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I know this is a really generic question but I just want to get an idea what some of you guys are taking or spending on your trips. What can someone expect spend or what is needed to go to South America and backpack around for 2-4 months, excluding flight??? I've been reading through the thread and I have an idea on costs but I just want to get a $$$ amount on what one should expect to feel comfortable. To be able to go and do what you want, but on a budget.
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Jun 24, 2010 21:16
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Moonbloodsflow posted:I know this is a really generic question but I just want to get an idea what some of you guys are taking or spending on your trips. What can someone expect spend or what is needed to go to South America and backpack around for 2-4 months, excluding flight??? I spent about $1200 a month in Ecuador with minimum travel and I think $1500-$2500 in Colombia with lots of traveling and spending nightlife.
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Jun 24, 2010 21:37
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Moonbloodsflow posted:I know this is a really generic question but I just want to get an idea what some of you guys are taking or spending on your trips. What can someone expect spend or what is needed to go to South America and backpack around for 2-4 months, excluding flight??? It depends hugely on where you go. I think Colombia/Peru/Ecuador/Argentina can be done broadly on $30/day. Bolivia is cheaper. Chile and Brazil are more expensive. That excludes travel, which varies a lot depending on country. In Ecuador, budget around $1/hour for buses - that's really cheap. In Argentina, buses are really nice, but also really expensive. It also depends on what you want to do. I drink in the hostels, don't really go to clubs, but eat out quite a bit, and do paid activities (like rafting, bridge jumping, tours etc) occasionally. If you told us where exactly you want to go, and what kind of stuff you do when backpacking, we might be able to give you a better idea.
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Jun 24, 2010 22:04
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DustingDuvet posted:I spent about $1200 a month in Ecuador with minimum travel and I think $1500-$2500 in Colombia with lots of traveling and spending nightlife. What did or do you do for transportation most of the time? Do those figures include your transportation costs once there? I'm kind of at a crossroads in life and have opportunity to do what I want for awhile. I am investigating possible buying a dual sport bike and motorbiking through South America. I'd be coming down from Ohio and am aware of the Darien Gap. I wonder what I could get a motorbike transported for once I reached that point? kidhash posted:It depends hugely on where you go. I think Colombia/Peru/Ecuador/Argentina can be done broadly on $30/day. Bolivia is cheaper. Chile and Brazil are more expensive. That excludes travel, which varies a lot depending on country. In Ecuador, budget around $1/hour for buses - that's really cheap. In Argentina, buses are really nice, but also really expensive. Like I said, I know it was a pretty generic question. I've never backpacked anywhere before so I was just wanted to get an idea on what kind of money you guys have spent. Lemme get back to you on the "what you wanna do" question. I am in the process of talking to a buddy about planning this within the next 6 months hopefully. Cause really I can't say anything specific we want to do. Moonbloodsflow fucked around with this message at 22:16 on Jun 24, 2010 |
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Jun 24, 2010 22:07
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The most I spent per day was by far in Brazil. Everywhere else (Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay) you could comfortably get around on $30/day. In my experience I had to work pretty hard to crack $60 usd a day unless I had the patience to eat in a proper sitdown restaurant for every meal and bought a lot of drinks for everyone at the bar that night. Anything more than that involved something like hang gliding or a dirt bike rental for the day.
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Jun 25, 2010 00:31
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Moonbloodsflow posted:I wonder what I could get a motorbike transported for once I reached that point? It costs about $1000-$1500 to ship a motorbike but a less expensive option is to find to do one of the cruises where the captain is willing to take it for a bit extra. In Colombia is took a plane 80% of the time since it was not that much more expensive.
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Jun 25, 2010 02:39
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Thank you for all the great information in this thread. Flying out July 1st to Peru. Flying into Lima>Cuzco>Aguas Calientes>Iquitos>Jungle Any tips for picking my guide in Iquitos? billy cuts posted:I just got into Tarapoto, which is in the western upper Peruvian Amazon. I'll be here for a couple weeks, then off to Yurimaguas for the rest of the time I'm in Peru. Give me a call if you're in the region -- 042-942-61-0220. I'll try to contact you once I'm out there billy cuts.
