2 Month South America Itinerary

The agenda and highlights of this travel blog (March-May 2023)

1) Argentina including Patagonia

2) Chile and Torres Del Paine

3) Bolivian Salt Flats and La Paz (death road)

4) Peru and Machu Pichu

5) Colombia

6) My learnings, thoughts and conclusions

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Touchdown South America and hello Buenos Aires! As I made my way from the airport into the city, it definitely felt a bit overwhelming with the sheer size of the place, the amount of traffic, cars and buses honking every 5 seconds, the heat of the midday sun and the overheating old vehicles, the sidewalks completely full of people and the array of smells from the old cars polluting to the numerous street food stalls, it was chaos!

I was staying in San Telmo, at the Viajero Hostel, which I would thoroughly recommend due to it's location, value for money and the atmosphere. I spent 4 nights and 3 full days here, my highlights in Buenos Aires;

• Walking tour around Boca Neighbourhood

  Firstly, this was a great way to meet people from the hostel, we all walked together exploring the neighbourhood, got to know each other, checked out the famous Boca Juniors football stadium, the colourful buildings and unique vibe the trendy area had.

• Palermo Neighbourhood

  Arguably the most popular area to check out due to the charming cobblestone streets, mixed in with a lot of street art, boutique shops and many cafes and restaurants. At night food tours are very popular here.

• History, culture and Architecture Day

  Plaza de Mayo, arguably the most important square in Argentina as it hosts the government and presidential offices. Stroll along Avendia 9 de Julio (the widest street in the world) and check out Palacio Barolo which offers one of the best views in the city. Teatro Colon is one of the most beautiful and famous opera houses in the world, due to my traveller budget I didn't see a show but it looks spectacular.

• San Telmo Neighbourhood (where my hostel was)

  The oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, simple walk the old streets that have many what look-like abandoned buildings but they've been converted into small shops, bars and cafes. Be sure to check out the large indoor San Telmo market too.

• El Ateneo Grand Splendid is an old former theatre which has been converted into one of the largest and most spectacular book shops.

• Eat steak, I can honestly say some of the best steaks I've ever had have been in Buenos Aires. Seasoned with just a generous sprinkle of salt, seared to perfection and expertly cooked to my liking of medium rare. AND a 400g steak is around $12!

• Reggaeton nightlife

  I'm partial to great music, I was heavily into my house music in my early-mid 20's meaning I went to some great clubs and festivals...however the Argentines certainly know how to party. The music was loud, joyful and just made you want to dance and interact as much as possible; we went to La Mala near Palermo.

El Chalten, Patagonia

I jumped on a 3hr plane to El Calafate, starting my Patagonia adventure, and I knew this was going to epic as I love hiking and epic mountain scenery, however...it surpassed my expectations! From El Calafate, I jumped straight onto a 3hr bus to El Chalten (dupped Argentina's trekking capital), which is a very small village in the mountains with one main high-street, around 10 accommodation options, and a handful of bars and restaurants, but it's extremely popular as it's the base for all the epic hikes so you have to book a few weeks in advance.

I stayed in a nice hotel called Hotel Poincenot, not the most expensive but it definitely wasn't the cheapest, but after 4 nights in a 'party' hostel, and a couple very long day hikes coming up, I wanted something nice and comfortable.

Laguna De Los Tres Hike - The most popular due to the imposing Mount Fitz Roy at the summit, and fun fact it's the mountain on the logo of the brand, Patagonia. I tackled this on my first full day getting up nice and early to beat the crowds. It's a 24km out-and-back hike taking around 8 hours which starts through undulating terrain through thick forests but with the occasional glimpse of Mount Fitz Roy. The last 2km are a demanding climb with almost 3,000ft elevation gain where you'll reach a lake and the view of good old Roy, and enjoy your well earned lunch.

Laguna Torre Hike - The other big day hike at 18km which takes you along a more varied terrain, most notably alongside a river for a few km's, and at the end the spectacular 'Playa de los Icebergs' on the shores of Laguna Torre. Insider tip, walk an extra 2km alongside the laguna on the right-hand side to get a great view of the glacier.

