Which South American country?

[IamaRevenant]

I turn 40 in September and want a big, bucket list style holiday. For context my DH turned 40 last year and we went on safari and to Zanzibar which has always been his dream holiday. So I want something special too!

I'm pretty well travelled but have never quite made it to South America for various reasons (have been around Central and the Caribbean). Ideally I'd love to see multiple countries but due to work I'm restricted to two weeks, so am thinking I should stick to one but with a bit of travel around... where would you recommend?? I've always wanted to go to Peru but for health reasons am currently unlikely to be able to do any trekking 😢 so it would almost feel like going to Peru without climbing Machu Picchu would just be a waste!

Does anyone have any suggestions? I love history, interesting cities, beautiful countryside, beaches/snorkeling... I'd prefer something quite active but as mentioned I am a bit limited healthwise - but definitely not into a two weeks of sunbathing type trip. Would like good weather but not overwhelming heat. Happy to do it quite cheaply - overall budget would probably be about 5k max for me and DH but I'm fine with basic hotels etc. Several friends have recommended Bolivia which looks amazing but there's no beach and I do love to snorkel! Brazil obviously has a lot to offer and I (kind of) speak the language which is a plus, but I get the impression it can be a bit touristy in places, and potentially quite dangerous off the beaten track? I'm pondering Colombia... any thoughts?? Or other recommendations?

TIA!

Chile. I it's a beautiful country with a mix of beaches, countryside and mountains. Santiago is an amazing city too

Think it was the second series of Race across the world on iplayer that does South America you may get some ideas off there? They went top to bottom looked amazing.

Oh I hadn't even considered Chile... will get googling!

Thanks! I'll take a look. Well up for travelling a bit, just slightly constricted by the two week limit! Most of my mates are self employed so are coming at it from the perspective of going for a month or more (jealous!)

Do you have a particular time of year? If so then I would check out which countries have good weather then.

Re Peru, I went without doing the Inca Trail, we got the train and then walked the last bit (not very far). Don’t feel I missed out, it was a great trip. Not sure there is any snorkelling though.

Ecuador & Galapagos could involve snorkelling and is definitely a bucket list trip!

I just want to visit Ushuaia after seeing it on Race programme and Susan Calman cruising to Antarctica would be really cool place to go.

You don’t climb Machu Picchu, you can trek to it but most people take the train from Cuzco and then a bus up to the entrance of the ancient site, no climbing involved. The tall mountain overlooking the site is Huayna Picchu and you can climb that for incredible views. I have travelled extensively around South America and visited Machu Picchu twice, nothing compares really. Lima is a dump so stay a night there maybe just to tick a box then head to Cuzco, beautiful colonial city (town really) to acclimatise to higher altitude…. Three nights … then spoil yourself by staying in the only hotel right beside entrance to Machu Picchu on top of the mountain, it’s expensive but a great birthday treat. One or two nights would be magical. You get to wander the site before and after the tourist hordes arrive/depart. I don’t think you would get much change from 5k if your budget has to stretch to international flights. There is a posh luxury train called the Hiram Bingham you can take from Cuzco run by Belmond. Other highlights on the continent for me would be Iguazu Falls on Brazil/Argentina border and Easter Island. Have a great birthday wherever you go!

Should add that the train from Cuzco to Machu Picchu takes around three or so hours if memory serves me. Fab views.

Peru is fantastic and you definitely don’t need to trek to see Machu Picchu.

Thanks everyone! I'll look into Peru again. I've just always had trekking the Inca Trail on my list (mountains were my 'thing' before the health stuff 🙈) so it'd feel like a bit of a cop out...

Never heard of Ushuaia so I'll take a look, thanks!

@minipie it would be September.

Realise 5k is a bit low but I wouldn't be looking at top end hotels or restaurants etc

Just jumping on to follow here as we were looking at going to Argentina next year…..

https://www.adventure-life.com/south-america/articles/best-time-to-visit-south-america#:~:text=Spring%20in%20South%20America%20(September,mark%20the%20beginning%20of%20spring.

this website has some good info about which countries at various times of year - Brazil, Bolivia and Galapagos look good in Sep but plenty of other options too

I'd usually say Ecuador including Galapagos as there is a lot to do and it's relatively small by SA standards but you'd have to keep an eye on the political situation there.

