Travel Advice and Links
We had planned to periodically review places we visited, however we were too busy experiencing each place to post reviews. Most places we went we wrote about in the blog. We used hostelworld, and tripadvisor frequently to get reviews about where we should go or stay. If you have any questions please contact us.
Bags
We are both using MEC 75L Pangea bags, they are great because they can be worn as backpacks, they open like a suitcase, and all the straps zip inside a case when we are flying or on buses. We also have one smaller backpack each for day trips. We are using packing cubes (individual zipper pockets) to keep it our stuff organized in the pack. We highly recommend packing cubes, they help keep everything well organized. We were also given zipper plastic bags that have been great for dirty clothes (keeps the smell inside).
In the middle of our trip Andrew bought a 75L hiking bag (and gave his MEC bag away) as we started to do more hiking and camping. We also purchased a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags and a stove so we could experience South Africa by camping. We camped all over and loved having the freedom of not staying in a backpackers. We've now used the equipment in South Africa, India and Australia.
We recommend if you love trekking bring a proper backpacking bag on your trip with your own gear from home. Many times Courtney wished she had brought her backcountry camping bag instead of the travel MEC bag, however the travel bag was very convenient.
In the middle of our trip Andrew bought a 75L hiking bag (and gave his MEC bag away) as we started to do more hiking and camping. We also purchased a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags and a stove so we could experience South Africa by camping. We camped all over and loved having the freedom of not staying in a backpackers. We've now used the equipment in South Africa, India and Australia.
We recommend if you love trekking bring a proper backpacking bag on your trip with your own gear from home. Many times Courtney wished she had brought her backcountry camping bag instead of the travel MEC bag, however the travel bag was very convenient.
Shoes
We decided to buy Merrell Barefoot Runners and were happy with our decision. The barefoot's were good for everyday walking in cities, light hiking and the beach. They were great for being able to easily wash, are lightweight and dry quickly. We also brought a pair of leather hiking boots and flip flops. If you want to minimize your luggage weight we recommend buying a pair of gore-tex runners that have good support and can double as hiking boots.
Clothing
Before leaving Canada we struggled a lot about what to buy and bring with us so we packed like we wouldn't be entering a "westernized" store in the next 12 months. Well, we did enter many stores throughout the year, some with better selection than at home others with less or poorly made products, but what we did find was that if you needed it or wanted it you could find it wherever. For example, if you need a bug net the country you are going to will sell them everywhere and probably cheaper than the one you will buy at home. For technical clothing (lightweight, quickdry, durable) buy what you will need immediately at home. We bought a few articles of good quality clothes and had them the whole trip. After buying our camping gear we had to downsize our clothing and toss whatever we didn't need.
At the end we each had a pair of zip off hiking pants, two t-shirts, 1 quick dry tank top, 1 pair of board shorts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 polar fleece sweatshirt, 1 rain coat, 1 wind breaker/fall coat (bought during the trip as it got cold in Southern Argentina) 1 bathing suit, quick dry underwear (Buy polyester undies, so worth the money), a hat and sunnies.
At the end we each had a pair of zip off hiking pants, two t-shirts, 1 quick dry tank top, 1 pair of board shorts, 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 polar fleece sweatshirt, 1 rain coat, 1 wind breaker/fall coat (bought during the trip as it got cold in Southern Argentina) 1 bathing suit, quick dry underwear (Buy polyester undies, so worth the money), a hat and sunnies.
Vaccinations
Before leaving Canada we went for a travel consultation with a GP and got all of our vaccinations up to date. Courtney was fortunate enough to get all vaccines covered by health plans so she opted for all of them including Japanese Encephalitis, rabies etc. Yet Andrew paid out of pocket for most of his costing a total of approximately $350. What we quickly learned once we started travelling was that the same vaccines were available at much cheaper rates. Don't be afraid of the cleanliness of places as most medical practices, we experienced, had high standards. You can always make sure the needles are sealed and sterilized yourself or visit a private health centre offering the most westernized services.
Places we reviewed...more in the blogs
Torres del Paine
We found Torres del Paine a little challenging to figure out at the time of year that we went so we thought it would be useful to make some recommendations for travelers who decide to venture into the Park in the shoulder seasons when basic things like transportation are not operating at full capacity.