Restaurant/bar recommendations (well the 3 I went to) - Pangea for a warming and hearty pasta dish, alongside a local beer of course. Nomade Resto Bar for great empanadas, healthy salads and a great terrace to people watch. Bourbon Smokehouse which is a popular one, big outdoor terrace, large selection of beers and filling American style food.

El Calafate, Perito Moreno Glacier

El Calafate is more of a town than a village, due to its transport hub of the airport and buses to El Chalten and down south to Torre Del Paine. The main attraction here is a day trip to see the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site which is 30km in length and over 5km wide at the face! I paid slightly extra for the tour that actually allows you to walk on the glacier (with ice glamps of course). Thoroughly recommend paying the slight extra as it gives you a completely different perspective...and it definitely wasn't because of the local glass of whiskey they give you at the end.

I stayed at America del sur Hostel which was pretty good, large open plan communal area and dorm rooms with ensuites, and just a 10 minute walk into town.

Chile, Torres Del Paine

I encountered my first long travel day here to Puerto Natales, and it was something that I was going to have to get used to very quickly in South America. It took around 7 hours in total, when it should have been around 4, but that's because of the 2 check points you go through from leaving Argentina and into Chile, lets just say nothing in South America is easy and it's always chaos on travel days!

I stayed at Puma House Hostel, the owner was great, free coffee in the morning, comfortable beds and a 10 minute walk to the bus stop.

I decided to just do the famous day hike, Mirador Las Torres, which is 25km and 3,000ft elevation gain, so it's a big day out, plus a 2hr bus there and 2hr bus back to Puerto Natales. The multi-day treks called the O and W routes seemed very popular, but I heard mixed reviews and the shortest is 3 days.

The hike was pretty busy, but the view at the summit was spectacular, and on the way down I managed to find myself a secluded spot alongside the river enjoying and snack and a cold beer, just me, the mountains, the sound of the stream and a cold one, heaven!

The next day I had another bus journey, only 3 hours this time to Punta Arenas for a flight to Santiago, so it was a lot of travel for a day hike, but I'd say it was worth it.

Santiago, Chile

A 3.5hr flight later from Punta Arenas (which was not even halfway up South America showing me how big it actually is), I arrived in the bustling city of Santiago.

I stayed in a one-bed apartment called The Fox Departamentos which was great, complete kitchen, comfy bedroom with an ensuite, open-plan living room and a nice balcony. The location was great, being a 10-minute walk from the popular neighbourhood of Bellavista.

Santiago is a huge city, similar to Buenos Aires in terms of the craziness and chaos, but it definitely had more charm with some great vibey neighbourhoods and many more historical places to visit. I was there for 3 full days and these are my highlights;

Bellavista neighbourhood - A edgy part of the city with many art galleries, colourful restaurants, buildings covered in graffiti, restaurants and an abundance of bars which get livey at night.

Barrio Italia neighbourhood - A more up-scale part of the city but still a very urban feel. Lots of furniture stores, boutique jewellery stores, restaurants with seating alongside the streets and a couple large markets for antics and vintage clothing.

Cerro Santa Lucia - Set on a hill, this fortress is from the 19th century, built to protect the city due to it's high position, the area also has some lovely gardens to walk round to escape the hustle and bustle.

Plaza De Armas - Like most cities in South America, they have a main square which historically is the meeting point for big occasions. It's a great place to people watch, visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago and the famous fish market, Mercado Central.

Cerro San Cristobal - The biggest hill in Santiago at 300 metres high, I got the funicular up and walked down. At the top it of course has a great view and a 14-metre-high statue of the Virgin Mary looking over the city.

Bolivian Salt Flats

This 3 day 2 night tour will take some beating, definitely one of the highlights and best things you can do in the whole of South America. I jumped on a 2hr flight to Calama, and then a short 1hr bus transfer to San Pedro de Atacama (a town still in Chile) which is a very unique town in the middle of the desert, with the majority of the buildings all made out of sandstone. I stayed the 1 night in Hostel Campo Base which was a great, small hostel a 5 minute walk from the main high-street.

