S. America help (Anyone want to come with?)

Popa_irl

Hey lads.

About me: Im a 22 year old dude, student, that speaks a bit of Spanish and is dying to travel. S. America looks **** hot! I've been planning this trip now for a while. Well when i say planning i really mean "i've been wanting to go...". But ya, i've been sitting down lately trying to do some research and come up with a coherent plan for this trip and i'm in way over my head. I need some of your expert advice to get me going.

Here are the constraints for my trip:

- My budget is ~€4000
- I have about 2 months free to travel, maybe 2 and a half, from start of June to mid August
- I would like to see Buenos Ares, the salt flats in Boliva, the Iguazu falls, Machu Pitchu and possibly the Amazon
- I want to stay away from any deep holes in Peru
- I would like to get some warm water surf in
- I would like someone to travel with (not really a constraint but a wish)

Flights
We'll i've done some research on flights using www.skyscanner.ie and www.go4less.ie. I want to get one-way tickets in and out of S. America. I was thinking of flying into Rio from Dublin. The cheapest flight i found for that (booking now and leaving at end of may) was around €450. Thats the cheapest route but i dont know where to fly out of, one-way Lima to Dublin is €800. So ya i need help on the return flight.

Trip
So whats the story with busses? Frequency? Cost? Travel time (for example, how long would it take to get from Rio to Bueno Ares?) What do people mean by "The bus drivers are crazy!" ?
Where should i go? I've named some places but i dont know how to get around or in which order to travel to them in or what else should i see or if that is too many places..........you get my drift.

Or should i just stick to the north?

Jibba-jabs
From evaluating the places i want to visit, what jabs should i get? I dont want to be paying €150 for **** i dont need, so what are the essentials? Is there a office somewhere in the south-east that does these or can i visit my GP? I have a medical card so would that cover the jibs?

Insurance
Grand. Sorted. http://www.acetravellerinsurance.ie/premium.asp?region=nous&band=1&tab=1&afl=4228 Cant go wrong with sixty squids.

Dinero
This thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055564593 has me all confuzzeled upside down. I dont know what to do to be honest. Can anyone make head or tails of it?

Companions
Would anyone like to go with me? Lol i sound sad but there's no point two people going on their own if somebody else is also doing the exact same thing. What's the best way to meet people when you are never really stationary for long?

So thats it lads. So many questions, so little time. Thanks for the help!

M450

I'm looking to do the very same thing but sooner, like end of March, so I'll be following this thread hoping all your questions are answered
I've got the same few places on my list and would be interested to know if seeing them all would be feasible with that budget, just thinking about the distance from Buenos Aires to La Paz. I should have ~5k funds.

Have you considered an Overland tour? I've looked through a few of the main companies' trips and they look brilliant. It would be great to get in with a group of people and stick together throughout the trip. You don't have to worry about transport and accommodation and the buses look comfy. Only cons I'd say are the price and the sense of being chauffered around the continent, or maybe a better way to put it would be a lesser sense of adventure/excitement that you would get from making your own way around.

A 53 day one would set you back over 2 grand and factoring in flights, insurance and gear and jabs etc your budget is pretty much obliterated before you leave. My thinking is that I could get say 3 months of travel going it alone instead of 2 months doing one of those tours. Also, from searching on boards the general consensus seems to be don't bother with the organised tours.

Regarding the dinero, I think a phonecall to the bank is in order as each one has different fees for different things and different policies on having your cc in credit before using it in an atm etc. I'm with AIB and 99% certain I can put my cc (mc2 student one) in credit and save a **** load on fees, but I'll be making sure of that before I go. It would probably even be worth switching bank if they've better policies on that.

Here's hoping you get some good insights from the experts!

Four of a kind

M450 wrote: »

I'm looking to do the very same thing but sooner, like end of March, so I'll be following this thread hoping all your questions are answered
I've got the same few places on my list and would be interested to know if seeing them all would be feasible with that budget, just thinking about the distance from Buenos Aires to La Paz. I should have ~5k funds.

Have you considered an Overland tour? I've looked through a few of the main companies' trips and they look brilliant. It would be great to get in with a group of people and stick together throughout the trip. You don't have to worry about transport and accommodation and the buses look comfy. Only cons I'd say are the price and the sense of being chauffered around the continent, or maybe a better way to put it would be a lesser sense of adventure/excitement that you would get from making your own way around.

