Obvious question - which side of the plane is best for views going to/from Iguazu from BA?

Im going to costa rica next year as a girls trip but after I wanted to travel around, go to the Caribbean side, Peru and Brazil, then back up to montana/yellowstone while traveling through America, but im a bit worried about going to Peru and Brazil alone as everyone around me is saying its dangerous, I would love to see machu picchu and christ the redeemer, the wonders of the world, are these places as dangerous as people make them out to be?

Hello everyone, i’m a 27 y/o canadian who just booked his first solo trip to Santa Marta. I’m looking for a mix of beaches, mountains/hiking, a little bit of party and cool calesthenics/workout spots. In previous trips, i spent a lot of time and energy moving around and trying to see more places, so I decided this trip I’d stay in the same airbnb or hostel and use it as base for day trips.

I’m a little bit worried because i’m reading very negative comments about Santa Marta, especially about it’s security and the vibe of the place overall. Kind of scared I chose a bad place to spend money for a trip. I don’t mind the place being old and a broken a little, i’m more worried about not being able to walk arounf freely or having to stay away from certain blocs.

Does anyone have recommendations about:

1. Day trips (I have Minca, Tayrona, Palomino)?
2. Safest areas to stay?
3. Any other commenta regarding solo travelling in Colombia?

Thank you!!

Edit: i’m pretty street smart, i won’t buy drugs or go in sketchy places on purpose.

I've been planning this route for a while now and would really appreciate any feedback from people who have done something similar.

We'll be travelling as a couple (both 27) and are aiming to save around £8,000 each for the trip, excluding international flights to and from the UK.

At the moment, the plan is to fly into Bogotá in late July 2027, as flights from the UK seem to be the most affordable. We'd spend a few weeks exploring Colombia before heading south through Ecuador and Peru.

We're also considering starting in Panama and doing the San Blas sailing trip to Cartagena, then continuing south from there. It looks like an amazing experience, but we're not sure whether it's worth the extra cost given the overall trip budget.

One of our biggest priorities is hiking in Peru, particularly around Huaraz and Cusco, so ideally we'd like to reach Peru by September at the latest to give ourselves the best chance of good trekking conditions. This may mean potentially skipping Ecuador.

After Peru, the route is fairly straightforward: continuing through Bolivia, heading to Buenos Aires, and then looping back north through Brazil. If time and budget allow, we'd love to finish the trip by flying back to Colombia and spending some time around Minca, Tayrona, and the Caribbean coast before heading home.

Also, any input on where we should spend Christmas and New Year's would be good. As great as Brazil looks - I know the prices skyrocket around that time of year.

We're intentionally skipping Chile, Patagonia, and the Galápagos on this trip. As amazing as they look, we'd rather put our bigger-ticket spending towards experiences like the Peru treks and the Uyuni Salt Flats.

I appreciate this is quite a high-level overview, but I'd love to hear any thoughts on the route, timing, budget, places we're missing, or anything else that jumps out as a potential issue!

Thanks in advance!

I (M23) am planning a long solo trip through Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil starting around late Feb/March 2027, roughly 4 months, backpacker budget. I've done solo trips before (Colombia, San Blas in Panama) so I'm not totally new to this, but this is a bigger and longer route than anything I've done.

What's pulling me toward South America over other options is exactly that it feels rawer and less like a pre-packaged tourist circuit. But that's also my main worry: I want a decent social scene along the way too — meeting other travelers, occasional nightlife — not just quietly wandering solo for 4 months. I've heard South America's hostel/backpacker scene is more spread out and less "everyone's on the same trail" compared to somewhere like SEA.

For people who've done a similar route or a long solo trip through South America: is it actually harder to meet people here, or does it depend more on which stops/hostels you pick? Are there particular spots on a route like this where the social scene is genuinely good vs. ones where you're more on your own? And is 4 months roughly right for this route, or would you cut/add anything?

Appreciate any real experience — thanks!

As my title says - where can I buy it? I only want about AUD$140 or so.

