One more season has finished working with
Alitalia, and since this year, with American Airlines too, in Rome’s airport.
This gave me the opportunity to save enough money to travel on the way to South
America, first time for me in this continent, excited to explore new places and
cultures.
With my girlfriend Francesca always at my
side, we flew “coincidentally” with Alitalia to Buenos Aires where we started
our South American round trip.
ARGENTINA
18.11 - 20.11 BUNENOS AIRES, we arrived here after 14 hours, early in
the morning, just the time to collect our money, change some cash and we where
on the way to the city centre, of course in the cheapest way, with a local
bumpy public bus getting into town after 2 hours riding.
The cheapest solution we found was an
hostel in San Telmo called “Rayuela”, then we have been around the market in
this district and the next days we have been walking around La Boca, Recoleta,
Puerto Madero, the Costanera reserve, Palermo and of course the city centre of
BA
21.11
Night bus “Andesmar” to Puerto Madryn (18 ½ hr)
22.11
- 24.11 PUERTO MADRYN, sleeping at “El Gaucho”
hostel, visiting from this relaxing town the Isla Escondita, Punta Tombo and
the Peninsula Valdes where we did a whale watching boat tour
25.11
- 26.11 SARMIENTO, arriving first in Comodoro
Rivadavia with “Don Otto” bus (8 hr) spending few hours in this awful city
before taking the connection bus with “Etap” (2 ½ hr) to Sarmiento. We slept in
this quiet town at the “Muster” hotel, and the day after we have been at the
“Bosque Pietrificado”, a petrified old forest that now rest into a desert
valley
27.11
Bus “etap” back to Comodoro Rivadavia (2 ½ hr) then
a night bus to El Calafate (16 hr)
28.11
- 29.11 EL CALAFATE, staying at “Hostel Glaciar”,
from here we could reach by bus (3 hr both ways) the awesome glacier “Perito
Moreno”
30.11
- 01.12 EL CHALTEN, arriving here by bus (3 hr),
staying at “Lo De Guille” guest house, this town is a trekker paradise, from
here we did the trekking to Laguna Torre (6 hr), the trekking to the Laguna de
los Tres and the Fitz Roy (8 hr) and another short trek to the Condor mirador
(1 hr)
02.12 Travelling to Ushuaia for a total of 19 hours changing bus first at
El Calafate and then in Rio Gallegos plus taking a ferry to cross the
Magallanes strait with “Tecnoaustral” bus
03.12
- 06.12 USHUAIA, sleeping at “Mysten Kepen B&B”,
A really nice, cold and windy city surrounded by snow topped mountains. Here we
have been visiting the Museo Marittimo, trekking up to the Martial glacier and
having a boat trip around the Beagle channel
CHILE
07.12
- 09.12 PUERTO NATALES, arriving by bus
“Tecnoaustral” via Punta Arenas (16 hr) and sleeping at “Hostel Nataly”. From
here we could visit the Torres Del Paine National Park and the “Cueva del
Mylodon”
10.12
- 13.12 Travelling on the “Navimag” ship for 3 days on the way to
Puerto Natales, we navigate the spectacular Patagonian fiords, the “Brujo
glacier” and the “De Penas” and
”Corcovado” gulfs
14.12
- 15.12 VALDIVIA, we actually docked in the Puerto
Montt harbour and we reached by bus (1 hr) the city of Puerto Varas where we
were supposed to stay, but because of the high accommodation prices and the
strong never stopping rain we finally decided to take another bus (3 hr) to
Valdivia, here we did a “family homestay” with a nice and helpful old couple
who repaired my badly ripped backpack and gave us some good tips for visiting
the area. We have been around the town, visiting the famous local market and we
went at the coastal town of Niebla
16.12
- 19.12 VILLARRICA, by “Jac” bus (2hr) doing
another “homestay” with a guy called Alex, into an old wooden house, and moving
