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Cycling and walking Latin America

If bicycle touring turns you on, climbing the mountains gets you high or you have the Latin American soul, then this website might be for you. I built it of the memories and pictures gathered during several long travels to Latin America and out of pure fascination with this unique continent. Since I always travel by bike, or I crawl up the mountains with an ice ax in my hand, I can promise you a view from a bit different angle – from the perspective of an unhurried traveler, for whom the road matters more than the destination, to the extent that the voyage itself becomes the destination. Welcome to the world of patiperro!

Ruta de Siete Lagos

South America
2012

After more than four months I’m back to Europe. I try to accustom again to the world without the Southern Cross and condors in the sky, with no empanadas and salchipapas on the plate, without hummingbirds scouring the flowers and countless pairs of dark eyes peeping from under the fancy hats, with no children carried in colorful scarves, no snowy mountains above my head or never ending, bumpy roads leading uphill… Here you will find a choice of pictures from the Mapuche Land and here from the north of Peru.

Ostatnio lubię...

tunasSanqui, tunas, pitayas… or cacti fruits. Although known in Europe, through Middle East and Asia, to Australia – they all come from Latin America. Tunas are sweet fruits of opuntia, originally from Mexico. Sanqui are fruits of a cactus called Sankayo (Corryocatus brevistylus), which grows in Peru and Chile above 3000 m. Blood-red pitayas (Stenocereus) and pitahayas (Hylocereus), also called „dragon fruits” come from Central America. I also recommend marmalade made of Venezuelan datos (Stenocereus griseus). They’re all super tasty and reach in vitamin C, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and antioxidants.kwiat sanqui i tunas

hummingbird

Hummingbirds

They are a fabulous example of the extreme engineering of nature. From the point of view of evolution, such fragile, energy-squandering creatures shouldn’t exist at all. Hummingbirds had captivated me long before my first travel across the Atlantic and long before I chose biology as a subject of my studies. For ten years I’ve been trying to catch one with my camera, all in vain, and the former fascination gradually turned into some sort of obsession. Hours spent waiting in a heat, stealing through the bushes in a company of swarms of blood-thirsty insects – the field photography in its most masochistic and frustrating breed. This year, eventually, my stubborn attempts brought the results which - needless to say - I’m very proud of, and which can be seen in this photo gallery.

I apologize for any errors, links that lead to nowhere and a very modest English section at the time being. Making a website is a time-consuming task and I still learn how to do things. What you can see here is just the beginning and it will certainly improve with time. I just thought it’s better to share what I already have, rather than hold it, who knows for how long, till everything is tip-top.

My travels so far

  • 2001 Biking the Inca Heartland

    Biking the Inca Land (2001)

    My first ever bike tour overseas. The travel took three months and led me through Peru, Bolivia and Chile. I set off from Lima, then through southern Peru, across Bolivia and northern Chile I reached Santiago. In Peru I visited Nasca, Arequipa and its surroundings, Cuzco, the Urubamba valley and the Titicaca lake. In Bolivia I pedalled through the Altiplano and Salar de Uyuni. In Chile I cycled across the Atacama.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    An epic ride from Lima through Cuzco and Andean high planes to Santiago de Chile.
  • 2003 High and Wild in Argentina and Chile

    Argentina and Chile - High and Wild (2003)

    The highest summit outside of the Himalaya? Why not! "Reach high", as they say. Unfortunately, in case of mountain expeditions this sort of attitude often leads to frustration. Defeated by autumnal snowstorms and insufficient acclimatization, I didn't reach the summit of Aconcagua in the end. But I met Gloria there (here we lean against the ruined shelter in "Independencia" camp, alt. 6500 m). She and her friends from Santiago's climbing scene made an excellent companion for future climbing attempts.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Climbing the High Andes, trekking in Patagonia.
  • 2004 Biking the Maya Land

    Biking the Maya Land (2004)

