45

Galapagos Cruises (first posted on 08Sep2003, this is update #5 on 11Mar2006)

How to book: If you book from abroad or through the internet you will pay 2 to 3 times more than what you would pay on the islands. If you book from Quito you will still pay about 20% to 50% more than you would on the islands. So, if you can spare one to five days, depending on the season, and don’t want a particular boat, I suggest that you fly independently to the islands and shop around in Puerto Ayora for a much cheaper price; note that this advice does not apply to groups larger than two people who want to travel together on the same boat on the same dates. Around two hundred people here on the Thorn Tree have saved a significant amount of money by listening to my advice and booking directly in Puerto Ayora, although there is a risk that the boat you want won’t be back to harbor until a couple of days later. There are up to 10 boats of different price levels leaving daily in high season, and fewer boats but also fewer passengers in low season.

My experience: We (a couple) arrived in Quito late in the afternoon, bought our flight to Baltra for the next morning and found a few "last minute" deals to choose from for an 8-day cruise. The following were the rock bottom prices (cash) that we could get per person, after bargaining (in English) directly with the boat owners:
- Tourist-superior class = US$600 = US$75 per day; hot water and private toilets, air con., accommodates 8-16 people.
- Tourist-class = US$525 = US$65 per day
- Economy-class = US$450 = US$56 per day; shared toilets/showers, cold water (19°C in September), no air con., diesel fumes/engine noise may disturb you at night, some cabins may have a few little cockroaches at night, bring some seasick pills, accommodates 8-12 people.
* I didn’t check first-class and luxury boats. Regardless of boat class, any cruise through the Galapagos will be an awesome experience. All boats go to the same islands, although more expensive and faster boats may add Genovesa Island to their itinerary. Drinks other than water/tea/coffee are never included in the price. Diving is never included in the price either.

Naturalist guides are listed as level-I (with average fluency in English), level-II (fluent in English & Spanish) and level-III (fluent in more languages). I had the opportunity to tour the islands with all 3 levels of guides. The levels are ONLY for the number of languages they speak, not for knowledge; if you insist on a Level III you will end up on a larger and more expensive boat.

Steps that you should follow on arrival to the islands:
1 - You will have to pay US$100 park entrance fee when you disembark in Baltra airport. Watch for tour guides that will be there to pick up passengers who booked from Quito or from abroad, and will take them directly to their boats; ask the guides if they have space available for you. They will check with their colleagues too.
2 - Go to town: everyone takes the free bus and then the boat to Santa Cruz (5 minutes US$0.70), then another bus to Puerto Ayora (45 minutes, US$1.80).
3 - The captain or the tour guide will be either around the pier in Puerto Ayora or on their boat.
4 - If you have difficulty in finding anyone at the pier, take a water taxi (US$0.50) and visit each boat that’s docked (5 to 10 boats at any time); the cook or someone else will call the right guys through the radio if they are not there. Boats usually leave after 7 p.m.
5- The captain or the guide will take you to the boat owner’s office/house upon your request if you are interested in going with them.
6 – After you bargain for a few minutes for a lower price and finally pay to the boat owner in cash, you will get a detailed receipt of your itinerary mentioning what’s included in your cruise (3 meals per day, snacks at 5 p.m., tour guide, drinking water, etc) and which islands the boat visits each day.
7 – If you have no luck with all the above, you can still easily go to one of the travel agents in Puerto Ayora (Jenny at Moonrise Travel here or here comes to mind), which will also be cheaper than travel agents in Quito. Expect to save between US$50 and US$300 per person (depending on the class of boat) compared to Quito and Guayaquil.

How many days: Everyone who buys an 8-day cruise (includes the North and South islands) will actually spend 6 days/7 nights cruising; it actually starts at 7 p.m. on the first day and ends early in the morning on the 8th day. If you are picky and want a specific class of boat, you may have to wait while you visit some of the sights in Puerto Ayora: enjoy Tortuga beach and the animals, Darwin Research Center, the birds and iguanas until the boat you choose is available. We still had time to spend another day-and-half in Puerto Ayora on our way back and would have loved to stay longer if we could. Shorter cruises (3 or 4 nights) takes you either to the North or to the South islands; considering the air fare and the park entrance fee that you paid to get to the Galapagos, the 8-day cruise is a much better value.

Money & what to bring: I strongly advise people to take cash to the islands; some boat operators accept Visa and MasterCard but none accept Amex (poor customer service and fraudulent handling of accounts by AMEX itself has lately been a problem in their Mexico-based Latin America HQ). You can get cash up to the limit of your Visa card at the only bank in Puerto Ayora (Banco del Pacífico) with no commission but will have to wait in line, sometimes for over 30 minutes. You can also get cash from your Visa card at some souvenir shops; expect to pay a commission in this case. We took an average of 130 photos per day, so, take enough film with you if you didn’t switch to digital yet; if you have a digicam you’ll be able to easily charge your batteries on the boat. Also bring sun block lotion, a hat and seasick pills (just in case).

