Walking from Patagonia To Venezuela With Ollie Treviso

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In this highlight episode of the Adventure Diaries Podcast, we revisit the incredible journey of Ollie Treviso, who walked the entire length of the Andes—from Patagonia to Venezuela.

FULL EPISODE with Ollie

Ollie shares unforgettable moments from his expedition, including sailing across the Atlantic in a dilapidated boat, surviving a terrifying fall into a gorge, and experiencing the vast solitude of the salt flats. He also reflects on the surprising kindness he encountered at dangerous borders and the joy of being joined by locals for the final leg of his walk. The episode wraps up with Ollie’s "Call to Adventure," inspiring listeners to disconnect and experience the outdoors with a wild damp.

Chapters

• 00:00 Sailing the Atlantic
• 01:55 The Fall
• 03:31 Salt Flats
• 05:45 Border Kindness
• 08:12 Walking with People
• 09:15 Call to Adventure
• 09:54 Outro & Patreon Updates

Transcript

Sailing the Atlantic

[00:00:00]

as we prepare for the launch of the Adventure Diaries Podcast, season five in February, 2026, we're revisiting the highlights and call to adventure from each episode in season four to keep you entertained and inspired to get you outdoors. And now here are some of the short highlights from my episode with Ollie Treviso and his incredible adventure, walking the entire length of the Andes, some 14,000 kilometers from Patagonia to Venezuela.

Enjoy. 

Ollie: I was adamant. So I went to Grandin area, I found a boat and I was part of a full man crew. 50-year-old Cat Moran water come through the windows falling apart when we out the sea. But I think that was one of the most special things I've ever done, you know, to see the planet like that. We never used the engine once, you know?

And to feel like, actually feel it. I never thought I'd speak like this, but to feel the planet basically. And [00:01:00] some days there was no wind and we just completely drift. And we know it was a lot of tension on the boat. The captain was a lunatic. That was another, yeah. So it was mentally very difficult because the captain.

Turned out to be a very, um, he wasn't a very nice guy, basically, but I mean, like the nights were the best for me. So someone had to be awake at all times and we'd work two hour shifts and, uh, I never forget one morning I had the night shift or night, but it was for the sunrise and it was just dolphins and wheels surrounding the boat.

And I just, I just held on to that, you know, whenever he was being difficult.

It wa it was worth, you know, it was just worth it for that moment. Yeah, it was brilliant, mate. Until then, to see the land, you know, from afar, a moment that I'll never forget, they absolutely loved it.

The Fall

Ollie: 'cause he was on his way to his death, probably the way he was going down the river. So that's how we, we, he [00:02:00] ended up staying. Anyway, we get to this point now, and I am, I'm on the, just on the side. It's not a path, you know, it's an animal trail. I've just lost my footing, bang in a, in a flash. Lost my footing and I'm dangling over the gorge.

I, I managed to jam my pole. I've started slipping, jam my pole into the ground and got my hand in the other hand in this big rock. And I'm just dangling and my legs are completely dangling off the side of this, uh, into the gorge as I've gone to pull myself up. The rock has given weight. Well, that was it then I, I've fallen.

It felt like I was falling for so long. I actually remember thinking, you know, this could be it. You know, like I, I didn't know what was gonna happen when I. Anyway, I must have, I've gone unconscious when I hit the ground, woke, I've woken up in like the ice smelt and, and that I, uh, trying to find my stuff and just thought, well, I may as well keep going.

'cause in four days, do you know what I mean? I, I'm in the middle of everything. There's no way for me to, for me to go apart from forward, try convincing [00:03:00] myself that I'm all right anyway, carried on. A dog is still with me and I just cannot get back on track. I'm looking at the map and I'm miles away and I've gone this way.

And I'm literally now at the side of, got myself on the side of the mountain. I've gone under glaciers trying to follow this way, trying to get myself down, which just turned into this massive waterfall. And I've actually need lost my mind because I'm looking at it and thinking if I slip again, I'm dead.

Salt Flats

Ollie: But I was heard for a volcano and it's mad because the first five minutes like, oh my God. 'cause I've seen the four doors. This was like one of those dreams, you know, I thought, well imagine walking over there and nor words I've got will ever do that place justice because it's just unbelievable.

It's vast. And I thought there would be tourists. I didn't see anyone out there. 'cause of the way I walked wasn't the way the four by fours go when I did see 'em, they were so far away and I was just out there on [00:04:00] assault. 

Chris W: Yeah. 

Ollie: And then you're slowly leaving, you know, leaving uh, life behind you and you are looking around and think, God, it is really me out just out here.

Yeah. Yeah, after sort of 15 minutes, it's boring. Then 

Chris W: I was, I was gonna say, what was it like at night? What was it like when even you just hit Yeah, that's, yeah. 

Ollie: That's the best bit. 

Chris W: Yeah, 

Ollie: because the sunset, the stars, it gets so cold, man. The, the change in weather, 'cause it's so dry. I just, well it's, it was hard to stay outside of the tent, but then in the morning then as well, and what I did, I picked up alpaca for a slash synthetic blanket 'cause it was gonna be so cold, but I could really enjoy being out there in the night.

But yeah, I think, you know, that's as about as far away from anything I've ever seen before. You know, it must have been, it's probably not, it must 

Chris W: been properly wild 

Ollie: actually. Just, yeah. It, it, it was just me. I just, I just couldn't believe it. Do you know what I mean? I just like, and I say I got boring, but maybe that mental 

Chris W: side of it does come into it a little bit.

Ollie: But yeah, it [00:05:00] wasn't a problem. Do you know what I mean? I loved it. I loved it and was almost sad that it came to an end. And it was great then. 'cause at the other side there was a family. There and they were looking at me like, because you can imagine I just, I appear, I appear from this abyss. Are they looking at me like, what have you just done?

