Two Backpackers

Mendoza Argentina Wine Pictures

| by Jason | 19 Comments » | Argentina, Photo Essays, South America

One of the most popular wine regions to visit in Mendoza, Argentina is Maipu.  Maipu is easily accessible from Mendoza by local bus or your own transportation.  The entire Mendoza wine region is most known throughout the world for it’s Malbec wines.  Experience the thin skinned grapes in a variety of vineyards serving the intense red Malbec wines.  The greatest reward for tasting wines in the Mendoza region is the dramatic landscape featuring the Andes (Los Andes) Mountains and high plains.

This compilation of Mendoza wine travel pictures was taken during our visit to the Maipu wine region in 2024. (more…)

Machu Picchu Pictures

| by Jason | 33 Comments » | Peru, Photo Essays, South America

The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru is perhaps one of the most spectacular sites you can visit in South America. From the complexity of building the city on top of a mountain ridge surrounded by mountains, to the unbelievable story of how it remained intact and untouched for hundreds of years all contribute to becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

This compilation of Machu Picchu pictures was taken during our visit to the cultural Inca site in 2024. (more…)

Puerto Natales, Patagonia Chile

| by Jason | 13 Comments » | Chile, South America

Puerto natales 1 371 by Adriuu, on Flickr

If you are planning on visiting Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, you will inevitably arrive to Puerto Natales.  Lying next to the cloudy turquoise glacier shores of Seno Ultima Esperanza, extreme wind conditions are common.  It’s a small town with most buildings only a single story with the main street clearly more developed and groomed than the less traveled side streets.  Like many of the towns visited in Patagonia, they have become entirely dependent on tourism, from the backpacker to tour groups of retirees.  Towns centered on tourism mean you will typically find a modern super market, plenty of adventure rental equipment, touristy restaurants and unlimited lodging. (more…)

Road Trip: Northern Chile Altiplano

| by Jason | 25 Comments » | Adventures, Chile, South America

Entering Northern Chile from Peru will most likely lead you to the coastal town of Arica.  Check out our article on discovering Arica to find out what adventure lies there, but for this article we are jumping right into Northern Chile’s great Altiplano!

Monumento Natural Salar de Surire

Road Trip

Northern Chile’s Altiplano is filled with varying landscapes including snow capped volcanoes, desert mountains, small adobe villages, salt flats, flamingos, vicuñas and pre-Inca ruins.  Arica will serve as your base camp for settling into the new country and planning your exploratory road trip.  Several vehicle rental companies exist in town with 4×4 vehicles.  Between the cost of your rental truck and all the gas you have to purchase, this adventure will definitely cost you additional money. (more…)

Stargazing in Chile

| by Linda | 8 Comments » | Chile, Guest Post, South America

Courtesy of www.spaceobs.com

Travel in Chile doesn’t always go as planned, as our guest writer Linda Martin discovers…

We’d hoped to visit San Pedro de Atacama on our first trip to Chile, detouring off the main road from Santiago to the border to see what this desert town has to offer.  But while we were in the south of the country, Chile was rocked by the 8.8-grade earthquake that killed more than 500 people and left thousands more homeless; it was a sad time for the country.  The quake caused major damage to roads and highways, and airports and bus stations in several cities were closed for several days.  Even in the south where we were, far from the epicenter, transport came to a complete halt for a couple of days - you couldn’t travel in any direction. (more…)

Hiking Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) in Colombia

| by Kristin | 11 Comments » | Colombia, Guest Post, South America

Main Terraces of Ciudad Perdida

Within one month of my decision to move to Cali, Colombia, I knew I wanted to hike to Ciudad Perdida.  I found a friend who wanted to do the 5 night, 6 day jungle trek with me, we planned a trip for January 2024, and I started looking for flights to the nearby city of Santa Marta.

After she arrived to Cali, we prepared to leave for Santa Marta.  We packed our backpacks full of “just the essentials”.  Then we took a lap around my apartment.  Suddenly, I didn’t feel so confident in our survival skills for 6 days – honestly I questioned our ability to make it through day one with these backpacks on our shoulders.

However, we did make it, and emerged with a stunningly unique and memorable experience that I will never forget.  Yes, 6 days is a big commitment for the consistently on-the-move traveler, but this is one experience you cannot afford to miss. (more…)

Discover Quito Ecuador

| by Jason | 20 Comments » | Ecuador, Photo Essays, South America

Quito is the capital city of Ecuador and stands 2,800 m (9,186 ft) above sea level, making Quito the second-highest capital city in the world behind La Paz in Bolivia.  Its official, less popular name is San Francisco de Quito.

Quito, Ecuador

Quito is most often visited for it’s proximity to the celebrated middle of the world, equator line (La Mitad del Mundo).  In addition, Quito’s old city (Centro Histórico), also boasts the most exquisite Spanish colonial architecture that attracts photographers from around the world.  Cathedrals dot the landscape and the Andes mountains wrap the city valley.  Looking off into the distance at the 45 m (148 ft) tall aluminum monument of a madonna that stands overlooking the city from a hilltop, I felt I was in a special place. (more…)