Brazil and Argentina - March 1996
Rio de Janeiro. The Santa Teresa tram is not working any more.
Foz do Iguacu - Ciudad del Este. You can reach Ciudad del Este
(Paraguay) by foot in about one hour from the Foz do Iguacu center.
Foz do Iguacu - crossing the Argentinean border. If you are
visiting Argentina for one day, the border formalities proceed in the
Foz do Iguacu - Puerto Iguazu bus. If you are going for a longer stay
and need the entry stamp, you have to go to the immigration office.
Be quick as the bus will not wait for you and it is difficult to take
another bus.
Iguazu Falls. The entrance fee on the Argentinean side (US$ 5)
now includes the ferry to Isla Grande San Martin. At the time of our visit,
the fee could be paid in any of the three currencies (Argentinean Peso,
Brazilian Real or US Dollar) in the ratio of 1:1:1.
Bolivia - April 1996
Potosí. The state-owned mines have been closed.
Potosí. It is possible to reach the top of Cerro Rico by foot
in about 2.5 hours from the city center.
Chacaltaya mountain. The walk from the chalet to the first
summit (designed by a rubble pile) takes 40 minutes. From here it is
possible to follow the main ridge and to reach the main summit
(the fourth in a series) in about 75 min. The walk, partly in snow,
offers very nice views. Acclimatization is needed as all the route is above
5000 meters of altitude.
Rurrenabaque is the base for rain forest and pampa trips.
Agentura Fluvial resides in hotel El Tuichi. There are also other
agencies in the city. A 2 day rain forest trip offers view of rivers
Beni and Tuichi and an excursion into the tropical rain forest.
A 2 day pampa trip enables the observation of wild living animals
along the Yacuma river - birds, crocodiles, tortoises, capybaras,
river dolphins, monkeys etc. - basically the same as in the Pantanal
(Brazil) and Esteros del Iberra (Argentina). Rurrenabaque based trips
are probably the cheapest way in South America to see both the virgin
rain forest and the wildlife.
Peru - May 1996
Traveller's cheques. Banks accepting traveller's cheques
offer the same rates for cheques as for cash.
Isla Taquile. Camping on the island is not allowed. You will
be directed to one of the private houses for accommodation. You will have
also to pay a small entrance fee to the island.
Puno - Cuzco train was leaving Puno on Mondays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays at 7am at the time of our visit. Tickets were
sold from 4pm to 8pm the preceding day. The cost was S/ 25 (US$ 10.50)
in the 1st class, US$ 19 in tourist normal and US$ 23 in tourist
Inca train.
Inca trail. Camping at Intipunku is officially prohibited.
The last legal camping possibility before Machu Picchu is at the camping
site near the youth hostel. It is a good idea to reach Machu Picchu
in morning to have enough time to enjoy the ruins.
Arequipa - Misti. To go to Misti volcano from Arequipa,
catch the microbus to San Luis - Apurimac on the Bolivar street
(buses are going downhill). Apurimac is at the edge of Arequipa.
From there you can reach the summit of El Misti in 1.5 days.
Islas Ballestas. Fast boats are now used for the excursions
to Ballestas islands. Whole trips take therefore less time now. The time
onboard the boat is about 2 hours from which one hour is the observation
of birds and sea lions on the islands.
Lima - The Gold Museum. The museum is at least 10 km from
the city center. It can be reached by public transport but you have to
change two times the bus or to walk a distance. Part of the route goes
through poor quarters of the city. The simplest way is to take taxi.
Trujillo. Buses to Chan Chan and Huanchaco do not go through
the Mansiche street but through Industrial and De la Torre. Colectivos
to Huaca del Sol leave from Suarez street, east of Los Incas street.
Tumbes. The Peruvian immigration office is 3 km from the
Ecuadorian border. There are motorized rickshaws running between the
office and the border.
Ecuador - June 1996
Traveller's cheques. The exchange rate for traveller's cheques
is better (or at least the same) as for cash.
National parks. Ecuadorian national parks are now administrated
by INEFAN (Instituto Ecuatoriano Forestal y de Areas Naturales y Vida
Silvestre). There is a uniform entrance fee of S/ 20,000 (US$ 6.50) to
all parks, including Cajas area. Galapagos are still US$ 80. The fees are
to be paid at the park entrances or in the INEFAN offices.
Parque Nacional Podocarpus. There is a new chalet (built 1994)
at the Cajanuma ranger station. You can overnight in a freely accessible
small room on a wooden floor. Toilet and water are also available.
Chimborazo. There are travel agencies in Quito, Baños and Riobamba
offering guides and equipment for climbing Chimborazo and other mountains.
The lowest prices are in Baños (US$ 120 per person for Chimborazo).
Note, however, that you have to pay in advance and there is no guarantee
that you will reach the top. It depends on many factors: your physical
condition and degree of acclimatization, the weather, snow conditions
and your guide's mood.
Riobamba. The CETUR (information) office is now on the corner
of 10 de Agosto and 5 de Julio.
Quito. The CETUR office in the old town is on Avenida Venezuela
half block from Plaza de la Independencia to the north, on the right side.
The main post office is at Espejo street, half block from Plaza de la
Independencia to the east, on the right side. A new trolley bus line changed
the public transport network in Quito.
Pichincha. The safe way to the Pichincha volcano is from Mañosca
street in Quito. You can take the Mitad del Mundo bus and get off at the
corner of Avenida America and Calle Mañosca. Continue on Mañosca uphill.
There is a gate at the upper end of the street, a luxury district is
being built here, but you can go through with no problem. Follow the
main road, which is paved at the beginning. We spent time looking for
a more direct path but it evidently does not exist and the wood is dense
here. It takes almost 3 hours to reach the first hill with antennas.
Alternatively, you can try to hitch a car. From the antennas it takes
another 3.5 hours for acclimatizated people without baggage to reach
the top of Pichincha. The opposite way is, of course, quicker and you
can return to Quito on the same day. The trip can be highly recommended
as it offers spectacular view on Quito and the Ecuadorian volcanos on a
clear day.
San Lorenzo train. The Ibarra - San Lorenzo train is not
regularly working any more. San Lorenzo can be now reached by bus on
a new road. The train offers only a tourist ride once a month
(on the last Sunday) for 30 dollars.
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