South America

thatsmyboy

Hi folks we are thinking of taking a 3 wk holiday in April to South America, covering usual tourist things ie buenos Aries ,iguassu and into Rio or other way around.

Now companies like travel finders do all inclusive packages but I don't know do I want a timetable I have to keep to but then we will have to organise everything ourselves which I don't mind but just wonder about cost factor.

So what I'm asking what have the members on here who have did this trip before done? Did ye book it all separate or go with a company

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance

thatsmyboy

Any movement on this folks! Could really do with some advice

silja

*** Moved from the obsolete USA/ Canada travel forum to Independant travel, which seems to suit the question best ****

thatsmyboy

Thanks for that I'm quite surprised no one has any advice on this trip as its a quite common one. Fingers crossed now.

Bruz82

done 5 months in SA 4 years ago and am a regular backpacker at this stage...........never once have i gone with a tour company.
I know its a 24hr bus from BA to Iguazu falls but the buses are very good (seats are like beds), they have films on and they stop every few hours. Probably best to Fly from Iguazu to Rio, its a bit of a trek.
I think the best option is to figure it out as you go along as you meet people and time schedules can change. its not so difficult to figure this out. Half the time you figure it out in the hostels beforehand or just talk to people.
Just always be careful at bus stations .
Any other question ?

Batigol309

3 weeks should be enough time to do the itinerary you said in OP without need for organised tour. I was in South America for 5 months and did everything myself...obviously it is easier if you have a bit of Spanish,

As other replier said the bus from BA to Iguazu is about a day but they are really good...they are a bit pricey but you get what you pay for (Andesmar and Via Bariloche good companies). I went semi-cama most times which is seat which reclines to about 30 degrees...'Cama' gets you a fully reclining seat. Food on buses is decent enough - probably bit better than plane food. Argentina is a massive country so travel times will shock you a bit.

BA is awesome so spend a good bit of time there...do the free walking tour to get orientated. The Park in Palermo is really nice if its a sunny day as is the Costanera next to River...head down on a Saturday afternoon for a beer and choripan (you got to get these). Loads of food carts, music and families just relaxing. St Elmo market on Sunday is good...will be very busy. La Boca is nice for a wander as is area around Recoleta. I felt really safe there but you definitely need to have wits about you and dont flaunt cash, cameras etc. Bus stations can be dodgy so keep eye on you stuff.

Iguazu is amazing....give yourself 2 full days...the town there has good restaurants and surprisingly good nightlife (my planned relaxation after BA went out window ) try and go to the Brazilian side of falls one day and then the Argentinian side the next. Give yourself a full day on Argentinian side and would recommend taking the boat ride right up to the falls.

Didnt make it to Brazil but if you can afford to fly I would do it.....keep in mind Brazil is definitely not cheap.

Hope this helps...if i can help with anything else drop me msg

Ares

If I were you and I had three weeks, I'd fly into BA, spend maybe 4-5 days there, hop on a bus to Salta in North West Argentina. The Andes are beautiful, two days in Salta would be enough, on the Jujuy then which is North of that and about 2.5 hours bus from there. Jujuy itslef isn't amazing but there are some lovely towns outside of it like Humahuaca that are most definitely worth seeing. 5 days would be enough between Salta and Jujuy and I would break it up into 2 in Salta and 3 in Jujuy.

From there go to Iguazu. Argentinean side is better. Two days is plenty there Devote a whole day to the Argentine side. Then get up early the second day, bring your gear with you, see the Brazilian side and go to Foz de Iguazu, the town on the Brazilian side and get a bus to Curtiba, very nice seaside city in Southern Brazil. Three days there perhaps and then one final journey to Rio where you live it up for 4 to 5 days.

Here's a map of the route

Pro tip; Get to a second hand bookshop in Buenos Aires. Ask for an English section. They'll have one. Most likely small and full of classics. Pick up a few as you'll need them for the long buses. The buses are a brilliant standard, sleep won't be a problem but the books will help entertain. That way you come back from your holiday refreshed, cultured and well read. A real winner!

