where to go in south america?

hey guys.

i am planning to travel to south america in july. my original plan was to fly into buenos aires and travel up through uraguay. and along the coast to rio de jeniero, whilst visiting iguassu and other places on my way.

trouble is, ive been researching these places and the doesnt seem to be a great deal to see in this area of argentina, and i am hoping now to include a trip down south to patagonia aswell.

i have abotu a month and a half to travel, do you think its possible to travel from buenos aires, to patagonia and then back up again to uraguay and rio de jeniero without going back the way i came and preferably having enough time to explore the places i visit ?

i know verty little about these areas if im honest and would appreciate any advice.

any recommended routes also?

thanks guys.

julian

First of all, one and a half month won't be nearly enough if you really want to spend more time knowing the places than traveling from one to another. Then it's very long distances you're talking about, unless you go everywhere by plane. Buenos Aires - Bariloche (to name one possible spot in Patagonia) is ~22 hours by bus, and from BA to the Iguassu Falls it's 15 hours on the opposite direction.

One possible route: Buenos Aires - Mendoza (you'll get to see the Andes there), then south to San Martín de los Andes, Bariloche and the rest of the Patagonian Lake District, then back to the eastern Atlantic coast of Patagonia (Puerto Madryn, Puerto Pirámides) where you might be able to see whales mating or giving birth. Then you go north again to Buenos Aires, continue to Rosario (300 km upstream), and from there you go to Iguassu and then to Brazil. You can come south along the coast of Uruguay then, but I doubt you'll find anything to do there in winter, so my adivce would be to skip Uruguay, except maybe for a stop in Montevideo.

And there you are. Hope this helps!

hi

i understand, it does seem a long distance to travel in such a short time.

i really can't afford to fly anywhere, i'm on a budget you see. but i love your route idea. thanks.
could this possible route you suggested be done by bus?

i very much appreciate your help.

julian

Julian - All this route can be done by bus. In Argentina at least, long-distance bus services are excellent in most parts of the country. The trips that will take you the most time are Buenos Aires - Mendoza (about 14 hours) and Rosario - Iguassu (maybe 16 hours), but they're overnight trips so you can sleep. Either of those trips shouldn't cost you more than 40 dollars (at today's rate) and the seats are like first-class airplane seats. Accommodation shouldn't be a problem either - all the spots I recommended to you (except the Atlantic coast) are full of hostels and other cheap residences for travelers.

Good luck, and just ask if you have any more doubts.

Hi Julian:

As a local from BA with 15 years experience receiving foreigners,
I will try to give you some help:

-- Try to buy in your travel agent a Visit Argentina pass. So you can fly
by cheap 4 or 5 times in Argentina. Ask also for the Mercosur pass:
it includes Uruguay, Paraguay and Brasil.
It's real that our buses are very comfortable, but I think you don't come
here to spend days in buses...

-- Walles season in Puerto Madryn begins in July. But it's not exact,
so you cannot be sure you can see them...

-- An option is to visit our Northwest: Salta province and the valleys around,
the path til Boliviam, are wonderfull to visit in winter.And you can reach
these points straight from Mendoza.

-- Uruguay: Their beaches are wonderful, but you come in our winter and
the city Montevideo it's nothing special. You should spend more time in Buenos Aires,
where you can find many interestings things to do/see even in winter season.
From BA you can cross in a 1 day tour to Colonia a nice colonial city.

-- Of course Iguazu falls is a Must place. Bus trip from BA is 19 hours.
But you can stop in San Ignacio, 4 hour before, to spend 3-4 hours visiting
the impresive jesuitic ruins. then any local bus will leave you in the falls.
There, try to choose a brasilian hotel, because they have better service than
our hotels. Tree days would be enough for the falls.

-- From Iguazu, there are very good buses to Porto Alegre (Brasil)
and from there to other places in Brasil, if you don't use air passes.

-- Brasil have many other very nice places and no so dangerous than Rio.
So you could consider to vist Rio for few days, and enjoy the other safer places.

Well, I hope this give you more ideas.

And if you need extra info about BA, or accommodation, emaill me

Juan Carlos
traverhelper in BA
-snip-

[ Edit: Sorry, no promos please. ]

Yes, it really depends on your budget, let’s say travelling by air, would shorten distances, safe time as distances are long by bus and also the further south you go, and take on both the Patagonia’s in Argentina and Chile you will see some incredible sites and wonders, like glaziers, that will most likely not survive for your children to see, anyway, Calefate and Fitz Roy in Argentina are a must, …….…………. Iguassu by air, I then would travel to San Paolo, and from there by train to the seas side, hope to have been of some help!

Bob Frassinetti. Travelling around the south of South America,.......

Are you aware that Argentina is suffering from the worst drought in living memory?

Will this affect your plans at all?

Sam:

The problem is for farmers, not for travelers.
And from March to July is the rain season.
Don 't need to worry...

Quoting juanka

Sam:

The problem is for farmers, not for travelers.
And from March to July is the rain season.
Don 't need to worry...

Very naive POV -drought affects everything-food supply transportation you name it.

There is indeed a serious drought, though not "the worst in living memory" by a long shot. There have been no shortages of food or anything like that. Farmers and rural towns, especially in places where the infrastructure is lacking, are having trouble getting drinking water for themselves, their crops and their animals, but there's none of that in any major city or in any touristic spots in the country. At most you'll find that some watercourses look less full than advertised...