or we could do the contrary the contrary... first fly from miami to argentina and return thru perú?

Firstly, congratulations! Assuming we all do survive the apocalypse a few thoughtss:

Information on weather in Peru can be found, along with lots of other useful info at http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/tips/weather.html
as you will see it is the wet season in Peru so it is not the best time to be there but it will be quieter and you can still have a great time.


You dont mention how much time you have so it is difficult to suggest how much should be spent in each place. Personally , I would use Ollantaytambo as a base for the Sacred Valley and MP. Cusco is great for a couple of days as well but it is at altitude so much better to go straight to Olly on arrival to acclimatise.

Patogonia is beautiful whichever country you visit if you have time there are a number of trip by boat through the lakes etc. which would be great (or by horseback). We crossed from Pucon in Chile to San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina and loved both places.

We spent 5 months in SA from Aug to Dec and loved it. A link to our blog with some photos etc.

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/candcthai/1/tpod.html

South America entries start at #55

I have stayed in Cafayate and loved it but it is in Salta province which, great though it is, is not on the itinerary you mention. Do you perhaps mean El Calafate which is famed for its glaciers?

hi crellston... many thanks i'll check your blog certainly. i didn't give you dates as we don't have a strictly rigid schedule, we would have aproximately 15-21 days. give or take...so feel free to make any suggestion you think may be helpful.

how many would you recommend for lima, ollantaytambo, cusco and MP? we won't trek the inca way, 'cause it's wet season. i was thinking probably peru 7 or 8 days, and 7 in patagonia? my daughter was in choquequirao last year ans she had already visited MP and loved it.

i am venezuelan so i speak spanish of course and that helps. i have never traveled beyond my sister country colombia, so i'm very curious about my own continent. i was always interested in getting to know other continents first... so now's the time, as i want to introduce my future husband to my culture.

he is irish, and is very interested in maybe taking an orient express tour. they have a beautiful new hotel in cusco called palacio nazarenas. the good thing is that apparently it will be cheaper because it's low season.

i would really love to first take at least 3 days in a nice beach, to relax after our small wedding in ft lauderdale, and then take of for our S.A. adventure.

crellston, yes, i meant cafayate... i'm not familiar with argentina so i i'm assuming it's far away from el calafate or bariloche o puerto madryn in patagonia? i will check out the geography and see. anyway one of my daughters tells me she would spend the whole 2.5 or 3 weeks in perú. what do you suggest?

lavici - Choosing between Argentina and Peru is like choosing between apples and pears, both are great but everyone will have there own preferences. I loved both places and could easily se myself living in either but they are very different. Peru has a huge amount to see from the Andes to the Amazon and has some wonderful scenery and amazing historical sights particularly around the Sacred Valley.

Argentina for me was more about the scenery and my favourite place on the whole continent (not that I saw more a fraction in my 5 months there!) was Salta and the north west (followed closely by patagonia, Peninsular Valdez Iguazu etc. etc. It really is about what interests you personally.

One thing I would definitely advise you to do is to check out the weather in any of the places you are considering as it will obviously vary dramatically with both latititude and altitude - have a look on the destination sections on this site or perhaps Lonely Planet for more info.

You could easily do both countries, but do not underestimate the time you will spend getting around. Flights are very expensive in South America and don't always take the most direct route so do check this out.

Can't help with the beach I am afraid as I am not really a beach person but 7-8 days in the SV sounds good as does 7 for Patagonia but, as mentioned above you need to add in transfer time from say Cusco to somewhere in Patagonia. This will almost certainly involve transit in Lima and an overnight there and probably a change of plane somwehere else - I would guess at a couple of days to get from one place to the other.

We got to Chile via Lake Titica and Arequipa in Peru from where we flew down to Santiago and worked our way down south from there to Patagonia. I suppose you could do the same and carry on to say Torres de Paine etc. - the possibilities are endless.

PS there were problems with a volcano erupting in the area and causing flights etc. to be supended for some time . Not sure what the current situation is - hopefull Huentutu will see thsi post and be able to provide an update.

many thanks crellston. your suggestions are great. salta in argentina is where cafayate is? i'm waiting for my eldest daughter to recuperate from a half triathlon this weekend to tell me about choquequirao. precisely i feel that we don't want to spend our honeymoon jumping around too much.
i'd love to go to chile and cross over to the argentinian patagonia. tell me what you loved most about salta?
the jungle in perú is not one of my priorities since our "gran sabana" with our oldest geological formations in SA with the "angels falls" and tepuyes or table mountains in venezuela are to die for. so i will check the weather and possibilities and the volcano. hope huentutu comments too...