South America 2-2.5 months itinerary

Football Friend

Hi,

Was looking at the GAP adventures itinerary which seems to tick all the boxes for the trip I'm planning, however I'd like to do it myself for a total of 5k if possible (including all flights etc)

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/rio-to-lima-adventure/SZRA/2015/

Does this look doable to the more experienced travellers? Some of the changes I'd make is to fly from Iguassu Falls to Buenos Aires and then bus it from there to Salta cutting out Uruguay altogether. Other than that the only thing I can see missing is a trip to the amazon rainforest which I could probably do in Peru.

Can anyone recommend something I'm missing along the route? I really just want to see Rio, Iguassu falls, Buenos Aires and Peru + Bolivia. I'm figuring 1000e for intitial flights, 500e for internal flight (rio-Igassu-Buenos Aires) which would leave me with 3.5k to spend over 2 and a half months. I don't see too much big expenditure as I won't be able to do Inca trail as I left it too late so will probably do a cheaper tour.

Stojkovic

Thats some trip.
One day.

Football Friend

Stojkovic wrote: »

Thats some trip.
One day.

It looks epic to be fair but probably a little intense for 51 days. I'm heading to South Africa for a few weeks next week so will sit down and plan it properly when i get back. Just sussing it out at the minute. It's nice to have a rough plan down at least.

M450

I did something very similar in April 2011, are you restricted by time or money? I bought a one way ticket to Rio expecting to get 3 to 4 months out of it, got nearly 6 and found my way back to Rio from Lima so went full circle. That was about 6k incl all flights.

I also skipped Uruguay but bussed through Argentina, I spent 5 weeks in Cordoba, amazing young lively city I'd especially recommend it, so much smaller than BA, great place for some Spanish school where I met great people. Wasn't anything going on in Salta, just a cool museum with frozen buried alive mountain kids.

The bus from Iguazu to BA was pretty long, probably the longest bus I got but it was grand, think we got out and were fed in a restaurant type place and got airplane style breakfast. Could prob save a lot of money there.

I didn't make it to the Atacama desert, waited over a week in Salta for the pass to open up but it wasn't happening so I bussed it to Tupiza stopping in all the little towns on the way.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the Amazon, I think there's 2 main options, fly to Rurrenabaque from La Paz or fly to Iquitos from Lima which is what I did. I've heard the former is better for seeing wildlife, I didn't see a whole lot in Iquitos (But I did go to the zoo haha).

I didn't expect to get past Lima and with the extra money I had left I had decided to truck on to Colombia but was persuaded back to Rio. Flights were crazy expensive so I decided to go through the Amazon and including a jungle lodge stay I think it still worked out cheaper. So glad I ended up doing that! Although those days spent in a hammock on the boats got boring pretty quick.

I didn't do the Inca trail either, wasn't willing to be tied down to a specific date as I had no real itinerary going over. But I did a far cheaper trek which was excellent, a day cycling and 2 days hiking and the morning of the 4th day climbed the epic stairs up to Machu Picchu and spent the full day there. Only had to book a day in advance so just check out the options once you arrive in Cusco.

I didn't have much of a plan going over but made a map when I got back, here it is:



I started the very same as yourself looking at overland tours but realised I could get so much more out of going it alone. It's definitely the right choice!

So to answer your question yeah it's well doable, I'd recommend to include Cordoba, Iquitos/Rurrenabaque, Buzios and make sure you don't skip Ilha Grande.

I'm planning my next trip now which is what brought me back to this forum, just booked flights to Melbourne for 4th Mar! Cheers for bringing the memories of SA flooding back! I've plenty of people to meet now in Oz and NZ!

DainBramage

I took the Iguazu - BA night bus a few years ago. About 20 hours and found it awful. The last 2 hrs spent trying to negotiate BA morning traffic to the bus station was the worst bit.
Theres not much too see between both spots afaik (unless your thinking of a detour to Paraguay) so if you can afford it, fly.

