Mountains That Carry
a Continent

The Andes are not one place. They are a 7,000-kilometre spine that changes language, altitude, climate, and food every few hundred kilometres. A well paced first trip usually picks one or two countries, builds in time for altitude, and leaves room for the weather to have an opinion.

Most first visits start with Peru, where Cusco and the Sacred Valley introduce Quechua culture and Inca history without too much jumping around. Bolivia adds the altiplano and Uyuni. Ecuador puts you on the Avenue of the Volcanoes. Chile and Argentina open up Atacama and Patagonia. Colombia's coffee highlands sit at a much friendlier altitude.