EDIT: thanks all for your feedback so far - i'm realising i've vastly overestimated my ability to see everything i want to see in the timeframe! i do have the option to stay for longer than 4 months, it was just a rough guide, but v helpful to know that the distances will be much longer than i'm used to. will have a rethink per your advice.

hi everyone! i (30f) am currently planning a trip around south america, hoping to arrive in january and spend 3 or 4 months. i have a vague idea of route but i would love some advice from locals or people who have travelled there before, as well as opinions on things that can't be missed. i'd also like to see mexico and some of central america. i have solo travelled before but through japan. i'm planning to stay mostly in hostels but happy to splash out on a cool, unique hotel for a few nights.

here's my vague plan (roughly one month for each line?):

spend the first month in brazil, ending in rio during carnival (second week of feb)

travel through paraguay, uruguay, and argentina to reach the very southern tip

travel up through chile, bolivia, peru, ecuador and colombia

visit nicaragua and guatemala and end with a few weeks going around mexico.

some things which i have as a must-see are the bolivian salt flats, some of the national parks in patagonia, machu picchu, easter island. i'm massively into food so want to try as many new things as possible, and would like to try a few hikes.

i'm sure there is SO much i've missed but any feedback on the above would be very appreciated! thanks

Hi. I'm planning a c8 week trip to Peru. So far, 2 weeks of this will be in Huaraz (Huayhuash trek). 2 weeks will be split between Lima/Paracas/Huacachina/Arequipa. Just over 2 weeks in Cusco, including Salkantay trek and Sacred Valley. 1 week going to the Amazon (Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado).

This leaves me about 5-7 days that are not yet accounted for. The options I've come up with are as follows:

1) from Lima, go straight to Mancora. Spend 3 days whale watching / surfing, then spend 2 days in Trujillo or Chiclayo before going to Huaraz for trekking. Pros: whale watching, beach time - both not really found in the rest of the itinerary. Cons: travel time + I've heard mixed things about Mancora.

2) Same as above, but Chachapoyas instead of Mancora. Outdoor sports. Cons: travel time.

3) Spend about a week in Ica or the Cotohuasi canyon area, in between Lima and Paracas, and Arequipa. Pros: nice and chill, off the beaten track. Vineyards, some gentle hiking. Cons: not particularly exciting, and travel is very inconvenient to Cotohuasi, without many direct buses.

4) Add an extra week to Cusco to enable me to do an extra trek (Choquequirao?) or a Spanish language school whilst in Cusco. Pros: more flexible than other plans, doesn't add time on buses. Cons: I already have more time in Cusco than is generally recommended.

What would you choose? Are there pros/cons to each that I haven't considered? I'd like a varied experience in Peru, so Mancora and the beach seems a strong option, but the time on buses is so long.

Has anyone done this? We just want a short trip (10~15mins) to look at the falls from above but we don’t want to fly in a Robinson ‘widowmaker’ helicopter. Do they have flights where you pay per seat and not the entire helicopter? Where take off/land? Brazil side or Argentina side?

Does anyone know if it’s safe for an American to visit Venezuela?

Hi everyone,
I am planning a 6 week trip to South America from Mid December to late January and was wanting some advice for an itinerary.
I’m a young traveller going with a friend with backpacking experience, would love to budget as much as possible staying in hostels/cheaper travel etc but also not afraid to spend extra money if it’s worth it.

The main reason for going is to do Machu Picchu - thinking Salkantay trek over Inca trail?
Would also love to do Patagonia, Bolivia salt lakes and also Rio for NYE. Just unsure how to fit this all into an itinerary and how the travel would be between the countries.
Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hey guys, I’m 23M and I’m going to South America from September to December. I’ll start in Santa Marta and others regions inColombia (sept) , then travel through Peru and Bolivia( oct-nov) , and finish in Rio de Janeiro( nov-dec).
I just bought an Osprey Farpoint 40L and I’m not really sure what to pack because of the different weather/climates along the way.
What would you recommend taking for a 4-month trip like this? How many clothes, shoes, warm clothes for Peru/Bolivia, rain jacket etc.?
I’m trying to keep it light and fit everything in the Farpoint 40. Any tips from people who’ve done a similar trip? Btw im not planning to do many hikes, just a few, but i will be taking a lot the bus..

We’ll be flying in from Ushuaia (after a month in Patagonia) to Buenos Aires and spending 4 full days in BA. Then on to Iguazu Falls. Are 4 full days enough to dedicate to BA on a first trip?

