A Taste of Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia [with Adventure Travel]

Discover just a few of South America’s stunning countries on these small group adventures with Adventure Travel.  Take advantage of great value airfares to South America and experience some of these highlights for yourself.

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Ecuador

Early morning and the dawn light is just starting to peek through the curtains of my hotel room. Although it's Saturday, I'm already up as today is market day in Otavalo for all the local Quechua people.  I can hear the clip-clop sounds of horse drawn carts laden with goods arriving in the main square and the stalls being set up.  There is excited chatter amongst the locals as today is the biggest day of the week and I don't want to miss out!  There are plenty of goods on offer ranging from locally made handicrafts, warm woolly jumpers and traditional clothing as well as grain, produce and livestock - this is definitely the place to buy a pet Llama!  The first sale of the day is good luck for the stallholder so an early start and learning a few words of Spanish is key to getting the best price AND don't forget to bargain!  With all my shopping done before breakfast I can now sit back and enjoy watching the comings and goings of the market and really get a feel for life in Otavalo.








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Bolivia

I'm flying across 12,000 square kms of salt. The ground is so brilliant white, and the sky so dazzlingly blue, that if you squint it really does feel like you are flying. Our driver has had his foot firmly to the floor of the Toyota Landcruiser for the last 2 hours, and why not - there's nothing to drive into for hundreds of kms in any direction. Once we stop for some water, I get down onto my knees and study the desert - it's cut into perfect hexagonal shapes. This is the incredible Salar D'Uyuni - the great salt desert of Southwest Bolivia, that must rate as one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth. In the middle is the surreal Isla del Pescadores - giant cactuses that lend some perspective to the photographs of the vast whiteness all around. We've travelled for 3 days from the tourist village of San Pedro d'Atacama in the foothills of the Chilean Andes on a bumpy track that barely rates as a road; but what a journey, right across the spine of the Andes, to altitudes exceeding 5000m. Along the way we've marvelled at multi-coloured lakes filled with flamingos, passed the cone of Volcano Licancabur at nearly 6000m and stopped in villages so remote that you wonder how their inhabitants survive. It's December - middle of Summer, but temperatures in the desert still plummet well below zero at night, and we're grateful for the thick quilts on our beds at night.








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Peru

It is 4am in the morning, I am tired but very excited after a late night in the campsite with a group of fellow travellers, all of us anticipating today after an amazing 3 day trek along the Inca Trail.  We set off in the dark to walk the final 2 hours to the Sun Gate entrance all perfectly timed to see the sunrise. We arrive exhausted and quite heavy with emotion only to see nothing but cloud and mist, it is immensely disappointing.  Our guide however knows better, he says “wait”!   So we do.  20 mins later the mist and cloud simply vanishes and we are completely awestruck.  This first view of Machu Picchu is breathtaking and we realise that none of our reading and talking to other travellers has remotely prepared us for this. Machu Picchu at dawn from the Sun Gate remains my favourite travel experience.






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11 Day Bolivia Discovery

Enjoy this 11 day discovery in the Bolivian Antiplano experiencing awe-inspiring geography, friendly locals, cities rich in colonial history and indigenous culture. Experience La Paz, the fascinating and historic town of Sucre, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Potosi – famous as the silver mining centre and a 3 day Uyuni / Salt Lakes excursion. This small group trip (max 15), ex La Paz, is priced from $1079 pp plus a local payment of USD$200. 

For more information click here. 

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30 Day Peru & Bolivia Experience

The full experience!  Extremes of Andean landscape, from the Peruvian desert to the Inca Trail and remote salt flats of Bolivia. History, from the ancient Nazca to the Inca capital Cuzco, to colonial towns and vibrant indigenous markets. In short? Everything you‘d expect to see, with maximum flexibility.  Include highlights – 4-day Inca Trail hike, guided tour of Machu Picchu, 3-day excursion to the Salar de Uyuni.   

This 30 day trip is priced from $2649 per person plus local payment of USD$600.  Small group (max 15). 

For more information click here.

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Ultimate South America Journey

This escorted 29 day Grand Journey includes Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil & Argentina.  Highlights include a 3 night Galapagos cruise, the Otavalo market, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, an overnight cruise on Lake Titicaca, La Paz,  Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls and Rio de Janeiro.

This journey is a guaranteed departure for 28 July 2009 and is escorted from Auckland by Chris Lyons.

Price is $18,850 per person twin share and includes return airfares.

For more information click here. 

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Published 11th Mar 2009

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