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Llama Drama: A two-woman, 5,500-mile cycling adventure through South America
Why take the shortest, most direct route through life, when you could choose the wiggliest, most mountainous one possible?
Armed with a limited grasp of Spanish and determined to meet as many llamas as possible, Anna and her friend Faye set off on a 6-month journey along the spine of the largest mountain range in the world – the Andes. Beginning in the bustling city of La Paz, the duo pedal south – through dense jungle, across pristine white salt flats and past towering volcanoes, following the path of thundering glacial rivers to the snow-tipped peaks of Patagonia.
Sleeping wild in their tents most nights, they endure 50-mph crosswinds and catastrophic crashes, and go head to head with one very determined saddle sore called Sally. By the time they make it to the southernmost tip of the continent, they have cycled 5,500 miles and ascended over 100,000 metres through the mighty Andes – equivalent to 11 times the height of Everest.
Told from the seat of Anna’s bicycle, Llama Drama is a witty and compelling account of life at its rawest and most rich. For anyone who has ever wanted to journey through the stunning natural landscapes of South America – this story is for you.
Armed with a limited grasp of Spanish and determined to meet as many llamas as possible, Anna and her friend Faye set off on a 6-month journey along the spine of the largest mountain range in the world – the Andes. Beginning in the bustling city of La Paz, the duo pedal south – through dense jungle, across pristine white salt flats and past towering volcanoes, following the path of thundering glacial rivers to the snow-tipped peaks of Patagonia.
Sleeping wild in their tents most nights, they endure 50-mph crosswinds and catastrophic crashes, and go head to head with one very determined saddle sore called Sally. By the time they make it to the southernmost tip of the continent, they have cycled 5,500 miles and ascended over 100,000 metres through the mighty Andes – equivalent to 11 times the height of Everest.
Told from the seat of Anna’s bicycle, Llama Drama is a witty and compelling account of life at its rawest and most rich. For anyone who has ever wanted to journey through the stunning natural landscapes of South America – this story is for you.
574 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2020
294 people are currently reading
1021 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
March 2, 2023
‘Together, we’d cycled 5,539 miles through three countries, making ten border crossings and 103,753 metres of ascent through the Andean mountains.’
It’s these types of travel writing books where the author is just an ordinary (are you ordinary Anna?) person that you need to really like otherwise the book is a dead rubber. Anna is not a Colin Thubron or a Paul Theroux and that is fine. You know what you are going to get and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anna is a very genial host. I was quite happy to accompany her on her trip from my living room. This was not a book where I took copious notes on historical facts as there are none to be had. It is one of those that you can just sit and enjoy the ride.
This is Anna’s Adventures Book 3. Have I read the other two? No. Does it matter? No. It holds up just fine as a stand-alone as that is what it is. Anna and her friend, Faye, are going to cycle from La Paz in Bolivia all the way down to Ushuaia in Argentina. This is true adventure. This takes guts aplenty. What with the terrain, the weather, the food, the exhaustion, the millions of punctures, the tummy bugs, the rages, the awe-inspiring views, the scorpions, a saddle sore called Sally (yes really!), volcanos, the salt flats, wild camping, the falls off the bike (many), the mountains, the rabid dogs, the crying and the great friendship that kept them going (not without 4 arguments, or maybe three-and-a-half).
The adventure zips along and Anna is a most humorous guide and I was quite taken by her enthusiasm for adventure. Flaaaamin’ flamingos.
It’s these types of travel writing books where the author is just an ordinary (are you ordinary Anna?) person that you need to really like otherwise the book is a dead rubber. Anna is not a Colin Thubron or a Paul Theroux and that is fine. You know what you are going to get and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Anna is a very genial host. I was quite happy to accompany her on her trip from my living room. This was not a book where I took copious notes on historical facts as there are none to be had. It is one of those that you can just sit and enjoy the ride.
This is Anna’s Adventures Book 3. Have I read the other two? No. Does it matter? No. It holds up just fine as a stand-alone as that is what it is. Anna and her friend, Faye, are going to cycle from La Paz in Bolivia all the way down to Ushuaia in Argentina. This is true adventure. This takes guts aplenty. What with the terrain, the weather, the food, the exhaustion, the millions of punctures, the tummy bugs, the rages, the awe-inspiring views, the scorpions, a saddle sore called Sally (yes really!), volcanos, the salt flats, wild camping, the falls off the bike (many), the mountains, the rabid dogs, the crying and the great friendship that kept them going (not without 4 arguments, or maybe three-and-a-half).
