Oh my goodness ... Sorry you had a similar problem .
We were leaving Argentina for home, and were not allowed to check in at the airport . The officials kept insisting we had never left Bolivia .... Ummm I'm right here !!!
Nevertheless , we also had to go to another area, and had to pay to get the stamp we needed .

I would someday love to go to Peru and More of Bolivia, so I'll be very interested in your trip .
I know your information was great when I was planning my Argentina trip .

Good luck with your planning .

Thanks for the extracts mlgb, that is v.helpful and expands on what is in my RG. Thursdaysd thanks also for the extract form LP on the Rio Napo crossing, I did appreciate it was for "intrepid" travellers, now I just need to decide whether I still into that category!!

I am keeping my options open for now and, as you say mlgb, we will be at the SA explorers club for a while and hopefully we may meet some traveller who have come that way or even some trip reports in the clubhouse. Who knows we may even bump into some fellow Fodorites en route!

crellston - I don't doubt you're still an intrepid traveler, I guess the question is just HOW intrepid. I must admit that as I get (even) older my tolerance for discomfort diminishes...

mlgb - does Footprint have anything on the Rio Napo crossing?

Yes, under "Iquitos to the Ecuadorean border" p598, also p611

I have excerpted/paraphrased some of the details in the Ecuador-Peru direction

From Coca (Ecuador) to Nuevo Rocafuerte (Ecuador), large motorized canoes sail M-T-Th & Fri between 07-0800, 10 hrs, be at the dock early.

From N. Rocafuerte (Ecuador) to Pantoja, Peru, you need to hire a private deslizador (about $50, 45 minutes). N.R. is a "friendly town" with basic services and a good place from which to reach the east end of Park Yasuni. Immigration is one street back from the water, at the west end of town.

Pantoja (Peru) is a pretty border town and garrison at the confluence of Napo and Aguarico... Peruvian immigration is on top of the hill near the military base, if the officer isn't in, ask around town.[You can hire a canoe $100 to visit nearby lakes w/dolphins or follow a track from town to see jungle].

There are boats that go all the way to Iquitos from Pantoja, but not every company goes every day. The newest and fastest (in 2008) was Cabo Pantoja tel 065-223037. (Shortest time listed to Iquitos is 5 days).

You can save time by getting off upstream in Mazan..a pleasant riverside town with basic services. It is connected to the Amazon by two paved tracks, when the water is low ...to Indiana (15 minutes by mototaxi)...high to El Varadero (10 minutes). These overland shortcuts can save some 150 km of navigation.

Also one day further upstream is Santa Clotilde, another pleasant town with well stocked shops and basic services. There are rapidos between Mazan and Santa Clotilde which cut travel time on slower lanchas.

If you want to buy just this chapter, it is "Amazon Basin".

If you Google some of these town names, you will get trip logs, etc.

Just one random one
http://www.hobotraveler.com/055pantoja.shtml

mlgb - thanks! That does sound less intrepid than the LP version. It's likely that the one country books are a better bet than the three country one.

Yes, I do think the single country books are more detailed. I abridged what was in there, too.

I've use both the single-country books for Peru and Bolivia. I especially like their reviews of lodgings, they will mention known issues with security such as in-hotel thefts.

Many thanks again for the extract and link mlgb, once again really helpful. I also found a couple of other blogs covering this trip

http://savvyroundtheworld.com/2012/1...oming-article/

http://www.mytripjournal.com/travel-662336

Makes for interesting reading for anyone interested in this route...

Mlgb you mentioned Chachapoyas as being one of your new favourite placesin Peru ( which looks great BTW) and the Huancayo train trip is on on the list , any other thoughts? I will probably revisit Cusco and the SV en route to Bolivia via Titicaca but would be very interested to hear your thoughts on other favourite places. Hiking in the Cordillera Blanco looks pretty good and, having done some trekking in the SV, a nice alternative?

crellston, I sent several nights in Huaraz,the town vibe didn't appeal to me, although the surroundings are beautiful. Huaraz is in a mining area. This means lots of single men with money to spend in town. I took three group tours (you get hustled for these the minute you step off the bus. They are oriented toward Peruvian nationals. I liked the one to Chavin, and also the one to Pastoruri. As far as hiking, I went to Lake Llaganuco as part of the tour and that isn't the best way to do a trek, not enough time at the lake itself. So I can't tell you much about trekking, but it's beautiful high mountain scenery. I have seen a lot of complaints online about the quality of guiding in the area. I might be more inclined to do Lares or other trek around the Sacred Valley.

I loved Bolivia, there is also trekking but I have no info on that. I did one of the standard 3/2 Salar de Uyuni tours and highly recommend.

