I found out about the Marble Caves (Capilla y Catedral de Mármol) in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, Chile before my trip started and saved it in Google Maps, thinking “There shouldn’t be any problems getting there. It’s well known!” Boy, was I wrong. When I finally sat down to do some research, the most recent information I found was from two years ago, and some of it has changed, so I’d like to share with you all some updated information I found based on my experience to get to the caves in case anyone else is interested. I’m writing this while still in Chile Chico, so hopefully it’ll be relevant for some time! Disclaimer: this will only address how to get there from El Chalten and information that I received.

Step 1: El Chalten to Los Antiguos

First, you need to take a bus to Los Antiguos which is a border crossing town on the Argentinian side. There were two companies selling tickets to this destination, both with semi-cama seats at $2,090 ARS. Chalten Travel departs from El Chalten at 21:00 and arrives at 07:00. They stop offering this service on April 21, I assume due to El Chalten closing for the season after Easter. Marga departs at 21:50 and arrives at 08:25; this bus also offers Cama seats. I don’t know if this service closes, but it doesn’t go every day, so you’ll have to check with the company. The route takes highway 40, but sometimes it’s closed, so the bus has to go around and you’ll arrive later than the stated time (according to the ticket seller at Chalten Travel).

Step 2: Border Crossing from Los Antiguos to Chile Chico

Once you reach the bus station in Los Antiguos, you can purchase a minibus ticket for $200 ARS cash ($250 ARS with credit card) from Los Antiguos to Chile Chico (the border crossing town in Chile), and the journey takes about an hour. I booked through Chalten Travel when I arrived at the Los Antiguos bus station for the transfer departing at 09:15. Marga offers this transfer service as well. You can book this transfer in El Chalten along with your bus ticket, but since route 40 might be closed, the guy suggested we wait until we arrived in Los Antiguos. There are three transfers a day: 08:30, 12:00, and 16:00, I believe. Our ticket said 08:30, but the minibuses for both Chalten Travel and Marga didn’t come until 09:15 which is what the ticket agent in Los Antiguos told us. Although we purchased a ticket from Chalten Travel, the minibus was operated by Turismo Martín Pescador and drops you off in front of their office in Chile Chico. I don’t know where the Marga transfer drops you off.

Step 3: Chile Chico to Puerto Rio Tranquilo

Turismo Martín Pescador sells transfer tickets to Puerto Rio Tranquilo for $14,000 CLP one-way ($28,000 CLP for round trip if you want a transfer back to Chile Chico). Our ride was in a van that departed Chile Chico at 09:30 (Chile was an hour behind Argentina while I was there, so this is 10:30 Argentinian time) and took about three hours. I don’t know if this is the only company offering transfer to Puerto Rio Tranquilo, but it seemed like they time the transfers according to when the border crossing transfers arrive, so my assumption is there would be at least two more. I didn’t see any other companies offering this route, but I didn’t look around town as I wanted to get there as early as possible. If you’re not in a rush, maybe walk around town to see if there are other companies offering this service too. The town of Chile Chico is very empty and there were barely any cars on this route, so I think it would be pretty difficult to hitchhike. The only experience I heard through the grapevine about hitchhiking was that it took a couple guys 4 hours to find a ride for this route. We seemed to be the only people on the street, so that doesn’t surprise me if it’s true.

Step 4: Puerto Rio Tranquilo to the Marble Caves

There were a number of boat operators on the waterfront offering boat tours to the Marble Caves. They all seemed to be the same price and leaving at a couple times: $10,000 CLP departing either at 09:00 or 11:00. The tour we took with Marmol Expediciones lasted about 1.5 hours. There are options to kayak to the caves too which looks like a great experience as the water seemed pretty calm, but I didn’t have enough time.

Step 5: Getting back to Chile Chico/Los Antiguos

The man at Turismo Martín Pescador said that the only transfer back to Chile Chico leaves Puerto Rio Tranquilo at 19:30. It seems odd to me that it’s so late and it’s the only one, but that’s what he told me. Again, maybe check to see if there are other companies offering this service, possibly at an earlier time. Assuming this is accurate, you would arrive back in Chile Chico at 22:30 which is too late to go to Los Antiguos since the border crossing is closed. Plan to spend one night in Chile Chico and cross to Los Antiguos the next day. The transfers with Turismo Martín Pescador to Los Antiguos depart at 10:00 and 15:00 from the main bus station in Chile Chico. It costs $3,500 CLP (about the same price as the $200 ARS in step 2).

DISCLAIMER: Since I was short on time, I opted to do the day trip with Turismo Martín Pescador from Chile Chico, so this is just information I got from the guy. You may be able to see if there is an earlier transfer back to Chile Chico from Puerto Rio Tranquilo since my Spanish is not great LOL.

