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South America
  • Jono Anderson

South America

A 53-day adventure by Jono Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 4, 2024
    Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Mindo & The Cloud Forest

    April 4, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    First we visited a private garden called hummingbird paradise where you are able to observe over 100 species of hummingbirds, we even had some feed from our hands.
    Then we took a cable car over a section of the cloud forest before going on a hike to see a couple of waterfalls, the water was nice enough for a dip.
    The waterfalls were followed by a zipline through the canopy of the cloud forest.
    The day finished up with a tour of the Yumbos Mindo chocolatier, where the history and process of making chocolate in Ecuador was explained.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Otalavo Markets, Mountains and Lakes

    April 5, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The first stop was in Cayambe for some traditional breakfast of bizcochos with local cheese and dulce de leche and a lesson on the traditional applications of the agave plant by the indigenous people.
    On the way to the Otavalo markets, we stopped by the San Pablo lake view point which was stunning. At the markets, we purchased some local artisanal items, including a poncho. We learned about the mythical hero Aya Huma. Otavalo is an interesting mix of indigenous traditions with modern culture, the best example of this being the traditional clothing style which is still worn by older generation women but the men had to wear more modern clothing when they had to travel to Quito for work during the economic crisis.
    After Otavalo, we walked to Laguna de Cuicocha (guinea pig lake), which used to be known as the lake of the gods before the Spanish came and changed the name, stating there was only one god.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Intiñan Museum and Old Quito Town

    April 6, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    As we drove to the equator, our guide started off by explaining the current local political landscape of Ecuador, which gave us insight into the situation compared to what we had heard in Australia. It was also explained how Covid impacted Ecuador's control over the cartels and their ability to expand their influence during the pandemic.
    We then visited Pululahua, an active volcano with a 12km caldera, which housed a very brave village.
    The morning was capped off by visiting the Intiñan museum, which lies on the equator. Intiñan translates to "the path of the sun" in the indigenous language, Quechua. At this location, we learnt about the importance of the solstices to the indigenous people and how they utilised sun dials to determine the season of the year and what to do with their crops.
    Next we visited the Basílica del Voto Nacional, which is the largest neo gothic basilica in the Americas. The Ecuadorian used animals from the region as inspiration for the gargoyles. It will be forever incomplete as Quito old town was declared an UNESCO heritage site during construction.
    We then visited the old town square and white house where we learnt about the Ecuadorian independence war, first in 1809 when the Spanish prevailed followed by a second fight in 1822 when the local Ecuadorians used the natural geography and altitude to their advantage in their fights for independence.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Santa Cruz Island

    Apr 8–9, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It was an early start to fly from Quito to the Galapagos but the view of the mountains from the plane was well worth it.
    First day in Galapagos was on Santa Cruz island. Driving to our accommodation, we saw a giant tortoise in the wild.
    We then visited the Charles Darwin Research Centre, where we saw baby tortoises being raised as well as some adult tortoises. It was interesting to learn there are 15 distinct giant tortoise species on the Galapagos islands, 1 for each volcano but when Lonely George passed away in 2012 he was the last of his species and we are down to 12.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Isabela Island

    Apr 9–11, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    When we arrived on Isabela Island, the first thing that screamed to be noticed was Sierra Negra volcano dominating the horizon. Once we had settled into the accommodation, we went for a hike to see the caldera of Sierra Negra, which has a diameter of around 12km and was stunning. The first day finished with some beers and sunset.

    The second day was spent exploring the Isabela Island lava tunnels, an amazing underwater complex like no other. They were formed when Sierra Negra erupted, and it's lava hardened faster on the outside whilst it flowed. This caused a complex tunnel network that over time caved in, causing a natural canal system teeming with wildlife. While snorkelling, we saw seaturtles, penguins, blue-footed boobies and sea lions.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    San Cristobal Island

    Apr 11–13, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    On the boat ride from Santa Cruz towards San Cristobal, we came across a pod of dolphins that put on a show. There must have been at least 100 of them. Once on the island, we were overcome with the sight, smell, and sound of dozens and dozens of sea lions. Once we had checked into the hotel, we walked to the Galapagos Interpretation Centre where we learnt some history of the islands and about the three main currents (the Humboldt current, the Panama flow and the Cromwell current) that drive the diverse ecosystem that is the Galapagos. Afterwards, we snorkelled at a nearby beach where we saw another turtle and swam with very playful sea lions.