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Jun 26, 2010 10:42
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Darw1N posted:Thank you for all the great information in this thread. Flying out July 1st to Peru. Hey Darwin, I´m currently in Cusco and am doing Machu Picchu soon but then will probably stay in Cusco for a while before heading off. After you get here let me know where you´re staying and we´ll meet up for some beers and food. It´s getting a little cold down here at night for my tastes so I´m rethinking my trip and may head north after all. Going north is unplanned and I can´t say for sure if I´ll do that but I´ll most likely still be in Cusco when you get here. I´ve found a neat place for 15 soles a night which I thought was pretty good considering the sun festival was this week.
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Jun 26, 2010 22:04
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roflcopter thief posted:Any tips on Valparaiso, Chile? It's an awesome city with lots of sights and things to do. The nightlife is crazy and there's something for everyone. There are some sketchy areas though, and the city is far from being clean, but it has a distinct personality. My advice: try to stay in the touristic hills (i.e: Alegre, Concepción, Bellavista, Artillería). There are some neat museums (Cielo Abierto and La Chascona, one of Pablo Neruda's houses), awesome graffitis and street art, coffe shops, art galleries, great viewpoints, craftwork workshops, and the traditional elevators. The rest of them have some very dangerous areas, so unless you're going with a local, I'd recommend against going there. I know there are some good hostels and B&Bs on Alegre and Concepción hills, which are pretty close to the downtown area (aka "El plan"). That's where you'll find most of Valpo's clubs, bars and pubs. Valpo is also really close to Viña del Mar, which is the more traditionally touristic city. You've got a casino there, 4- and 5-stars hotels, two malls, beaches and the like. However, I've met some foreigners who've told me they prefer Valpo due to its uniqueness: according to them, there are many cities like Viña, but few like Valparaiso. Still, if you can't find a place to stay where I mentioned, look for something in Viña. There are some good, cheap hostels downtown. If you can, try to arrange your trip for mid-September (national festivities, and this year we're celebrating 200 years of independence, so it's gonna be pretty big), late-September/early-October (Festival de los Mil Tambores in Valparaíso. Think Mardi Gras but with less beads and more drums) or during January/February (summer here, lots of activities including summer concerts, and the traditional Cultural Carnaval). Programmable Soda fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Jun 27, 2010 |
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Jun 27, 2010 05:27
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Programmable Soda posted:It's an awesome city with lots of sights and things to do. The nightlife is crazy and there's something for everyone. There are some sketchy areas though, and the city is far from being clean, but it has a distinct personality.
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Jun 27, 2010 18:05
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a japanese pop icon posted:I wouldn't say vina is more traditionally touristic than Valpo. Maybe for Chileans, since locals almost always like ignore their own national beauties, but foreigners almost always go to Valpo over Vina. Valpo's like a unesco world heritage site or something, so every guide book is probably going to emphasize that. I meant traditional as in cookie-cutter-tourism. Casino, beaches, malls, parks... it feels more "plastic", so to speak (which is actually the way one American girl described it to me).
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Jun 27, 2010 20:14
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I'm trying to plan a vacation to a South American country, but I can't decide which. I'm not set on any one and am just looking for a relaxing cheap time during Christmas/New Year. I thought about Uruguay, but it seems difficult to get a flight there.
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Jun 28, 2010 00:32
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Programmable Soda posted:I meant traditional as in cookie-cutter-tourism. Casino, beaches, malls, parks... it feels more "plastic", so to speak (which is actually the way one American girl described it to me). Yeah it's definitely more plastic. Still, I think Valparaiso is more interesting for tourists, it's easily one of the most gorgeous cities in the world (though you can easily miss the gorgeous parts if you don't know where you're going). I think Vina is more comparable to like Miami or something and Valparaiso would be kind of SF, it even has hills! Of course both are way smaller than either of those.
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Jun 28, 2010 02:26
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Any advice for driving through South America? Three friends and I are borrowing a pickup truck and heading through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. My main worries are parking/theft and border crossings. I have heard that it can be difficult to cross into Bolivia with a car, anyone have any experience with it?
