help with a trip to south america
 

hello,
i am planning a trip to south america for 2 months from mid august to mid October.
the original plan was to land in Bogata, colombia, and then travel south to peru, and bolivia.
from there i thought to take a flight and end my trip in rio, Brazil.
first of all - do you think it is possible to make this trip, even though i will be visiting quiet a few countries in a short time?
how much time will it take to get from a plane to another?
and do you think that it is worth visiting colombia? my plan is to start with more hiking and to stay less at the shore, and to sunbath.
i want to see the main things in each countrie and it would be a wast of time for me to just be on the go the whole time because i am trying to get on time to the next destination.
i would be grateful for some help, and the approximate time needed for every countrie.
thank you!

IMO that (4 countries superficially) is too much for 2 months. Pick at most 2 countries and see them more in depth. Leave Brazil for another trip when you can see more than just Rio for a couple of days.

Hi, if you want to concentrate to Brazil, then you have to see Rio, the Iguazu waterfalls, Salvador de Bahia and Santarem as well.
If you have more time, don't miss a trip to the Amazon rainforest. I visited the Xixuau indigenous community, located not so far from Manaus. There you can live an incredible experience in the middle of the real jungle!

And the wildlife in the Pantanal, the charming Colonial towns in Minas Gerais, the spectacular lakes in the dunes of the Parque Lencois in Maranhao, Ilha Grande and Paraty, (Unesco World Heritage) Olinda and Recife, hundreds of beaches up and down the coast....

Sambachula, I've been reading posts on tripadvisor that Brazilian ATMs restrict withdrawal of money to only R$300 per day? Do you know anything about this?

thank you!
in the end i decided to start my trip in Lima and from there move southwards - do the inch trail, and see Cusco, and lake Titikka.
is it a recommended to start from lima and go southwards, or are there also many things to see in the north of peru? I understood that there is a national park a few hours ride from lime, is it worth visiting?
and also what is the best route to Cusco? I heard from people that you can take a route that is very dangerous, or take the beach route, which is longer but also beautiful - filled with small villages.
afterwards i will continue as planned - go to the salars in Bolivia. I still don't know how much time i will spend in each countrie, but if i will be possible is it worth going into north Argentina or Chile? the weather is quite problematic from middle Argentina of Chile. but i heard Chile is beautiful and there is a lot to see there.

and in the end fly to rio and stay there more then a week i think.
all the thinks you seggested doing in brazil are close to rio?
and how far are the Igazu falls from rio?

do you think this trip is possible to do in 2 months?
thank you!

Hi Sarai1 - there is a lot to see in the north of Peru but you don't really have enough time to include that and everything else you mention, especially if you want to spend a week in Rio at the end of your trip.

There is a well worn trail through Peru into Bolivia and on through northern Argentina into Northern Chile we did something similar in 2013 albeit over a longer period. See our blogs for more info http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/6/tpod.html

It would be perfectly possible to do this route in 2 months as long as you dont hang around too long in any one location ( sometimes it is difficult to leave some places :-) ) your timing seems fine for this region weather wise.

It is sometimes counterproductive to try and pack in too many locations as you end up seeing very little apart from the usual tourist sites and will spend a high proportion of your time on buses, airports etc.

Best way to Cusco? I assume you mean from Lima? If so, I have done it by bus 25 hours) and by plane (an hour or so) guess which I prefer!!
Two months sounds like a lot of time but it will fly by. My advice would be to read up the guidebooks and online sites and make a list of all of the places you really want to see and work out a route from there. Some won't fit in, in which case you will need to prioritise.
If budget is a major factor then do be aware that some places are far more expensive than others in South America.
Happy planning and if you have any specific questions do ask.

cakoor-- I think those posts are old, from before the World Cup, and were specific to Rio, and to certain locations in Rio.
The TA "Destination Experts" advice is often not accurate (not that a newbie could tell the difference before traveling. sadly); information often seems to be gathered from the internet (your own Googling is as good as anyone's) or from insufficient time spent in a destination of "expertise" or is given out of commercial self-interest.
Buyer beware.

"and in the end fly to rio and stay there more then a week i think.
all the thinks you seggested doing in brazil are close to rio?
and how far are the Igazu falls from rio?"

Rio does not, in reality, define Brazil, which is a country that deserves sufficient time to explore it well.

All the "thinks" rachelemarini and I "seggested" doing in Brazil are not close to Rio, no. The closest would be Ilha Grande, but getting there still takes most of a day by bus and ferry.
Iguacu is about 1500km from Rio; it can be seen in by plane in 3 days including travel time, if well planned.
A very superficial visit to the city of Salvador, not the lovely region surrounding it and certainly not any more of amazing Bahia, would take about the same time, again by plane.
Recife/Olinda, ditto.
By bus, a trip to Ouro Preto and perhaps another of the COlonial towns would take the same from Rio.
The Pantanal would take at least 5 days for travel in/out and tours.
Leave Brazil for another, separate trip that you can devote just to that one country.

If you want to use bus routes to get between Lima and Cusco, it can be done but I would allow time, not try to do it in one or two stretches.

The usual "Gringo Trail" is down the coast, visit Ballestas/Paracas/Ica/Huacachina along the way. You can also do these as a round trip from Lima.

From there, usually to Nazca. Flight over the lines is fairly expensive for a backpacker, and short.
From Nazca to Arequipa is a long (8 or 9 hour) bus ride. Arequipa has interesting tourism and colonial architecture. You could also fly Lima to Arequipa on Peruvian Airlines for about $130 one way (same fare international and locals)/ Check also Avianca and LAN for fares.

From Arequipa there is good tourism bus service to Puno, to Colca Canyon, and even some days there is a tourist bus service between Colca Canyon and Cusco. Check 4-M Express for that option. Another good way to get between Arequipa to Colca Canyon is to take an overnight tour Arequipa-Colca Canyon which includes lodging and bus transfer to see the condors, and then have them book you on the 4-M to continue to Puno or to Cusco. I liked Colca Canyon a lot, and think it is worth a second night (which you can do independently if you want).

Depending on the amount of time you have I would probably recommend flying Lima to Arequipa (after a few days in Lima), then do the route Arequipa-Colca-Cusco-Puno (Lake Titicaca). From Puno it is pretty easy to get to La Paz, and from there to the Salar de Uyuni, Potosi and Sucre.

From La Paz and even from Cusco there are options to fly to Uyuni. A good agency for Bolivia is Kanoo Tours, they are in La Paz and also have a website with good information.

Bear in mind that the time of year you are looking at can be quite cold overnight, another reason to limit overnight bus trips (which I would avoid if there are other options).

I should also add, try not to book a very tight itinerary especially in Bolivia. There should be some free days to allow for delays in transportation.