Off the beaten track
 

Hey guys,

So me (23) my boyfriend (25) and another couple are in the early stages of planning a 4 week trip in December 15 to January 16.

All four of us love being outdoors and finding little gems that not everyone has seen off the beaten track.

We want a holiday full of activities like diving and fishing and hiking as well as a few main tourist spots like Rio, Machu pichu, Cabo etc.

All of us want to be able to experience the nightlife and culture as well as the nature.

The countries we want to visit are, and not limited to; Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica and we want to visit the Galápagos Islands as well.

We are budgeting $10,000 each and hopefully will not spend that much.

So basically we want advice on where to go and what to do

Thanks :)

Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Galapagos ...and more? Read: All four of us love being inside buses and airports ....and we want a holiday full of these gems, with no time to see any sights, just tick off boxes on some list.
Pick ONE country and see it well over your four weeks.
(Happy to help with Brazil, if that's what you choose.)

Fair enough. Thanks for your feedback that makes sense haha. Please help us with brazil

Diving, fishing, hiking, Rio, nightlife, culture, nature?

The big decision for a Dec. 15-Jan 16 trip is where to spend NYE. Prices in Rio triple and rooms are sold in multi-night packages. This also holds true for most beach villages and other major cities. But the Reveillon fireworks on Copacabana beach are a major attraction.
At that time of year, there's going to be nightlife wherever in Brazil you go.
Culture: Rio, Salvador, Colonial towns in Minas Gerais state, Recife/Olinda, São Luis
Nature: beaches in Bahia, Chapada Diamantina, Florianopolis beaches, Pantanal, Bonito/Nobres, Iguacu falls, Amazon, Ilha Grande, northeast beaches, Parque Lencois de Maranhao
Diving: Fernando de Noronha, wrecks off Salvador, reefs in Porto de Galinhas

4 weeks is perfect time to cover Brazil, wouldn't try to combine it with any of the above. You could potentially do Costa Rica + Mexico in 4 weeks, though I'm not sure it makes much sense...
Check out my blog for some ideas on itineraries and top spots:
http://bonatravels.com/2008/07/05/co...ummary-brazil/
http://bonatravels.com/2014/01/02/co...ry-costa-rica/

I've spent a total of seven weeks in Peru and did not see all there is to see.