South America Archives • The Bliss Movement

Budget Travel, Peru, South America, Travel

How To Visit Machu Picchu on a Budget

Despite being one of the world's most famous ancient sites, you can absolutely visit Machu Picchu on a budget. Hidden high within the Andes, the sheer size of Machu Picchu combined with architecture that would have been seemingly impossible in the times of the Inca civilization (particularly in its mountain-top location), is both beautiful and mysterious. It's no wonder why thousands of people from around the world come to take it in every year. There are a number of different ways to visit but this guide is geared towards people who want to Machu Picchu on a[...]

Peru, South America, Travel

Sandboarding in Huacachina, Peru

After a month lazing away my days on the beaches of Ecuador, the change of scenery of Huacachina's desert oasis was a breath of fresh air. Surrounded by the sandy dunes of the desert, this is the only desert oasis in South America and is lined with restaurants, hostels and hotels. With very little else to it, visitors to are often eager to book up with one of the many tour companies to go sandboarding in Huacachina. So, that's what we did: hopping in a dune buggy with a few new friends, putting our lives in the hands of the driver that's about to rip around the d[...]

Ecuador, Guides + Itineraries, South America, Travel

The Quick Guide to Ecuador’s Beach Towns

My time in Ecuador was one of the highlights of my travels through South America and since I couldn't find very much information about the coastal towns, I decided to create one for anyone else wanting to explore this part of the world. This is it: a guide to the beach towns in Ecuador. My journey here was an impromptu decision and I knew very little about any of the stops along the way but I was needing the salty fresh air of the sea and that was enough to make me hop on the next bus out. I hadn't planned to spend very long in the country but once my toes hit[...]

Ecuador, South America, Travel

Banos: The Ecuadorian Adventure Town

The journey crossing the border from Colombia to Ecuador by bus - despite making me really nervous to do alone - ended up being a breeze. After spending a night in a hotel on the border of Colombia, I hailed a taxi to the border and before I knew it, I was walking across a bridge; out of one country and into another in under two minutes. A little chit chat with immigration officials, passport stamped and it was sorted. Soon enough, I was on a bus out of there. Sometimes I wind up in countries or cities without really knowing why I want to go there in the first p[...]

Colombia, South America, Travel

Five Things To Do When You’re In Salento

Salento was one of the highlights of my visit to Colombia. Set in the country's Zona Cafetera, or coffee district, Salento is a charming little town where you could easily find yourself extending your stay. It's beautiful, the people are friendly and it's where you go to take a look at the tall wax palms. While I spent most of my 5 days relaxing after Medellin, here are a few things to do in Salento to make for a memorable experience. Hike the Valle de Cocora Easily the most well known attraction in Salento is the nearby Cocora Valley, where you can hike to see[...]

Colombia, South America, Travel

Hiking Salento’s Valle de Cocora

Visiting Salento was high on my list of things to do in Colombia, mostly for the stunning Valle de Cocora. The valley offers a great hike that you can do easily from town. A new friend and I woke up bright and early, walking up the hill to Salento's one and only main square, where all of the Willy's (jeeps and the town's main form of taxi) are lined up eager to be filled with the absolute maximum capacity of people wanting to drive into the valley. GETTING TO THE VALLE DE COCORA The Willy's that I mentioned are the only way to get to the valley. About 3,000 CO[...]

Colombia, South America, Travel

The Best Day Trip From Medellin: Guatape and La Piedra

The main reason people choose to jump on a 2 hour bus journey from bustling Medellin to the colorful pueblo of Guatape is for it's main tourist attraction: La Piedra del Penol - "the stone of El Penol" or "the rock of Guatape". Towering 1263ft. above the ground and 7005ft. above sea level, La Piedra is truly enormous. After putting off my visit to La Piedra for a solid week (Medellin has great nightlife that I couldn't help but experience for myself. Unfortunately, this meant that I continued to be too tired for the prospect of climbing up 740 stairs the next m[...]