S America

KABLOOEY

Hey there,

A friend and I are planning a year-long excursion to South America, finishing up in Brazil for WC 2014. I'm only starting the research now but have over a year until our planned departure. I'm hoping to gradually build up bits of info that I can post here so that others, in the future, can benefit from it too.

Firstly I'm going to read some of the previous threads about South America and collect the good info there. Then I'll research blogs & travel guides and probably invest in a Lonely Planet.

Hockney wrote: »

I can only comment on two of these!

I'd shave one day off Rio (5/6 days)- Iguazu (2/3 days)- BA (5 days) and knock it down to 13 days, and maybe add one to the Cusco and Inca Trail leg.

I took a 16 hour bus between BA and Iguazu which was really nice, it's like 1st class on a plane, it could save you a few quid if you need to. Check out http://www.viabariloche.com.ar/ for the bus service, I'd recommend them.

We were very lucky with not getting altitude sickness in Cusco but many were not so lucky, leave at least 3 days (best 4+) before your Inca trail hike. The Classic hike needs to be booked in advance, I went the Salkantay hike which was 5 days in total but takes in more scenery, you end up hiking up but glaciers and forests and stuff too, the scenery hugely changes every day!

doriansmith wrote: »

I'm in South America at the moment and just did your route in the opposite direction in about 13-14 weeks, went everywhere on your list except El Chalten because of bad weather.

Parts of it might be a bit rushed if you only have 9 weeks but then again we spent some time kicking back in a few places doing nothing for a few days here & there, eg we spent a week and a half in Sucre doing a few Spanish lessons & a week in Cusco doing very little. So it could probably be done in 9 weeks, especially if you're planning on doing a few flights along the way.

I agree with Hockney that 14 days is probably a bit much for BA-Iguazu-Rio. I'd cut that & add extra time onto Patagonia cos it's amazing. BA is just another city IMO. At least a few days in Cusco is needed too before the Inca Trail. We were at high altitude for over 3 wks before it & found it a lot easier than the rest of our group who'd only been at altitude a few days.

I'm just back from the Galapagos a few days ago & it's amazing. If you haven't booked anything yet then I'd recommend you book your boat through Happy Gringo agency, they were really helpful. I'm gonna post a report on our cruise in the Travel Reports forum soon which you might find useful

filthymcnasty wrote: »

Sounds good did similar bar Galapgos. Good flight decisions, Feck all to see between BA and Iguazu, if time is limited.
Don't waste time in Salta, chalten also do hike and get going.

solerina wrote: »

You wont need much time in Puno /Lake Titicaca....we arrived in Puno on a Monday afternnon, went onto the lake on tuesday, did a homestay on Amantani Island Tuesday night, returned to Puno via the Uros Islands...back in Puno Tueesday night.....glad to leave on Wed morning as there isnt much there....Unless you plan on going right across the lake to Bolivia

cailinoBAC wrote: »

First of all, when you're going to Venezuela bring plenty of dollars cash, as you'll get up to 2 and a half times as many Bolivars as if you take from ATM. Otherwise Venezuela is pretty expensive. Also, don't take unlicensed taxis in Caracas. Met a couple from Luxembourg who were 'express kidnapped' in this way. We avoided Caracas altogether even though we flew into and out of it and I have no regrets about that.
We didn't have any problems when away. Someone in Lima tried to snatch my friend's bag when we were sitting in a taxi and her window was open, but that was the worst of it. Obviously be careful of your wallet, or use a moneybelt or something like that. Colombia was totally fine. Definitely go there. I can't comment on Bogota though, as I was only at the coast.

RATM wrote: »

Id agree with above poster on taking US$ to Venezualea, there is a burgeoning black market for them there. Just be careful changing money on the street, sleight of hand tricks abound and you may end up with less than you started with. Most travel agents will change $ for you and will be honest about it, might not be as good a rate as the street but safer imo.

Also get the hell out of Caracas, its a dangerous hole with nothing really worth seeing. The border area west of Merida going towards Colombia can be dodge. Be careful of army/immigration/customs officals, one of them nicked £20 off a mate when we traveled that way. Its definitely good advise to use a money belt rather than a wallet for carrying cash.

Otherwise don't be too paranoid, just be streetwise and you'll enjoy SA immensely.

themarcus wrote: »

Re: Bolivia

I was there last summer (indeed, their winter - you've been warned!), it's extremely cheap for pretty much everything. The buses are mostly awful compared to Peru and Argentina, but judging by your itinerary that won't bother you too much! The people smell kinda weird, but they're mostly very friendly. You'll want to know some Spanish obviously!

La Paz: It's actually quite safe as long as you plan where you're going in advance, thus avoiding wandering into a bad area. I heard some awful stories while I was there, but it was always third or fourth-hand. Perhaps resist the temptation to do the (prisoner-led) prison tour. According to some people I talked to the proceeds of it go to the same folks who organise the child-prostitution etc down there. Anyway, much like the other posters said, just be sensible and don't go anywhere you oughtn't and you should be fine. Of you're doing the death road cycle don't drink too much the night before!