Why travel agencies in the mainland (Quito and Guayaquil) should be avoided:
- They will try to trick you into not booking a cruise directly from the islands, often by creating fear that you may not be able to find a boat.
- They are usually owned by expat foreigners who charge 20% to 50% over the price of the cruise, only for making a phone call to the islands, while the locals (boat owner, captain, tour guide, cook, waiter, sailors) do the real work.
- “The boat returns to port during the trip” is an excuse used by travel agents to downgrade all competitor’s boats and sell their own expensive packages to naive tourists. Boats don’t actually return to port, they stop in Baltra for a few hours on the 3rd or 4th day to pick-up passengers from the airport and to stock on food/water.
- “There is a very limited choice of boats that sell last minute deals in Puerto Ayora”; that is again bad advice from those travel agents, unless you are looking for a top luxury and very expensive sailing boat. There have been negative reports recently on the TT forum about the boats Gabi and Free Enterprise; please report any personal experience with those boats on this thread.
- “Economy class boats don’t offer qualified guides”; again not true, we had an excellent English-speaking Naturalist guide on our economy boat; actually even level-I guides make an effort to speak English all the time. And as I said before, all guides have about the same level of knowledge about the islands.
- “We also offer last minute deals to the islands”; Thorn Tree readers who booked a Galapagos cruise for the last two years paid between 20% and 50% more from Quito than the ones who booked from Puerto Ayora. This is consistent with my survey with all passengers from all boats that I checked myself. Only one person, who has yet to send me further details, didn’t benefit from the above advice.
- People who have been posting here on the Thorn Tree long enough may remember the two TT users who had read our advice about booking on the islands and ignored it. The first user paid US$990 to a Quito travel agent for a cruise that didn’t exist, and had to pay in full for a second time when he arrived in Puerto Ayora...he later regretted (here on the TT forum) not having taken seriously our advice, and ended up never receiving his money back. The exact same thing happened to the second victim (a couple), with the difference that they lost US$2,026 to Quito travel agents and didn’t have the money to pay again for another cruise. For those who are not aware of it, the amount of cash that disappears with Quito travel agents runs into the multiple tens of thousands of US dollars every week.

Flights: I went directly to TAME airline office in Quito domestic terminal, which is located about 20 meters from the international terminal. Now it’s even easier: you can reserve your flights in advance through web@tame.com.ec and they usually reply on the same day. There are two daily flights from Quito to Baltra at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. with a stopover in Guayaquil. There is a 15% discount off TAME flights if you have an ISIC student card and are under 30. The flight back from the islands (daily at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.) can be changed at any time in Puerto Ayora for free, provided that you haven’t done the pre-check-in, which should be done a day or two before you fly out, either by the tour guide or by yourself at the TAME office. The penalty for changing dates after the pre-check-in is approximately US$25. Air fares (return trip) are:
High season (approx. from 1 Nov. to 30 Apr. and from 15 Jun. to 14 Sep.) US$390 from Quito and US$345 from Guayaquil.
Low season US$334 from Quito and US$300 from Guayaquil.
- Note that what’s considered “high season” for air tickets is slightly different than “high season” for cruise boats (approx. from 1 Dec. to 15 Jan. and from 1 Jul. to 31 Aug.)
- Aerogal (same airfare but no discount for ISIC holders) flies 3 times a week to San Cristobal Island, which most cruise boats don’t go to. TAME also flies to San Cristobal 4 times a week.

Diving: If you want to dive and there are no diving facilities on your boat, all you will have to do is choose which boat you want to dive with, and tell your captain; he will arrange the divemaster to come talk to you before the first dive, or your captain will take you to the other boat at the right time each day. Suppose you are cruising in an economy boat (which don’t usually offer diving) and are diving with a first-class boat; you may even have a hot shower and free breakfast in the first-class boat (if you ask) on the days that you dive with them. Each dive cost around US$60 per tank and includes all rental gear; if you do 5 or more dives and bargain you may get each dive for US$55. Underwater visibility ranges from 5 to 30 meters, but most of the time it’s around 15 meters.

If you want to dive 3 or 4 times per day you should book a liveaboard well in advance. A liveaboard can go to the islands of Darwin and Wolf (regular cruise boats don’t visit those) where you have a great probability of seeing whale sharks from June to December. This is a great trip report by a diver who saw over 20 whale sharks in 7 days; don’t miss the amazing video clip here!
This is another great slide show made by a diver on that same liveaboard. Please look at what Scuba Iguana, Nauti Diving and Sub-Aqua have to offer; they also do daytrips to other islands from Puerto Ayora.

When is a good time of year to go: From January to June, the seas are at their calmest, warmest (26ºC) and the skies are usually clear, although those are also the rainiest months. From June to December, the air is cooler, the skies are often lightly overcast but there is virtually no precipitation in the lowlands. You will see more big animals underwater, including whale sharks, sea lion pups, and it’s also mating season for birds. September is the coldest month with the water temperature reaching 19ºC. Every guide has his own “best month” to visit the islands. Although I hate the cold, I visited in August/September: I could snorkel for up to 40 minutes without a wetsuit and had the time of my life! So, any time of the year will be fine really.

Isabela Island: Regular cruise boats don’t visit Isabela Island, which you can visit on your own; the fast boat takes 2.5 hours and cost US$30. Although the need of environmental protection is everywhere, you won’t need a guide to move around the island, and you won’t have the time restrictions that you usually have at each place on a regular cruise. You will be able to relax more and enjoy it at your own pace. Sea temperature in West Isabela may drop to 16ºC in the cold season and as low as 13ºC depending on La Niña years.

Reading material: In case you want to do some reading prior to your trip (books in Ecuador are very expensive), I recommend the following:
- “Galápagos, A Natural History” by Michael H. Jackson
- “Reef Fish Identification: Galapagos” by Paul Humann (for divers)
- “Marine Life of the Galápagos” by Pierre Constant (for divers)
- “Voyage of the Beagle” by Charles Darwin; it has only 23 pages on the Galápagos but for historical reasons it makes an interesting read if you are traveling throughout South America.

Important: Upon your return, please let us know how you did, so that travelers seeking advice here on the TT can have some feedback.

46

Where can I dive/snorkel in South America? (first posted on 18Apr2004, this is revision #3)

Ecuador:
- Galapagos Islands - Check the previous reply on this same FAQ.