A 53 day one would set you back over 2 grand and factoring in flights, insurance and gear and jabs etc your budget is pretty much obliterated before you leave. My thinking is that I could get say 3 months of travel going it alone instead of 2 months doing one of those tours. Also, from searching on boards the general consensus seems to be don't bother with the organised tours.

Regarding the dinero, I think a phonecall to the bank is in order as each one has different fees for different things and different policies on having your cc in credit before using it in an atm etc. I'm with AIB and 99% certain I can put my cc (mc2 student one) in credit and save a **** load on fees, but I'll be making sure of that before I go. It would probably even be worth switching bank if they've better policies on that.

Here's hoping you get some good insights from the experts!

Have a look at this current thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055564593

Coeus

Popa_irl wrote: »

Hey lads.

- My budget is ~€4000
- I have about 2 months free to travel, maybe 2 and a half, from start of June to mid August
- I would like to see Buenos Ares, the salt flats in Boliva, the Iguazu falls, Machu Pitchu and possibly the Amazon
- I want to stay away from any deep holes in Peru
- I would like to get some warm water surf in
- I would like someone to travel with (not really a constraint but a wish)

Flights
We'll i've done some research on flights using www.skyscanner.ie and www.go4less.ie. I want to get one-way tickets in and out of S. America. I was thinking of flying into Rio from Dublin. The cheapest flight i found for that (booking now and leaving at end of may) was around €450. Thats the cheapest route but i dont know where to fly out of, one-way Lima to Dublin is €800. So ya i need help on the return flight.

Trip
So whats the story with busses? Frequency? Cost? Travel time (for example, how long would it take to get from Rio to Bueno Ares?) What do people mean by "The bus drivers are crazy!" ?
Where should i go? I've named some places but i dont know how to get around or in which order to travel to them in or what else should i see or if that is too many places..........you get my drift.

Or should i just stick to the north?

You will be able to book mutli city flight with Air France or Iberia, they have good options to most of the major cities in South America. I have never paid more than €800 for a return flight on my trips there.

To get to the spots you want to do you could plan a trip from Rio to Lima or vice versa. You could travel from Rio to Iguazu and from there down to Buenos Aires. From there you could head Chile and make your way to San Pedro de Atacama where you be able to get on a Salt Flats tour. At the end of the tour U can head to La Paz and then onto Peru. You have 2 months so you will be able to see alot more in between.

Travelling on bus is fine. Some of the roads aren't the best and yes there are some crazy drivers but they are everywhere. You should be able to get where you want every day and they are reasonbly cheap. There are some luxury buses with flatbed seats which are a bit more expensive but can be worth it if you are travelling overnight.

Dont worry about going on your own either, you will meet plenty of people on the along the way. Hostels are great place to start...

mac123

M450 wrote: »

Regarding the dinero, I think a phonecall to the bank is in order as each one has different fees for different things and different policies on having your cc in credit before using it in an atm etc. I'm with AIB and 99% certain I can put my cc (mc2 student one) in credit and save a **** load on fees, but I'll be making sure of that before I go. It would probably even be worth switching bank if they've better policies on that.

Here's hoping you get some good insights from the experts!

Hey man...I travelled a good bit during college when I was with AIB and I was charged just over €1 per transaction, id usually take out around €200 or so at a time, basically enough to last a week to keep costs down. That was with my student account, no idea about the mastercard, never tried that.
I know my brother was charged €8 or so per transaction with his PTSB account though so AIB were pretty good. Their rates may have changed since then though.

solerina

If you are planning on seeing Macchu Piccu and doing the Inca Trail you may need to book now, the official trail is strictly controlled. You need to book through a tour company and supply them with your passport number, they send someone into the office to get you a permit. They book up months in advance.I did mine with Gap Adventures and highly recommend them.....You can do the Lares Trail or similar by just turning up at the last minute and booking through any company in Cuzco....my friend did this and wasnt too impressed as she ended up having to get a train to MP and felt robbed of our experience of walking in through the sun gate just before dawn to see the sun rise....amazing !!! Its funny though, for me and my group MP although amazing was almost and anti-climax as we were so disappointed to be finished the Inca Trail !!!!