Get in: The closest and cheapest town to tackle Torres del Paine from is Puerto Natales, Chile. Although you can arrange transport from El Calafate, Argentina its quite expensive and takes much longer to get to the Park from there.
Hostel(s): We stayed at Lili Patigonicos. It was a newer hostel with a kitchen, a couple common areas, bouldering wall, tight rope and held a Torres del Paine briefing every day at 5PM. Its kind of expensive but we are pretty sure that most if not all of the hostels in Puerto Natales are pricey. The staff at Lili Patagonicos was super friendly and helpful in planning our trip to the park.
Torres del Paine: If arriving in late April or after start doing a little research about the park before hand. You can check out the Torres del Paine's Park's website
here.
Sleeping: There are very pricey privately owned refugios that you can stay in but they close up shop at the end of April. A Bunk bed per night in a refugio costs about $36 US (per person). You can also camp at refugios but it also costs quite a bit at $14 US per person per night. The cheapest option is to stay at the free campsites. They are not as nicely located as the refugios (you get what you pay for) so hiking between them takes a little longer.
Gear: If you have not brought your own camping gear, renting it in Puerto Natales is your best bet. We rented from a great little place called Los Immigrantes. It's a hostel/gear shop and the owner is a gear junkie so he has a good selection of high quality gear and we got a package deal because we rented everything from him (packs, tent, stove, warm down sleeping bags, mats and a small cookset). Once you have camping gear you can stay at the free camp sites in the park.
Route: The park closes the Paine Circuit (8 to 10 days) in late April once the snows hit it because of the Jon Garner pass area being impassable (or so they say). But you can still do the W Trek. If you arrive before May 1st you will have a good assortment of transportation options available. After May 1st the ferry to and from the West side of the W Trek stops and so does the private van transport to and from the east entrance of the park to the W Trek trailhead. Should you arrive after May 1st or, like us, your visit straddles the high and low seasons you'll have a bit more distance to cover on one of your days. If you miss the ferry on your way out, count on an extra day of hiking to get picked up by your transport to go back to Puerto Natales and if you miss the van service from the park entrance to the trailhead count on an extra 7km of hiking to get picked up by your private transport.
Weather: Its cold and wet in the shoulder seasons but the fall colours and lack of other gringos make this one of the best times to visit. Just dress for it and get the right camping gear before you go. Gore-Tex is handy.
What else: Well we didn't get a good view of the famous towers on our last day because of blizzard conditions. If we had brought an extra day or two worth of food we could have hung out a bit longer in hopes of getting a clearer day. Just something that you might want to keep in mind if you are hellbent on seeing the towers. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any other questions! We would be happy to answer them!
Get in: The closest and cheapest town to tackle Torres del Paine from is Puerto Natales, Chile. Although you can arrange transport from El Calafate, Argentina its quite expensive and takes much longer to get to the Park from there.
Hostel(s): We stayed at Lili Patigonicos. It was a newer hostel with a kitchen, a couple common areas, bouldering wall, tight rope and held a Torres del Paine briefing every day at 5PM. Its kind of expensive but we are pretty sure that most if not all of the hostels in Puerto Natales are pricey. The staff at Lili Patagonicos was super friendly and helpful in planning our trip to the park.
Torres del Paine: If arriving in late April or after start doing a little research about the park before hand. You can check out the Torres del Paine's Park's website
here.
Sleeping: There are very pricey privately owned refugios that you can stay in but they close up shop at the end of April. A Bunk bed per night in a refugio costs about $36 US (per person). You can also camp at refugios but it also costs quite a bit at $14 US per person per night. The cheapest option is to stay at the free campsites. They are not as nicely located as the refugios (you get what you pay for) so hiking between them takes a little longer.
Gear: If you have not brought your own camping gear, renting it in Puerto Natales is your best bet. We rented from a great little place called Los Immigrantes. It's a hostel/gear shop and the owner is a gear junkie so he has a good selection of high quality gear and we got a package deal because we rented everything from him (packs, tent, stove, warm down sleeping bags, mats and a small cookset). Once you have camping gear you can stay at the free camp sites in the park.