    As always it all started from an idea. A bicycle turned out to be such a perfect mode to see the Inca historic realms, so why not to use it for a visit to the Maya land as well? In the beginning of 2004 the concept became reality - I landed with my vehicle in Mexico City and set off to the south. For next three months I cycled amidst tropical vegetation and along Caribbean beaches, checking on the heritage of the great pre-Columbian empire. The present which I found, turned out to be equally fascinating.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    A hot loop around the Yucatan Peninsula.
  • 2004 Up the Wet Volcanos' Alley

    Up the Wet Volcanos' Alley (2004)

    It was a spontaneous decision! One afternoon I popped into a flight agency and the very next morning I was sipping Columbian cafe in a plane to Quito. Ecuador is a compact country - the ocean, the Andes and the rainforest are a short bus ride from one another. It is also a fascinating blend of modernity and tradition. In the streets of Quito you will meet both trolleybuses and donkeys, and see women hand washing traditional colorful skirts in the roofs of the modern high-rises. In Ecuador the rain season lasts for half a year, with a peak in April. This is exactly when I set about the local mountains.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Mountaineering in the midst of Ecuador's rainy season.
  • 2007 Through the Snow, Sand & Salt

    Through the Snow, Sand & Salt (2007)

    It was the longest and the toughest of my bike rides. First I pedaled through Patagonia, end to end - from Puerto Montt to the very tip of Tierra del Fuego. The last part I covered in the brink of winter (picture). Then useing the side roads I cycled through the Altiplano - first along the Chilean/Bolivian border, then on to Argentina. As a break I was hiking and climbing in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Touring Patagonia and Altiplano, from Tierra del Fuego to the mines of Bolivia.
  • 2008 Biking Venezuela

    Venezuela (2008)

    Venezuela by bike! Another idea which was growing in my mind for long. Or rather I had to grow up to it. It's a hot country! I mean the climate, but also the political situation and crime issues. Nonetheless the trip went smooth and safe. Within nine weeks I reached the farthermost corners of Venezuela, experienced the socialism in Caribbean fashion and all sorts of landscape. Among others I traveled through the savannah...

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    An alien in the land of the world´s cheapest gasoline.
  • 2009 Practical Vulcanology

    Practical Vulcanology (2009)

    Three months in the Andes. The expedition with the intention of scaleing a few high summits in Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, the ideas of which I gathered during my previous travels. The outcome was a number of ascents of 6000m peaks, 5000m peaks and some lower ones, together with many excelent treks in remote parts of the Chilean and Bolivian Andes. The long lasting upshot was yet bigger fascination with the world's longest mountain range.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Climbing some of the most magnificent volcanos of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina, plus a few splendid non-volcanos.
  • 2010 Tierra del Frio

    Tierra del Frio (2010)

    A bicycle excursion through the western part of Tierra del Fuego. The aura of late autumn/early winter and the breathtaking nature. Beech forests, mountains, lakes and no people around - it's the last moment when that forgotten corner of Tierra del Fuego doesn't see visitors. Shortly, the new road to the south will be completed and the vicinity of Lago Fagnano and Bahia Yendegaia inevitably invaded by tourists, settlers and heavy traffic bound for Puerto Williams.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Cycling the wildest part of Tierra del Fuego in winter.
  • 2010 On the Bike Through 7 Countries

    One Bike - Seven Countries (2010)

    Altiplano is an inexhaustible source of cycling ideas. This time I made two of them come true: a loop around the Titicaca lake (picture) and crossing in one go three giant salt pans sitting astride the Chilean/Bolivian border: Surire, Coipasa and Uyuni. Then I penetrated thorny Gran Chaco - un unwelcoming region in eastern Bolivia / western Paraguay with some delightful fauna. Having cycled Paraguay from one end to another, I briefly entered Brazil and visited the Iguaçu Falls. Then through the Argentinean province of Misiones I pedaled towards Uruguay. After two months in a saddle and over 3000 km, I finished in winter-time Buenos Aires.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    A ride around the highest lake, across the largest salt pan, through the hottest plain to the grandest waterfalls and beyound.
  • 2012 Biking the Mapuche Land

    Biking the Mapuche Land (2012)

