South America 4 months

ecdi

Want to see a lot of SA was thinking about flying into Rio, seeing Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Chile flying out of BA. Would this be too much land travel for 4 months. Dont want to be rushing around the place but want to see lots. Thanks

Meathlass

ecdi wrote: »

Want to see a lot of SA was thinking about flying into Rio, seeing Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Chile flying out of BA. Would this be too much land travel for 4 months. Dont want to be rushing around the place but want to see lots. Thanks

Hey OP. There's been a few recent posts along this line so you'll get some good ideas from them. Would you be able to fly into Rio and out of Santiago; it would be easier than backtracking from Chile to Argentina. When are you thinking about going? The northern hemisphere winter is a good time to do southern South America weather wise.

I think 4 months is sufficient to see most of these countries but you might need to skip some of Brazil.

themacman

Probably a bit too much. Brasil is an ENORMOUS country (I recall taking an 8 hour domestic flight).

As the above poster says, try to give yourself a 'one way' route as opposed to doubling back on yourself, that way you'll fit more in.

ecdi

Will be traveling to SA Aug 2012. What route would be advisable? Thanks

sarkozy

4 months is really good. I visited tiny parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia and Peru in 5 weeks. A monster schedule, but it can be done. 4 months is much more relaxing.

I'd also recommend flying in one place and flying home from another. I flew into Buenos Aires and left through Lima.

mac123

Depends on how much you want to see but personally I dont think its enough time to do all of the above countries at a relaxed pace. Im currently in Ecuador and I have 6 months in S.A. trying to cover Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile and it has been a bit rushed for me so far. If I could plan it again I would probably cut out at least one of the countries...probably Brazil due to its size and costs.

That being said if you just want to see a few of the main sights and you dont mind spending alot of time on buses every few days then it can done but personally I would aim for min 1 month per country. Thats what I would do if I was doing it again!

Handy11

If you start in Peru and work towards Brazil, the hard travelling is done first.

In 4 months We did:
Peru (Lima, Nazca, Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno),

Bolivia (Copacabana, Isla Del Sol, La Paz, Death Road, Climbed Huayna Potosi, Uyuni - salt plains, La Quiaca),

Argentina (Villazon, Salta, Mendoza for Christmas),

Chile (Santiago, Valparaiso for new years),

Argentina again (Bariloche, camping in paseo de Los nubes, El Bolson, Esquel, Calafate, Rio Gallegos, Puerto Madryn and Valdez Peninsula, Buenos Aires),

Paraguay (Encarnacion and the Jesuit ruins, Ciudad del Este),

Argentina again (Iguazu),

And ended in Brazil (Florianopolis, Armacao beach for a few days, Paraty, Sao Paolo, Rio for Carnival)

Had an amazing trip and never felt rushed out of anywhere. Buses were great and overnight buses saved on accommodation. Only place we regretted going was Paraguay. The Jesuit ruins are rubbish and the transport is dodgy. Didn't like it at all. Stayed in hostels all the way and ate local food mostly. Would recommend it a million times.

If you've any questions about any specific routes/places/things, PM me and I'd be happy to answer

ecdi

Handy11 wrote: »

If you start in Peru and work towards Brazil, the hard travelling is done first.

In 4 months We did:
Peru (Lima, Nazca, Arequipa, Cuzco, Puno),

Bolivia (Copacabana, Isla Del Sol, La Paz, Death Road, Climbed Huayna Potosi, Uyuni - salt plains, La Quiaca),

Argentina (Villazon, Salta, Mendoza for Christmas),

Chile (Santiago, Valparaiso for new years),

Argentina again (Bariloche, camping in paseo de Los nubes, El Bolson, Esquel, Calafate, Rio Gallegos, Puerto Madryn and Valdez Peninsula, Buenos Aires),

Paraguay (Encarnacion and the Jesuit ruins, Ciudad del Este),

Argentina again (Iguazu),

And ended in Brazil (Florianopolis, Armacao beach for a few days, Paraty, Sao Paolo, Rio for Carnival)

Had an amazing trip and never felt rushed out of anywhere. Buses were great and overnight buses saved on accommodation. Only place we regretted going was Paraguay. The Jesuit ruins are rubbish and the transport is dodgy. Didn't like it at all. Stayed in hostels all the way and ate local food mostly. Would recommend it a million times.

