South/Central America Packing?

falterego

Just wondering if anyone can share any ideas on what to pack if travelling to South and Central America for a year.

Flying into Santiago, Chile at the end of June, (this will be as far South as we'll go as it's winter) and then heading northwards to Boliva - Peru - Ecuador - Columbia - Venezuela then all Central American countries. It's hard to decide what to pack as I'm sure we'll be experiencing cold and hot climates but want to travel as lightly as possible. Don't plan on doing any camping so is it necessary to take: heavy winter clothes i.e. fleeces, heavy duty rain gear, sleeping bags along with all the summer gear? Also is it recommended to take hiking boots? Obviously will be doing plenty of walking and basic treks but nothing too off the beaten track. Have never been there before and not exactly sure of the climates so all advise much welcome. Cheers

Neamhshuntasach

Unless you are going up into the Andes around the Patagonian region you won't need big heavy jackets for below zero temperatures. It will always be warm enough to walk around wearing a t shirt during the day in most places. But the temperature can drop at night depending on the altitude you are at. The cities and towns in the Andean region can get very cold at night and sometimes even cool during the day. Also night time bus journey's can be cold as the drivers blast the A/C to stay awake. A long sleeved fleece will sort you out and you can buy them for very cheap off the indígenas. Instead of carrying heavy clothes i tend to carry lighter clothes and just add layers when cold. A jacket can take up a lot of room and i like traveling light.

I'll be in Central and South America again later this year and i'll be bringing one weeks clothing with me and then washing and buying new ones as i go along. Probably 5 light t shirts, 2 cargo type trousers, 2 pairs of shorts and a light long sleeved shirt. Anything else i'll need can be easily picked up along the way.

If your not doing camping don't worry about rain gear and sleeping bags. You can buy ponchos for dirt cheap and are better as they can cover your backpack too. Instead of a sleeping bag buy a sleeping back liner. Handy for hostels and hotels that don't give adequate bedsheets. Also if you're not doing any serious hiking i wouldn't bother with hiking boots. Just a pair of runners or whatever that you are comfortable in. A pair of sandles are handy for the hot days.

RATM

A bit off topic but have you figured out how you're going to get from Colombia to Panama? Theres no road and the only way to do it is trek for 10-12 days through the jungle ( the area is called the Darian Gap as far as I remember ) which is not advised or recommended as chances are you'll be either shot or kidnapped by cocaine smugglers.:eek:
Methinks you might need a boat or a plane to get into central America.

Neamhshuntasach

There are no ferries from Cololmbia to Panama anymore the last time i checked. You will have to fly and isn't the cheapest of flights. Proabably a few hundred dollars. You can always try find someone who is sailing over to either country. But that isn't always reliable due to weather or general delays. Also the sea can be quite rough.

I was down near the Darien Gap before and quickly turned back. It's a pretty lawless place and also the terrain is dangerous. It rains quite heavy in the rainforest and flash floods happen suddenly. So just fork out the cash for a flight or try find someone to hitch a boat ride off.

RATM

Yeah flights in Central America can often cost a fortune for even small distances. I remember paying nearly 450 euro for a flight from Honduras to Venezualea, not any huge distance but quite expensive nonetheless. We had planned to trek the Darian Gap up to Panama ( it sounded like an adventure and a good challenge ) till locals said there's no way we'd make it to Panama alive.
OP could check www.floatplan.com to see if theres a boat going that way but Id say yachts travelling Colombia are few and far between. You could expect to be boarded by US customs at some stage:) And to make matters worse theres pirates who patrol that area, when we sailed from Venezulea to Antigua our skipper was dead paronoid because a few boaties had been held up at knifepoint a few weeks before.

Anyway as for packing, a pair of those trousers that zip around the knees to turn them into shorts will come in handy,they're mostly made of canvas so they dry out really quickly.
Dont forget to bring a compass, small travel first aid kit and Swiss army knives can come in real handy for all sorts of things.

Gaz

When I was in Catagena I remember seeing a fair few offers on noticeboards in the guesthouse i was staying in for sailing trips to Panama, cant remember the cost but it was definitely way cheaper than flying.

