El Meandro

Back in Bolivia

Since we have been to Bolivia ten years ago, we are trying to visit places we did not get round to seeing back then.

Lago Titicaca

Copacabana is located in a nice bay at Lago Titicaca and sports a famous church.

On the Bolivian side of Lago Titicaca the views are little more interesting because the road is built higher up on the hills than in Peru.

La Paz

La Paz is worth visiting solely for its existence. It is built into the steep hillside of the Altiplano. From that perspective the new Mi Teleférico, consisting of ten lines, can be considered its most important attraction as it provides great vistas of the entire city.

Yungas

Obviously, we wanted to drive the Camino de la Muerte again, this time downhill.

The roads are bad in Bolivia. Seeing how they are built it is no wonder that they dissolve in various ways after short time.

A few miles north of Caranavi we encountered a huge landslide that blocked the road for a few hundred meters. The road was supposed to be "rebuilt" within a day or two. After a couple of hours we were told by locals that there is a bypass. It was quite muddy due to the recent rains and a little steep, but not really a big deal for our vehicle.

Back into the mountains - Southern Peru

After the mostly boring drive along the coast we headed back into the mountains towards Cusco. Already the first few hundred meters of altitude gain provided fantastic views again.

Southern Peru is very touristic and expensive compared to anything we have seen so far. Obviously this also has some disadvantages. However, thanks to our means of transport we have found ways to escape the masses here and there.

Valle Sagrado de los Incas

Cusco is a nice town. It is also the center of gravity of Peru's tourism industry and therefore totally overcrowded and anything but authentic.

After some lengthy contemplation we finally decided to join the masses and take the expensive trip to Machu Picchu. The surroundings of the site are indeed impressive.

The Sacred Valley has some other highlights on offer though. We spent a night at the Salineras de Maras and had the site to ourselves in the evening and the early morning. These salt ponds have been used for centuries before arrival of the Incas and are still operational today.

We also spent some days in Pisac. The Inca ruins above the little town are huge and the site is bigger than Machu Picchu. Getting the full picture of this impressive ancient city requires to do a beautiful hike that takes a few hours. The typical agricultural terraces are constructed on steep hillsides.

Montaña de Siete Colores

The Instagram-famous rainbow mountain is actually only the icing on the cake in a fantastic landscape at 5000 meters above sea level. Approaching from the opposite side and a little later in the day than all the tour groups (~1500 people per day) made for a quiet and scenic drive.

Across the mountains

The drive to our next destination, the Colca Cañon, lead us again across beautiful mountains passes at 4700m.

Cañon del Colca

The prime reason to come to Cañon del Colca is to see the famous condors at Cruz del Cóndor. And they hardly ever disappoint and fly directly over and along the mirador every morning to the excitement of hundreds of spectators. We spent the night directly at the view point.

The canyon itself, although beautiful, is not the most spectacular but one of the deepest in the world. However, the road from Huambo on the canyon's steep hillside across the mountains to Alto de Majes is very scenic.

Arequipa

Laguna Salinas

In order to reach Titicaca Lake we did not take the main route but the 34C gravel road. We spent the night on the shores of the beautiful Laguna Salinas at 4300m. It got freezing cold. The locals win the salt from this laguna with simple means.

The further drive led along river gorges, lagunas and herds of alpacas and vicuñas until we reached Puno.

Lago Titicaca

Titicaca Lake is shared between Peru and Bolivia and is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3800m. Unfortunately a lot of trash somewhat spoils the experience, such that we ended up only relaxing a couple of days in Copacabana (Bolivia).

Along the coast

The Peruvian coast is a rather short story. Temperatures hardly ever reach 20° Celsius at this time of year and it is foggy most of the time.

Lima

Traffic in Lima is as chaotic and hectic as it can be. Barranco and Miraflores are some of the nicer and quieter districts.

Paracas

During a short boat tour to the Islas Ballestas we could spot sea lions, Humboldt penguins and other birds.

The Reserva Nacional de Paracas stretches along the coast south of Paracas. It is a scenic drive between sand dunes and along some nice beaches.

Huacachina

Huacachina is a small oasis surrounded by sand dunes. It is very touristic but we found a quiet place to spend a couple of days. Walking up the sand dunes for sunset and running back down again is a great experience in a country otherwise dominated by mountains.

Nasca Lines

We only made a quick stop on the Panamericana to view the famous Nasca Lines from the top of a tower. To get the full experience a flight across the vast area is the only option.

Northern Peru

We entered Peru in the northern mountains without any expectations whatsoever, and we were blown away and could immediately enjoy a wonderful drive along rivers and hills.

The first night we spent on a very lonely river spot. Our morning routine was only interrupted by a thirsty cow.

Chachapoyas region

Catarata del Gocta ranks among the tallest waterfalls of the world. The hike to the falls from Cocachimba leads through green landscapes and sometimes deep down into the gorge.

Kuélap is a walled settlement from the Chachapoyas culture in the 6th century. Unfortunately a lot is left to imagination.

Across the mountains

The entire road from the border with Ecuador down to the coast in Trujillo is very scenic. The stretch from Leymebamba to Celendín must be one of the most spectacular yet comfortable road trips. It is all paved, but mostly just one lane along the hillside atop steep cliffs.

The northern coast

We only went along the northern coast from Pacasmayo to Chimbote going through Trujillo. It is not an extremely interesting drive, but there are a few nice landscapes left and right.

Trujillo has a small colonial center and a few archeological sites of the pre-Columbian era of which we visited Chan Chan.

Cordillera Blanca

Temperatures at the coast do not reach 20°C at this time of year. Therefore we soon headed back to the mountains along Río Santa and through Cañon del Pato to Caraz.