Salt Flats: I assume you're considering this if you're going down there. It's great fun and the sights are incredible, but try to acclimatise to the altitude before you set off. Four days in a 4x4 is not a nice way to ride out altitude sickness (believe me, I know). Also bear in mind it's very very very cold their during our summer, particularly at those altitudes!

Anyways, just be sure always to have a medicine bag (lots of painkillers, antibiotics etc), a spare stash of dollars (in your shoe or something) just in case. Don't be too paranoid and you'll have an amazing time!

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

Where to go

Well this really depends on what you want to do. Do you want big bustling cities? small towns? beaches? water sports activities? hiking? jungle treks? Colonial towns? Skiing? Inca ruins? The list could go on because the continent is huge and has it all.

Having 3 months you'd probably be best sticking to the gringo trail and seeing the most popular sights. Such as

Machu Picchu - Peru
Iguazu falls - Brazil/Argentina
Lake Titicaca - Bolivia
Pantanal - Brazil
Nazca lines - Peru
The Amazon rainforest - covers parts of multiple countries
Buenos Aires - Argentina
Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
Salar de uyuni - Bolivia
The galapogos islands - off Ecuador
Tierra del fuego - Chile/Argentina
La Paz - Bolivia

There are lots of other things to see and if you stick the hostels you will find out from other travelers. Or simply just search travel specific forums such as bootsnall and thorntree.

What you need to do before

Get your vaccinations. Buy a backpack that is not too big. Learn some Spanish. Research where you are going. Work out a rough itinerary.

Precautions

The biggest one is common sense. Don't flash cash, jewellery, expensive gadgets such as mp3 players or cameras. Don't carry around large amounts of money. Get taxis at night no matter how far your journey, especially in big cities. Always trust your insticts. If you think something is up or someone following you, get a taxi. If somewhere looks bad then don't go into it. You can buy money belts and get hidden pockets sewn into clothes and such. you will not be robbed if you don't look like you are worth robbing.

dory wrote: »

You should book (and budget for!) Galapagos, although I did see last minutes deals in Ecuador.
Also, the Inca Trail, if you want to the original 4 day one. There's a 4 days jungle trek that's cheaper and meant to be just as cool.
Hostels etc. don't need to be booked in advance, except in busy periods like Argentina in January. And if you really want to go to a certain one, then book. But we never did.

honeymonster wrote: »

I went to Brazil in sept and it was the best! Rio was great craic! You have to do the handgliding and see the jesus statue! Also the water falls in Iguazu and if you get a chance go to bonito for the scuba diving and the pantanal for the wild life. I have all the pics on facebook, just send me a pm if you want to have a look

langerdan79 wrote: »

you would really want to decide pretty much straight away about the inca trail as all the permits for may and june are gone and most of july. you can check the availability on http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/treks/inca_trail_trek_permit_availability.html basically there are 500 permits a day and once these are gone thats it. we booked our in june back in january.

Gaz wrote: »

I flew into Rio, then spent 4 months traveling around most of the continent. Booking flights over there is easy, local agents or online (eg: expedia)

Hostels always have double rooms if you really need your privacy but dorms are much cheaper, i usually stay in dorms to keep costs down, plus im only there at night to sleep so dont need a room. Usually get a private room every so often wnen needed though.

My one piece of advice is learn some Spanish , you would be surprised how much its needed and how much better it will make your trip. Sitting on a Bolivian bus for 12 hours and being able to struggle through a basic conversation with the person beside me was kinda cool.
Also, outside the large cities they have very little english, in fact even in the big cities i needed the little spanish i had learned.

Enjoy !

conordaniel wrote: »

Myself and 2 mates are travelling around south america for 6 weeks, May-June, you'll find out a good bit by just googling or checking out tour operators, take a flick through books in easons! visas,vaccinations, travel light, check out hostel websites, there are some with private rooms,at the hostels you can sign up to tours of cities or countryside.
the advice i've been getting is to spend little time in the cities.
good luck

Glowing wrote: »

If I were you, I'd cut out Chile (or at least just see Northern Chile) and go to Bolivia instead. Stunning country, and very very cheap.

dory wrote: »

I found Argentina and Brazil and I suppose Chile as well equally expensive.
Brazil dangerous? Friend of mine got a gun pointed at his head in Argentina. We were in Brazil and it seemed fine, petty robbery but that's everywhere. I got robbed in Arg. Also busses in both Brazil and Argentina are expensive. Maybe 50 or 60 euro for an overnight bus, compared with 10 in Bolivia.

Definitely don't miss Bolivia. Learn at least some Spanish as the guy said, and pack as lightly as absolutely possible.

Re: Argentinian countryside. Ya, it was good. We spent 40 hours or so on a bus getting to the glacier, which was great. Then another 36 hours to get to Bariloche. Whilst in Bolivia it was always fun to look out the window on buses, in Argentina there was nothing, absolutely nothing outside.

And to the guy who wanted to know about double rooms. In one place I remember the dorm was $8 each and a double room was $20, ten pp. So in a place like that you might as well take the double. But you just have to decide, is budget or sharing a bed more important.

