Travelling South America...
Discussion
I did, Peru, Chile, Argentina.
Don't know if your thinking of backpacking or decent hotels and flights around etc.
All three amazing countries.
Bus travel is cheap and plentiful, and surprisingly good quality - especially on long haul journeys.
Peru is cheap, Chile & Argentina slightly more expensiev but not too bad.
Get South in both Chile & Argentina, amazing scenary and landscapes. Bariloche in Argentina is lovely in both summer & winter.
Peru vist Machu Pichu - yes it can be touristy but do the full three day hike and its worth it.
Navimag ferry journey around the Chilean fjords is an excellant trip.
Flights from Chile to Easter Island can be bought
If I could go travelling again i'd reurn to South America.
Don't know if your thinking of backpacking or decent hotels and flights around etc.
All three amazing countries.
Bus travel is cheap and plentiful, and surprisingly good quality - especially on long haul journeys.
Peru is cheap, Chile & Argentina slightly more expensiev but not too bad.
Get South in both Chile & Argentina, amazing scenary and landscapes. Bariloche in Argentina is lovely in both summer & winter.
Peru vist Machu Pichu - yes it can be touristy but do the full three day hike and its worth it.
Navimag ferry journey around the Chilean fjords is an excellant trip.
Flights from Chile to Easter Island can be bought
If I could go travelling again i'd reurn to South America.
What he said. Plus Venezuela is pretty amazing, the tepuis are jaw dropping and Ecuador was surprisingly good fun too. Bolivia is also good for Titicaca, the Amazon Basin and (IMO the best bit we did) the Salar de Uyuni. We did a lot of trekking and if that's your thing there are few places to beat it, from Machu Pichu to the Tores Del Paine and a host of others throughout the Andes.
LB,
Make sure you include Iguazu Falls in your "must see" places. It's on the Brazil/Argentina border, and its spelling changes with the country. It is the biggest waterfalls and must be seen from each side. You can stay in either country. It is a LONG bus ride to Sao Paolo and Rio, but worthwhile.
If in Venezuela, bypass Caracas and head along the coast. I recommend going to Ciudad Bolivar and visiting the Angel Falls. It's an overnight trip starting at Lake Canaima (5 waterfalls into one beautiful lake), going upriver in an Indian canoe (powered by a 48 hp Yamaha outboard!), sleeping out and several hours' walking.
Wilf.
Make sure you include Iguazu Falls in your "must see" places. It's on the Brazil/Argentina border, and its spelling changes with the country. It is the biggest waterfalls and must be seen from each side. You can stay in either country. It is a LONG bus ride to Sao Paolo and Rio, but worthwhile.
If in Venezuela, bypass Caracas and head along the coast. I recommend going to Ciudad Bolivar and visiting the Angel Falls. It's an overnight trip starting at Lake Canaima (5 waterfalls into one beautiful lake), going upriver in an Indian canoe (powered by a 48 hp Yamaha outboard!), sleeping out and several hours' walking.
Wilf.
I spent 3months in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador and can recommend Columbia 
Don't listen to everything everyone says but make your own mind up. For whats it's worth, here are my opinions:
Bolivia is awesome and I liked La Paz although many don't (the mountain biking in Sorata is awesome - not the worlds most dangerous road crap), Salar de Uyuni is spectacular (although the trains are poor and choose your supplier carefully), Sucre is lovely and has amazing food, Tupiza feels like the wild west (and is near where Butch Cassidy and The Sundance kid were killed). Rurrenabaque is a great town with excursions into the Amazon Basin (it's not on the Amazon river though). You also have Potosi where you can go down the mines (I didn't), Cochabamba is meant to be an oh-dear but sits on the outskirts of Toro Toro which is meant to be stunning (with dinosaur footprints and all).
Peru for me was a bit "meh" but then I had to skip most of it due to civil unrest. The Inca Trail was fun but Machu Pichu felt overrated personally - I'm glad I went though. The north is fairly sketchy as well and various towns along the way just rip the tourists off constantly. Lima has an amazing part full of fountains which is worth visiting.
Ecuador looked amazing but I got the feeling that they didn't like tourists. I was attacked in various places and made to feel most un-welcome. Guayaquil is a s**thole but is the entrance to the Galapagos which should be visited if you get the chance (Isla Isabella perhaps one of the most beautiful places I've ever been). Banos is fun with plenty of hiking and hot springs, Cuenca is interesting, To the south is an amazing German / Swiss ran place with hiking trails (but I can't remember the name!), Latacunga is ok but is the entrance to a multi-day hike which is meant to be nice. Avoid Quito as everyone I met was robbed there. Mindo is really nice place for hiking, bird watching... Oh and the border crossing from Peru to Ecuador north of Mancora is as sketchy as a sketchy thing - I was lucky, many friends weren't.
I never made it to Columbia, but it's something I have only heard good things about!
If you have the cash ($5k+) you can head out to Antartica from Patagonia (I'm heading there sometime in the next years).
In Chile's Atacama desert there is an abandonded marshalling yard somewhere, though I cannot for the life of me find the references again. It looks stunning though.
My personal tip would be to head up to Central America for a bit too. Personally I found Central America to be the perfect blend of adventure, parties and exploration in the 7weeks I spent heading from Panama to Cancun.
Good luck!
Don't listen to everything everyone says but make your own mind up. For whats it's worth, here are my opinions:
Bolivia is awesome and I liked La Paz although many don't (the mountain biking in Sorata is awesome - not the worlds most dangerous road crap), Salar de Uyuni is spectacular (although the trains are poor and choose your supplier carefully), Sucre is lovely and has amazing food, Tupiza feels like the wild west (and is near where Butch Cassidy and The Sundance kid were killed). Rurrenabaque is a great town with excursions into the Amazon Basin (it's not on the Amazon river though). You also have Potosi where you can go down the mines (I didn't), Cochabamba is meant to be an oh-dear but sits on the outskirts of Toro Toro which is meant to be stunning (with dinosaur footprints and all).
Peru for me was a bit "meh" but then I had to skip most of it due to civil unrest. The Inca Trail was fun but Machu Pichu felt overrated personally - I'm glad I went though. The north is fairly sketchy as well and various towns along the way just rip the tourists off constantly. Lima has an amazing part full of fountains which is worth visiting.
Ecuador looked amazing but I got the feeling that they didn't like tourists. I was attacked in various places and made to feel most un-welcome. Guayaquil is a s**thole but is the entrance to the Galapagos which should be visited if you get the chance (Isla Isabella perhaps one of the most beautiful places I've ever been). Banos is fun with plenty of hiking and hot springs, Cuenca is interesting, To the south is an amazing German / Swiss ran place with hiking trails (but I can't remember the name!), Latacunga is ok but is the entrance to a multi-day hike which is meant to be nice. Avoid Quito as everyone I met was robbed there. Mindo is really nice place for hiking, bird watching... Oh and the border crossing from Peru to Ecuador north of Mancora is as sketchy as a sketchy thing - I was lucky, many friends weren't.
I never made it to Columbia, but it's something I have only heard good things about!
If you have the cash ($5k+) you can head out to Antartica from Patagonia (I'm heading there sometime in the next years).
In Chile's Atacama desert there is an abandonded marshalling yard somewhere, though I cannot for the life of me find the references again. It looks stunning though.
My personal tip would be to head up to Central America for a bit too. Personally I found Central America to be the perfect blend of adventure, parties and exploration in the 7weeks I spent heading from Panama to Cancun.
Good luck!
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff