Having arrived in Potosi in the afternoon, I had missed the mine tour and booked a night in the hostel. Thus, I had a lot of time to look at the beautiful colonial houses and churches and to go to the market.
Potosi @ Night
In the morning, I finally took the chance to go to the silver mines that are the biggest ones in the world. Because of Cerro Rico, the silver mountain next to Potosi, the city was once one of the richest in the world. Until today, thousands of men are working in the mines and we were able to experience the working conditions and watch the miners doing their tasks. It’s like a completely other world in there.
Fully Dressed for this Adventure
Our Guide with his Dynamite
Cerro Rico
View of Potosi
The Miners having a Break
Silver Linings
El Tio, the underworld devil who grants protection to Bolivian Miners
Finally seeing the Sunlight again
After a relaxed day at the hostel, I jumped on the bus to Tupiza in the South of Bolivia where I arrived in the middle of the night. In the morning, I took a stroll through this Wild West like town – the last residence of the US-outlaws Butch Cassidy and Sunday Kid – and into the red canyon. What a cool sight! And also the views on the way to Uyuni later were totally worth a bus ride during daytime.
In the town of Uyuni itself, there is not much to do except of comparing offers for tours. Thus, that is what I did after having arrived (and I indeed found a good one for about 85 USD for 3 days) and before taking the last shower for three days and having a good night’s sleep in a warm hostel bed.
Walking around in the world’s biggest salt desert
The next morning, Debora, whom I had met a couple of months ago in Ecuador, got there and our tour started. At first, we went to the train cemetery where you can climb on old trains that are not used anymore. After the museum of salt and a small market in Colchani, we finally started driving through the biggest salt desert on earth. At the salt hotel which had been built for the Dakar Race taking place here in 2016, we had lunch and then continued to a nice photo spot. Another sight in the salt desert is the island Incahuasi with hundreds of huge cacti and amazing views of the desert and the volcano Tunupa. In San Juan, inmidst the Chiguana desert, we stayed in a salt hostel and had a great dinner.
At the Train Cemetery
Salt Sculptures
Monumet for the Dakar Race
International Flags
The Salt Hotel
Island of Incahuasi
Sunset in the Salt Desert
In the morning, we had to drive a while until we got to the lagoons where the flamingos are roaming about. With these views in sight, we were having lunch outside before going on through amazing landscapes to the rock tree surrounded by astonishing rock formations. It was also here, where we saw desert foxes and vizcachas and got a good view of the volcano Ollague. In the afternoon, we arrived at Laguna Colorada where we took a walk to the viewpoint in order to soak in these incredible views of the lagoon and the flamingos. In the evening, we were sitting at the fireplace for dinner in order to get warm (it was freezing cold)…
Volcano Ollague
Flamingos
Vizcacha
Little Desert Fox
Rock Tree
Laguna Colorada
When we left in the morning, it was snowing very badly – thus, we were not able to get to the geysers due to this snow storm. But at least, we still were able to go to the thermal baths – what an experience to sit in this hot water while the air is freezing cold! Afterwards, we went to the green and the white lagoon before getting to the border post next to Licancabur, the third volcano we saw on this trip. Unfortunately, the street to Chile was blocked due to the snow. Thus, we had to wait for 2.5 hours until finally getting into the country and being driven to San Pedro de Atacama.
After finally having left Ecuador on a night bus across the border, I arrived to Mancora early in the morning and checked into my hostel Psygon Surf Camp – close to the beach with lots of palm trees, a pool, and bar, a gym and everything a backpacker’s heart desires. Thus, I just chilled at the pool and the beach the whole day after having explored the town. An incredible viewpoint for the sunset is on the hill near the lighthouse.
Sunset @ the beach
The next morning, I went to the beach in Los Organos. While swimming there, I was surrounded by huge turtles, sea lions, pelicans, and crabs. Amazing!!! There, I also met some other backpackers whom I spent the rest of the day with before taking the night bus further down South.
Sea Lion
Pelican
Turtle
Crab
These Sea Turtles were huuuuuge
The bus ride which was supposed to take me to Trujillo over night was sooo messed up… 🙁 Something on the engine was broken and thus, the bus only went with half the speed until it finally got replaced 15 hours later. That means we arrived in Trujillo with a 12-hour-delay… First and last time I took a bus by the company Primavera.
Stuffing ourselves with burgers after having been starving on the bus…
In Trujillo, I teamed up with Ben from the Netherlands and Diego from Colombia and we stayed in the hostel Wachaque Surf in Huanchaco after having had burger and drinks. In the morning, Adel from England joined us and we went to Chan Chan with its museum and ruins – remains of the Moche dynasty. A looong time ago, this was the biggest capital city purely built of clay. After having spent some time at the beach and in the beautiful city center of Trujillo in the afternoon, we took another night bus to our next destination.
Having arrived in Huaraz, we chose the Big Mountain Hostel to stay in. After breakfast at the terrace, we went on a small hike to a lagoon close by where we enjoyed wonderful views before getting everything ready for pursuing the Santa-Cruz-Trek starting early the next morning – renting the camping gear, buying food, making pasta, and packing everything together.