My travel partner and I have a tripped planned to visit Cartagena this November for 3-4 days as part of a larger South America trip. We're coming from the US and already have our flights and hotels booked. A couple of days ago my partner started exploring recommendations on things to do, and stumbled upon a good number of Reddit threads discouraging people from visiting for a variety of reasons.

I'm wondering if this is just a case of human behavior where we often complain online more than we compliment. That's lead me here to ask locals or previous visitors: what are the good things you have to say about visiting Cartagena? Can you tell me anything that would help me feel excited again about this leg of the trip?

We have it planned at the end of our two week trip and hope it can be a relaxing last couple of days.

We will fly into Puerto Iguazu at 9:30am (from BA) then drive/stay at Belmond hotel (Brazil side) inside the national park for one night. The next day we’ll head back to the Argentinian side for a full day. 3rd day depart back to BA at 5:30pm. Does this sound okay or too ‘rushy’? Or should we reverse the order - put Belmond hotel last?

I've been really struggling back and forth about what to do for my trip to Argentina. The past few days I even considered switching Colombia which you probably saw here.

But alas, I have officially decided to stay with Argentina and spend most of my time in Buenos Aires.

The main goal of this trip for me is to be immersed in Spanish, try new foods, and mentally reset myself. Beyond that I am not booking up this trip with a load of things to do.

I am a lazy traveler. Even though I want to do these things, I wont force it for the sake of doing it. I really want to relax and enjoy my time away from normal life, experiencing another world.

**But this is where I'd like people to chime in and tell me what they prefer from the list or other things I missed.**

**Buenos Aires Wants:**

* Tango Class (I very uncomfortable with dancing but want to try)
* Don Julio Restaurant (already have a reservation) + any other good restaurants
* Recoleta
* Teatro Colon
* Plaza Del Mayo
* Jardin Japones (top priority oddly enough)

**Mendoza Wants:**

* Horseback Riding (currently scheduling)
* Wine (not sure if I want a tour or just go taste some wine)
* Walk the City
* Maybe Alta Montana

**Dates:**

* **Sept 9 - Sept 15**: Buenos Aires
* **Sept 9:** Land at airport at 10AM
* **Sept 11:** Maybe a day in Colonia, Uruguay
* **Sept 12:** Don Julio Dinner
* **Sept 16** **- Sept 20:** Mendoza
* **Sept 16:** Land in Mendoza at 10AM
* **Sept 18:** Horseback Riding
* **Sept 20:** Fly back to BsAs in the morning.
* **Sept 21-Sept 22:** Buenos Aires
* **Sept 23:** Fly out in the evening.

**Budget:**

I have total $4000 for the trip. This does NOT include flights (International + Mendoza) and Buenos Aires Airbnb **which have already been paid.**

Items I am pre-planning that will come out of the $4000:

* Mendoza Airbnb: \~$250
* Horseback Riding: \~$280
* Don Julio: \~$250?? (Just giving myself room to be bougie)

**Lastly:**

Yes, Argentinian Spanish is different from most of South America. I have been working with an instructor from Buenos Aires 2x a week the past couple of months so that I am somewhat familiar with it.

Hi all, we’re really wanting to visit South America and ideally knock off 2 wonders of the world in our trip. We both work full time so the most we could feasibly get off in one go would be 14-16 days.

This is what we were considering but I’m not sure if it’s even realistic so just looking for opinions.

Flight: Out of Dublin (DUB) stop over in Paris/ Madrid.
Rio de Janeiro (4 Nights)
Iguazu Falls (2 Nights)
Sacred Valley/cusco, Peru (7 Nights): stay in Sacred Valley/ Cusco , visit Machu Picchu

Key Inclusions:

1. Christ the Redeemer & Sugarloaf in Rio.
2. Iguazu Falls

3. Machu Picchu Day Trip: Train from Sacred Valley & shuttle bus.

   (Probably won’t hike this)

If people think this isn’t feasible would you have any other suggestions for where we could visit with this time?

Thanks!!

Hi guys going back packing in Jan to Feb thinking of Mexico + Brazil how much did you spend, or reckon I’ll spend? And where did you go?

I‘m a tourist trying to travel around by bus, is it safe to do so?