Popa_irl

M450 wrote: »

I'm looking to do the very same thing but sooner, like end of March, so I'll be following this thread hoping all your questions are answered
I've got the same few places on my list and would be interested to know if seeing them all would be feasible with that budget, just thinking about the distance from Buenos Aires to La Paz. I should have ~5k funds.

Ah dude you should postpone it for a while! :P T'wud be great crack.

Have you considered an Overland tour? I've looked through a few of the main companies' trips and they look brilliant. It would be great to get in with a group of people and stick together throughout the trip. You don't have to worry about transport and accommodation and the buses look comfy. Only cons I'd say are the price and the sense of being chauffered around the continent, or maybe a better way to put it would be a lesser sense of adventure/excitement that you would get from making your own way around.

I got a magazine on those overland tours but only used it to get ideas on where to go. Those prices are way to expensive for such a short time. And yes you are right again, there would be no sense of adventure. If you saw something really interesting you would be held back from doing it fully if its not on the schedule.

Regarding the dinero, I think a phonecall to the bank is in order as each one has different fees for different things and different policies on having your cc in credit before using it in an atm etc. I'm with AIB and 99% certain I can put my cc (mc2 student one) in credit and save a **** load on fees, but I'll be making sure of that before I go. It would probably even be worth switching bank if they've better policies on that.

Have you made any progress on this? I'm going to have to write a reminder on my forehead to remind myself to ring them.

You will be able to book mutli city flight with Air France or Iberia, they have good options to most of the major cities in South America. I have never paid more than €800 for a return flight on my trips there.

To get to the spots you want to do you could plan a trip from Rio to Lima or vice versa. You could travel from Rio to Iguazu and from there down to Buenos Aires. From there you could head Chile and make your way to San Pedro de Atacama where you be able to get on a Salt Flats tour. At the end of the tour U can head to La Paz and then onto Peru. You have 2 months so you will be able to see alot more in between.

So is it better to book directly with the airline rather than using one of those search engines? Also, is it cheaper to book early or wait for some last minute deals?

Thanks for the advice on the locations. I'm also wondering, what is the north of the continent like? I dont think i'd be able to see it if im focused on the centre but i'd like to know what im missing by not going up top?

If you are planning on seeing Macchu Piccu and doing the Inca Trail you may need to book now, the official trail is strictly controlled. You need to book through a tour company and supply them with your passport number, they send someone into the office to get you a permit. They book up months in advance.I did mine with Gap Adventures and highly recommend them.....

This website: http://www.incatrailperu.com/inca_trail_companies.html is saying that it is $450 -$500 for a guided tour. I cant afford that! Cant i just climb the mountain myself or is there a cheaper option?

P.S.: I just watched "Motorcycle diaries", great movie and i cant wait to go now!:D

jobless

another thread worth reading (there are loads if you search)

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=65884015#post65884015

I second booking the machu pichu trek well in advance, otherwise you will be dissapointed...

i did most of the places you did in 2009... started in B Aires, great city, great food...be sure to take in a match... flew then to Igausu for two nights, be sure to do both the argentian and brazilian sides.... both unique and spectacular in their own way... think we flew then to salta(north argentina) and then into bolivia were we started the salt flats tour in tupiza and finished in uyuni (leave here asap, not much happening). then up to sucre..la paz (which i loved) and then onto cuzco do the incas trail. I would recommend doing isla de sol also between la paz and cuzco.. god i hope ive remembered the correct route

Popa_irl

So, jobless, you wouldn't say 2 months is too little time to go through these places? Would i have time to go up to the north coast?

Also what i really want to know is is it better to book flights now or at the last minute in terms of money?

jobless

hey Poppa,

we did all those places in six weeks, but we did do some internal flights to cut down on some time, we flew return from Buenos Aires to Iguaza (had to come back to Buenos Aires because we couldnt fly from Iguazu to anywhere else that suited us) we saved us a 14hr return bus journey(a guestimate). We also flew from Sucre (bolivia) to Cusco.
I certainly think you could take in the north coast if you did fly internally but personally i wouldnt try to pack in too much as you wont enjoy it. You will like some places more than others also and want to stay longer.

My 2cent anyway!

