Which country: Costa Rica, Brazil, or Peru?
 

My husband and I are planning to take a nine day vacation to one of these three countries in January, but can't decide which to visit.

Our background...We are in our early 30s, no kids. We love hiking, snorkeling, and active vacations. I am particularly interested in visiting rainforests because I studied tropical ecology and geography in grad school. I've done research in Uganda, Gabon, and Venezuela and traveled in Mexico, Thailand, and throughout the U.S. including Hawaii. Our budget for this trip is about 5,000 (flying out of Chicago).

I was initially leaning towards Costa Rica because it sounds like the perfect place for an adventurous vacation. I think we could cover quite a bit in 9 days and would love to spend half the vacation hiking in the rainforest and seeing the volcano, and the other half hitting the beach and snorkeling.

Then I started wondering if Costa Rica might be a bit touristy for us and if South America might be a better option because of my interest in rainforests and seeing the Amazon. If we go to Peru, we would split our time between Cuzco/Machu Picchu and Purto Maldonado/Tambopata. If we went to Brazil, we would likely split our time between seeing the Amazon and the beach.

My questions:

Does Costa Rica feel too touristy to fairly well traveled people?

Which country (Peru or Brazil) would be easier to see the Amazon in the short amount of time we have?

Would language be a serious issue in Peru or Brazil since we don't speak Spanish or Portuguese?

Any advice will be much appreciated!
Thanks.

My daughter just left Peru .. the water is fairly cold there yr round .. she went up as high as Mancora to surf without freezing. Both Peru and CR are known for their surfing, which all but rules out snorkelling (with the odd exception). The waters in CR are high 70's to mid 80's yr round .. some snorkelling around Manual Antonio Park .. others might know of other spots. I've been to CR twice and didn't find it touristy at all .. mind you I didn't go with the all inclusives. My daughter and her boyfriend just arrived in CR for a month of surfing .. her 4th trip there. She likes the food much better in CR and weather. We took in Mal Pais last year and it was worth the extra travel time.

We've traveled extensively and CR is our favorite place to go. We've already been 3 times and will continue to go back until we've seen it all! For hiking and rain forests, check out Bosque del Cabo on the Osa Peninsula. It's not remotely touristy, and we saw all 4 kinds of monkeys, sloths, toucans, macaws, coatis, and an anteater. For beach time, Manuel Antonio has a beautiful beach, although CR doesn't have great snorkeling. We have always done snorkeling vacations before - Hawaii, BVIs, Mexico, USVIs, Greece, etc. CR to me is so much more than that. We love it. I really think you would enjoy the Osa. It's a get away from it all kind of place. Arenal is a great area too with an active volcano that's amazing.

Thanks for the suggestions Surfer29 and Volcanogirl. You're making me lean towards Costa Rica! There are some good deals out there right now that include airfare, hotels, and rental car.

www.jinetesdeosa.com

www.bosquedelcabo.com

Osa best for me.

you are right many areas of CR

touristed but Osa not as much...

www.desafiocostarica.com

Arenal more touristed

but lots of adventure not really

duplicable in SA...

Very hard to make a mistake with an itineray like Arenal and the Osa Peninsula (Bosque del Cabo). VERY HARD! :)

Vgirl, honestly, after you've seen it all, you're going to find someplace else? Come on, give me a break! You're hooked! :)

Hi, my name is Volcanogirl, and I am a Costa Rica addict. :)

volcanogirl ,I knew you were an addict ,I just did not know it was Costa Rica :).

Oh my goodness, how do I delete this ! (gulp!!).

Now to get serious,madisonmichelle,:

Having been to all three places you are contemplating, I would have to say Costa Rica....because

if you want rainforest, beachtime and snorkeling, you can do this all in Costa Rica.

Yes, the Brazil Amazon is nice but it takes extra days of travel to get there.

