Rainbow Mountain, also known as Vinicunca Mountain is one of the earth’s most amazing natural wonders. Until recently it was concealed under ice and snow until global warming unfortunately caused the glaciers to melt, unveiling this natural marvel. Its possible to hike the mountain, one of the most popular excursions from Cusco but bear in mind the unfortunate reason why we are able to do so now. When you’re in Cusco you will see tour operators lining every street and almost all of them will have the photo of the imfamous Rainbow Mountain outside advertising tours to it. Most of the tours cost between 60-100 PEN (€ 16-27) . The cheapest I saw advertised was 55 PEN (€ 15) and that includes transport, breakfast and lunch and entrance to Rainbow Mountain. All of the tours seem to leave at a ridiculous hour in the morning, actually the middle of the night. Some leaving as early at 2 am, others giving you a lie on until 4 am. Rainbow Mountain has exploded in popularity in recent years and we’d heard about the hoards of people hoping off the buses to tackle the mountain and jostle for space…
Huayna Potosi is a popular climb from La Paz and supposedly an “easy” 6000m climb. At 6088 m, it is higher than bucket list regulars Everest Base Camp and Mt Kilimanjaro, higher than any peak on the European continent and almost 6 times higher than the highest peak in Ireland; Carrauntoohil (1038 m). At the summit, the standard barometric pressure is 46kPa. In English this means that there is 46% of the oxygen that is available at sea level. This was a challenge I wanted to undertake and see what limits I could push my body to. Quick facts: Summit: 6088 m Base camp: 4400 m High camp: 5130 m Ascent time: 5-6 hours Decent time: 2 hours Time required: 2 days, leave La Paz 9 am and return 2pm following day. Cost: 650 Bolivians (€83) Included: gear, sleeping bag, guide, transport, lunch, snack, dinner, breakfast and soup after climb. Not included: breakfast day 1 and 20 Bolivians entrance fee. Difficulty level: hard Technically: easy, no mountaineer or climbing experience required. I had my eye on HP, literally, since getting to Bolivia. It can be seen high in the distance from Isla Del Sol and towering over…
Cerro Tunari is the highest peak in central Bolivia standing at 5035m. It’s situated in the Bolivian Andes in the Cochabamba department. The hike starts at 4500 m, passing through glacier lakes and giving majestic views of the Cordillera Tunari mountain range. It’s possible to hike on your own but tricky to get to and in the middle of nowhere so for safety sake, I would make sure you go with someone. When I was visiting Cochabamba, I googled ‘things to do in Cochabamba’ as you do and Tunari National Park and Cerro Tunari came up. If I’m in an area with a mountain within driving distance, I’m gona climb it. I think it’s the best way to see the area, you get a full view of the surrounding place from 5000 plus meters high. However my Google search wasn’t coming up with too much apart from some vague TripAdvisor reviews saying it could be done yourself by getting buses, but it wasn’t advisable. Other things coming up on my search were tour companies charging $100 for the day with a group. I wasn…
You can visit the Amazon from several countries in South America and choosing to visit it from Bolivia definitely has its perks due to its central location and budget friendly prices. It’s also significantly cheaper than other countries (yes, looking at you Brazil). Visiting the Amazon pampas with Fluvial Tours was so much better than I expected. There are two types of tours of the amazon, the jungle and the pampas tour. After having done the pampas tour, I wish I had planned the time to do both but for me I’m glad I picked the pampas.The main difference between the two tours is the wildlife. On the pampas you see lots of wildlife along the banks of the river. However you don’t actually go into the amazon rainforest and spend most of the time on a boat.The jungle tour consists more of walking through the jungle seeing and identifying flora. The wildlife seen is much more sparc. The jungle is so dense spotting wildlife proves much more difficult although you experience staying deep in the amazon rainforest. Flying into the rural town of Rurrenabaque over the Amazon gave me a real…
Peru blew me away with all it had to offer. I know I say every country in South and Central America are so diverse but Peru for me was the best so far. The people in Peru are just so friendly and eager to help. They always seem happy and their enthusiasm for football is contagious. While I was in Peru they made it to the final of Copa America which is unheard of for Peru. Watching the locals go crazy made watching football fun (coming from someone who doesn’t watch it unless paid to). Peru’s landscape ranges from Andean glacial peaks and sprawling deserts to the rich rainforests of the Amazon basin. In one day you can climb a mountain, visit an oasis and surf on the beach. Peru would be a top pick of mine for adventurous travelers, hiking lovers and anyone interested in discovering the land of the Inca’s. I spend a month in Peru and it didn’t feel long enough although a month is plenty of time to see the highlights and immerse in the Peruvian culture. I’m happiest when either A) eating or B) outdoors…