Help me plan my South American adverture
Help me plan my South American adverture
My partner and I are off to South America late March/April for a wedding in Uruguay, but we also want to travel around a bit and see what it has to offer.
I've been to STA travel, and thy've told us that a flight into Montevideo and out of Lima with Iberia will be £760 pp which seems good. But I was interested in what Aerolineas Argentinas can offer since they do the South America air pass and that will allow us to see more in the time we have available. Has anyone got one of these and what kind of price can we expect to pay (I had a mini adventure/disaster yesterday attempting to call their phone number and their website is very unclear)
The route were thinking was to arrive in Montevideo, wedding on the 24th, visit to Punte del Este for a few days, ferry to Buenos Aires, spend a few days there, bus to Iguazu, spend a day or so in the park and seeing the falls. After that I'm unsure, as it depends on the south american air pass. I'd either like to spend more time in Argentina, or longer in Peru, but so far I am thinking of flying to Lima from Iguazu and taking a tour which inclues transfers to Cusco to do the Inca trail, there is also the possibility of taking a longer tour which involves a few day in the Amazon. Does this sound feasible in our time span?
With regards booking the trek to Macchu Picchu we were thinking of booking something through a UK company (which subcontract the tour so probably more expensive) for peace of mind, and have looked at GAP travel but is there anyone else to look at, or any respectable local companies.
Finally if anyone has any must see recommendations to add to our itinery then that would be great.
Answers:
*bump* in case anyone can help
Answers:
Re: Help me plan my South American adverture
I've been to STA travel, and thy've told us that a flight into Montevideo and out of Lima with Iberia will be £760 pp which seems good. But I was interested in what Aerolineas Argentinas can offer since they do the South America air pass and that will allow us to see more in the time we have available. Has anyone got one of these and what kind of price can we expect to pay (I had a mini adventure/disaster yesterday attempting to call their phone number and their website is very unclear)
Try getting quotes from Travelbag and Trailfinders too.
http://www.airtimetable.com/airpass_south_America.htm gives details of various airpass schemes. You might not be limited to the Argentinian company's one.
http://www.turismo.gov.ar/eng/menu.htm
click on information and then on airpass and then on the pale blue arrow on the lower righthand side and it gives price information. (can't give a direct link as the url doesn't change with each click!)
The route were thinking was to arrive in Montevideo, wedding on the 24th, visit to Punte del Este for a few days, ferry to Buenos Aires, spend a few days there, bus to Iguazu, spend a day or so in the park and seeing the falls. After that I'm unsure, as it depends on the south american air pass. I'd either like to spend more time in Argentina, or longer in Peru, but so far I am thinking of flying to Lima from Iguazu and taking a tour which inclues transfers to Cusco to do the Inca trail, there is also the possibility of taking a longer tour which involves a few day in the Amazon. Does this sound feasible in our time span?
You don't specifically state how long you are planning on travelling for. Less than three weeks? More than three weeks?
The bus from Buenos Aires to Iguacu takes 17 hours (apparently a highly-recommended experience according to reviews on Trip Advisor!)
With regards booking the trek to Macchu Picchu we were thinking of booking something through a UK company (which subcontract the tour so probably more expensive) for peace of mind, and have looked at GAP travel but is there anyone else to look at, or any respectable local companies.
See the adventure travel company links I give on pg7 in the DIY sticky thread at the top of the page. You can join land only itineraries for example with Exodus, Explore!, and others.
Also, do a search on here for Inca Trail recommendations - there've been various local and UK tour organisers recommended in the past. It is advisable to spend a few days in Cuzco getting acclimatised to the altitude before tackling the Inca trail which exists in various guises of a couple to five or more days.
http://www.enjoy-argentina.org/
Finally if anyone has any must see recommendations to add to our itinery then that would be great.
If I were going to Peru then I'd also want to see the Nazca line drawings.
This link has general information on some of the Amazonian destinations.
http://www.enjoyperu.com/
You'll probably find plenty of general information and get more feedback on itinerary possibilities here
Hope that helps - and enjoy planning your trip!
Answers:
Not sure how long you will be there but if you can go overland through Bolivia and the salt planes (the most amazing trip) you can then get into Peru and Cuzco via Lake Titicaca.