Football Friend

M450 wrote: »

I did something very similar in April 2011, are you restricted by time or money? I bought a one way ticket to Rio expecting to get 3 to 4 months out of it, got nearly 6 and found my way back to Rio from Lima so went full circle. That was about 6k incl all flights.

I also skipped Uruguay but bussed through Argentina, I spent 5 weeks in Cordoba, amazing young lively city I'd especially recommend it, so much smaller than BA, great place for some Spanish school where I met great people. Wasn't anything going on in Salta, just a cool museum with frozen buried alive mountain kids.

The bus from Iguazu to BA was pretty long, probably the longest bus I got but it was grand, think we got out and were fed in a restaurant type place and got airplane style breakfast. Could prob save a lot of money there.

I didn't make it to the Atacama desert, waited over a week in Salta for the pass to open up but it wasn't happening so I bussed it to Tupiza stopping in all the little towns on the way.

I'd definitely recommend checking out the Amazon, I think there's 2 main options, fly to Rurrenabaque from La Paz or fly to Iquitos from Lima which is what I did. I've heard the former is better for seeing wildlife, I didn't see a whole lot in Iquitos (But I did go to the zoo haha).

I didn't expect to get past Lima and with the extra money I had left I had decided to truck on to Colombia but was persuaded back to Rio. Flights were crazy expensive so I decided to go through the Amazon and including a jungle lodge stay I think it still worked out cheaper. So glad I ended up doing that! Although those days spent in a hammock on the boats got boring pretty quick.

I didn't do the Inca trail either, wasn't willing to be tied down to a specific date as I had no real itinerary going over. But I did a far cheaper trek which was excellent, a day cycling and 2 days hiking and the morning of the 4th day climbed the epic stairs up to Machu Picchu and spent the full day there. Only had to book a day in advance so just check out the options once you arrive in Cusco.

I didn't have much of a plan going over but made a map when I got back, here it is:

I started the very same as yourself looking at overland tours but realised I could get so much more out of going it alone. It's definitely the right choice!

So to answer your question yeah it's well doable, I'd recommend to include Cordoba, Iquitos/Rurrenabaque, Buzios and make sure you don't skip Ilha Grande.

I'm planning my next trip now which is what brought me back to this forum, just booked flights to Melbourne for 4th Mar! Cheers for bringing the memories of SA flooding back! I've plenty of people to meet now in Oz and NZ!

Hey, thanks so much for that comprehensive reply. Really appreciate that! I'm not restricted by time (I left my job to do this) but money wise 5k is prettty much my max. Though if the situation really demanded it or I was really stuck I'm sure I could get another 2k from somewhere.

I think what you did makes a lot of sense though, just booking a flight out and going for as long as possible after that. I was going to book my flights to Rio and home from Lima before I went but that could leave me a difficult target to get to Lima and put unnecessary time pressure on me. It's a once in a life time thing so might as well relax.

Is there any VISA stuff I need to sort out? I looked it up and couldn't find anything only for American citizens, I'm not planning to work or anything like that but maybe volunteer if the situation allows.

Also did you find you needed to book hostels or anything much in advance or was it a case of arriving into town and figuring it out? I'm going to arrive in Rio for the first few days and fly to Igassu and Buenos Aires so I'll probably book those hostels in advance but after that I want to be able to just wing everything else like buses,hostels and activities. I want it to be as much of an adventure as possible so don't want it planned to within an inch of it's life.

Did you have much Spanish before you went over?

Thanks again for the response and best of luck in Oz.

Browney7

Football Friend wrote: »

Hey, thanks so much for that comprehensive reply. Really appreciate that! I'm not restricted by time (I left my job to do this) but money wise 5k is prettty much my max. Though if the situation really demanded it or I was really stuck I'm sure I could get another 2k from somewhere.

I think what you did makes a lot of sense though, just booking a flight out and going for as long as possible after that. I was going to book my flights to Rio and home from Lima before I went but that could leave me a difficult target to get to Lima and put unnecessary time pressure on me. It's a once in a life time thing so might as well relax.

Is there any VISA stuff I need to sort out? I looked it up and couldn't find anything only for American citizens, I'm not planning to work or anything like that but maybe volunteer if the situation allows.