If you've any questions about any specific routes/places/things, PM me and I'd be happy to answer

sounds excellent! how much money did you spend on this trip?
anywhere else i should avoid?
thanks for your help!

Handy11

ecdi wrote: »

sounds excellent! how much money did you spend on this trip?
anywhere else i should avoid?
thanks for your help!

It was our honeymoon, so we budgeted a total of 50 a day each to include everything (food, drink, accom, travel, sights, activities) In most places we got by on a LOT less than that. Things like the Inca Trail, a hotel for 4 nights (honeymoon) the Moreno Glacier hike, the Salt Plains tour, certain long buses and mostly the hostel in Rio for Carnival cost a bit, and that balanced out the budget from the cheaper places. We ate well and drank most nights.

Peru and Bolivia were very very cheap.

If you're on a tight budget in Peru you can eat a good 3-course Menu Del Dia for less than 2 euro. Beer is cheap. Buses are a little expensive but very worth it. Comfortable, English movies, good food etc.

Bolivia is cheaper again. Food and drink ridiculously cheap. Hostels in La Paz (stay in Loki hostels in Peru and Bolivia. They have comfy beds, constant parties and are always a brilliant place to organise activities and trips) are very cheap too. Buses are a bit of a nightmare but just put up with it and enjoy the ride.

Argentina and Chile are more expensive. Still great value to be got in most places. In BA you can eat in lots of All You Can Eat places for 4-5 euro. They're good quality too. I think with these countries it's less a case of everything costs more, than you have the option of spending a lot more. And that inevitably happens. Argentine buses are expensive for 20+ hour journeys but they are fantastic with excellent comfort and food.

Brazil is expensive by SA standards. But there's lots you can get for cheap too. Amazing ice-cream there. We were there for Carnival, so it's hard to have a good reference for prices.


As regards places to avoid, we skipped Potosi after many travellers in La Paz had bad things to say about it. We went straight to Uyuni.

If you're on a budget, Bariloche is very dear.

El Bolson is a myth. All hippiness is gone from it and it's just a very boring little town that's extremely difficult to get out of on short notice.

Valparaiso was incredible for new years. Mental. Wouldn't strike me as a place to visit outside that though

Handy11

In most cases, 50 a day would be a very big budget. You'd get by on a lot less. We excused ourselves the odd more expensive thing (including large-ish tattoos at a convention in La Paz!!!) because it was our honeymoon

Tusky

I did a similar-ish route to the above over 3 months (although didnt see quite as much) and it costs roughly 3,000. I started to run out of money towards the end but was living v.well up until then - nice buses, hostels, food, drink etc. Could do it on a lot less if you wanted.

ecdi

Tusky wrote: »

I did a similar-ish route to the above over 3 months (although didnt see quite as much) and it costs roughly 3,000. I started to run out of money towards the end but was living v.well up until then - nice buses, hostels, food, drink etc. Could do it on a lot less if you wanted.

€1,000 a month. sounds good!

surges

trying to organise a 3 month trip to SA this summer (june, july, august)

any tips would be great cos so much info to take in. the 2 countries im really sold on is argentina and bolivia so they are definates. wanted to do chile peru and brazil also but now it looks like that is way too much ground to cover. right now i think i might drop peru - am i making a big mistake??

also getting really confused about the climate at that time of the year there so any advice much appreciated.

Trippie

surges wrote: »

trying to organise a 3 month trip to SA this summer (june, july, august)

any tips would be great cos so much info to take in. the 2 countries im really sold on is argentina and bolivia so they are definates. wanted to do chile peru and brazil also but now it looks like that is way too much ground to cover. right now i think i might drop peru - am i making a big mistake??

also getting really confused about the climate at that time of the year there so any advice much appreciated.

