travel / Latin America / Central and south america

BACKSTORY:

In 2019 I went to Mexico and Cuba and I fell in love. I rarely return to a country I’ve just been to but I couldn’t get it out of my head, I needed to go back, there was so much more to experience.

So in 2020, after some serious burnt out, I quit my job, to travel Central + South America for a whole year with a friend. But a mere 3 days out from flying to Chile to start my adventure… COVID struck. ScoMo (our prime minister at the time) gave orders to get our butts back to Australia, so I did.

The world was opening up again. I needed to get off this big old island that had temporarily turned into a prison. Everyone was still uneasy about overseas travel, I didn’t have any friends interested in taking a decent chunk of time off. I couldn’t afford to go for a year anymore. Circumstances had changed.

My only remaining option: a solo trip, 5 months, backpacking.

AND THE TRIP WAS BORN.

I’m a very independent person but I’ll happily admit, 5 months in Central/South America, on my own as a female made me nervous, it wasn’t something I’d imagined myself doing solo. I had only been in other countries for a few days at a time on my own.

At 29 years old I also felt maybe I was a tad old for backpacking? Everyone else was settling down, buying houses, having babies. It felt like a big jump from essentially never solo travelling or staying at a hostel before – to 5 months on my own, in a developing part of the world with a reputation for being dangerous – just me and my backpack.

I guess my determination to go and see these places won out. I was going, I didn’t care. Thank god I didn’t let my fear and worries dictate my life. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.

Why Central or South America?

If you are also considering visiting this part of the world and you’re looking for a few spots off the Gringo Trail, my route has you covered.

For those considering going solo, it may be reassuring to you that a 5ft’1 tiny female with a backpack bigger than her torso was able to travel for 5 months without being kidnapped or having anything stolen.

There is honestly something for everyone, a bit of party (for sure), rich cultural experiences, unique foods and ancient wonders. There is nature and adventure in spades, from the lush Amazon Jungle, the Galapagos Islands to the Mesoamerican reef, the humbling Andes to Patagonia in the South, take your pick there’s a lot on offer.

Personally for me, the highlight was the people and their warm, vibrant Latin culture, the dancing, the music, the celebrations, these were the things I loved most. I’ve been a fair few countries over 6 continents during my brief stint on this planet and so far and never encountered atmosphere like this.

5 month itinerary

Interactive map, click to zoom and see more

I visited 6 countries in total, I spent different lengths in each, some countries 1 week, some countries 6-7 weeks. The route I took was from orange -> purple in the map above.

Mexico – Belize – Guatemala – Colombia – Peru – Bolivia – back to Mexico.

I did some basic planning and made a rough itinerary before I left – which I did not end up following at all, I didn’t even look at it once, entirely skipped Ecuador. As I moved through, people kept recommending places I’d never heard of, they sounded sick so I’d go. I just went with the flow and it was my first time travelling in this way. It was very liberating to be so free.

There things I booked in advance:

1. Inca trail

2. W trek Patagonia (never made it to this trek, Chile wouldn’t let me in)

These two treks are usually booked out 6 months in advance so they were the only things I booked prior. In hindsight, I would say it was too many and one would be enough. Logistically I had keep calculating how much time I’d need to get to the next trek, where I wanted to go in between, how many days could spend etc. It ruined the flow having to plan in advance.

I’d recommend just booking one for a period of 5-6 months. For the rest, just rock up and see what’s available with local tour companies.

Time spent: 6-7 weeks

It was longer than I had planned, the more time that passed, me more I fell in love with the place. I was seriously considering spending the whole 5 months in Mexico, it was hard to leave. Mexico is the most magical place, an endless flow of serendipity.

I’d tell myself: “Okay time to go to the next country, in the next few days … or you’ll never leave”

That day, I’d meet cool people, we would vibe, they’d tell me about plans to visit ruins in a jungle, stop at a beach town that was on the way to my next destination, I’d join them and have the time of my life… another week would pass…

It was a decent chunk of time but I felt like I barely scraped the surface. Although I got a taste of the many facets of Mexico, could’ve spent the whole 5 months in Mexico easily. There is so much more to Mexico than Cancún, Tulum and Cabo. In fact all the travellers I met that only went to Quintana Roo didn’t love Mexico – no surprise as these areas are so Americanised, packed with resorts that you might as well be in Florida, it’s barely Mexico anymore.