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Jun 28, 2010 05:51
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Private Snowball posted:vacation to a South American country, a relaxing cheap time during Christmas/New Year. I thought about Uruguay, You can travel from one end of Uruguay to the other by bus in about 18 hrs, for ~$35. I have the bus tickets to prove it. Uruguay christmas + new years is basically spring break or summer vacation for the colleges down there (mostly argentinan girls from BA and Rosario, but a bunch of Uruguan chicks too), the beaches are literally crawling with college age chicks (almost standing room only, very few american style bikinis though) and hostels are hard to book due to the season, but buses come and go every 10 minutes going both directions down the coast. The uruguay coast (once you get out of montevideo) reminds me of all the california 1960s beach scenes at the beginning of "blow". tiny little, awesome beach houses that are still cheap due to the area being undiscovered and mostly unspoiled by tourism. Highly recommended. re: flights to uruguay: just fly into BA and take the ferry to montevideo, it's about a 5 hour trip from BA to Colonia to Montevideo and around $100, plus you get to experience the metropolis that is BA
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Jun 28, 2010 07:17
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That sounds great. Is it best to rent beach houses once there or do it before?
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Jun 28, 2010 19:13
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Private Snowball posted:I'm trying to plan a vacation to a South American country, but I can't decide which. I'm not set on any one and am just looking for a relaxing cheap time during Christmas/New Year. I thought about Uruguay, but it seems difficult to get a flight there. Medellin, Colombia is absolutely fantastic during Christmas time as they light up the entire city http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoAbFzlsBXg There is not much to see in Medellin but there are good restaurants, nightlife, and it's relaxing as you want. It's a $40 flight to just about anywhere else in Colombia such as Cartagena for its colonial city by the beach or the coffee region where you can stay in a mini mansion on a coffee plantation with really nice scenery. To get to Colombia from the US you are looking at $200-$500 r/t depending on where you live. It's so great that time of year it's most likely where i'll be. Countries further south are also good options as the weather will be nice and hot. As already mentioned a city like Montevideo fits that bill. But of course you can't go wrong with a smaller city in Brazil, places in Argentina, or Chile. Brazil and Chile will be expensive though. For the best value look into Colombia, Argentina, or Uruguay. I would not bother looking into countries other than those really (no to Bolivia, Venezuela, etc.)
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Jun 28, 2010 19:22
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DustingDuvet posted:Medellin, Colombia is absolutely fantastic during Christmas time as they light up the entire city http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoAbFzlsBXg There is not much to see in Medellin but there are good restaurants, nightlife, and it's relaxing as you want. It's a $40 flight to just about anywhere else in Colombia such as Cartagena for its colonial city by the beach or the coffee region where you can stay in a mini mansion on a coffee plantation with really nice scenery. To get to Colombia from the US you are looking at $200-$500 r/t depending on where you live. It's so great that time of year it's most likely where i'll be. I'm going to try and make it to Colombia during or just after Christmas this year myself.
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Jun 28, 2010 22:03
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I am travelling to Sao Paulo and Rio with my brother in September. Anyone able to recommend any good hotels in either place? We're finding it hard to decide, and don't know which ones to try. Any suggestions?
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Jul 3, 2010 13:23
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The Dark Project posted:I am travelling to Sao Paulo and Rio with my brother in September. Anyone able to recommend any good hotels in either place? We're finding it hard to decide, and don't know which ones to try. I can recommend good hostels in both places, but not hotels.
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Jul 3, 2010 13:24
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I'd like to know anyway, just because  It's more expensive in Brazil than in Chile, which is suprise. But then again, I had no idea what I was basing my assumptions on in any case.
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Jul 3, 2010 13:33
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Thanks for the info on Valparaiso. I'll be there in a few days... can't wait
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Jul 3, 2010 23:36
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roflcopter thief posted:Thanks for the info on Valparaiso. I'll be there in a few days... can't wait Definitely take a map of some kind because about half of the Valparaiso hills are super pretty and the other half are super dangerous, so you don't want to go the wrong hill!
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Jul 5, 2010 00:25
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a japanese pop icon posted:Definitely take a map of some kind because about half of the Valparaiso hills are super pretty and the other half are super dangerous, so you don't want to go the wrong hill! This. May I ask roflcopter thief, when are you arriving and are you meeting with someone here? I'm gonna be in the area til July 9th, so if you need some help you could contact me in case you are coming on your own. I don't have PM, but you could email me at aparecido dot viteh @ gmail dot com
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Jul 5, 2010 04:28
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a japanese pop icon posted:Definitely take a map of some kind because about half of the Valparaiso hills are super pretty and the other half are super dangerous, so you don't want to go the wrong hill! Programmable Soda posted:This.