The Cordillera Blanca is one of the highest Andes mountain ranges with snow-capped peaks up to above 6700m. We took a scenic drive to Punta Winchus at 4200m in the Cordillera Negra with vistas of the Cordillera Blanca. At this spot some of the rare Puya Raimondii flowers grow higher than 10 meters. They only bloom after several decades.

A highlight in this area are the various mountain lagoons in blue and turquoise colors. We visited Laguna Parón at 4200m and hiked along its shore.

Next we took a loop into the heart of the cordillera across the passes Portachuelo de Llanganuco and Punta Olímpica.

The first pass was a bumpy ride on a gravel road filled with stones and great vistas of the surrounding mountains and lagoons from above at 4700m altitude.

The next pass goes on a more comfortable and paved road and is therefore much more visited. The views are not any worse here though.

Our last stop in the Cordillera Blanca was at Glaciar Pastoruri. Due to its continued retreat, the last 150 meters up to 5000m altitude now need to be hiked.

Some more Puya Raimondii greated us along the road.

Ecuador

The North

Our next stop was in Quito. The city has a lot of nice churches and other buildings. However the atmosphere is generally rather hectic.

We then started to descend, first to Mindo, which is located between the lowlands and the tropical Andes.

The coast

The Pacific coast does not experience the best weather at this time of year, with a lot of garúa. Nevertheless we were lucky and could catch some sun while camping at the highly recommended Canoa Suites.

We then took a boat trip to Isla de la Plata from Puerto López / Machalilla. This island is also known as miniature Galápagos. Although this is not entirely true, we had the opportunity to spot a lot of blue-footed boobies and some humpback whales.

The central Andes

Cotopaxi is very majestic if it does not hide behind clouds. We were lucky and made it to above 4600 meters altitude and enjoyed some great views.

After a relaxing stop in Baños we drove to Alausí and took the train ride over the Nariz del Diablo. This railroad climbs more than 500 meters in less than 12.5 km. Some setting-back tracks aid in gaining altitude.

Cuenca is one of the nicest and most laid-back cities. Of course is sports a lot of churches, but also some tranquil alleys and many good restaurants.

Vilcabamba, which is located below 2000 meters of altitude, is surrounded by mountains and Cerro Mandango looks down upon the village. We hiked Mandango from behind and enjoyed the great vista from there.

Southwards

From Medellín we traveled southwards to the Eje Cafetera and Los Nevados. We took a scenic route off of the main road.

Eje Cafetera & Los Nevados

We spent a few nights in Manizales and near Filandia and then drove through the Valle La Carbonera, which is full of the famous wax palms, back down to the Magdalena river valley again.

Desierto de la Tatacoa

The Desierto de la Tatacoa is not a real desert and it is actually rather small. Nevertheless it is very nice to walk amidst these eroded formations.

Crossing the Andes (again)

Colombia's main border crossing to Ecuador is located at about 2800 meters above sea level. So we crossed the Andes again, meandering along the rivers and valleys.

Some road sections were closed around Inzá, for good reason. Road construction in Colombia is not very solid in general. This is a brand new mountain road that had been completely washed away. As a remedy they put a few bags of cement and poured some water, that'll do.

Las Lajas

Into the Cordilleras

After experiencing the heat in Northern Colombia, we traveled southwards into the Cordilleras, the Andes mountains. We basically crossed the Magdalena river valley from east to west, thus starting in the Cordillera Oriental driving towards the Cordillera Central.

Barichara

First, we stayed close to Barichara for a week at Guaimaro Campsite, which comes highly recommended.

Barichara itself is a tranquil little town surrounded by nature.

Across the mountains

We then ventured into our best mountain drive so far: from San Gil via Charalá and Encino across the mountains to Duitama and Sogamoso, which led us above 3800 meters of altitude. Right above the timberline everything is different, the flora changes and the views are fantastic.

Villa de Leyva

Villa de Leyva is another nice town worth visiting along the road west.

Finca San Luis

Further west in the emerald region, the cacao-producing Finca San Luis is located. Alejandro and Vivien offer a unique experience showing their cacao plantation and displaying a whole hands-on process of producing pure cacao, which is then used for... well, you know.

La Piedra del Peñol

Of course we walked up this unique stone and enjoyed the view.

Medellín

Medellín is huge and not very pretty. The city center is bustling with people and traffic. Nevertheless there are few unique spots.

Comuna 13 used to be one of Medellín's most dangerous quarters some ten years ago. Now, the area is bustling with tourism and the steep alleys, which can now be reached with moving staircases, sport endless graffiti.

Northern Colombia

Northern Colombia is a hot beast. Upon our arrival in Cartagena it was around 35°C, which felt more like 40°C due to the added humidity.

Cartagena

Cartagena is a very nice colonial town. Unfortunately its main center has to be considered a tourist trap. We were constantly bothered by people selling souvenirs, photographs or coach rides.

The quarter where we stayed, Getsemaní, is much quieter and more authentic. Almost every night some event was organized on its main Plaza.

Caribbean coast

After we happily had our car released from the port without any issues (Caravan Shippers Hamburg, Enlace Caribe SAS Cartagena), we traveled along the Caribbean coast up north. Of course there are a few nice beaches along the way and we stayed in Manzanillo del Mar and close to Palomino.

Tayrona National Park is also very nice and you need to hike for a few hours to get to the best spots.

Minca

To escape the heat we did a detour to Minca at a slightly higher altitude and spent a few relaxing days at Finca Hostal Bolívar (great facilities and very well maintained). The sunsets from the Finca's view point are spectacular.

La Guajira

The northernmost tip is something completely different. La Guajira is essentially all desert but the stunning views are definitely worth the detour. The region is rather poor and inhabited by the native Wayuu. Supply with fresh water and gasoline is very limited.