I live in Colombia and just came back from peru in january, honestly peru is not that great at all. maybe I ma just biased though. Try to pick countries with easy access between each other, like a colombia, ecuador, peru grouping or chile argentina,

Its not a mistake to drop it all as I said i didnt like it but that is because I was comparing it to colombia all the time.

Dont just think about the countries, look at activites what is you want to do, when you have a list of what you want to do then see where offers that and plan your trip that way imo. Nothing worse than saying im going to brazil, why, em, because i want to see brazil, its a big place and you dont have enough time to see everything so chose wisely.

if you need any help or info drop me a pm and ill be happy to answer whatever you have

Freddie Rincon

where in colombia are you? What do you do? if you dont mind me asking...
Temporarily in Cali myself. Teach in Asia so need to return soon.
Wife is from Cali so wondering if there is something I could do here in the future...

Trippie

Freddie Rincon wrote: »

where in colombia are you? What do you do? if you dont mind me asking...
Temporarily in Cali myself. Teach in Asia so need to return soon.
Wife is from Cali so wondering if there is something I could do here in the future...

I am in Bogota, I work for a tourism company that has the consultancy contract for colombia.travel and pro export. I also coach rugby in schools here.

Look into the big 4 schools here in bogota, always looking for good teachers. Anglo Colombiano, CGB are the two biggest as far as I know

ecdi

Flights booked. In to Rio out of Santiago. anyone have a preferable route i should take?

thanks

Balmed Out

Id add ihla grande in Brazil to the previous list.

Brazil is far more expensive then the rest of SA. Id just do Rio, ihla grande, paraty, maybe a night or two in sao paulo if your into big cities and then onto iguassu falls and argentina.

ecdi

was thinking that myself. After that?

mac123

Balmed Out wrote: »

Id add ihla grande in Brazil to the previous list.

Brazil is far more expensive then the rest of SA. Id just do Rio, ihla grande, paraty, maybe a night or two in sao paulo if your into big cities and then onto iguassu falls and argentina.

Florianopolis is well worth a visit too.

mac123

ecdi wrote: »

was thinking that myself. After that?

Id probably go into Bolivia from Brazil then work my way down to Argentina all the way down to the south then back up through Chile to finish in Santiago.

Patagonia is unmissable in my opinion but you have to like to hike and stuff. Its not as pricey as its made out to be either.

token101

Trippie wrote: »

I live in Colombia and just came back from peru in january, honestly peru is not that great at all. maybe I ma just biased though. Try to pick countries with easy access between each other, like a colombia, ecuador, peru grouping or chile argentina,

Its not a mistake to drop it all as I said i didnt like it but that is because I was comparing it to colombia all the time.

Dont just think about the countries, look at activites what is you want to do, when you have a list of what you want to do then see where offers that and plan your trip that way imo. Nothing worse than saying im going to brazil, why, em, because i want to see brazil, its a big place and you dont have enough time to see everything so chose wisely.

if you need any help or info drop me a pm and ill be happy to answer whatever you have

Im thinking about going to Colombia for a month and then on from there to a second country for another month or so. What is worth seeing in Colombia and what kind of route would you advise? Thing is, Ill probably have to end up doubling back on myself, as Ill have to fly in and out of Bogota. Flying in/out of everywhere else looks very expensive. I really want to see Cartagena, Medellin, and some of the beach towns look kind of cool aswell. It looks like a savage spot and I do have my heart set on there!

Im looking for somewhere to go after Colombia, but it looks like Ill have to fly internally aswell, which I really, really want to avoid as Im trying to keep the whole two months to <2,500. Brazil looks too big for a month, so Im thinking Argentina, Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay. I've no particular interest in Peru/Bolivia tbh and from my very limited knowledge you can't go through the south of Colombia into Peru, supposed to be rebel country. Is that right?

Anyway, any advice appreciated! This is something Ive only kind of cobbled together in my own head in the last few days after hearing someone rant at a houseparty about how class Colombia was and me googling pictures and kind of agreeing

HankScorpio1985

token101 wrote: »

Im thinking about going to Colombia for a month and then on from there to a second country for another month or so. What is worth seeing in Colombia and what kind of route would you advise? Thing is, Ill probably have to end up doubling back on myself, as Ill have to fly in and out of Bogota. Flying in/out of everywhere else looks very expensive. I really want to see Cartagena, Medellin, and some of the beach towns look kind of cool aswell. It looks like a savage spot and I do have my heart set on there!