Popa_irl

Ok so my biggest question right now is:

Is it cheaper to book now or late with a last minute deal?
Is it cheaper to book directly with the airlines or through one of those comparison websites?

jobless

i bought them six months in advance.....i dunno about getting last minute deals but if you leave it that late and dont get any what do you do then?.
I booked mine through ebookers... they were the cheapest then but certainly try the comparison websites... plenty of them

mac123

jobless wrote: »

hey Poppa,

we did all those places in six weeks, but we did do some internal flights to cut down on some time, we flew return from Buenos Aires to Iguaza (had to come back to Buenos Aires because we couldnt fly from Iguazu to anywhere else that suited us) we saved us a 14hr return bus journey(a guestimate). We also flew from Sucre (bolivia) to Cusco.
I certainly think you could take in the north coast if you did fly internally but personally i wouldnt try to pack in too much as you wont enjoy it. You will like some places more than others also and want to stay longer.

My 2cent anyway!

Who did you book internal flights with?

shane_doc

I booked multi city with Americn Airlines for a decent price. Booking one way twice is a rip off!

For warm water surfing you will need to go North as far as Ecuador as it will be winter months in argentina/peru during the summer.

jobless

mac123 wrote: »

Who did you book internal flights with?

i think it was aerosur.... although you might be better off booking those in advance too...

dory

Popa_irl wrote: »

I got a magazine on those overland tours but only used it to get ideas on where to go. Those prices are way to expensive for such a short time. And yes you are right again, there would be no sense of adventure. If you saw something really interesting you would be held back from doing it fully if its not on the schedule.

Yea, I've often considered those tours as well, but I really found no advantage to them and they're so expensive. You could have so much fun with the money you'd pay someone else to lead you around. And it's mad craic getting lost and finding your way! Great sense of achievement.

Popa_irl wrote: »

So is it better to book directly with the airline rather than using one of those search engines? Also, is it cheaper to book early or wait for some last minute deals?

Both are equally good. Sometimes I get better deals on the airline's own website, sometimes it's better on the seach engine, you just have to try both!

Popa_irl wrote: »

This website: http://www.incatrailperu.com/inca_trail_companies.html is saying that it is $450 -$500 for a guided tour. I cant afford that! Cant i just climb the mountain myself or is there a cheaper option?

You can just turn up a few days before (make sure you turn up a few days beforehand to get used to the altitude or you'll injure yourself!) and book the jungle tour. Many people who have done both say it's even better than the traditional tour as it's free of other tourists. On this you generally cycle one day one and then hike for 2 or 3 days to MP. When I was there in 2007 it cost $160.

Jemo

Hey,

I'm just starting to plan my summer, 22 year old student too and also thinking of doing a trip around South America in that timeframe with similar budget. Need to be back mid-late August to start work. I haven't looked into details yet, just thought I'd take a look on Boards first to get some advice and seen this thread. Are you still interested in going, also have you booked anything yet?

Cheers, also thanks everyone who has put tips up on here! cycling through the jungle up to Machu Pichu sounds amazing!

M450

So do you guys reckon €450 single from Dub-Rio is a good option? That's with BA leaving start of April.

I really don't know how long I'll be staying so don't want to go booking any return flights. Looking at singles from the Andean countries is fairly pricey.

Would anyone have experience flying from there to the States and then home? Probably with a few days stop-over. Is this what Multi-City flights are all about?

Popa_irl

Thanks dory, that sounds like a much better option to be honest. I was watching a documentary on TG4 there recently about the MP porters, man they have it tough!

Hey Jemo! Ya im definitely still going but i haven't anything booked yet. I have a fairly well set plan of action and i know what i have to do. The thing is just doing it. I want to book my flights this week and hopefully an appointment for my jabs too. The biggest hurdle are the flights. They have to be cheap and not return from the same airport. Have you looked into flights at all?

Jemo

no I quite literally am at the very beginning I'm afraid, I'd be happy to go with someone else's plans though, there is so much to see in South America that I'll miss out on some bits no matter what :cool:. I went to college in Spain last year so I have a strong command of Spanish so I would rather stick mainly to the Spanish speaking countries for the moment, other than that I'm easy! I can pm you my skype/msn/facebook if you want to chat about it and exchange some ideas.

ck086

Hey everyone!

Wow there's so much on here about SA! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to give their valuable advice!

I'm hoping to go for 2-3 months from July this yr but wont find out til next week if I can def go so haven't booked a thing yet. I will also be travelling solo for the first time but anyone I've spoken to reckons I'll still have a ball! I'm a 28 yo female so still a little bit nervous..