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Jul 5, 2010 05:43
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roflcopter thief posted:Where can I find a map that shows me the lugares peligrosos? I'm guessing it doesn't exist Um you might have to ask someone local (but don't ask someone you meet on the street since they're just as likely to want to take advantage of you as they are to be happy to help a tourist). If you have AIM or something I could help you out? Otherwise, I know that Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre are pretty tourist friendly and safe. In general try to not go too far from the water, and once you get to the tiny hill range in the back of the city you should probably back off. I'd say you can tell which ones are touristy and which are not, but as an American (?) I doubt you'd be able to tell at a glance, since it requires knowing the country/city, I think. I haven't read the Chile Lonely Planet, but they've always helped me out with that kind of thing, so maybe read it at a bookstore and see if it mentions which hills are safe. They always come with pretty good maps, too.
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Jul 5, 2010 07:42
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a japanese pop icon posted:Um you might have to ask someone local (but don't ask someone you meet on the street since they're just as likely to want to take advantage of you as they are to be happy to help a tourist). If you have AIM or something I could help you out? Otherwise, I know that Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre are pretty tourist friendly and safe. In general try to not go too far from the water, and once you get to the tiny hill range in the back of the city you should probably back off. I'd say you can tell which ones are touristy and which are not, but as an American (?) I doubt you'd be able to tell at a glance, since it requires knowing the country/city, I think.
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Jul 5, 2010 08:10
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The Dark Project posted:I'd like to know anyway, just because PM Dusting Duvet about hostels. I travel frequently on business in Brazil and an average "business style" hotel costs around 300 reais in Rio and SP (and most everywhere else as well.)
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Jul 11, 2010 15:47
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Has anyone studied in a Spanish language school in central/south america? I have found listings for schools in pretty much every country, but I don't know which ones are worth the trip. I'd like to spend two weeks in one, I'm planning on going from August 29th to September 11th. Between Cuzco, Bogotá, Panama City, and San Jose which would be best for the first time traveler? I prioritize safety over nightlife.
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Jul 12, 2010 08:09
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Great thread everybody... I amm debating if I can afford (time & $) for my wife & I to go to my cousin's wedding in central Argentina (San Luis) next Spring. While there we would want to hit some other sites, etc but will have a max 2 week window to do this. We are thinking of flying in/out of Santiago,Chile & Buenos Aries, Argentina. While in BA, thinking about heading to Uruguay since Diego Forlan has made me want to visit that country. Are visas needed for Chile, Argentina or Uruguay for a US or Canadian citizen? Any recommended places to see in that corridor? Are the buses and local airlines good? Are any vaccines needed for these places? Are the waterfalls at the Argentina/Brazil border worth going to? what is the time & cost from BA? since it's at the Brazil & even Paraguay border area, does one need to go into those countries? I will have more questions as the time approaches.
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Jul 12, 2010 16:09
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Tank44 posted:Great thread everybody... I amm debating if I can afford (time & $) for my wife & I to go to my cousin's wedding in central Argentina (San Luis) next Spring. While there we would want to hit some other sites, etc but will have a max 2 week window to do this. We are thinking of flying in/out of Santiago,Chile & Buenos Aries, Argentina. While in BA, thinking about heading to Uruguay since Diego Forlan has made me want to visit that country. 1. Visas are not needed in advance for either of those countries. But for Americans flying into Buenos Aires or Santiago you need to pay a $100+ fee for the visa. 2. Of course but it depends on what you like to do. 3. Buses are excellent but if you have two weeks a plane would be ideal since Argentina dn Chile are both big countries. Flights can be reasonable so look into them in advance. But if you plan to visit Uruguay a combination of a ferry/bus is your best option. 4. No special vaccines are needed. 5. Yes, they are worth going to. It takes about 18-20 hours by bus from Buenos Aires. It can be done on a budget (bus, hostal, no tours, cook your own food) but you can also do it luxuriosuly (4 star hotel, eating out, tours, etc.). It just depends on what you want. As an American you won't be able to visit the Brazilian side since you need to arrange a visa in advance and that would also cost you $100+. You also need a visa in advance to visit Paraguay but I hear it's possible to go on a day trip without one since that area of Paraguay is very sketchy.
