Hi everyone,
I arrive in Santiago in June and fly out from Rio at the beginning of August and would appreciate some Ideas on where to go in between taking into account the weather and the distances involved.
I've purchased some guidebooks and am plouging through them however you can't beat first hand exerience. My rough itenary so far is:
Fly to La Paz from Santiago (whats the best airline to use?)
Travel from La Paz to Cusco overland ( has anyone done this journey any tips and names of local tour operators)
At least 2 weeks in Cusco ( train up to Machu Picchu, trekking, spanish school)
Fly Cusco to Lima ( spend a few days in Lima)
Travel up the coast from Lima to Tumbes (is it easy to travel around on buses etc as a sole traveller? Are there any good beach resorts that will be good that time of year?)
Fly Tumbes to Iquitos (spend a week in the jungle)
Fly Iquitos to Quito
Spend 3 weeks in Equador ( a week volunterring, spend some time in Esmeraldes, Cuenca)
Fly back to Lima/Santaigo and then to Rio De Janerio. Squeeze in a week at the beginning of August either skiing in Chile or on the beach in Rio (are the beaches on the East coast of Brazil better than those in Peru/Equador at that time of year?)
Any comments, suggestions most welcome.
Cheers
Rob
Reply to this Sounds like a nice trip. Between La Paz and Cusco I would recommend a stop at Copacabana, on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. It's a great town to relax in for a few days, and Isla del Sol is a good island to visit. If you're travelling by night bus in Peru it's best to pay a bit extra and use one of the big companies like Cruz del Sur, Linea or Movil, as security can be an issue sometimes. Trujillo is a good place to break the trip from Lima to Tumbes. Huaraz is in a beautiful area, recommended if you like hiking.
When you're in Cuenca I'd recommend going to Vilcabamba (we're here at the moment), it's about 6 hours south of Cuenca. Great hiking and a very relaxed place.
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