The adventure zips along and Anna is a most humorous guide and I was quite taken by her enthusiasm for adventure. Flaaaamin’ flamingos.
December 25, 2022
5 Stars Llama Drama: A Two-Woman 5,500-Mile Cycling Adventure Through South America (audiobook) by Anna McNuff read by the author.
It’s so much fun listening to Anna McNuff talk about her great adventures. This time she is crossing South America with a friend. Having that extra person along on the journey made the story even more interesting. And I’m so glad that they ditched the idea of riding scooters and stuck with bicycles. I was cringing at the idea of them trying to go over the Andes on them.
It’s so much fun listening to Anna McNuff talk about her great adventures. This time she is crossing South America with a friend. Having that extra person along on the journey made the story even more interesting. And I’m so glad that they ditched the idea of riding scooters and stuck with bicycles. I was cringing at the idea of them trying to go over the Andes on them.
December 26, 2023
I am not sure what to say about this book. There were things that I liked about it, but there were things that I didn't like about it. Sometimes I couldn't put it down, but it other times I couldn't pick it up.
I like their traveling through the salt flats of Bolivia. I liked the friendship that these 2 women shared With each other. I also thought that they were very gutsy to ride their bikes through the Andes.
I like their traveling through the salt flats of Bolivia. I liked the friendship that these 2 women shared With each other. I also thought that they were very gutsy to ride their bikes through the Andes.
March 21, 2023
“We’d been sipping on filtered river water that day and, although the bacteria had been removed so that it was safe to drink, it still tasted unmistakably of donkey arse.”
I’m really loving these travel memoirs!
A fellow passenger was reading this book on our Hawaiian cruise and convinced me to read it by sharing that the inspirational author has cycled through all the states in the USA, run across Britain in her bare feet, ran the length of Hadrian’s wall dressed as a Roman soldier and the Jurassic Coast dressed as a dinosaur! I needed to know this woman.
What had me grabbing my Kindle and downloading it at sea was hearing that Anna McNuff cycled 5,500 miles down the length of South America and stopped at many of the same places we are stopping on our adventure.
The sense of adventure is forefront and having travelled on some of the same switchbacks in Santiago, I could picture her travels. I love that Anna didn’t sensationalize her journey; instead, she recalls the bumps in the journey. I read about the extreme weather, flat tires, sickness, bites/stings, and hunger as well as the inner struggles and disagreements with her travelling buddy, Faye-Bomb. My quads were jiggly just thinking of her 107, 753m of ascent through the Andes mountains and I laughed out loud reading about Sally the Saddle Sore, composting the landscape, and biking buff in the salt flats.
I’m taking Faye’s advice and trying a submarino and a medialuna and Anna’s advice to listen to Winnie The Pooh, “Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going alone, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
My biggest takeaway?
“As the ancient Chinese philosophers say, in the presence of these thoughts, we must act ‘as if’ - even in the moments we are struggling. Struggling to love someone, struggling to find compassion, struggling to think beyond our own needs, we must act ‘as if.’ As if we love them, as if we can see their good intention, as if we trust them.”
This is definitely worth the read; two friends with a dream who cycle 5,539 miles through 3 countries, make 10 border crossings and trudge through 107,753 m of ascent through the Andean mountains. Conde Nast Traveller named her one of the 50 most influential travellers in the world. If that doesn’t convince you - It’s a clean novel, too!
I’m really loving these travel memoirs!
A fellow passenger was reading this book on our Hawaiian cruise and convinced me to read it by sharing that the inspirational author has cycled through all the states in the USA, run across Britain in her bare feet, ran the length of Hadrian’s wall dressed as a Roman soldier and the Jurassic Coast dressed as a dinosaur! I needed to know this woman.
What had me grabbing my Kindle and downloading it at sea was hearing that Anna McNuff cycled 5,500 miles down the length of South America and stopped at many of the same places we are stopping on our adventure.
The sense of adventure is forefront and having travelled on some of the same switchbacks in Santiago, I could picture her travels. I love that Anna didn’t sensationalize her journey; instead, she recalls the bumps in the journey. I read about the extreme weather, flat tires, sickness, bites/stings, and hunger as well as the inner struggles and disagreements with her travelling buddy, Faye-Bomb. My quads were jiggly just thinking of her 107, 753m of ascent through the Andes mountains and I laughed out loud reading about Sally the Saddle Sore, composting the landscape, and biking buff in the salt flats.
I’m taking Faye’s advice and trying a submarino and a medialuna and Anna’s advice to listen to Winnie The Pooh, “Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going alone, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
My biggest takeaway?
