Need Help Planning A Trip to South America

[Keny536]

Please advise me on my trip to South America - I have never done this before (21 years old).

Any advice related for anything to the trip is appreciated.

I am still in the beginning phases of planning out my trip to South America this Summer. I am going to be graduating mid-May. I want to leave late May or early June of 2010, and stay there for 3-5 weeks.

Cost is a factor, but I do not want it to be a deciding factor.

I have a job waiting for me starting July 19th, so I won't mind spending 3-5 grand, because I probably won't have a chance like this for a long while.

I haven't even begun to plan out the logistics - i.e. costs, flight, transportation, living accomodations, visas, other documentation (?), immunizations, exchange rates, weather, what places I should avoid due to crime, what I will need to bring to the trip, etc. (I am probably missing a lot). I am going to be using Lonely Planet's and Frommer's travel guides to help me with some of this stuff, along with internet resources.

For flight, I am thinking of doing it through oneWorld.. Is this a good idea?


Here is what I REALLY WANT to see:


(2) Peru - Machu Picchu
(3) Bolivia - Lake TitiCaca ( on the border of Peru/Bolivia), Río Madidi watershed (Parque Nacional Madidi) also (Noel Kempff Mercado National Park)
(1) Brazil - Amazon River/Rainforest/Pantanal/Iguazu Falls/Brazilian Beaches/Rio de Janeiro
(1) Argentina - Iguazu Falls (I hear both sides of the falls are amazing to see.

Here is what I wouldn't mind seeing, but will probably skip due to cost/time reasons:

(4) Costa Rica - rainforests/other activities (ziplining, river rafting, white water rafting, etc.) (this is nice but the rainforest isn't so great compared to the Amazon, right?)
(5) Galapagos Islands (very expensive)
(6) Kaieteur Falls, Guyana - (this place looks beautiful, but again, expense and time).
(7) San Pedro de Atacam in Chile (I don't know how exciting this will be)


What do you think of that list? Is it realistic to do 1, 2, and 3? Should I get rid of (3)? Is it possible to include (4)?

Like I said, I haven't planned much of the logistics yet. I have no idea how long I will stay at a particular location, let me know if you have any estimates.

Here is the specific journey, in my mind so far.

I am thinking that I will land in Peru, somehow find a safe place to stay that is not far from Machu Picchu, and then use a guided tour to visit Machu Picchu. I want to avoid guided tours due to expense, but I am told that it is a good idea to do this for Machu Picchu. After that, go to the border of Bolivia to see Lake TitiCaca/Parque Nacional Madidi. Then somehow travel east to see Parque Nacional Noel Kempff. After that, I will be pretty much on the border of Brazil. Then I will somehow go South to see the Pantanal and the Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense. After that, I will continue to go further south (a lot). Until I reach Iguazu Falls (Parque Nacional Iguazu). Then, if time permits, I will head northeast to Rio de Janeiro and spend some time there and find a nearby airport to come back to Chicago.


In the above trip, I did not include the Amazon Rainforest/River because I have NO IDEA yet where in Brazil I should go to see this. I do not want to go to Manaus because I understand that this is a beaten path, and I want to go somewhere less traveled, but not overly expensive. I am thinking I visit the Amazon rainforest/river before I head south for the Pantanal, but that will depend on where I want to see it. As for the Brazilian beaches, I am clueless on that as well so far. Please let me know where I should go.

[Ruby]

hi there,

With 5 weeks time-frame you'd probably be able to check out Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina but not the other places, that's just my opinion.

Generally, the best Peru tours are offered in the tourist city of Cusco, where you can find budget Peru tours in Cusco that take you on the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, and the Amazon jungle area of Manu.

Regarding transportation in south America, buses are the best option to stay within budget.

Happy Travels

[Keny536]

Thanks for the post - sorry for the delay!

Ok, so at least I have something decided. This part of the trip is finalized.. for now.

Chicago > Lima > Cuzco (all flights)

From Cuzco, (before or after Machu Picchu.. I do not want to do Inca Trail) I will meet up with a travel agency to do one of their tours through Manu. The question I am trying to answer right now, is which agency?

One concern with some of these tours is that the price is assumed based on two people traveling. I doubt that I will get a person to accompany me, so hopefully the prices don't shoot up too much. I will work on getting the pricing based on my situation, but what do you guys think about the tours in general? Which one would you guys recommend?

After Manu, I will be back in Cuzco, and I am still deciding on whether or not I will go to Lake Titicaca. I definitely wanted to do it at first, but after seeing some videos online, it seems like it's a great lake, and it's definitely going to be a great experience living with the natives.. but I don't know if it is for me. It's a good place to relax, but I don't really see anything besides the lake. Assuming I skip Lake Titicaca, I want to go to the Pantanal from Cusco, and then to Iguazu, and then end my trip in Rio. I will continue planning this, but I want to get the Peru part of my trip finalized first. You guys say that I don't need a guided tour for Machu Picchu, so there really isn't much planning to do there right?

Thanks

[Keny536]

Here is an update for my trip:

- Manu
I have been in contact with 7-8 different agencies for Manu, and after seeing all their offers, I believe DosManos has the best deal, where it is 770$ for 8D/7N. Anyone heard anything good or bad about this agency?


There is a 50% possibility that at least one of my friends may accompany me on at least some of this trip.

So here are the questions I have now:

- Machu Picchu (No Inca Trail)

I will visit this place before or after Manu depending on the dates I am able to book for Manu. Just to be sure, I do not have to use a tour agency for this, right? Simply take the train and go there early in the morning before the tour groups get there?