for the last day at “Don Juan hostel”. This is a lay down lake city surrounded
by active volcanoes, from here we went at the thermal area called “Los
Pozzones” (2hr changing 4 buses), we visited the more tourist town of Pucon and
we tried to do a trekking in the Huerquehue National Park, giving up after 3
hours walking because of strong rain and hail
ARGENTINA
20.12
SAN MARTIN DE LOS ANDES, arriving here by bus “San
Martin” (6 hr) via the Mamuil pass and sleeping at the “Sequoia hostel”,
visiting this nice mountain town, sister city with the Italian Rocca di Cambio,
here we could also do some trekking around the lake
21.12
Local bus to Neuquen (7 hr) where we changed to a
night bus “Andesmar” to Mendoza (10 hr)
22.12
- 23.12 MENDOZA, sleeping at “Hostel Itaka”
visiting the South American most famous wine city and also reaching by
“Uspallata” bus (3 ½ hr each way) the
town of Puente del Inca, famous for a natural stone bridge over a thermal water
site, from here starts also a trek which in 1 hour leads you on a top of a hill
where you can have the best view of the Aconcagua Mountain
CHILE
24.12
- 28.12 SANTIAGO, by “Tur” bus (7 hr) via the Los
Libertadores pass and sleeping at the “Providencia” hostel, exploring the city,
here I had also to repair my camera. We spent the Christmas in Valparaiso (2 hr
“Tur” bus each way) the amazing coloured harbour town not far from the capital
29.12
- 02.01 EASTERN ISLAND, also called Rapa Nui, arriving by flight Lan (5 ½ hr) and staying in
the “Moana Tipanie” camping in Hanga Roa.
Here we had some problem because the
Francesca’s backpack has been lost and delivered couple of days after. Except
of this we had great time here doing a trekking up the Rano Kau volcano
visiting the Orongo village, watching the spectacular sunsets in Ahu Tahai and
enjoying the new year eve in the centre of Hanga Roa. One day we did an island
round trip by bike (about 50km in 9 hr) visiting the Rano Raraku volcano,
Tongariki and Anakena beach
03.01
SANTIAGO, arriving by “Lan” night flight (5 ½ hr)
we went to sleep in the “Footstep” hostel, one more day around the city and we
finally tried the most famous “Terremoto” cocktail
04.01
Night “Tur” bus to Calama (26 hr) where we changed
to another bus to San Pedro
05.01
- 07.01 SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA, staying in a cheap
hostel, we have been around this particular town into one of the most famous
and dry desert in the world, we also have been at the Geyser del Tatio,
visiting the “Pueblo de Machuca”, doing sandboard at the Valle de la Muerte and
having a sunset in the Valle de la Luna
08.01
Bus “Intertrans” back to Calama (2 hr) and then a
night bus “Atacama Vip” to Arica (9 hr)
09.01
ARICA, we didn’t sleep here but we spent the day
around the town, climbing the “Morro d’Arica” and visiting the local museum
which has a famous big collection of Chincherro’s mummies. In the afternoon we
took a local bus to Tacna in Peru, during the 2 hours trip we could see the
Dakar rally passing by
PERU
09.01
TACNA, our first city in Peru, here we had a walk
around and the dinner before boarding a night bus to Arequipa (8 ½ hr)
10.01
AREQUIPA, sleeping at the guest house “El Caminante”
visiting around the city, Plaza de Armas and the Monastero Santa Catalina
11.01
CHIVAY, by minibus (5 ½ hr) via the Patahuasi
reserve and the “mirador de los volcanes” pass, here we slept in a guesthouse,
and we enjoyed the local “La Caldera” thermal baths
12.01
VALLE DEL COLCA, we had a full day (10 hr) on a bus
around this famous valley, visiting Yanque, Achoma, Maca and the Cruz del
Condor before going back to Arequipa where we had a night bus “Cruz del Sur” to