Neamhshuntasach wrote: »

Highlights from what i've experienced and some stories from other travellers are, Rio, Buenos Aires, Iguazu falls, Patagonia, tierra del fuego, the ecudoran or brasilian amazon, the galapagos (expensive though), salar de uyuni, lake titicaca, cuzco, macchu picchu, angel falls, the pantanal, la paz. And from what i've been told, try colombia if you can. I'm going there this year and i've heard nothing but good things about it.

KABLOOEY

Bolivia & Peru:

shakeydude wrote: »

Bolivia is brilliant

La Paz, the worlds highest city
Rurrenabaques, the Pampas tour was brilliant and the flight from La Paz was an experience in itself. Flying just over the Andes in a 20 seater plane which was so small you could hear the pilots in the cockpit when they are telling you to buckle your seat belts
Cycle the worlds most dangerous road....go for the full suspension bikes, I didnt trying to save a few bucks and my backside paid for it after
The Salt Plains, amazing

We misssed Potosi but going to see the mines is supposed to be class

The people are so friendly and nice as well

If you are in SA dont miss Bolivia:D

pickarooney wrote: »

Bolivia, for all the reasons Shakeydude mentioned. The mines were quite an experience - strangest, most intense piss-up I've ever been on!

Argentina, for the food, the wine, the women and the countryside. I went to a Libertadores Cup match my first night in Bs As, River Plate v Corinthians - easily the best match I've ever been at (Tevez in his last season there and a 3-2 bicycle kick winner for the home team, sendings off, 70,000 crowd going mad). Tickets were about a tenner for the best seats, no hassle buying them at the ground an hour and a half before. Hostels will charge you four times that for the same tickets.

Peru has much much more than Machu Picchu, especially in the barely-visited north, but you need to go a little of the gringo trail to get the best of it. The Colca Canyon (back down south, near Arequipa)is amazing.

Ecuador is so-so. A beautiful country in its own right, but pales in comparison to its neighbours.

I didn't like Brazil at all, but that's probably just me. Others adore it.

Paraguay - weird-ass country with some bad memories, but worth a visit if you're in the area (around Iguazu).

Didn't bother with Chile - too expensive and not much there I wanted to see.

Balmed Out wrote: »

wanting to go to Bolivia (and perhaps machu pichu also) next year and was wondering if people could answer the following. it would really help

1. What's the best way to get from lima to la paz? (if not doing machu pichu) flight? bus it over a few days?

id fly it took us over 24 hours to get from nazca to cuzco by bus (and nazca as 5 or 6 hours from lima in the right direction), might not look very far but your going round treacherous mountain roads. Cuzco is still ages from la paz but you can go via puno (check out megadisco) lake titicaca uros floating islands and bolivias coco cobano.



and if one was to do m.p? is there a beaten track from lima to la paz that takes in m.p. on the way?

as above. some take arequipa (dont know spelling) in on the way.

2. is spanish compatible with what they speak in bolivia? would lessons be worthwhile?

they speak spanish and nice and slowly too

3. Inca trail: what length trail would you guys recommend? 4 days, 7days, more?

i did the 4 days tough but worth it

4. Cost of living? e.g. how much is a night's accomodation, basic dinner, bottle of beer?
fair few years since i was there but bargain for everything including accomodation - more of ye the better, accomodation was 5 to 12 euro bottle of beer 1 euro meals 3/4 euros

5. Finally, if you could go back to Bolivia but could only go to 3 places, where would you go?

spent most time in peru but did enjoy coco cobano and la paz

bringitdown wrote: »

AFAIR Lloyd Aero Bolivia (LAB) fly Lima to La Paz:
http://www.labairlines.co.uk/lab/index.cfm

So do LAN Peru:
http://www.lan.com/index.html

bleary wrote: »

Bolivia
Top3
Pampas tour from Ruranbeqque The most amazing wildlife more than I thought possible -pink dolphins anacondas alligators

Tupiza & Uyuni- Fantastic horse riding you stay up in villages in the hills with the stunning rock colours red rock puuple etc , completely wild and beautiful
If you ever wanted to be in Butch cassidya nd the sundance kid this is the place to try it! then on to Uyuni salt lakes

Isla del sol & copacabana
Copacabana mainly because the people and the place were so friendly and laid back after constant hassle in peru then over to the isla del sol to see untouched island beauty

jabberwock wrote: »

Bolivia is a pretty cool place. and your money goes a long way there.
I´m doing a trip around SA for 6 months, 3 months in, and found Bolivia to be in general my favorite.
I´ve been in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru so far and I´m on my way to Ecuador tonight.

Samipata, Potosi, Sucre, Uyuni-Salt Flats, La Paz -- All good spots
Santa Cruz has alot more money floating around it so is a bit more expensive.

4. Cost of living? e.g. how much is a night's accomodation, basic dinner, bottle of beer?
5euro, <3euro, 1 litre= 1-1.50euro

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Give yourself time to acclimatise in Cuzco before you start the Inca Trail, altitude affects everyone differently but you won't know until you arrive there.

I liked Arrequipa, lovely main square and really enjoyed the trip up to view the Condors.

