Travelling to South America in Oct 09 - our plan and any suggestions anyone might have, help greatly appreciated.
Hey Bloggers, new to this site,
Myself and one of my mates are travelling to South America in October starting in Quito Ecuador (one way ticket, is this a problem?) where we plan on getting a month of Spanish Lessons & homestay with an Ecuadorian family, following this we will be volunteering for a month in Ecuador in an animal reserve, from here we will ravel to Peru for a couple of weeks, onto to Bolivia - perhaps to another stint of volunteering there before going on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil. We expect to be away for roughly six months but this is flexible.
Given the route we wish to take Ecuador - Peru - Bolivia - Chile - Argentina - Brazil; does anybody have past experiences of doing something similar to this?
Also given the countries we'll be going to apart from the obvious must see things are there any hidden gems that are an absolute must see??
we are Irish, adventurous and we will give anything a go as long as its fun, a lot of sites list all the same must see things - which look fantastic but we also want to see the hidden qualities of South America also.
All help is greatly appreciated and who knows we may bump into each other along our travels,
cheers
Reply to this Hi there! So I don't really know much about the other countries but am currently in Chile for a few months. If you're the adventurous type I recommend Iquique and/or Arica. Beautiful weather and awesome locals! Surfing and body-boarding are huge here and if your up for it, you can find instructors anywhere. I'm learning how to surf right now and I love it! You can do paragliding which is also easy to set up and sand boarding as well. Night life here is really buzzing filled with bars and clubs and even a casino. Also many attractions.. the city center is gorgeous! You can take a tour to Humberstone. Complete ghost town that use to have a mining community. It's eerie walking around it but interesting!
I may just being biased here but I find this part of Chile a lot more fun and not as frequented as the usual cities.
Hope this helps a little!
Reply to this Suggestions?... go to Colombia!
I might be biased since I am Colombian, but all the travellers I have met who have been there have loved it.
It seems like your flight plans are kind of set, but if you get a chance I would highly recommend it.
Hidden gems in the rest of South America? We loved Paraty in Brazil and the nearby beach of Libertade.
Arequipa in Peru is well worth it. Mendoza in Argentina is also great fun and excellent food and wine.
Reply to this Agrees with Danny and Lore WITH ALL MY HEART.Please add Colombia to your plans but do it last.The rest of Sth Am is incredible but if you see Colombia 1st the rest will be a major anticlimax.I LOVE COLOMBIA.
I could tell you a thosand places to see in Sth Am but most are well known.I will tell you of Perus best kept secrets though.Travel to Moyabamba ,east of Lambayeque which is Nth of Trujillo.In Moyabamba stay at the "Country Club Hotel" ,about US$10 per night.They will orgonise a collectivo ,shared taxi, for you to Yurimaguas ,via Tarapoto.From Tarapoto to Yurimaguas the dirt highway is only open from 5pm to 5am becouse all day they have to repair the landslides from the night before.Also your colectivo driver will hide all your $ incase you get robbed by bandits on horseback.This is a very rare occurance but still makes the adventure even more exciting.
From Yurimaguas you get on a local ferry to Iquitos ,the biggest city in the world thats not accesable by road.Half a million people just plonked in the middle of the jungle.The ferry takes 3days/2nights travelling up the Marañon and Amazon Rivers and was 1 of the biggest adventures of my life.You will be 1 of the only white faces you see the whole trip and the river will be just as you imagine, villages of grass shacks and Indians paddling out in dugout canoes to meet the ferry.The middle deck is about s/.60 ,around US$20 and the top deck is about s/.120 PAY FOR THE TOP DECK.You will see why as soon as you get on board.This $ includes 3 meals a day.All you need is a hammock ,drinking water and snacks for the trip.Oh and your camera with a big memory.
From Iquitos you can travel onto Brazil on other ferry or fly to Lima for US$106.After 2 nights in a hammock ,I stayed at nice hotel "Hotel Marañon" for around US$25 per night then flew back to Lima.
I bused from Lima to Moyabamba and ,except for the hotel in Iquitos and my return flight, this whole 10day adventure was cheaper than 1 day trip from Cusco to Machu Picchu around US$180.
You can also fly straight from Quito to Iquitos and do the Brazil ferry.
Reply to this Hey guys thanks very much for your help, all is duly noted!! we really appreciate the tips and ideas you have given us, woohoo cant wait to, only one month before we fly out!!! 😊
Reply to this I am so jealous of you.I have to go back to Australia ,in 2 weeks ,to earn some more $
Reply to this Hi!
Argentina is too big to mention just one spot to see. Going to Iguazu Cataratas falls (province of Misiones, it's a beautiful province) should be a must. The landscapes there are great full of green (if you like nature).
At the northwest of Argentina you can go to Salta and Jujuy. It's beautiful too and landscapes are great (Purmamarca, El Pucará de Tilcara, etc)
Wines and meat you can staste around all argentina.-
Obviously you should come to Buenos Aires and dance some Tango, see Caminito, etc.
Have a great journy!
Reply to this I am also travelling around SA for a year and at one point will be travelling from buenos aires through uruguay to brazil, how were you planning on getting from argentina to brazil? anyone else have suggestions?
Reply to this Hello Claudia 😊
I think it should be easy enough to get from Argentina, by boat to Uruguay and then by bus to Brazil.
Mle
Reply to this Hi guys, thanks again for the tips, yiya we haven't thought that far ahead about buenos aires but Mell's idea sounds like a good plan
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