Dear All
I and my husband are planning a 2 weeks trip to South America and we are not able to decide which countries to pick to see during these 2 weeks.

We do want to visit Peru for the Machu Pichu but are not able to decide if we should club this with Brazil or Argentina ? What would you recommend?

1- which country between Brazil or Argentina should be pick along with Peru such that we don't just spend too much time in transit from one place to other

2- what in Peru should we see and plan? Would we have enough time to get to Bolivia or see the Amazon?

3- in the second country that you suggest, what all should be included in sight seeing? What's the mode of travel in these countries - so do you drive around or is it bus / ferry / flights ?

Thanks in advance
Mani

Sorry forgot to mention- we are planning this year December

For a 2 week trip, including Machu Pichu and the time needed to acclimatize to the height, you should should stick to one country, Peru.

I agree that one country would be best. If choosing a second country, then you should use a bordering country and not Brazil or Argentina which do not border Peru. You would spend too much of your two weeks just moving around. Peru offers much more than just Machu Picchu. You also need to factor in some more time due to the fact that December will be the rainy season in the high parts of the country already and you may need extra days to account for that.

I would give yourselves a week for Cusco and Machu Picchu. Make sure you understand the rules for visiting and getting tickets. Arequipa is well worth a visit or you could go to Lake Titicaca and the reed islands. Or go to the coast. Lima itself is often overlooked but there is much to see and, arguably, the best food in South America. You can easily fill two weeks in Peru.

I agree with sticking to one country for two weeks, especially if you don't want to spend a lot of time in transit. Peru generally combines well with Bolivia, so that could work. Say Machu Picchu, the sacred valley, La Paz and Salar de Uyuni would be a good combination.

That said, December is not the best month for Machu Picchu and the Andes but it could be ok. May to November is best if you want blue skies and no rain.

For a first visit to South America, Peru is hard to beat ( at the right time of year). There is so much to see, travel is relatively straightforward if you stick to the well worn gringo trails.

If you are happy to forego MP, then I would look at Argentina. BA and maybe Patagonia.

If you are happy to forgo MP, then just head for Brazil and spend your 2 weeks there !!!!!! Plenty to see and do for 2 weeks and more.

As most of the others have said, Peru has more than enough to keep you busy for two weeks. Cusco/MP area will take a week, and there are many, many things to see along the Pacific Coast. And as Huentetu mentioned, Lima is a global food capitol; recently saw a list of the top fifty restaurants in the world, and two of the top ten were in Lima!

Bolivia is the easiest to reach from the Cusco/Machu Picchu area.

But you definitely could just see more of Peru.

In some cases you can travel by bus and plane. Lima is the hub, it can be hard to fly to other spots without connecting thru Lima.

Lima is fun leading up to the rest of the Christmas holidays. It is summmer on the coast and can be raining in the Andes.

You might look into the north coast that is Trujillo/Chiclayo with a side trip to Chaparri.

Fascinating archaeology and some good local museums, in particular the Sipán museum in Lambeyeque.

Also excellent seafood and cuisine from that area.

Fiesta Chiclayo is the famous one (with a branch in Lima) but I also enjoyed the classic Romana.

You will want to see if there is any El Nino prediction since the northwest coast gets hit badly, but so far it is predicted a neutral year.

I am in the middle of a nine day trip to Peru . . . Which is far too short. Two weeks would be a good amount of time . Or you could include maybe 3 days for the Galapagos. But really, two weeks for Peru would be good. The sites are spread far apart and travel is often slow.

8-9 days is about right for Lima,the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with Titicaca possibly added.

Galapagos you need to allow another two days for travel (from Lima) and ideally 8 days minimum for a cruise.

If you are going to the expense of flights and taxes and the need to connect via Lima and a mainland Ecuador city to Baltra then it may no differ much in time or inconvenience to Brazil and Argentina, especially if you fly open jaw from Brazil/Argentina nonstop back home.

December around the holidays in Galapagos is (overly) popular and may sell out a year in advance.