In the Corn Fields
We made it!
Hello little Guys
Amazing Views
To get to Huascaran National Park, we had to take two local busses. Having arrived to Vaqueria, we enjoyed a Coca tea to prevent altitude sickness, and then started hiking. The winter camping gear was just too heavy that’s why Ben and I decided to rent a donkey for carrying our stuff (in the end, we not only got a discount but also an upgrade to a horse). During the first night of camping, it rained really hard and we woke up because the tent was leaking… :-/ Although having been advised to turn around and go back, we decided to go up with the wet stuff. The weather was on our side and we were able to dry it in the sun at the highest point Punta Union (4.700m) near the lagoon. When our horse left us, we had to carry our big bags ourselves but very friendly Peruvian guys helped us, offered us tea and snacks afterwards, and even served us dinner and breakfast in the tent. 🙂 On the 3rd day, we started early again and hiked 24km through valleys and along rivers – incredible views!
Let’s Start this Adventure!
Our Carrier 🙂
Setting up the tent
Ben & Me
The Lagoon at the Highest Point
Beautiful Mountain Views
Morning Views
By, bye Snowy Mountains
Through the Valley
Idyllic Lunch
Hola 🙂
As soon as we had arrived in Huaraz in the evening, I jumped on a night bus to Lima in order to meet up with my friend Lisa from Germany …
Having arrived to Lima early in the morning, I went to the Hotel where my friend Lisa stayed after having gotten there from Munich on Sunday. There, we had a very nice breakfast, before I finally was able to take a shower again after 4 days without… At noon, we walked through Miraflores, visited two ruins and afterwards the city center which was pretty disappointing and veeeeery noisy and smoggy because of all the traffic. Thus, we went back to the hotel and chilled there before taking a bus to Ica in the morning.
Streetart in Miraflores, Lima
The highlight in Ica is Per`’s mesmerizing desert oasis Huacachina where we stayed in the hotel Rochabus which gave us some pool time. In the evening, we went with a buggy through the sand dunes, tried sand boarding, and enjoyed a wonderful sunset in the desert.
Pool Time
Lake Time
Us in the Desert
Our Sand Buggy
Sunset Time
The Oasis at Night
Sandboarding
The next day, we had another relaxing time at the pool before going to Nazca to take a look at the famous Nazca Lines. What we saw was a collection of giant geoglyphs created by the ancient Nazca culture depicting various plants, animals, and shapes. The 2,000-year-old lines in the ground – which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 – are still a mystery to researchers. From there, we took the next upcoming bus to Arequipa (this time the luxury liner Cruz del Sur for a promo price).
Having arrived in Arequipa, we just dropped our bags at the bus station and went into the city center where we strolled around, stunned by the colonial-style houses, the impressive churches, the arcs – and, of course, the jaw-dropping scenery with two volcanoes surrounding it this city.
Strolling through Arequipa
In the evening, we arrived in Cabanaconde, where we stayed the night at hotel Villa Pastor in order to start our trek through the Colca Canyon early in the morning – the second deepest canyon worldwide. When Lisa, me, AJ, and Quintin (two Americans we had had met earlier in the bus), arrived in Llahuar about 6 hours later, it was time to relax in the hot springs. What a wonderful afternoon we had at the Llahuar Lodge, where we inhabited our own little cabin at the river! 🙂
Breakfast
Let’s go!
Fun in the Canyon
Cabins @ the River
The Four of us in the Hot Springs
The next day, we went on uphill and after a while down again to the oasis Sagalle. But instead of staying there at one of the hotels chilling at the pool, we went on to San Juan until we arrived in Posada Gloria where we spent the night (without wifi, hot water, and electricity but with a great banana-pancake breakfast).
Oasis Sagalle
Huge cacti
Pool in the Oasis
In our Cabin
Delicious Breakfast
The third day in the canyon was the hardest. We had to leave very early in order to hike uphill for 1.200 m in 3 hours to get the bus in Cabanaconde at 11:30 am while enjoying the last stunning views of this amazing landscape! Back in Arequipa, we took the night bus to Cusco.
When we arrived in Cusco, we felt veeery tired – not only due to the long night ride in the bus but also due to the altitude… Thus, we only checked out the San Pedro market, did a (not very recommendable) free walking tour, and ran around town checking out and comparing the offered tours to Machu Picchu.
Nice view over the city
The next morning, it was already time to leave for our Inka Jungle Trek to Machu Picchu which we had just booked the night before with one of the many tour operators (the price was about 150 USD). It was a great 4-days-tour including 54 km downhill mountain biking, a 2-hour rafting trip, a ziplining experience, hiking along a part of the Inca Trail, awesome jungle lodges, and delicious meals. On the last day, we started very early in the morning in Aguas Calientes to go up the hill to Machu Picchu (the entrance was also included in the package) – an amazing place and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (one of the Seven Great Wonders of the World) totally worth a visit.
Downhill Mountain Biking
Ready to Rumple!
Let’s go Rafting!
