Patagonia, Argentina

The huge area designated as “Patagonia” stretches from mid-Argentina, into Chile, and all the way to the Southern tip of Ushuaia. The area is home to absolutely stunning glaciers, all of which are suprisingly dissimilar. Frozen landscapes extending up into and through the mountains are one of the main attractions here, although there are many cultural and more populated areas in between the major destinations too, making Patagonia a favorite destination for backpackers. This destination is a popular spot for vocational tourism, an enviable profession to be sure. In fact, many people decide to study for tourism degrees after making their own trips to Patagonia.

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Deserts, high skies, and stars are the main attraction in this village midpoint between Chile and Bolivia. This spot is a popular destination for those traveling from Northern Argentina as well. The village is quiet and relatively uneventful (keep in mind its in the middle of a dry, desert landscape). Bikes are always available for rent, and of course two legs and a backpack are always a viable option. Head out in any direction and get some amazing photos from the many desert vistas, but keep in mind that you are likely to not find any other humans there (which is part of this spot’s allure).

Machu Picchu, Peru

You have heard of this spot and for good reason. Nestled within the imposing Peruvian mountains, it is definitely one of the must-see spots in the world. What could be better than backpacking through rolling mountains and discovering ancient ruins? Take the Lares Trek–it will not disappoint, but be sure to search Global Travel Blogs for more details on this backpacking Mecca.

Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Home to more than 10,000 square kilometers of salt, Salar de Uyuni is one of the most popular destinations in the world for backpackers. The area can be visited from Uyuni in southern Bolivia on a day trip involving trips to the various salty sights. We recommend traveling through the deserts of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile in a Jeep in order to see more of this amazing spot.

Cuenca, Ecuador

So far, most of the recommended destinations suggested have been more remote destinations. Ceunca, Ecuador provides a different appeal for backpackers: a very affordable spot with plenty of nice towns in and on the way. This area is not necessarily known for vibrant nightlife (this is backpacking after all); however, the food is cheap and amazing. Eating well for cheap makes any backpacking trip much better, agreed?

Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina

This place is great for waterfall enthusiasts. You are a waterfall enthusiast just like everyone else because waterfalls are undeniably worthy of everyone’s enthusiasm. This destination brings together everything that makes backpacking great: affordability, world-class sights, and a new destination every day. There is also an abundance of hostels competing for your business, as this area is a popular destination for travelers of all kinds.

South America has no shortage of great spots for backpackers of all experience levels. This list is, however, hardly comprehensive, so check out the following resources for more great reviews and ideas for backpacking South America.

Backpacking South America – this website takes a destination-by-destination approach and provides travelers of all kinds with great information on South America.

Today was the day that I have always dreamed of, seeing Machu Picchu! I was so excited that waking up at 5am felt like nothing. All I wanted to do was get up to the site and start exploring.

Konrad and I already booked everything prior to this day since we knew getting tickets for Machu Picchu in the village of Aguas Calientes would be trouble. Once we reached the site, our climb to reach Machu Picchu was about 20 minutes long. But once we reached the top, the two of us were mesmerized, by how incredible beautiful Machu Picchu was. It took us about a minute to actually say a word since staring over white fluffy clouds and bright green rainforest mountains in the background was breathtaking.

I booked the ticket to Machu Picchu that included an extra fee for climbing the Huayna Picchu or Wayna Picchu. Only 200 people are allowed to climb this mountain during certain time slots. I booked our time-slot between 7 and 8am. So as far as I knew, we started to climb one of the mountains, not realizing that it was the wrong one. About an hour into the climb I decided to stop, because the only thing you could see was white fluffy clouds. Konrad looked a little worried, which at the time I didn’t know why. But we decided to turn back and see what other mountains we could climb. As we continued to explore the sites of the ruins, we finally made it to the other end of the park. There was a small gate, which happened to be the entrance of Wayna Picchu. I couldn’t believe we were lucky enough to stop climbing the other one since it was the wrong one, Machu Picchu Mountain. The park guides told us we were two hours late, since our time slot was supposed to be at 7am. But with a strike of luck, they happened to let us in.  Once we started the climb of 1400 steps vertically high, the rain started to pour heavily. I was thankful I brought my gore-tex jacket, but at the same time the steps were so narrow that climbing on wet, small steps made it even more of a challenge. Although, Konrad kept saying to me, “this is going to be a life changing experience.” “Ya”, was all I could say, “Yes it will be if I fall!” Once we reached the top, the clouds were starting to disappear, which was lovely. The view of Machu Picchu became clearer as time passed. I was so excited to see Machu Picchu from such a height that I couldn’t stop taking pictures. It wasn’t until I realized how cold I was, that I immediately wanted to go back down. But as I was mentioning how freezing I was to Konrad, he suddenly went down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was in shock, so of course no words came out of my mouth for that second, but as I saw the ring I knew I was not in a dream! I said “YES of course” and was so happy that the remaining of the day spend seeing Machu Picchu was even more exciting than seeing it for the first time!!

Our first step was to figure out how to reach the village of Ollantaytambo, since this was the town we were to catch our train to Aguas Calientes. I knew we had tons of time to get to Ollantaytambo considering that our train was scheduled at 6pm that evening, but at the same time I wanted to tour around the village and explore a bit of the Sacred Valley. So I planned to arrive in the village of Ollantaytambo around noon.

