South America
We had 3-weeks to explore South America and as we hadn’t been anywhere in this continent before, we wanted to see as much as possible! So went on an organised tour starting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and travelling through Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and ending up in Lima, Peru…
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Copacabana and Ipanema beaches were just as awesome as you’d imagine them to be; long stretches of golden sands, plus they had beach bars a plenty! You could bar crawl all day and still not get amongst all of them…(gutted we were on such a strict time schedule!)…get your lips round a Brahma and you’ll be set!
Christ the Redeemer was mental busy with tourists (as expected!) but you just gotta do it and get a selfie with the big man. The funicular up to it is a must by itself.
Sugarloaf Mountain is another must-do for the views alone, I hadn’t realised how stunningly beautiful Rio would be - I took so many photos here. We also did the cable cars across the favelas - a real eye opener.
The one thing I would suggest is to get up high - go and see the views, they do really go on for days and are worth it.
Iguazu Falls - Brazil and Argentina
The extent of these waterfalls blew my mind, so not surprising to understand that together these waterfalls make them the largest waterfall in the world.
We spent 2-days visiting here, which you might think is a lot but you can see them from both the Brazilian and Argentinean sides.
The Brazilian side gives you a fabulous walkway and views of the enormity of the falls but beware, you end up looking like you’ve just had a shower!
The Argentinean side offers you a boat trip to get closer to the falls which is epic - the sound alone of the falls is ridiculous!
Either way, prepared to be amazed, in awe and absolutely bloody soaked by the end of the day!
La Paz, Bolivia
La Paz is 3,500m above sea level so messes with your head because you want to walk everywhere and see it all but you feel so tired at the same time, so definitely take things slowly even if you don’t want to! The views into La Paz and then out of La Paz when you’re in the city are spectacular, so make sure you keep your head up when you’re walking around. And definitely head to the viewpoints because they’re worth it.
We stumbled across a very cool bar in La Paz called Diesel Nacional - a unique bar made with all the parts of trains/railway that ceased to exist there. Cocktails great too!
A trip to Luna Valley is also recommended, not quite the moon, but loads of clay tall spires to amble around - something a bit different!
Cusco, Peru
Andean Explorer - Puno to Cusco; This was one of our favourite parts of the holiday. A scenic train journey through the Andes. I thought this type of trip was for the (ahem) older generation but we thoroughly enjoyed it - lots of erm, mountains (!) and river valleys to see and all from the comfort of the train (with a beer!). There was a viewing deck at the back which was floor to ceiling glass to absorb more scenery.
Cusco, Peru - Cusco is the door to the Inca’s. A really lovely town to touch base before embarking on Machu Picchu and your Inca journey. Plaza de Armas square is perfect for a stroll, shop and beer - some lovely rooftop places to enjoy the city at night too.
Machu Picchu, Peru
I don’t think anything I can write here will do it justice. Saving the best ‘til last, this was a real “pinch me” moment. Absolutely breath-taking. And an unbelievable history - how the hell they transported those rocks without wheels is beyond me - I was knackered from walking myself up there! We spent about 5-hours here - I’ve never taken so many photos. No “wonder” it’s a Seven Wonder of the World. Bucket list well and truly ticked.