{"id":7894,"date":"2015-03-09T20:38:43","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T20:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backpaco.com\/?p=7894"},"modified":"2019-11-14T02:18:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-14T02:18:19","slug":"backpacking-around-south-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backpaco.com\/south-america\/backpacking-around-south-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Backpacking around South-America"},"content":{"rendered":"
I thought that giving a bit of information and maps on where I have been could be interesting. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me!<\/p>\n
Cartagena:<\/strong> Magnificent fortified city that used to serve as a transit for gold under the Spanish domination.<\/p>\n Santa Marta<\/strong>: Very friendly city 4 hours east of Cartagena; best Hostel of all our trip and great fun!<\/p>\n Tayrona National Park:<\/strong> Some of the best beaches of the Caribbean sea and you can sleep in hammocks by the beach!<\/p>\n Medellin<\/strong>: A city I would love to work at one day; unique culture and amazing people. The women of Medellin are often perceived at as the most beautiful girls of South-America (or are it of the world?) I recommend you do the walking tour there!<\/p>\n Bogota<\/strong>: The capital of Colombia is awesome and the view from Montserrat unforgivable; partying at Andres Carnes de Res is also a must!<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Quito:<\/strong> Beautiful Capital with many churches and museums. Many hikes are available from the city itself by taking the chairlift; great for first altitudes experience.<\/p>\n Amazonian Forest:<\/strong> Probably the most amazing place on earth, hundreds of different animals can be observed and the density is insane. Every look around is a surprise: snakes, toucans, Cayman’s, pink dolphins, piranhas and hundreds of other animals made this experience unforgettable.<\/p>\n Banos<\/strong>: The capital of extreme sports of South America. You can do every imaginable sport for ridiculously low amount. The trick is to negotiate with the various<\/p>\n Montanita<\/strong>: One of the best place in the world to learn Surf and an even better place to party! The omnipresent hippie vibe, the surfers and many travelers taking a break to take Spanish classes in some of the best schools in South America makes this place unique.<\/p>\n Cuenca<\/strong>: If you like peacefulness, a lot of Churches and a very conservative mindset this place is for you. I don\u2019t recommend more than 2-3 days here!<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Mancora<\/strong>: This is the place to have a good time in Peru. Always sunny with the perfect climate; the surf is great and the drinks are refreshing! YOU NEED to go to the Loki Hostel; best party hostel of South America.<\/p>\n Chiclayo<\/strong>: This town will make keep you distracted for a few days with the various ruins and fallen empires to visit in the surrounding region.<\/p>\n Cajamarca<\/strong>: This town starts is off the beaten tracks, there are few activities to do there and visiting the city will take a few hours at most.<\/p>\n Chachapoyas<\/strong>: This city is by far the best hidden gem of South America! The 3rd<\/sup> highest waterfall in the world is nearby, one of the biggest canyons, a 2nd<\/sup> city as impressive as Machu Picchu, various caves, delicious pastry and a very unique culture yet untainted by travelers. The way people will look at you will make you realize you are one of the few visitors to this region.<\/p>\n Huaraz<\/strong>: The Hiking paradise of this continent. A small town, high in the mountains surrounded by thousands of majestic peaks will offer any hiker the best weeks of their lives. According to National Geographic the 2nd<\/sup> best Hike in the world is there also: Laguna 69!<\/p>\n Lima<\/strong>: The capital of Peru offers many varieties of activities and some of the best restaurants in the world. We enjoyed the multiple microbreweries found around the city.<\/p>\n Huacachina<\/strong>: Surrounded by some of the highest sand dunes in the world this party oasis is a great place to relax and spend a few days. During the day you can surf and slide the dunes and experience the thrill of sand bogies speeding in the desert and watch a beautiful sunset before heading back to party.<\/p>\n Cusco<\/strong>: This city is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and a few minutes of walking will make you understand why. The city is so well-preserved and offers one of the prettiest central square to tourists that come here a few days before heading out to Machu Picchu.<\/p>\n Puno<\/strong>: Puno really isn’t touristic and this makes it charm. This city of fishers and workers should be explored at five in the morning; you quickly realize how full of life and activity the place is and you can really see the unique culture of this town that relies on Lake Titicaca. You can visit the popular Uros Islands before heading out to Bolivia.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Copacabana<\/strong>: You can enjoy the wonderful lake Titicaca while sleeping in good hostels for less than 2$\/night. There are a lot of restaurants here and the prices are unbelievably low!<\/p>\n Isla<\/strong> del Sol : <\/strong>My day at Isla del Sol has been my favorite one of the trip ; I was with amazing people, in the best weather possible surrounded by some epic hybrid landscape. Many tribes live on that island and I strongly recommend you sleep there one night and take the mountain trail.<\/p>\n La Paz<\/strong> : La Paz is probably the most confusing city of South America. Built in a valley near an active volcano (why would you do that?) the crooked roads will take you from modern neighborhoods to poor and dangerous ones. Many things to see there: Valley of the moon, the zoo, the witch market, the black market, museums, churches and many great restaurants. This city has so much interesting history and a walking tour is really needed to understand it better.<\/p>\n Sucre<\/strong>: One would not expect to find the most beautiful city in South America in the poorest country. Sucre is small, beautiful, and clean and offers a great quality of life!<\/p>\n Icla<\/strong>: Icla is a village in the mountains where only a few tourists go as the access is very hard and most people lack the required time. We did some Tubing down a river for half a day, some canyoning and explored some very interesting places in the region.<\/p>\n Potosi<\/strong>: The city of the Mountain that eat men; more than 7,000,000 people have been killed by the mountain since they started mining it hundreds of years ago. As a minor if you didn’t die under the mountain the diseases quickly killed you; then your eldest son had to make a living to keep the family going. This cycle has killed generations of men and it seems it is not yet over as the biggest reserves of silver and other rare metal is there. Many tour to visit the mines are offered; not recommended for the claustrophobic and people who are afraid of dynamite.<\/p>\n Tupiza<\/strong> : Tupiza is a village in the northern Pampa\u2019s that remind you the far west movies of Clint Eastwood. The coolest thing to do here is to go horse riding a few days in the desert and sleep at local\u2019s houses. You can also start a Salar de Uyuni Tour there like we did!<\/p>\n Salar de Uyuni<\/strong> : After the Machu Picchu, the salar are probably the most well-known landscape in South America. Once you choose a company you will be going around a massive region at 5000 meters of altitude to explore the salt flat, volcanoes and many amazing landscapes.<\/p>\nEcuador<\/h2>\n
Peru<\/h2>\n
Bolivia<\/h2>\n