Brazil: I’ve listed below (from North to South) the 14 best places where you can dive in Brazil with links to local dive shops. Dive sites have been (subjectively) rated from 1 (best) to 14; see the number before the city name:

1- National Marine Park of Fernando de Noronha, also known as “Noronha” - Pelagics, reef fish, some coral, world class wreck/technical dive; from June to November visibility reaches 50 meters. Located 340 km off the Northeastern tip of South America. 70-minute flight from Natal daily at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. R$383 one way, or 90-minute flight from Recife daily at 12:00 and 14:30 R$441 one way; it can be included in Varig’s Brazil Airpass. Only about 15% of the visitors to Noronha are foreigners. Atlantis, which is perhaps the best dive outfit in Brazil and the most expensive one, Águas Claras and Noronha Divers

11- Natal - Coral reef. Mar & Sub

3- Recife - Many old wrecks, all good sites are at a depth range of 24-48 meters. Projeto Mar, Aquaticos and Seagate

6 - Maragogi - This town is a good base to dive the second biggest coral reef in Brazil, which goes from Maceió up to the town of Rio Formoso. Maragogi is located 130 km north of Maceió. Cactus Diving

10 - Maceió – Coral reef, wrecks; visibility = 6-30 meters Discovery Sub and Mergulha Maceió

5- Salvador - Many old wrecks, coral reef, all good sites are at a depth range of 8-36 meters; visibility = 3-15 meters inside the bay, 6-30 meters outside the bay, where lies the 170-meter-long Cavo Artemidi, which is the biggest ship wreck in Brazil. Dive Bahia

4- Morro de São Paulo - Coral reef; relatively shallow dives. Two hours by boat from Salvador; visibility = 5-20 meters. Companhia do Mergulho Gustavo and Sandra are both instructors who have been diving for almost two decades and speak several languages; they always made our dives a very enjoyable experience

2- National Marine Park of Abrolhos, also known as “Abrolhos” - This is the largest and richest coral reef in the South Atlantic, humpback whales from late July to early November, also a few wrecks; relatively shallow dives, also very good for snorkeling; visibility = 10-40 meters. Abrolhos was the first Marine Park created in Brazil in 1983. It’s 1.5 to 3 hours by boat from the town of Caravelas, which is half way between Rio and Salvador. There is a direct bus from Salvador to Caravelas on Fridays at 7 p.m. and back on Sundays at 4:50 p.m., also several daily buses from Salvador to Teixeira de Freitas, where you change to another bus to Caravelas. Leaving from Porto Seguro, there is a daily bus to Caravelas at 2 p.m. and several daily buses to Teixeira de Freitas.
Daytrips and liveaboards: Abrolhos Embarcações and Paradise Abrolhos
Liveaboards only: Horizonte Aberto, Titan, Sanuk and Princesa dos Abrolhos

South of this point you will need to wear a 5mm wetsuit in summer (North of here a 3mm wetsuit should do for most divers)

12- Guarapari - Coral reef, wrecks. Located 50 km south of Vitória. Atlantes

8- Arraial do Cabo - Coral reef. Located 170 km northeast of Rio; visibility = 3-15 meters. We did good dives with Édson, cel phone (21) 8817-9426 (I’m not sure if he speaks English)

9- Angra dos Reis / Ilha Grande – wrecks, coral reef. Located 125 km southwest of Rio plus a 90-minute boat ride; visibility = 5-10 meters. Elite Dive Center is run by a family of two very enthusiastic instructors and one divemaster

7- Bonito - river, cave/technical, also very good for snorkeling. Located 280 km west of Campo Grande. Dive Bonito and Sub Mundo

13- Bombinhas - Coral reef. Located 80 km north of Florianópolis, unfortunately all good dive sites have been closed to divers… :-(
Hy Brazil, Pata da Cobra and Trek & Dive

14- Florianópolis - Coral reef. Sea Divers

Colombia:
- San Andres & Providencia - Caribbean islands a little east of Nicaragua and 772 km northwest of Cartagena, US$260 return flight from Bogota. Providencia is known to have better dives than San Andres. Buzos del Caribe and Scuba San Andres in San Andres, and Felipe Cabezas in Providencia

- Taganga beach / Tayrona National Park – near Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast. Poseidon Dive Center and Buceo Tayrona

- Gorgona Island – 46 km from Guapi, or 8-12 hours by boat from Buenaventura on the Pacific coast. Centro de Buceo Asturias cost around US$300 for the weekend (5 or 6 dives, food and basic facilities included)

- Malpelo Island - 506 km west of Buenaventura on the Pacific coast. You must join a very expensive cruise to get there

Venezuela:
- Los Roques Archipelago - coral reef. It’s the oldest and largest National Marine Reserve in the Caribbean with over 300 small islands. It’s 168 km north of La Guaira, or 30-minute flight from Caracas twice per day with Aerotuy, Sol de America and Rutaca, approx. US$45 one way; visibility = 12-30 meters. EcoBuzos

Important: Please post on the forum how you did on your dives, so that travelers seeking advice here on the TT can have further feedback.

