Hi, my name is Maryla Wozniak.

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“NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST.” – J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Five weeks in Patagonia.

On February 6th, 2017 I embarked on a journey that took me through the southern regions of Chile and Argentina, all a way down to The Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. During this five weeklong adventure I visited in the most beautiful parts of the world; Los Glaciares National Park with its numerous lakes and glaciers such as Perito Moreno that calve into the icy and milky waters of the huge Lake Argentino, El Chaltén, a village that is a gateway to trails surrounding the peaks of Cerro Torre and Mount Fitz Roy to the northwest. For five straight days I hiked in majestic Torres del Paine National Park sleeping in the tent under the starry sky. Finally, there was Ushuaia, located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the “End of the World.” There was also magical Benos Aires; but what happens in Buenos, stays in Buenos ;)

Peru, August 2015.

Peru will always remain a very special place for me since it was one of my first and most memorable adventure; it was my first time in South America and honestly my first time anywhere outside The USA or Europe. It was an exotic, exiting, and spent in a company of wonderful fellow travelers. Peru’s capital, Lima, left me utterly unimpressed but the rest of the country …speechless; from yellowish and brown hues of Nazca Desert, to the blue waters of Titicaca lake and silent ruins of Machu Picchu citadel nested among dignified peaks of The Andes Mountains.

First the bus took us to The Ballestas Islands, a group of small islands near the town of Paracas, often touted as the “Peruvian Galapagos,” famed for their spectacular variety of birdlife and rugged coastline of soaring cliffs, rocky beaches, and remote sea caves. We also visited nearby Chauchilla Cemetery that contains prehispanic mummified human remains. The bodies in the shallow graves are so remarkably preserved due mainly to the dry climate.

Then, off to see famous Nasca Lines. There we were cramed into little Cessna aircrafts and took on a the 45 minutes tour during which we were able to see 15 figures such as astronaut, hummingbird and condor. A little tip here, if you have a history of motion sickness, remember to pop a pill before the flight..
Because our flight over nazca Lines didn't happend till the afternoon, we were able to visit Cantalloc Aqueducts, built by the Nazca culture and pay a visit to a very peculiar artist who specialize in creating replicas of original Incas’ pottery. After such eventful day we had a chance to refresh in Huacachina Oasis which according to the old legend was created from the mirror belonging to a beautiful princess.

The absolute highlight of the trip was a trek of The Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world, where we spent two nights sleeping in primitive huts, soaked in the natural hot springs and hike up and down canyon walls. But to get there, we had to cross Altiplano Plateau at its highest point, Mirador de los Andes, which at the same time, is the highest paved road on the continent. From the Mirrador stretches a beautiful panorama of nearby volcanoes: Chucura, Hualca Hualca, and of course the famous Volcan Misti near Arequipa..

The next part of the journey took us near world’s highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca and on a tour of the floating Uros Islands. From there we headed straight to Cusco, historic capital of the Inca Empire. In the following week, I hiked Huayna Picchu, a tall peak towering over Machu Picchu citadel citadel, immersed myself into Incas culture while visiting numerous ruins such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo in Sacred Valley of the Incas or Sillustani Chullpas by Umayo Lagoon.
I drank Pisco and coca leaf tea, tried local cuisine such as roasted guinea pig and unforgettable, fresh and delicious ceviche at Mercado Central de San Pedro in Cusco.

Bolivia, August 2015

Visiting Bolivia was a part of the trip to Peru; we crossed border between Peru and Bolivia by the Lake Titicaca and from there we headed to the city of La Paz. At an elevation of roughly 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world with modern high-rises and lush villas located at the bottom of the Choqueyapu River canyon and with poor favelas precariously erected on the its slopes. In Bolivia I have seen the most moonlike landscapes ever while cruising the famous Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, in our 4x4 jeeps and sleeping in hotel made entirely out of salt. In Potosi I stepped inside the belly of mother earth into silver mines of Rich Mountain to bring some offerings for El Tio, meaning “the Uncle,”, patron of local miners. Finally, I visited Witches’ Market in La Paz, where locals can buy dried llama fetuses that then later bury underneath their houses as an offering to the goddess Pachamama. I passed on this particular souvenir and spend my money on more conventional trinkets...

Equador is coming soon

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Nepal journey is coming soon!

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Tour Du Mont Blanc, Alps, June 2019

TMB is a 100 miles long trek around Mont Blanc massif that took me accros three countries: France, Switzerland, and Italy. It was one of the best adventures in my life so far, partially due to fact that I embarked on it solo which allowed me to meet so many wonderful people and at the same time, gave me enough solitude to get lost in my own thoughts admiring the incrdible beauty of the nature.
TMB is a fairly easy trek; terrain is not super technical, there is plenty of route options, meaning often you can chose from more difficult or easier route between two points, the whole trek can be done in either 6 or 10 days, it also can be done as a whole or partially. Another thing that makes this trek a great option for solo hikers is that it has a great network of hostels and mountain shelters which can completely eliminate a need to carry camping gear. I have chosen to do it in 9 days with one rest day in Courmayeur in Italy to rest. I also skipped one part between La Fouly and Champex because it is the easiest and, in my opinion, the most boring part of the tour.