One thing doing the Inca Trail the traditional way gives you is early entry to the site before it gets busy, nothing beats that so save that for when you can do it. (I've visited MP both ways )

We loved Colombia and Chile on our big trip to SA.

We went to Brazil for 2 weeks at Easter and it was incredible!

It may be that my suggestions are in Central America, rather than South, but Gautama is lovely. So is Columbia. Costa Rica is stunning and has wonderful Amazon and Cloud Forrests as well as great cities and beaches (though we didn’t visit the beaches). All three countries are also warm and friendly.

I've been off all the beaten tracks in Brazil, by myself on public transport. I often wish I hadn't left 💛 It's the size of a continent, as I'm sure you know, so you would need to pick an area! Or two, if you fly internally. The beaches are fabulous, all thousands of kilometres of them. It'll be Spring in September, possibly a bit rainy in the North-East and cool in the south.

One way to visit three or four countries in a week is to head for Foz de Iguacu. Worth it for the view, and it's also fun to zip back and forth across borders. If you're down there, I love Uruguay but it's probably not intense enough for a once-in-a-lifetime destination (I loved the laid-back atmosphere).

I'm envious. Have fun browsing and choosing!

@AnnieSnap, tropical cloud forest is my absolute favourite environment. Magical 😊

My time in one in Costa Rica was lovely 🙂

A friend of mine had a holiday recently in the Tayrona Cartagena area of Colombia and it looked beautiful. Coastal.

Another vote for watching race across the world. The places they visited were awesome and might help you pin down an itinerary.

I've spent a few months in SA and would advise that with only two weeks you really need to focus. It's huge, and you'll eat into that time before you know it!

Galapagos is incredible, and you can do it pretty cheaply by staying on land (instead of a cruise). Excursions are pricey, but you can't beat the snorkeling there (just check out the time of year you go as the water can be very cold some months!).

Patagonia (Ushuaia is at the bottom of the continent) is amazing, and somewhere I want to go back to, but that involves quite a bit of trekking on glaciers, in the Fitzroy mountains and Torres del Paine, so maybe not ideal at the mo.

Argentina and Brazil both great, but huge!, and yes I do think possibly a bit touristy in Brazil. If you go there, go to Fernando de Noronha, which is a tiny island off the north-east coast which is a protected reserve. It's absolutely amazing (or it was 20 years ago!!) and I think a worthy bucket list destination.

Chile I'm a bit 'meh' about. I think there are better places, and a huge part of the country is lakes which are very hard to travel down. I didn't see Atacama though, which I'm sure would be very cool.

In your shoes, based on what you've said, I think I'd pick Colombia. I haven't actually been but know a lot of people who have and they absolutely rave about it, plus it's a good size for two weeks without racing around.

Damn, this has really made me want to do back now, it's such a brilliant continent!!

We did this last year and it was wonderful. We had a few days in Buenos Aires on the way down and on the way home. You have to change planes there anyway. Ushuaia is a quirky town with an interesting prison museum and good hiking trails. Antarctica was magical (but I was seasick crossing the Drake Passage, both ways). I would love to go back!

Last year we went to Peru, Ecuador & the Galapagos.
I use a stick, & some parts were a bit tricky.

There's transport all the way to the entrance to M.P., & inside I sat in what looks like a Bus Shelter while the rest of the group did the tour.

I found out afterwards there's an option for a pre-bookable wheelchair tour that comes with 2 helpers - pricey but after spending >£13k I would have gone for it.

Galapagos are stunning, but the day boats are accessed by gangplanks or ladders. I was lucky enough to receive a lot of help.

We spent nearly 3 weeks on a tailor-made tour, but shorter options are available.

I'd love to have done this tour when I was young, fit & healthy !

I loved Argentina and Uruguay, they share a border so you could do a bit of both.

Mendoza has lots of activities and obviously a lot of wine.

One thing I will say about South America is if you are fertile and sexually active make sure you have really effective contraception. Abortion is very limited, and that means things like an early miscarriage can see a woman prosecuted and spending years in prison.