Brazil, Argentina and Peru for 13 days
 

Hi everyone, I am planning a short trip to South America, I don’t have much time and as a exited tourist want to see everything. I have a holiday from 3rd July to 14th July which is about 13days
July
3rd – leave from USA to RIO
4- RIO
5- RIO
6- Manaus
7- Manaus
8 – Buenos Aries
9– Buenos Aries
10- Lima
11- Lima
12- Lima
13- Lima

In Peru I am mainly interested in Machu Picchu.
My plan is totally flexible from start to end so please give your suggestions

Thanks

I can only help a little with the Macchu Picchu part, as I am currently planning my trip for May, and have researched that. A basic plan could look like this:

Day 1 - get to Lima, fly to Cuzco, taxi to Ollantaymba.

Issues - flights to Cuzco are usually in the morning/early afternoon, so you'd have to get an early flight to Lima to catch a Cuzco flight the same day. I'd suggest then going directly to Ollantaymba, which is where the early train to MP leaves.

Day 2 - Ollantaymba to Agua Calientes/MP, and then back to Cuzco in the late afternoon.

Day 3 - Fly Cuzco to Lima. I would do this the day before your international flight home, because there are often weather delays, and you don't want to chance missing that. Spend the day visiting the sites of Lima.

Day 4 - Tour Lima, fly home.

Hi,

I would leave out Manuas. You'll barely have enough time to fly in and fly out and you'll probably have very little time to appreciate the attractions. Instead I suggest that you focus on Rio and Buenos Aires. Because the distances are enormous in South America, unfortunately you will lose a lot of time traveling between destinations especially if you want to visit multiple countries.

In Peru, Machu Picchu is not very close to Lima, so you will have to factor in travel time into your itinerary.

For this part of the trip:
Day 1 - arrive to Lima and fly to Cusco
Day 2 - travel to Sacred Valley and train to Machu Picchu
Day 3 - Machu Picchu tour, return to Cusco
Day 4 - fly Cusco to Lima

There's some flexibility in how to plan Day 2 and 3, but the above gives you a basic idea.

Happy travel planning!

I agree it's really too much for 13 days. South America is huge and to get anywhere other than the major hub cities requires making connections that can easily lose you a full day. In fact any day you are moving from one location to another, should really be planned as a lost day. If all goes well you can get a bit of sightseeing in on a travel day, but don't count on it.

I saw the weather and Buenos Aries Argentina is really cold during that time.. so is going to take out from the list.

How about i stay in Rio for 3 days then 3 in Manaus and 4 in Lima?

Is Manaus worth going to for a first time travelling to Brazil or should i pick some other city besides Manaus ?

I dont want to do the Iguacu falls .

Lima is not Machu Picchu. July, although cold is a good one for no rain at MP, although it is very busy with trekkers so expect to pay highest rates for hotels. Lima is foggy and drizzly that time of year.

As mlbg says - Lima is NOT the same as Macchu Piccu - they are no where near each other and it takes a flight, a train, and a bus to get to MP from Lima. You have to decide how much time you want to spend actually traveling....

Manaus itself has not much to offer for the time and effort, and a short trip outside is pretty superficial.

Brazil does have quite a lot to offer, other than Rio and the Amzazon out of Manuas. To start, there are historic colonial towns (Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Congonhas, and more) in the drmatic mountains of Minas Gerais state; UNESCO World Heritage site Salvador, which also has great music, unique African based culture, and lovely beaches, and is near the picturesque mountains and waterfalls of the Chapada Diamantina natural area; Recife with Olinda, another World Heritage site, the Olaria Brennand ceramic sculpture park and studio, great beaches to the north (Itamaraca) and south (Porto de Galinhas) of the city, good nightlife; the spectacular lakes in the white dunes of the Parque Lencois in Maranhao (July is a perfect time to catch them when full), and also nearby Sao Luis with tiled front buildings in the Reviver district, lace makers, reggae, the dramatic ruins and charming village of Alcantara; the Pantanal wetlands with many exotic animals and birds; and SO MUCH MORE. (Hint: Use YouTube to see videos of these places.)