Apollo

47

Fake Police man and other scams

A rerun of common scams in Bolivia

This is not meant to scare people away from Bolivia – it is a magnificent country with gorgeous landscape, endless possibilities of adventure, ancient cultures and traditions and great people, but like in any other country there are some rotten apples. If I had the chance I would be back “home” in La Paz in a second and I would recommend anyone else going there. To be informed about the common scams reduces the risk that anything happens to you drastically. These scams are all out there but it is not as if one gets constantly attacked by scam artists. The vast majority of Bolivians are hard working and very honest people. Use common sense, be cautious, know about the scams and you will most likely have a wonderful trip thru this exciting country. The mentioned precautions are useful in lots of other countries in SA (don´t share taxis etc)

Some general precautions

1. get a good rest after you arrive in Bolivia after a long flight – scam artists can almost smell it when some one is drowsy and new in town
2. Even if you get lost act as if you know exactly what you are doing – nothing sticks more out than a gringo with a big Lonely Planet book in his hand and a confused look (rip out or copy the pages in your travel book with maps)
3. don´t put anything of value in your backpack or day pack
4. keep your day pack during bus rides always next to you, don´t put it under your seat or in the compartment above your head
5. keep a close eye on your stuff in public and esp. in bus terminals
6. be very careful with whom you party, don´t get drunk alone
7. A certain amount of distrust never hurts – especially in the Bolivian highlands the society is very reserved and conservative (even more so the indigenous part of the population) – it is absolutely not normal that someone starts a chitchat out of the blue with you without any obvious reasons or is overly friendly and open – in most such cases a scam is involved or the guy is drunk (or in the best case someone tries to missionate you..)– ditch him /her – Bolivians are very friendly people if you get to know them closer, but it takes a while till the ice is broken
8. Be always aware what´s going on around you - and esp. behind you
9. and leave the “backpacker clothes” in “screamy colors” like orange, yellow etc at home – anyone can spot you in 200 m distance out of the crowd and prepare for your arrival.

A. Fake policeman:

This is an absolute Bolivian and Peruvian classic, there are several variations.

That´s how the different trick works

1.

You walk along the street, some guy claiming to be an Argentine, Peruvian etc tourist with a map in his hand stops you and asks you for direction and as a nice person you try to help him out. Within a second another guy in civil clothes comes around the corner shows you some kind of badge and claims to be civil police, from the immigration, drug force etc. He orders you and the “tourist” to show him your passports, credit cards, money etc - the “tourist” (= his friend) will follow instantly these orders and will assure you that this is completely normal in South America. Should you hand over your credit card, wallet etc, then:

a) he will tell you that the credit card is stolen and asks you to hand over the pin number for further investigation – if you do – he turns around on his heels and runs as fast as possible to the next ATM – ciao money or
b) they look thru your wallet in search for “fake” money and take out everything which is in your wallet so fast you won´t recognize it, hand it back to you and run

these are the most harmless (still costly) variations

c) is way more severe: he will just have a look at the credit card, passport, money and will tell you that they are stolen or fake – the next second a taxi comes around the corner and he urges you to get in to drive to the next police station – if you get in they drive you to a remote area and strip you till your underwear or worse

2.
A variation of this trick is, that one of the criminals befriends you already on the bus to be more convincing.

3.
At bus terminals or bus stops also this might happen:

You befriend someone on the bus or getting off the bus and surprisingly they want to go in the same direction as you or want to help out a foreigner to get a safe taxi.

They organize or stop a taxi for you or tell you that you could share a taxi with their sister, friend etc – you get in, they stop at the next corner and a fake policeman or even worse a couple guys jump in – and then start praying….

Or you pick just the wrong taxi and at the next corner he stops for his buddies

4.
As the shocking case of the Austrian couple shows gangs got more brutal and more organized – some of them dress up in full police uniform now, check you when getting of a bus and urge you to get into a taxi to drive to the “police station” or one is jumping in full uniform into your taxi leading the taxi to a place other buddies of him are already waiting for you.

Once and for all

There is NO civil police or tourist/immigration/drug police or customs officers in civil clothes in Bolivia which would deal with foreign tourists. The civil police deals exclusively with organized crime and has strict orders to not bother tourists

In the last year gangs started to dress up as police officers (one can buy the uniforms in the market) – Bolivian police almost NEVER bothers with tourists – passport or luggage checks are extremely rare, the only place they (very rarely) occur are drug check points on the road down to the Yungas/Chapare.

Bolivian police officers would never jump in to your taxi to check your passport, they would never ask to see your money, credit card (+ pin number) or search your backpack on the street. They would never ask you to get in a taxi to drive to a “police station”
In two years in Bolivia I didn´t get checked once for my passport, and I don´t know anyone else who get checked by the police for documents – while I met a good share of people who ran into a fake policeman. So in case of such a “check” there is a very very high risk that you stand in front of a fake policeman.

If it´s plain clothes guys in the street:

- don´t stop for such a “map” guy, ditch him
- don´t cooperate with such a “civil police man” AT ALL, don´t get in a conversation, don´t show anything, no passport, no ID, nothing
- ignore him or act as if you don´t understand one word, smile and walk on
- in the rare case he should get physical scream as loud as possible for help (auxilio)
- if he meets you in a less populated street – get out of there
- NEVER EVER get in a taxi, don´t even think about it
- If you don´t do anything he says – chances are extremely high, that he will walk on in search for an easier target

At bus terminals/bus stops

- never ever get in a taxi someone else stopped or organized for you
- never get in a taxi someone else is already sitting in there
- never share a taxi with a person you just met on the bus or in the terminal
- lock the doors after you are in
- Pick exclusively radio taxis of reputable agencies
reputable firm in La Paz are: Radio Gold, El Gauchito, Achumani or one of the Zona Sur firms which have green signs on their roofs, such as Movil del Sur or Sureño (there are several) – they all have the company name and telephone number painted on the car doors and a working radio inside – cars are normally in good shape (unlike unlicensed ones)

