Travel South America

You'll probably get more replies if you post this on the South America branch rather than here..it is not a RTW trip for sure ;-)

Looking at the plan,it seems doable for time,though rushed...you are covering a lot of distance.

Howver your budget estimates look very low to me...from the flights London-Cusco (Can you really get a return in December for £500?And where are you going to fly back to London from?).....to the day to day travel (things like the Inca Trail and Uyuni tours are not cheap,and neither is Patagonia) to Easter Island...both getting there and back,and while you are there.

Thak you, have posted on another branch. I hope I can get cheep flights Booking far far in advance. I have heard that you can travel South America on a shoe string, staying in budget accom, as for TDP I will e camping so that eliminates some costs. Thank you for your advice though.

Uyuni tours are indeed cheap, but the Inca trail and Patagonia in general are not. Easter Island is both expensive and time-consuming. Spending 2 days there will absorb at least four days total, since flying generally takes most of a day no matter how you work it--getting to airports, getting through arrivals and on to your accommodation, etc. etc. etc. . Airfare is going to cost you much more than 500 quid, in part because you're trying to do so much you're going to have to include some internal flights as well. I figure 4 of these at a minimum.

Scale it back considerably and stick to your budget, or go wild but bring a lot more money. Or better yet, scale it back AND bring more money. I'd say you've got time to visit Machu Picchu, the lake, Uyuni, and TDP park provided you plan well, move quickly, and hit a stretch without major road blockades or fuel shortages. Anything additional should be treated as unexpected bonus.

I saw on your other thread you're giving up Antofagasta (NOT a small town, and not particularly interesting in its own right), which is one small step in the right direction. The Mano del Desierto is quite bizarre, but definitely not worth building a trip around--and it's well outside of town anyway. Once you've spent several days crossing the Salar de Uyuni on a tour, you're likely to find the Valley of the Moon unremarkable as well, although worth seeing once you're in the neighborhood. Your question about visiting TDP from Antofagasta indicates that you need to study the map and the airline routes more carefully--that'll be at least a couple of flights plus a bus, shuttle or taxi. Allow a day, per the usual. And the W in a day is perfectly possible if you're fit, organized, and find good weather...but you'll spend at least a half-day on each end getting to and from town, plus more time getting back to Santiago (or wherever). That's basically a full week. Do this if it's worth it to you, but bear in mind you'll be giving something else up to compensate.

Hope that's helpful. You've got a fair bit of research ahead of you, and virtually everyone is going to tell you you're trying to do too much without enough money. Might as well absorb that part and get on with it.

Mark

Way too rushed, I have to say. I'm in South America at the moment, and it takes a long, long time to get to lot of places. Bad roads through the mountains mean that bus trips take much longer than they appear to on a map. Also, you'll need time to acclimatize to the altitude in a lot of places, e.g. a few days in Cusco before the Inca Trail. There are also a lot more really great ruins in Cusco / the Sacred Valley, so it's worth sticking around for longer. Good luck with your travels!

Just reread my post #3. In case there's any doubt, I meant to say "the W in FOUR days is perfectly possible if you're fit, organized and find good weather...."

I'd say drop Patagonia and Easter Island this time around. Spend 3 weeks Cusco-Santiago. you'll save money and be able to enjoy your trip more.