Hi guys
So, 2009 is finally here and we are just 6 months away from our 6 months in South America (July to December).
We really want to look at booking some flights soon but just cannot decide where to start and where to end.
The facts;
We're leaving the UK in the first week of July
We both speak a little Spanish
Neither of us have been to SA before
Money is not
that tight
Is it worth us spending a week somewhere like LA/the west coast to get ourselves into the travelling vibe or should we jump straight on in?
We really fancy Ilha Grande in Brazil and so might it be good to hit Rio first and then go to Ilha Grande and chill for a while and leave work behind?
Or maybe Argentina might provide a more gentle introduction to the continent?
Should we try and cram in South Africa/New Zealand/Easter Island on the way or is that just too much for a 6 month trip?
We just cannot decide and it's driving us mad! :-O
Any advice/personal experiences gladly received!!
Reply to this Argentina is a good place to start though you may want to save it for the end as Patagonia and the lake district are beautiful in Nov/Dec.
Perhaps Ecuador or Peru would be a better place in july and you could work your way down from there. Colombia is great too though it's useful to have reasonably good Spanish in many parts of it. You can find cheap language courses all over the continent, and I'd recommend a week or two of classes at the start.
We spent 10 months travelling through SA and it was nowhere near enough time to see all we wanted to see so with only 6 monthbs I'd recommend you stay only in SA
Reply to this argentina could be a good beggining. But you can not miss Peru!!! I think your are going to need a lot time for this place so try to organize your itineray in order to have enough time to do and see all what you want.
Here you can find some information about Peru.
Peru Reply to this i started in august in ecuador and worked my way down, the advantage of this is the climate is getting warmer as you go south. also arriving in places like cusco in the highlands of peru in november was perfect climatically in my opinion, though they said its rainy season id didnt see much rain.
though i regretted not starting in colombia as i have heard its really great place. si if i were you.. i would start in colombia in july.
Reply to this Colombia is definitely the place to start, that way you get to the south in Spring/ Summer (October/November).
You can make a great route all the way from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile... then across to Argentina and up to Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil... and finish your exhausting trip in Ilha Grande (although I would highly recommend Paraty and Libertade (just two hours drive from Angra dos Reis).
You can get some spanish clases in Bogota while enjoying the cosmopolitan and cultural lifestyle of a great city (and I am not from Bogota)... forget LA, jump stright in. Then head north through Boyaca (Villa de Leyva, etc...) and Santander (Barichara and San Gil) and then continue to the caribbean coast to see Parque Tayrona, Santa Marta, Cartagena, etc... then start your way south (like the conquistadores) through Medellin, the Zona Cafetera, Cali (salsa and party capital of Colombia... thats where I'm from), Popayan, San Agustin & Tierradentro, Pasto... and then into Ecuador.
You can easily spend a month in Colombia... or more depending how much you like it (I have not included Leticia or San Andres & Providencia since they might be a bit out of the way but definitely worth it!)
The weather in Colombia is the same all year round (tropical), so this way you can get the best of the weather across your trip in South America and get the warmer weather in the south. You can got to SA and NZ in another trip!
All the best!
Reply to this Thanks for the help guys.
We'll have a look at flights into Bogota and out of Rio.
I am desperate to go to Colombia as so many blogs wax lyrical about the place. Also, my childhood hero was Carlos Valderrama and I'd like to see his statue! :D
Reply to this Ohh.. I can see your picture now... so we share heroes then... El Pibe will always be the best!
I think the statue is in Pescaito, the neighbourhood where he is from in Santa Marta. I haven't been there either, but will try to go in the next two months!
Reply to this Skip USA
I would recommend starting with a 2-4 week intensive Spanish Class, either in Quito or Cuzco. If you are going for 6 months, learing spanish will make your trip somuch better/easier. The latter is a great place to kick back with great music, culture, and the day trips to the best incan ruins. Quito if you want to start in a bigger city, more night life which also has great weekend trips when you are not studying (Volcanoes, river rafting, etc)
DO NOT SKIP GALAPAGOS (spend at least 3-4 nights there, more if you SCUBA)
DO NOT SKIP EASTER ISLAND (You can only get there from Santiago and Tahiti, so being from England, you probably wont get to those two places too often, and if you are not on a tight budget, you will be glad you did it. Only need 3 nights there.
Save South Africa and NEw Zealand for another trip. There is so much to do in South America for 6 months. You can easily spend 6 months in Brasil alone.
Thats my 2 cents.
Reply to this for nightlife.. dont rule out Lima, Santiago or la Paz either (to a lesser extent).... or smaller places like montañita
Reply to this Absolutely visit Peru: Northern cities of Piura and Lambayeque (Pre-Inca relics), Iquitos (jungle), Manu (Natural Reserve), Lima (colonial buildings, museums, nightlife, and great restaurants--stay in Miraflores), Arequipa (the "white city"), Puno (Lake Titicaca), AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...Cusco and Machu Picchu. Enjoy!
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