Lima (16 hr)
13.01
- 21.01 LIMA, finally meeting with my uncle
Maurizio and Cecilia, staying at their house in Miraflores. We had a great
family time here, and also visiting around the city, one day we went with the
4WD car around the beautiful Paracas national park
ECUADOR
22.01
QUITO, by “Lan” flight from Lima (2 ½ hr) and
staying at the “Hostal Belmont” hanging around the town
23.01
Night bus “Occidentales” to Lago Agrio (8 ½ hr),
here we took another bus (2 hr) to reach a small dock called El Puente on a
river in the Amazzonia, and here a small boat (3 hr) to finally reach the
Cuyabeno reserve
24.01
- 26.01 CUYABENO RESERVE, lost in the middle of the
Amazzonian forest, sleeping at the “Guacamayo” ecolodge, visiting from here by
boat the rivers, the magnificent Laguna Grande, fishing piranhas, watching the
crocodiles or, when not on the boat, walking day and night around the forest or
visiting some small village of the local Siona community
27.01
Another long travelling day, first on the boat back
to El Puente (2 ½ hr) then the bus back to Lago Agrio (2 hr) and finally the
bus “Banos” back to Quito (6 ½ hr)
27.01
- 29.01 QUITO, back
to sleep at the cheap “Hostal Belmont”, from the splendid Quito we have been around the city at the
Mitad del Mundo and the Museo Solar Inti-Nan where you are over the equatorial
line and you can do some experiments. One day we have been also at the Laguna
Quilotoa, passing by the village of Pujili (6 hr by car)
30.01
Flight “Lan” back to Lima (2 ½ hr)
PERU
30.01
Night bus “Cruz del Sur” to Cuzco (21 hr)
31.01
- 02.02 CUZCO, sleeping at the “Hapu Wasi hostal”,
visiting the magnificent city centre, the local markets and the ruins of
Saqsaywaman
03.02
- 04.02 AGUAS CALIENTES, sleeping in a local
hostal, we arrived here passing first with a tour bus the Valle Sagrato through
the cities and the ruins of Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo where the “Inca
Rail” train departs to Aguas Calientes (1 ½ hr). The day after early in the
morning we could visit one of the world wonders, the majestic Machu Picchu, before going back in town to
relax into the local thermal baths
05.02
On the way to Puno, taking first the “Inca Rail”
train back to Ollantaytambo (1 ½ hr), then a collectivo back to Cusco (2 hr)
and finally the night bus “Transzela” (7 hr)
06.02
- 07.02 PUNO, staying at “Urama Inn” hotel. The
city itself isn’t as special as the lake is, but is the best place to visit the
area and the Titikaka, here we boarded a boat to the Uros, the floating
islands, and to the wonderful island
of Isla Taquile
BOLIVIA
08.02
- 09.02 COPACABANA, by the “Huayruro tours” bus (3
½ hr) and we found a cheap room in the “Hostal Ola del Titikaka”. This city is
definitely nicer than Puno, we walked around the town, the market and the
cathedral, then from here we could board on a boat to the Isla del Sol where we
spent a day doing trekking all around the island, passing by the interesting
villages and ruins of Challapampa, Roca Sagrada and the Chincana, Yumani and
Pilkokaina
10.02
- 12.02 LA PAZ, by “Tur” bus (4 hr) and sleeping at “Hospedaje Millenio”. We have
been around the city during the carnival celebration and we went one day at the
Tiwanaku ruins
13.02
ORURO, arriving here by “Aroma” bus (4 hr), we
stayed around the city before catching at night the “Wara Wara” train to Uyuni
(7 hr)
13.02
- 14.02 UYUNI, we arrived at 2AM under an heavy
cold rain so we decided to find an accommodation for the night instead of
sleeping at the station for the first night. We found a cheap hostel for a few
hours and then we moved to the “Mosoj” hotel, from this city we could organize