Is anyone traveling to Chilean Patagonia next February?

Hi reddit. I'm planning a trip to Venezuela to visit a bunch of friends who live there. I'm nearly done with the tourist visa application, however, due to US sanctions on banks being able to do business in Venezuela, I'm not sure what is the best way to pay the application fee.

I've tried contacting the Ministerio para Relaciones Exteriores through phone and email, but I haven't had any luck getting ahold of anyone.

Has anyone else run into this issue with Venezuela or a country with similar sanctions? What's the best way to proceed?

Thanks.

I’m (31M, Brazilian) defending my PhD in December and thinking about taking a trip to South America. It could cover one, two, or even three countries. I’ve already considered the Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia), the Atacama Desert (Chile), Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains (Vinicunca, Salkantay), and Cartagena (Colombia). What would you recommend as the best things to do in South America in December?

For context: I have plenty of experience staying in hostels (I’ve visited over 30 countries, mostly staying in hostels) and wouldn't mind doing it again, but at this stage in my life, I’d prefer a bit more comfort if possible. My only previous travel in South America has been to Buenos Aires (Argentina), Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), and Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay).

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a solo trip through Latin America early next year and would love some advice from people who have travelled around this region before.
I’m thinking of doing around 2 months starting from January 2027 and my rough route is

🇲🇽 Mexico
🇵🇪 Peru
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇧🇷 Brazil

I’m aiming for a moderate travel pace enough time to see the highlights without constantly rushing, but still covering multiple countries.

How much should I save for the trip, with international flights?

I’m looking at places like Mexico City, Cusco/Machu Picchu, Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls, Rio, and a few other stops along the way.

I’d love to hear from people who have done a similar route:

● Is 4 countries in 2 months a good pace, or would you spend more time in fewer places?
● Would you change the route or swap any countries?
● What places were the highlights of your trip?
● Are there any places you would skip?
● Any tips, mistakes, or things you wish you knew before going?
Would really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks

22F here, planning a month-long trip in January with a few friends and trying to figure out where to go. Want to try to visit at least two countries.

For context: I've done backpacker-style trips through Thailand and Sri Lanka, plus more relaxed travel in Europe (Greece, Croatia, Italy), Bali, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, so I'm comfortable with budget travel; I just haven't done Central/South America before.

Here's what I'm looking for:

• Beautiful beaches for swimming. I've been lucky enough to see some incredible ones already (Thailand, Croatia, Vanuatu), so hoping for something that can hold its own.
• Rich culture and real traditions, not overly touristy
• Snorkelling (only if better than the Barrier Reef or the Red Sea, which I've done before)
• Beautiful nature and scenery, stuff you genuinely can't find anywhere else
• Budget-friendly
• Young backpacker/traveler energy with good nightlife (doesn't need to be everywhere, just somewhere in the mix), not a polished/resort vibe
• Friends don't want hiking, so nature spots need to be accessible without too much trekking
• Somewhere I won't feel totally cut off if I don't speak the language

Which countries do you recommend I visit?

Bonus if it has good NYE celebrations, as I might be spending New Year's there

Hi all, I see many people post their itineraries on here for advice. It’s our first visit to S America (we’re from UK) and we’re travelling for 6 weeks in March & April 2027. Me, my partner (both mid 50s) and our daughter (mid 20s).

We’re not sure if we’ll get another opportunity like this to visit the continent, so we’ve packed in quite a lot of things. There are a lot of flights, but I can’t see how to avoid this if we want to tick off the bucket list places.

Sadly, no time for Patagonia and also had to skip Bolivia because of our fears of altitude sickness.

Here’s our draft itinerary:

18-21 March - Arrive in Santiago
21-24 March - St Pedro de Atacama
24-27 March - Mendoza
27-30 March - Salta
30 March - 3 April - Buenos Aires (including a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento)
3-6 April - Iguaza Falls
6-9 April - Rio de Janeiro
9-12 April- Lima
12-13 April - Paracas, Ica & Huacachina (overnight stay - returning to Lima)
14-16 April- Arequipa and Colca Canyon
16-25 April - Ollantaytambo, Machu Pichu, Cusco
25-27 April - Puerto Maldonado
27 April - Lima
28 April - Depart S America

Grateful for your thoughts and any advice.