Also at Iguassu make sure you see the waterfalls from the Argentinian and Brazilian sides as they offer completely different perspectives. Brazil is the grand overview / Argentina is up close and from above
Loads and loads of tour operators do the Inka trail from Cuzco - I would just sign up when you get there - as it gives you more flexibility on travel dates and might well be cheaper,you also might have met some people you would like to do the trek with
Have a fantastic time
Answers:
Ellie - there is so much to see and do I'm not sure 3 weeks is enough for you especially with a wedding in there too. I would try to limit myself to 2 countries max otherwise it really will be a whistle stop tour where you don't really get to see and take in everything you want to.
As has been said, if you go to Iguazu you need to see the falls from both Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian side gives more panoramic views and the Argentinean side is more up close. There are some gorgeous Brazilian beaches too - though avoid the ones in Rio as they'll give you a major complex even if you have a body like Gisele! There's also so much to see in ARgentina - I love Ushuaia at the very southern tip of Argentina - some great glaciers too - Moreno Glacier is very impressive (I found it more impressive scenery wise than New Zealand) - though you may want to pop over the border into Chile to see Torres del Paine as well.
If you want to do Peru I would recommend doing it in conjunction with Bolivia. A really diverse country where you can visit the salt plains and mines. Also La Paz is a good place to aclimatise to the altitude before crossing into Peru to do the Inca Trail. If you do go to La Paz I'd recommend saying at the Hotel Rosario http://www.hotelrosario.com/la_paz_eng/index.html they also have a hotel in Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. A great place to stop off on the way to Cusco.
If you decide to go straight to Cusco and not to Bolivia be warned that doing the Inca Trail while used to altitude is difficult enough but to go straight in without any aclimatisation makes it really really tough so you may want to spend a few days in Cusco first getting used to the altitude.
You can generally book straight on a tour quite cheaply when you arrive BUT I wouldn't recommend it. Some of the operators charge a bit more but you know they treat their staff (who work like absolute trojans) really well also the tents, food etc are better. To use one of these better firms I would reocmmend booking in advance. I used Enigma http://www.enigmaperu.com/english/trekkings.html and could not fault them. There were only 4 of us on our tour (as opposed to 20+ on some of the other tours) which meant we really got to know our guide and we're never hanging around for the slower people / feeling guilty because we were the slower people. The food was amazing - 5 courses every mealtime and the tents were nice 4 men tents per 2 people. I recommended Enigma to a friend last year and she fed back that she also thought they were superb. Another good company is SAS.
Oh I'm so jealous - I want to go back to South America
My partner and I are off to South America late March/April for a wedding in Uruguay, but we also want to travel around a bit and see what it has to offer.
I've been to STA travel, and thy've told us that a flight into Montevideo and out of Lima with Iberia will be £760 pp which seems good. But I was interested in what Aerolineas Argentinas can offer since they do the South America air pass and that will allow us to see more in the time we have available. Has anyone got one of these and what kind of price can we expect to pay (I had a mini adventure/disaster yesterday attempting to call their phone number and their website is very unclear)
The route were thinking was to arrive in Montevideo, wedding on the 24th, visit to Punte del Este for a few days, ferry to Buenos Aires, spend a few days there, bus to Iguazu, spend a day or so in the park and seeing the falls. After that I'm unsure, as it depends on the south american air pass. I'd either like to spend more time in Argentina, or longer in Peru, but so far I am thinking of flying to Lima from Iguazu and taking a tour which inclues transfers to Cusco to do the Inca trail, there is also the possibility of taking a longer tour which involves a few day in the Amazon. Does this sound feasible in our time span?
With regards booking the trek to Macchu Picchu we were thinking of booking something through a UK company (which subcontract the tour so probably more expensive) for peace of mind, and have looked at GAP travel but is there anyone else to look at, or any respectable local companies.
Finally if anyone has any must see recommendations to add to our itinery then that would be great.
Answers:
*bump* in case anyone can help
Answers:
Re: Help me plan my South American adverture
I've been to STA travel, and thy've told us that a flight into Montevideo and out of Lima with Iberia will be £760 pp which seems good. But I was interested in what Aerolineas Argentinas can offer since they do the South America air pass and that will allow us to see more in the time we have available. Has anyone got one of these and what kind of price can we expect to pay (I had a mini adventure/disaster yesterday attempting to call their phone number and their website is very unclear)
Try getting quotes from Travelbag and Trailfinders too.
http://www.airtimetable.com/airpass_south_America.htm gives details of various airpass schemes. You might not be limited to the Argentinian company's one.
http://www.turismo.gov.ar/eng/menu.htm
click on information and then on airpass and then on the pale blue arrow on the lower righthand side and it gives price information. (can't give a direct link as the url doesn't change with each click!)