    An unhurried ride through beautiful Araucania - the land of fiords, mountains, lakes and volcanoes. From Chilean Puerto Varas I set out south. Then through Futaleufu I crossed to Argentina and turned north. Finally, in order to close the circle, I returned to Chile through the Mamuil Malal pass (in the picture). The pass, with its Araucaria forest and Lanin volcano (alt. 3717 m) towering above is easily the most spectacular border crossing between those two countries.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Argentinian and Chilean lake districts in the height of autumn seen from the bike seat.
  • 2012 Side Roads of Peru

    Side Roads of Peru (2012)

    Yet another tour tracing lost Latin American civilizations and cultures - I cycled through the Chachapoyas country, the historical heartland of "The Cloud People". The route led from Cajamarca, across the Marañon canyon, then through the cities of Chachapoyas and Tarapoto, to Yurimaguas in Amazonia. I was pedaling through the mountains, cloud forests, profound canyons, near giant waterfalls (like Gocta, 771 m high - pictured) and ancient ruins. Finally some crazy downhill took me to the Amazon. On my way back to Lima I departed from the coast and followed the road between stunning Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Negra, which climbed to over 4000 m. The cycling trip lasted two months.

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    A bike ride through the Chachapoyas land to the jungle, then up to Cordillera Blanca.
  • 2012/13 Voluntary resit of Patagonia & Peru

    Voluntary resit of Patagonia & Peru (2012/13)

    The whole trip lasted over two months, split between springtime Patagonia and Peru in the midst of the wet season. As a warm-up I climbed Chillan (3186m) and spent a day in a stunning valley full of thermal waters at the feet of this active volcano (pictured). There’s nothing better than a dip in a hot river amid the snows to conclude the summit day! From Valle Hermoso I set off for a multi-day trek through the Andes that I hardly had any information of. Walking sheppards’ paths and beds of knee-deep rivers I put on the line hope and intuition in par with navigation skills. Four days, three valleys, two passes and countless river crossings later I found myself on the public road again!

    For viewing the following slides use the arrow keys or the navigation panel in the bottom of the picture. Under TRAILS tag you will find the map of my routes.