The first day is an early start where I got picked up from my hostel via a minibus, where you drive around 1hr into the desert, and you're divided up into groups of 4-6 who you'll be with in the land cruiser for the duration. I got super lucky with my group, a couple from Bristol (where I went to University), a Colombia guy who gave me a bunch of recommendations for next destination and a guy from Brazil who had all the camera gear and took some great videos/pictures for us.

The land cruisers are around 20 years, pretty uncomfortable but the scenery is spectacular, and you're in your jeep with some great people, blaring out the tunes in the middle of the desert so the lack of comfort isn't an issue.

Day 1 - you stop at 3 different colour lakes, a geothermal area with smoking ponds and geysers, a lake full of flamingos and a natural hot spring which feels like you're bathing on mars. The first night you stay in very, very basic accommodation, we had a total of 12 beds across 3 bedrooms (from 3 different groups) and one toilet.

Day 2 - was a lot of driving through the desert, coming across unique rock formations, a super cool oasis where Llamas lived full of watering holes and grass, and a few incredible viewpoints into the canyons below. We stopped in a tiny town called Villa Martin where we had a cold beer, a local quinoa beer which was interesting. That night you stay at the Salt Hotel (I'll let you guess what it was made out of) and we had a great big family type meal here with another 6 or 7 groups.

Day 3 - a super early 4am start, but that's because you have an hour drive to the salt flats for sunrise, which is hard to put into words honestly, you have to be there to experience it. It's a landscape that is so unique, you're just driving and walk on white, sparkly salt. We all had a simple but amazing breakfast of coffee, and some bread with jam and fruit, but the scenery was unbelievable and something I'll never forget. Then came the well-known photoshoot, where you use props, I used a toy dinosaur and a beer bottle. The last stop on the way to Uyuni is the train cemetery which was pretty cool, as you can imagine a bunch of deserted trains all parked in a desert parking lot.

Arriving in Uyuni, we had the afternoon to kill before getting a night bus to La Paz. We got a very handy day pass at Casa De Sal Salt Hotel, where we had our first shower in 3 days and you really do appreciate the small things when you go through types of experiences.

La Paz, Bolivia

From Uyuni, I took a 9hr bus to La Paz, where you shouldn't expect to get more than around 1 hour of sleep due to the roads and drivers honking their horns every 5 minutes! I decided to stay at the Wild Rover Hostel just for 1 night, as it's a party hostel that goes on until around 4 am. It was a super fun night, with the hostel have it's own bar and small club, along with a couple pool tables in the bar. My other night was at a Selina, as I had an early bus the next day so wanted to get some sleep that night.

Day 1 out of my 2 full days there was the main event, cycling the Death Road. Built in the 1930's by Paraguayan prisoners, it's 69 kilometres with multiple switchbacks, 2000 feet drop offs, often foggy and wet conditions makes it extremely dangerous, and up to 1994, nearly 300 drivers were killed here every year.

You get a minibus around 1.5hrs to the top of the mountain, where the first 30km is a nice smooth road which helps you get used to the bike. You then cycle onto the start of the Death Road where it turns to gravel and single track. If you stay to the righthand side, it's not super scary, but there are a few parts of the road that become just wide enough for a car, so it's definitely hairy in some areas. When I went there were landslides in some areas, so you have to get off your bike, and walk with along the trail dug into the landslide. After the ride which takes around 3 hours in total, you stop at a small restaurant for a late lunch, and a dip in the pool.

The second full day was exploring the city of La Paz, it's very unique as it's built into the mountains mean all the road are very undulating, probably why they built the cable car system, The Telefrico! It also has its social rank where the more expensive homes are at the bottom of the roads in town, and the further up the roads you go, the landscape starts to change to some very worn-down places. The main stop for the day was the 16 de Julio Market which is a few miles long, and you can get pretty much everything here, but we went for some super tasty street food. The other stop was Plaza Murillo, which is right in the centre and connects most of the political buildings in the city.

