pitter

My husband and I are going flying into Buenos Aires on Feb. 23, 2017 and departing from La Paz on April 26. That is a lot of territory to cover in 9 weeks. Here is my tentative itinerary and then I will ask some of my questions.
Buenos Aires - Reserva Provincial Esteros de Ibero - Iquazu Falls - Salta -- Tupiza -- Salar de Uyuni -- Potosi (maybe) -- Sucre -- Cochabamba (?) -- La Paz -- Copacabana/Isla -- La Paz
Rurrenabaque/Madidi Ecolodge -- La Paz-- Home

today's questions:
1. Have any of you been to Colonia Carlos Peregrini? Advice/Tips/ Lodging recommendation?
2. Recommendation for lodging at Iguazi Falls besides the Sheraton? Nothing too pricey.
3. Is there any good reason to take buses to Salta from Iquazu Falls? I realize that there is no direct bus.
4. Advice about renting a car in Salta? Do you need an international license? If we do this, can someone recommend an itinerary?
5. Does anyone recommend Potosi or Cochabamba given our time frame?
6. Can anyone recommend a guide or travel agency in Tupiza for a trip to Salar de Uyuni?

Thank you in advance of your responses. My husband and I could not travel as we do without the advice that we get from the travelers who take the time to reply to our many questions.

crellston

We have done that route a couple of times now both times in the July - sept time period. I haven't got around to blogging much about this years trip but here is a link to our time there in 2013 http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/6/tpod.html entries 22-35 cover that area. Not sure about the weather in Jan - Feb.

Your itinerary should be fine in that timespan but do try to build in some leeway as travel does not always go to plan in Bolivia - never pay for anything in advance, just in case.

1. Can't help I am afraid!
2. There is a huge variety of accomodation in Iguazú so have a look on booking.com . Sadly, much of it is overpriced compared with other places in Argentina. We stayed at Guesthouse Puerto Iguazú which was very good, quite location, close to the town centre and good value.
3. I have done that trip by direct bus quite a few years back. At around 20 hours it is not for the fainthearted but Argentinas buses are excellent so perhaps not as bad as it may sound as it is overnight. Not sure how the change of bus works out though. We booked direct flights with Aerolinas Argentinas who then kindly routed us via BA - I was not happy! Buyer beware.
4. We rented from Hertz because of their comprehensive insurance cover. I think officially an international license may be required by some rental companies but we were not asked for it, nor did the police that stopped us.
5. The only way to get from Sucre to Tupiza in one day is by private taxi, otherwise an overnight in Potosi is required when travelling by bus. . I know there is a nice colonial centre there but personally I found it an awful place and was glad to leave and we only stopped for lunch!
6. There are two tour operators in Tupiza. Tupiza Tours is by far the largest. We used them both times. The first time they were excellent. The second time not! Mainly due to the guide /driver we were given. La Torre are ten other operator in town. They have a good reputation but I haven't used them.

Madidi Jungle Ecolodge is wonderful choice and a highlight of our time in Bolivia. If you can, go for 4 nts and fit in a trip to Santa Rosa lake.

I know how daunting planning a trip like this can be so I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.

mlgb

I will just offer the minimum number of full days that I'd recommend...Obviously based on my own preferences.

Salar and the lakes..it's a minimum of 3 full days, and from Tupiza I think you need an extra day

Uyuni you don't need to spend time on, but it may be best to spend that final night there and do a day bus to Potosi instead of a night bus (I have a little report on our night bus experience but the road is now better although the buses may not be).

Potosi I thought the center was attractive and interesting and visited the old mint. I didn't do any of the mine tour things. Be aware that there is a new central bus station which is outside of town so allow time to taxi into town.

Sucre also (and not so cold or high altitude) two full days but it's also a place to chill out. I went to the Tarabuco Sunday market which is interesting for the local population visiting in traditional attiere but be warned they do not appreciate photographers. You might try add a day for that excursion if it works out. I'd skip the dinosaur park..you can see the tracks just as well from the parking lot with a pair of binocs.

Really liked La Paz.. I think I had 5 nights total. La Paz to Copacabana tourist buses arrive at around noon. Not sure how much time you need to do the Isla del Sol visit as a DIY experience. I liked both.

Hopefully crellston will link you to his blog..he has done all of this I think (except Potosi?)

Didn't care for Buenos Aires..YMMV. Maybe 2 nights, 2 days. Depending on what you want to do. Many people travel to Uruguay from there so that doesn't count. I liked Monetvideo more than BA. Including better steaks in the market by the port.

mlgb

LOL I guess crellston and I posted at the same time!

mlgb

Also February should be warmer and wetter...something to consider.. Not sure how transportation will be affected especially anything east of the Andes, Cochabamba, Madidi etc. Also Sometimes the entire loop for the Salar etc can't be done in wet weather.

So yes do allow extra time for Bo.

If crellston didn't mention Kanoo tours is a reputable budget travel agency in La Paz that may be able to answer questions re modifications for traveling in the wet season vs dry. You might also get some good info from their website.

http://www.kanootours.com/

mlgb

Another comment for trip planning. If you enter from Argentina you can end in Uyuni...so you don't have to go from Tupiza to Sucre or Tupiza to Potosi.

crellston

Indeed we did mlgb! Kanoo is also a good option. We didn't use them but found them very useful when we popped into their office. Also worth a look for tours of La Paz and the Salar and Sajama are Banjo Tours. We had a great time with them in LP on our last visit see our current Blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/bolivia/

I agree with mlgb re buses in Bolivia I.e.not good hence the reason we took the option from sucre to Tupiza

dwdvagamundo

1. I made tentative plans to visit it when I was in Posadas, but found the time involved in getting there due to the bad roads, plus the scarcity of relatively good, relatively inexpensive lodging, made it a very difficult place to visit. And that seemed to be the only place to get a good look at the Esteros.
2. I stayed at and can recommend the Gran Crucero Hotel in Puerto Iguazu. It was not that expensive, and is in a very good location for visiting the Falls on both sides of the border, as a bus stops about a block from the entrance. A little far for walking to town, but the restaurant in the hotel was O.K. and the breakfast was good. I'd stay there again.
3. If going to direct from Puerto Iguazu to Salta, I'd recommend you fly. I think there is a direct flight on LATAM that does not return to BA, which is a plus. Consider, though, going the other way around--fly to Puerto Iguazu from BA, then take a bus to Colonia Pellegrini. You should be able to catch a bus from around there to Salta--I took an overnight but from Posadas and it was comfortable and not too long. But see my comments on logistics from Colonia Pellegrini above.
4. No international driver's license needed. I rented a Chevy for a pretty good rate. The itinerary I took was to drive up to S.S de Jujuy via the "corniche" (Highway 9)--very picturesque but slow. Then continued north on Highway 9 to the Quebrada de Humahuaca and spent a few days in the area Very beautiful, very interesting surroundings. Highly recommended. I thought about also driving to Cafayate, but was advised the round trip (had a flight out of Salta) would take too long. But in that part of the world, there are lots of lodging although nothing very fancy, and so no need to plan too far ahead. The Quebrada de Humahuaca was the one place in Argentina that I would like to return to and stay much longer.

pitter

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. After I give more thought to your answers, I will write back with more questions.

Crellston, the advice you gave us in Vietnam made the trip one of our all time favorites!

crellston

Glad I could help with Vietnam pitter. if you liked Vietnam as much as we did, i am sure you will love Bolivia and Argentina. both regions keep drawing us back..