MrJones

Im just back from backpacking mexico city to argenetina. It is possible to get a boat from cartagena to panama and vice versa but it depends on the seas and the time of year you get there. I paid 270 dollars to go from panama to cartagena, food inclusive but we were crew on the boat as well then :eek: Was a good experience, tough at times!! Be wary of dodgy captains though, coz most of them are.
In terms of stuff to bring, i would advise ya to check out the Lonely Planet or other guide books check list. I didnt pay much attention to them b4 i went but when i was traveling i looked at them and was like fcuk, i need that, i should have got that etc,.
Bring a pair of them quick dry light trousers that are good for trekking, the ones you get in great outdoors. I didnt bring trekking boots and did plenty of trekking. brought a good pair of water-proof trail runners instead and they were fine.
As for the cold, i didnt have a big jacket and got away with it. I would advise you to bring a sleeping bag if youre not bringing a big jacket coz buses can be cold sometimes coz they put the air-con on to the max and also in bolivia you're at high altitude in sh*t buses and you'll freeze to death. Dont bring one of those mosquito nets either. you dont need it!I brought one , never used it!
Enjoy!!!!

Neamhshuntasach

You'd pay around 250 dollars or so to get on someone's vessel to Panama. I think San Blas is a popular stop off point for yachts. BUt if anyone is considering the the sailing option don't take little small boats from shady locals. They are most likely drug runners.

You may also find boats crossing at Turbo or even a small plane.

falterego

Thanks for the replies, wasn't too keen on having to shell out for and lug around boots and all that so it's good to know there's no need. Will prob just take runners. Really didn't expect those flights to be that expensive, least I know to budget for that now in case of the no boat situation.

On another topic altogether - do most of you have a good standard of Spanish? Have been trying to learn a bit for the past while but it's not coming along very well. I know a good few words but putting them into sentences is a whole different story! I know once you're over there you'll start to pick it up but for the start will it be difficult when all you can manage is basically a few words for a sentence?

Neamhshuntasach

falterego wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, wasn't too keen on having to shell out for and lug around boots and all that so it's good to know there's no need. Will prob just take runners. Really didn't expect those flights to be that expensive, least I know to budget for that now in case of the no boat situation.

On another topic altogether - do most of you have a good standard of Spanish? Have been trying to learn a bit for the past while but it's not coming along very well. I know a good few words but putting them into sentences is a whole different story! I know once you're over there you'll start to pick it up but for the start will it be difficult when all you can manage is basically a few words for a sentence?

If you are finding the structuring difficult then don't worry about trying to get your head around that for the time being. Just trying learning off words and the most basic of phrases. Think of words you use everyday in English. They are going to be the same in Spanish so write them down and find the translation. Learn the numbers too as that can help with prices and such. Once you know the word for something you can always say it and point or use some sort of body language to accompany it. Yeah it would be better if you knew Spanish but it won't ruin anything. Maybe just frustrate you at times when you can't communicate with someone you'd like to talk with.

Also you may feel like you are not picking it up now but stick with it as you'd be surprised how much comes back to you when faced with needing it. Bring a mp3 player with you and put audio files on it and play it on bus journey's and such. It helps learning it while in the environment of the langauge. You won't pick much up by just walking around and hearing it. You have to be actively trying to pick it up.

Gaz

In certain places you need some level of spanish, even just a few words. I came across alot of situations where i really needed it, buying bus tickets for example.
Now my Spanish isnt great but knowing ticket (boleto), today(hoy) , how much (ceunta questa),yes (si) please (gracias) etc etc ... is enough and you will be surprised how quickly you will pick it up
Get the basics down for buying food, drink, tickets, sorting a bed (cama) out for the night and you will be fine

If you can get your hands on it i recommend the Pimsleur CD lessons .... I ehhh , *acquired* it off the net, if ya know what i mean

Note, my spelling above is crap !

MrJones

falterego wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, wasn't too keen on having to shell out for and lug around boots and all that so it's good to know there's no need. Will prob just take runners. Really didn't expect those flights to be that expensive, least I know to budget for that now in case of the no boat situation.

On another topic altogether - do most of you have a good standard of Spanish? Have been trying to learn a bit for the past while but it's not coming along very well. I know a good few words but putting them into sentences is a whole different story! I know once you're over there you'll start to pick it up but for the start will it be difficult when all you can manage is basically a few words for a sentence?

Id recommend you doing a few weeks of spanish school out there. Alot of european go out just to learn spanish, places like quito in ecuador is cheap enough for that.

RATM

I learnt my Spanish in Panajachel in Guatemala- theres loads of schools there for backpackers and serious students alike. They do a great deal, you pay around $100 to stay with a local family for a week who cook all your meals ( quite basic but very edible ) and then go to a local school for 3 hours of oral lessons everyday.
A great way to learn and its dirt cheap too:)

Neamhshuntasach

Guatemala, Ecuador and Colombia all speak more clearer and proper Spanish. With Colombians probably being the best to understand. Classes are also cheap there.