I was hoping to start in Ecuador and see the Galapagos. Anyone know if you can book Galapagos tours once in Quito for cheaper than online before I go as I don't wanna spend €1300+ for one week there!!?

It seems that most backpackers do the Rio - Peru direction.. the opposite to my plans.. Would it be wise to switch my trip around and hopefully meet more people going the same way as it doesn't really make a difference to me?

dory

M450 wrote: »

So do you guys reckon €450 single from Dub-Rio is a good option? That's with BA leaving start of April.

Would anyone have experience flying from there to the States and then home? Probably with a few days stop-over. Is this what Multi-City flights are all about?

Single flights in SA, and in a lot of places are a nightmare. I didn't to get from Ecuador to Argentina once and ended up buying a return instead of a single as it was cheaper! And yup, that's what a multicity is, you should maybe look into it. The States is also an option but it's not cheap.

ck086 wrote: »

I was hoping to start in Ecuador and see the Galapagos. Anyone know if you can book Galapagos tours once in Quito for cheaper than online before I go as I don't wanna spend €1300+ for one week there!!?

It seems that most backpackers do the Rio - Peru direction.. the opposite to my plans.. Would it be wise to switch my trip around and hopefully meet more people going the same way as it doesn't really make a difference to me?

You can get last minute deals in Quito alright. Not too cheap now. Cheapest I ever saw was $1000 but I don't think that included the flight to the island, and then there's the $100 tax!

And no way would I recommend switching to meet people. People go in all sorts of directions. I went Brazil - Peru - Ecuador - Panama - Costa Rica - Nicaragua - Costa Rica - Nicaragua - Ecuador - Argentina - Uruguay - Brazil - Paraguay - Bolvia - Chile. I had various reasons for hopping and jumping and turning around. Some of it was to travel with interesting people I'd met. I would have even thought more people do it your way.
Also, with your way it's easier to do the salt tour starting from Tupiza which I totally recommend. My photos of that trip are here. Most people coming from the north miss a lot of that.

jobless

those photos bring back a lot of good memories Dory... i did it from Tupiza too... what a great trip!

Popa_irl

How long did that trip take you dory? Looks like a lot of countries to see in 2 months.

ck086

Tthanks dory, your pics look amazing! Cant wait to start collecting some of my own!:D
Found some good ideas for galapagos with happy gringo, will prob end up booking before I go then if its not that much cheaper out there and its my first stop anyway so I'll know exactly when I'm gonna be there.

dory

Popa_irl wrote: »

How long did that trip take you dory? Looks like a lot of countries to see in 2 months.

I was there from June to the following March. In two months you could still do a lot if you just see the bottom part of Brazil (Rio mostly, not much to see in Sao Paulo), the most people just fly through Paraguay, 2 weeks or so in Bolivia (3 would be better). Then it's up to you, you could go down to Argentina. Or you could go Brazil - Uruguay - Argentina, then up to Bolivia. You could see a lot in 2 months.

Jemo

Went for an appointment to get the shots to go and it turns out I can't get the yellow fever one due to an egg allergy so I can't go. Have a good time though Popa!

jobless

i wouldnt let that rule it out completely.... i dont want to give bad advice but what are the realistic chances of getting yellow fever?... they dont really check that you have those jabs when you're over there

Popa_irl

Into rio and out of port of spain in Trinidad and Tobago. Heading south from rio to Buenos Aries, then up along the western coast to venuezla in the north and home from the port of spain. Is this too much for two months?

gerbear1

Haven't read everything on this thread. But I was in South America for about a year and a half and have been to everywhere you mention. I think 2 months is enough to go to all of those places. And I wouldn't bother with internal flights. The buses in Brazil and Argentina are really good, so you can often go overnight and half the journey is spent sleeping, but of course if you find a cheap flight it would be better to fly. The buses/trains in Bolivia are terrible, so if you cross from Argentina to Bolivia expect quite the culture shock. The only country I ever found cheap flights in was Colombia. I lived in Argentina for over a year and all the internal flights are a rip off compared with the very comfortable and cheap buses (pretty much all the companies are the same - there's no one I would recommend over another) But of course this depends on the distance you're going. There is usually different/bigger airlines depending which country you're in - Brazil: TAM, Argentina: Aerolineas, Peru: Taca, Chile: LAN etc.

Anyway, one thing I wanted to point out was that I've met some people that had problems entering countries by plane with single tickets. I fly from Europe to Brazil on a single ticket and was fine, but it could happen that you get asked where your return ticket is. I'm not sure if you'll buy your return ticket in advance or not but you have 2 options if you do get asked. They'll only want you to have a ticket out of the country, so you can just buy a refundable ticket from Rio to Montevideo, for example, which would probably be cheap and then claim a refund. Or you could open up an email of some airline ticket and edit the airports, dates, flight no etc, and it looks like you have a return ticket and of course they aren't going to call the airline to check, my cousin did this in costa rica when he got stopped for not having a return ticket to a European country.

M450

I'm going to book my single flight to Rio today. €448.91 through ebookers flying 7th April with BA through LHR. 16 hours altogether incl a 3 hour stopover.

I'm really happy with this flight but, like the OP, I'm concerned about the return flight. I've no time constraints on my holiday, only money constraints. I want to load off about 5k on this trip so expecting to get 3 months out of it with the hope of more time. So I don't want to be booking a return flight right now. I've looked at flights from Lima back to Dublin and they'd be 750-850 euro.

Having seen return flights to Rio for less than 600 this is pretty enticing. Does anyone know of airlines allowing flexibility in the return leg of the flight, or perhaps really cheap penalties for changing the date? If this was the case I could probably book the return leg for 3 months later and change it if necessary.

M450

Ah feck that I just went ahead and booked the single! Found the same flight for €425 on Cassidy Travel

...so now to doctor up a return e-ticket! Thanks gerbear1

0verblood

I came here to tell you about cheaper flights to S.America. I just found a flight to Costa Rica departing from brussels for 199euro... I guess I'm too late!

0verblood

Cheapest to Brazil I've found is from Frankfurt for 349e, it to Salvador de Bahia

There's one to Rio for 379e

All you need to do is get a cheap aul ryanair flight to Frankfurt and you're sorted.

By the way these flights are direct.

Jemo wrote: »

Went for an appointment to get the shots to go and it turns out I can't get the yellow fever one due to an egg allergy so I can't go. Have a good time though Popa!

What so you can never go backpacking ever??!!

M450

Where are you finding these flights? Just picking random airports in skyscanner? I'd love an option "Europe to S America" that shows the cheapest fares between the continents haha

How far in advance of leaving should I sort out all the vaccines? And will I just make an appointment with the local GP or are there specialist places in Dublin that might be better/cheaper?

Jemo

For vaccines, I've found the tropical medical bureau very helpful www.tmb.ie. They have an office at the top of grafton st. and are pretty reasonable I believe. They won't try selling you what you don't need either. I'd get organised early as possible for the shots, the rabies one you need a dose in week 1, week 2 and then 3-4 weeks later also so it takes a while.

Jemo

0verblood wrote: »

What so you can never go backpacking ever??!!

I got in contact with the allergy dept in St. James and they are going to give me the vaccine gradually once nothing drastic happens so I should be able to go now. Certificate of vaccination could be a problem though unfortunately. Its a pain in the ass because there is no alternative and it is renowned as the worst vaccine for egg content (worse than MMR and influenza). I've started getting the other vaccines anyhow so just going to wait until I get the yellow fever one out of the way and then book flights.

lcrcboy

well I hope you enjoy your trip and hook up with some serious latina women, they are unbelievable and in my opinion the best looking women in the world

0verblood

M450 wrote: »

Where are you finding these flights? Just picking random airports in skyscanner?

Two extremely cheap airlines called Jetairfly and Condor, check them out if you need a return flight.

M450

Jemo wrote: »

For vaccines, I've found the tropical medical bureau very helpful www.tmb.ie. They have an office at the top of grafton st. and are pretty reasonable I believe. They won't try selling you what you don't need either. I'd get organised early as possible for the shots, the rabies one you need a dose in week 1, week 2 and then 3-4 weeks later also so it takes a while.

Went to the tmb in Maynooth today. Got Typhoid, Hep A and Yellow Fever. 10% student discount on vaccines and €50 instead of 60 for the consultation fee, which made it €140 altogether. Pretty happy with that. The Hep A vaccine they had was a tenner more than stated on the tmb website but was also a different brand, Avaxim instead of Havrix. I suppose I'll let that slide! Had to convince them to give me the student discount though, they didn't know anything about it!