Cusco, Peru

I decided to get the longest bus journey I'll likely ever take, 15 hours from La Paz to Cusco, this is mainly due to hearing mixed reviews about Puno and Lake Titicaca being touristy, and also uses up a couple of days. The bus drive definitely made me never to think about complaining about European roads again, as it was super bumping and also regular speedbumps as they want you to slow down to visit their stores alongside the road.

I personally loved Cusco, it was such a cute mountain town at over 12,000 feet, with cobblestone streets and a lot to do, I stayed at Amaru Colonial which was a boutique hotel, great value for money, comfortable room, in the heart of town and a great breakfast spread. My highlights of the town were the Plaza De Armas, Sacsayhuaman which were the original inca walls built in the 15th century, Alpacas just roaming the streets, avocado toast and more cafe, Limbus bar with a great view above the city (a decent walk up to it mind), and of course, a few Pisco Sours.

Machu Picchu

The day started early with a 6am pickup from my hotel, it was a 1hr minivan ride to the train station, Ollantaytambo. Here I got the Inca Rail to Aquas Calientes, it was spectacular and I booked the slightly more expensive carriage to get the panoramic views with windows in the roof. It took around 1.5 hours traveling through mountains, forests, along streams and you really felt like you were somewhere special. Aquas Calientes is the closest town to Machu Picchu and where you got the bus from, another benefit to booking this package was that you went straight to the front of the bus queue which saved around 20 minutes. The bus only took 25 minutes, but it was pretty much all switchbacks up the mountain.

Once you get to the top and off the bus, you have the option of taking 5 different routes, they introduced these at the end of 2021 due to the 1.5 million visitors it receives every year, they had to disperse the amount of people walking around the site. In my package, we had route 2 which is considered the best as it has 'The Money Shot', which is the high point looking down onto the site, with the mountains and large drop offs next to it. Book the day tour here!

I personally knew it was going to be a great day, however I was taken back with how I felt, it has quite a unique aura about the place, and you think to yourself how was this created over 400 years ago. The guide was great, super knowledgeable and as you walked through the site, you couldn't help but marvel at the craftsmanship and what it must of been like for the Hiram Bingham to discover it after all those years in 1912.

After walking around the site for a couple hours, we got the bus back down and went for lunch at Mapacho which was a great spot alongside the river, hearty Peruvian food and most importantly, where we got the famous passport stamp!

Colombia

Throughout the month I had heard numerous times that Colombia was everyones favourite country in South America, so I decided to spend around a month here...and I am so glad I did! I got a 3hr flight from Lima to Bogota, now Bogota was the only negative place I had heard about, and after moving everyone 2 or 3 days, I really didn't fancy it and wanted to base myself somewhere a little longer.

So after landing, I went straight to the local bus station, to board a 7 hour bus to San Gil. I will mentioned that at this bus station, I probably felt the most uncomfortable out of the whole trip. It was a very run down station, absolutely packed full of locals, I didn't see one other traveler there and I stuck out like a sore thumb. As always in South America, people are very loud and rushed whilst not speaking much English, so lets just say I was glad when I got into my seat and onto the road.

San Gil (the adventure capital of Colombia)

I stayed at SamS VIP Hostel for 4 nights which was great, right next to the main plaza, a large outside terrace from the common area, adequate number of showers/toilets and last but not least a pool on the roof!

My first activity there was just some casual WhiteWater Rafting...down Cat 5s! The grading is 1-5, 1 being like a stream, and 5 being, well lets just say this they closed the river a week before I did it as they had too much water and the river was too dangerous. I booked this through the hostel, got picked up in a minivan, had a safety briefing, practised a few techniques and got divided into groups of 5-6. I was front right at it's arguably the best and most scary position to be as you get the most air as you go up and down the rapids, you also get the most wet. It was an exhilarating 1.5 hours, you go over rapids thats let just say you would not want to fall in and have to swim your way out. With the convoy we had two kayaks, one went ahead to carve the route and the other was at the back incase anyone fell off. One of the rafts capsized, we pulled a couple of them into out boat before flipping theres back over, you could see they were shaken up and needed a few minutes before returning to their boat.