    On our second day, we went snorkelling at a cleaning station called Kicker Rock, hoping to see some hammerheads. Unfortunately, whilst we did not see any hammerheads, we managed to see giant schools of fish, swim with reef sharks, and even managed to spot a school of eagle rays, which was amazing.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Lima

    Apr 14–16, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    It was time to say goodbye to Ecuador and our new friends we had made over the last two weeks as our new adventure was starting in Peru. When we landed in Lima, we settled into our hotel before going to explore Lima.
    The next day, we met the first of our new travelling companions, who we went on to explore the Miraflores district with before it was time to meet the rest of our soon to be Intrepid Family.
    Once we had our group meeting we went for a guided walk of Lima where we learnt about the origin of Paddington bear, explored Kennedy park (AKA cat park), tried a local dessert called picarones and went to dinner to try local ceviche and pisco. The night was capped with some introductory drinks with the group.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Amazon Jungle

    Apr 16–18, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    It was an early and hungover start to the day when we had an early flight to Puerto Maldonado, where we would start our foray into the Amazon Jungle.
    On our river boat ride to our lodge, we spotted squirrel monkeys, capybaras, and caymans. Once we settled into the lodge, we were treated to an amazing sunset over the river before going on a night walk into the jungle to observe some nocturnal Amazon denizens.

    On the second day, we headed out to Tres Chimbadas Lake to look for giant otters, but unfortunately, the weather meant we had to turn back. Once we got back to our lodge, we joined the locals to watch a game of the champions league, which was surreal considering we were in the middle of the jungle. Some Titi monkeys even joined to watch the game. After this, we played a game of soccer with the locals before getting ready for a night jungle boat ride to try and spot some more wildlife.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Cusco the Incan Capital

    Apr 18–19, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Delicious local dinner
    Wandered around the town square at night
    On the drive to Ollayatambo we stopped for a view over Cusco, learnt about Pachachuti and his heroics to protect Cusco and the expansion of the Incan territory into the neighbouring countriesRead more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Ollantaytambo

    Apr 19–20, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Today we left Cusco to head out to Ollayatambo where we would be heading to the starting point of the Inca Trail the following day. On the way we stopped by a small community where we learnt about their lifestyle and how they make all the different colour dyes for their beautiful textiles. After that, we were dressed up in traditional clothing before having a local lunch. After the community visit, we had a quick stop to try Peruvian chicha but in my opinion the Ecuadorian version was nicer.
    Once we were in Ollantaytambo we went for a walk and explored the last living Incan town in Peru.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Inca Trail

    Apr 20–23, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    The first day of the Inca trail was very exciting as we were immediately spoilt with stunning views of the mountain ranges that felt alien compared to anything we can see in Australia. On top of this, we had many opportunities to see old Inca sites on the first days walk which was capped off with camping in Wayllabamba where we formally met our porter team and watched the sunset over the valley.

    The second day was a daunting start as we had been told it was going to be the hardest day and right off the bat it didn't disappoint. It was straight uphill to our morning break at Llulluchapampa and it was here we were rewarded with the view of the Dead Woman's Pass. This was the peak that we would be ascending that day, and it looked steep, but there wasn't a better feeling than finally getting to the top of that pass. We then had a short steep descent into the Paqaymayu Alto valley where our camp for the second night would be.

    The third day started with a slight ascent before going downhill for the majority of the day. Towards the end of the day, we were treated to probably some of the best Incan sites to date. Intipata was a terrace farm that had the sole purpose to grow crops that would be offered to the gods, and Winaywana was a terrace farm that generates crops for people living in the area. We were spoilt for a view to watch the sunset and stargaze on the rooftop of an abandoned club near our campsite.

    Our final day had an early start, waking up at 3am so that we could get to the checkpoint for the final walk to the Sun Gate, which would give us a unique view of Machu Picchu. After a 3 hour hike, we were rewarded with a clear view of Machu Picchu, fortunately with clear skies. Once we got our fill of the views from the Sun Gate, we headed down to explore Machu Picchu.

