24 yo male needs help with 21 day itinerary por favor;

Hello everyone;

Aim of trip;
balancing partying with memorable sight seeing

Itinerary (rough)
7th july - 11th = Buenos Aires
11 - 13 = Iguazu Falls
13-16 = Rio de Janeiro
16-18=Salvador
18-27 = NOT SURE WHAT TO DO (e.g. macchu picchu in peru, amazon in brazil)
27th july - santiago de chile back to australia

Specific questions;
is this itinerary realisitic?
is it worth visiting salvador &/or rio amazon in brazil?
what are some other places to see in peru (aside from macchu pichu)?
given my restricted time frame, is it better to purchase internal flight tickets in australia or once i'm in SA?

Muchas Gracias

ali

I recommend a few days in Santiago de Chile. It is one of my favorite cities.

from the 18th, you could also go to Northern Chile to see the desert.

Yes your itinerary is realistic.
Yes it is worth visiting Salvador. Its not on the same level as Rio or B. Aires but quite worthwhile for a few days. And good for your goal of partying with lots of music venues in the Pelourinho.

To get to Manaus from Salvador you will have to spend a fair bit on a flight in and out. The Jungle is OK, but due to the lack of animals that you will see, it is reasonable in my opinion to skip it. For me a visit to the Pantanal and Bonito is more interesting (1 week required in this area). Another place you might like to consider for 3 days is Ouro Preto, a spectacular colonial city in the mountains 8 hrs by bus from Rio, or 3hrs from Belo Horizonte.

In Peru, other interesting places are Arequipa, Nazca, Ica, and Ballestas islands, and Cuzco and environs itself. Also the reed islands on Titicaca are worth a look for a morning (out of Puno).

You should be OK buying internal tickets when you are in SA and this will give you flexibility on how long you want to stay in each place.
The downsides to buying in SA are the time used up in hunting down travel agents and buying tickets, and the later you buy tickets the more you will pay in general.

Personally I would skip Peru and stay in Brazil while you are still there.

hey Ali
im going to Rio for 2 weeks from 14 July
'Cos of the pan-am games I got told getting flight tickets
"on the day" may be a no no. so I might spend a few days in
Rio & a few days in Paraty
If I can get flights then Salvador instead of Paraty
Im gutted theyll be no soccer at the Maracana - just athletics !
good luck
Roger

you have 9 spare days, that would be enough to visit the Galapagos.

If you are planning on 'partying', then the best night for music in Salvador is usally Tuesday, there's quite a bit on usually, although winter here is a bit off peak. Salvador is a fantastic city, I'm biased, I live here but ultimately only you will be able to determine whether it was worth it. To really get he most out of it you want more than two days but I suppose if time is tight. Of course if you never go, you never know. By the way learning a little bit of portuguese won't hurt you, in fact it will make for a much better time here. Oh and I woiuld second a stop off in Santiago. Chilenos are incredibly polite and hospitable folk and Santiago is a good city. Do take a jacket, it's rather chilly in winter.

Boa sorte!

Well the one thing I can really help you with is that YES it is worth visiting Salvador. It is an amazing city, much underestimated in the guide books. Its a shame youre not here at the moment because were celebrating Sao Juao. The Bahia is amazing. The Pelourinho is a great place to go if you want to hear some great music and you will be in with a good chance of seeing some capoeira. In all honesty no - I dont think its realistic but that might just be because I am in love with Salvador and never want to leave and four months isnt enough for me. Feel free to ask for more details I cant sing the cities praises enough in one message. o pai o - voce vai adorar a Bahia!!!!