The second main activity there, is Paragliding in Chicamocha. Again I booked this through the hostel, got picked up in a minivan and drove around an hour, mainly uphill to a large clifftop. We got a safety briefing, strapped into our harness with our pilot behind us, and got told to run off the side of the cliff, to not jump just keeping running, and well yes that was absolutely terrifying. When you were airborne it was spectacular, really cool sensation, until my pilot started doing doughnuts, and I had to grab the sick bag, which for the next 15 minutes I was violently sick into! They did warn us before which I of course laughed off, who was laughing now I guess, but supposedly it is quite common and I saw a few other pale faces. The main reason is that they actually use thermals to push the kite back up, so you have to go round in circles going up this thermal to gain enough height and then to land where you took off.

Medellin

I ended up staying in Medellin for a week, the longest I'd stayed in any destination, and it came down to a few factors, but the main one was...the people I met and hung out with. Which really sums up the best part of traveling, aside from all the amazing places you get to see, it's the connections you form with people.

I stayed at Noah Boutique Hostel for my first 4 nights, it wasn't one of the fancy hostels in Medellin, but you can see why it had great reviews. Great location, nice roof terrace, but most importantly the vibe and atmosphere with genuine travelers keen to socialize. I then decided to try one of the 'fancy' looking hostels for the next 3 nights, Masaya which looked more like a hotel with it's decorations, very modern and great downstairs restaurant and pool on the rooftop. It was a super comfortable stay, really nice private beds in the dorm, ensuite and just a few extra dollars a night.

Top things to do in Medellin (well things I did that I enjoyed)

Colombian football match - you HAVE to experience this. I've been to many football matches in my time, but then was a unique experience, the fans are incredible and they sign, chant, wave their flags and dance for the whole game! Word of advice though, make sure you get a ticket that is not in the Ultra's stand...

Nightlife - we went to a club called Sonorama which played some deep/tech house, a pretty heavy night and also went to an Irish Bar to watch the UFC which was a great vibe and a lot of other travelers there.

Comuna 13 tour - the infamous neighborhood that a certain Pablo Escobar helped build and maintain. It divides the nation as one one hand people love him for what he created but on the other hate him for all the destruction he caused the country with his money coming from the drug trade.

Day-trip to Guatape - check out the iconic rock with the staircase embedded into it, and also the unique colorful houses, it's a 3 hr return trip or there are a few accommodation options there too.

The other days I simply hung out with the group of people I met in my hostel, when you move every 2 or 3 days it's hard to form deep connections, but we all stuck together for almost a week which was a nice change of pace and really relaxing.

Minca

After catching a flight to Santa Marta, it was into the jungle via a 1hr minibus to Minca, which turned out to be one of my favorite places in Colombia. I stayed at Casa Loma Minca in the 4 bed dorm, word of advice book this one early, otherwise the alternative is an expensive private or a hammock. The hostel had a great covered outside common area with really nice food, but the main selling point was the large deck which is arguably the most popular place in the whole of Minca to watch the sunset.

Minca is a very small village in the middle of the jungle, with a few restaurants, hostels, shops and bars. The main thing to do here is to be in nature, get away from the hustle and bustle of Colombia, my other recommendations are;

La Victoria Coffee Farm - we jumped on the back of a scooter up the hill for around 15 minutes to visit this place, have a tour and of course drink their coffee. It was built in the late 1800's and they still use the old equipment and methods today which made for a fascinating tour.

Pozo Azul - is a watering hole to take a dip and cool down in nature, natural rock pools, a couple waterfalls and a nice place to chill for a few hours.

Marinka Waterfalls - a 45 minute walk or 10 minute moto-taxi, this is another great place similar to the Azul to have a dip, but it has 2 waterfalls on different levels, and a small cafe to get some food or a couple cold ones.

Palomino & Costeno

The beach was finally calling my name! So I caught a local bus to Palomino where I stayed a couple nights at Coco Sankala. A great little hostel with a covered outside area to relax, amazing breakfast included (with 3 options) and I stayed in a private to treat myself which I thoroughly recommend, you even get you own little terrace out the front of the room.