    The day finished off with rejoining the rest of our Intrepid family for lunch before returning to Cusco.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Cusco and Sacred Valley

    Apr 23–25, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    After four long days of the Inca trail, our tired and smelly group were just looking forward to some hot showers and sleep in a modern bed. We got the train from Machu Picchu back to Ollayatambo before getting on the bus back to Cusco.
    Getting cleaned up and putting away our trekking clothes, our guide Julio had a special surprise for us. He took us to a bar that had a beautiful view of the Cusco hills where we enjoyed dinner and a few drinks.

    The next day, we had a free day to choose our own activity. The group split in two, with half deciding to go with the early start so they could see Rainbow Mountain while the other half of the group returned to Sacred Valley for ferrata and ziplines.
    This activity offered amazing views of the sacred valley from the side of the cliff, and the ziplines were the longest I have ever seen and unreal.
    The second day was capped off with some drinks out in the Cusco night life, including a beginners salsa group class and our second Irish pub of Peru!    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Puno & Lake Titicaca Homestay

    Apr 25–28, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The first day was mostly spent travelling on a bus from Cusco to Puno. It was the most comfortable bus we've been on, and it felt like a business flight.
    Once we arrived in Puno, we spent some time exploring the town square and went for a night walk after dinner.

    On the second day, we were on our way to our local homestays. We started by visiting one of the local floating islands, which were made by small communities who were driven away from their homes on the mainland to live on Lake Titicaca. The islands are cleverly built by using a base made up of blocks of the local reeds root systems tied together, which have properties like cork. They then maintain a bed level of reeds to make the island dry and habitable.
    Once we got to the local village, home of the Llachon community, we met our host, the lovely Mama Provencia, who made a generous lunch for us. We then spent the afternoon assisting her with shelling the corn, which was a range of beautiful colous, an amazing sight. The afternoon jobs were followed by some competitive games of volleyball with the locals.
    In the evening, we assisted with preparing dinner by peeling and cutting the vegetables whilst dressed up in the local garments.

    On our third day, we woke up and said goodbye to Mama Provencia before heading off to explore more of Lake Titicaca. We then landed on Tequile Island to explore and watch some traditional dances. Afterwards, the few who were brave enough went for a swim in Lake Titicacas frigid waters, which was very refreshing. The day was wrapped up with dinner and drinks where we said goodbye to our first friend to leave the trip.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    La Paz

    Apr 28–30, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We started with an 8 hour bus ride from Puno to La Paz before meeting our Bolivian tour guide. We had a guided tour of La Paz, which involved using the public transport cable car system, which was an amazing and unique way to see the city.

    The next day started with exploring the Witches Markets before getting back on the cable cars and exploring more of the city from the sky. We then had our welcome meeting where we met our new group members and tour leader before heading for dinner and some drinks. The night finished with some drinks at a cool bar that served its cocktails in a cauldron.

    The final day in La Paz, we had some free time to explore in the morning before having an amazing lunch comprising of 3 courses of local food with a modern twist. After lunch we went and played the local game of wolleyball against some locals. This sport is like indoor volleyball where you can use the walls. The day finished with watching the Champions League in an English pub before getting ready for our overnight bus to Uyuni.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Salt Flats and Altiplano

    May 1–3, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    The next part of our journey would comprise of 3 days of 4WD over the Bolivian salt flats. On our first day, we visited a site known as the train cemetery where we were able to see some abandoned trains leftover from a more industrial period of the region. After the train cemetery, we visited the salt flats, which were surreal as there was just white as far as the horizon. We then visited Isla Incahuasi, an "island" full of cacti, and after taking a range of photos, including some cool perspective photos, we set off for where we would spend the first night on the Bolivian Altiplano.

    The second day was spent visiting a number of lagoons. It was here that we were able to see giant flamboyances of flamingos. Later that afternoon, we had a final stop to see some natural geysers, which were stunning, but it is debatable if the smell made it worth getting out of the car!
    Once we got to our location of the accommodation for our second night, we got changed into some warmer clothes, had dinner, and then headed down to the natural hot spring for some stargazing. It was freezing on the walk down (pretty sure below freezing), but it was definitely worth it once we got in the hot springs and were able to observe the stars without any light pollution.

    The third day, we left the cold and windy Bolivian Altiplano for the Chile border crossing and San Pedro de Atacama.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    San Pedro de Atacama

    May 3–6, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Once we had crossed the border into Chile and headed down into San Pedro de Atacama, we said goodbye to the Andes mountains and high altitudes. Once we arrived in San Pedro, we went for an orientation walk of this small town before stopping for a late lunch. After a relaxing afternoon exploring the town, an average dinner, and a few post meal drinks, we got ready for the next day.