    Hitchhiking Patagonia and trekking Southern Ice Field. Plus several lost cities, active volcanoes and bottomless canyons.
I spent three months in a bike seat, having traveled over 3000 km, mostly on gravel roads and through the mountains.
I was surprised to find out that the entire Peruvian coast, the scenic it might look, was just a desert.
I hiked in the Colca canyon and Yungas, visited Beni National Park and climbed El Misti volcano.
After ten weeks of cycling across the Andes my bike and I were in a bit worn-off state. The whiteness on the horizon is Salar de Uyuni.
For an illness I also had to abandon the idea of climbing the Andes' second highest peak - Ojos del Salado. Nevertheless I managed to reach it hitchhiking - quite an accomplishment in a complete desert. I spent three days in Salar Maricunga (in the picture) without a single car to pass by.
I briefly joined the ranks of Chilean carabinieros.
In Patagonia I hiked in Chile's Torres del Paine and Argentina's Los Glaciares national parks. There're not many places on earth that leave more profound impression in one's mind than those two places.
Santiago was my base camp, with Cajon del Maipo in a throwing distance. It has a dozen of serious summits and makes a perfect spot to take some rest from visiting more inaccessible corners of Chile and go ice climbing to the peaks such as Moai (4550 m, in the picture).
Besides the most famous Mayan ruins, such as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Tical and Tulum (its Wind Temple is in the picture), I visited several less known sites, some of them completely off the bitten track - a bike will take you anywhere you want!
Guatemala, with its colonial city of Antigua (in the picture) and the volcanic lake of Atitlan, was certainly "a cherry on a cake" of that travel.
The main charm of that country lies in its people. Nobody slams the door shot in front of your nose, like in Mexico. Instead they invite you inside. In Guatemala the Mayan culture remains more vivid than anywhere else.
Cenotes are bottle-shaped caves with a tiny entrance in the top - some of them of enormous volume. Lime rocks of Yucatan are pierced with them like Swiss cheese.
The mountains of Ecuador are among the most accessible. It's not a coincidence that the main road in that country is called "The Alley of the Volcanoes". The summit over the Polish-Basque camp in the picture is Iliniza Sur (5263 m).
Atop of Iliniza Norte (5126 m) with Aritz - a Basque friend of mine. A cone of Cotopaxi is visible in the background.
Ecuador must hold the world record in the variety of colors of outfits and different hat styles. It seems that every village has its own traditional costume. The best places to observe this diversity are local markets.
When not in the mountains, Aritz and I still attempted to break our necks in some ingenious way.
Lago General Carrera is probably the most beautiful and hardest part of Chilean Carretera Austral. I started my tour through Patagonia with such weather and clothes. Two months later I finished accompanied with the conditions you can see in the picture before.
One of undiscovered attractions of Peru - the Cotahuasi canyon. As profound as neighboring Colca, if not deeper. The difference is in the popularity among tourists - the crowds of visitors there and nobody here!
Ten liters of water, a few days of food and a compass. Three days in the whiteness, or Salar de Uyuni for the second time.
The southern outskirts of Bolivia with its western-like landscapes are another regions omitted by the tourists.
Through the cloud forest...
Through the mountains...
And through the desert...
Venezuela is a land of paradoxes and a country of subsidized gasoline. One liter of petrol costs about three cents so there's no car too big, too worn-off and too fuel-consuming.
A touring cyclist is a true curiosum in that country and besides, Venezuelans are really curious and open. Needless to say, wherever I turned up, I drew people's attention.
On the second day I got all my money stolen, so willy-nilly I spent most of my time in cheap Bolivia. The expedition only gained from it. The picture shows the highest summit of Bolivia - Sajama (6542 m).
Giving in the climb of Huayna Potosi (alt. 6088 m; here seen from the Zongo valley) some 50 m short of the summit was another blow. It was simply too difficult to carry on alone without a rope.
A majority of peaks I climbed happened to be extinct or active volcanoes. The geyser field in the picture is located near Puyehue volcano. Only a year later the volcano erupted violently, causing mass evacuation and paralyzing air traffic as far as Buenos Aires and Sydney.
If I were to point out one thing about the Andes which I equally admire and hate, it would certainly be penitentes. Those beautiful ice swards often make an impenetrable obstacle.
Lone on the summit of Volcan San José (5856 m). It was the last mountain I climbed, just before going back to Europe.
The north of the island is a real treat for the fans of gray, empty spaces and hurricane winds. For the other 99,99% of cyclists it is a brutal test of motivation.
But the south rewards you with all the best that Patagonia has on offer - the mountains, glaciers, fiords, lakes and beech forests...
...especially impressive in the autumn!
The sunrise near Lago Deseado. Desired Lake, the Last Hope Sound (Seno de Ultima Esperanza)... those Patagonian names are haunting.
This is what I dreamt about when I was touring Venezuela. In Tierra del Fuego I slightly verified my dreams.
Northeastern side of Lago Titicaca is the Aymara and Quechua country. They live like centuries ago with not much influence from tourism. And the road cut in the slopes climbing down to the lake is much more scenic than its counterpart on the western side. Due to the lack of the official border crossing between Bolivia and Peru this side of the lake doesn't see many tourists.
