The Gringo Trail: Bogotá to Rio Overland
Itinerary through Bogotá, Villa de Leyva, San Gil, Medellín, Salento, Cali, … (168 days), with day-by-day ideas, shared by a Voyageur traveler.
Colombia · Ecuador · Peru · Bolivia · Chile · Argentina · Brazil · 168 days · 38 Stages
Bogotá, Colombia
Days 1–5
- Day 2 10:00: La Candelaria graffiti tour
- Day 3 09:00: Gold Museum
- Day 4 07:00: Monserrate hike
Villa de Leyva, Colombia
Days 5–8
- Day 6 09:00: Bike to the fossil museum and Pozos Azules
San Gil, Colombia
Days 8–11
- Day 9 08:00: Rafting the Río Suárez (class IV)
- Day 10 10:00: Paragliding over Chicamocha canyon
Medellín, Colombia
Days 12–18
- Day 13 09:00: Real City walking tour
- Day 14 10:00: Comuna 13 escalators
- Day 16 08:00: Guatapé and El Peñol day trip
Salento, Colombia
Days 18–22
- Day 19 07:30: Cocora valley wax palms
- Day 20 10:00: Coffee tour at Finca El Ocaso
- Day 20 19:00: Tejo game at Los Amigos
Cali, Colombia
Days 22–25
- Day 23 19:00: Salsa class and La Topa Tolondra
Otavalo, Ecuador
Days 26–28
- Day 27 08:00: Saturday market and Peguche waterfall
Quito, Ecuador
Days 28–33
- Day 29 09:00: Teleférico to Rucu Pichincha
- Day 30 10:00: Mitad del Mundo equator line
- Day 31 10:00: Old town churches: La Compañía
Quilotoa, Ecuador
Days 33–36
- Day 34 08:00: Quilotoa loop hike: Isinliví to Chugchilán
- Day 35 09:00: Quilotoa crater lake rim
Baños, Ecuador
Days 36–40
- Day 37 09:00: Bike the Route of the Waterfalls to Pailón del Diablo
- Day 38 16:00: Swing at the End of the World
- Day 39 18:00: Thermal pools
Cuenca, Ecuador
Days 40–43
- Day 41 08:00: Cajas national park
- Day 42 10:00: Panama hat workshop
Puerto Ayora, Ecuador
Days 43–50
Galápagos island-hopping, 8 days · Galápagos Unbound
Máncora, Peru
Days 50–54
- Day 51 08:00: Surf lessons
- Day 52 09:00: Swim with turtles at El Ñuro
Huaraz, Peru
Days 55–61
- Day 56 06:00: Laguna 69 acclimatisation hike
- Day 58 05:00: Santa Cruz trek (3 days, guided)
Lima, Peru
Days 62–66
- Day 63 10:00: Miraflores cliffs and Barranco
- Day 64 13:00: Ceviche lunch at La Mar
- Day 65 19:00: Magic Water Circuit
Huacachina, Peru
Days 66–69
- Day 67 16:00: Dune buggy and sandboarding at sunset
- Day 68 09:00: Ballestas islands from Paracas
Arequipa, Peru
Days 70–74
- Day 71 10:00: Santa Catalina monastery
- Day 72 03:00: Colca canyon and condors (2 days)
Cusco, Peru
Days 75–82
- Day 76 09:00: San Pedro market and Qorikancha
- Day 78 05:00: Rainbow Mountain
- Day 80 09:00: Sacred Valley: Pisac and Ollantaytambo
Km 82, Peru
Days 82–85
Classic Inca Trail, 4 days · Alpaca Expeditions
Cusco, Peru
Days 85–86
Puno, Peru
Days 86–89
- Day 87 07:00: Uros floating islands and Taquile homestay
Copacabana, Bolivia
Days 89–91
- Day 90 08:30: Isla del Sol north-to-south hike
La Paz, Bolivia
Days 91–96
- Day 92 10:00: Red cap walking tour
- Day 93 07:00: Death Road by mountain bike
- Day 94 16:00: Cholita wrestling in El Alto
Sucre, Bolivia
Days 97–103
- Day 97 09:00: Spanish school mornings (2 weeks booked, 1 week here)
- Day 100 09:00: Parque Cretácico dinosaur tracks
- Day 102 17:00: Recoleta viewpoint
Potosí, Bolivia
Days 103–105
- Day 104 09:00: Cerro Rico cooperative mine tour
- Day 104 15:00: Casa de la Moneda
Uyuni, Bolivia
Days 105–108
Salar and lagoons to Chile, 3 days · Quechua Connection
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
Days 108–112
- Day 109 04:30: El Tatio geysers
- Day 110 17:00: Valle de la Luna by bike
- Day 111 21:30: Stargazing
Salta, Argentina
Days 112–116
- Day 113 07:00: Quebrada de Humahuaca and the 14-colour hill
- Day 114 19:00: Peña folk music night
Mendoza, Argentina
Days 117–122
- Day 118 10:00: Bike and wine in Maipú
- Day 119 07:00: Aconcagua viewpoint and Puente del Inca
- Day 120 10:00: Malbec tasting in the Uco valley
Bariloche, Argentina
Days 123–129
- Day 124 10:00: Circuito Chico by bike and Cerro Campanario
- Day 126 08:00: Refugio Frey hike
- Day 127 16:00: Chocolate trail on Mitre street
El Calafate, Argentina
Days 129–133
- Day 130 08:00: Perito Moreno glacier
- Day 131 09:00: Estancia Cristina and Upsala glacier
El Chaltén, Argentina
Days 133–138
- Day 134 06:00: Laguna de los Tres
- Day 136 08:00: Laguna Torre
- Day 137 10:00: Chorrillo del Salto
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Days 138–145
- Day 139 11:00: San Telmo Sunday fair
- Day 140 19:00: Tango lesson and milonga
- Day 142 10:00: Tigre delta boat
- Day 143 20:00: Asado at a puerta cerrada
Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Days 145–148
- Day 146 08:00: Devil’s Throat and the Argentine side
- Day 147 09:00: Brazilian side panorama
Florianópolis, Brazil
Days 148–153
- Day 149 09:00: Lagoinha do Leste trail
- Day 150 16:00: Sandboarding at Joaquina dunes
- Day 151 19:00: Oysters at Ribeirão da Ilha
Paraty, Brazil
Days 153–157
- Day 154 10:00: Schooner trip to the islands
- Day 155 09:00: Trindade natural pool
Ilha Grande, Brazil
Days 157–161
- Day 158 08:00: Lopes Mendes beach trail
- Day 159 09:00: Blue Lagoon boat trip
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Days 161–168
- Day 162 08:00: Christ the Redeemer by the Corcovado train
- Day 163 17:00: Sugarloaf at sunset
- Day 164 10:00: Santa Teresa and Selarón steps
- Day 165 22:00: Samba in Lapa
- Day 166 07:00: Two Brothers hike above Vidigal