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[rainydaytoast]

Hey all,

We are a couple looking at travelling through South America this coming late October/ early November for about 3 months (hopefully 4 if the budget allows!).

We are looking at starting in Quito, the furthest south we want to go is Buenos Aires before going up through Brazil. We would LOVE to go through parts of Venezuela and Colombia before returning to Quito to fly home.

Is this realistic for 3-4 months?
Overall, on average, what should we budget (2 people, staying in hostels, eating cheaply but of course the odd restaurant meal and private bathroom etc)?

Also, a few questions on certain countries (we are a 22 year old couple from New Zealand, travelling on our own, into history, culture, nature and wildlife mostly):

* Colombia: Is it really as unsafe as we are made to believe? My partner doesn't even want to venture there because of the bad reputation it has. Is it the most dangerous country in South America?

* Paraguay & Uruguay: worth seeing? And if so what places?

* Brazil: It's huge! Have no idea if it would be a waste of time trying to get around it all until we hit Venezuela - suggestions... should we, or should we fly from somewhere within Brazil to Venezuela? What places are little gems, and musts to visit?

Thanks to you all in advance

[Caro!]

* Colombia: Is it really as unsafe as we are made to believe? My partner doesn't even want to venture there because of the bad reputation it has. Is it the most dangerous country in South America?

Hey guys:


Well I'm Colombian and I just came back from a week there. The city is not as bad as it used to be, and plenty of foreings visit Bogota every day. Nevertheless, you have to take some precautions, not ony in Colombia but in all SA. Carry few money, no credit cards and try to meet other fellow travelers or locals that can show you around. Don't wander alone late at night, and (even if you are) don't look lost or confused while walking on the streets.

Colombia is beautiful, and there are plenty of citys that are worth visiting. If you have any qustions just let me know.

Caro!

[Jessica_CDN]

In terms of budget, when you're in Venezuela, it'll cost a LOT more than the guidebooks say. When I was there, I spent at LEAST double the lonely planet budget, sometmes three times as much. (It's the inflation...it'll get you every time.) But it's totally worth it there! It's beautiful.

I suggest renting a car while you're there to get around - Chavez subsidizes the price of oil, so it's dirt cheap, and the roads are all well maintained.

[coy]

We are a couple looking at travelling through South America this coming late October/ early November for about 3 months (hopefully 4 if the budget allows!).

We are looking at starting in Quito, the furthest south we want to go is Buenos Aires before going up through Brazil. We would LOVE to go through parts of Venezuela and Colombia before returning to Quito to fly home.

Is this realistic for 3-4 months?
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO STOP AND ENJOY ALL THE DIFFERENT PLACES THREE FOR MONTH MAY BE TIGHT, ALSO IT WILL DEPEND ON THE TRANSPORTATION GETTING FROM LIMA TO SANTIAGO BY BUSS IT WILL TAKE YOU SEVERAL DAYS.

Overall, on average, what should we budget (2 people, staying in hostels, eating cheaply but of course the odd restaurant meal and private bathroom etc)?
YOU DO NOT NEED LOTS OF MONEY. PROBABLY THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES WOULD BE SANTIAGO AND BUENOS AIRES. A DECENT HOTEL IN ECUADOR IS PROBABLY AROUND $80 PER DAY FOR TWO PEOPLE.


Also, a few questions on certain countries (we are a 22 year old couple from New Zealand, travelling on our own, into history, culture, nature and wildlife mostly):
IN GENERAL YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS. LIKE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WATCH OUT FOR PICK POCKETS. YOUR WHOLE ITINERARY IS FULL OF GREAT PLACES TO SEE.

* Colombia: Is it really as unsafe as we are made to believe? My partner doesn't even want to venture there because of the bad reputation it has. Is it the most dangerous country in South America?
I WOULD NOT GO TO COLOMBIA. BOGOTA IS FAIRLY SAFE BUT, TO ADVENTURE INTO THE COUNTRY SIDE IT IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED FOR OVER 5 YEARS AND ARE STILL SOMEWHERE IN THE JUNGLE HELD BY REBELS. IN ADDITION THERE ARE GANGS THAT KIDNAP PEOPLE AND THE SELL THE HOSTAGES TO THE REBELS. NOT A GOOD PLACE TO BE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WERE TO GO

* Paraguay & Uruguay: worth seeing? And if so what places?
PARAGUAY IS A LITTLE BIT OUT OF YOUR ROAD MAP. I DO NTO CARE FOR PARAGUAY MY SELF. ON THE OTHER HAND MONTEVIDEO AND PUNTA DEL ESTE IN URUGUAY ARE VERY NICE AND YOU CAN GO FROM BUENOS AIRES BY BOAT IN A COUPLE OF HOURS.



* Brazil: It's huge! Have no idea if it would be a waste of time trying to get around it all until we hit Venezuela - suggestions... should we, or should we fly from somewhere within Brazil to Venezuela? What places are little gems, and musts to visit?

YOU MUST FLY, IT IS OVER 3,000 KILOMETERS BY LAND. YOU MUST GO TO SALVADOR DE BAHIA, RECIFE, BELEN. I DO NOT CARE FOR RIO DE JANEIRO AND ALSO, THIS DAYS IT IS A LITTLE BIT DANGEROUS

Thanks to you all in advance
[/quote]

[andrea]

You will hear a lot about cities in S.A being dangerous. My fiance and I spent 6 months travelling there last year, and never had a single problem. Use your common sense and don't put yourself in sketchy situations. I wasn't able to go with him, but Luc spent 2 weeks in Colombia, which ended up being his favourite place, without issue.