    The second day was a big one. We had an early start to get ready for sandboarding in Death Valley. This was awesome fun and wasn't too difficult to pick up and, most importantly, didn't stack too hard. The hardest part was that to go down the sand dune, you first must go up, and unfortunately, the only option was to walk.
    The evening of our second day was capped off with stargazing. It was an amazing opportunity to see the stars unhindered with light pollution. The guide also showed us how to take long exposure photos on our phones and pointed out some important stars, constellations, and galaxies. We also had an opportunity to observe some particular stars through some telescopes at the observatory.

    On the final full day, we explored the Moon Valley, which was aptly named as it looked like a barren planet with its geolocial structures and craters. We watched the sunset after a picnic. The next morning, we had an early start as we had another full day bus ride to say goodbye to Chile and arrive in Argentina.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Salta

    May 6, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After a full day on a bus that unfortunately was more similar to our buses in Australia (AKA uncomfortable), we arrived in Salta late in the afternoon. Once we had settled into our hotel, we went for an orientation walk before heading out for dinner. That night, we got a true introduction to Argentina; amazing street demonstrations of the tango and a very late dinner with very large portions.
    The second day, we went to experience the Gaucho way of life by visiting an Argentinan ranch. At the ranch, we learnt to make empanadas, were introduced to Mate, a traditional drink similar to green tea, and enjoyed a traditional Argentinan asado lunch.

    We then went for a horse ride where we learnt the Gaucho way of riding a horse with one hand.
    The next day, we had the morning to explore more of Salta before getting ready for a flight to Buenos Aires.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Buenos Aires

    May 8–12, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Buenos Aires marked the end of the tour for the majority of the group and the point we would start the final leg of the South American trip. After our flight from Salta landed and we checked into our hotel, where we met one of our group members, Moyo. We headed out for dinner at a recommended steakhouse and some drinks.
    The next day we were taken for an orientation walk of Buenos Aires by our guide. We saw ... Cathedral, walked by .... River and then walked to the famous La Boca neighborhood, home of the famous colourful buildings and the biggest football club in Argentina; Boca Juniors. It was interesting to see how empty and quiet Buenos Aires was on this day because there was a strike going on.
    Later that day, we had the opportunity to go watch a Copa Libertores (South American Champions League) match between San Lorenzo (Buenos Aires) and Independiente de Valle (Ecuador). The atmosphere was an amazing, especially when the home team who were the underdogs scored and ultimately won the game. The game was followed up with a final night out as a group, where we we to this really cool underground bar, that you entered like a Subway station to enter.
    The third & fourth days were hard as it was when we had to start saying goodbye to the friends we had made over the last month as they would be leaving over the next 48hrs. So one by one, we said our goodbyes to our old group before we met our new group for the last leg of the trip. On the last day we went to the iconic ... cafe that had some amazing churros and hot chocolate before returning to La Boca which was an entirely different atmosphere and very busy with it being the weekend and the strike having ended. The afternoon of the last day we went for a walk around ... Square and saw the monument.

    Day 4 Saturday

    Steak Parmi
    Walk around
    Football
    Night out
    New group
    Churros
    La Boca Round 2
    Monument    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Colonia del Sacramento

    May 12, 2024 in Uruguay ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Leaving Buenos Aires by ferry, we crossed the ... To arrive in Colonia del Sacramento, a small colonial town thats combined Spanish and Portuguese history is demonstrated in it's architecture. We went for a walk around the town before stopping for lunch and trying some Uruguayan food.
    We only stayed for the the afternoon before heading off to our ranch stay.

