DrCindy

Hi all,

I am very excited to find this forum. Hubby and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary next year and want to go to S. America, probably Argentina and maybe Chile if there's time. Most of our overseas trips have been cruises since they're easy, and in fact, we are currently booked on an NCL cruise for March 26-April 9. The thing I don't like about cruises is the short amount of time in ports and all the time at sea. For instance, this itinerary departs from Buenos Aires and spends a total of 6 1/2 days at sea. There's 1 day in PUERTO MADRYN, 3/4 of a day in STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS, 1/2 day in STANLEY, FALKLAND ISLANDS, 1 full day in PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE, 1/2 day in PUERTO CHACABUCO, CHILE, 1 day in PUERTO MONTT, CHILE, and eventually fly out of Santiago.

I'm thinking I can do better, see more, and experience more culture in a land tour. BUT, I've never scheduled a land tour by myself, not that I'm not capable of it. I haven't had much time to research, but I know we want to experience Buenos Aires, the Iguazu Falls, and maybe Santiago, Chile. Hubby and I are in our mid-40's. We like culture, museums, some outdoor stuff (i.e. LIGHT hiking), and biking. A partial bike tour would be really cool. Hubby is actually also an avid duck hunter and has been drooling over some rather expensive duck hunting trips in Argentina, which is out of the question in general, but I don't know if perhaps we could give him a day to do that, which would fulfill a dream. We are not picky about hotels since we're generally out and about, and I think I'm more worried about transportation to these various places.

Lastly, I need advice on the best time to go. The cruise above is earlier than I'd like as I already feel rushed. Our anniversary is in mid-July but we don't want to go in winter. How is late September?

Thanks for any advice and suggestions!

crellston

Firstly, stick to one country. SA is vast and travel not always straightforward or quick.

Two weeks would be sufficient to give you a taster of either country and for me that would be Argentina. I would take a look at a few days in BA and from there to Iguazzu, one of the wonders of the world. From there you could fly or bus to Salta, rent a car and drive a circuit through the amazing scenery of the North West 4-6 days. That would take care of your two weeks. Alternatively, from BA you could head south Patagonia or maybe even Peninsula Valdez. It really depends on you specific interest.

Some of these places are covered in detail in a blog @http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/candcthai/1/tpod.html entries 70 on. A bit old n but I doubt much has changed ( apart from the prices !). September is spring and a pretty good time to go I would say.

Have a great anniversary wherever you choose!

avrooster

Welcome to the Fodor's Argentina forum, DrCindy!

May I have the links of the duck hunting trips your DH is looking at?

I'm not sure late Sept., which would be a great time to come for other purposes, is still duck hunting season and I'd like to make sure of that before posting advice on the subject.

Keep the questions coming, DrCindy.

You'll have a great time in my country.

SambaChula

You could fly into IGR airport in Puerto Iguazu. To cover the basics at the falls, two nights, with one full day and two half days (the other halves are travel in/out) are recommended. You would (if US passport holder) need a Brazilian visa to cross to that side, from which many of the iconic photos are taken, and the side which has the interesting Bird Park. It's a 10 year visa and (but) costs U$160 (which if looked at in a positive light, could encourage you to come back to see more of Brazil on a subsequent trip) and for some, is somewhat complicated to apply for, but for others, fairly straightforward. For flights, check schedules on the Argentine domestic airlines. For hotels, try booking.com for Puerto a Iguazu. Public transportation is good in the area.
In general, for trip planning, get a good guidebook, or two, purchased or from the library, to get an idea of opportunities available, and supplement with online research. Try to understand travel time between destinations. List your days and begin to write in activities next to them.
Happy travels.

DrCindy

Thanks for the info! Avrooster, I don't know exactly what websites my husband has looked at for the duck hunting. He's only given me basic information about how a hunting trip about 5 days long costs a good $5000 or more, which is out of the question. He's also under the impression that ducks and doves are quite pesky in Argentina and thus can be hunted year round with no daily limits. I did a preliminary search and saw a couple outfits that are 1.5 hours from Buenos Aires, but $900/day, which still seems way too expensive.

Not sure if I want to spend an extra $160 for the visa for Brazil...

Also been looking a bit more into Peru and Machu Picchu, which seems a bit cheaper and maybe more flexible season-wise (our anniversary is in July so it'd be nice to actually be on vacation during our anniversary. Any opinions on that area? Thanks again!

SambaChula

Well, if you don't want to spend money to get a visa to see the falls from the Brazillian side as well as the Argentine (IMO) don't bother even going. Spend your time well in other destinations.

crellston

Although Peru is a large country it has a well developed tourist infrastructure and is arguably the easiest country in South America in which to travel. July is a great time to visit and two weeks would provide plenty of time to visit Cusco and the sacred valley, Machu Picchu plus maybe Titicaca and Arequipa. Alternatively you could also spend a few days in the jungle.

As far as costs are concerned, Peru is less expensive than Argentina in terms of accommodation, transport and food. If you want to push the boat out for your actual anniversary, there are plenty of luxury hotels to choose from that would be memorable.

You would need to book Inca Trail and or train tickets as far in advance as possible. Really easy to book everything yourself.

rkkwan

We were in Peru for 2 weeks and then Argentinian side of Iguazu for 3 nights. While Peru is inexpensive, we find Argentina even cheaper when you exchange pesos at 1:14 or 1:15. Not cheap if you use the official rate of 9.3.

avrooster

Hi, DrCindy!

About your:

"He's also under the impression that ducks and doves are quite pesky in Argentina and thus can be hunted year round with no daily limits."

The above may be true for doves, but I doubt that is the case for ducks.

Again, I'd like to have the links to the places which you found "1.5 hours from Buenos Aires, but $900/day".

Have a great time in my country.

DrCindy

avrooster (and others!),

Found out the website is getducks.com.

As of now, I think we're actually leaning more heavily towards a trip to Peru. I only found 1 U.S. based website for duck and dove hunting in Peru and they will be sending me info shortly. Do you know of other duck/dove hunting outfitters in Peru perhaps?

It's good to hear Peru is an easy country to travel in. Now my other question is: would it be much cheaper for me to try to plan the entire trip myself, versus using a travel company? I've been looking for small group tours (up to 20 people) and the best deal I've found thus far is a 10-day Peruvian trip (although 1st and last days are always just travel days) for $2295, excluding airfare. It includes Lima, Cuzco, rafting on Urubamba River, Ollantaytambo,and 2 days in Machu Picchu. Found a similar 14 day trip with stops in Arequipa, Colca, Puno, Urubamba, Macchi Picchu (1 day), Cuzco and Lima for $2749. I do prefer tour guides and don't know how easy that would be to arrange.

Thanks again to everyone for the advice.

avrooster

The place which says it is 1,5 hours from BA also says:

"Argentina duck hunting at Las Flores is enjoyed late-April through August."

That´s why, as a former hunting fan who respects conservation, I was asking about the season for this hunting. My answer was right there.

Have a great time in Peru.