Machu Picchu or Iguazu Falls?
 

Hi,
My wife and I have approximately 10 days to spend in South America and have limited our trip to Peru or Argentina, primarily Lima and Machu Picchu or Beunos Aires and Iguazu Falls. Does anyone have any recommendations between these two trips? I've read a lot about Machu Picchu. Does anyone have feedback on Iguazu Falls? Is it worth a 2+ day visit?
Thanks!!
TG83

That is a deadly difficult choice! Of the two cities, for me BA wins hands down as I didn'tt really take to Lima. Iguazu is truly one of the naturally wonders of the world and is marginally ahead of MP. That said, on balance, with just 10 days, I would head for Peru and the Sacred Valley. I would just use Lima as a transit point and head straight to the Cusco and the Sacred Valley where there is a huge amount to see in a comparatively small area in addition to MP, Cusco itself is worth 2 or 3 days, ollantaytambo 1 or 2. Pisac, Moray, Chinchero etc are also definitely not to be missed. To pack even more in you could take the Inka Express bus to Lake Titicaca which would require an overnight stay (ma
ybe 2 nights).

In answer to your Iguazzu question, yes, it is worth 2+ days. The argentine side of the falls enables you to get up really close to the falls. The Brazilian side is close by and provides a much more panoramic experience but, if you are American or Australian then the visa costs are very expensive

It comes down to you personally as it is very difficult for a stranger to make a call based on the limited info you have given. If you're into history then definitely Cuzco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu (Lima is ok for a couple of days).

If you are more into natural beauty then Iguazu would be right for you. Note if you are so inclined you may also be able to squeeze Salta and the Valles Calchaquies into a 10 day trip, esp if you take one or two internal flights, i.e.

BA - 4 days
Salta and VC - 4 days
Iguazu - 2 days

If you don't fancy this option then BA has more than enough to keep you entertained for a week.

You'll have fun either way as Peru and Argentina were my two favourite South American countries.

Good suggestions by above posters. I think it depends upon what u like. BA beats Lima by a mile as far as cities go. there is much to do and see in BA. so if you want to spend more time in a city, i'd pick ARG. While I loved IF, MP blew me away and the SV was lovely and interesting.

the suggestion above re ARG and the NW is worth considering as an alternative. U really can't go wrong with either option.

I definitely agree with everone, it depends on what kind of traveler you are. If you are more of the adventurous, outdoors kind of person, then I definitely recommend going to Peru. You will find a lot more outdoors activities to do there then you would in a big city like Buenos Aires. However, I would still pick Buenos Aires, Argentina, because there is so much to do there. The night life is amazing and so are the people! Plus if you go to Buenos Aires, you can always take day trips around the country, Argentina is HUGE! When I was in Buenos Aires, I took a short trip over to Montevideo, it is only like a 3 hour ferry ride and super easy to go to in just a day. I also went down to Mendoza and enjoyed lots of amazing wine!

Iguazu is beautiful, too. I would definitely say that it is worth going to! In my mind, both places are equally amazing, and you won't be disappointed by any means if you go to either one of them. Can you speak spanish? I definitely recommend that if you can't speak it now, at least learn the basics. You could even take a few classes there if you were up to it! That's what I did and the locals definitely respect you more for at least attempting their language, even if you can't say more than ¨where's the bathroom?¨ :)

I really like Lima. It does however take a bit of time and exploring to start to appreciate. More like Los Angeles than San Francisco.

Some great museums, amazing food, historic Plaza de Armas, and even a few pre-Inca pyramids!

Well, when Eleanor Roosevelt saw Igazu' she said "Oh, my poor Niagara."