The Nasca lines were interesting, didn't really look around Lima much.

Sr. Pirotecnic wrote: »

Thumbs up for Arequipa too. Three weeks will fly by, between Lima and La Paz there is a lot of ground to cover and a lot of places to visit, especially as you have more or less a week committed to Cuzco/Machu Picchu.

La Paz is a curious place but not exactly pretty, if they are still doing the bike ride down to Coroico I would defintely recommend that, the final destination is nice too.

dakan wrote: »

If you are going to Bolivia then you should try to get to lake Titicaca and Isla Del Sol.
Isla Del Sol is mentioned in DK Witnesses' 'The Road Less Travelled' as a good alternative to Machu Picchu. The Inca ruins are older than Machu Picchu.

I haven't been here myself. Am going to Argentina and Chile in October, was originally going to go to Peru and Bolivia but couldn't afford all 4. Anyway have a great time.

Dakan

BenK wrote: »

I'd recommend doing a tour of the salt flats in Bolivia too. Some amazingly diverse scenery. We started our 3 day tour from Tupiza with a local driver and cook provided and it was great to get to know some locals over the few days! There was 4 of us in a jeep. I can't remember exactly how much it costs but it's not too bad and there's no shortage of tour operators but there are some cow boys... I think you can do it from Uyuni too.

jobless wrote: »

Hey,

just looking for some suggestions from those of you that have been to bolivia...i'm heaing that way in June... hoping to spend the guts of 3 weeks there... below is a rough itinerary i've though off.... any thoughts?

Coming from villazon head to Tupiza....spend a couple days there exploring the area...
From Tupiza do the tour of the salt flats and end up in Uyuni
From Uyuni head to Potosi
From Potosi head to La Paz via Oruro..
Stay in La Paz for 3-4 nights
Visit Rurrenabaque (think this would take 4 days up if i fly)
Visit Lake Titicaca (2 days)...

As you can see with the different tours i wont have much change out of three weeks... i think between the salt lake tour, rurrenabaque tour and visting lake titicaca i reckon i have between 9/10 days not including travel..

where would people suggest i spend this time?.... whats Uyuni like, Potosi etc?

Also has anyone been to San Pedro de Atacama?...is it worth a visit?...are there bus likes between there and Villazon/Tupiza?

any info appreciated

dory wrote: »

I really wish I had a better memory. I had to do a bit of googling there to even remember which town was which.
Potosi though I could never forget! It's said to be the most depressng town on earth. I didn't notice that if it is true. I thought it was really interesting. The people do drink to forget their job (in the mine) a lot, but the people around were so nice to us, and I really wished I'd explored more rather than just go there, do mine tour and leave. Do the mine tour by the way, it's terrifying but so worth it. I've bad asthma and I survived.

I had crazy trouble getting from Uyuni to Chile. It'll probably be the same way you'll go if you start the tour in Tupiza. The people who start in Uyuni get left at a border, but you'll be passing that border on Day 3 or something. People who start in Uyuni miss some stuff though so I still think your way is better. If you care to read about the difficulties I had it's here: http://blogs.bootsnall.com/cybersusst/some-days-arent-so-great-on-the-road.html Sounds like I complain a lot about it but it was still great.

I'd say just leave the itinerary loose, unless you have to be somewhere at some time. I really like Sucre, you can google and see what it's like, it may be just another town if you're going to others that look like that.

Sounds like a great trip. When you off?

geuro wrote: »

Hi folks

I am planning to go on holidays to Bolivia/Peru for 18 days at the end of July and start of August, and i am looking for some advice on how i should spend this time..

I am flying in and out of La Paz, so my initial and very rough route would take me west from La Paz, past Lake Titicaca as far as Arequipe. Then i would travel north-east to Cusco and do some trekking up that way, before making my way back down south-east to La Paz.

I want to fit in as much as is comfortable in the time i have, without organising the fun out of the trip.

Any ideas on what i should definately not miss, or where i would be as well off to avoid? Anyone got any tips or tricks or special recommendations?

Any advice very much appreciated

Gav

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Was there last summer. La Paz is amazing so allow for some time there.
Completely frenetic but so much fun. Make sure you do the death road cycle. It's exhilarating! Arequipa is the loveliest town. Really nice to just walk around and some great craic in the pubs etc. Check out Deja Vu, not the funkiest of clubs but a nice mix of travelers and locals. I did the trek into Colca Canyon from there and really enjoyed it. Beautiful and very diverse scenery with a gorgeous oasis where you can hang out and swim for the day. Cusco is also a great party town and you should def take in Machu Picchu which kinda blew my socks off! It's a pity you're missing out on the Salt Flats in Uyuni. There quite spectacular. PM me if you want any more advice on places to stay etc. You'll love it over there. Really makes you feel alive, the people and the scenery are so vibrant!