- Lake Titicaca

I want to try and spend a few days here, but I don't know if I should use a tour agency for that. Maybe if I use the same tour agency they will give me some sort of package discount? But before I look into that, I want to know if it is even necessary to use a tour agency for this - can I just show up there on my own?

- The Pantanal

I want this to be at least 2 weeks of my trip, since this is the place where I can see a lot of wildlife. Can anyone recommend any tour agencies for this? From Lake Titicaca, I will have to find a way to somehow arrive here - I am thinking I will do this by plane since bus would take too long, anyone have any idea what airport I would use to depart Lake Titicaca and where I would land near the Pantanal? Or should I bus it?

- Iguazu Falls

Hopefully I still have time for this. Maybe from the Pantanal it would be a good idea to fly to Rio de Janeiro, since I want to go there anyway. And then from Rio, find a tour agency that'll take me to Iguazu. Or it might be easier to go from Pantanal to Iguazu to Rio and then go home from Rio after spending a few days there.


Thanks for your help!

[VacationBuddy]

I would definitely recommend booking a tour, once in Peru, as you can find many tour agencies that offer trips to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca as well. The tour would include hotel accommodations along the way, and excursions and activities for each destination.

Otherwise, you could just get the train there, which takes 4 hours. Once there, the cost to enter the site is around $50.

To get to El Pantanal, you need to make your way from Lake Titicaca to La Paz (Bolivia) and a catch a flight from there to Corumba (Brazil). Once, there you can book an an excursion out of Corumba, which will take you through El Pantanal.

Then, from Corumba you need catch a flight to Rio and from there book the Rio tour to Iguazu. That would be the best way.

Hope this helps
Vacationbuddy

[Keny536]

Thank you for the information on what to do from Lake Titicaca - I will research what you are saying more in depth and let you know if I have questions. As of now, I am still deciding which part of the Pantanal I should see (north or south), please let me know if you have a suggestion!

As for booking a tour for Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca - People have been telling me that it is unnecessary to have a tour agency for these two destinations, especially MP. Could you please expand on why you recommend a tour for these areas? I understand they would do hotel accommodations, and maybe that might be reason enough.

I was thinking about doing this : a tour agency for Manu and Lake Titicaca, and no tour for MP. I have already talked to one tour agency about doing this and they said they will give me a 5% discount on the Titicaca tour if I do both.

[VacationBuddy]

Yes, I did suggest taking a tour mainly for the accommodation but otherwise you don't need a tour for Machu Pichu.

If you decide to fly out to Corumba, then south of Pantanal. You can book a tour out of the town from there.

Happy travels!
Vacationbuddy

[Keny536]

Would it be better to fly out of Juliaca instead of La Paz? This way I could avoid all the passport business, documentation, and embassy issues for entering Bolivia. Or would I have to do all that anyway in order to visit Lake Titicaca?

Please let me know what you think.

As for the Pantanal, as of now, I am deciding to visit the northern end rather than the southern. So instead of Corumba, I would fly to Cuiaba, correct?

Thanks

[VacationBuddy]

Hi again,

Lake Titicaca borders both Peru and Bolivia so I guess you could get a flight from Juliaca (Peru) to Cuiaba (Brazil) but you will need a visa to travel to Brazil even for a few hours.

Here it is what you need to do to get a visa for Brazil:

1) Have a valid passport

2) Fill the Visa application online at (https://scedv.serpro.gov.br ). Once you have done it, print it out the last page with barcode and sign it;

3) You need to recent 2” X 2” color photographs, facing forward, against white background to be attached to the application form.

4) You need a copy of your round trip ticket to Brazil or a printout of the flight itinerary.

Good Luck!
Vacationbuddy

[Keny536]

I will be in Brazil for much longer than a few hours!

Thanks for the visa information.

1) I do have a valid passport

2 ) It says on the website that it must be presented at the consulate 30 days after completion.. does that mean that if I fill it out now that it will be void?

3) I can just get these photographs as passport photos from Walgreens, right?

4) I'm not sure on the exact date I will leave for Brazil ... how can I do this?

I have a bunch of general travel questions - they might be stupid, but I have never done this before:

1. cell phone - how is this going to work? Am I supposed to buy a temp phone when I arrive in Peru? Or will my cell phone work there? How will I call my parents back home?

2. Camera space - I have a 12 MP digital camera that has an SD card (haven't check how much space the SD card holds), I'm sure I'll run out of space... so which alternative do you think would be smarter:

a. After the SD card is full, find a computer at a hostel (hopefully they have SD card readers or I will need to bring a USB sd card reader), and then upload the pictures on a private server on the internet and then clear the space on the SD card.

b. Buy like 5 SD cards

c. ??


3. Visas

I'm reading that an advance visa is not required for American citizens to enter Peru. But when I arrive there, I should check with the embassy or consulate of Peru.

So from what I understand, I can simply apply for a visa after I arrive in Peru, but on the other hand, a visa is required for entry into Brazil. Regarding Peru, wouldn't it be easier just to do it in advance while I am still in the United States? So I don't have to waste time going to the embassy? Or is that not even possible? I'm trying to figure out where I can do this ... I'm at the peruvianembassy website (it wont let me post the link)... but not seeing anything - is there a different link somewhere?

Also, according to travel.state.gov, I should register with the nearest U.S. Embassy if I am traveling in Peru - and I can do this through the travelregistration state.gov website .. I made an account there but when I try to add a trip to Peru, it wants my local address and phone for Peru .. I do not know this yet - am I not supposed to to do this until I arrive at Peru?

So I will only need a visa for Peru and Brazil, right? Will I need a visa for Bolivia if I am visiting Lake Titicaca? Will I need a visa for Argentina if I am visiting the Iguazu Falls (both sides)? I am assuming I will, maybe not for Bolivia - but I just want to make sure.