spanish churches and Inca foundations reflect centuries of history, while its altitude and surrounding mountains make it the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu
Hidden among cloud-covered mountains, Machu Picchu is the most famous remnant of the Inca Empire and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Built in the fifteenth century and abandoned before the Spanish conquest, it remained largely unknown to the outside world until its rediscovery in 1911.
Bolivia
Copacabana
Copacabana is a quiet lakeside town on the shores of Lake Titicaca and serves as Bolivia’s gateway to Isla del Sol. According to Inca legend, the island was where the sun itself was born. The relaxed atmosphere makes it a pleasant first stop after crossing from Peru.
La Paz
La Paz is the world’s highest capital city and one of South America’s most dramatic urban settings, spread across a steep valley beneath the snow-covered Illimani mountain. Cable cars crisscross the city above busy markets and colonial streets, while the surrounding mountains attract hikers and cyclists.
Cochabamba & Torotoro
Cochabamba sits in a fertile valley and enjoys one of Bolivia’s mildest climates, earning it the nickname “City of Eternal Spring”. Nearby Torotoro National Park remains one of the country’s lesser-visited highlights, known for dinosaur footprints, canyons and extensive cave systems.
Sucre
Sucre is Bolivia’s constitutional capital and one of the most beautiful colonial cities in South America. Its whitewashed buildings and relaxed pace make it popular with backpackers, particularly those taking Spanish classes or looking to escape the altitude of La Paz.
Potosí Mines
Potosí was once one of the richest cities in the world thanks to the vast silver deposits of Cerro Rico. The wealth extracted here financed much of the Spanish Empire, though it came at an enormous human cost. Today visitors can descend into the still-operating mines and learn about one of history’s greatest resource booms.
Uyuni Salt Flats
The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on Earth, formed from prehistoric lakes that evaporated thousands of years ago. Stretching across southwest Bolivia, the region also contains colourful lagoons, volcanoes and strange rock formations, making it one of the continent’s most surreal landscapes.
From Bolivia I crossed into Chile, beginning the long journey south through Patagonia and eventually towards Antarctica itself.