Meathlass wrote: »

I don't see why you can't fit in the Salt Flats and Arequipa (didn't do the trek but the monastry and the 'Ice Maiden' were worth the trip). Start in La Paz and head to Uyuni on the overnight bus or for more comfort get the train. Do the Salt Flat tour from Uyuni to San Pedro in Chile (2 nights and 2 and a bit days). From San Pedro head to the Chilean coast and up into Peru (didn't go this way myself so not sure what to do). Go to Arequipa, Cusco, Puno (Lake Titicaca) and back to La Paz. I'd recommend doing the route this way as there are not as many options for salt flat tours from San Pedro to Uyuni. If you have time Nasca is great and the Nasca lines were a highlight of my whole South American Trip. Ollyantatambo in the Sacred Valley around Cusco is also worth the trip. If you're not doing the Inca Trail (and I presume you're not as most of the permits for July would be taken up already) you should get a minibus from Cusco to Ollyantambo, spend the afternoon there seeing the village and the ruins and get the 8pm ish train to MP. Stay the night in Agua Calientes, the village at the base of MP, and head up there in the morning. There's a train back in the afternoon or you could spend the whole day in MP and the night in AC and get the train back to Ollyantambo the next morning. From there there will be lots of mini buses waiting to bring people on the hour's trip back to Cusco, which means you'll get back into Cusco around 10am.

The Mustard wrote: »

I would agree with most of the above. Regrettably, I never got to see the Nazca Lines, The Salt Flats, or the Death Road - all regrets!

I would say that I travelled from Cusco to La Paz, skipping Puno, but stopping in Copacobana, which was a lovely village on Lake Titicaca. Stayed there a couple of nights, and would recommend.

Regarding Cusco, obviously the Inca Trail is a must. If you absolutely refuse to do it, the previous poster's advice was spot on. You can also go to the baths in Agua Calientes, which is a welcome relief after the 4 day Inca Trail hike.

I would generally avoid day-long guided bus tours - they can be very frustrating and quite boring unless your guide gives the tour exclusively in english (unless you speak Spanish well). We had a slightly crap experience doing a day long Sacred Valley bus tour.

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

I agree with La Mustard. I avoided guided tours for the most part. I just eavesdropped using the bit of Spanish I had picked up. It's not too difficult at all and you can pick up English language literature yourself to read up on most things.
Copa is definitely a lovely spot. Stay in La Cupula if you're not on too strict a budget. The rooms are gorgeous and the food there is absolutely fab! It's not that expensive by our standards at all but more than neighbouring hotels. Worth it though in my opinion.
Make sure too you climb to the top of the hill that looks over Copa, (think it's actually called La Cupula or the church at the top of it is at least..) It's not the easiest at that altitude but an amazing spot to see the sunset from! I also hired a a boat and went out for an afternoon with a local fisherman. So much fun! He only spoke Quechua so you can imagine the hilarity of trying to navigate. You should try and take in Isla del Sol as well. I stayed out there overnight and really enjoyed it. It's so peaceful.

Happy planning. You couldn't but love it over there!

Suerte,

AB.

How Strange wrote: »

OP, you've only got 18 days so you really have to narrow down what you want to see. Remember that if you're flying into La Paz then it's quite likely that you'll be hit with altitude sickness within hours of getting off the plane.

La Paz is the highest or one of the highest cities in the world and flying into high altitude is a serious shock to the system so you may be unable to do anything except sit around for the first couple of days.

Then you need to make a plan about where you want to go in Peru and factor in bus journey times and allow a day here and there in case you can't get the a bus on one day and have to wait.

There are lots of good suggestions here but including La Paz, Arequipa, Cusco, MP, Uyuni, the Salt Plains and San Pedro into 18 days is completely unrealistic unless you have the benefit of time travel.

La Paz - Puno/Cocacobana - Cusco/Arequipa and back to La Paz is probably all you'll manage in 18 days.

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

Yup bit tight for the Salt flats on top of all the rest. So you'll have to start eliminating places. So much to do, so little time...I loved the trip to the jungle/pampas in Rurrenabaque as well. Loadsa wildlife etc.. Worth considering..

As regards altitude it hits people different ways so you can't be sure how it'll affect you. It hit me at the start of the death road cycle but by the time we started to descend at all I was grand. It is a factor though particularly if flying into La Paz as you don't have the time to acclimatize that you do when you travel by road. Coca leaves are the local remedy. I found them good but rotten!!

In terms of other stuff to bring. Bring as little else as possible. Clothes you can wash in hostels etc. Layers are a good idea as temps vary. Espec if going to Salt Flats as temps drop considerably there. One essential for peace of mind is a good lock for your bag which you can use in Hostel lockers too and I found a phrasebook very handy but plenty do without.

FX Meister wrote: »

For some of the trails you want to do in Peru you may need a permit. Inca trail is chock full of peeps so the Lares trek might be better. Defo check out Machu Pichu. In La Paz the death road is pretty good but I think a lot of people don't realise how serious it is, especially if you have an accident. Try and check out the prison in La Paz, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Pedro_prison, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/06/americas_inside_a_bolivian_jail/html/1.stm
You won't find anything like it anywhere else. Check out this book about it, http://www.marchingpowder.com/

It's a lot harder to get in these days but you can still manage it. Might be best to get your visitor pass sorted before you get there. Took a lot of moving around from office to office to get the right paperwork until I finally managed to get in. The Salt Flats are pretty cool but the long tours taking days are way too long and Uyuni, the jump off point, is a really **** town. Nothing there and it's very filthy.