And they were bringing me drinks and stuff like that, but a few locals weren't so happy I did it. Actually. They, they don't obviously recommend it, but I mean, with the right equipment, you're gonna be fine doing. It's about the cold. It is, it, it is flat. But yeah, just say banging the pegs in with a rock. It sounds silly, but I just, I remember doing it like, really?

Oh my god, this, this a simple thing of, of being in the salt. Do you know what I mean? And, um, ah, yeah. Or an experience mate.

Border Kindness

Ollie: doing?

Where are you going? I, do you want a lift? I said, I can't, you know, I explained what I was doing. I said, where are you from? He's from Kakuta. This is the city. This is really where I wanted information from. Kakuta. 

Chris W: Yeah. 

Ollie: He said, look, take my number if you [00:06:00] need anything. I'll help you out as much as I can. I was buzzing, right?

So 70 kilometers before that is a place, place called Pamona University City, where everyone's telling me is a beautiful place. You really enjoy it. There're safe. So in my head I'm thinking, get the pamona from there. Find someone either to follow you or to take your bag. That was my idea. 'cause a bag, it just brings so much more attention.

You what I mean? And just, at least if I can get rid of the bag, it'll fill me with a bit more confidence. Like obviously if somebody wants to take me, but he just said my, anyway, I arrived there on a Sunday. He, us, the man messaged me right on a Sunday. He said, hello mate, are you in? Pam? Blowing now. I'm actually going there tomorrow because my dad lives in.

I'm going to visit. If you want, I'll take you for breakfast. And I was taking three days off, eh? I was taking three days off. I had to organize this part of the trip and find a solution. Comes, takes me for breakfast. Tells him my situation. He said, I'll take you back through. Don't worry [00:07:00] about it. I was thinking, right, so this is, this has just happened for me now.

So I had 70 kilometers get to this border village. Right. His son is part of the police that works at the border as well. So I've arrived to this, this, um, suburb, and I'm in one of the most dangerous place in the world. He comes to pick me up from my Austal, takes me to his house, and I meet them pizza with, with all his family.

Just thinking how, you know, this place has caused me so many nightmares. 

Chris W: Yeah. 

Ollie: And here I am, you know, just eating pizza. What I, 

Chris W: what I'm trying to say is like, 

Ollie: the place is dangerous, but there's millions of people there. And even amidst all the chaos, there's still all these people. I want to help you. 

Chris W: Yeah.

Ollie: And then the next day I had 10 kilometers to the border. He said, don't worry, I'll take your your bag and I'll see what the border, he followed me to the border. He took me bag ahead. I met them at the border and, and I was through. It was just like, I went there for breakfast, sorry, in the morning, and that was it.

Like, you know, I, I imagined [00:08:00] this like war zone bomb, but it was just, yeah. Yeah. It was a bit, you know, it was like a hundred meters before the border. It got busy. You know, people on my leg are bothering me, but they didn't touch me. Do you know what I mean?

Walking with People

Ollie: that's what type of people they are. I had 30 or 40 people walking with me the last two weeks. I never, it was never just me and Rafa.

There's people follow us. We had the fire brigade, the, the police biking clubs, all the, they, they love, you know, the walking groups. So we have the ramblers back home. 

Chris W: Yeah. 

Ollie: They love that in Venezuela. And they've all got their T-shirts and that. Oh man. It was, it was just like everything I hoped for and more in the most dangerous country.

Chris W: Yeah. 

Ollie: And I just thought, this is it. Like this is why, this is why I did it. I, well, I hoped that I could show it. Obviously I never knew the reality, but in my heart, in my gut, I went to cross the border because deep down I thought this was gonna be the case, but obviously anything is possible. [00:09:00] And there I am struggling with 30 people in Venezuela.

You know what I mean? Forever's listening. Know if you've got any doubts about humanity, you know, have a look at, you know, there it is. Like, do you know what I mean? Yeah. Again, it's not me.

Call to Adventure

Chris W: Right. So call to adventure. Ollie, what would you 

Ollie: say? 

Yeah, I think touching back on what we did earlier, a quick fix for me and something I think we can all do is go out and get a wild camp in for one night.

Take what you need, whether it's on the Welsh coastal path or in the hills, if there's a sign there to say on camp there, still do it. I reckon, I believe that everybody listening to this respects the outdoors don't need to go into that, but just a wild camp. Get away from everything without signal. And, uh, get a coffee going in the morning.

Chris W: Yes. Yeah. Uh, excellent. Uh, I, yeah, I, I thoroughly, uh, encourage that. It's, it is phenomenal.

So I hope you enjoyed these short highlights from my episode with Ollie [00:10:00] Treviso, and if you haven't listened to the full conversation yet, then I highly recommend you go and do that and the link to that in the show notes below.

Now, if you're enjoying the Adventure Diaries Podcast, could I ask that you take time to leave a quick rating or review? Because it really helps to show more than you think, and it helps surface it to a wider audience and it's completely free. Now, one final and important update today as season five launches at the end of February, 2026, I will be launching a new Patreon as well with one simple single tier of $5 or three pounds, 70.

And if you join, you'll get the quickfire Q and a, the fun segments at the end of each show, the after show with the guests, plus a new monthly extended newsroom episode. There will be occasional short audio stories, immersive audio stories dropped in as well, and two supporter meetups each year. Now, if that sounds like your kinda thing, then go to adventure diaries.com/go and click on the [00:11:00] Patreon button and get ready for its launch.

Alright, next up. More highlights coming soon from my episode with Georgia Barker and her mission to make birdwatching cool again. Peace.