You will see more Scarlet Macaws here in Brazil Amazon... I had them eating out of my plate at breakfast (I sent shillmac a picture of this !), however, shillmac and Volcanogirl can tell you that you will get very close to them in the Osa in Southern Costa Rica

Also you need a Visa and also Yellow Fever Vaccination to get to the Brazil Amazon...not so for Costa Rica.

However, ( and I have to give you this option) if you want to see Machu Picchu,Cuszo and all of the Sacred Valley... then I guess you have to go to Peru.

You said it all in your statment of:

"I think we could cover quite a bit in 9 days and would love to spend half the vacation hiking in the rainforest and seeing the volcano, and the other half hitting the beach and snorkeling. "

Pssst ... Go to Costa Rica.

Percy

Good advice, Percy! :)

Okay, you guys have me longing for the Osa! I think it was the mention of scarlet macaws, Percy.

I'm going to have to write Kim at Bosque del Cabo and ask for a "fix"! Just a little description based on Nov. 18 sights, sounds, etc. I'll post a response and we can all get a good "hit"! :)

OP, I can't imagine anyone going to Costa Rica and coming away without thinking they made the perfect choice. That said, Peru, Argentina definitely on my list of things to do.

Tully just returned from Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, had a nice time, but e-mailed me that she wished she had spent that time in Costa Rica (she's been there numerous times). If that tells you anything. . . .

For all the reasons Percy the Whack Job said, give CR a try--it's so easy. Then you can do the others in time! Unless you come down with this illness many of us have. . . ;)

Percy the Whack Job !!!

hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

That's what I get for spoiling you . :)

madisonmichelle, you see how these ladies mistreat me, and I am such an O:)

Percy

LOL! :)

You had it coming. . .you and your favorite hockey mom! ;)

Yes,Sarah is coming down and we are going to do lunch!

I told her she does not have to come because she did not get my vote.

She said" that's okay neither did John McCaine !:)

So I guess she is buying lunch

Percy

I mean neither did Obama !!!

Percy

Oh my, Percy, have you been swigging vodka with Putin again? You are hopelessly confused AND confusing! :)

Why are you always right shillmac!

Yes... I have been swigging Vodka with Putin, but shhhh!! you know what happened last time.

Yes... I am confused that is why I did not vote for Obama nor Mccaine...the decision was too confusing.:)

madisonmichelle, please accept my apology for hijacking your post.

Good Night shillmac...get to bed , it's 11:40 PM right now, where you are .

You need some of this I-).

Percy

Apparently that's exactly what I did. I wanted to have the last word. :)

shillmac
I am not going to reply because I want you to have the last word. :)

Thanks jmvp

I think we have shillmac confused !

Yawn!
Good Night everyone

Word.

Just to throw in a counter argument - Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail (or other trails if you prefer) are getting more and more restrictive by the year. You might want to hike one of the treks while you can. For example, I climbed the ruins of Chichenitza (spelling sucks I know) when I was 15, and when my friends went this year, everything was roped off. I loved hiking the Inca Trail - seeing ruins without anyone else around along the way (I went in low season). Then, you can do a boat ride down the Amazon to some Amazon jungle lodges. I didn't have time for that, but my cousin said it was amazing. Of course, everyone loves Costa Rica, but if you'd like to add some culture to your trip, Peru could be a neat trip (and cheaper).

Venice, is Peru really cheaper than Costa Rica?

Well, at least according to my experience. But maybe there were just better mid-range options?

We stayed a few nights at Kuychi Rumi in the Sacred Valley. Perhaps it can be equated with the non-coastal tourist areas of CR. It is the area near many of the Inca ruins, and where you start the Inca Trail. We had a really nice 2 story 2 bedroom 2 bath cottage with kitchen, dining area, fireplace, and garden for $90 a night. There were only perhaps 6 cottages on the property and we received very personalized service. And that was one of the most expensive options in the area. I suppose there was a slightly more "upscale" option that had more cottages, a spa, and a pool, and that was $150 a night, still significantly less than Xandari.

We had a private driver take us to all the Sacred Valley sites on our own time for $60 for the day.