Day Trip to the Marble Caves from Chile Chico

I ended up booking a day trip from Chile Chico to the Marble Caves for the same day return back to Chile Chico for $40,000 CLP since I wouldn’t be able to make it back in time for the bus from Los Antiguos to Bariloche. We left Chile Chico at 09:30 and came back around 18:30, right in time to check in to the hotel and eat dinner. Taking into account the costs of doing it yourself, you only save $2,000 CLP ($28,000 CLP round trip transfer + $10,000 CLP boat tour = $38,000 CLP). This is a great option if you only want to do the caves and nothing else in the area of Puerto Rio Tranquilo.

Since I’ve mentioned them so much and they seem to be the main operator, here’s Turismo Martín Pescador’s website: http://turismomartinpescador.cl.

Hope this helps!

The Amazon rainforest was always a place I read in books and saw in movies/documentaries. Some faraway land that was unreachable, so it was an absolute dream to be able to visit it. I knew I’d be dirty, smelly, damp, etc. all the time, but there was no way I was missing out on this. I chose to enter the rainforest through Puerto Maldonado, Peru and visit Tambopata with Chuncho Lodge as the tour operator. I got really lucky as it’s their low season right now and there was another couple from China interested in the same tour around the same time I was going (they needed at least two guests to cover operational costs). Jorge, the owner, was extremely communicative via email, responding to every question I had up until the day of the tour. Joselo was our guide, and he was super knowledgeable about anything and everything related to the rainforest (wildlife, plants, ecosystem, etc.). He teaches photography and took some great pictures and videos using his scope and my iPhone.

I treated all my clothes with Permethrin and bought a mosquito head net. I was debating back and forth whether to get one when planning my trip since it looks kind of stupid, but I’m so thankful I had it since I’m a mosquito magnet. Probably would have many more bites on my face without it.

Day 1: Arrived in Puerto Maldonado and made our way to the lodge in Tambopata via a 1-hour ride in the back of a pickup to experience the outside and about a 10 minute boat ride. Our car got stuck in the mud at one point, but the driver and guide were able to get it out in a few minutes. The company I went with has a 42 meter tall canopy tower which we went to (and every day after that). It was absolutely beautiful up there. You can hear all the birds calling out to each other and see the sunset and mountains in the distance. You can also see the fog rolling in and out of the trees like an eerie horror movie. It immediately became my favorite spot. We saw beautiful macaws, hawks, monkeys, tons of birds, and a snake on our first day. What a great first day.

Day 2: Woke up at 4:30am to take a 1.5 hour boat ride down the river to arrive at the El Chuncho clay lick, one of the biggest clay licks where macaws gather to feast on the nutrients it provides. During the ride, we saw a few capybaras, the world’s largest rodent, and a cayman. No jaguars unfortunately. We arrived around 6:30am and staked out for 5 hours. The macaws came and went like 3 times, never flying down to the clay lick, so our guide said there must be something there scaring them off. Finally, our patience paid off, and they came down to the clay lick…behind the trees -_- The afternoon walk was cool though. Saw a frog, more birds including toucans up in the canopy!

Day 3: This was our “relaxing day,” meaning all we did was hike and relax. We went for a 3-hour morning hike but didn’t see much, unfortunately. Went back up to the canopy tower and saw some more toucans and birds. One of the other guests pointed out the super thick fog rolling in, but our guide said it was heavy rain headed in our direction. I’ve never descended something that tall so quickly!

Day 4: The first half of this day was spent in transit to Lake Sandoval which we got to by lunchtime. I didn’t really know what to expect at the lake since I didn’t research it beforehand. After a 30 minute boat ride from the lodge office and a one hour hike through the rainforest, we arrived at the boat rentals. The entrance of the lake is almost swamp-like, but after about 10 minutes of paddling, it opens up into what I imagine a castaway paradise to be. Palm trees everywhere, calm lake, sun shining. Just gorgeous. We saw a cayman, some monkeys, and some birds along the way to the lodge (I can’t remember what kinds of birds; we’ve seen a lot). It started raining hard in the afternoon, when we were supposed to go for an afternoon boat ride, so we waited it out in the lodge. After the rain subsided, the couple opted to sit this one out, so it was just me and guide. Oh my god, the lake was so tranquil after sunset with no other boats around. We saw a couple caymans in the water, identified by their bright red eyes when you shine a light in their direction.

Day 5: It rained all night, so unfortunately, we didn’t get to go for the sunrise. However, we got to experience the rainforest in all its glory: nonstop rain. On our paddle boat ride back. On our one hour hike. Luckily, I had a rain jacket and rain boots, but my pants and socks were still soaked within a half an hour. All good though – that’s what I get coming during the wet season!

All in all, it was a great trip, and I would love to come back and visit a different part of the rainforest. Now for the flight back to Cusco with damp clothes (damp everything really), tons of pictures, and 20+ mosquito bites (I was expecting way more, so this is a win).

Today also marks one month since I’ve left home. There are times when I wish to be around friends and family, but I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. It feels like this is my life now, and I’m learning that there’s no need to plan everything out. Everything always works itself out. I’m sure the next 3.5 months will fly by like nothing, and I’ll be itching to do this again.