Hiking along the Inka Trail
Hello little Bird
Time for some Ziplining
Aguas Calientes – Gateway to Machu Picchu
Looking at Machu Picchu
Ancient Bridge
Stunnung Views
Walking through this ancient city
On the Way back
Back in Cusco, we chilled for a day, just visiting the market, some ruins, and enjoying parades at the main square. Oh, and not to forget changing the hostel to Blacky Hostel (very nice atmosphere) because Koko’s House was way too loud keeping you from sleeping and the staff was not very nice.
Preparing for the Parade
Traditional Clothes
Having a Healthy Smoothie at the Market
Views from Above
Walking the Streets of Cusco at Night
On our last day, we got up very early in order to visit the famous Rainbow Mountain (“Vinicunca”) which shines in seven different colors. Although crowded with tourists, it was still a breathtaking sight inmidst incredible landscapes such as the Red Valley. And the lunch buffet was delicious! 🙂
Visiting the Rainbow Mountain
At night, we took a bus to Puno at Lake Titicaca where we enjoyed the sunrise at the lake during a stopover before crossing the border to Bolivia…
Having been done with all border crossing formalities (It took us about 2 hours because there were many Venezuelan refugees trying to reach the other side), we discovered a stunning sight: the cemetery of Tulcan. Everywhere, the bushes had been cut like characters and animals. An amazing view! One would not have thought that this is a cemetery…
Having said goodbye and farewell to Anika, my next stop was Ibarra where I stayed with a local family thanks to my friend Melanie who had been living here many years ago and connected me with her friends from back then. This was just the loveliest family in whole Ecuador! They showed me around, had me taste all kinds of traditional food, and were just the nicest people. Thank you so much for your hospitality – BESOS! :-*
Views from my Window
Having Breakfast
Roasted Guinea Pigs
The cutest Ecuadorian Kids
Lookout above Ibarra
Arcángel San Miguel
In the Living Room with my Host Family
Amilkar, another friend of Melanie, showed me the villages around Ibarra. We first went to Mira, had lunch, and then went on to Magdalena after having taken a look at the regional market. But this one was nothing compared to the Saturday market in Otavalo. At night, we went out with Ismael and Diego, two other friends, whom I also attended an Ecuadorian ceremony with the following weekend.
Amilkar had decided to accompany me for a couple of days, thus, off we went – to Mindo first. There, after lunch, we went along the Sanctuary of Waterfalls – visiting six of them in a row. What a great hike we experienced in this lush subtropical cloud forest – a unique eco-system in Ecuador that’s known worldwide for its biodiversity and birding experience.
Delicious Ecuadorian Chocolate
View from inside the Gondola
Mickey Mouse 🙂
In the Water…
In Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, we stayed at Giuliana’s house, a befriended tour guide of Amilkar. On Good Friday, we went into town for the Easter procession called “The Long Walk to Redemption”. It was an incredible event to watch – all those men in their purple capes (“cucuruchos”) and the women as “veronicas” representing the woman who wiped the face of Jesus with a cloth while he was carrying his cross. They walk the streets for hours completely barefoot, the cucuruchos carrying mammoth crosses (often crafted by themselves) on their back or dragging them. In the middle of the procession, it started raining – like every year as I was told. Nonetheless, we had some great sightseeing all around the city center, especially with all the churches being open on this public holiday.
Sightseeing with Amilkar & Giuliana
The Easter Procession
Crucified
Men dressed as “Cucuruchos”
Women dressed as “Veronicas”
Inside one of the spectacular Churches
Accompanied by two Cucuruchos
When the Rain had stopped
Roaming around at Night
Gloomy Atmosphere
In the Streets at Nighttime
The next day, we packed our stuff and went on to the next place worth visiting: Mitad del Mundo. That’s where the Equator line is located, that means 0’0’0’. It was quite amusing to stand with one foot on the Northern hemisphere and with the other one on the Southern hemisphere. And as there was also an open air regional museum, some experiments, a science exhibition and a planetarium, it was really interesting, too.
My next stop was Tena in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, also called “El Oriente”. I got there with the night bus and after having dropped my bags at hostel Zumag Sisa (strongly recommended: lovely owner, cool area to hang out at, clean beds), I went to Puerto Misahualli in order to walk right into the jungle. At the lagoon, I met two Ecuadorians who took me on a cruise with the canoe during which we saw many different kinds of birds, monkeys, and goannas. Afterwards, we went on a tour to the community Shiripuni and into the jungle to a giant tree with explanations of the plants and birds. What a great day!
At the Lagoon
Exploring by Boat
A Wild Parrot
Jane
Tarzan
The next morning, I went with a fellow German traveler by bus into the lush green surroundings of Tena. First, we went to the waterfall Las Latas where we took a swim in the clear, refreshing water after the hike. At noon, we went to Laguna Azul to have lunch and bath in all four of the basins. Another nice day in the jungle. 🙂
Las Latas Waterfall
Laguna Azul
Fresh Fish for Lunch
Bathing in the Pools
Tena during Nighttime
At night and in the morning, it was raining pretty hard and I decided to drive on to Puyo where I stayed in the bus because of the heavy rainfall…