Palomino is a very popular seaside village, quite a few accommodation options, a long beautiful beach and a main high-street (naturally a sand road) with an abundance of quirky restaurants, bars, cafes and boutique shops. I spent a couple days here enjoying the beach, good food, good company and taking a small break from always have things planned during the days.

I got another local bus 45 minutes to Costeno, which was a tranquil paradise, it was a very remote beach with only 4 accommodations options, no restaurants/bars (other than the accommodations), but it was honestly one of the best memories I have of the entire trip. I treated myself to a private (still only like $40) but it was an amazing, stay at Lote 10! So the room was your own space, right on the beach so you could hear the waves as you slept at night, the bed was in a large tent, there was a compost toilet outside, an outside shower and an outside table, chairs and day bed, it was honestly amazing.

San Andres

Now I only went here, because my taxi driver in San Gil recommended it, that's one of the reasons I love traveling, learning from other people where is good to go! So I decided to take the 1.5 hr flight from Cartagena to a small island I had never heard of a couple weeks ago, but it was a great decision!

I stayed In Di House of Reggae, which to be honest was pretty average, but that's maybe because I had a ground floor room with only one window, the pool was OK and the restaurant was fine, it was also a 5 minute bus ride away from anywhere, but San Andres is very popular so accommodation was expensive.

I had 3 full days on the island, and this is what I did;

Rent a scooter - as there is pretty much just one road that goes round the island, it's great to jump on a scooter and simply pull over at any time to explore!

Johnny Cay - the most popular thing to do is jump on a speedboat to this small island with ridicously white sand and crystal clear water. I booked the day tour which included a boat ride through the mangroves, and also a small sand bank to stop and snorkel from via Get Your Guide.

Rocky Cay - at the south of the island, a really nice beach with a couple restaurants, and a shipwreck which is right beside a tiny island you can swim out to!

Playa Spratt Bright - the main and largest beach which is adjacent to the town, so here it's busy but you have the highest number of places to eat and drink.

Water Park at West View - a unique and small area to relax by the sea, it has a diving board to jump into the sea and then some rope to climb back up.

Try a Coco Loco - their local drink which is coconut water, mixed with vodka, tequila or rum and grenadine and sometime condensed milk

Cartagena

My last stop in Colombia, and probably the most travelled to destination, which also meant everyone had their own opinion of the place, they varied a lot and here is why. It's definitely a place you want to visit, it has a lot of history, lots of colorful buildings, quirky streets with restaurants, bars, shops, wild nightlife, incredible day trips to other islands and in general a very vibrant atmosphere. However, with this influx of tourists, of course comes a few scams, a few unsavory locals so you definitely have to keep your wits about you when you roam the streets and specially going out at night if you're hitting up some bars.

I stayed at Life is Good Hostel which was fantastic. Amazing location in Getsemani, very safe and secure, comfortable dorm rooms, nice rooftop area to relax and a very good restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What I did in my 4 days and 4 nights in Cartagena

Castle San Felipe de Barajas - built in 1536 it's got a long history, been through countless wars and sits omniously on top of the hill looking over the city. A spectacular site from the outside, but also very cool to go in and check out the tunnels and rooms.

Explore the walled city - an impressive arch brings you into the main square, and from there you can spend around one hour walking around the walled city which of course has a load of history, but I did find it quite touristy with a lot of the old buildings converted into shops. One night we had a great spot on a rooftop bar having a drink, overlooking the main square called Mirador Gastro Bar.

Getsemani - the most popular neighbourhood to explore, full of colour, street art, street stalls, restaurants, bars and more. This is both a great place to visit during the day and night, of course both very different vibes.

The Rosario Islands - the most popular thing to do in Cartagena is a 45 minute speedboat to the beautiful islands, crystal clear blue water, multiple beach clubs to choose from and fantastic snorkeling.

Cholon Island - the opposite to Rosario in terms of this is the party island! I took this tour and it was so much fun, you stop off at a small island first to snorkel, and then you go to Cholon where there are around 15 other boats, and you all have this table that is set into the sandbank. It's about waist high, depending how tall you are, you have lunch here, obviously a lot of drinks, and there are guys coming round offering you banana boat rides, jetskis etc. and the music is of course pumping all day.