Meathlass wrote: »

It's definately a good idea to factor in some time to acclimitise in La Paz. I was fine in Cusco but on Isla de Sol I had a terrible headache and I thought my heart was going to explode. It was beating so fast I could barely breathe. One of the guys with me passed out that night sitting at a table eating dinner. When he came too he got sick several times. Now all this happened after a fairly hectic afternoon of walking but even when we got to La Paz I still had no appetite and we all had headaches and were out of breathe for a few days. You can try coca leaves if you want but remember it's not the coca itself but the chemical reaction caused when you mix the coca leaves with an alkaline catalyst like charcoal; you have to chew both in your mouth, it looks disgusting. Just drinking coca tea or chewing leaves on their own is totally pointless. You'll still be able to move around and do stuff if you're hit with altitude sickness; it's like having a really bad hangover but does affect people different ways. I found that drinking rum and coke tends not to help!!

Meathlass wrote: »

Second that, Uyuni is a dump. The less time spent there the better. I had an horrendous night bus there. The smell of unwashed clothes had me gagging the whole way there. The only bright side was the Pizza place (called Minute man I think), Thank god, as there was no where else decent to eat in town.

How Strange wrote: »

Me too! One of the worst nights of my life!

Re the altitude sickness, flying into altitude is a very stupid thing to do and I know because I did it too. Within hours I was completely floored and thought I was dying!

OP, get diamox from your doctor and start taking them 2 days before you leave. If you're only in SA for 18 days you won't really have time to acclimatise so hedge your bets with the tablets. You'll still probably have to take it easy for a day or too anyway and you'll still be very breathless - you'll feel like you're 80!

Take as many internal flights as possible to save travel time. I think you can fly from Arequipa to Cusco.

I thought Lake Titicaca was a bit over hyped tbh. Yes, it's amazing that the islands are made out of reeds but the boat trip out to and back from the other islands was boring. I heard cocacobana was amazing. Puno was good in a weird frontier kind of way.

Aurora Borealis wrote: »

You can fly Arequipa - Cusco.
Yeah heard the floating islands are very gimmicky.
Copa def worth a visit in my book as is Isla del Sol which you can visit from there.

bleary wrote: »

Loved bolivia -the trip up the river to the panatanal was one of my most memorable travel experiences the wildlife was amazing and the trip was really cheap (think it was about 60 dollars for 3 days) flight from la paz through the andes peaks was breath taking
Followed up by a 2 day horse riding trip in Tupiza down on the argentinian border best horses i have ever had the pleasure of taking out through butch cassidy territory , red rock arizona style .
Then finish up through the salt plains in uyuni with a connection to chile
There is a piece in the sunday times today about isla del sol ,lake titicaca the bolivian side
La paz was a crazy town too
I didnt really like Peru tbh , I found the hassle there fairly extreme

KABLOOEY

Brazil & Argentina:

HalloweenJack wrote: »

I just came to Brazil a few days ago and I've a brother who lives in Chile.

South America is very different from Europe. I've found Brazilians to be really relaxed and friendly and the idea that it's a dangerous place to over-exaggerated. Sure, there are dangerous places here but just don't go near them and you'll be fine. My brother has said similar things about Chile.

From what I understand, bureaucracy can be a nightmare and not for the faint-hearted.

Even though Brazil is a rapidly growing country and is cited as one of the future superpowers, it's cheaper than Ireland. It's a bit more expensive than the Czech Republic and probably comparable to Spain. Rent is expensive (but I'm told this is just in Rio) but if you look around, you can find some cheapish places in decent locations. Most other things are the same as the two countries I mentioned above.

I don't know much about Argentina but my Brazilian friends have told me that it has a more European feel than Brazil. This is largely owing to the higher proportion of people of Italian, Spanish and German descent and lower one of people descended from slaves, Amerindians, Asians and people from the Middle East than Brazil has.

Also, Spanish is an easy language to learn. Economy-wise, I don' know.

I think Argentina would definitely be a place to consider, if you can get the money together.

Also, FWIW, Boca Juniors were founded by a group of Italian-Argentinians.

I am pie wrote: »

Emigrating in 2 months, through marriage.

Some notes of caution to consider !

1. Petty crime is an issue in Buenos Aires, murder rates are very low but robbery and street crime is an escalating problem.

2. Bureaucracy is unbelievably frustrating

3. Economically the country typically goes through 10 year cycle of boom to bust, has been that way for years. Currently there are restrictions around buying dollars inside the country and there is rampant (20% to 25% - ignore the govt figures) inflation. Corruption is a problem also.

Plus sides are of course, the weather, the food (although not for veggies or lovers of spicey food ...or fish fans!) , the people are very friendly, and the night life is top class. Culturally there is always something on offer. Football is interesting too, but there are the usual South American problems with hooligans !