Im looking for somewhere to go after Colombia, but it looks like Ill have to fly internally aswell, which I really, really want to avoid as Im trying to keep the whole two months to <2,500. Brazil looks too big for a month, so Im thinking Argentina, Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay. I've no particular interest in Peru/Bolivia tbh and from my very limited knowledge you can't go through the south of Colombia into Peru, supposed to be rebel country. Is that right?

Anyway, any advice appreciated! This is something Ive only kind of cobbled together in my own head in the last few days after hearing someone rant at a houseparty about how class Colombia was and me googling pictures and kind of agreeing

Colombia is amazing. Full stop. I was there for 3 weeks and got to see most of what I wanted. The only things I missed that I wanted to see were Cali and Solento. You won't need to do too much back tracking if you want to fly in/out of Bogota. You could also look at internal flights. I got one from Categena to Bogota for about 80euro with Avianca. I bought it like 2 days before. I went Bogota-Sangil-Barrichara-Medeillin-Santa Marta-Ciudad Perdida Trek-Taganga-Parque Tayrona-Cartegena-Bogota.

Have you thought about Ecuador? That way you would avoid a flight and get to Cali and Solento as well. Other than that I would say avoid Paraguay and Uruguay as there's nothing much in Paraguay and Uruguay is very small for a month. Why do you not want to go to Peru/Bolivia? Bolivia is my favourite country in South America. Just ahead of Colombia. Both Peru and Bolivia would be perfect for a month. I don't know what you mean by rebel country. The south of Colombia is considered a bit more dangerous but it's supposed to be grand nowadays. Brazil is too big for a month and very expensive if you are trying to keep it below 2,500.

Balmed Out

Venezuela is an amazing country but with less of a backpacker scene then the rest of the continent. Its got so many great places to visit. The coastline is typical caribean, its got the andes, dessert, vast swampp lands with anacondas and loads of other wildlife, canima with loads of table top mountains and waterfalls including angel falls the worlds highest etc etc. Great place to visit but perhaps better if not single as its not party central.Also bring cash the black market exchange rate is twice that of the banks.

token101

HankScorpio1985 wrote: »

Colombia is amazing. Full stop. I was there for 3 weeks and got to see most of what I wanted. The only things I missed that I wanted to see were Cali and Solento. You won't need to do too much back tracking if you want to fly in/out of Bogota. You could also look at internal flights. I got one from Categena to Bogota for about 80euro with Avianca. I bought it like 2 days before. I went Bogota-Sangil-Barrichara-Medeillin-Santa Marta-Ciudad Perdida Trek-Taganga-Parque Tayrona-Cartegena-Bogota.

Have you thought about Ecuador? That way you would avoid a flight and get to Cali and Solento as well. Other than that I would say avoid Paraguay and Uruguay as there's nothing much in Paraguay and Uruguay is very small for a month. Why do you not want to go to Peru/Bolivia? Bolivia is my favourite country in South America. Just ahead of Colombia. Both Peru and Bolivia would be perfect for a month. I don't know what you mean by rebel country. The south of Colombia is considered a bit more dangerous but it's supposed to be grand nowadays. Brazil is too big for a month and very expensive if you are trying to keep it below 2,500.

Just saw that there man, cheers for the advice. I have thought about Ecuador, but tbh just from Lonely Planet and pictures I've seen it doesn't appeal tbh. I'm thinking 7 weeks in Colombia, wondering if it's too much? Thinking of going Bogota (even though I'm not exactly keen seeing as it's not supposed to be great but only place I can flights to), Medellin, Cartagena, Barrichara, Santa Marta, Ciudad Perdida Trek, Parque Tayrona. Based on what I've seen they look the places to go. I read the land crossings in the south can be dodgy for rebels/drug traffickers. They gave specific districts, Putayamo I think was one.

