Galapagos Islands, Ecuador and other South America Things to Do Tips

A trip to the Galapagos was a bit of an afterthought in our planning really. A friend of ours recommended it, so we stuck it in at the beginning of the trip. I'm very glad we did, although it left us wondering how on earth we were going to top it as a thing to do. Quite simply breathtaking and worth every penny spent. We swam with penguins, sharks, turtles and sea lions and saw many different birds and land animals - albatross, blue footed boobie, Galapagos hawk, iguanas and, of course, the giant Galapagos tortoise, to name but a few. The diversity isn't the only impressive thing, it is the fact that the animals come so close to you as they don't feel in the slightest bit threatened. Don't get me wrong, they are still wild! It's just that you feel like you have been allowed to share in a very intimate experience, just being there. Definitely one on the list of "Things to do before you die".

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Nothing can quite prepare you for the breath taking ruins of Machu Picchu. It is a very well trodden path that takes you there now, with executive train travel available (to be avoided at all costs - it's a terrible tourist trap) and coaches taking you up to the top, you don't even have to do the Inca trail. In spite of the sheer volume of tourist numbers up there, you can still find a quiet corner to sit and wonder how the Incas managed to lug so much stone up the side of the impossibly steep mountain on top of which the ruins sit.

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A friend had shown us some pictures of the salt flats in Bolivia and we were sold. Miles and miles of white as far as the eye can see, weird Dali-esque landscapes to blow your mind and the most fantastic star show in the world - with the naked eye. It's a serious effort to do it, but so worth it. The altitude really hits you (at one point we went over 5000m above sea level!) and the volcanic ash thrown up by the vehicles irritates your nose and throat and the accomodation is harbly the Ritz. Your reward for going without some creature comforts for a few days is some of the most dazzling scenery imaginable... in fact, if I hadn't seen it myself, I'd swear that most of our photos had either come out wrong or had been doctored in Photoshop!

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Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by the mystery of Easter Island. Although it is now solved, there is still something magical and haunting about the Moai. The Island itself is made up of 3 volcanoes and is incredibly isolated. Consequently, it is outrageously expensive to stay there and also to get to. We were able to visit using our round the world tickets, which was a great as I doubt we'd ever have been able to afford to go there. If you are lucky enough to get there, only spend a few days - we did it in two and a half days, which felt like enough, especially when you consider how pricey the accomodation and food is. Still, it's all worth it for standing under the gaze of the Moai and just marvelling at the Islanders' ingenuity.

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It's a bit of a cliché, but you definitely get an "end of world" feeling down in Patagonia. The skies are bleached white and the landscape is haggard and beaten, but at the same time, fantastically beautiful. The Torres Del Paine are stunning - angry peaks raising vertically from the ground, whilst the Cuernos look down on you with almost evil intent. Vicuñas abound and to top it all, you have Lago Grey with its magnificent ice bergs. An althogether, otherworldly experience.

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We only nipped into Argentina for the day - 8 hours there and 8 hours back from Puerto Natales in Chile, but worth every moment of the journey. The huge and awe-inspiring Moreno Glacier sits 60 metres high and audibly crunches and grinds its way down to Canal de los Témpanos and Brazo Rico, where it deposits its sediment, changing the colour of the water to a chalky, blue-grey. The boat that takes trips to the front of the glacier is dwarfed by the huge ice flow and there is a palpable sense of expectation from the gathered tourists that a chunk may fall, crashing into the water with an expolsive roar.

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