Route: The park closes the Paine Circuit (8 to 10 days) in late April once the snows hit it because of the Jon Garner pass area being impassable (or so they say). But you can still do the W Trek. If you arrive before May 1st you will have a good assortment of transportation options available. After May 1st the ferry to and from the West side of the W Trek stops and so does the private van transport to and from the east entrance of the park to the W Trek trailhead. Should you arrive after May 1st or, like us, your visit straddles the high and low seasons you'll have a bit more distance to cover on one of your days. If you miss the ferry on your way out, count on an extra day of hiking to get picked up by your transport to go back to Puerto Natales and if you miss the van service from the park entrance to the trailhead count on an extra 7km of hiking to get picked up by your private transport.
Weather: Its cold and wet in the shoulder seasons but the fall colours and lack of other gringos make this one of the best times to visit. Just dress for it and get the right camping gear before you go. Gore-Tex is handy.
What else: Well we didn't get a good view of the famous towers on our last day because of blizzard conditions. If we had brought an extra day or two worth of food we could have hung out a bit longer in hopes of getting a clearer day. Just something that you might want to keep in mind if you are hellbent on seeing the towers. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any other questions! We would be happy to answer them!
Galapagos
We HIGHLY recommend the Galapagos to EVERYONE!!! It is like no other place! The wildlife is unreal, the landscapes are beautiful and weather is hot and sunny (most of the time). We spent time in Puerto Ayora on our own then hopped on a 5 day boat trip. We booked our boat trip on the island last minute and got a good deal. We didn't shop around too much but saw that there was lots of availability especially if you have a couple of days open. Our boat trip took us around Santiago Island. It was a good itinerary with lots of snorkeling, hiking, and beautful beaches. We saw/swam with sea turtles, sea lions, sharks, blue footed boobies, a range of tropical fish, mine and land iguanas, rays, lots of birds, and dolphins! On our own we went to Tortuga Bay (a 5 km walk from town). It's amazing, the sand was was clean and fine it was like walking in baby powder. This beach is fantastic if you like to surf or if you prefer a quiet calm bay because it has both. On top of that there is tons of wildlife to look at, land iguanas everywhere. We went on a 1 day snorkeling tour to Kicker rock and swam with a hammerhead shark, Galapagos sharks, turles etc.. We then took another boat to a third Island, San Cristobal which has beautiful beaches, good surf, and tons of sea lions. If you have time we would recommend going on a 5 day boat trip and then doing some sight seeing on your own. Lodging is ok, for what you get it's slightly expensive but the wildlife and sights are worth it! Food is also ok, nothing too special. If you don't have too much time we would recommend going straight onto a boat tour (at least 5 days). You'll see everything and get to experience the highlights of the Galapagos and not have to worry about arranging your own transportation or lodging.
Banos
Hostal: Hostal Timara
We went to Banos thinking we would do lots of hiking and maybe a trip into the jungle but due to the town being covered in clouds/rain we did more relaxing. We enjoyed this hostal, it had a pretty descent kitchen, good WIFI, and the rooms were very clean. We enjoyed the town as well. There is a small indoor market where we bought lots of fruit and vegetables and then made meals at the hostal. Inside where the market is also has good places to eat, there are small individually owned cook-stands that serve great food. we hiked the trails that surround the town. The hiking was hiking, pretty muddy now but had good lookout points. Banos was a cute little town that we enjoyed. There is also a good nightlife if your looking to drink and dance!
We went to Banos thinking we would do lots of hiking and maybe a trip into the jungle but due to the town being covered in clouds/rain we did more relaxing. We enjoyed this hostal, it had a pretty descent kitchen, good WIFI, and the rooms were very clean. We enjoyed the town as well. There is a small indoor market where we bought lots of fruit and vegetables and then made meals at the hostal. Inside where the market is also has good places to eat, there are small individually owned cook-stands that serve great food. we hiked the trails that surround the town. The hiking was hiking, pretty muddy now but had good lookout points. Banos was a cute little town that we enjoyed. There is also a good nightlife if your looking to drink and dance!