Avoid cabs which don't have an illuminated roof sign, or have one which simply says "taxi" and just a paper sign with “taxi” written on it behind the windshield ( they are colectivo taxis picking up other passengers along the way), or are from a firm you don't recognize, as scam artists set up fake "radio taxis" too.
Always sit in the back seat, NEVER in the front seat (so no one can attack you from behind)
- avoid driving home in a taxi alone and wasted (ESPECIALLY as a woman)
- Avoid if possible to arrive at nightfall or later in a bigger city

Worst case: guys dressed up like policeman

Again, the chance to get checked by the real police in Bolivia is extremely slim,

If a “police officer” jumps in your taxi, wants to see money or credit cards,
or wants to get you in a taxi it is to 99,9% certain that he is a criminal and not a
policeman

- Forget about everything you have learned at home about following strictly the
orders of anyone in a uniform or showing a badge.
- Insist on doing exactly what you think is the safest for you, don´t let them tell you
what you should do
- I wouldn´t let me convince by a Police ID – anyone can fake that stuff and who
really knows how such a thing looks like anyways
- Best is to act as if you don´t understand one word, smile and walk your way and get in the next bus, that´s what they expect most likely the least and what keeps you out of trouble the easiest way – keep smiling and smiling and get out of there
- If you have to get in an argument, don´t be humble, don´t let them intimidate you
- if such an “officer” jumps in your taxi, get out , make the driver stop right away, don´t wait till they reached deserted streets, open the door no matter if the car is moving, scream as loud as possible for help (auxilio)
- if he wants to get you into a taxi, refuse it, don´t cooperate at all
- argue in a loud voice with him, so that anyone passing by can hear it – if he is a crook, the last thing he wants is too much attention
- if he insists on the control and you can´t ditch him ask for help at restaurants, shops, bus agencies whatever (and better ask at several, not to be set up by a buddy of him)
- watch for the body language of the asked – Bolivians aren´t the best lyers (should it be a friend) or they often warn you not openly but with a wink (fear of reprisals)
- the more attention you can get from passing byers, the better – the more likely he will drop any “investigation” very quickly – lynch mobs did nasty things to robbers in the past
- If he still insists insist on walking to the police station, always use very populated streets – but agree on this just if you really tried everything to get rid of this guy, don´t agree on it the first minute ( I would argue in front of a quickly growing crowd for 20 minutes if it´s necessary) – be firm and confident in the argument, no need for the nasty swear words
- Make sure that it is really a police station (ask around)
- Even in the police station don´t let anyone disappear with your documents out of sight – sometimes they just lead you to a real station, collect your documents, credit card and disappear thru the back door
- Should you fear the minor chance of pissing off a real police officer – what´s worse: minor trouble with the police (solved with a 50 Bol bill in the worst case) or getting robbed/killed – and as they don´t do anything against fake policemen, they really aren´t in the position to be too upset anyways – a hint about your (imaginary) friend working for the embassy XY goes a long way….
- Explain the “police officer” your fear of “fake policeman” if you can´t get rid of him– if he insists on the control or the taxi ride, this is a 1000% proof that he is not a real guy
- Arrive if possible during bright daylight in any bigger city – if the streets are dark and deserted, and little traffic is moving you are in a way bigger danger, than in plain afternoon when hundreds of people are around you

Fake policemen roam the streets esp. in areas with lots of tourists and travelers (they also prey on Bolivians, not just Western tourists) – so be extra careful in and around bus terminals/bus stopps – in La Paz besides that around Plaza Murillo/Calle Sagarnaga/Plaza San Francisco.

This trick is common in any bigger city in Bolivia (Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Oruro, Potosi) and also in Peru (some posts in the past reported fake “immigration” officers doing hotel checks and robbing guests)

Most dangerous area in La Paz is the Cementerio area! Be extremely careful there

All busses from Copacabana/Desaguadero/Sorata/Charazani/Pelechuco start and end there.
The murdered Austrian couple got kidnapped there after arriving in the dark from Copacabana

to be on the safe side - arrive during bright daylight in the Cementerio region - as it takes the minibusses 4 - 4 1/2 hrs to La Paz from Copacabana, you should leave Copa not later than midday - you will come back later from Isla del Sol to Copa than that, so think about an extra night in Copa and an early bus to LP - if heading to Copa or Desaguadero or Sorata - don´t head to Cementerio before sunrise

From the Cementario area, take a public micro (ex-US/Canadian school bus) or colectivo (minibus), to the city centre. They have handmade signs in the windscreen: look for Prado, Camacho, (La) Perez and (Plaza) San Francisco destinations, all of which will deliver you in or near to the main backpacker area centred on Calle Sagarnaga. Fares are dirt cheap, Bs1 – 1,50 (about 12 - 18 US cents) . Watch your belongings on crowded services, however, for petty (but never violent) theft, which is not common but can happen. An alternative, in daylight when the streets are full and depending on how much gear you've got, is to head downhill on foot towards the Prado (central thoroughfare). Given that the city is in a canyon, all downhill streets in central La Paz will get you to the Prado, but stick to the crowded ones

If you opt for a taxi – don´t get in one the taxis waiting at the bus stop, walk the 50 m to the main road and pick a Radio! Taxi out of the flowing traffic

B. Lost money bundle/ purse etc trick

Another classic + variation of fake policeman scam

Someone is walking in front of you and loses a big bundle of money, a wallet.
You pick it up, another person (male/female) tells you right away that he /she has seen it first – but that he would share it with you. But it would be better to do the transaction in some quieter street or corner. You follow him to share the money – within a second a fake policeman comes around the corner and accuses you of having stolen the money or having fake money in your wallet – he checks your wallet and takes a deep dip in your real money and gone he is or a taxi comes around the corner (see above)

