TRIP DIARY: SOUTH AMERICA 2012 – 2013

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)