Well, my sister and I backpacked Arica, to Tacna, to Cuzco, to Titicaca, to La Paz, to Arica. in 2 or 3 weeks (I don´t quite remember) and we had a blast. But we skipped Machu Pichu, since Cuzco was so lovely and interesting (the train is outrageously expensive and it takes no less than two days, and if you climb Machu Pichu, you probably won´t be up to much the next days) and we both got altitude sickness at different times (me going to Cuzco and her in La Paz), which can take a few days to blow over and is a special kind of miserable, and might keep you from going anywhere to do anything. San Pedro the Atacama is gorgeous and amazing, and with heart stopping prices (the bad heart stop). It´s absolutely worth it anyway, imo, but you might think differently.
All the bus trips are long and gruelling, and not always have overnight options.
Alberto 26 years old, I want to disconect for a month, I love to travel, I have been in 40 countries and now I´m looking for companion to travel through Perú, Chile and Bolivia finishing in Machu Picchu the first week of March. This is my trail:
Lima (9th-11th february) - Arequipa (Cañon Colca) - Arica - San Pedro de Atacama (Atacama desert) - Uyuni (Uyuni Salar 3 days trail) - Potosi - Sucre - La Paz - Puno (Titicaca) - Cusco (Montaña 7 colores and Machu Picchu)
It is a flexible route of course opened to comments and suggestions! If anyone is interested in this trip or want to join for some days please do not hesitate to contact me! WhatsApp 0034 659369867
Are you forgetting about Bolivia? The most straightforward and popular route from Cuzco is, through Salar de Uyuni, and doing the border crossing to San Pedro de Atacama. Without doubt much more interesting than going from Tacna/Arica to Calama.
It's quite a long trip through Bolivia, with several interesting places en route, but you seem to have enough time for that.
You could fit it in to 3 weeks if you take some flights along the way. The classic route would be fly to Cusco from Lima. Then see Cusco, the Sacred Valley, MP in 4-5 days. Head south via lake Titicaca into Bolivia, stopping to go out to an island or 2 on the lake for overnight stays. Then La Paz. Then by bus through Bolivia stopping in Sucre and Potosi to get to Uyuni. Then a 3 day jeep tour to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, spend a day at SPDA. Bus to Calama, and fly from Calama to Santiago.
That wouldn't give you a lot of flex time at all, so it's not exactly leisurely traveling. If you want a less rushed itinerary, skip Bolivia altogether, and spend 2+ weeks going around Peru, including Lake Titicaca and the Colca canyon. Then from Arequipa, go south by bus and cross the border to Chile, and from Arica in Chile, fly cheaply to Santiago.
Personally, I'd suggest one of two options, either south or north Peru. Usually, those coming to Peru for the first time choose the south, with Cuzco and Machu Picchu as the highlight of the trip.
Going south you can include also a short trip to Bolivia and northern Chile, making a loop and avoiding backtracking.
I made a similar trip in the same time frame as yours, travelling by busses only, with the following itinerary: Lima - Pisco/Paracas - Ica - Cuzco/MP/Salkantay trail - Puno/Titikaka lake + Uros/Amantani/Taquile - Copacabana - La Paz - Uyuni/Salar tour - Chilean border - San Pedro de Atacama - Arica - Tacna - Arequipa/Colca Canyon - Lima.
I'd leave northern Peru for another trip where you could combine it with Ecuador.
You might also consider the weather factor. July/August is winter and it gets cold on higher altitudes in southern Peru and Bolivia. Otoh, it's dry period and you get better views in the mountains.
Northern Peru and Ecuador will be much warmer in that time of year.
It seems there is still a lot of damage in parts of northern Peru, after the recent floods and landslides.
For San blas do not book through mamallena! They only sell their expensive tours. We ended up booking with them then regretted in on our return when we stayed at hospedaje casco viejo. The hostel is more or less the same as mamallena But in reception they have a book with literally every San blas option there is including the ones offered at mamallena. There was everything from camping to all inclusive villas. Definitely stay there and check out your options.