I can't wait to go, but i know what i'm getting myself into. You can't wander about with expensive watches, use ipads on the trains etc. You need to change your mentality to be more conscious of your own personal safety and not flaunt your wealth. There is still (although less than neighbouring countries) poverty and that contributes to the pettty crime rates.

It is a much safer country than Brazil believe it or not, with Sao Paolo and Rio being some of the most dangerous S.American countries in terms of murder rates.

Outside of BA there is an awesome amount of things to do, you can ski, go see penguins, whales and glaciers in the south, go to the lakes, the mountains, iguazu falls in the nort. try the wine from the vineyards. Mountain biking and outdoor pursuits are a big tourist growth area. Trains are non-existant and internal flights can be prices....fancy coaches are your friend for getting about internally.

Hope that's useful to anyone thinking about a trip. I'll be posting from the other side once we get there, feel free to ask me any questions you want.

damoz wrote: »

I spent a few months in South America and only saw a fraction of it. So the first word of caution would be to make sure you dont try to do too much in 2 weeks ! Any chance you could take longer (unpaid leave etc) My favourite place in South America was Boliva and i would recommed a trip there to anybody (although you always need to keep an eye on the news as they tend to protest, blockade and at the moment riot!)

Argentina is also huge. If you flew in to BA, then getting down south and back in 2 weeks will leave you with alot of distance to cover. I only spent time in BA - great city. When i go back, i want to cover the southern cone, so let me know how you get on !

Meathlass wrote: »

Agree, Argentina is huge, you will never cover it all. I was there for 2 months and missed lots of stuff. The distances to be covered are massive, I have memories of 24 hours on a bus and barely moving up the map. I'm not sure that it's a great country for beach based water sports, the beaches tend to get very croweded in the winter months as it is their summer holidays. You could go south to Ushuaia, El Calafate and Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile for glaciers, you can see penguins in Puerto Madryn (nothing compares to seeing them in Antartica though; my cruise was on that boat that sank last week and loved it, want to go back) Along the Andes in the west of teh country there are lots of adventure sports like rafting etc. Chile would also be a good country but alot more expensive than Argentina. In 2 weeks you could fly into Buenos Aires and travel overland to Rio in Brazil and fly out of there. Along the way you could see Iquazu Falls, Pantanal, water sports in Uruguay. It would be hectic but worth it.

Meathlass wrote: »

They're still just buses though. Bus travel is expensive as well becuase of the large distances to be covered. You should definately fly if you can. On one of my trips from Puerto Madryn to Mendoza, after we'd all had our food the guy handed out bingo cards and we played bingo over the bus speakers. I won a bottle of wine!!

If you only have 2 weeks you are better off just staying around the Buenos Aires area, maybe flying to someone on the Andes like Barlioche or San Martin to do adventure stuff or El Calafate to see glaciers. Anything else and you'll be exhausted.

kraggy wrote: »

Hi folks,

Tried posting about this in other threads but to no avail so have had to start my own one.

Basically, heading to S. America in April/May and was contemplating flying into B.Aires and up to Bolivia via Iguazu Falls and then home from Lima after seeing M.Picchu.

Bolivia is my main priority but would like to see other places as going for 2 months.

My question is: which parts of Argentina would you recommend? is the route from B.A up to Iguazu Falls via Uruguay nice or is the Cordoba side nicer?

If anyone can advise as to what parts of Argentina are a must i'd be very grateful.

Also, since might be going via Paraguay, any thoughts on what that's like?

Thanks,

K.

p.s. What's the climate like in April -June? I know it varies from counry to country (esp. Bolivia)...

Afuera wrote: »

Interesting Route. The falls at Iguazu are certainly worth the effort although the scenery around Cordoba is pretty impressive too. Unfortunately with only 2 months you are not going to be able to see it all though, so you will have to make some hard choices. I personally found the southern part of Argentina to be the most impressive... it has glaciers and nature reserves where you can go whale watching etc. But it would be hard to fit that in with your itinerary.

You need to check out the visa situation for Paraguay. The last time I checked, if you are Irish, you need to sort out a visa before heading off travelling. Since I was not in the position to do that, the route I took avoided Paraguay, so I can not offer any advice on what is worth checking out there. Anyone I met that had travelled through there said that there was not much going on anyway.

I think the climate varies more by altitude rather than country by country in South America. You will be heading into winter and are sure to encounter some high zones in Bolivia and Peru in particualr; definately make sure you have a coat with you (or pick up a cheap one when you get there). The northern parts of Bolivia, around the Amazonia area, will be quite tropical if you get sick of the cold though.

jackbhoy wrote: »

I went in opposite direction i.e. from Iguazu down through Uruguay (Salto, Montevideo & Colonia) and over to BA.
Iguazu is amazing and defintely worth going out of your way to see. Make sure you see it from both Argentinian and Brazilian sides as two very different experiences. Even though its kind of expensive (about €30/40) I'd really recommend doing the power boat ride that goes right up under the falls, its scary but great buzz.

I loved Uruguay, the food/drink/people are really cool and its just a nice friendly and laid back place but didnt make it as far as Cordoba so cant offer advice on which is better.

