Hello there!!!

I am planning a trip to SA for February. I am planning on flying into Rio de Janeiro, then travelling to Iguazu falls, Buenos Aires, possibly Uruguay and Paraguay and flying home from BA. My question is....what is the best way to get to and from these countries? Airfare seemed to be out of control, and I considered renting a car, but since I will be by myself I'm not too comfortable with that idea. Does SA have reliable/reasonably priced rail or bus transportation? I checked into guided tours, but they are really expensive, and thought I'd be able to do better on my own. Am I just dreaming? Any input is greatly appreciated.

Fly. Maybe the cost will be lower in a few months, with all this financial mess.

Have a great time in South America.

Rail - generally non-existent

Rental cars - difficult or usually impossible to take across borders

Boat - necessary for crossing between Uruguay and BA

Bus - Those are some huge distances you plan to cover. For example:

Rio-BA = 1,200 miles
BA-Asuncion = 600 miles
BA-Iguazu = 700 miles

You don't say how long you have for the trip. If you don't fly, those would be some awfully long overland trips.

Wow, I didn't realize it was that far of a distance. I'm planning to be there for about two weeks. I definitely need to re-think my modes of transportation.

Thanks for your input and advice!!!

Even if you do fly, that seems like a lot of territory to cover in two weeks. I'd consider cutting something out.

Suppose you fly from Rio to BA. By the time you check out of your hotel, travel to the airport, check in with, say, a two-hour advance requirement, fly, land, go through immigration and customs, get into the city, check in and get settled in your new hotel, that can kill a good chunk of a day. Once or twice during a two-week trip is fine, but four or five times would eat up some pretty precious vacation time. If it were me, I'd scale back. Rio, BA and Iguazu would make a nice two-week trip.

Thanks for the advice. I wasn't too sure about Uruguay and Paraguay, but they just looked so close that it would be a shame to miss it. I didn't realize it was further than I thought!

Thanks again!