Playa Blanca Beach - the most popular and quintesential Cartagena beach, a 45 minute drive which has a great vibe, lots of local food spots but also some more high end beach clubs.

San Blas Islands Tour - Cartagena to Panama

I'm getting straight to the point, this was the best thing I did in my 2 months in South America, a big statement but let me tell you why.

Picture this, you're on remote islands with a group of around 18 people, in one rather sketchy boat traveling the seas to beautiful small islands of white sandy beaches and crystal clear water. These islands all vary in terms of size and accommodation, we got lucky and also had a bed, but sometimes people will have a hammock, which supposedly is actually quite a relaxing sleep. The food is all amazing, and local cooked by the amazing guides you have with you. There is the obligatory volleyball net which sees many hours. Card and drinking games at night. And all of this without any devices, just you, your group, islands and amazing conversations, I got to know some of these people better in 3 days than I would of with months of friendships.

There really isn't any other words to say, it's an experience that is so raw and simple, but that is the beauty of it. It's simply you with a great group of people, in remote island but with nothing to do than bond, have deep chats about life and immersive yourself in the experience.

To add some context on the logistics of the trip, it starts with a pretty crazy 2 days of travel, which shows you how remote these islands are. You leave Cartagena, 3 hour bus, get onto another bus for 4 hours to a remote fishing town called Necoli. The next morning you jump on a speedboat for one hour, this by the way was chaos, extremely rough seas and a very sketchy old boat. You then arrive at a port in the middle of nowhere where you get searched and your passport stamped as you're entering Panama. You then have one more night on a larger island, before starting the 3 day/3night voyage. Once you stayed your 3 nights on the various islands, you get to Panama, where you then have a jeep ride for around 3 hours to Panama city, let me tell you, you appreciate a warm shower and some normality after around 5 days in total on being in remote areas.

I booked through San Blas Adventures, and they were amazing. All organised by English people with all the travel, payment, accommodation logistics and creating the Whatsapp group. Accompanied by a few local guides who were so friendly and great cooks! They have been doing it for a number of years now so have great relationships with all the islands, as they really respect the culture and preserving this place as much as possible.

My conclusion on 2 months in South America

This amazing continent and culture will always hold a special place in my heart, as even though I've done a lot of traveling holiday wise, this was my first eye-opening experience into traveling as a traveler (and there is a huge difference). I love looking back now at how much I've grown, how it doesn't scare me to walk into a local restaurant anymore not speaking the language, in actual fact I actively go into those places now as yes it might be a bit uncomfortable at first but that's where the personal growth comes from, and the way to experience the culture. I know have no apprehensions of walking into a hostel solo and going up to people to spark a conversation, as I've realized we're all in the same situation, and also what's the worst that can happen!

Now that I've traveled a lot, I still hold this continents culture and way of life as one of the most unique, it's so vibrant, passionate, chaotic, hectic, fast-paced but at the same time beautifully put together with great food, architecture and people.

Aside from all of the positives above, there are definitely a few things to consider;

Learn Spanish - I got by (just) having some basic words/phrases, but I believe I would have had an even better timing knowing some more Spanish so I could connect with the locals a bit more, they also respected the people I was with who spoke Spanish way more, so I'd do a month of learning beforehand.

Travel days are long - Now I knew this was a big continent, but I wasn't prepared for just how long travel days are, and how tiring they are! For example, a bus says it's 6 hours, but the actual journey will take about 8 due to stops and inconsistent road conditions. You also have to account for the chaos at bus terminals, getting there and getting from there to your new hostel.

Safety - I was lucky but also prepared that nothing bad happened to me. Pretty much everywhere I went there was at least one story of someone getting something stolen from them, but again if you have a stealth bag with your valuables in, and in general are aware you'll be fine. I do believe this is why I was so tired after 2 months, to normally being on edge, but maybe it would have been different if I was with a friend and not solo.

Route - Crucial to plan accordingly based on how much time you have. To be honest, this was far too much to see in 2 months, 3 months would of been better so I wasn't on the move every 2 or 3 days and you can fully immersive yourself in the culture of a place.