Around 10am in the morning we ended up taking a semi-private taxi from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, which ended up to be a journey of two hours. By semi-private, I mean there were other locals in the taxi. The drive was uncomfortable and slightly scary given that our driver was gliding around tight corners and missing on coming traffic by just inches. Though at the same time it was a thrill to experience how it actually feels to be driven by a true local Peruvian. As we drove within the Andes, the beauty surrounding us was astonishing. With its patterned farm fields and vast terrain the region’s agriculture was magnificent. We couldn’t stop taking pictures and staring. But as soon as we arrived in Ollantaytambo, the view got even better. Located in the western end of the Sacred Valley and built on top of original Inca foundations, the village was breathtaking. It was so incredible, that I wanted to get exploring right away. 

There were two main tourist attractions in the village, the Fortress and the market. The site of the fortress was lovely, with its several ancient burial sites and stone steps that were cut out so perfectly. Both Konrad and I were scrambling around with our cameras for a few hours. But as we came to the market, our eyes were fixed on many different small handcraft items. I quickly knew I would be purchasing tons of souvenirs during this trip considering how cute they all were.

Around 6pm we boarded the train to Aguas Calientes. The train was filled with tourists, just like us. But what was so incredible, was the feeling knowing that we were off to see one of the 7 wonders of the world – Machu Picchu. You could even feel how much excitement was in the atmosphere on the train. Although, the bad part about the train was it was just as scary as the taxi journey over to Ollantaytambo. With the train swinging side to side and feeling a little off balance I kind of wanted to get to Aguas Calientes pretty quickly. Plus, since it was pitch dark outside, and not being able to see anything, it was even a little more nerve racking. After the two hours of a train ride, we finally made it to the city of where the Machu Picchu journey would begin! I was so happy to reach our hostel, have some food and to just sleep. We went to bed fairly early since we wanted to wake up at 5am to be at Machu Picchu for 6am. But sleeping was so difficult, for I was way to excited, for the next day! MACHU PICCHU day!!! 

My boyfriend and I are going on an 11 days adventure to Peru! We are going from Oct 5th to Oct 15th. Since my time off work is limited, we had to make our trip a fast pace backpacking adventure. I first started planning our trip by researching the best and most inexpensive way to arrive in Cuzco. I had no plans to see Lima, since we are time limited. I thought it would be best to fly directly to Cuzco. Although, all flights from Toronto to Cuzco do connect in Lima. After a few days of hunting for the best flight times and pricing I finally came across a great deal. With only two connections, one in JFK and another in Lima our flights came out to $1100 each. We leave mid-afternoon on the 5th and arrive in Cuzco at 9am the following day. The way back is an over night flight with the same connections. The booking took some time to find, but after going back and forth between many websites, we finally found the best flight. On average a flight from Toronto to Lima is usually over $1100 CAD, so I thought the price we got to Cuzco was amazing! After booking the flights, I started to get even more excited, and that’s when all the other bookings came into place.

I knew our first stop would be seeing Machu Picchu. Due to our time we aren’t planning to hike up to Machu Picchu, so the train and booking the hostel in Aguas Calientes was the next booking step. With a bit of searching I came upon the best price for the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu). Booking the train was a bit tricky and surprising too. I had no idea how many tourists see Machu Picchu daily. The train for October 7th – 8th was almost fully booked and the hostels in Aguas Calientes were already starting to book up fairly quickly. So we were lucky we started to book now, rather than later.

The transportation route to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) is a little confusing due to the many train options you can take. We moved forwarded with deciding to book the train in the later evening on Oct 7th to Machu Picchu, so we could spend the day at the Sacred Valley. And arriving in Machu Picchu for around 9pm. Once we arrive in Machu Picchu it will time for bed. Only reason for that is because we will be waking up at 4:30 am to get on that bus to climb Huayna Picchu and watch the sunrise at 7:30am. I was told over 400 people try to make it for sunrise, so the line ups will be incredibly long and there is only one bus that leaves on time to make it for sunrise. It will be a mission to wake up that early, but how often will I have the chance to see the sunrise in one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world. The entire day will be spent seeing the historic village.

This is my plan… well so far.

First step – Flight from Toronto to Lima.
I am not so excited about Lima, so I am going to go directly to Puno to see Lake Titicaca and visit the Floating Islands of Uros. I plan to stay there for two nights. I scanned through some hostels already and so far it looks like the best one is The Point Hostel. Since it does over look the highest lake in the world. When I am in Puno, I wouldn’t mind crossing over to Bolivia too, but that is still on my maybe list.
Second step – is to take a bus over to Cuzco. I plan to see the small town for a day and following that I want to do a two-day hike up to Machu Picchu. Only reason why I want to do a small hike is because I have little time on my agenda. I would have to take the train half way up and from there the 105km hike would begin. Now getting back to Cuzco would be the train. Since I am only doing a two-day hike that would leave me enough time to explore the Amazon.
Third Step – A flight from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado would only take me a day. Once I am there I would directly go to the hostel, at which I have already found one that seems good. It’s called the Anaconda Lodge. It is built like little bungalows surrounded by tropical vegetation of the jungle. Plus it offers a pool!Sounds already good to me. I think I would just find a local tour to help me explore the jungle a little. Maybe even do a little fishing.
Once the jungle adventure is complete. I would fly back to Lima in order to catch my flight home to Toronto.
Now this is just a plan, now for all of you who have traveled Peru please let me know what you recommend! From hostels, transportation, to highlights! Cheers.

About 2,500 tourists were evacuated via helicopter following the mudslides that stranded backpackers on the Machu Picchu site on Thursday night. Most of them were transported to a nearby village and then hopped on buses to reach the nearest town called Cusco. An air operation was necessary because the mudslides reached the train tracks- the only method of transportation to reach the inca site.  The only alternative way to get to the site is a 4-day Inca Trail hike that only 10% of tourists actually use! And even then, some areas of the path were inaccessible because of the mudslides.

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