Lots of people I’ve met in Bolivia didn’t have the best things to say about La Paz: it’s just another big city, there’s not much to do there. They were sort of right. It’s another big city, but it just has big city things which is different from all the natural parks that people usually visit. I spent about three days here, two of them in the city doing walking tours. There really isn’t too much to do in the city except ride the cable cars which operate as part of their public transit system. I spent a couple hours just riding the cars back and forth just to get the panoramic view of the city from above. I love sprawling cities and this is one of them. There was also the Alasitas Festival going on, so I spent a couple hours walking around the huge market. Ate a humita.

On the second day, I went mountain biking for the first time on Yungas Road aka The Death Road aka the World’s Most Dangerous Road. It became known as the WMDR due to 10% of the cars who traveled it not making it through alive because the road was narrow, barely wide enough for two cars (one going in each direction). Cars drive on the left hand side here so the drivers can judge their closeness to the edge more accurately. Nowadays, they’ve built a much safer road that most cars take, but there are some small villages along the road, so it’s still being used. I was debating back and forth whether I wanted to do this since I’m scared of heights, particularly dropoffs, and a tourist died just a week or so prior. I ended up going with Barracuda Biking Company after hearing about them from a couple different people who went and enjoyed their time with them. They really emphasized safety and gong at your own pace; I felt very comfortable with them. The whole bike ride was about 5 hours with multiple stops in between. My forearms were completely sore by the end of the ride since I was gripping the handlebars and brakes the entire time out of nervousness. Initially, I was super scared of falling off the cliff, but then I realized the road is pretty wide and was more scared of wiping out riding on gravel. Overall, I had a lot of fun and am glad I did it. Scary? Not as bad as I expected. Totally recommended if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush.

As I was doing research to visit the Salar de Uyuni, I came across a couple blogs that mentioned it’s worth the extra distance to start the tour in Tupiza, a city in southern Bolivia that’s about 1.5 hours away from Argentina. They have these beautiful red rock canyons and cliffs that people say are similar to Arizona (no idea, never visited the parks there). I did a 4D/3N tour from Tupiza to Uyuni with La Torre Tours. We visited the Sud Lipez and saw a bunch of natural sites along the way. There were so many sites, I can’t remember all of them, so if you’re interested, I suggest you Google their itinerary with La Torre Tours. Our 4×4 was one of six in a caravan (with 3 other companies) which turned out to be very helpful.

The most adventurous day was the first day. It had been raining pretty hard the week before, and on the day of, we had trouble crossing some rivers. Some cars got stuck and had to be pushed out. Guides were testing the depth of the rivers by throwing rocks in them. At around 6:30pm, the guides were talking amongst themselves and told us we will probably have to sleep in the car tonight since we couldn’t cross the river. No dinner, no bed, but there was adventure! They were constantly evaluating the river until it was low enough to cross…at 12:30am. About 5 minutes later, we arrived at the ranger’s station at the park entrance and had to sleep there as we couldn’t get into the park and to our hostel for the night. There were about 24 tourists and 4-ish beds, so most of us slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Not the worst thing after being cramped in the 3rd row of a 4×4.

We woke up at 5am to head out to the Salar de Uyuni on the last day to make it in time to see the sunrise. It was so cold but absolutely worth it. The Salar is hands down one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in my entire life. The mirror reflection on the ground after the rain makes the clouds and scenery look like a renaissance painting. It’s unreal. We had to take our shoes off to walk in the flats since there’s about a couple inches of water. First the water was cold, but then the pain of walking on jagged salt quickly overshadowed the freezing temperature. It was even worse when we took our jumping pictures. Worth it though.

If you ever have the chance to visit, do it. Even if it’s out of the way (usually an overnight bus from La Paz and Sucre or a quick flight), take the time to visit the flats even if just for a day. I promise you won’t regret it.

Two weeks in Sucre was the perfect introduction to Bolivia. It’s the country’s capital, but despite that, it’s a small colonial city with a quaint town-like feel. This is the most time I’ve ever spent in one place, and it really helped ease me into not being at home for the next few months.

I took two weeks of Spanish lessons at Me Gusta Spanish School and did a homestay with a Bolivian family that was set up through the school. Each day, I woke up, went to school, had lunch at home, and did homework. It’s been over 7 years since I’ve had a daily routine, and it felt SO nice. Mi español no es muy bueno, pero puedo vivir. One of the most useful phrases I’ve learned is “Tienes la contraseña para WiFi?” Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, different places offered salsa lessons, so obviously knowing me, I went every day that first week; it was exhausting but fun!

The Mancilla family was so patient with me while I learned, and Elisabeth (the mom) cooked some AMAZING Bolivian food – papa rellenas, mondongo, saice, humintas, different types of sopa every day, and tacos! (Not Bolivian but she knew I loved tacos <3) The school offered activities after class Tuesdays through Fridays, but the only one I was really interested in were the cooking classes on Thursdays with Marlene. We made tucumanas the first week and humintas the second. Both were absolutely delicious. I had no idea what Bolivian food was like, but I definitely didn’t expect to like it this much.

I was pretty sad to leave Sucre as I met some awesome people from the school and even more people through them, but hopefully we’ll cross paths again. It was time to move on and start traveling!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton