South America for 3 weeks

*glitterball*

My friend and i are planning on going to SA at the end of June for 3 weeks. We were planning on doing the Inca trail and then travelling over to Brazil for the rest of our time.
We were talking to another friend recently though who has done the trail and said, although it was good craic and there was beautiful scenary, etc he thinks in hindsight it probably wasn't worth it and he thinks there's better things to be doing with your time in SA esp if you're only going for three weeks...
Would anyone agree with this? Any other suggestions going for things to do/places to go?? All would be appreciated...thanks!:)

dory

Yea, I would agree to a point. Depends on how much you are interested in hiking/the history of the place. It could be that your buddy has different interests to you.

Have a look at some of the other threads on this forum (useful sticky on other threads). Lots has been said about other places to go.

solerina

I would totally disagree,I absolutely loved the Inca trail. We had such and amazing time and although I loved the entire holiday it was certainly the highlight. We were in Peru for 3 weeks and then onto Rio for a week....all it has done is made me want to go back to SA.

bear17

Hey OP, I'm going to South America from the end of June for 6 weeks/2 months, probably mostly on a tour that includes the Inca trail, I hear it's a must if that's any help!

What airline are you using? Trying to finalise flights at the moment, and most of the main European airlines are quoting up to €1500 each way, if not more in some cases. I don't want to spend all my money getting there , so if anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it.

Pisco Sour

*glitterball* wrote: »

My friend and i are planning on going to SA at the end of June for 3 weeks. We were planning on doing the Inca trail and then travelling over to Brazil for the rest of our time.
We were talking to another friend recently though who has done the trail and said, although it was good craic and there was beautiful scenary, etc he thinks in hindsight it probably wasn't worth it and he thinks there's better things to be doing with your time in SA esp if you're only going for three weeks...
Would anyone agree with this? Any other suggestions going for things to do/places to go?? All would be appreciated...thanks!:)

3 weeks is not much for such an enormous landmass. I would recommend you pick one country and see it properly instead of doing a whistle-stop tour of the continent. I spent 2 weeks in Brazil, 2 weeks in Chile, 3 in Argentina, 3 in Peru, and about 3 days in each of Bolivia and Uruguay.

If you were to pick one country for 3 weeks my suggestions would be:

1) Brazil - Fly to Rio. Stay there a few days, then go to Ilha Grande, then Paraty/ Trindade, maybe Sao Paulo if you want more big cities, Floreonopolis, and Iguassu Falls. Fly back to Rio and head home from there.

2) Argentina - Fly to Buenos Aires. Stay a few days. Catch a flight to El Calafate for the Perito Moreno Glacier. Then head to Puerto Madryn for the amazing wildlife (seasonal), then head to Bariloche, then Mendoza and back to BA then. Of course you can fit in Iguassu Falls aswell. I did all of that in 3 weeks.

3) Peru - Fly to Lima. Then head down to Arequipa. Then Cusco. Stay at least 3 days in Cusco, so much to see. Then Inca Trail. Then Nazca Lines maybe and Lake Titicaca. I didnt do Nazca an Titicaca but I heard good things.

Coeus

bear17 wrote: »

What airline are you using? Trying to finalise flights at the moment, and most of the main European airlines are quoting up to €1500 each way, if not more in some cases. I don't want to spend all my money getting there , so if anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it.

I've had 3 return flights (with Air France twice and Iberia once) to South America over the years and have never paid over €800. Both Airlines allow multicity trips so you can fly into one airport and return from another provided they serve that airport. There are plenty of options flying through the US aswell but you'll just be a bit longer in the air.

themacman

The Inca Trail is 4 days, and you might want a "recovery" day afterwards. You may also need a day or two to acclimatise to Cusco, so you are talking pretty much a week.

Personally I absolutely loved the trek but I had no such time constraints. I would tend to agree with the above poster who says stick to one country!

EDIT - you know you can visit Machu Picchu without doing the Inca Trail, yeah?

darrenh

I know each to their own but you would be mad to dismiss the Inca Trail. Its not the hardest trek you will ever do, but the sense of achievement at the end of the trek is amazing. I spent 10 months traveling and the Inca Trail is still my favorite memory. As you arrive at the Sun Gate and look down over Machu Picchu and think back over your last four days trekking, well, you just cant beat it. The scenery is spectacular and its got some great history. Trust me, do not miss it.

Your 3 weeks are limited. Spend it in Peru. Arequipa is one of the coolest cities going, the trek through the Colca Canyon is tough but worth it, you could even fit in a bit of time in the Amazon.