We also stayed in Cusco for a few nights at Hotel Marqueses. It is a converted colonial mansion, with a dining area in the courtyard, in addition to an inside dining area. We had a large room with a balcony, tv, large bathroom, breakfast, internet, taxes, airport transfers for $90. They also had rooms for half that but we opted for the bigger bed. This was maybe an upper-mid range hotel. I'm not sure if it is comparable to Don Carlos or to Grano de Oro, but it certainly included more for the priced. The "luxury" hotels were $90-$215 a night, except for one ultra-luxury hotel that was much more, but it is an Orient-Express hotel and member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

We stayed near Lake Titicaca at the 2nd nicest hotel - the Casa Andina Private Collection, with a balcony and view of the lake and cable tv (good since my husband had altitude sickness and spent a lot of time in bed) for $110 a night including taxes and breakfast (a delicious hot and cold, with omelette station, etc.). It had a nice fireplace in the lounge area with views, and a dining room with views, etc. I think the nicest hotel in the area was $200 a night.

We hiked the 4 day 3 night Inca Trail with Andean Life for $350 each, including tent, porters to set up and break down tent, 2 guides for our small 9 trekker group, all meals cooked for us and served in a dining tent, transportation to and from the trail head/end, entrance fees to the trail and to Machu Picchu.

We did a semi-private full day tour of the Uros Islands and Lake Titicaca with 1 other couple for $50 each, including meeting local families, boat ride, lunch, etc. A similar tour was also available with a slightly larger group and slower boat for $18 each.

But I guess I can compare better after returning from CR.

W !!

Is Peru cheaper than Costa Rica.?

In my opinion ,Yes.

venicegirl:

The Mexicans cannot spell it either so they call it "Chicken Pizza"

The Sacred Valley is beautiful from Pisac to Machu Picchu.

I do not think you will get a tour guide in Costa Rica for $60.00 a day.

Wow, good to know. I always envisioned Peru to be expensive. Hmmmmm..... now you've got me thinking. :)

You can totally go - I see flight specials all the time to Lima.

Internal flights are on par with internal flights in CR, but with normal bigger planes, not prop planes. Cheaper if you book them on LAN's Peru site (in Spanish), rather than the site facing international travelers.

The Sacred Valley was beautiful. My favorite part was hiking through salt flats of Moras and ruins of Moray without seeing more than 2 or 3 other tourists, because we didn't go on a regular tour. We also went to a fancy, yet inexpensive restaurant in Urumbamba recommended by Kuychi Rumi owner that we never would have found on our own. With our private driver, and just exploring on our own, we definitely got a glimpse of how the native people of that area really lived (stark difference compared with the city folk, and extreme difference from big city folk, like Lima).

Treking the Inca trail (in November of last year) we had only 9 trekkers - all from elsewhere besides the US. Our tour guides were great, and led the tour in English. We'd often be the only people at the ruins along the way, and the climate and vegetation changed along the way. All our camp sites had gorgeous views. The hike was easier than I thought it would be - just a little challenging the 2nd day, but I am in good shape, and was taking diamox for altitude sickness. At the beginning of the first and end of the 3rd day you can buy sodas and candy at stands from locals, which I thought was weird, but my husband was happy to get his coke-zero fix.

Machu Picchu is amazing, and the hike to Waynu Picchu for an amazing view of the ruins is also amazing. Just really neat to learn about a civilization in such a gorgeous setting.

The Uros reed islands on Lake Titicaca were really, really neat too. Something completely new to see, and people still live on them. I would skip Taquile Island though, not worth the extra time, and make your trip to Puno short, as Puno, is pretty depressing. Or you can stay overnight with a local famliy on an island further out in the lake.

And if you're a nature nut, my cousin loved the Amazon Rainforest trip where you go by boat down the river and stay in a river lodge.

BUT - just so you are aware, these are two very different countries - Costa Rica is much more of a tropical destination (I think).