2 Months - Peru, Bolivia and Buenos Aires! Logistics Help, Please?

Choosing a country to post to

When you make a post and choose a country from the drop down menu, your post will be added to that country but will also display in the general South America branch. If your post covers more than one country, please only add it to the country it is mostly about, not to all the countries - it won't increase the number of replies you get and will mean your post will appear multiple times in the South America branch. Thanks a lot.

Unfortunately, sunshineboy, since you replied to each of the three posts I am not able to delete them since they can only be deleted if there is no reply.

I haven't found a moderator online to remove the duplicates so if a moderator reads this one, please delete it and the one on the Argentina forum so the only one that remains is the one on the Peru forum.

Again, my apologies...

1. I would start in Lima - in December it might pour for days in Bolivia/Peru - no fun if you do not see the Andes

2. cannot think of a festival in Bolivia - except if you rank road blockades and marchas and paros as local festivals - you will have a good chance of participating in these parties....

3. travelled 2 years all over Bolivia - my backpack didn't get stolen - would n't worry too much, do not put anyhting of value in the backpack - more dangerous is to put your daybag in the rack above your head in the bus or under the seat - might be empty / gone when you check on it a while later

4. hostals normally have plenty of blankets - they rent sleeping bags for tours like Salar de Uyuni - no idea if they are warm or clean ( had my own)

5. You cannot just visit Laguna Verde and Laguna Colorado on your own - all Salar Tours starting from Uyuni or Tupiza wil cross the Sala r at the beginning/ end of the tour- I have not been at Salinas Grandes , but from other posters I heard numerous times that the Argentinean and Chilean salt lakes are no match in beauty to the Salar de Uyuni - it is the largest salt lake in the world

6. Which is the best; Tambopata National Reserve, Manu National Park or Parque National Madidi?

haven't been to Tambopata/Manu - so cannot help you

1. In my opinion Lima is a dump - don 't spend more time there than necessary (1 night) - I loved Arequipa - definitely touristy but not as bad as Cuzco

to your itinerary:

I would include a night in the oasis of Huacachina (Ica)

For Bolivia:

La Paz - go up to Chacaltaya - do not miss the markets - be very careful when you arrive/leave in the Cementerio region from/to Copacabana - do a search for fake policemen on this forum (also an issue in Peru)
Tarija - would skip it - go straight from Villazon to Tupiza
Sucre - add Potosi - do a mine tour
Sorata
Cochabamba - would skip it - not really too interesting as a city
Tupiza/Salar de Uyuni/Laguna Verde/Laguna Colorada - awesome
Lake Titicaca - stay overnight on Isla del Sol
Samaipata - would skip it - no too spectacular and way too farout of the way

I would add:

the Yungas - go to Coroico or Chulumani - incredible scenery (sorata is in the Yungas , but its surrounding is dry - no cloud forest like around the other two cities)

My all time favorite: Sajama National Park - great place to get a feel for the magic of the Andes!!!

Keimbeggra has given some good advice. In two months you will be too harried and frustrated on South American time to vist half your list. THe idea of starting in Lima and ending in EZE is a good one, but pare your list of places by balf at least. Maybe allocate say $400.oo for flights and pan on Nodes to operate from. You have a large "to visit" lsit, I would also add to your thoughts of judiciously flying between some cities as flights are not really that expensive in S.A. and with some flights you will add some days to your sojourn. La Paz - Cochabamba $60.oo vs one day or night Bus ride for $2.oo[depending upon the day - if a holiday can be $25.oo]. One flight I would highly reccomend for instance as an experience in itself is the AeriSur flight from Cochabamba to Uyuni, this is a venerable DC-3 done up 1930's style including Pilot and Stewardess uniforms. It flys low, unpressurized and so you see lots enroute including other Salt Lakes. Saves a day on Bus or train [from Oruro] [ donot and I repeat donot miss the experience of the Salar, reason in itself to visit South America]
Suggest Lima 3 days - good Museums and Churches
Cuzco - Machu Picchu - 3 days minimun to see and visit Machu Picchu
Day of the Dead in South America is, altho celebrated, is not near what it is in Mexico. You will find in Peru and Bolivia important "Do Not Miss" at the summer solstice about December 23rd. Cuzco and Tichannaco particularily. Search out before you travel and this might be you decision maker to start or finish in EZE. These are mainly non-tourist events with great importance dating back a millenium. You may also find a donot miss at Cuzco on New Years eve, I soent the Millenium New Years eve there and they had "5,000 actors" re-enact history since the craetion of earth then [entrance fee was if I remeber $50.oo and was attended by about 100,000 people It was memorable to say the least!
Beware of some of the Charlatan Medicine people in your travels of Peru and Bolivia. There are real ones, the Charlatans do no harm but it is $$ for a show experience only.
Bolivia, Peru and Argentina are safer overall than the U.S.A., but you can get yourself in trouble if you go to the "rough" sections of any city as in American cities. I have been coming to Peru / Bolivia 50% of my time for the past 15 years and I have yet to have a bad expeience.
Strikes, and Blockades etc. may delay your stays in different places so plan accordingly, they are inconvenienes, but?
Rapes and murders are pretty much non-existent unless you get mixed up with the white powder.

sorry Schmuck, but I disagree with your last paragraph -I lived in Bolivian and the US - and travelled through Peru and Argentina - so guess I can compare it.