“As the ancient Chinese philosophers say, in the presence of these thoughts, we must act ‘as if’ - even in the moments we are struggling. Struggling to love someone, struggling to find compassion, struggling to think beyond our own needs, we must act ‘as if.’ As if we love them, as if we can see their good intention, as if we trust them.”
This is definitely worth the read; two friends with a dream who cycle 5,539 miles through 3 countries, make 10 border crossings and trudge through 107,753 m of ascent through the Andean mountains. Conde Nast Traveller named her one of the 50 most influential travellers in the world. If that doesn’t convince you - It’s a clean novel, too!
July 17, 2020
Another fantastic read by Girlguiding’s inspirational ambassador Anna McNuff!
July 28, 2021
It goes without saying, but I do have to write that I love Anna McNuff and her crazy adventures. It is the third book I've read from her and I loved it. I still love Fifty Shades of USA the best, but that could be because it was my first book to read.
But I guess you want to know more about the book. I loved how the chapters were divided. I loved how she told the ugly stuff, as well as the good. She was honest about things like the Austral bike part. That was their least favorite, but much beloved by the world. I loved that they learned to communicate with each other. In fact, this book is a great lesson on communicating and listening to your partner and how to effectively argue with someone when you are both at your wit's end. And they were. I will just have to figure out how I can use this with my own husband. It's also a good lesson on these long adventures to set up a checklist of everything important you need before leaving the campsite. It also was really cool to know that we were in Patagonia around the same time. We were in Puerto Natales about a month or two ahead of them.
I will say I didn't like that they put so much pressure on themselves to get sections of the bike ride done and missed enjoying the adventure and their surroundings, which led to some big fights. After Santiago, I felt that was when they got it, but then went right back to it on the austral section and trying to make their flight. And I would have done a checklist with Faye after each time they left the camp or anywhere after the first loss. I also do think Anna should have learned more about the culture of South America before going, because there were several things that I know and knew before I went down to Chile. And yet, she seemed to not understand or complain about it. You should expect that at 3 pm, shit is not going to be open, especially in a small village. I will say that she was spot on about Chile and the way they drop their words while also speaking fast; I very much struggled. But what a great idea to listen to Spanish tapes while biking; I just wished she kept up with it.
This is a great read and it will inspire you to take your own adventure. I definitely yelled out to my husband, "We are going to the Salt Flats to cycle naked." He just looked at me with confusion.
But I guess you want to know more about the book. I loved how the chapters were divided. I loved how she told the ugly stuff, as well as the good. She was honest about things like the Austral bike part. That was their least favorite, but much beloved by the world. I loved that they learned to communicate with each other. In fact, this book is a great lesson on communicating and listening to your partner and how to effectively argue with someone when you are both at your wit's end. And they were. I will just have to figure out how I can use this with my own husband. It's also a good lesson on these long adventures to set up a checklist of everything important you need before leaving the campsite. It also was really cool to know that we were in Patagonia around the same time. We were in Puerto Natales about a month or two ahead of them.
I will say I didn't like that they put so much pressure on themselves to get sections of the bike ride done and missed enjoying the adventure and their surroundings, which led to some big fights. After Santiago, I felt that was when they got it, but then went right back to it on the austral section and trying to make their flight. And I would have done a checklist with Faye after each time they left the camp or anywhere after the first loss. I also do think Anna should have learned more about the culture of South America before going, because there were several things that I know and knew before I went down to Chile. And yet, she seemed to not understand or complain about it. You should expect that at 3 pm, shit is not going to be open, especially in a small village. I will say that she was spot on about Chile and the way they drop their words while also speaking fast; I very much struggled. But what a great idea to listen to Spanish tapes while biking; I just wished she kept up with it.
This is a great read and it will inspire you to take your own adventure. I definitely yelled out to my husband, "We are going to the Salt Flats to cycle naked." He just looked at me with confusion.
July 20, 2020
Another amazing adventure story.
Couldn't put this book down. Just one more chapter before bed...... 4 chapters later 😂
Couldn't put this book down. Just one more chapter before bed...... 4 chapters later 😂
January 24, 2021
I love travel stories and desperately wanted this book to be as good as the almost unanimous 5 star reviews but was left disappointed. The jolly hockey sticks and lashings of ginger beer (or brandy cream) style, propensity to use shouty CAPITAL LETTERS along with the, poor; punctuation,,!., were mild irritants but what let the book down was the lack of any cultural insight, interesting conversations with locals or other travellers or even any hint of the author being interested in much of that. 5,500 miles were reduced to a couple of conversations with a lady in Chile and some German folk, a note about an inland lighthouse and an observation that Bolivian ladies wear bowler hats. I tired of being told repeatedly what an adventure it was by the author - I'd worked that out myself. Its an easy read but if you want to get something of the flavour of that part of the world, I'd read Guervara's Motorcycle Diaries.
