South America - £1500.......7 weeks...!

• It is very safe in general. Learn a bit of spanish and it will help as well. Chile is very safe, and Peru and Boliva are safe as well. Try to research a bit about where you are going before you arrive, and try to take night buses so you can arrive new places during the day.
  
  - Your route would be pretty nice all and all. If I were you I would go- Satiago -> San Pedro de Atacama -> Arequipa -> Cuzco -> Titicaca -> La Paz -> Uyuni and Salar tour -> Sucre -> Salta -> Buenos Aires -> Iguazu -> Sao Paulo -> Rio. You will be a bit rushed, but you could do it. Perhaps cut out Peru as it is a bit north, but there is plenty to see there. It is a bit expensive due to the high tourist numbers, so Cuzco and Machu Picchu may be out of your price range.
  
  - Public transport varies greatly country to country. Take normal precautions and keep your day packs with you at all times and you will have no problem. Don't worry about putting your bag under/ on the roof of the bus, they are safe there. Keep your passport and money on your person while traveling (NOT IN YOUR PACK). In Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, the buses and roads are great and transit is easy and frequent. Peru is a bit more difficult, with some routes not quite as good as others. Bolivia is a different story. Buses are slow and tough, and the roads are dirt.
  
  - With your budget you probably will not be able to fly, so try to take night buses so you save the cost of a hostel and you won't lose a full day.

Hi there ,

I agree with the earlier post , keep your wits about you and you'll be ok . If you are experienced , you know obvious things like don't get hammered in a bar and leave your wallet and passport on the table with your new friends while you nip to the loo.

Some advice for your girlfriend. I have been living in Lima for 6 months so far , I work here . The world is very different here for women than men . Get her a cheap pretend wedding ring. I recieve a lot less hassles than friends of mine that are not married. Learn a few phrases like estoy casado ( Im married) most men when faced with the stern look get the idea , haven't had too many hassles , but I definetly get more attention when I am on my own rather that with my husband.

PS Carry toilet paper and hand sanitiser at all times , in most areas soap and toilet paper are not a given. Helps keep the tummy bugs at bay .

Enjoy your travels and I hope all goes smoothly and safely for you.

I think you'll feel quite safe in South America, even if you're not together all the time. Transit is mostly quite good (less comfy in Bolivia) and cheap. It caries country to country, but it usually works out to a couple of bucks an hour for long trips. As one responder said, make sure your arrival times are in daylight and with enough time to walk around and get a place to stay. Three weeks isn't much time to see everything. In Chile, Santiago is missable, Valparaiso is charming and la Serena is a nice friendly beach city. They say that San Pedro is a must see, but I've never been there. You can start a trip there that will end at the incredible Salar de Uyuni. It's a 12000 square kilometer dried up salt lake and it's a sight to behold. Then you can take a bus or train to other spots in Bolivia. La Paz and the towns around Lake Titicaca are great, but that's taking you farther from Brazil. If you can squeeze in a trip to Buenos Aires, I would. It's probably my favorite city in the world.
Have fun! I'm excited for you!

Almost forgot! Internal flight are cheap. Usually less than a hundred bucks. Once you cross a border though, the fares will soar.

Guys,

Thanks of the whelms of useful information - this website is great!! Upon further investigation, my girlfriend and I look set to take part in an organised trip from La Paz to Rio with GAP Adventures (see link http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/SXLR). Looking at the departure dates we're going to aim to sign up to the trip leaving on April 24th/May 1st. This then leaves us 24/25 days to get from Santiago to La Paz by ourselves with around £400 as a budget. The comments on here really have eased any inital worries I had about travelling as a couple in South America, but I still have a few other questions.

- With Peru and Machu Picchu so close to La Paz, would we best off leaving northern Chile and get straight to Peru?

- Would an internal flight from Santiago to Lima be a cost effective way of getting there quickly?

- I've heard a few bad stories about crossing into the Bolivian boarder - has anyone ever had any problems?

Thanks again guys, your SO much help!

Regards,

Luke

Yeah, skip northern Chile, there's not much there and you'll waste a lot of time getting off buses, realising its not worth it, then waiting for the next bus!!
Not sure about flight costs, you could get a bus (probably about 35 hours? but really good quality buses with sleeper seats), which would be significantly cheaper than flying. Domestic flights are heaps cheaper that crossing borders, so maybe you could fly Santiago to Arica or Iquique, and then get a bus the rest of the way?
I flew into Bolivia, so cant give too much detail on border crossing. The Chileans and Bolivians are't too fond of each other, though, so it wouldnt surprise me if the border was a bit challenging. As a foreigner i wouldnt worry about getting any trouble though. If the bus goes across it, you'll be fine, might just have your bags searched.