Murders have happened in the past to "normal" tourists (without being related to drugs) in all of these three countries, so have rapes (a robber put a gun against my wife's head and threatened to kill her when our hostal got stormed by 6 guys in BA..) - nothing happened to me in Bolivia or in Peru,but I am well aware that all it would have taken was to get in a "wrong" taxi to be in trouble.

To sum it up - read about the common scams, be especially careful in and around bus terminlas and at night, avoid isolated areas alone, don't get drunk/stoned with people you don't know when you have a long way home to your safe room = use your common sense and you have a very high chance that nothing happens to you at all - but one has to accept that in all of these countries it takes only to be at the wrong time at the wrong spot to be in serious trouble.

keimbeggra and schmuck, thanks for the great tips and suggestions!

Schmuck, I do plan on flying between destinations as often as possible. I have removed Tarija and Samaipata from my list. I already spent almost a month in Argentina so that will only take about 4-5 days of my trip. leaving 55-56 days for Peru and Bolivia. That leaves 5 days per each location although I will only spend a couple of days in a few of the places so I can spend a week in certain places. Seems feasable to have a nice trip without moving around every other day, doesn't it? I am sure there will be travel delays but I expect that as I have experienced it in many other countries. Comes with traveling so I am always ready with plan "b" and "c."

Cheers!

A comment to # 1, "Choosing a country to post to". About posting in multiple country forums:

Hi Sunshine_boy,
Sorry, but I do not agree with you.
In my opinion it is all right to post the same question or information in two or three country forums, provided you tell about it, as happycamper1 do.
Naturally you cannot post the same question/information in four, five or more country forums.

There may be official rules about this. (The Thorn Tree 'Help' do not mention the subject, but some threads do, more about this below). What counts for me is the purpose of our TT forum: 1. You can get a reply, and rather many replies. 2. Other members/users can read posts of interest.
Re point one:
I doubt that all members who contribute with replies about Bolivia (or an other single South American country) watch the general South America branch.
Re point two:
Looking for (general) information about Bolivia (or an other country), you would look through the Bolivia forum (perhaps the newest 5 - 10 pages). (But of course, when using the TT search function you get answers from more countries).

Sunshine_boy, I have noticed your thread 'Choosing a country to post to' of 04-Jan-2008.
You refer to the 'sticky' thread at the top of the general South America branch. This thread/post 'Choosing a country to post to' is posted by ms_pandyland at 28-Dec-2006, and you quote the text.
But I regard this as a recommendation (recommended 'guidelines') from member to member, not as official instructions. I miss the 'seal of approval', and particularly I miss the discussion. Until now both threads are without replies (except for a wrong-placed post).

With my best regards to you and to Happycamper1, whom you may have frightened a little. (So you had to write "don't worry about it happycamper1").

PS (post scriptum): Apparently the thread in the Peru forum has been deleted. Despite Happycamper1 wrote "... the only one that remains is the one on the Peru forum". I am sorry about that.
Until now the thread in the Argentina forum has had 87 views, and there are 2 replies about travel.
Similarly this thread in the Bolivia forum has had 89 views, and 3 replies about travel.
I cannot see the problem having two (or three) threads.
But I do see the problem that the Peru thread is missing. Happycamper1, if I were you, I would post it again !
And I really see the problem that we have to use time on the form instead of the contents.

This is a travel forum, and it should be a pleasure for all members to use it. Of course in all communities some rules and etiquette are necessary. But live and let live. As told in the Thorn Tree Help, in the part Moderation and General Ground Rules: "Thorn Tree is probably one of the most liberal forums on the web".
(I know that the next sentence starts with a 'but', but it's not my point here).
Cheers !

Thanks for your support, #7! I am also disappointed that my Peru post was deleted. I specifically asked for the other two to be deleted and the Peru one to remain.

Oh well...

I have a long time before I leave so I will repost in another, more acceptable, format when I have questions.

Cheers!

Dear Friend

I have read your message and i would like to help you well i sugest you to star the tour in la paz, then to continue to oruro where you can take the train to travel to Uyuni there you can visit the salt flat and the colors lagoons and return to Uyuni to take the bus to potosi where you can visit the mine site and have a city tour, and continue traveling to sucre where you can visit the city and the dinosours foot prings, yo can travel from sucre to lapaz by bus or by plane, when you arrive to la paz you travel to rurrenabaque where you can enjoy the wild life in the pampas or in the jungle and return to lapaz where you can take a turistic bus to go to copacabana, visit the lake titikaka and continue your travel to puno peru where you can continue to the cusco, if you need extra information or the complete itinerary just write us and we will be glad to help you, also we can help with the hotels in all this cities

Best regards

Jorge Arroyo
jorgejlal@hotmail.com