November 9, 2020
Surprised at how thoroughly I enjoyed this. It was funny (unlike any other travelogue I've read) and I found it wasn't just about the landscapes in South America but more about the deepening friendship between Faye and Anna who've undertaken this long cycle. So many times the writing was so vivid that I felt like I was there with them (or I wanted to be). It's got me excited to plan my own (micro!!) cycling adventure!
August 8, 2020
Another fabulous and entertaining read from the Adventure Queen. A great and inspirational holiday read that made we want to pack my bike and book a flight.
Having read Anna’s previous two books it’s difficult to find a favourite - they are equally honest and relatable, but this one differs in that it’s an adventure of two friends rather than a solo outing. The development and strengthening of the friendship between Anna and Faye and the ups and downs, joyful moments and challenges that come with being a ‘two-some’ on the road make this book stand out.
Having read Anna’s previous two books it’s difficult to find a favourite - they are equally honest and relatable, but this one differs in that it’s an adventure of two friends rather than a solo outing. The development and strengthening of the friendship between Anna and Faye and the ups and downs, joyful moments and challenges that come with being a ‘two-some’ on the road make this book stand out.
April 9, 2022
This book is AWESOME! I could not stop reading it! Although I’m not a bicyclist, there’s plenty to enjoy. I feel like I just finished an epic trip myself. I will check out other books by this wonderful author.
June 13, 2021
A good read. I always enjoy reading her books.
December 15, 2021
What an epic trip. I wasn't familiar with Anna McNuff before this book. She's a great storyteller with a superb sense of humor. It sounds strange, but I felt like I was right there on the journey with Anna and her friend Faye. They started in LaPaz, Bolivia and took six months to bicycle down to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America. They ascended over 100,000 meters during the journey, went through a jungle, up and down mountains and volcanoes, across salt flats, desert, swamp, and past glaciers.
I listened to the audiobook read by Anna McNuff, and this definitely made the book. I appreciated Anna's transparency about the good and the bad she experienced. Her enthusiasm is contagious. And I love how she says "bananas" with her lovely British accent.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their travels, I do not aspire to go on a cycle tour - but I am inspired to go on an adventure!
"Death in itself isn't an attraction of course, but death's best mate danger, now he's a real draw."
"And so, riding high upon a horse called optimism into the kingdom of positivity, we set off on a direct route across the flats."
I listened to the audiobook read by Anna McNuff, and this definitely made the book. I appreciated Anna's transparency about the good and the bad she experienced. Her enthusiasm is contagious. And I love how she says "bananas" with her lovely British accent.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed listening to their travels, I do not aspire to go on a cycle tour - but I am inspired to go on an adventure!
"Death in itself isn't an attraction of course, but death's best mate danger, now he's a real draw."
"And so, riding high upon a horse called optimism into the kingdom of positivity, we set off on a direct route across the flats."
January 22, 2023
Pretty good book for starting my 2023 adventure of reading ten books about Latin America and the Caribbean. I chose this one because I thought it would be an easy entry. It turned out to be just as much about friendship and personal fortitude as it was about the state of life in the various countries sharing the Andes mountain range. And that was fine by me.
I do think even "independently published books" should spell "all right" correctly and I think most readers would agree.
I do think even "independently published books" should spell "all right" correctly and I think most readers would agree.
November 25, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Reading it was very much like having a friend narrate their adventures. I liked the informal style and the heart that came through in the telling. Not only did I get to vicariously enjoy a cycling adventure through South America; I also enjoyed rooting for their friendship and wishing them the best! I think these two would be a blast to go camping with!
January 8, 2021
A fun romp around South America by bicycle. Anna takes us to sweltering jungles, incredible salt flats, up volcanoes and around glaciers.
January 26, 2023
3.5⭐️ light easy read with funny moments
January 1, 2025
Anna is a great story teller. I often find myself wishing there were pictures of all the amazing places described included with my audiobook! I appreciate her sense of humor and the moments she takes to talk about communication. My favorite is still United States of Adventures.
August 6, 2020
A great adventure with a story that is a real testament to friendship. Anna is both funny and very open about her epic journey with Faye through South America. She covers not just the highs and lows of the mountains they cycle, but the ups and downs of their friendship as they put themselves and their bikes through their paces. Good fun and great storytelling.
April 24, 2021
Lovely and fun!
