A big continent (but we're going to see as much as we can)

South America is a big continent so I long ago abandoned plans to hire a ute and do a road trip (I don't think Debbie was ever keen on that idea anyway).  I'm also not keen on spending 30 hours on a bus so we're taking quite few flights.  There will still be some long hours spent on the road.  But not in the first week.


Kick off is in Lima and then we head to Cuzco (by airplane) for a few days taking in the sights and getting used to the altitude.  Then we walk the Inca trail (via the Ollantaytambo Sacred Valley).  The walk is about 40km over four days.  Which doesn't sound too bad until you realise we get up to nearly 14,000 feet which will take our breadth away.


Next stop is Lake Titicaca (via a long bus ride) where we have a homestay on one of the islands.  That's where we go from Peru to Bolivia and spend some time in La Paz and Potosi before making our way to the Uyuni Salt Plains (I'm hoping by train, but I think there's another long bus trip in there).


At some stage we must cross the border to Chile because we have a look at the Atacama desert before taking a van ride across the Andes to Salta and then we avoid a long bus ride by flying to Buenos Aires. That's where the tour ends and Debbie and I are left to our own devices (somebody should warn them).


We'll spend a few days in BA and maybe take a day trip to Uruguay before flying to Iguassu Falls.  A few days in Iguassu including a day trip to Paraguay - cheap leather.  Then its off to Rio and then home.


So, half a continent in four short paragraphs.