Yellow fever vaccination isn't required for any CA country but it's probably good to have as it lasts 10 years and better to be safe. I already had it from SA.
For Panama and Costa Rica you will have to show proof of onward travel when you cross a boarder. You really have two options, either buy bus tickets in advance leaving the country and never use them or the option chosen by most backpackers along the way is to go to copa air, book a plane ticket but click the pay later option. This then generates a real confirmation that you can show the border force and then copa will automatically cancel ur flight.
Goodluck!
I am looking to travel to Latin America (Central or South) for a couple weeks and largely stay in one place. I really need to decompress. I'm more of a mountain person than a beach person. I'm looking for a slow-paced town that has an infrastructure that appeals to gringos (cafes, yoga) but isn't overrun by them - one that is vibrant, lived in and, ultimately, "owned" by locals. I am looking for a destination on the cheaper side, combining airfare (from Chicago) and daily expenses.
I have traveled extensively in Latin America and am looking for a new destination, ideally a new country to add to my passport (but that's not required).
Here are some places I've been and my takeaways from them, so you might have a sense of my preferences:
- Sucre, Bolivia - loved, what I'm looking for
- Oaxaca - loved, although a little more on the "expensive" side (at least easy to spend $)
- Bogota - loved, but a little too big for what I'm looking for at the moment
- Cartagena - did not love, felt like it was geared too much to tourists
- Antigua, Guatemala - really not for me (although loved Guatemala overall)
- Arequipa - really liked, especially general location
- Cuzco - very touristy but in the mountains so I liked it! And I lived in Peru (Lima - not nice) for awhile so that changed the experience
- Granada, Nicaragua - liked, didn't love (enjoyed off-the-gringo-trail Nicaragua more)
- Am not looking for backpacker surf towns
Other places I've visited in Latin America: Panama (okay, although I did like Panama City), Costa Rica (okay & expensive) and Equador (spent a summer in Quito but a long time ago, as my first international trip, so my feelings about it are hazy).
Have not travelled much in Mexico but would be interested in other destinations there, especially after travelling in Oaxaca. Also, loved Colombia overall. Didn't make it to Medellin and want to go but that's probably too "city" for me right now. And I would love to add a whole new country too!
We're planning a month+ long trip to South America. (We've spent a lot of time budget-backpacking in Asia and a bit in Africa, but this is our first SAmerica foray.) We're two parents and three older kids (24, 20, 16), all well (3rd world) traveled. One of us has severe physical challenges, so walking is fine (e.g., I think we'll be all right on the Machu Pichu walking loop if we take the train up) but this is going to be a more culture (museums, local markets, quaint villages) than hiking trip. We particularly love local experiential things (we do a lot of cooking and art classes on the road) and we like to volunteer everywhere we go (usually something modest like teaching English.) Five of us, so trying to keep the budget down while still not missing highlights (e.g., we're planning to do the Galagapagos from the islands, rather than on a cruise.)
Itinerary help: We're tentatively planning one week in Cuzco/Machu Pichu, one week Galápagos Islands. Where should our other 2-3 weeks be, preferably without spending too much more $? (We're looking at Chile, Bolivia, maybe Buenos Aires, and maybe Rio; we obviously don't have enough time to do them all even partly well, but we'd love a 'taste' of as much as possible, if affordable (we're the kind of travelers who loved our week in Luang Prabang even tho we saw almost nothing else in Laos.) Or should we do Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, Nazca, Cuenca, Quito, & call it quits?) (Our particular world favorites, so you have an idea of what we'd most like, were Ubud, Luang Prabang, Pokhara, Yangshuo, Zanzibar, Capetown.) And any tips on the best way to book flights given this itinerary? (Flights preferably, & trains as available, not buses.)We'll probably be coming in from Miami or maybe Europe - do we want the OneWorld pass? Or is there a better way to do it between these points?)
Thanks so much for any suggestions.
