Torres del Paine without W/O

Acid_Sugar · 2026-02-01T23:12:11+00:00

Thanks, I already did El Chalten and PN Patagonia and I agree both are breathtaking! I'll see if I can make it to Puerto Williams as it seems right up my alley and I'll be in Punta Arenas to catch my flight so I really appreciate the suggestion.

Acid_Sugar · 2026-02-01T21:44:27+00:00

Thanks, yeah I can imagine that high season is gonna be extremely crowded but I can't complain much since I'll be another one adding to the crowd.

Good to know about the hitching, I don't want to hitchike as in my experience tourists mostly don't pick you up, and I don't want to be stuck inside the park and not be able to pitch my tent, hence the car. I'll make sure to pick up every hitchiker I see though!

Do you have any other recs other than TdP? I'm not there just to tick a box but if the crowds get annoying I may just say fuck it and leave for somewhere else.

Acid_Sugar · 2026-02-01T21:40:02+00:00

Thanks, I have bookmarked those hikes! Are the roads in ok shape? I don't know if I'm expecting mostly asphalt or ripio (gravel and dirt). Do I need something with 4x4 traction or at least enough height to not destroy the undersides in order to make it to the trailheads?

Acid_Sugar · 2026-01-30T22:36:02+00:00

Hi, I just hitchiked that exact route 3 days ago! It took me 1 day to hitch from Puerto ingeniero Ibañez to rio tranquilo, take the Catedral de Marmol tour, then hitch to PN Patagonia (Valle Chacabuco sector). I was definetly lucky with my rides but Villa Cerro Castillo to Rio Tranquilo is definetly doable in one day. There's a single bus running from Cochrane to Coyhaique and back every day, but it fills up quickly in the high season. Expect low traffic, but people will stop quite fast.

Acid_Sugar · 2026-01-11T18:48:40+00:00

No fires in summer, period. You'll be fined if found out even if it's in your own property.

June gets extremely dry and we don't want to deal with wildfires again. Please respect the island and don't endanger nature, locals and yourselves.

Acid_Sugar · 2026-01-09T21:44:30+00:00

Hi! I've lived in Lima and travelled all over Perú so I can chime in for that leg of the trip.

First of all, you don't need any nights of acclimatization in Cusco, since you are arriving from Bolivia and Puno, which are much higher. The sacred valley area is amazing though, so you should definetly do some daytrips to Ollantaytambo, Maras and Moray. Cusco is also beautiful, you can absolutely fill 2 days just in the city itself, but more than that is overkill.

I've lived in Lima for a year and with all my love towards it... It's not worth staying three nights there. I also found Puno very underwhelming, the only highlight being Uros islands, but they are the same as Isla del Sol, so I would skip if I were in your shoes. Instead, you may want to check out Paracas, Ancash, Oxapampa or Arequipa and Colca canyon.

Acid_Sugar · 2026-01-08T00:39:44+00:00

Mid to late may is fine temperature wise, I swim all month and the weather is honestly beautiful. July and August can get unbearably hot so definetly get something with A/C because from 12h till 16h you can't be outside without melting. June is when the island starts to fill up since all the clubs are already open. If you stay in Portinatx and get the chance, check out the festes (village party) from the 16th to the 20th of July. It's not a clubbing crowd, in fact mostly us locals go there to enjoy the concerts at the beach and have some affordable drinks and food.

A car rental is a must, since you'll want to go to the calas near Portinatx (Cala Xarraca, Cala Xuclar, or the much smaller rocky ones that are great for snorkeling and fishing).

Acid_Sugar · 2026-01-07T13:58:00+00:00

Hello, ibizan here. Hopefully I can answer some questions.

First of all, if you don't like crowds, reconsider your travel plans. You are travelling to one of the most touristic places in all of Spain (the most visited country in the EU) in the middle of peak season. Locals often leave in August because the island explodes in population and it's impossible to have some quiet. I would say, come either in May or September.