The route were thinking was to arrive in Montevideo, wedding on the 24th, visit to Punte del Este for a few days, ferry to Buenos Aires, spend a few days there, bus to Iguazu, spend a day or so in the park and seeing the falls. After that I'm unsure, as it depends on the south american air pass. I'd either like to spend more time in Argentina, or longer in Peru, but so far I am thinking of flying to Lima from Iguazu and taking a tour which inclues transfers to Cusco to do the Inca trail, there is also the possibility of taking a longer tour which involves a few day in the Amazon. Does this sound feasible in our time span?
You don't specifically state how long you are planning on travelling for. Less than three weeks? More than three weeks?
The bus from Buenos Aires to Iguacu takes 17 hours (apparently a highly-recommended experience according to reviews on Trip Advisor!)
With regards booking the trek to Macchu Picchu we were thinking of booking something through a UK company (which subcontract the tour so probably more expensive) for peace of mind, and have looked at GAP travel but is there anyone else to look at, or any respectable local companies.
See the adventure travel company links I give on pg7 in the DIY sticky thread at the top of the page. You can join land only itineraries for example with Exodus, Explore!, and others.
Also, do a search on here for Inca Trail recommendations - there've been various local and UK tour organisers recommended in the past. It is advisable to spend a few days in Cuzco getting acclimatised to the altitude before tackling the Inca trail which exists in various guises of a couple to five or more days.
http://www.enjoy-argentina.org/
Finally if anyone has any must see recommendations to add to our itinery then that would be great.
If I were going to Peru then I'd also want to see the Nazca line drawings.
This link has general information on some of the Amazonian destinations.
http://www.enjoyperu.com/
You'll probably find plenty of general information and get more feedback on itinerary possibilities here
Hope that helps - and enjoy planning your trip!
Answers:
Not sure how long you will be there but if you can go overland through Bolivia and the salt planes (the most amazing trip) you can then get into Peru and Cuzco via Lake Titicaca.
Also at Iguassu make sure you see the waterfalls from the Argentinian and Brazilian sides as they offer completely different perspectives. Brazil is the grand overview / Argentina is up close and from above
Loads and loads of tour operators do the Inka trail from Cuzco - I would just sign up when you get there - as it gives you more flexibility on travel dates and might well be cheaper,you also might have met some people you would like to do the trek with
Have a fantastic time
Answers:
Ellie - there is so much to see and do I'm not sure 3 weeks is enough for you especially with a wedding in there too. I would try to limit myself to 2 countries max otherwise it really will be a whistle stop tour where you don't really get to see and take in everything you want to.
As has been said, if you go to Iguazu you need to see the falls from both Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian side gives more panoramic views and the Argentinean side is more up close. There are some gorgeous Brazilian beaches too - though avoid the ones in Rio as they'll give you a major complex even if you have a body like Gisele! There's also so much to see in ARgentina - I love Ushuaia at the very southern tip of Argentina - some great glaciers too - Moreno Glacier is very impressive (I found it more impressive scenery wise than New Zealand) - though you may want to pop over the border into Chile to see Torres del Paine as well.
If you want to do Peru I would recommend doing it in conjunction with Bolivia. A really diverse country where you can visit the salt plains and mines. Also La Paz is a good place to aclimatise to the altitude before crossing into Peru to do the Inca Trail. If you do go to La Paz I'd recommend saying at the Hotel Rosario http://www.hotelrosario.com/la_paz_eng/index.html they also have a hotel in Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. A great place to stop off on the way to Cusco.
If you decide to go straight to Cusco and not to Bolivia be warned that doing the Inca Trail while used to altitude is difficult enough but to go straight in without any aclimatisation makes it really really tough so you may want to spend a few days in Cusco first getting used to the altitude.
You can generally book straight on a tour quite cheaply when you arrive BUT I wouldn't recommend it. Some of the operators charge a bit more but you know they treat their staff (who work like absolute trojans) really well also the tents, food etc are better. To use one of these better firms I would reocmmend booking in advance. I used Enigma http://www.enigmaperu.com/english/trekkings.html and could not fault them. There were only 4 of us on our tour (as opposed to 20+ on some of the other tours) which meant we really got to know our guide and we're never hanging around for the slower people / feeling guilty because we were the slower people. The food was amazing - 5 courses every mealtime and the tents were nice 4 men tents per 2 people. I recommended Enigma to a friend last year and she fed back that she also thought they were superb. Another good company is SAS.
Oh I'm so jealous - I want to go back to South America