Also did you find you needed to book hostels or anything much in advance or was it a case of arriving into town and figuring it out? I'm going to arrive in Rio for the first few days and fly to Igassu and Buenos Aires so I'll probably book those hostels in advance but after that I want to be able to just wing everything else like buses,hostels and activities. I want it to be as much of an adventure as possible so don't want it planned to within an inch of it's life.

Did you have much Spanish before you went over?

Thanks again for the response and best of luck in Oz.

I think it would be a shame if you didn't take a trip to el calafate and el Chalten. Unbelievable scenery there!

wicorthered

That's very doable! I bused from BA to Cordoba and from there to Iguassu, maybe you could that in reverse and fly into Salta? Cordoba is definitely worth a visit. I'd highly suggest a night or 2 in Montevideo, loved it there. If you're not doing the Inca Trail itself and instead a day trip to Machu Picchu you could see Cusco in 5-6 days if you were looking to save time!

I had no Spanish going but was surprised how much I picked up as I went along!!

M450

Football Friend wrote: »

Hey, thanks so much for that comprehensive reply. Really appreciate that! I'm not restricted by time (I left my job to do this) but money wise 5k is prettty much my max. Though if the situation really demanded it or I was really stuck I'm sure I could get another 2k from somewhere.

I think what you did makes a lot of sense though, just booking a flight out and going for as long as possible after that. I was going to book my flights to Rio and home from Lima before I went but that could leave me a difficult target to get to Lima and put unnecessary time pressure on me. It's a once in a life time thing so might as well relax.

Is there any VISA stuff I need to sort out? I looked it up and couldn't find anything only for American citizens, I'm not planning to work or anything like that but maybe volunteer if the situation allows.

Also did you find you needed to book hostels or anything much in advance or was it a case of arriving into town and figuring it out? I'm going to arrive in Rio for the first few days and fly to Igassu and Buenos Aires so I'll probably book those hostels in advance but after that I want to be able to just wing everything else like buses,hostels and activities. I want it to be as much of an adventure as possible so don't want it planned to within an inch of it's life.

Did you have much Spanish before you went over?

Thanks again for the response and best of luck in Oz.

It's a great position to be in so booking a one way ticket is the way to go, there's no knowing how far you'll get. I was considering booking the flight back from Lima too but delighted I didn't.

I didn't have any visas to worry about, don't know about volunteering but I assume since it's not working it's the same as visiting. Just stamp in stamp out.

I didn't plan anything more than a day or 2 in advance, some places I just showed up and figured it out at the time like in Bolivia. When you're travelling on your own you end up latching onto people and sticking around longer in places or moving on with others so it really is best to have a minimal plan.

If you're booking those flights in advance I guess you might as well nail down the hostels too. Make sure you leave enough time to check out Ilha Grande, I spent a week on the island and loved it even with the ****ty weather we got. Went kayaking and hiking through the rainforest to secluded beaches. If I recall the ferries didn't go every day, it was more like once a week. Paraty was great for a short stop, we went out into the jungle and jumped off waterfalls. It's well worth doing both sides of Iguazu, very different experiences, you'd want a full day on the Argentinian side.

I downloaded Rosetta Stone to see what it was like a couple weeks before going, didn't think I learned anything but then I did 2 weeks of school in Cordoba and realised I remembered a lot of vocab from Rosetta Stone so it was worthwhile in the end. I got pretty good by the end of it, it's amazing how much you pick up over a few months! Kept saying I'd keep it up when I got home but that never happened. It's still great buzzing off Spanish people in work or on nights out.

Asprilla

I returned from 5 months in South America just before Christmas. I started in Rio and made it up to Colombia. I actually did the first 17 days of that g adventures tour you were looking at. It was great and I met some amazing people but overall I preferred having the freedom to go where I wanted and when I wanted.

In terms of budget, you should be fine. Brazil is expensive and Argentina too but Bolivia is very cheap. I'd highly recommend the amazon in rurrenbaque. I booked a flight and and 3 day jungle tour through my hostel in La paz and was one of the highlights of my 5 months.

