LATIN AMERICA 2K22 (WHEN, WHY & HOW?)

Traveling to South America for second year in the row was completely different from my trip to Colombia earlier in 2022. I went even deeper in these countries in order to discover and understand how their past history, which dates all the way back to the Incas and even older cultures, affected on how these countries look like nowadays. Just in Bolivia there are 36 recognized indigenous peoples, and each of them have a bit different customs and language. 

WHEN?

This journey lasted a total of 63 days in total and was the continuation of my work and travel program which started way back in June. I traveled between the 19th of October and the 20th of December, counting just the Latin American part. October and November are fantastic months for visiting Peru and Bolivia. It is almost shoulder season already. This means all the places are much less crowded, especially compared to the summer months of July and August. The rainy season in Peru and Bolivia does not start yet officially. There might be some rain in the Amazon region. I did not experience any rain during my trip to the Amazon region. There was quite a lot of rain in the days before my trip. The result of that was much cooler temperatures and surprisingly quite cold weather in the mornings and evenings. In my case, I had no rain during my whole journey. There were just a few afternoon showers in Cusco. Lima usually gets pretty foggy and cloudy during this time of the year, and it’s also not that warm. I was also quite lucky on the Inca Trail as it did not rain for the duration of the whole hike. The weather in Bolivia was similar. It was a bit cloudy on some days, except for Uyuni, where it was still sunny all day long. December is the ideal month to travel around Costa Rica. The rainy season has just ended, meaning everywhere is green. On the other hand, it gets quite busy since it’s the most popular time to travel here. Prices, therefore, are also a bit higher.

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WHY?

Each time I travel, I try to combine three things, and these are: nature, culture and food. This time was no different. I haven’t done a lot of exploration in South America yet, so it’s still a mystery to me. This is especially true when I compare it to Asia which, from a certain perspective, already acts as my home. Natural aspect this time was a combination of hiking and wildlife watching. The cultural aspects was in the form of learning about the complex history of this area, especially about the Incas. On the other hand, also learning about different ethnic groups. Food was also way different from what I’m used to. I even tried some weird foods, too. Written below are some of the highlights from my trip although there are too many to include in this list.

• PERU
  • Riding a dune buggy at Huacachina desert oasis
  • Reaching new heights on top of Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) – 5200 m/17,000 ft.
  • Hiking the Inca Trail with this amazing agency and finishing it at Macchu Picchu – one of 7 Wonders of the World.
  • Surviving the Amazon rainforest with JunglePro and witnessing some incredible wildlife, such as the giant otter.
  • Meeting Juanita at Museo Santuarios Andinos in Arequipa, declared as one of the world’s top ten discoveries by Times magazine in 1995.
  • Experiencing life on a floating island on Uros Islands, Lake Titicaca (highest navigable lake in the world).
  • Dining in some of the best restaurants in the world, Central and Maido. Trying some weird foods, like cuy.
• BOLIVIA
  • Walking around the highest cities in the world – El Alto (4150 m/13,620 ft), La Paz (3640 m/11,942 ft) and Potosi (4090 m/13,420 ft).
  • Crossing Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt flat in the world. Bonus: sleeping in a salt made hotel.
  • Exploring the white city of Sucre.
• COSTA RICA
  • Spending a day at Corcovado National Park. National Geographic Society defined it as the most biologically intense place in the world.
  • Birdwatching in Monteverde cloud forests, one of the best places for birdwatching in the world with around 500 different species of birds.
  • Just relaxing at Casa Torre Eco Lodge with the view of Arenal Volcano,

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HOW?

• PLANE TICKETS

I had my main flight ticket which was a return open-jaw flight Ljubljana – Frankfurt – Chicago – Bozeman and then returning from Mexico City, so I had to purchase tickets to South America and also to Mexico City.

• One way flight Los Angeles – Bogota – Lima with Avianca
• One way flight Lima – Cusco with LATAM PERÚ
• One way flight La Paz – Lima with LATAM PERÚ
• One way flight Lima – Panama City – San José with Copa Airlines
• One way flight San José – Mexico City with Volaris. This flight was canceled due to technical problems with the plane. Instead, I got a flight to Mexico City with a very short layover in Cancun

• ENTRY VISAS

This information is for travelers from Slovenia, for information regarding visas for other countries check at the embassies or ministry for foreign affairs in your country. I did not need any visa this time in contrast with my trips to Asia in previous years

• Peru – I do not require a visa for up to 90 days
• Bolivia – I do not require a visa for staying there up to 90 days
• Costa Rica – I do not require a visa for staying there up to 90 days
• Mexico – I do not require a visa for staying there up to 180 days

• TRAVELING AROUND COUNTRIES

I used all sorts of transportation during my trip from planes, day and night buses, minivans, and even a boat.

• CURRENCIES

• Peru uses Peruvian Soles (PEN). The current rate is 1 EUR = 4,24 PEN
• Bolivia uses Bolivian Boliviano (BOB). The current rate is 1 EUR = 7,60 BOB
• Costa Rica uses Costa Rican Colón (CRC). The current rate is 1 EUR = 609,30 CRC
• Mexico uses Mexican Pesos (MXN). The current rate is 1 EUR = 20,38 MXN