Otavalo
Hostal: Hostal Valle Del Amanecer
We recommend going to the Otavalo market on a Saturday, we arrived Friday and left Monday. That was plenty of time to see the market and the sites. We stayed in a pretty nice hostel (Hostal Valle De Amanecer) that has a great courtyard with hammocks, good WiFi and was $12 each for the room and included a really nice breakfast. The market was great on Saturday, it sprawls out along all the streets connecting to the main market square. We also took a day tour around the main sites to see the Peguche waterfall and Lake Cuicocha.Hostal Valle De Amanecer)
We recommend going to the Otavalo market on a Saturday, we arrived Friday and left Monday. That was plenty of time to see the market and the sites. We stayed in a pretty nice hostel (Hostal Valle De Amanecer) that has a great courtyard with hammocks, good WiFi and was $12 each for the room and included a really nice breakfast. The market was great on Saturday, it sprawls out along all the streets connecting to the main market square. We also took a day tour around the main sites to see the Peguche waterfall and Lake Cuicocha.Hostal Valle De Amanecer)
Quito
Hostel: L'Auberge Inn Hostel http://www.auberge-inn-hostal.com/
We really enjoyed this hostel! It was in a great area (during the day, its not recommended to walk anywhere at night) making it easy to walk to Old and New town. It also was very clean, and had a nice, quiet,,and calming atmosphere especially after a hectic day in Quito. The restaurant was very good with nice meals and good bang for the buck. The staff were helpful, friendly, and could speak some English.
The city: We liked the city for the time we were there(4 nights) but were happy to move along. We saw the two suggested areas (Old and New town) and went on a fun day excursion to the Equator. The city is VERY fast paced and busy. It's great to see and experience but we were happy to get somewhere a bit slower and safer. We felt pretty safe walking around during the day but were told (by many) not to go out at night, so after a few nights in the hostel we felt a little restricted.
Our recommendation: Visit Quito for a few days but don't plan to be there very long. Book 2 or 3 nights in your hostel to begin with and decide whether you would like to stay longer. The city itself can become repetitive after 3 days so you may want to take days trips out of the city to keep things interesting. You can hike the volcano west of the city, visit the equator and/or visit some of the sites a ways south of the city like the Volcano Cotopaxi or the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa Wildlife Reserve. This would make staying in the city worth while. The weather in Quito is not as warm as one would think in their green season. Its quite damp and rainy and the sun sometimes does not appear at all during the day so temperatures hover around 13C and drop to about 9C at night making sleeping in the cold an adjustment, especially if you come from a place where its winter and your house sits at 20C all the time.
We really enjoyed this hostel! It was in a great area (during the day, its not recommended to walk anywhere at night) making it easy to walk to Old and New town. It also was very clean, and had a nice, quiet,,and calming atmosphere especially after a hectic day in Quito. The restaurant was very good with nice meals and good bang for the buck. The staff were helpful, friendly, and could speak some English.
The city: We liked the city for the time we were there(4 nights) but were happy to move along. We saw the two suggested areas (Old and New town) and went on a fun day excursion to the Equator. The city is VERY fast paced and busy. It's great to see and experience but we were happy to get somewhere a bit slower and safer. We felt pretty safe walking around during the day but were told (by many) not to go out at night, so after a few nights in the hostel we felt a little restricted.
Our recommendation: Visit Quito for a few days but don't plan to be there very long. Book 2 or 3 nights in your hostel to begin with and decide whether you would like to stay longer. The city itself can become repetitive after 3 days so you may want to take days trips out of the city to keep things interesting. You can hike the volcano west of the city, visit the equator and/or visit some of the sites a ways south of the city like the Volcano Cotopaxi or the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Pasochoa Wildlife Reserve. This would make staying in the city worth while. The weather in Quito is not as warm as one would think in their green season. Its quite damp and rainy and the sun sometimes does not appear at all during the day so temperatures hover around 13C and drop to about 9C at night making sleeping in the cold an adjustment, especially if you come from a place where its winter and your house sits at 20C all the time.
Travel Sites/Books
We are using Lonely Planets South America on a Shoestring book. So far it's been pretty helpful but the prices and some of the information is not always up to date. We recommend checking out travel websites (travel adviser) and others blogs for more reviews on hostels and tours.
Lonely Planet - Thorn Tree Travel Forum
Spot Adventures - Cou and Drew's Ultimate Adventure!
Lonely Planet - Thorn Tree Travel Forum
Spot Adventures - Cou and Drew's Ultimate Adventure!
Volunteer/Work information
Gear
Mountain Equipment Co-op
Campers Village
Atmosphere
Campers Village
Atmosphere