I visited Paraguay briefly and by briefly I mean 2 hours so I wouldnt feel qualified to give advice on whether its worth visiting or not!

jackbhoy wrote: »

The route we took was:
- Iguazu to Salto (Uruguay), that was overnight bus think about 11/12 hours
- Salto to Montevieo (took about 4ish hours on bus)
- Montevideo to Colonia (couple of hours journey)
- Colonia to BA (about 3 hours on slow/cheap ferry).

Spent about 3/4 days in each place which was probably about enough, Salto has some nice hot springs and mud bath type places where you can relax and get massage etc for bugger all. Montevideo has nice bars and amazing paprillas (kind of bbq places)where you can get great quality steaks the size of a small child for €5 or less, Colonia I think mentioned before has nice small old town and is great change of pace from BA.

one more tip, the overnight buses are really comfortable (have almost fully reclining seats a la first class on any flight), you even get food and wine on board and a waiter to look after all your needs. They are very good value as well (especially as you save on accomodation for night), only suggestion i'd make is dont book a seat near the front where you can see out front window as some of the driving can be a bit hairy.

jackbhoy wrote: »

Because of financial and time restrictions I only visited Brazil, Argentina & Uruguay (dont count 2 hours in Paraguay!)
We travelled down from Rio via Ilhe Grande, Paraty, & Sao Paulo before getting to Iguazu.
Rio is a really amazing city and the views from top of Corcavado and Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf) are some of best I've ever seen, if you do make it that far its worth going up the sugarloaf after dark as you'll have barely any tourists and a great view of the city and floodlight beaches etc.
Ilhe Grande is a small island about (if i remember correctly) a 4 hour bus trip then 2 hour boat ride from Rio. It is a really relaxed, laid back spot and is home to Lopes mendes beach (famous as one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil), its a nice change of pace from Rios packed beaches as you can find little strips that are practically deserted.Paraty is kind of similar to Colonia i mentionded previously in that its a small relaxed town with loads of UNESCO protected buildings.

If you cant make all places I mentioned then the ones not to miss are the obvious ones of Rio, Iguazu and BA but I think its worth the effort to take in Ilhe Grande and at least one stop in Uruguay.

PunyHuman wrote: »

I spent a few days in Paraguay in 2005. Can't really say anything positive about the place except that some parts of Asuncion seem to be just as they might have been a hundred years ago. Pretty sad and shabby place in my opinion, with not much going on. People seem to be very poor and there's a lot of prostitution. I never felt really unsafe but then again I didn't stray far from the centre of town.

Ciudad del Este looked so unappealing from the bus that I didn't get off and went straight on to Asuncion without getting an entrance stamp, which was later to cause me some hassle and cost me $50.

Escaped from Paraguay on an $80 flight to BsAs which took off into the eye of a storm. I've rarely been so terrified in my life.

PunyHuman wrote: »

I went from Easter Island > Santiago > Mendoza > Cordoba > BsAs > Colonia del Sacramento > Montevideo > BsAs > Iguazu > Asuncion > BsAs > Rio. All this took about two months.

I'd definitely recommend Buenos Aires and Iguazu, and Easter Island if your budget can stretch to it. In my opinion Santiago was good and Cordoba/Mendoza were only OK, compared with the capital.

I escaped from Paraguay on a TAM Mercosur flight. Just rocked in to Asuncion airport and booked it for the same day; nothing planned in advance. The plane was half empty but it was getting on for winter (May) at the time.

imme wrote: »

I've been through every country in South America. Haven't been to Central yet.

To get to French Guyana I bussed up through central Brazil via Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, up to Belem, took a boat across the Amazon delta to Macapa.

Then bus again to Oyapoque, canoe across the Oyapoque to St. Georges de L'Oiapoque in French Guyana.

Then travelled across The Guyanas but got a bit stuck in Guyana. It's not possible to go from Guyana to Venezuela (which is next door) overland, as the two neighbours have a historic border dispute which is still ongoing. Usually it's possible to take a bus down through Guyana to Boa Vista in Brazil and then a us to get to Venezuela.

When I tried to do this the road was flooded so I decided to go back to Suriname (which you need a visa for, easy to get from Surinamese consulate in Cayenne, Fr Guyana for 40Euro).

I then flew to Trinidad in the Caribbean and took a ferry from there to Venezuela and on to Colombia etc.

French Guyana is by far the most expensive of the three Guyanas. It's a part of France so they use the Euro as their currency. Maybe check out Couch Surfing etc options if you're on a budget as hotel (pretty much all that's available) prices can come in around 50 Euro for the lowest level hotels.

The Guyanas are a place apart in South America. They are not visited too often by tourists. They're quite separate from their neighbours given their history and language. In many ways they're more like islands of the Caribbean than an integral part of South America.

sarkozy

FYI: someone up there said La Paz is the highest city in the world. It's not. La Paz is the highest capital. Potosí is the world's highest city. I got horrible altitude sickness there. Staying up there by day and coming down 100m helps a lot. If that's not possible, and it wasn't on account of my stuff getting stolen, then getting a big bag of coca leaves and chewing those or making a lovely tea helps a lot.