South America Advice Please

Keano1

Hi All,

I’m going to South America in February for 112days starting in Santiago Chile on Feb 2nd, any advice on where to go in Chile 16days was going to fly to Torres del Plaine but it is very expensive. I have accommodation booked in Rio for the Carnival from the 17th to 24th of Feb. I will be flying all my main Journeys. After Rio where would people recommend doing an Amazon Trip from Manaus or Puerto Maldonado (Peru)? After that plan doing the Inca Trial with Lima Paths I have a date fixed 10th March. Then fly to Quito an do the Galapagos Islands any advice? Plan about 2 weeks here book my own flight and get a boat out their 2 of my friends did this before. After that make my way to La Paz and advice on Visiting Lake Titicaca from La Paz rather than Puno it would just be easier to see it from Bolivia. After that fly to Santa Cruz. Then spend some time there. What are peoples opinions on Asunción was going to stop their before making my way to Buenos Aires.

Here are some of the flights I was going to book
Santiago to Rio
[Rio to (Manaus or Puerto Maldonado)
(Manaus or Puerto Maldonado) to Lima
Lima to Quito
Quito to La Paz
La Paz to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz to Asuncion
Asuncion to Buenos Aires

Would really appreciate advice from people who done something similar

Meathlass

Keano1 wrote: »

Hi All,

I’m going to South America in February for 112days starting in Santiago Chile on Feb 2nd, any advice on where to go in Chile 16days was going to fly to Torres del Plaine but it is very expensive. I have accommodation booked in Rio for the Carnival from the 17th to 24th of Feb. I will be flying all my main Journeys. After Rio where would people recommend doing an Amazon Trip from Manaus or Puerto Maldonado (Peru)? After that plan doing the Inca Trial with Lima Paths I have a date fixed 10th March. Then fly to Quito an do the Galapagos Islands any advice? Plan about 2 weeks here book my own flight and get a boat out their 2 of my friends did this before. After that make my way to La Paz and advice on Visiting Lake Titicaca from La Paz rather than Puno it would just be easier to see it from Bolivia. After that fly to Santa Cruz. Then spend some time there. What are peoples opinions on Asunción was going to stop their before making my way to Buenos Aires.

Here are some of the flights I was going to book
Santiago to Rio
[Rio to (Manaus or Puerto Maldonado)
(Manaus or Puerto Maldonado) to Lima
Lima to Quito
Quito to La Paz
La Paz to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz to Asuncion
Asuncion to Buenos Aires

Would really appreciate advice from people who done something similar

You're kinda doublnig back on yourself alot but I presume this is because you've stuff booked in advance. I would book that flight asap from Santiago to Rio, coming up to Carnival time, everything gets very expensive and availability disappears. For the 16 days in Chile I would recommend 2 nights in Santiago to get over jetlag and see the city. From there take a 12 hour night bus to Pucon in the lake district. Here you can go rafting, flying through trees on a wire, canoeing, mud baths etc. It's a lovely little town with a great volcano you can also climb. From Pucon to Puerto Montt is about 10 hours. Nothing really to do there but you can get the Navimag ferry to Puerto Natales - it takes 3 days, amazing scenary, lots of backpackers and needs to be booked in advance. In Santiago or maybe even here before you go. Puerto Natales is the gateway to Torres del Paine and it's such a great trek I would definately do it - budget about 5 days to do the basic trek and getting organised. From here you can go 4 hours by bus from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas and fly back to Santiago.

Didn't do a Amazon cruise but in relation to The Galapagos just walk around the main streets and there's lots of travel agents. You can get good last minute deals. There's 3 day/4 day or 7 day trips - there the basics. I did 7 days and found it a bit long. Also in the middle we'd to go back to the port to let off the 3 day people and pick up the 4 day people so we lost a whole day doing this. Pretty much every boat operates this way even though they usually tell you they don't. I went with a small company, there was 10 passengers and 4 crew (all men who harrassed the single girls all the time, was a bit of a nightmare tbh). The guide wasn't that well informed and the crew caught fish to serve to us one night. I'd recommend going with a good company (like Gap adventures - a friend went with them and they'd lectures, films, naturalists etc) and pay that bit extra. Sorry I didn't.

You only need one morning to see Lake Titicaca, tour takes about 2 hours. And from there it's 3 hours to Paz. Salt Flats are a must. I hated Auscion, just wasn't my thing. Spend the extra time in Northern Argentina.

You're doing a lot of flying? Is there any reason why? You've plenty of time to go overland in the 112 days. Flights in South America are very expensive. I paid 600 euros rtn to go from Quito to Santiago. If you do your amazon trip in Peru i'd make my way down to Cusco for the 7th to give myself time to acclimitise. When the trip is over, head to Puno-Lake Titicaca-Salt Flats-San Pedro-Northern Chile back into Peru-Arequipa-Nasca-Lima-Quito-Galpagos. When the cruise is over you could take a bus/flight from Quyaquil (on the coast, you can usually leave the cruise there rather than flying back to Quito) to Santiago and from here cross the Andes into Argentina, through Mendoza to Buenos Aires. Another option when you leave Rio would be to go overland from Rio-Igazu Falls-Salta-Salt Flats-La Paz-Cusco-Inca Trail- continue on up to Quito and do a amazon trip from Quito. If money is no object you'll be able to book flights out there and fly everywhere but to be honest you'll miss alot in between.