a 3 days tou, here the only way to discover the area, unless you own a car, is
by this agencies that provides you a 4WD with driver, at the end we picked the
one called “Andrea tours”
15.02
VILLA ALOTA, Our trip with a Lexus 4WD starts in
the morning in Uyuni, passing by the stunning Salar the Uyuni, having a lunch
at the “Hotel de Sal”, a salt made hotel and then driving through the village of Colchani before arriving in a hostel in
Villa Alota
16.02
LAGUNA COLORADA, driving all the day via the Valle
de Rocas, mirador del volcan Ollague, the Lagunas Canapa, Chiarkota and
Edionda, the Arbol de Piedra and arriving at the hostel. After leaving the
baggage and having lunch we have been at the Sol del Manana Geyser, we had a
bath in a thermal lake and we drove the Salvador Dali desert till the Volcan
Licancabur which is at the border with Chile
17.02 UYUNI, driving all the day before arriving here, passing by the
Lagunas Capina and Khara, the Valle de Rocas stopping at some ancient graffiti
spot and the villages of Villa Alota and San Cristobal
18.02
POTOSI, by bus “quijarro” (4 hr) and staying at “Hostal Compania de
Jesus”, visiting this old colonial city
19.02
SUCRE, by bus “Alonso Ibanez” (4 hr) and sleeping at the “Alojamento
Guadalupe”,then visiting another nice colonial town
20.02 Night “Sin Fronteras” bus to Villamontes (19 hr)
21.02 VILLAMONTES, in this town lost in the Chaco region we were supposed
to change bus to get into Paraguay,
but arriving here we realized that this bus never existed, so after hanging
around the town we caught another night bus “Copacabana” to get into Santa Cruz (7 hr)
22.02
SANTA CRUZ, we found a room at the hotel “ 6 de Agosto” just infront of the
bus station, here finally we found a bus to Paraguay and after we went in the
city centre for a walk. The same day at night the bus departed on the way to Asuncion (25 hr) crossing the semidesert region of the Chaco
PARAGUAY
23.02
- 24.02 ASUNCION,
sleeping at “Hotel Del Sol”, visiting around the capital city centre and the
Rio Paraguay banks
25.02 ENCARNACION, by minibus “Pycasu” (6 hr) and sleeping at the hotel
“Itaipu”. This town is famous among the locals as a summer escape because of
it’s big beach on the Rio Parana banks. From here we could also visit the Jesuit
ruins of Trinidad and Jesus easily accessible
by a local bus (1 hr each way)
26.02
Night bus “El Tigre” to Ciudad del Este (5 ½ hr)
27.02
CIUDAD DEL ESTE, staying at the hotel “Santo
Domingo”, this is a busy market town at the border with Brazil, here we have
been at “Itaipu Electric Dam” which is the world’s biggest dam, and then at the
Salto del Monday waterfalls
ARGENTINA
28.02
PUERTO IGUAZU, arriving here from Paraguay by boat (1 hr) and
sleeping at the “Hostel Sweet Hostel” from here we have been at the dramatic
world famous Iguazu waterfalls
01.03
Night bus “Singer” to Concordia (14 hr)
02.03
CONCORDIA, we spent a few hours in this city before
taking the bus “Chadre” to Salto in Uruguay (1 hr)
URUGUAY
02.03
- 04.03 MONTEVIDEO, from the city of Salto
with the bus “Agencia Central” (6 hr) and staying at the “Hospedaje
Montevideo”. Visiting around this fascinating city, and also going for a day in
Punta del Este by bus “Copsa” (2 hr each way)
05.03
COLONIA DEL SACRAMENTO, by bus “Turil” (2 hr) and
sleeping at the “Espanol Hostel”, this is a charming old colonial city on the Rio de la Plata
06.03 Our last day in South America, here we took the boat “Seacat” on
the way back to Buenos Aires (1 hr). As we had to catch a flight the only fast
option from the harbour was a taxi (1 hr) to reach the airport where we flew
back in Rome
with Alitalia (14 hr)