Don´t react when someone loses money, wallet, credit card etc in front of you, walk on and you´ll be fine

C. Ketchup, mustard etc trick

Someone spills ketchup etc on your clothes and tries to help you cleaning – while emptying your pockets.
Refuse any help !
(a guy ruined like this the 600 US $ suit of my ex-boss and got almost rammed in the ground…)

D. Spit trick

Someone spits in your face (could be anyone – kids, grandmas etc), you raise your hands and they empty your pockets – esp. dangerous when you just took out money from an ATM (in La Paz: don´t use ATMs in the area Sagarnaga/San Francisco, upper Prado)

E. Luggage in trunk of taxi

If you have your luggage in the taxi – wait till the driver has turned off the motor and stepped out of the car to open the trunk. If you get out and the motor is still running the driver might be tempted to just drive off with your stuff

48

Hello All

Just adding a link to a post in the forum which I made after I returned from 6 months in SA. Hopefully it is helpful to someone planning their trip....

My itinerary and tips

Cheers

Sarah

49

2 more things for the fake policeman/ danger in Cementerio area

1. when you allow the "policeman" to search your luggage, he might act as if he found drugs and direct you to a FAKE police station, where they force you to hand over your credit card and/or worse - follow the advice above (49) - NO real policeman does such a search

2. another form of robbery or kidnapping are fake minibusses

gangs operating with fake minibusses did this until recently almost exclusively in poorer neighbourhodsduring the late night hours preying on locals, now they seem to prey also on tourists.

In the Cementerio region:

- DON´t buy any tickets from someone on the street (esp. if it´s cheaper than the normal fare) - exclusively buy the tickets in the offices of the various bus agencies

- there are NO minibusses heading to Sorata, just normal busses - if someone approaches you selling tickets for such a "minibus" = red alert

- don´t get in unmarked minibusses

- minibusses leave when (almost) full, it´s more than suspicious if they take off with just a couple people in it

50

for the route Copacabana - La Paz:

it is safer to go in one of the tourist mini busses, which leave Copacabana around midday as they dropp you off right in front of hostals like Galeria or Roaria in the town center, instead of in the Cementerio region. They cost 1 Euro more, but are worth the money

If you opt for public transport, it is safer to chose one of the bigger busses (30-40 seaters) than minibusses (15 seater), as several cases of kidnappings have happened in the past.

One trick was to drive you to a fake police station in El Alto - scream for help (auxilio) as loud as possible, refuse (if possible) to enter any building

51

For those people interested in volunteering in South America, there is a
directory of free and low-cost volunteer opportunities here: www.volunteersouthamerica.net

Steve McElhinney

52

Prepare yourself for travelling to high elevations Basic Concepts

At high elevations, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere, percentage-wise, is the same as at sea level. But when barometric pressures diminish, so does the pressure of oxygen present in tissues (thereby causing Hypoxia)

53

New budget airlines in Brazil:

WebJet

OceanAir

Some routes are cheaper than a bus ticket :-)

54

Flights between South America and Africa:

South African Airways between São Paulo and Johannesburg (SA206 daily at 17:25)

Malaysia Airlines between Buenos Aires and Cape Town (MH202 Wednesdays and Sundays at 20:20)

TAAG – Linhas Aéreas de Angola between Rio and Luanda (DT742 Thursdays and Sundays at 20:00)

TACV - Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde between Fortaleza and Ilha do Sal (VR661 Mondays and Thursdays at 21:05)

55

BUS TRIPS WITHIN BRAZIL:

RIO DE JANEIRO- FOZ DO IGUAÇU: Kaiowa - USD 73,00
Pluma - USD 72,00
aprox. 24-hour trip

SAO PAULO - FOZ DO IGUAÇU: Kaiowa - USD 54,00
Pluma - USD 52,00
aprox. 16-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - SALVADOR: Itapemirim and Aguia Branca - USD 93.00
aprox. 27-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - CAMPO GRANDE - Andorinha - USD 65,00
aprox. 21-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - FORTALEZA - Penha - USD 126,00
aprox. 44-hour trip

SÃO PAULO - FORTALEZA: Penha and Itapemirim - USD 138,00
aprox. 52-hour trip

SALVADOR - FORTALEZA: Itapemirim - USD 67,00
aprox. 21-hour trip

FORTALEZA - BELEM: Guanabara - USD 66,00
Itapemirim - USD 68,00
aprox. 30-hour trip

FORTALEZA - RECIFE: Guanabara - USD 32,00
aprox. 12-hour trip

SALVADOR - RECIFE: Itapemirim - USD 40,00
aprox. 14-hour trip

SAO LUIS - FORTALEZA: Guanabara - USD 44,00
aprox. 18-hour trip

SAO PAULO - PORTO VELHO: Nacional Expresso - USD 92,00
aprox. 49-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - BELEM: Itapemirim - USD 150,00
Transbrasiliana - USD 142,00
aprox. 55-hour trip

SAO PAULO - BELEM: Itapemirim and Transbrasiliana - USD 146,00
aprox. 52-hour trip

FOZ DO IGUAÇU - RECIFE: Itapemirim (only saturdays) - USD 169,00
aprox. 60-hour trip

FOZ DO IGUAÇU - SALVADOR: Gontijo (only wednesdays) - USD 142,00
aprox. 45-hour trip

SAO PAULO - RIO DE JANEIRO: Itapemirim - USD 28,00
Auto Viação 1001 - USD 30,00 - 36,00
Expresso do Sul - USD 25,00 - 36,00
aprox. 6-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - FLORIANÓPOLIS: Itapemirim - USD 70,00
aprox. 18-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - SAO PAULO: Catarinense - USD 35,00 - 43,00
Auto Viação 1001 - USD 36,00 - 56,00
aprox. 11-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - FOZ DO IGUAÇU: Catarinense - USD 48,00
Pluma - USD 46,00
aprox. 17-hour trip