    Old town walk
    Portuguese history before Spanish    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Ranch homestay

    May 12–14, 2024 in Uruguay ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    Arriving at the ranch, we were able settled into our rooms before having a relaxing evening having a glass of wine and playing card games by a fire.
    The next day we were treated to a sleep in before our first farm job, milking the cow where we also had the opportunity to try fresh raw milk.
    The next job was unplanned, the sheep needed to be treated for medicine and needed to be directed to their pen, which was the easy part. Then we got asked if someone wanted to help catch the sheep, and I volunteered and must have impressed the farmers with my sheep wrangling as I was offered a bottle of wine for my efforts.
    After assisting with the sheep, we went to the kitchen to be shown how to make empanadas, the Uruguayan way. That afternoon we had the opportunity to go for a horse ride which except for the hordes of mosquitoes, was beautiful.
    The evening finished off with some music and relaxing by an outside bonfire.
    The next day, we had the opportunity to go for one more horse ride before we had to pack up and set off for Montevideo.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Montevideo

    May 14–17, 2024 in Uruguay ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    Arriving in Montevideo later in the evening, we checked into our hotel before heading out for a bite to eat, where found a brewery. The brewery had a great range of beers and food which we were able to enjoy whilst watching a game of football.
    The next day, we went for a free walking tour of Montevideo, where we learnt about the history of Uruguay and the impact of being wedged in between the Portuguese colony of Brazil and the Spanish colony of Argentina, how the shared fight for independence with Argentina led to many similarities between the countries including the flag and it's significance, and the "forward thinking/contemporary" of the country has lead to the development and implication of many laws well before the rest of the continent including the legalisation of gay marriage over a decade ago.
    After the walking tour and lunch we went to the memorial museum for the "plane crash" which showed the remarkable resilience demonstrated by the survivors against all odds as well as the wider impact the crash has on changes to flight industry as a whole.
    Leaving Montevideo we would have a long overnight bus to Iguazu falls

    Brewery
    Free walking tour
    Museum    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Iguazu falls (and Paraguay)

    May 17–19, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After the long overnight bus from Montevideo, we finally arrived in Puerto Iguazu (the Argentinian side of Iguazu), where we crossed into Foz do Iguazu, to visit the Brazilian side of the Iguazu falls and where we would be staying, where we were able to go on a board walk right out into the a part of the falls known as "Devils Throat", which was amazing but also incredibly wet. After the falls, on the way to our minibus, we saw a group of Coatls, cousins to the raccoons, where we observed their clever abilities to get into the bins. After checking into our hotel, we had a chance to have a cocktail by the pool before heading off to dinner.
    The next day, we visited the Argentinian side of the falls, where we were able to go on boardwalks over the top of the falls for an amazing view. After the walk, we had the opportunity to ride a jet boat up the river towards the falls before going right up to and partially under the falls, where we got absolutely drenched but it was an amazing and unique experience.
    After the boat ride, unfortunately due to the weather it wasn't viable going to the bird sanctuary, so we decided for a quick border crossing to Ciudad del Este the largest city of the border region and a part of Paraguay, where we were able to explore one of the giant shopping malls Paraguay is famous for due to their minimal taxes on goods. That night, we were treated to our first experience of Brazilian BBQ in an all you can eat fashion, the food was delicious.

    Visit Brazilian side
    Visit Argentina side
    Boat ride under water fall
    Surprise visit to Paraguay    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Paraty

    May 19–20, 2024 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Leaving the Brazilian side of Iguazu we had another long day of travel including a flight to Sao Paulo, the biggest city in South America - one of the biggest in the world - with a population of ... This could be seen from the plane as the city appeared to just stretch on forever into the horizon.
    From Sao Paulo we had a 5 hr bus ride to the small town of Paraty where we would be spending the next night. We were fortunate enough to arrive on the last day of a week long festival where we were treated with pop-up food stalls, local beers and live music before heading to a club on the beach. The club was a slow build up, as people in Brazil seem to arrive at their own pace but by midnight it was a good ... for the night. The next day, we went for an orientation walk of the town where we learnt about the design of and purpose of the town, to export gold from the inland back to Portugal.    Read more

  • Jono AndersonSouth AmericaTraveler

    Ilha Grade

    May 20–22, 2024 in Brazil ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Taking the ferry from Paratay, we headed to Ilha Grande, an old pirate island not far from Rio de Janeiro. This would be our last stop in a smaller town and community before the hussle and busesl of Rio. Getting to island quite late in the day, we checked into our hotel before going out to dinner.
    The next day, we did a boat tour of the island, stopping buy the green and blue lagoons where the water was incredibly clear and the snorkeling was stunning. We were able to see large schools of fish and even a young turtle swam past. Whilst it unfortunately was overcast and wasn't the warmest of weather for a boat cruise, the sea was calm and the water was warm.

    Snorkeling    Read more

  • Trip end
    May 26, 2024
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