I noticed that the schedule for the train is up, and it is reduced from last year. You can also get to Huancayo by bus from Lima, if the train doesn't work. There is a glacier trek from Huancayo, two others at the guest house did this and they loved it (you need to be very fit). I stayed at Samay Hostel, they are on booking.com.
They continued on to Cusco by bus/combi from Huancayo.

www.photoperuana.wordpress.com for some photos of these areas (my website).

We just got back from Ecuador and we used Quito as our base, then traveled out from there. There is a lot to do from Otavalo, including the oldest and largest market in the Americas, and a really beautiful hike around the crater lake of Cuicocha, which has a couple volcanic islands in the center,wildflowers, and more mountains surrounding as the backdrop. It is a bit outside of town. (we had a taxi wait for us while we hiked.) Also, you can easily get to the cloud forest from Quito and there are some very amazing and unique birds in this area. We went to Bellavista Cloud forest reserve and the Angel Paz reserve--the Paz brothers have trained rare birds to come to their call and the offer of bits of worms. Quite a lovely area, too, and a pretty hike across grassy fields and moss-draped trees, then Mrs. Paz makes you a wonderful brunch. Ecuador is #1 in the world for orchids, too, and you will see lots of these. We loved people-watching on the plazas in Old town Quito. Once you get there, you will find out why it was the first Unesco world heritage city. Calle La Ronda at night was fun, too. On a friday, this cobblestone area of about 3 blocks is full of street performers and lots of live music and vendors, and felt safe. Enjoy!

Many thanks snorkeluvn - all these places have now been added to my ever growing list of places to investigate further!

I've been reading Insight Guides "South America" and found a section on the Rio Napo. It mentions Sacha Lodge and La Selva, three hours down river from Coca, an early morning boat ride to Parque Nacional Yasuni for macaws and parrots, birding at the Napo Wildlife Center in the Yasuni Reserve, and the Tiputini Research Station with accommodation on a tributary.

Many thanks for that Thursdaysd I will check out those lodges, am going to leave the decision on the Rio Napo crossing until we reach SA Explorers club in Quito in the hope that I can acquire some up to date info. I am currently trying to decide where and when to go to the Amazon ie Ecuador via Coca or Tena maybe Peru but the current favourite seems to be in Bolivia from Santa Cruz to Ruuranabaque and on to Madidi national park. Having said that if the Rio Napo crossing proves too difficult then I will probably do a side trip to Coca anyway.

An outline plan is VERY gradually coming together now but would be a lot easier with a large map of the north of the continent - they don't seem to exist in Spain! How is your planning going?

crellston - have you thought about buying a map from amazon? The UK site has Nelles and Globetrekker maps, although it looks like only of the whole continent.

Insight Guides didn't seem very taken with Coca itself, nor for that matter with Santa Cruz ("not a popular tourist destination, although it does have some interesting museums and a rich ethnic mix"). Mentions rock carvings two hours west if you're into that - El Fuerte.

My planning is limping along. Now I've finished working on the photos from the last trip I have no excuse, except I'm feeling lazy, and I have a yen for Europe for rather than South America.

Thursdaysd - strap range isn't it. I have spent most of my life living in Europe but is is probably the continent I have explore the least! As for "limping along", I know the feeling well, after 4 months in Spain, I still haven't got to grips with sorting out the photos for our blog! Maybe mañana ..

Crellston, oh i hope you do go to Madidi and report back here! It has interested me ever since reading
Yoshi Ginsberg's book about being lost in jungle etc. Assume you know all that history and about Chalalan Lodge there: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ivia090698.htm

We stayed seveeral nights at Napo Wildlife Center a few years ago. A beautiful spot and we had a wonderful time. Not really very intrepid. Not cheap but highly recommended.

Do go to Madidi and do one of your great blogs. Thanks. . .

Glover, many thanks for the link to the Washington Post articleWhat a fascinating story!! Madidi is firmly on the route now!!

crellston, try Community Hostal in Quito. Book ahead, its popular

http://www.communityhostel.com/

Alexmore - thanks for the tip. As a new forum member I would suggest you check the dates on the posts. My trip was three years ago! However your post is still opportune as we arrived back a couple of days ago at the start of another trip.

I have just trip the site but is doesn't seem to be working too well. Maybe it is just a temporary glitch. Will try again next time I need a bus.

This is hilarious, it seems andestransit must be paying for clicks. Two people who didn't read the initial posting date..crellston has already done a few trips to Bolivia by now, LOL.

Worse than that mlgb - I also got a personal message from andestransit "tagging" me whatever that means!