I loved the focus on friendship during this adventure, made it feel quite different from other epic trip books I've read.
I loved the focus on friendship during this adventure, made it feel quite different from other epic trip books I've read.
August 5, 2020
Love Anna! She knows how to share the struggles of fun of adventure travel.
August 5, 2020
Loved it! What a great adventure to vicariously ride along the Andes with Anna and Faye.
July 21, 2020
This is a fab book, recounting Anna and her friend Faye's cycling adventures along the Andes. It's not overly technical, so I think would be of interest to armchair travellers as well as people who may be inspired to do something similar themselves. Anna writes beautifully about her experiences, from the high moments (literal highs and well as happiness highs) to the bad and everything in between. In particular she reflects on her friendship with Faye, what it's like to spend six months with someone in such close quarters and how they handled any conflict.
I received an ARC of this book, but have purchased books based on Anna's other adventures. She's a brilliant ambassador for Girlguiding and such a good speaker. Highly recommend this book!
I received an ARC of this book, but have purchased books based on Anna's other adventures. She's a brilliant ambassador for Girlguiding and such a good speaker. Highly recommend this book!
July 26, 2020
Along for the ride
Anna McNuff takes us along on another adventure with her! As with her two books before this one, she makes you feel as if you are truly along on the journey. I was as sad for the journey to end as she was at the end!
Anna McNuff takes us along on another adventure with her! As with her two books before this one, she makes you feel as if you are truly along on the journey. I was as sad for the journey to end as she was at the end!
July 26, 2020
Loved this book and find Anna so inspirational. She writes in such a way that you feel like you are along for the journey. Couldn't put it down!
June 13, 2024
Credit where it's due, the adventure challenges McNuff undertakes are no small feat and I couldn't manage a single day doing what she does, let alone months on end. But there's something contrived about her adventures that irked me throughout this book.
I don't think she shies away from her privileged background, or the fact that she takes on these adventures so that she can write a book about them. But the lack of meaning behind the journey just left me feeling a bit 'meh'. I'm sure I'll read her other books at some point, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.
I don't think she shies away from her privileged background, or the fact that she takes on these adventures so that she can write a book about them. But the lack of meaning behind the journey just left me feeling a bit 'meh'. I'm sure I'll read her other books at some point, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.
July 22, 2020
This book is quite simply, inspirational.
It is written in such a wonderful way that it feels as if you are part of Anna's adventure too, experiencing the highs and lows (although, thankfully not literally!) seeing the beauty of the changing landscape and the ever deepening friendship. I couldn't put it down.
It is written in such a wonderful way that it feels as if you are part of Anna's adventure too, experiencing the highs and lows (although, thankfully not literally!) seeing the beauty of the changing landscape and the ever deepening friendship. I couldn't put it down.
September 20, 2025
Taken along for the ride
I really loved this book, and honestly felt like I was there with these crazy pair a lot of the time. I didn't want it to end and am so glad I picked this book up! Been recommending this to everyone I speak to that's even remotely interested in bikes or adventure.
I really loved this book, and honestly felt like I was there with these crazy pair a lot of the time. I didn't want it to end and am so glad I picked this book up! Been recommending this to everyone I speak to that's even remotely interested in bikes or adventure.
May 18, 2023
I'm so sad this journey is over. What I loved best about this book is that it was real life and that it didn't have anything seriously heavy in it (like the pandemic). It was fun and light and just what I needed. I learned from it that I don't really want to cycle South America, but that the idea is fun, that I need to remember to keep my ego in check even if I don't speak out, and that sometimes speaking up is important. I loved this book so much. Thank you, McNuff, for sharing your journey with Faye with us, and by the way, the audiobook was so great, a worthwhile listen.
I just finished this book for the second time (May 2023). I needed something happy to read. McNuff, you don't disappoint.
I just finished this book for the second time (May 2023). I needed something happy to read. McNuff, you don't disappoint.
January 20, 2021
I absolutely loved this book! I discovered the legendary Anna McNuff while reading her other book-Pants of Perspective and now I'm hooked.
This book tells the story of her amazing adventure cycling across South America with her friend. It's about friendship, relationships, self-discovery and endurance. I just love reading her stories and am inspired by how she lives her life. If you are a traveller at heart, are intrigued by other people's adventures or just want a damn good read then this is the book for you!
This book tells the story of her amazing adventure cycling across South America with her friend. It's about friendship, relationships, self-discovery and endurance. I just love reading her stories and am inspired by how she lives her life. If you are a traveller at heart, are intrigued by other people's adventures or just want a damn good read then this is the book for you!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews