mikey_lg

Hi,

First time heading and have only 6 weeks. If i don't specify otherwise, then assume I am catching a busses

Mendoza - 4 nights
Vina Del Mar/Valparaiso - 3 nights
Santiago - 3 nights
fly to Lima and catch bus to Ica
Ica - 2 nights
overnight bus to arequipa
Arequipa - 4 nights (do 1 night colca canyon tour during stay)
Puno - 3 nights
fly to cuzco check out Olanta during day then catch afternoon train to Aguas Calientes
Aguas Calientes - 1 night
Cuzco - 4 nights
fly to Iguazu
Iguazu - 3 nights

Now basically I have 16 more nights to play with. My flight leaves out of BA on the 1st of Jan on 7pm.

Any advise would be appreciated. I am open to everything but I wouldn't spend a few days relaxing on a nice beach.

Thanks Heaps

yestravel

What time of year are u going? I would consider adding either Bariloche and el Calafate or the NW Argentina. U could also add time in Rio and also do the Brazilian side of IF.

crellston

Your basic itinerary seems good apart from lack of time in the Sacred Valley. I would add say 3 days in Ollantaytambo to cover the town itself and a tour of the main sights such as Maras Salineras, Chinchero, Moray etc with a 1/2 day visit to Pisac on the way to/from Cusco.

3 nights is, IMO one too many in Iguazu but , as yes travel suggests, do visit both sides of the falls plus I am not too sure how easy it is to fly from Cusco to Iguazu??

As you appear to be travelling in Nov/Dec, my first choice would be Salta and the NW - driving a circuit of the region would take 6 days or so and for me, was the highlight of our time in South America a very long bus ride would also take you Bariloche (check out the situation on ash clouds etc.)

A link to our blog with photos and a little more info of most of the places you are considering:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...ai/1/tpod.html

probably best if you decide on exactly where you want to go and then sort out the order of your journey to avoid doubling back/crossing to many borders etc.

mikey_lg

There's actually a direct flight from Lima to Iguazu. So from cuzco it will take around 7 hours.

Basically for this trip I wanted to see as much as possible without wasting too much time on busses, but also cost is obviously an issue.

With the extra time in the Sacred Valley, I am a bit worried I will be "ruined" out. But anyway the LAN peru flights are already booked. I think i did quite well because i got 1.santiago--->lima 2.Juliaca--->cuzco 3. cuzco---->iguazu
all for 330 USD.

I would like to save a night in Iguazu but we arrive in the late arvo so I guess it depends what time we leave to our next destination to see if we can cut a night out.

I would love to concentrate on Argentina for the rest of the trip but I'm finding either the places are too far to bus, or the flights are very expensive. I leaning towards Brazil because the TAM flights are quite reasonable and I love the beach. But the search continues.

Thank you

mlgb

If not so interested in ruins consider doing a bike ride, river trip or visit to one of the weaving villages. Out of Ollantaytambo you can contact KB Tambo for bike and Awamaki for the village visit.

I would also split the time 2 nights at the end in Cusco is enough. The rest in Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes.
You can now should purchase Machu Picchu tickets ahead of time, when you have nailed down the itinerary.

wky123

We really enjoyed our visit to Patagonia, which is actually a good choice in December. Consider flying to El Calafate from there you can go see the Perito Moreno Glacier. It is really beautiful. We also did a side trip to Torres del Paine from El Calafate. The drive is a little bit long (5-6 hrs) but TDP is another great destination if you are hiker.

We also like the Lake District (Barlioche) Very different scenery and is a good place just to kick back and relax.

You can check out the Argentina photo album of our travel site. Click on the travel album from where you will see the Argentina section

www.twocountriesayear.com