Just not keen on Bolivia. Doesn't seem all that interesting really. I'm really into having a bit of fun before emigrating than any overwhelming desire to see unbelievable sights, although that's important aswell.

Going to give Brazil a miss for the time being, I'll hang on till World Cup and go then hopefully. Really, really wanted to go to Argentina but flights are ridculously expensive.

Balmed Out wrote: »

Great place to visit but perhaps better if not single as its not party central

Probably give that a miss then tbh. I am after a fair bit of that side of it too admittedly! I looked into Venezuela, briefly admittedly, but I wasn't very keen tbh. I actually thought about Panama but according to lonely planet that's totally out of the question by land! But the flights seem relatively doable.

HankScorpio1985

token101 wrote: »

Just saw that there man, cheers for the advice. I have thought about Ecuador, but tbh just from Lonely Planet and pictures I've seen it doesn't appeal tbh. I'm thinking 7 weeks in Colombia, wondering if it's too much? Thinking of going Bogota (even though I'm not exactly keen seeing as it's not supposed to be great but only place I can flights to), Medellin, Cartagena, Barrichara, Santa Marta, Ciudad Perdida Trek, Parque Tayrona. Based on what I've seen they look the places to go. I read the land crossings in the south can be dodgy for rebels/drug traffickers. They gave specific districts, Putayamo I think was one.

Just not keen on Bolivia. Doesn't seem all that interesting really. I'm really into having a bit of fun before emigrating than any overwhelming desire to see unbelievable sights, although that's important aswell.

Going to give Brazil a miss for the time being, I'll hang on till World Cup and go then hopefully. Really, really wanted to go to Argentina but flights are ridculously expensive.



Probably give that a miss then tbh. I am after a fair bit of that side of it too admittedly! I looked into Venezuela, briefly admittedly, but I wasn't very keen tbh. I actually thought about Panama but according to lonely planet that's totally out of the question by land! But the flights seem relatively doable.

I've never been to Ecuador in fairness so I can't comment but I have only heard good things from people. 7 weeks could be a lot for Colombia. I did all of your places above in 3 weeks. From what I have read any of the drug traffickers that are left are in the south east region so far away from any border crossing you will be taking unless you plan on going to the Amazon basin. I don't think it would be any more dangerous now than any other South American country,

Bolivia is probably the most interesting and diverse country in South America. The Salt plains/desert in the south. The Amazon basin in the north. The worlds most dangerous road mountain biking. Lake Titicaca. And many many more. I would highly recommend it. It is also a great place for partying and it's full of backpackers. I had some of my best nights out in La Paz. Also there's a pub in Uyuni called The Extreme Fun Pub where they do a 10 shot challenge. Look for videos on youtube.

jobless

i was in colombia and ecuador last year and would definately recommend both..... as regards security we travelled during the day and never felt unsafe...dont believe the whole hype about it being a dangerous country and dodgy borders etc... once you have cop on and dont venture too far at night in strange cities you'll be fine (bogota especially)...they've really made a concerted effort to attract visitors to the country. The border between colombia and ecuador is fine, i would recommend staying in popayan the night before and get the bus early to cross the border in daylight..

as for ecuador i cant recommend it enough, we had some great nights out with the crew from the secret garden hostel in quito, from there you could go to cotoxopi national park. You can also go hump back whale watching on the east coast and be garaunteed to see them (from puerto lopez). If you can beg steal or borrow try and get to the galapagos islands.... trip of a lifetime!

token101

Cheers for the info lads. Might have a second look at Ecuador. Whale watching would be class, but I'd say the Galapagos would be very expensive!! I'd say Bolivia is probably out on my budget tbh, and I'd almost guarantee the Galapagos will have to wait a few years! Might try 5 weeks in Colombia and 3 in Ecuador or something like that. I thought I'd enjoy planning this out, but it's actually fairly stressful :pac:

