jramos116

My Husband and I just won two tickets to anywhere in South America, but we need to use them no later than Aug. 31, 2011.

We already have a large trip planned for February of this year so we are trying to come up with a fun, economical itinerary for S. America.

Thinking 5-7 days. Would prefer to get out of the city and enjoy some of the country. **Neither of us speak spanish, but are well traveled and used to getting around in foreign countries. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

neuromancer

SA is very diverse and can suit many different preferences.
Out of the city, 5-7 days, probably Chilean Patagonia - Torres del Paine. Or Cuzco & Machu Picchu. Pantanal in Brazil for wildlife lovers.

Eastbay1K

In July?

Draw a line from Santiago to Buenos Aires, and stay no further south.

SoCal

Any airline? To anywhere at all? Or just the major cities servied by the major airlines (with any addiitional flying being at your cost)? If you need to take a specific airline, that could greatly narrow your options (and give posters more to go on).

I loved Patagonia, but it'd be winter, and 5-7 days, including roundtrip flights, could be cutting it tight. Pantanal a little more feasible in terms of weather (I think it'd be dry season), but time-consuming (multiple flights-- to Campo Grande or Cuiaba--, then need to get to the areas where there are tours). I wouldn't necessarily rule it out but needs investigating.

You mention only Spanish. You've ruled out Brazil? If you can take TAM or Delta, you can easily get to Manaus on the Amazon River (non-stop from Miami on TAM or from Atlanta on Delta; on other airlines, an additional stop or more required), and then take a short boat tour and/or stay at a "jungle lodge." Buenos Aires or Montevideo and close-by country areas could be feasible, and those countries shoudl have lower costs than Brazil (where the costs often surprise tourists).

Or, how about flying to Lima, then a connecting flight to Cusco, and then by bus or train to Machu Picchu (assuming the roads and/or train tracks are repaired by now)? Personally, I'd avoid Venezuela due to the political situation there, but others might well disagree.

Remember that August is prime vacation season in Europe, so if you go that month, and are gong anywhere easily accessible from Europe (e.g., Rio, Buenos Aires, Salvador, Recife), book accommodations in advance.

jramos116

Thanks all. It is Delta so anywhere they fly is an option.

Redhead

Do you like wine? Wine tasting in Chile might be an option. Plus you could throw in a couple of days skiing in the Andes

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

Do you want a winter destination like Buenos Aires. Or stay with somewhere warm like Central or Northern Brazil. Now Rio can be rainy in winter time though.

jramos116

I like the Peru idea as well as the wine tour in Chile. I'm also not a big fan of the cold so somewhere warm in Brazil might be nice as well. The Amazon idea is intriguing, but not sure I want to do that tropical/muggy.

So far I'm really leaning toward Peru since I like the idea of the train to Machu Pichu. Would Paracas be worth visiting in August? Only asking because they have a Doubletree there and I have plenty of points I could use. One forum I was reading suggested a day trip to Huacachina for a tour to the wineries and bodegas. Just not clear on how we’d get from Paracas to Cusco to catch the train to Machu Pichu. I see this trip extending a few days.

Eastbay1K

I've been hesitant to make suggestions as I don't know how much you might want to spend (if anything) for transport to/from the DL cities.

dgcpaphd

"somewhere warm in Brazil" does not mean Sao Paulo or further South.

Remember, when you are in Brazil in July and August, it is Winter in Brazil. Often one can get lucky and find a fairly warm day (65 - 70 degrees) but most nights are chilly.

Considering you like warm weather, remember that in Brazil, even nice hotels do not have heaters. This means, you will need plenty of blankets in the hotels and jackets and/or sweaters when you go out walking - day or night.

You said you do not speak Spanish. I assume you also do not speak Portuguese which is spoken in Brazil. You will not encounter many people who speak English in Brazil.

Since you have only so little time, you might want to consider Recife. It is very near Olinda which was voted "the first Capital of Culture in Brazil".

Recife is warmer than Southern Brazil and there is a fair amount to see and do for five to seven days.

Check out this web address:

http://www.recifeguide.com/olinda/

Good luck on choosing a destination.
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boboqui

For economical scratch Brazil, it's way to expensive there now.

travelinterpreters

We were in Peru last August and had an amazing time.

We were in Cusco and the Sacred Valley most of the time. We took the train from Olly to MP, it was about an hour and half to get there.

It is very economical, in Cusco and Olly we spent less than $100 US per night and the hotels were nice.

Percy was our guide and did an amazing job for us for a couple of days.

jramos116

Economical Peru sounds good. From what I can see Argentina would be more. I'm sure I could find this somewhere else too, but any idea on how much per day we could anticipate in Argentina?

Eastbay1K

What has turned into the biggest expense in Argentina is lodging. Otherwise, it remains a quite affordable place to visit. (Lodging prices can be quite variable, too, but you are going during an off-peak time.)

keisari

If they go to Buenos Aires they could rent an apartment for one week;
Unless you absolutely want to see snow and cold I would stick to the big cities with some side trips.
Santiago is good for that. Temps are milder near the coast and you can do some day trips to wine country (vines will be empty), Viņas del Mar and maybe even a quick day skiing. Santiago though is underwhelming.
Buenos Aires is amazing during winter/summer or any other time; There are some nice day trips to Colonia and even an overnight to Montevideo; You could do an overnight to Iguazu;
Bariloche is great in the winter but you need to fly as is Mendoza in the north; internal flights in Argentina are expensive.

If you go to Buenos Aires, stay in an apartment (search the threads here; we have talked about apartments in the past) and enjoy the amazing food, great cafes, European ambiance, museums and some unique people watching.
This is will be relatively inexpensive and one week is enough time.