Batigol309

Ares wrote: »

If I were you and I had three weeks, I'd fly into BA, spend maybe 4-5 days there, hop on a bus to Salta in North West Argentina. The Andes are beautiful, two days in Salta would be enough, on the Jujuy then which is North of that and about 2.5 hours bus from there. Jujuy itslef isn't amazing but there are some lovely towns outside of it like Humahuaca that are most definitely worth seeing. 5 days would be enough between Salta and Jujuy and I would break it up into 2 in Salta and 3 in Jujuy.

From there go to Iguazu. Argentinean side is better. Two days is plenty there Devote a whole day to the Argentine side. Then get up early the second day, bring your gear with you, see the Brazilian side and go to Foz de Iguazu, the town on the Brazilian side and get a bus to Curtiba, very nice seaside city in Southern Brazil. Three days there perhaps and then one final journey to Rio where you live it up for 4 to 5 days.

Here's a map of the route

Pro tip; Get to a second hand bookshop in Buenos Aires. Ask for an English section. They'll have one. Most likely small and full of classics. Pick up a few as you'll need them for the long buses. The buses are a brilliant standard, sleep won't be a problem but the books will help entertain. That way you come back from your holiday refreshed, cultured and well read. A real winner!

+1 on above recommendation for North of Argentina if you have the time. Salta and Cafayate nice ( the latter if you are into wine ) Humahuaca, Pumamarca and Tilcara have some amazing scenery...nice small towns where you can take walks. Google image 'Cerro Siete Colores' to get idea of what its like

sarkozy

+1 for this route. Only because I did that and really enjoyed it. BA > Colonia del Sacramento > BA > Iguazú > Salta > Cafayate > Salta > Tupiza > Potosí > Oruro > Coroico > La Paz > Puno > Arequipa > Cuzco > Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu > Lima > Home.

All in 3-and-a-half weeks.

It was impossible for us to go south in Argentina and didn't have time to go east. In either case, getting into the Andes by visiting Salta and heading north from there is stunningly beautiful. Salta itself is doable in 2 days, but there are lots of farms/trekking excursions in the area; we spent a day on a farm horse trekking and a wonderful lunch was included in the cost (real, proper parilla (BBQ) with the charismatic host).

I would also suggest considering Coroico for a bit of sub-tropical relaxation and breathtaking scenery on the way there from La Paz (via good standard shared 4-person taxi on the new road).

thatsmyboy

Excellent folks really do appreciate it as my mrs is organising it all and she keeps getting onto me that I'm doing no work ! Well now I have lots of info

PLEASE don't stop folks keep your experiences coming and thanks again for taking the time to reply

thatsmyboy

Just checking in just in case anyone had anything new to report

Batigol309

To be honest OP you could spend years and not see everything there...if you only have 3 weeks theres no point in being too ambitious or you will just end up being on a bus every other day and wont get as much out of it. Dont think people can give any more advise unless you settle on where it is exactly you want to cover in those weeks

vinylbomb

sarkozy wrote: »

+1 for this route. Only because I did that and really enjoyed it. BA > Colonia del Sacramento > BA > Iguazú > Salta > Cafayate > Salta > Tupiza > Potosí > Oruro > Coroico > La Paz > Puno > Arequipa > Cuzco > Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu > Lima > Home.

All in 3-and-a-half weeks.

THREE AND A HALF WEEKS????????

Jesus, it took me over 5 months to do this and I felt I absolutely LASHED through it :-) Fair play to ya!!!

Regarding Argentina - Mendoza was my highlight, gorgeous town so relaxed, its easy to kick back and spend a few days chilling and visiting the best vineyards in the world :-)

BA is defo worth 4-5 days - just try to not let the party overwhelm you. I planned to spend a week there, ended up closer to a month :-)

Rosario, in case you had any interest - theres nothing there. We heard a rumour it had the best looking women but thats not really true :-) Not a bad place per se, there more to be done elsewhere though.

Iguazu is amazing, +1 for the Argentine side. Puerto Iguazu is a nicer place to spend an evening than Foz too.

Travel independently, those tour companies don't add enough value in my opinion, not in SA anyway. Also if you're tight for time I'd look at flights from BA to Iguazu and on to Rio, they can be reasonable if you're lucky with your timing.

If you want to kick back on nice quiet beaches go to Ilha Grande (pronounced Gran-je) about 4 hours bus ride south of Rio. Spectacular.
Rio is pricey but worth 2 or 3 nights defo.