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Jul 12, 2010 16:36
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PlesantDilemma posted:Has anyone studied in a Spanish language school in central/south america? I have found listings for schools in pretty much every country, but I don't know which ones are worth the trip. I'd like to spend two weeks in one, I'm planning on going from August 29th to September 11th. Between Cuzco, Bogotá, Panama City, and San Jose which would be best for the first time traveler? I prioritize safety over nightlife. I'd say you're best off choosing a city that interests you most and then start looking for a Spanish school. You can arrange spanish lessons in any major city and also some smaller cities and towns. So choose a country, a type of environment, and then start looking. You should also think about some salsa/tango lessons while you are there. But out of the cities listed i'd say they are most safe for a tourist in this order. Cuzco, Panama City, Bogota, San Jose.
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Jul 12, 2010 16:39
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Tank44 posted:Are the waterfalls at the Argentina/Brazil border worth going to? what is the time & cost from BA? since it's at the Brazil & even Paraguay border area, does one need to go into those countries? YES YES YES do not miss Iguazu. DD already covered most of it, but to add on: Puerto Iguazu (on the Argentinian side) is a fairly small, dusty town. Hostels are cheap and plentiful, and you can take the bus to the falls. Probably your biggest expense will be the park entrance fee: 85 pesos for the first day and 45-ish? the next day - don't forget to stamp your ticket as you leave the park. The Brazilian side isn't that interesting, tbh. You get a sort of grand view of the falls, but the Argentinian side lets you walk right up to the Devil's Throat (you must do this) and you get plenty of good views anyway. also there's a really gimmicky but fairly fun boat ride that takes you under the falls. if your boat captain isn't an rear end in a top hat you'll have a hell of a time edit - I stayed at Hostel Bambu in PI. Would recommend, clean, friendly and it's a minute's walk from the bus terminal where you can take the bus marked CATARATAS to the falls. Kessel fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jul 13, 2010 |
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Jul 12, 2010 18:37
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Tank44 posted:Questions Buses in Argentina are excellent, but because the country is so vast, it takes a very long time to get anywhere. Flights can be on the expensive side, but if you only have 2 weeks, it might be worth it. I wouldn't bother going to Uruguay - for me at least, it had nothing to offer that I couldn't get in Argentina. Especially if you only have 2 weeks, and want to see some of Chile in that time, I totally wouldn't bother.
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Jul 12, 2010 20:21
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Kessel posted:YES YES YES do not miss Iguazu. Quotin' dis. Iguazu and Machu Picchu are the two places you should visit if you're on the continent only once in your lifetime. I can't say this enough. I plan on taking my future kids there someday. The bus systems are great. If I could do it again I would fly to Iguazu, the $90 I saved by taking the bus is not worth the 22 hour bus trip IMO. The scenery in Argentina isn't particularly varied* if you were hoping for the "see the countryside" angle. Some of the buses I would consider on par with first class airflight, and most of the others like business class, but with wider seats. Bring some sort of inflatable pillow you can prop your head against. You can get to Rosario from Buenos Aires by lunch if you take the bus though, and that's a good trip. If I did it again, I'd take the bus to Rosario, spend the day/night there, and then fly to Iguazu the following evening from Rosario, and then fly back to BA or Montevideo from there. *it all looks like north central Texas to me. As you go north to Iguazu it turns to scrub brush (Yerba Mate plantations) and is even less appealing until about 50 miles outside of Iguazu when you get into the outskirts of the jungle. I've heard as you head towards Cordoba (SW of Rosario) the scenery improves.
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Jul 12, 2010 20:35
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roflcopter thief posted:Well, I lived in Brasil for 7.5 months so I'd say my street smarts are pretty good. But it always helps to know beforehand. The close to the water thing is a handy rule of thumb, and I'll definitely ask some locals when I get there. We could talk more on AIM, how can I send you my AIM name? Your profile disallows emails. Woops totally forgot about this thread  Hope you didn't get mugged raped and killed!DO NOT MISS IGUACU it owns. I didn't think the brazil side was meh at all though, it's an amazing view. The Argentinian side looked pretty meh to me.
