Adventure tours in South America

Diary of Oasis Overland's Kingdoms and Carnivals Expedition
Simon Eales writes...

PERU: 3rd - 6th December

"A crack of dawn start for the last 5km to Machu Picchu in order to reach our goal by sunrise. After an hour we reached the incredibly steep 50 or so steps that led up to the Sun Gate. The exhausting climb was worth getting out of bed (or sleeping bag) for, with awesome views of Machu Picchu and surrounding mountains as the rising sun shone its golden rays over the world-famous site. The descent to the site revealed its sheer expansive size and a group photo was taken overlooking the ancient ruins and Huayna Picchu mountain behind - a view so famous it's on every major postcard of Peru.

In all we spent six hours at Machu Picchu with our guide Vicente giving us the whole guided informative tour, before the group split to do their own thing. A handful of us did a not-so-fun trek up Huayna Picchu (out of choice) but the amazing views at the top overlooking the ruins and surrounding valley made it all worthwhile.

From Machu Picchu we made our way 2km down to the small town of Aguas Calientes where we caught a train and then a bus back to Cusco. Spirits were high, drinks flowing freely on the return journey - a sheer sense of triumph. I survived the Inca Trail!

BOLIVIA: 13th December

What a day to mountain bike 64km downhill from La Cumbre to Coroico what with the unpleasant wet weather making it a treacherous and challenging ride.

When we started at the top at La Cumbre (altitude 4800m) we were riding through cloud and freezing cold rain which made it especially difficult to see where you were going, although the first part of the track was on asphalt. Later on we hit the rocky dirt track, stopped for lunch and then it was onto the most narrow and dangerous parts of the ride where the road (if you can call it that!) was no wider than the width of a bus and to the left of you was a sheer 1000ft drop. This notorious stretch of track has become to be known as the world's most dangerous road due to the number of vehicles falling over the edge.

It was an exhilarating journey to the bottom - stunning jungle scenery coupled with the adrenalin rush of riding through waterfalls, rivers, mud and very gravelly surfaces. After five hours or so, we finally reached Coroico (altitude 1000m).

Afterwards, a welcome shower and meal at a hotel where we also viewed a slideshow of the day. The drive back to La Paz was a four hour journey up the precarious roads we'd cycled down earlier. Overall a fun and challenging day and an unforgettable experience.

CHILE: 2nd January

Another memorable achievement today as we climbed to the top of Villarrica volcano (2845m) in Chile's beautiful Lake District.

It was an early start to pick up our gear; when we got to the site we were then given a pickaxe for the climb. The sensible among us took the chairlift halfway up to the snow level before starting the ascent properly at 10am. We had to hike up zig-zagging paths that wound through the thick snow - it was hard work but we managed to reach the summit two and a half hours later.

The views on the ascent were dramatic and spectacular and upon reaching the summit we gazed into the abyss of the steadily-smoking crater - a once in a lifetime opportunity. Plenty of smoke and the distinctive choking sulphur smell, although thankfully there was no lava.

If coming up was difficult then descending was a breeze - literally as we just slid down the vast trenches that had been dug in the snow; what fun it was although walking properly again may take a bit of time to adjust to... Yet, another expedition highlight and something to tell the kids in years to come!

ARGENTINA: 28th January

The last full day in Buenos Aires, so it must be time to indulge myself in a bit of skdiving!

The dive took place about 100km south of BA near the small town of Lobos. The planes were small light aircrafts capable of carrying only a handful of instructors and fools like me. They also had no seats which made for an uncomfortable flight - the only option was to sit on the floor facing the rear of the plane.

After a four hour wait inside a converted aircraft hanger, I was kitted up and I finally boarded the plane with my instructor, whom I was to be strapped to for the big jump. It was 6.30pm by the time the plane reached its altitude of 9,000ft; the door was opened and an unwelcoming cold rush of air enveloped my body as we moved into position; there was no turning back now. Before I had the chance to think what the hell I was actually doing - and whether my travel insurance might just cover accidental death of the policy holder - the plane turned sharply to the right and that was that; the momentum toppled me and we were plummeting to earth at around 120mph.

The freefall lasted for up to 25-30 seconds but it felt like forever and it was the scariest moment of my life; I felt helpless having no control and could only keep my eyes firmly shut and just pray for this horrific nightmare to end as quickly as possible. Finally to my immense relief the parachute deployed, leaving us to drift slowly down to earth in 5-10 minutes - I landed in a graceful heap on the ground.

No sooner had I returned to the hostel it was time to go out again, this time for a group outing to a traditional tango show in San Telmo that had been well recommended. There was plenty of variety with different bands, singers and dancers;it was amazing to see so much passion and vigour in the overall peformance.

Alas, our fabulous time in the Tango Capital of the World had come to an end, but I took home with me some wonderful memories and I will definitely aim to return in the future.

BRAZIL: 11th February

Today we embarked on two jungle treks in the Pantanal region, one in the morning where we spotted exotic birds and grazing deer on the wetlands (after having to walk through the water bare-footed in one point!) This was then followed by a trip into the jungle itself which was abounding with exotic plants and flowering fruit, macaws, tucans, monkeys and raccoon-like creatures.

After lunch back at base and then a siesta to escape the heat of the day, we headed out in the late afternoon to a different area of the jungle and wetlands and spotted different species of birds, armadillos and wild cattle amongst others.

That's not even mentioning the alligator that our guide lured and pounced on in a Steve Irwin madcap style! Then, holding the reptile by its neck he asked if anyone was brave enough to volunteer to do the same for a closer encounter than we had imagined; a few of us stepped forward as he handed over the helpless creature and we posed individually for an unforgettable photo opportunity. Our ever-fearless guide then lay the alligator onto its back and started massaging its scaly underside until it became stunned. Following more photos he prodded the lazy alligator until it flipped over again without warning and scuttled off in a daze.

The day didn't end there, after dinner we went for a night drive in the open-top truck in the wetlands in search of more wildlife using a large spotlight. The guides kidnapped another alligator from the swamp for the others to get photos but this one managed to escape the group! Add to the night trip a cloudless starlit sky in which even the Milky Way was clearly visible and you had one incredible evening and as nature intended.

All in all, the Kingdoms and Carnivals expedition with Oasis Overland was the most incredible thing I've done so far - I met some brilliant people and did so many things that I'd never thought possible in just 106 days!"



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