Rediscovering South America

How it's changed! When I set out with my new husband in 1973 to travel overland from Colombia to Tierra del Fuego, South America barely registered on the tourist map. The current hot-spots of Machu Picchu and the Galapagos Islands were on a very few tour operators' itineraries, but the rest of the region was virtually ignored.

Rediscovering South America

As independent travellers in the 1970s we were on our own. The only guidebook, the venerable South American Handbook, was largely for business travellers and anyway it was stolen (along with all my clothes) in our first week in Colombia. For sightseeing we learned that local postcards show the main sights and places of interest in any town; apart from that we relied on serendipity. Here are a few memories:

We travelled to the Galapagos Islands on a cargo ship. It carried about 20 passengers who slept in hammocks slung over the deck. We hit the Galapagos after three days – literally. The captain, after a particularly jolly night with the Ecuadorian passengers, struck a sandbar and we had to wait six hours for the tide and winds to refloat us again. But after that it was pure bliss.We stayed a week on Santa Cruz, camping among the giant tortoises in the highlands, and visiting South Plaza by fishing boat where our reaction to the sea lion welcome, the tall prickly pear cactus trees, and the wailing swallowtail gulls was the same as a modern tourist's: sheer wonderment. What was different was that we were surrounded by land iguanas which mistook George's yellow socks for bananas. It seems extraordinary that in those days there was no requirement to have a naturalist guide with you, and that it was permitted to feed the animals. I welcome the improvements in conservation and visitor management.With the guidance of these experts, the Galapagos are a far more worthwhile experience these days.

I had visited Cusco in 1969 when I took the train to Machu Picchu and slept on a pile of straw in one of the Inca buildings. The following morning I followed a faint path up above the ruins to what I now know to be the Gate of the Sun and gazed at the continuation of the trail beyond. I could just make out a flight of stone steps cut into the side of the mountain."I bet if I continued walking along this path I would get to Cusco" I thought. The idea stayed with me for four years so when George and I arrived in Cusco and learned from another gringo that it was possible to walk to Machu Picchu along an Inca Trail we were determined to do it.We were the only people to leave the train at Kilometre 88, and cross the wobbly suspension bridge over the River Urubamba. During the four days it took us to reach Machu Picchu we were often lost but always exhilarated by the scenery and the neglected Inca ruins we encountered along the way. Even then there was evidence of the damage that unregulated backpackers were doing to the ancient stonework by lighting fires against the walls. Thank goodness the authorities have clamped down on unregulated visitors. The new rules, though restricting, make a lot of sense.

On to Lake Titicaca and Bolivia, which are both timeless. I have made numerous visits since the 1970s and seen governments come and go, but the people – the most traditional in the Americas – seem indifferent to it all, continuing the way of life that is virtually unchanged since the Incas ruled their land.We hiked some splendid pre-Columbian trails over the Andes and into the rainforest before taking a cargo boat down one of the tributaries of the Amazon. During those lazy five days we wrote the first ever Bradt Travel Guide: Backpacking along Ancient Ways in Peru and Bolivia.

Then South to what surely must be the most magnificent mountains in the Americas: Torres del Paine.We spent a week hiking through the national park, staying in deserted refugios, and eating quantities of giant puffballs and calafate berries. Consuming the latter is supposed to mean that you will return to Chile. Sadly, I haven't yet – but I will. Of all the countries we visited, this was the most rewarding. Perhaps it was the food and wine, perhaps it was the warmth, humour and generosity of the people, or maybe it was the variety of scenery as we hitch-hiked our way south. I loved the way that desert gave way to vineyards, then perfect conical volcanoes, followed by the lush, wet beauty of the Lake District. Patagonia's mountains tail off as the great Andes dips its toes in the storm-tossed seas around Cape Horn and the extreme south of the continent. The next land is Antarctica… next time, perhaps.

Pioneering new destinations

Since 1947 Bales have been pioneers in bringing new destinations to the public, and were one of the first to introduce Guyana. Only just opening up to tourism, Guyana is still largely undeveloped, but it is a treasure not to be missed for those interested in the natural world.