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Jul 17, 2010 08:17
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Herro Wanderlusting Goons! I can help with any questions regarding travel to Brazil, things to do and see, places to stay. It is a great country though, as had been said before, is a bit more expensive than the rest of the continent. That being said if you work the system to your advantage you can get away with spending a lot less. Put your haggling cap on before coming though.
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Jul 17, 2010 21:16
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edit: Lol, I quoted someone from very early in the thread, that's what I get for reading it from both ends at once. Also if anyone would mind critiquing a vague itinerary: Fly to BA (probably October) see Iguaza falls, head south through Argentina via El Chaltén and end up at Puerto Natales in Chile and take the Navimag up the coast. Santiago, (maybe Mendoza), Bolivia, Peru, with Christmas/New Years somewhere in there (that Uruguay thing mentioned earlier looked cool and probably worth a cheap return flight). A Brazilian acquaintance said I have to go to Salvador for Carnivale which is 4th to the 8th March next year. So whenever I finish Bolivia or whereever head into Brazil and end up there for Carnivale, then head over through to Columbia/Ecuador. I really have very little idea what is in Brazil worth seeing at this stage but I'm sure I could fill a month or two. That'll probably be the end of my six months but afterwards I'm heading north to Mexico and the US. I'm not really sure what in central America is worth seeing but I'm tempted to see Cuba and the flights from Panama seem reasonably priced. So yeah, very vague but that's how I seem to travel. I hadn't thought of studying Spanish over there until reading this thread tonight, I've got none currently and am enrolled in an intro course here but it's not going to be a lot. Are there any courses or schools people would recommend? I'd probably only be able to give it two weeks but I'd be prepared to do full immersion. What sort of prices would I be looking at to do that? Destroyenator fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Jul 18, 2010 |
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Jul 18, 2010 13:26
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billy cuts posted:I just got into Tarapoto, which is in the western upper Peruvian Amazon. I'll be here for a couple weeks, then off to Yurimaguas for the rest of the time I'm in Peru. Give me a call if you're in the region -- 042-942-61-0220. Speaking of the Amazon (Peru side), I'm trying to figure out which between Iquitos, Tambopata and Manú would be the more area interesting to visit, especially for wildlife (and birds in particular, though not exclusively). Has someone visited all three and found one or the other to be clearly superior, or are they all interesting in their own unique ways?
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Jul 18, 2010 14:10
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Destroyenator posted:A Brazilian acquaintance said I have to go to Salvador for Carnivale which is 4th to the 8th March next year. So whenever I finish Bolivia or whereever head into Brazil and end up there for Carnivale, then head over through to Columbia/Ecuador. I really have very little idea what is in Brazil worth seeing at this stage but I'm sure I could fill a month or two. Do you like throngs of people? Do you like loud live music? Are you male and love women or are you a woman and love men? If you answered yes to any or all of these then Carnaval in Salvador is for you. People are, literally, everywhere. The city is crawling with people in the late afternoon/evening. You can find yourself a bar to sit down at (if you're lucky and early) or you can take part in any one of the huge number of parades that go down the streets, called "blocos" or blocks. These are composed of everyday people with a common passion for fun and music. The other option that all these people have is more professional and also much more expensive. There are huge trucks fitted with massive sound systems that inch through the city. On top of these trucks, which we call "Trio Elétricos", are live bands playing Axé Music (think fast-paced samba mixed with shades of Electronica and Jazz Fusion). Surrounding these trucks are hundreds of people inside a roped off area, all wearing the same thin shirt. The shirt itself, called an "abadá" is your ticket into the cordoned area. It used to be pretty cheap (on the order of $40) today though it's more towards R$1000 or almost $600.  Regarding people of the opposite sex be prepared for lots of PDA everywhere. People are drinking which reduces inhibitions, they are also having lots of fun jumping up and down, singing, dancing, kissing just a natural progression of this expression. People can be seen everywhere making out in streets, in bars, and it's a sight to behold if you've never been to anything similar (e.g. Mardi Gras, Spring Break vacations). The trio elétricos will pepper the crowds with condoms just to be sure everyone is as safe as they can be.
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Jul 18, 2010 15:18
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