SAO PAULO - PARATY: Reunidas Paulista - USD 16,00
aprox. 6-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - PARATY: Costa Verde - USD 18,00
aprox. 4-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - BRASILIA : Itapemirim and Util - USD 58,00 - 68,00
aprox. 18-hour trip

SAO PAULO - BRASILIA : Real Expresso and Rapido Federal - USD 53,00
aprox. 14-hour trip

BRASILIA - SALVADOR: Real Expresso and Rapido Federal- USD 71,00
aprox. 23-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - CAMPO GRANDE: Unesul - USD 65,00
aprox. 25-houyr trip

BRASILIA - BELEM: Transbrasiliana and Marajó - USD 104,00
aprox. 36-hour trip

CURITIBA - SAO PAULO - Itapemirim and Cometa - USD 21.00 - 29.00
aprox. 6-hour trip

CURITIBA - RIO DE JANEIRO: Penha - USD 43.00 - 60.00
aprox. 12-hour trip

CURITIBA - BRASÍLIA: Itapemirim, Penha and Real Expresso - USD 66.00
aprox. 22 hour trip

CURITIBA - FLORIANÓPOLIS - Catarinense and Expresso do Sul - USD 16.00 - 20.00
aprox. 5-hour trip

SAO PAULO - GUARAPARI - Itapemirim - USD 50.00 - 53.00
aprox. 13-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - GUARAPARI - Itapemirim - USD 26.00 - 29.00
aprox. 7-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - VITORIA: Itapemirim - USD 35
aprox. 8 hours

FOZ DO IGUAÇU - RECIFE: Itapemirim (only saturdays) - USD 169,00
aprox. 60-hour trip

FOZ DO IGUAÇU - SALVADOR: Gontijo (only wednesdays) - USD 142,00
aprox. 45-hour trip

SAO PAULO - RIO DE JANEIRO: Itapemirim - USD 28,00
Auto Viação 1001 - USD 30,00 - 36,00
Expresso do Sul - USD 25,00 - 36,00
aprox. 6-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - FLORIANÓPOLIS: Itapemirim - USD 70,00
aprox. 18-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - SAO PAULO: Catarinense - USD 35,00 - 43,00
Auto Viação 1001 - USD 36,00 - 56,00
aprox. 11-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - FOZ DO IGUAÇU: Catarinense - USD 48,00
Pluma - USD 46,00
aprox. 17-hour trip

SAO PAULO - PARATY: Reunidas Paulista - USD 16,00
aprox. 6-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - PARATY: Costa Verde - USD 18,00
aprox. 4-hour trip

RIO DE JANEIRO - BRASILIA : Itapemirim and Util - USD 58,00 - 68,00
aprox. 18-hour trip

SAO PAULO - BRASILIA : Real Expresso and Rapido Federal - USD 53,00
aprox. 14-hour trip

BRASILIA - SALVADOR: Real Expresso and Rapido Federal- USD 71,00
aprox. 23-hour trip

FLORIANOPOLIS - CAMPO GRANDE: Unesul - USD 65,00
aprox. 25-hour trip

BRASILIA - BELEM: Transbrasiliana and Marajó - USD 104,00
aprox. 36-hour trip

RECIFE – NATAL: Viação Progresso – USD 15,00 – 18,00
Aprox. 4 hrs 30 min.

SAO PAULO – SALVADOR: São Geraldo – USD 85,00
Aprox. 36 hours

RIO DE JANEIRO - OURO PRETO: Util – USD 24,00 – 38,00
aprox. 6 hours

SALVADOR - BELEM: Itapemirim - USD 103,00
aprox. 33 hours

56

Colombia - Travel tips for you

Since many threads helped us to organize our trip to Colombia we want to give some information back to all of you.

Taxis in Bogota

Easy now, since all have meters and a tariff table inside. You just read the number on the meter, grab the table and search for the COP value that corresponds to the number.

Changing money in Bogota

For some reason many tourists seemed to go to only one bank at the airport. However there are several banks and the exchange rates vary quite considerably. At one bank they would give us 2.775 COP for one 1 €, we changed for 2.950 COP/€ (cash, no comission). It is worth shopping around.
If you travel with a Colombian, let him change the money for you by presenting his cedula. At some banks/casas de cambio he will receive a better rate or does not have to pay comission.
Don’t even bother bringing traveller checks. Rather take a bank debit card (Maestro) with you. There are numerous ATM’s throughout the country – mainly in bigger cities.

Bogota Airport tax for international flights

At present it is 31 USD. Before you check in, get to the booth were they check whether you may receive a tax exemption. This is usually the case when you are a non-Colombian or Colombian with residency abroad. In that case you will receive a separate sheet which you have to present at the airline check-in counter.
In the past as a foreign national you did have to pay less tax. Thus we assumed we still have to pay something, but:
It also seems to depend on whether the tax is already included in your ticket. Air France told us we did not have to pay at all!

