San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Staring out the window during the twenty-four hour bus journey, I watched the seemingly endless Peruvian coast rush by while I journeyed further south from Huanchaco. I returned to Chile after eight months away and detoured inland to visit San Pedro de Atacama, the driest desert in the world.

At an altitude of 2,400m and under the blazing desert sun I decided it would be a great idea to rent a mountain bike and head off to visit the "Valle de la Muerte" (Valley of Death) and "Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). The going was surprisingly easy, only having to walk my bike in places where the sand had drifted onto the road making cycling impossible. The Valley of Death was appropriately named, it was great to cycle along the barren wastes and imposing rock formations that hemmed in the track.

It was a longer and tougher ride to the Valley of the Moon, but it was definitely worthwhile to explore the amazing salt caves, gigantic sand dunes and to watch the scorching sun descend over the nearby mountain ranges. I returned to the small town dusty, thirsty and sore, but happy for the experience.

Thus the final destination was checked off my list, it was time to return to Santiago and prepare for my flight home in less than a week.

More photos here

Baños, Ecuador

After leaving Cuenca my intention was to stop overnight at Riobamba and check out Chimborazo. The active volcano is Ecuador's highest peak and due to the earth being an oblate spheroid, the furthest point from the centre of the earth.

Instead there was a slight mix up with the bus and after making a few decisions on-the-fly I ended up in Baños. A town centred around adventure tourism, it is small and generally unexciting place but it had a few options for nearby treks and plenty of waterfalls.

I spent the first day hiking up the ranges surrounding the town, but the weather turned bad and after ascending to the vantage point I was unable to see the Tungurahua volcano (the town is built on its foothills) and got very wet for my efforts. Still, the views to the town itself were uninterrupted affording me a great birds-eye view.

The following day I rented a mountain bike and started a 25km ride (mostly downhill) following the 'Rio Pastaza' and stopping at the many waterfalls. I made it back to town before more rain set in, spending the rest of the afternoon eating delicious cane sugar taffy and relaxing in my hotel room.

More photos here

Inca Jungle Trek, Peru

From Cuzco I set off on a four day/three night adventure trek, the forth day spent visiting the world renowned site of Machu Picchu.

Day 1.
We set off from Cuzco and made our way past Ollantambo and the Sacred Valley, where we stopped at Abra Malaga (4200m A.S.L) and set off downhill on our mountain bikes. Very similar to 'The Death Road' in Bolivia, it was an exhilarating downhill ride through amazing scenery.

The road was paved all the way and is much wider than it's Bolivian counterpart, but it was a great rush to scream down the mountain road. We finished four hours later around 1200m A.S.L and drove further on to the small dusty town of Santa Maria.

After a late lunch I changed into my 'beach wear' for a 90 minute attempt at white water rafting. Leading the way at the front of the rubber dinghy it was much more fun that I was expecting (I was told by other travellers not to get my hopes up) and trying to navigate the Level 2 rapids was great fun. By the end of the trip I was completely soaked, and we had descended another 200m. Great start to the tour.

Day 2.
The next stage was supposed to be a nine hour trek through the jungle and along the ancient Inca Trail. The next day we set off on a very leisurely walk, seeming to stop at expensive stalls (each complete with a monkey tethered nearby to the delight of tourists, disgusting) and rest more than we walked! I quickly grew impatient, I was expecting a decent walk but it was nothing of the sort. We did walk along 500m of the original Inca trail, and while the view was great it was only for a short while.

After a very long lunch we set off once again at a slow pace and stopped at a small stream feeding the larger river nearby, it was time for a refreshing swim after a day of hiking and sweating. It was ice cold but it was amazing to laze in the river and watch the sun turn the mountains to gold, easily the highlight of the day.

We stopped once again at some nearby hot springs, eventually reaching Santa Maria by catching to a ride in the back of a truck. Our guide pushed getting taxis but after our insistence on hiking he talked a local into giving us a lift.

Day 3.
A short drive from where we stayed was the next 'adventure' of the tour, zip-lining! After a brief safety lesson we climbed a nearby hill to the first zip line. A nice way to get started, the short ride gave a great view of the local mountain ranges and of the river below. The second line was over 1100m, 'one of the longest' in South America. Again it afforded a great view but I didn't get the adrenaline rush I was expecting. The last two lines were the same again, criss-crossing the river. We arrived at the end of the last zip line to a suspended wooden platform where we had to rappel back down to the ground.

We left in a van once more and soon arrived at a hydro-electric power plant near the town of Aguas Calientes. After lunch we walked along a still-used train line, past the gorgeous Urubamba river and in the shadows of the adjacent mountains either side.

We caught our first glimpse of the ruins of Machu Picchu as we walked three hours to the charming (but very touristy) town of Aguas Calientes. After dinner we had an early night, as the next day we were to awake very early in the morning to trek to our final destination, the epic Machu Picchu....

More photos here

The Death Road, Bolivia

If you ever visit La Paz in Bolivia you must attempt the Death Road descent on a well worn mountain bike. A better history than I can write can be found here,  but in short since 2006 a safer bypass was opened to accommodate traffic away from the notoriously dangerous stretch of read, so now the hordes of bikes screaming downhill made up 98% of the traffic on the day I took the plunge.

I never felt in any danger on my bike, but the very narrow (no more than 3.2m wide), poorly graded dirt road cut into the mountain resulting in sheer cliffs (with no guard rails) on one side would make passing other vehicles and regular traffic a nightmare. I can easily see how the road got its name.

We started at La Cumbre (4700m), an hour or so outside La Paz and finished three hours later at Yolosa (1200m). We descended approximately 3500m over 63 km, I barely touched the peddles but as you can imagine I was constantly on the breaks.

It was a really cool experience, only slightly marred when I somehow bent the rear derailleur 90 degrees, bringing an end to that bike! With only 15 minutes to go I borrowed the guides bike and completed the journey without any further problems.

We were then taken to Coroico for a buffet lunch at a hotel with a fantastic view, where I cooled off after the hot dusty ride by having a short swim in the hotel pool. A really enjoyable day, all the better for being in a small group (consisting of me and three hungover Chileans) and being one of the first groups down the mountain.

Photos were taken by the tour guide, and can be found here

Puerto Varas, Chile

Puerto Varas is another small, touristy town with a lot of German heritage. Situated on Lake Llanquihue it is a very relaxing place to stay, but not a lot of activities on offer. There is a stunning view from the lake front, more volcanos and mountains in the distance.

I took a bus to Petrohue and hiked a 12km return track around the base of Volcano Osorno. It was a pretty easy walk but it has some great views, especially of Lake Todos Los Santos. One the way back I stopped off at a nearby waterfall, once again the water is an amazing shade of blue - green, and crystal clear. It is a shame the fishing tours start at $200 per person!

It is getting colder during the evenings now, luckily the place I´m staying has several fireplaces. Great way to unwind in the afternoon... Sitting in front of the fire, reading, and drinking $2 bottles of red wine.

Went for a 50km bike ride to Frutilla, across train tracks, through fields, along lakes, past pastures full of cows and sheep. I'm ashamed to say that I got off the bike many times to wheel it up the numerous hills...

I have spent a lot of time reading here, it is relaxing but everything can be seen in a day or two. I still have a few weeks before I have to catch the ferry to Patagonia so taking things slow for the time being. It is getting colder by the day, hopefully I haven't left it too late.

More photos here