Snow-capped volcanoes, Atacama, the driest desert in the world, Patagonia, the land at the end of the world. For a long time a pleasant shiver has been running down my spine.

That's it! With plenty of time to travel the south of America, the backpack on his back, the hiking boots on the feet and otherwise freedom in the hair. And this dream is actually becoming reality! Together with a dear friend a month together South America tour, In this article - and, of course, in many others - I'll talk about our travel arrangements and exhilaration, and if it works, we'll talk about our experiences.

Already the choice of travel timewas not easy. After all, you have to somehow get away from the demands of the world of work for a whole month. After some back and forth, March crystallized. For various personal reasons, this was our month, immovable.

With the travel time hung that too Destination CountryTogether: in South America is rainy season in our late winter. So we rolled up climate tables, read travel reports, interviewed travel guides. From Venezuela via Peru we came to Chile. Chile is an extremely "slender" country with over 4,200 kilometers of north-south longitude, stretching over 39 degrees of latitude. There should be plenty of alternative for climatic and vegetation zones, if the weather or the area does not suit us. 

Since we are rather less on sightseeing or beach holiday off (which does not mean that we will not do that too!) In Chile, there are also wonderful Wine), we will be in the south of the huge country. The south is riddled with big and small National parksand is for trekkingPerfect for all levels of difficulty: everything from simple, guided hikes to weeks of self-sufficient expeditions. Our Mountain guide Juho LukkariHaving lived and worked in South America for a long time, he also warned us that orientation can be difficult or even impossible due to off-track vegetation and recommended one for more difficult ventures Guide to engage, A great idea, because if the guide brings a freight horse, we can be quite self-sufficient for a long time.

At the moment, we are still collecting ideas and reading through the web and through various travel guides. The Lonely Planetonce again seems to be quite well suited for traveling. Of course, Juho is always a good source for insider tips. The official and the paperwork are still with us: are all vaccinations ready, the foreign health insurance for South America valid, passports not expired? Copy all documents, scan them and send them to your own email address Tip from an old globetrotter- so you get in case of a case quickly to the copies of the documents.

Now it is a question packing listto trim the weight of the rucksack, to get missing equipment and, above all, to explore the different possibilities offered by Chile and to make a plan. Especially for the trekkings have still possible routesand bases, the supply of food, possible exit options and much more are organized. Long-distance travel is quite a bit organizational effortwith an uncertain outcome, for which one needs a good deal of courage to take risks. Who can do without this effort and still the Dare South America adventure wants, can book a professionally compiled nature study trip and has got rid of the whole organization.

If anyone has trekking tips for Chile and northern Patagonia, or knows what we should do on any case, always keep up with the comments!