Bogota to San Agustin

A fast way to get to San Agustin is to take the Taxis Verdes from Bogota’s bus terminal.
They leave at 3 am, get you to San Agustin at around 9-10 am and are direct.
Cost: 40.000 COP/person
Once there, there are numerous options to stay in town. If you can fork out a bit more money definetely stay at the Hacienda Anacaona – absolutely fantastic and Hector, the administrator, is a great guy. We paid 25.000 COP/person a night. To get there, take a collectivo that says “ La Cuchilla” and get off at El Cruce (800 COP) or, if it continues to La Cuchilla, get off right at the entrance of the hacienda (1.000 COP). The only drawback is, that the last collectivo from town to the hacienda leaves between 6 and 7 pm – otherwise it is a good 45 min walk.
Stay at least three days in San Agustin. There are three standard routes: 1 day Parque Arqueologico (do it by yourselve). 1 day horse riding (16.000 COP/person) to El Tablon, La Chaquira, La Pelota and El Purutal (this last one is fantastic, because here you see the only surviving two painted statues) and finally 1 day Jeep tour including El Estrecho del rio Magdalena, Obando (tombs and a restaurant, where they hold and roast cuys or curies = guinea pigs), Alto de los Idolos, Alto de las piedras, Salto de Bordones and Salto del Mortiño.

San Agustin to Tierradentro

Yes, you can go from San Agustin to Pitalito and change buses there. But most people will tell you to go straight to Garzon, so this is what we did:
•Take Taxis Verdes at 7 am to Garzon (12.000 COP/person), where you will arrive at around 9 am.
•Take a taxi Garzon to La Plata (10.000 COP/person), you arrive at approx. 11:30 am
•In La Plata take the pick-up collectivo (7.000 COP/person) at 1 pm to Inza and get off at Tierradentro = San Andres de Pisimbala, where you will arrive at around 3 pm. Since most hospedajes are located near the park/museum entrance, make sure to get off there and not 2 km uphill in San Andres de Pisimbala.

We stayed at Hospedaje Pisimbala for 10.000 COP/person. The nice lady who owns the hospedaje reserved two seats inside the pick-up collectivo for our way back. Otherwise you end up in the back and probably without a seat. The road towards La Plata is quite rough and will stay so until the stretch from La Plata until Valencia gets paved (which is planned).
Make sure you see the nice thatched church in San Andres.

Tierradentro to Bogota

Take the 4 pm collectivo from Tierradentro to La Plata and kill your time. Then take the Cootranshuila a/c bus at 9:30 pm or the Coomotors a/c bus at 9 pm to Bogota where you will arrive between 5-6 am the next day. Bring warm clothes (as usual), it is a fridge on wheels. The bus ride will set you back by 35.000 COP/person.

Santa Marta – Taganga – Parque Tayrona

A taxi from Santa Marta airport to Taganga costs 25.000 COP. La Casa de Felipe is the place to stay in Taganga (although we did not see other hospedajes). Do not take their published room rates on the internet for granted – negotiate. You get a discount if you have the hostelling international card.
Between Taganga and Santa Marta there are numerous collectivos (800 COP).
A daytrip to the Quebrada Valencia (a waterfall) is worthwile. You can swim in the pool and the walk from the main road to the waterfall is pleasant. But take loads of mossie repellent with you. To get there, take above mentioned collectivo to El Mercado in Santa Marta and change for the bus going to Palomino/Riohacha. It is actually the same bus that takes you to the main entrance of Parque Tayrona (bus ride = 3.400 COP), but you pass the entrance and continue for a while until you get off on the main road – at the entrance to the Quebrada.
There are two ways of getting to the Parque Tayrona. One is overland as described above to El Zaino. At the entrance, foreigners pay 21.000 COP and Colombians 7.600 COP. If you have bad luck, the entrance staff asks you for a yellow fever certificate. We were not asked but if you have it, take it with you. Since it is no requirement to get into the country, you will be waived through in most cases if you cannot present it. Besides most Colombians do not get a yellow fever shot anyway...
From the entrance, vans will get you to Cañaveral (1.500 COP) from where you can walk to the Ecohabs or further to Arrecifes, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan.
If you only plan a day trip to the Parque (not staying overnight), make sure you start early. It is not really recommendable though, because once you walked until La Piscina, you will have not much time to get to Cabo San Juan, walk all the way back to Cañaveral and catch the last van to the park entrance (around 5 pm).
The other way to get to Parque Tayrona is to take boats from Taganga directly to various beaches outside and inside the Parque. They take you to Bahia Concha, Bahia Neguanje, Playa Cristal (gorgeous!!) and Cabo San Juan. The boat ride from Taganga to these places can get quite rough, it is usually quieter on the way back. We paid 22.500 COP/person return to Playa Cristal. At present, by getting into Parque Tayrona by boat, you do not need to pay the park entrance fee.
Make sure to switch to a fish diet while you are in Taganga and around – you cannot get in fresher and cheaper. Most common fish are: pargo rojo, pargo loro, robalo, sierra, cojinoa, bonito, mero, dorado.

Enjoy your trip to this beautiful country with its smiling people!

57

Hi,
regarding guide books I heard this one below is really good. Are government tourist offices a good source of information? do they have free maps and other information? what is the best method of finding reputable tour guides in the cities?

I have found the government tourist offices in Europe were very helpful but in India they just want to sell you tours and did not offer city maps or anything of real use.

South American Handbook
First printed in 1923, the $40 South American Handbook is revised yearly. Much information is supplied by readers sending updates, and some is always a few years out of date, but "the Handbook" (as it is universally known by South American travelers) more than compensates with 1500 thin pages of small print in a surprisingly compact format. Published by Trade and Travel Publications, Bath, England, and in the U.S. by Passport Books, Lincolnwood, Illinois.

http://www.artoftravel.com/11guides.htm

58

Weather in Bolivia:
The National Meteorological Service (SENAHMI) now has a page of weather information covering the main tourist areas (including Uyuni) at http://www.senamhi.gov.bo/turismo/index.php

59

A good source of information is: www.planeta.com