West coast is the best coast. Definitely do the west (Oaxaca, Puerto Escondido) and skip Quintana Roo if you want to see the real Mexico. If you want to visit cenotes, go to Merida/Valladolid, Tulum has some spectacular cenotes, especially for scuba diving but the beaches are underwhelming and full of seaweed.

Some other places I would visit if I had more time:

• Guadalajara
• Puebla
• Mazunte ⛱

Time spent: 6 days

“Go slowwwww mannnn”… Belize has that Caribbean island vibe, barefoot, steel drums, jerk chicken and buttered lobster sizzling on outdoor fire pits, no cars only golf buggies on white sand. The water is crystal clear, more turquoise than even Turquoise Bay in Western Australia. The other thing to note – it’s very expensive, $20 USD for a burger level of expensive.

My main reason for visiting Belize: Scuba diving! If you don’t have your dive ticket never fear there’s a lot of snorkelling options, reefs are shallow, so you can still see a lot.

The Mesoamerican reef is the 2nd largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Having dived in both, I would say the diving in Belize is superior for making ocean friends, there’s way more marine life.

• Flores
• 🌟 Antigua 🌋
• 🌟 Lake Atitlan 🧘🏽‍♂️
  • Santa Cruz la Laguna
  • San Pedro

Time spent: 2.5 weeks

Guatemala is the most grounding and peaceful of all the countries I visited. Known for an epic landscape of volcanoes (the famous Acatenango & Fuego) and the ever so tranquil Lake Atitlan, I had plenty of unforgettable experiences in this country.

I did a homestay while going to Spanish school at the lake, living with a local family I was exposed to the humility and gracious nature of these people, one of the most touching experiences of my trip. Guatemala also had some of the best hostels!

Time spent: 4 weeks

Ohhh Colombia. The vibes are high in Colombia. Let me paint a scene. You get into a taxi, your driver is just rapt with life, he’s singing a ballad at the top of his lungs, he’s very jovial for 5am on a Monday. You ask is it a special occasion? Why is this man so happy?

He laughs, “It’s Monday!! A new day, a new week, a new chance to celebrate life!”

You try to process this, people aren’t a big fan of Mondays where you’re from but he doesn’t need to know that, this is easily an improvement on complaints about how short the weekend was.

This was my experience of Colombia, the people of Colombia have a reputation for being some of the nicest in the world, I haven’t covered the whole world (yet) but so far from what I’ve seen, I can confirm this, hands down.

They have “joie de vivre” – a french expression meaning a cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit. You will feel this everywhere in Colombia, who doesn’t want to be around people who delight in being alive, that’s probably where all the music and dance come from, they are celebrating life. And the way they dance… the passion, it’s spicy. I’ve never seen people move like this, maybe except for Cuba. Oooooffftt.

Time spent: 6 weeks

Peru was humbling. My time in Peru was very trek heavy, it challenged me but the rewards were well worth it. The Inca trail was like entering an ancient time, the mountains have a certain mystical presence there. I did find it harder to connect with travellers in Peru, I came across less solo travellers and more groups.

The Amazon was definitely a highlight, I would recommend going through Iquitos over Leticia in Colombia for those tossing up between the two. I’ve never been to a place teeming with so much life – the sounds, the hum, it’s unlike anywhere else. There are rainforests and there is the Amazon, the mother of all rainforests. This place was a standout, completely different.

Time spent: 7 days

Bolivia has some sick otherworldly landscapes. Pink flamingos in colourful lakes in the middle of deserts. Cactus islands on preserved coral that used be underwater in the middle of salt flats. Something out of a sci-fi classic. The weather can be gruelling, the winds, the cold, the altitude but worth seeing for sure.