South America tour
 

Hi all, <BR>I am looking at going through South America in March of next year. The countries that I have thought about are Chili, Argentina mainly but I am open to suggestions from people who know the area. What are the things I should see in those 2 places and are there any other "must see" places I should think about. <BR>I would really like to stay in B&Bs as I own one and find that the best way to "see" a country is with the help of someone who really knows it. Has anyone done it that way and what have been your experiences. <BR>Any help about anything about South America would be great. <BR>Thanks in advance <BR>Liz

Don't you think in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? <BR>Wonderful beaches, Loaf Sugar, Corcovado Mountain, Botanic Garden... MUST SEE. <BR>I'm from Rio de Janeiro and if i could help mail me.

If you do Chile and Argentina, I would recommend Brazil as well. There is an air pass you can buy that allows travel on the airlines of all 3 countries. <BR> <BR>Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Rio are the major cities to see. Iguazzu Falls on the Brazil/Argentina border. Try a lake crossing the Andes between Chile and Argentina? Perhaps explore more into Pantagonia in southern Chile? You can also take a side trip to Uruguay from Argentina. <BR> <BR>If you go beyond the southern part of the continent, the next logical places are the Amazon river in Northern Brazil, Machu Picchu in Peru, and the Galapagis Islands in Ecuador. Geographically, those three go together as well. <BR> <BR>I recommend looking at vacation packages from United, Varig, or Globus to see example itineraries. You can book yourself for less (especially now), and replace the hotels with smaller B&Bs or Inns, but at least you'll get a feel for how much time to spend in each place and the order of destinations.

Thank you very much for your help and sorry its been so long since I posted this to get back to you. <BR>I would certainly love to go to Brazil and have been looking at a cruise down the coast from Rio - they are very good value now. <BR>The suggestion of going from Chile to Argentina is a great one and I would love to do that and someone else suggested taking the bus up to the Andes and then fly from there to BA. There appears so much to do and so many places to go - I can't wait!

Hi, it depends on how much time you have for your holidays. I live in Argentina and I can tell you there are several places you MUST visit if you come here. On the other hand I have visited several places in Chile and Brazil but, I wouldn't recommend you to visit so many countries. Distances here are quite important and you would lose "focus" and wouldn't rest much. In Argentina I would recommend the Perito Moreno Glacier (it is really incredible!), you have Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes on the same side (mountains, trekking, etc). The Iguazu Falls are very pretty as well. Your flight will arrive in Buenos Aires so you will probably spend some days visiting the city as well. Ushuaia is the remotest city in the continent and is also worth visiting. From there you can cross to Chile and visit their fiords.