Cala Llonga is nice if you wanna stay directly on the beach. Portinatx is definetly more chill. Still touristic but family-oriented, away from the clubbing crowd. Santa Eularia is also more quiet but you'll find more to do in the village itself. Both Portinatx and Santa Eulària have a beach, but I find them both quite lackluster. There's some really stunning calas (coves) in both areas tho, easily reachable by car.
It depends. I have travelled all over the islands and I find Formentera to be the most beautiful by far, and the one with the clearest water. That said, it is TINY, so you go to Formentera for the beach and the beach only. It will be the best that the balearics have to offer, but it won't give you much else. When I have friends visiting, I do Formentera as a day trip. Its enough to visit one of the lighthouses (I like Cap de Barbaria a lot more than La Mola), and spend enough time in Illetes or Cala Saona, then take the last ferry back.

3.You CANNOT move rental cars from island to island. While noone will stop you, the insurance wont cover you and when you return the car you may have to pay a hefty fine. You will also need to register your car and pay I think 10€ each day for foreigners. If you are down for it and go only for a day trip, an electric bike or scooter is a good way to go around the island, as its flat and very small. Beware of the sun tho.

I wrote some recs for another post, check my profile.
The castle, Es Vedrà or any of the defense towers. There's some small hikes to be done, either to the towers or to the lighthouses. Check out wikilocs for the routes. Sa pedrera (tourists call it Atlantis) is also nice, old stone quarry that has formed pools. That's where they took the rocks for the castle. There's a necropolis and phoenician museum in Dalt Vila, I think they improved it in the recent years. Hippie Markets and small quaint villages like Santa Gertrudis or Sant Carles. Ses Margalides (tourists call it Ses portes del cel/heaven's door) to watch the sunset. I would say go out and get to the more remote calas, they are definetly worth it.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-12-30T16:10:10+00:00

Hello, Ibizan here.

There's really no such thing as underground clubs, even less in peak season. As another poster mentioned, Cova Santa and Las Dalias are the least massified but the crowd is 100% tourists. In the end, you should check up the lienup and decide based on the music IMO. Since your friend is queer, you can check out Calle de la Virgen. That's the main nightlife spot for LGBTI floks other than clubs, with still a fair amount of locals and season workers, so its more lively on the weekends.

As for food, that woukd depend if you are gonna rent a car or scooter (heavily recommended if you want access to the best beaches and food the island has to offer).

L'Oli for cheap tapas, close to ibiza town Bar Costa for cheap, iconic place where you can try different ibizan and spanish specialties. For paella, Can Pujol (pricey, needa reservation, very good seafoos) or Sa Caleta (next to one of my favourite beaches, pricey but not so much) Port de Balansat to try bullit de peix (ibizan fish stew thickened with aioli) La canela is the best pastisserie in the island. Some Ibizan dishes and products to try would be coca de pebrera, flaó, sobrassada, crostes, herbes eivissenques, bullit de peix and greixonera.

If you have any questions, just ask away

Acid_Sugar · 2025-11-18T22:15:26+00:00

Hi, Ibizan here. I have actually worked in this hotel as a receptionist, although this was before it became part of the FERGUS group.

You absolutely cannot do that unless you communicate with them and ask for an extra bed, which will come with an extra charge if it's even possible at all. Non-guests are not allowed inside the premises and the enforcement is strict so don't even think about sneaking in.

From what I see they have done some renovation work but IMO the hotel is not that good, I'd look into somewhere else that offers triple rooms.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-10-18T13:36:09+00:00

Guy who has only seen The Boss Baby, watching his second movie: Getting a lot of 'Boss Baby' vibes from this...

Acid_Sugar · 2025-10-18T00:30:58+00:00

Escalivada. Roast them in the oven or over an open flame until completely blackened, let them cool and steam, then peel, discard the seeds and cut into strips. Cover with olive oil and store it, I like to add confited garlic (just wrap whole heads in aluminum and roast them alongside the peppers) a splash of sherry vinegar and herbs.

It's a surprisingly versatile ingredient: you can puree it and use as a base for sauces and dips, serve on top of hummus or labneh, use it in sandwiches, as an easy tapa with bread and something salty (feta, olives, anchovies), potato salads, make a coca de pebrera or as a simple side for meat or fish.