Salar de Uyuni for the third time. I already feel as easy here as in my backyard.
In Gran Chaco everything alive has thorns. The most typical species here is Palo boracho or "drunken tree".
Guarani Indians in a settlement of German-speaking Mennonites, on a street named after Hindenburg - an infamous German chancellor. Mennonites are the only ones to have succeeded in hellish Chaco. Guarani in turn posses only children and live in the margin of the Paraguayan society.
Devil's Throat - the most spectacular of several giant waterfalls forming the Iguazu Falls in the border between Brazil and Argentina.
Ruins of Jesuit Missions, red earth, yerba mate plantations and settlements of Polish immigrants yet from the nineteen century are all the features of the Argentinean province of Misiones.
Through the Chilean part of Araucania runs just one poor road, criss-crossed with fiords and constantly attacked by rains coming from the ocean.
My route run through Valdivian forests - dense temperate forests, supported on the Chilean side of the Andes by frequent rain.
The mountains stop humid air masses drifting from the Pacific. On the Argentinean side the sunny, warm autumn reigned.
The road on the Argentinean side, depending on the distance from the mountains, once was surrounded by dry steppes, another time (like on "Ruta de Siete Lagos" - pictured) by lakes and forests.
The biggest obstacle on the road across the Andes - from the Peruvian northern coast to the Amazon - is the Marañon canyon. To reach the opposite side, barely 20 km away, you have no choice but to follow the stony road plummeting 3000 m to the bottom and then climb it back on the other side.
The most impressive piece of legacy of Chachapoyas - "The Cloud People" in the Chachapoyas valley is the immense fortress of Kuelap. Placed on top of the hill, at 3000 m and 1200 m above the bottom of the valley, is as spectacular as the finest Inca structures.
Crossing the Andes means dust and sweat. But the prize is a downhill section leading to the Amazon - a paradise both for a cyclist and a biologist. In that transition zone you will most likely see animals, especially birds.
The famous Duck Canyon (Cañon del Pato) en route from Chimbote to Huaraz, is a challenge for cyclists: the road is rough, with 4000 m of the altitude gain and 35 claustrophobic tunnels.
Huandoy in Cordillera Blanca with its four summits over 6000 m, as seen from the road from Pamparomas to Caraz.
Puya raimondii plants (here in the stand in Huinchus/Cordillera Negra, alt. 4200 m) are related to pineapple, but its flowers reach 10 m. It grows only in a few high places in the Andes.
I hitchhiked the entire region of Patagonia: from Bariloche, through Esquel, Trelew and Rio Gallegos to El Chalten – 2500 km in total or five days in the road. Having traveled in a curious array of vehicles ranging from tiny people-carriers, through wear-off pick-ups, sports cars, grand limos, to an overloaded track, I highly valued the fascinating people I met and the absorbing conversations I had with them. It resulted in some unusual insight into the Argentinean society. I was given a lift by intellectuals, labourers, businessmen, tradesmen, farmers and tourists; young and retired; rich and poor; indigenous people and immigrants...
The main reason to set up south was an aspiration to hike the Southern Ice Field. Not many people venture there - for its remoteness and demanding weather. Trekking Campo Hielo and circumnavigating the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre massives gave me a good insight into Antarctic conditions and allowed to test my equipment as well as myself. I survived without much damage; however my tent got crashed by a storm.
I spent Christmas on the slopes of the Apurimac Canyon in Peru, on my way to the lost city of Choquequirao. A profound valley to be crossed twice (since you have to return the same way!) and the little publicity these fascinating Inca ruins enjoy, result in the fact that they annually see no more than three thousand visitors – just a one-day tally of Machu Picchu!
I marched from Calca to Lares using an old Inca trail. Then, following another ancient path through another high pass, I returned to the sacred valley of Urubamba.
In the Cotahuasi Canyon I was wandering among villages scattered along its two-kilometer-high slopes, some of them completely cut off from the outside world. I got as far as the deepest section of the valley and visited some forgotten ancient ruins. For two weeks of my stay in one of the world’s deepest and marvellous canyons I didn’t see another tourist. Nothing has changed in that matter since I was there in 2007. Everybody goes to the Colca Canyon which is perhaps less spectacular but much better advertised and of course easier to get to.

latest news

Finally I found time to bundle together a few pictures from last year's travels in South America. Here you will find some photos from Patagonia and here a selection of pictures from Peru. And last but not least - a photo record of a countryside rodeo in a remote Chilean frontier town of Futalaufú. Check them out and stay tuned, there's more to come!

You asked for more pictures? Here they are! A little collection of neotropical butterflies. Another fixation of mine, besides hummingbirds, the photos of which you can find on the left. Look at all these colors and shapes, and brighten up your average gloomy day! I will appreciate, if somebody helps me out to name the last few species left.

butterflies

Here I put together a few pics for all hardcore aficionados of volcanoes! And to end with the best, in this gallery I combined together 180 shots from my first ten years of cycling and mountaneering in Latin America. Nine travels in one place! Hard choice and a very subjective one. Check it out!