Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia in 10 weeks

jobless

hey all,

I'm planning on heading to south america in a couple of months and hoping to visit Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador...
Just wondering if people think i'm biting off more than i can chew? Am i better off skipping one of them?.
I'm not overly sure about visiting ecuador unless im going to the galapagos. Is there much else to see/do there?. I heard great things about Colombia. Has anyone any favorite places they would like to share that i might visit?.

cheers

dory

Well you're selecting countries very far away from each other as I'm sure you know. It cost me €450 to fly from Sao Paulo to Lima, so I guess it would be somewhat similar if you're planning on flying.

It depends what you're into. I liked Ecuador. I stayed in the Secret Garden hostel and did lots of their day trips to volcanos. Then I went for a week to Cotopaxi National Park with the same hostel group and it was one of the highlights of my 15 months trip.

jobless

thanks Dory, yeah i'm thinking we might have to fly out of brazil and probably back.... i think the figures you qouted are correct. Not sure if that's within my budget.... how much time did you spend in Colombia and ecuador?... i'm just wondering is it just worth visiting there an skip Brazil?

Daisies

I really liked Ecuador. Loved Banos. Would easily go back and spend a few weeks there. If you are worried about time concerns why nnot do Colombia, Ecuador and Peru?

jobless

i did peru two years ago and would really love to see brazil.... not sure if i'll ever go back to south america after this trip so would love to see all three, no sure if the logistics make sense though...

marlie2005

We did Argentina, Peru, Chile and Equador in 3 months.. Was absolutely exchaused after it..
I would rather have stayed a little longer or cut 2 places out.. i felt like I didn't really get to see or get a feel for any place, but most of my time was spent in Equador.. I loved Banos also..
I think it really depends on the type of traveller you are, some are great to go and do and see but I like to sit back a little and take in a bit of culture..
Anyways enjoy every minute, would love to be you right now..

holystungun9

I lived in Ecuador for two and half years so I liked it. Obviously Ecuador and Columbia are easy to travel between by road. I can understand wanting to see some of Brazil,but the cost of the flight is going to be an issue. Really look into that, whether you fly to Brazil then over to Ecuador and Colombia and then back again or manage to fly through one side without doubling back. Not sure how you want to do it. You have enough time to get a good taste of each country. As regards Ecuador, get an idea of prices for the Galapagos so you can see if you can fit it into your budget and if it is something you want to do.

jobless

thanks for all the replies guys, looking like we might fly into Rio and out of Lima with a flight from Rio to bogota thrown in the middle...
was thinking maybe 2 weeks in brazil, 3 in colombia, 3 in ecuador and 2getting from ecuador down to Lima stopping off along the way.

I havent really started any research into the trip so just wondering if people think i'm cutting it fine in each?...
Also i havent been to northern peru before so is there much to see on the way down from ecuador?.

holystungun9

jobless wrote: »

thanks for all the replies guys, looking like we might fly into Rio and out of Lima with a flight from Rio to bogota thrown in the middle...
was thinking maybe 2 weeks in brazil, 3 in colombia, 3 in ecuador and 2getting from ecuador down to Lima stopping off along the way.

I havent really started any research into the trip so just wondering if people think i'm cutting it fine in each?...
Also i havent been to northern peru before so is there much to see on the way down from ecuador?.

Sounds great, and don't stress about the time, you'll make it work when you're there. You'll have a great time but remember to be sensible about your belongings when out and about.

mac123

Im doing something similar at the start of my trip. Im flying into Rio, then im going down the coast to Paraty and Florianopolis and over to Iguazu falls then down to Buenos Aires. Im catching a flight from there to Bogota.

Im planning about 3 weeks for this part...is that a reasonable amount of time?
This is my only real time constraint as il have a flight to catch and I want to book it soon.

jobless

hey mac, i'm not sure about your route around brazil but i think the distance from iquazu to beunos aires is quite large to bus.... might be worth flying that... we did anyway.. you dont really want to be spending long amounts of your three weeks on buses!... the flights werent too expensive either

mac123

Well im not limited to just three weeks, I just thought that would be enough. I didnt book the flight to Colombia yet and I have 6 months for S.America so I can easily add another week or so to the first section. Its just the only part of my trip that I will have a schedule to keep as im going to have to be in Buenos Aires by a certain time to catch a flight.

garrincha62

Everyone does Rio, Iguazu and southern Brazil. Why not go to the northeast. Beautiful beaches, very laid back. Come after August mind as June-July is the rainy season.

jobless

just wondering where think the best place to visit the amazon from is?. i'm leaning towards doing it from ecuador but would not 100% sure

dory

I did it from Bolivia, down south (Santa Cruz or Sucre can't remember). But I'm sure the Amazon looks great from all angles, I just liked Bolivia's prices.

jobless

unfortunately i wont be going to bolivia this time.... has to be either from brazil, colombia or ecuador (maybe Peru)

dory

Oh whoops sorry! Go with Ecuador so. For Peru I believe you have to fly to Iquitos (well, I know for sure you have to fly to Iquitos, but I'm not sure if there are other Peruvian jungle spots). I found Brazil expensive and Ecuador cheap. So if it's all the same I would vote for Ecuador.

On another note, while in Quito I would stay in the Secret Garden hostel. They have amazing day trips to volcanos. I also went away with them for a week to Cotopaxi National Park. They also have evening meals every night that are cheap and you can get chatting to travellers. If you had more time you can also volunteer there and get free food/bed and Spanish lessons!

jobless

hi dory, thanks again for the advice....
i will definately look that hostel up as i would be very interested in those day trips... as regards cotopaxi park... what is in this park? is it far from quito?
are there any other places in ecuador you'd recommend visiting?

dory

I can't really remember how far it was. But not too far. I also loved Banos. It's a really fun place, with people flying around the town on scooters, quads etc. throwing themselves off bridges (canyoning I think it's called).

Some photos from Cotopaxi are here and I wrote about it here.