Just one more thing: did ye get all the necessary vaccinations before ye went over? I've been told that some take 3 months to take effect, I'm hoping to leave early June. Was that the case for yourselves? Any idea of how many of these there are and how much these vaccinations cost, rough figure? I rang my GP for info, but he doesn't seem to work Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays :P

jobless

Bolivia is the cheapest country in south america so i wouldnt rule it out. It was one of my favourite places and would nearly recommend it over colombia...the salt flat tours was amazing and i loved la paz.... the only problem you have is that in seven weeks you wont have a lot of money for the most popular tours...

as for injections i got some of them so long ago i cant really remember..... but they cost me in and around 275 - 350..... just read up on them and decide which ones you want...

ecdi

From your experience what would be the must see in each country. Have a fair idea of where i want to go in each country. Should I add anything?

Brazil - Paraty, Ilha Grande, Florianoplois, Iguassu Falls
Uraguay ??
Paraguay ??
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Bolivia ??
Peru - Machu Picchu
Chile ??

Thanks

jobless

ecdi wrote: »

From your experience what would be the must see in each country. Have a fair idea of where i want to go in each country. Should I add anything?

Brazil - Paraty, Ilha Grande, Florianoplois, Iguassu Falls
Uraguay ??
Paraguay ??
Argentina - Buenos Aires
Bolivia ??
Peru - Machu Picchu
Chile ??

Thanks

Just my two cents...

Brazil - Paraty, Ilha Grande, Florianoplois, Iguassu Falls
Paraty is nice but if you go there make the trip to Trindade which is 5km away(bus from local station)....amazingly beautiful beaches and sleepy town... recommend staying here http://www.kaissarahostel.com/ ...english guy runs it and is very helpful..if your short on time go straight here instead of staying in paraty...you wont regret it.
Do Iguazu falls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian side.... completely different views and worth a day each

Uraguay - didnt visit
Paraguay - didnt visit
Argentina - Was only here a short time but Buenos Aires is nice, we then went to Salta which is an ordinary enough city but you can do day tours of the andes, white water rafting, zip lining (longest line in Sa we were told) and was great fun. From here we bussed it to Bolivia to and ended up in Tupiza().

Bolivia - Salt flat tour is a must, we did it from Tupiza and finished in Uyuni (leave here as soon as you can... nothing worth staying for). Would also recommed sucre as its a nice little town/city... La Paz i loved just for the experience of it...

Peru - Machu Picchu of course, Lake Titicaca which is beautiful (stay a night or two on Isle de sol).... Floating islands from Puno(a little bit touristy) these are a few hours by bus from La Paz... also Mancora in the north west of the country is a cool little beach resort if you are up that way

ecdi

jobless wrote: »

Just my two cents...

Brazil - Paraty, Ilha Grande, Florianoplois, Iguassu Falls
Paraty is nice but if you go there make the trip to Trindade which is 5km away(bus from local station)....amazingly beautiful beaches and sleepy town... recommend staying here http://www.kaissarahostel.com/ ...english guy runs it and is very helpful..if your short on time go straight here instead of staying in paraty...you wont regret it.
Do Iguazu falls from both the Brazilian and Argentinian side.... completely different views and worth a day each

Uraguay - didnt visit
Paraguay - didnt visit
Argentina - Was only here a short time but Buenos Aires is nice, we then went to Salta which is an ordinary enough city but you can do day tours of the andes, white water rafting, zip lining (longest line in Sa we were told) and was great fun. From here we bussed it to Bolivia to and ended up in Tupiza().

Bolivia - Salt flat tour is a must, we did it from Tupiza and finished in Uyuni (leave here as soon as you can... nothing worth staying for). Would also recommed sucre as its a nice little town/city... La Paz i loved just for the experience of it...

Peru - Machu Picchu of course, Lake Titicaca which is beautiful (stay a night or two on Isle de sol).... Floating islands from Puno(a little bit touristy) these are a few hours by bus from La Paz... also Mancora in the north west of the country is a cool little beach resort if you are up that way

Thanks for the info!

themacman

Salt Flats and Potosi mines in Bolivia are some of the best things in SA, imo. Don't miss the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina.

Would recommend doing Titicaca from the Bolivia side (Copacabana), not the Peru side.