/Fern
Hey Guys,
planning a gap year trip after my "Bavarian" Abitur ;). (19 years old)
I considered the following route:
-
January 2019 - New Zealand -> from Auckland to Queenstown. I want to hire a campervan for transportation and to sleep in it. I like mostly just to see ALL! the stunning landscapes and do hiking trips as well as outdoor sports.
Is one month enough for all this? -
February and March/or/April - Southeastasian mainland -> from Hongkong to Hanoi, down the coast to Angkor (Cambodia), then forward to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, from there to Burma (dunno where. just want to see some Indiana Jones Landscapes, Jungles, and islands with nice beaches), then to the south islands of Thailand and finally to Bangkok.(Maybe I would consider to include Laos, Mainland Malaysia, and Singapore. Should I ?) {I was in Singapore once. Worth a second view?}
Here I want to really go on a backpacking adventure. Is it possible with no further planning to travel according to my Plan in this season for 2 months? Maybe 3? (-> But consider my following plans if you give advice.) Hongkong (1 week). I want to buy a motorcycle in Vietnam and bike the northern hills and follow the mountains to the south (2 weeks). In Cambodia, I just want to see Angkor (1 week). Chiang Mai -> Elephants, jungle ... (1 week). Burma (2 weeks). Thailands southern islands -> scuba dive course + beach chilling ;) (1-2 weeks). Bangkok (1 week). -
April/or/May in Philipines or Indonesia. In this part of my trip, I only want to dive, chill at "perfect" beaches and maybe explore some of the country's culture and nature.
In Indonesia, I would go to Bali, Gili, Lombok, Comodo, Sulawesi, Raja Ampat, and maybe Papua. (Fokus on nice perfect empty beaches with excellent dive conditions for good value (Budget / Homestay) and the culture of Bali as well as some of the natural sights on the way).
In the Phillippines, I'd go to Cebu, El Nido, and Bohol. (Fokus on nice perfect empty beaches with excellent dive conditions for good value (Budget / Homestay). I don't care for big cities or something similar here and I guess nature from El Nido is comparable to the limestones in Vietnam and Thailand?)
I also could imagine visiting the Maldives instead. I've been there before, loved it. Best beaches I've ever seen although the diving experience wasn't as good as Egypt for example. -
May/or/June and Juli -> West South America -> from Equador to the Peruvian Amazon, then to Lima, Cuzco, Machupicchu, rainbow mountains, sand desert, Nazca lines, then to Bolivia, La Paz, Lake Titikaka and salt desert, then to Chile for the Atacama desert.
Is it worth to include Colombia / Panama / Costa Rica? My main focus is on seeing indigenous South America, the culture of Peru and Bolivia, the landscapes of northern Chile and the spouts of the Andes in Equador.
Maybe I would also consider traveling to the Galapagos Islands for their beautiful Animals.
Also if you have reasons to visit other regions, for example, New Zealand VS Patagonia or Equador VS Colombia ect., please tell it to me. (Keep in mind that it should fit somehow my plan though)
I'll finish school in Juli and would probably start to work from August to Christmas. That would be around 8000€. I already have got 2K ahead, maybe more. I'll book the flights with star alliance points for two 3-Region-Tickets to travel all that with my girlfriend about. Do you think 20K is enough to travel for two 7-Months without the big flights?
I'd be extremely happy to get some inspiring information, advice, options ... anything! Thank you for whatever comment you'll make. <3
OP,
I did exactly the same as you are planning, ten years ago: end Sept/Oct, one month.
My itinerary was: Lima - Pisco/Paracas - Nazca - Ica - Cuzco/Sacred Valley/Salkantay trail/MP - Puno - Amantani/Taquile - Puno - La Paz - Salar de Uyuni - Chilean border - San Pedro de Atacama - Arica - Tacna - Arequipa - Lima.
I spent only one week in Bolivia and five days in Chile, but one the whole it was a good itinerary as a loop. I travelled by busses only and used night busses on longer routes.
Weather was good throughout the entire trip with exception for one day on Salkantay trail when it was a bit foggy with a light drizzle. But, that's mountains - weather can change three times during a day.