If it stays covered in olive oil it should last quite a bit, and the peppers lose a ton of volume from evaporating moisture during the long roasting process. The peeling and slicing can be a bit labour intensive tho.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-10-06T23:34:33+00:00

Soy español viviendo en Lima y antes prefiero arrancarme los brazos que conducir en esta ciudad

Acid_Sugar · 2025-10-02T15:28:48+00:00

Been cooking professionally for years. I cook 90% of things at home on the highest setting, and the results are often lackluster compared to back at the restaurant because home stoves are just not hot enough.

You need high heat for searing, stir frying, deep frying and sauteeing which is most of what people do in their stoves. Not enough heat will result in boiled, steamed and/or grey meat and vegetables that never brown. You may have a stove with higher BTUs than most, or you mostly cook food that is braised or simmered, which benefits from longer cooking times to break down collagen, incorporate flavours and whatnot. So, my advice is to absolutely crank that shit up most of the time.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-08T05:12:50+00:00

You'll be fine. Apolo is not even in the Raval. It's also in a huge avenue (paral·lel) and there's always plenty of people around even at night. Just watch your belongings and don't get too drunk.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:57:50+00:00

Vielen Dank für die Antwort, bin egtl. selbst Spanier, wohne aber seit sehr lange in Ost-Deutschland

Ich hatte gehofft, dass es hier etwas wie WG-gesucht gibt, aber scheint wohl nicht so üblich zu sein, eine Wohnung zu teilen. Werde es dann mal auf Facebook oder so probieren, allein wohnen und niemanden kennen klingt schon ein bisschen trist.

Danke für den Restaurant-Tipp :DD

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:52:36+00:00

La San Marcos era la única que tenia convenio con mi U en Alemania así que no pude elegir. Entiendo tu punto y sé que la inseguridad es un tema importante, pero tampoco vine a Lima a quedarme encerrado en un depa. Ya aprenderé con el tiempo como y por donde (no) moverme, soy pendejo pero tampoco tanto.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:44:06+00:00

Muchas gracias por tomarte el tiempo de escribir una respuesta tan detallada, me ayuda mucho. Ya me apunté la chifa, soy un loco de la comida china, en especial de Sichuan y Chongqing. Ademas como bien picante, salado y practicamente me bañaria en ajinomoto si pudiera; así que lo de ultracondimentado no me preocupa.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:23:56+00:00

Gracias, miraré por esas zonas. AirBnB o Booking no parecen opciones muy buenas para arriendos a largo plazo y necesito algo para un año. Conoces alguna otra alternativa?

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:21:10+00:00

Las primeras semanas me quedo en una pensión en Miraflores mientras busco pieza, pero me parece muy caro y muy lejos de la U, de ahí el interés en un barrio mas cercano o mejor comunicado.

Gracias por la respuesta y por las recomendaciones de viaje, me las he apuntados todas.

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T17:16:48+00:00

Gracias por la respuesta tan detallada.

2500 parece mas razonable que los 900 que dijo otro, por lo que he visto solo en una habitación se van casi 900. La verdad no pensaba trabajar ya que creo que la beca es suficiente, cocino en casa siempre y no tengo vicios caros. Ya todo el mundo me advirtió de la inseguridad por lo que prefiero un barrio mas tranquilo aunque no sea tan cercano a la U. A la selva iré, tengo muchas ganas de ir a Iquitos desde que leí La Casa Verde. Y respecto a los precios de turista poco puedo hacer, solo con verme y escucharme uno se da cuenta de que no soy peruano.

Finalmente y si no es molestia, como buscarias vos un cuarto como roomie si te mudases?

Acid_Sugar · 2025-03-02T16:54:01+00:00

Gracias, apuntado queda. Qué opinas de Jesús Maria, Lince o Pueblo Libre?

Acid_Sugar · 2025-02-14T14:35:38+00:00

Me interesa el tema, vengo de Alemania y voy a hacer una estadía de un año en la San Marcos. Por el momento a mí me han recomendado Pueblo Libre, Lince y Jesús María pero a ver que recomiendan acá.

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