Couldn't get the Hep B or Rabies as I'm going in 2 weeks but probably would have done without them anyway.

mac123

Jemo wrote: »

For vaccines, I've found the tropical medical bureau very helpful www.tmb.ie. They have an office at the top of grafton st. and are pretty reasonable I believe. They won't try selling you what you don't need either. I'd get organised early as possible for the shots, the rabies one you need a dose in week 1, week 2 and then 3-4 weeks later also so it takes a while.

Sounds like they sold you one you dont need....

0verblood

mac123 wrote: »

Sounds like they sold you one you dont need....

If you're going to Africa and will be doing hikes into jungles with gorillas and chimps I think the rabies vaccination would be a good idea... as a matter of fact if you're anywhere in Africa the rabies vaccine is a good idea as there are a lot of stray dogs and cats. Like there was one town where I passed through at night and I must have seen a hundred stray dogs roaming the empty streets, they were facking everywhere.

The thing about the rabies vaccine is that it only gives you something like an extra 24hours to live!!! Not really necessary if you're in a city but the extra 24 hours would be handy if you were in the jungle somewhere. The journey by bus from Bwindi back to Kampala is like 14 hours or more... but I'm sure there's a good medical clinic in the Bwindi park, due to the number of tourists. Anyways, it's up to you. Pretty expensive vaccine though, and I wasn't bitten or scratched once... well I was scratched by a baboon but he was just grooming my leg! I wasn't attacked by anything.


EDIT: sorry I seem to have confused this thread with the Uganda thread... ehhh so skip this post!

lifeandtimes

hey funny enough me and my girlfriend are going the exact same time with the same kinda trip,we are flying from here to amsterdam to lima and then making our way up through peru to columbia and then flying to cuba and home,we have about 10 weeks to do it all and were bring about 3000 each,our flights are paid for through trailfinders and cost 1100,was the cheapest we could find we the way we were doing it but can wait its going to be awesome:D:D

HankScorpio1985

Jemo I have a slight egg allergy as well and I got the yellow fever vaccine about 3 years in tmb on Grafton St. They gave it to me gradually and I had no reaction. But I suppose it depends on how severe yours is.

Jemo

mac123 wrote: »

Sounds like they sold you one you dont need....

Actually, they didn't recommend it, the person providing my financial backing insisted on me getting it!

Jemo

HankScorpio1985 wrote: »

Jemo I have a slight egg allergy as well and I got the yellow fever vaccine about 3 years in tmb on Grafton St. They gave it to me gradually and I had no reaction. But I suppose it depends on how severe yours is.

Its pretty severe unfortunately. Getting it done on Tuesday though so I'll let you know how it goes!

WilcoOut

Jemo wrote: »

Its pretty severe unfortunately. Getting it done on Tuesday though so I'll let you know how it goes!

how much do all the vaccines cost?

Popa_irl

TMB pricelist: http://www.tmb.ie/exodus/pricelist.asp

I booked my flights last night at 3AM! Into Rio and out of Port of Spain in T&T. 75 days! Cant waaaait.

carolgus33

Im off on june 6th for 2months also:) going solo as I did SEA solo last year and had an absolute ball! any luck on the return flight? 800 very expensive:( im coming back around the same time.... do you know anything about doing macchu picchu? can ya do it alone or do you have to get a guide? how much is a guide i wonder?

solerina

carolgus33 wrote: »

Im off on june 6th for 2months also:) going solo as I did SEA solo last year and had an absolute ball! any luck on the return flight? 800 very expensive:( im coming back around the same time.... do you know anything about doing macchu picchu? can ya do it alone or do you have to get a guide? how much is a guide i wonder?

If you want to do the official Inca Trail it must be booked well in advance it can only be done with guides ( i did it and its amazing) There are numerous unofficial Inca Trails (lares etc) which can be booked when you arrive in Cuzco (amazing town, plan a few days there, you wont regret it). In my opinion I would go for the official trail, it is dearer but you get to walk all the way to MP as opposed to arriving by train as some of my friends had to do after their trails.

Jemo

Flying out the 2nd June to Rio also, still have to book the return flight though! In the end it turns out I can't get the yellow fever vaccine but I should be alright with the cert to say I'm not allowed it. Can't go to Iguazu region now though