We spent time volunteering in Paraguay and it was amazing. It is not touristy so there is not a lot to do in terms of attractions. It's attraction is the people.

Uruaguay is nice for a shorter stop - Colonia is really a beautiful place.

3 months would be tight to have time to do the really cool stuff. I wouldn't miss a one week galapagos tour, some chillaxin time on the beach in Mancoro peru, the inca trail in peru, or the salar d'uyuni in Bolivia.

Buenos aires is amazing. you could spend your whole time there

ANother trip you will have to go back for is patagonia in southern chile - makes you apreciate raw nature.

happy trails!

Andrea

[rainydaytoast]

Thanks everyone

We have ended up extending it out to 4 months and have changed plans a little bit.

Do you know how far away Mancora is to Piura? I heard it was about 5-9hrs?

We aren't bothering with Venezuela at all and will see if it is worth flying into Brazil for the last month.

[slashdave]

You should come to Colombia only, we have all weathers, all kinds of animals well, is a paradise on earth, and is as safe as any other countries, most of people have got a wrong concept of Colombia!!!

If you need anything here, just let me know at slashdave@gmail.com

[andrewprimmer]

Is this realistic for 3-4 months?

In a word no, not if you want to do the place justice, with only 90 days you would be travelling on buses almost everyday, it sounds like your planning on doing a complete loop, id say that would take a year to do properly. You have to remember your talking about a whole continent, its like trying to see all of se asia, china, japan, and the indian subcontinent in the same amount of time. Maybe if you were planning on flying between each country and exploring out from the capital city it may be a bit more possible.

I think you would be much better concentrating on a couple of countries, you need a month to see a country the size of colombia, peru, chile, bolivia or venezuela maybe one or two weeks for ecuador, paraguay or uruguay then two months for argentina and brazil. In a push you could proabably manage ecuador, peru (only seing around cuzco) bolivia and then northern argentina in 3 months, im not saying it wouldnt be possible to see all the countries in 3 months, its just youd be so knackered from travelling every day you wouldnt enjoy it. Sometimes you go to places when traveling you only plan on stopping in over night and end up there 4 days you like it that much, its nice to have that kind of flexibility and i think that flexibility is what makes travelling so fufilling.

Happy travels

[Jessica_CDN]

I think riding on buses every day would get old REALLY fast. In fact, I know it does. It's really nice to be able to spend some time in a place for a couple of days and get to know it. So, with a little careful planning (ie. knowing when you're leaving each place, what times the buses come and go etc) you can make the most out of your 3-4 months without feeling super rushed. Consider taking some flights as well if your goal is to see more.

[laorfamily]

It's dangerous everywhere, even in your own back yard.

I had some Peruvian punks try to rip the watch from my hand in broad daylight, in a square full of people.
Lesson: don't wear a watch, I should have known better in Lima.

If you do go to S. America, don't miss Torres del Paine in Chile, also if memory serves me right, B.A. is expensive (almost like the US).

[mje]

Hi everyone,
I went to Argentina 3 years ago planning to go back, and I am happy to tell I just came back from 3 weeks just in Buenos Aires.
I thought it would be enough time but it was not, BA is a wonderful city. I saw the first snow en 75 years!!!!! (that is something that not even locals can see )
The city is much better than 3 years ago, and de sensation of violence has decreased, at least that is what i could seen from the people (I remind Argentina went trough a crisis in 2001).
There are too many places to see en BA. Some advice: Caminito, Puerto Madero, Palermo "soho", cementerio de la Recoleta, el Tigre, and if you have extra time you can take excellent tours to cities nearby to learn about the "gaucho" tradition.
I don’t know about hotel prices, but food was not expensive and so transportation in the city.
Good luck, I hope you have the great time.

[semi-backpacker]

Hello!
I agree with Andrea on Colonia, Uruguay and Chile. Depending on your travel style four months seems like more than enough time to see it all. My travel style is "cram it all in." I saw 4 countries in South America in 2 weeks and felt like I got quite a good taste for each of them. Check out my blog and you'll see how much ground I was able to cover in such a short period of time. I'm now headed to Central America for 2 months and plan to continue with my "cram it all in" philosophy... :-)

Here are my favorite South American sites:

Chile: Isla Negra (if you are a poetry fan), Torres del Paine (beautiful lakes, waterfalls, hikes, and glaciers), Punta Arena (Strait of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego) and my absolutely favorite was the SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA DESERT in the North of Chile---WOW, watching the sunset over Moon Valley was incredible

Argentina: The cute town of El Calafate in the Patagonia region of Argentina, also the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is an easy day trip from El Calafate. If you go to El Calafate, there is this chocolaterie called "La Oveja" it's on the main road and the "Oveja de dulce de leche" is unspeakably sinful and delicious

Bolivia: If you don't mind the altitude, the Green & White lagoons are a must.

Uruguay: The 17th century town of Colonia makes for an enjoyable day trip and it's an easy and very comfortable ferry ride from Buenos Aires

**Keep in mind I did all of this and so much more in just 2 weeks, so your 4 months will be plenty of time!! Good luck!!!