Make sure you see both sides of Iguassu. Both are amazing in their own ways. I also loved the atacama dessert so try spend a few days on San Pedro de atacama in Chile if you can. Apart from that, I'd recommend learning as much spanish as you can before you go and if you have time, take some lessons in sucre in Bolivia. It's a really nice city and private lessons are really cheap.

I travelled on my own as well and had no problems. South America is amazing, so much to see and do especially if your into the outdoors. Happy to answer any questions you have about it.

Bananaleaf

Football Friend wrote: »

Hi,

Was looking at the GAP adventures itinerary which seems to tick all the boxes for the trip I'm planning, however I'd like to do it myself for a total of 5k if possible (including all flights etc)

https://www.gadventures.com/trips/rio-to-lima-adventure/SZRA/2015/

Does this look doable to the more experienced travellers? Some of the changes I'd make is to fly from Iguassu Falls to Buenos Aires and then bus it from there to Salta cutting out Uruguay altogether. Other than that the only thing I can see missing is a trip to the amazon rainforest which I could probably do in Peru.

Can anyone recommend something I'm missing along the route? I really just want to see Rio, Iguassu falls, Buenos Aires and Peru + Bolivia. I'm figuring 1000e for intitial flights, 500e for internal flight (rio-Igassu-Buenos Aires) which would leave me with 3.5k to spend over 2 and a half months. I don't see too much big expenditure as I won't be able to do Inca trail as I left it too late so will probably do a cheaper tour.

First of all - I would bus it from Buenos Aires to Iguazu - I know a previous poster said that they had an awful time of it but honestly, I was there in 2012 and the bus was amazing. Even were served champagne! I can't remember the name of the company but I know I've photos somewhere i can trawl through and get it for you.

Your trip sounds so like mine. I did mine in this order:

BUENOS AIRES - IGUAZU - bus
IGUAZU - SALTA - bus
In Salta I did wine tasting which meant I didn't have to take in Cordoba in Argentina
SALTA - BOLIVIA - bus - you are dropped at border and must cross on foot
You can book the Uyuni trip very easily here there are jeeps going every day.
BOLIVIA - PERU - bus. Possibly the WORST bus journey I've ever undertaken. I can elaborate on this if you wish.
In Peru it is extremely easy to organise a trip to Machu Picchu if you don't want to do the Inca trail or another trail like it. Busses/Trains. Again, can elaborate if you wish.

PERU - ECUADOR - flight. I won't go into this part of my trip as it's not relevant to what you have asked, but again, if you want to know I can elaborate.

Anyway, I would organise your trip that way if I were you. You could travel to Iguazu and stay on Brazilian side until you were ready to cross back over to Argentina and continue to Salta.

sarkozy

I did most of this trip in 3 weeks - all by land. It was 6 days in Buenos Aires, overnight in Colonia, overnight bus to Iguazú > Salta for 2 nights including a mountain/salt flats drive and a day horse trekking > Cafayate > Tupiza > Potosí > Oururo > La Paz > Coroico > La Paz > bus to Puno/Lake Titicaca > Arequipa > Cuzco > Aguas Calientes/Macchu Pichu via Ollantaytambo > Lima.

For obvious reasons, we didn't go into Brazil, or Estancia, Uyuni was off limits due to unusual snowfall, and we had to bypass Colca Canyon, Nazca desert.

So having those extra two weeks would make this itinerary very doable, but it would feel like hard work, I'd say.

I second the SuperCama bus from BA to Iguazú. Andesmar is the best company in Argentina, Cruz del Sur would be the best in Peru. I can, indeed, vouch for the sparkling wine and personal movie screens.

It *is* a bit of a culture shock crossing the border into Bolívia to take your onward journey. Footprint guidebook was helpful in recommending the better bus companies to travel with, but the ride can be a bit hairy. But it'll be fine - go for the poshest buses, they're the best and safest.

Yes, about going to Machu Picchu, it really is easy - you can book a bus and train to Aguas Calientes and then the train to the site itself. It's most easily done through a tourist office on or around the main square, but make sure you buy your ticket to the site in time. They allow only limited numbers each day.

