zitozac

Trying to plan a trip to SA sometime in the next two years. As I have looked over several threads on FT and other sites online, along with my own knowledge, I've picked out a handful of sites that seem to be the most popular that may be easiest on a first time traveler to SA (I would think.) I'll list the sites I'm intrigued by, and am hoping for suggestions from more seasoned travelers on how many I can realistically fit into one trip (Max 2-3 week trip). Ideas on travel in between locations is appreciated. I will be traveling from either ATL or MIA if that makes a difference. The sites that seem interesting to a novice traveler are:

Machu Picchu, the Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, Igaussu falls, Patagonia, and Rio de Janeiro

How many of these could I fit into a 2-3 week trip? I usually move at a pretty quick pace and can view/take in a bunch of stuff on a short trip. I don't typically need to spend a ton of time in any one location, just enough to take in the scenery and appreciate what I'm looking at, and move on.

Which would be a good starting point/ending point? It looks like rail options are very limited so most intra SA travel would be by plane or bus, correct?

Are there alternatives to these flashy touristy places that may serve the same purpose (other ruins, natural beauties, etc.)

Thanks for any insight. This will be my first trip to SA (hopefully not my last) and I have several months to start piecing the trip together but figured this board would be a great springboard to get the wheels in motion.

miikkak

Would be very useful to know what you are interested in&how much you intend to spend in your flights... From logistical point of view, don't plan to visit more than 2-3 countries during the trip. If visiting Ecuador, Northern Peru is easy to visit and much less touristic than Cusco which of course is worth visiting. There are beautiful & historically important ruins in Trujillo (huaca de luna&sol, huaca del brujo), Chachapoyas (Kuelap) & Chiclayo. Might be a good idea to have a look at guidebooks like Lonely Planet to have general what you can do in different countries...

zitozac

Thanks for the quick response. I am definitely more interested in natural wonders over big cities or metropolitan areas, hence the interest in Machu Picchu, the animals and ecology of the Galapagos, the stone monuments on Easter Island, etc. Basic searches of flights show availability from ATL into IPC, LIM, or UIO for anywhere between $700-$1000 which is doable for me. I also have Skymiles and US Airways miles that I could use for an economy ticket.

SJOGuy

You say "plane or bus," but South America is a HUGE continent and if you want to cover a lot of territory, you're going to have to fly between places. (Lima to Cusco, your launching point for Machu Picchu, is 20 hours by bus.) If you have two or three weeks, I would limit the trip to just a couple of countries that neighbor each other, say Ecuador and Peru.

miikkak

Domestic flights are expensive in Peru&Argentina when paying with "real money" as non-resident but cheap in miles. As a result, getting Avios/LANPass for instance through credit card churn is highly recommendable. Lifemiles can be useful in Peru & Skypesos in Argentina.

Lake Titicaca, Amazon & Huaraz (to see more adventurous part of the Andes) could also be interesting destinations in Peru. Given the limited time you have, I would recommend chosing either Peru&Ecuador or Brazil&Argentina. Otherwise you will likely spend too much at airports&buses. Sidetrip to Easter Island (you can fly there also from Lima) or Galapagos doesn't complicate the trip too much if visiting Peru&continental Ecuador.

Brazil requires US citizens have visas and Argentina&Chile paying reciprocity fees when arriving on international flight. Expect to pay ~150 USD per country (=exactly the same amount charged by US consulates for US visa) and note that changes in short-notice are possible especially in Argentina. Other countries like Peru, Ecuador & Colombia don't paying reciprocity fees nor visas.

zitozac

Thanks for the advice. It looks like I will focus my trip to a couple of sites near each other for my first trip and make a second trip (and hopefully several more) to see some of the other sites of interest.

C010T3

Well, then, it might be useful to separate the Atlantic-oriented side of South America from the Pacific-oriented.

zitozac

A couple of other questions...

1) Regarding visa costs and reciprocity fees- Ive read that in Chile, for instance, if flying to IPC from LIM you are not subjected to the same entrance fee as if you flew into SCL. If you then chose to go IPC-SCL it would be treated as a domestic flight and you wouldn't have to pay. Does this hold true for Argentina/Brazil as well (meaning if you fly into a smaller/domestic airport instead of GIG, GRU, EZE, etc. are there ways around these fees?) I'm specifically interested in IGR or IGU if I plan a trip to Igaussu Falls.

2) How many days (at a minimum) would I need for Machu Picchu from Lima? It looks to me like a minimum of 4-5. Is that correct? I'm thinking:
Day 1: Lima-Cusco
Day 2: Cusco-AC
Day 3: Machu Picchu
Day 4: Machu Picchu- Cusco (is this possible in one day with train schedules, and is it possible to get all the way back to Lima in one day)

Thanks for the continued advice and tips. Im hoping to take this trip in March so I've begun looking at flight options and intra-SA flights don't seem too bad. I found RT flights from Lima-Cusco for $125 and flights from Lima-IPC for $400 RT both of those seem much cheaper than the LAN Airpass I was trying to construct.

miikkak

1) You have to get Brazilian visa before arrival (unless crossing illegally the border) and you pay it to the consulate in US. Argentina for now has the same logic as Chile but it has to be prepaid. Argentinian rules can change with little notice, check it 1 month before departure and again 1 week before departure.

2) At least 3-4 days are recommended for Cuzco. If you depart early (wake-up at 4 am) you can do a day trip to MP (return at 11pm) from Cuzco. By the way, Titicaca lake in Puno is very beautiful, only 5-6 hours by bus from Cuzco. If travelling to Lake Titicaca, you can fly easily to Lima from Juliaca (45 minutes from the town of Puno).

3) LIM-CUZ 125 USD, which carrier (some fares do have residency restrictions)? If planning in advance, there are better options than the airpass.

zitozac

I was seeing flights using ITA on LAN and TACA?. You're saying these fares may not be including additional fees for not being a resident? Thanks

bingocallerb22

Yes, ITA can list resident only fares. They are not fees, it is a penalty for buying an inappropriate fare. For Lan, you will see Economy X. Then on the final itinerary page, check fare rules and it will say resident only*. The other clue is if you see $125 be assured it is not for you, they want to bleed gringos way more than that.

Not spitting at ITA, Peruvian residents use this resource as well so it is appropriate for ITA to list it.


*NOTE -
PROMOTION--APPLIES FOR PERUVIAN RESIDENTS--
RESIDENCE IN PERU SHALL BE ACCREDITED WITH
PERUVIAN ID OR ALIEN CARD OTHERWISE AN ADDITIONAL
CHARGE OF USD 177 WILL BE APPLIED OR BOARDING
WILL BE DENIED.
[/SIZE]

miikkak

ITA assumes that tickets will be bought in the city of departure unless you change it manually... There is another thread about domestic flights in Peru subforum... Anyway, do you have miles? Domestic flights in Peru offer very good value for redemptions with many OW&*A programs... Have you thought about getting a new credit card? For instance, getting LANPass Visa Signature would give you enough miles to fly from LIM to CUZ...

zitozac

Thanks for the tips. I will pay attention to that as I look more at flights. I have some Avios, DL miles, and US miles. Not really interested in trying for CC I don't think because my credit history isn't the greatest and I'm trying to build it back up.