Also, do take account of the altitude in your travel plans. You want to ascend gradually over the weeks.

Undertow

Browney7 wrote: »

I think it would be a shame if you didn't take a trip to el calafate and el Chalten. Unbelievable scenery there!

Yeah I was going to suggest there. Patagonia, from what I've read, has sensational scenery and if you're hitting Argentina between October and April, its a must-do if you can at all.

Also, Galapogos, although I'm guessing your budget can't stretch that far.

M450

Undertow wrote: »

Yeah I was going to suggest there. Patagonia, from what I've read, has sensational scenery and if you're hitting Argentina between October and April, its a must-do if you can at all.

Also, Galapogos, although I'm guessing your budget can't stretch that far.

I unfortunately didn't have the budget or appropriate gear for Patagonia (Actually it turned out I didn't have the appropriate gear for the Altiplano in mid winter either but made do!). Of course didn't have the budget for the Galapagos either.

There's always the poor man's Galapagos, the Islas Ballestas near Pisco in Peru. I spent a few days in Huacachina which is an amazing oasis resort beside Ica. We went sand boarding and on a dune buggy. I broke my point and shoot camera rolling around in the sand taking pictures at night completely wasted. Had planned to visit the islands the next day on the way to Lima but spent an extra day getting the camera fixed in Ica. Found a shop that completely dismantled it and cleaned it for something like 10 euro and it lasted another few months on the road. The weather was cracking that day, not so much the next morning when I got to do the trip, but I completely enjoyed the boat ride and appreciated seeing and being able to take pictures of the thousands of birds and few seals and penguins. It was short but cheap and cheerful, well worth it for the poor man.

cclittlec

Hey,

I'm doing pretty much the exact same route.

Are you planning on booking a trek to MP in advance or are you going to wait until you reach Cuzco? Or is it advisable to do MP yourself?

Bananaleaf

You can do MP with a tour group when over there. Can be organised very easily and at a fraction of the cost of booking here. It most likely won't be the Inca trail but there are many other trails

cclittlec

Thanks bananaleaf! I was looking at the government site and tickets are selling out fast. Huyana Picchu is sold out until mid June! Was it like that when you were there?

Would you recommend doing a tour/trek?

Bananaleaf

At the time I was there I wasn't in the mood for the trek and just wanted to see machu picchu so I got train to aguas calientes from cuzco, stayed overnight there then next morning got the bus from there to MP. I didn't do any trekking, it was v hot and I didn't think I'd have been physically able for it at the time.

But yes the Inca trail will fill up very quickly.

You will definitely get to see MP - don't worry about that. But if you really want to do a trail I would book one as soon as you know your schedule to avoid disappointment.

You can get train to Aguas calientes from Cuzco and stay overnight then next morning even hike from there - some do that. It's about 20 mins by bus so maybe an hr or so to hike. Very uphill.

Stay overnight in aguas calientes again before heading back to cuzco

Bananaleaf

I should add - only do a hike if you want to. Don't do one because you feel you should. It's a big undertaking - 4 days - and its not easy.

Also, some say that by the time they got to machu picchu that they were so exhausted from the 4 days of hiking that they found the site a bit of an anti climax. MP is definitely an amazing place and it seems weird to be underwhelmed by it, but then again, I reckon I'm the type of person that probably wouldn't have appreciated the 4 day hike.

If you're into hiking then definitely do it!!

Something to note if you do end up getting the bus - the first one leaves at about 5/530am I think. People are mad to get up to MP for sunrise. You would nearly need to be out at the bus stop for about 3:30 to be on one of the first busses. We did all of this and when we did get up to MP it was so overcast we never saw the sunrise. Remember thinking "could have spent those two hours waiting in the cold in bed instead"

I probably come across very ignorant and uncultured in this post!!!!!!

chases0102

In general, and roughly speaking, what would be people's budget for that timeline, ie 2 months?

Hitting Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia, with the majority of time being spent in Colombia and Peru.