First trip to South America

Hey everyone,

I'm going to South America to meet a friend of mine who lives in Buenos Aires but I'd like to explore some other places as well. I'll have a few weeks so I'd like to go to Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru.

Here are the trips I'm looking at. Has anyone been on these before? What are some of the best places to visit in Ecuador (I've never been there before).

http://www.mountainlodgesofperu.com <-- saw a link to their site on Facebook and read a bunch of positive reviews

http://www.discoverbrazil.com/vacation-packages/brazil/1/summary/ <-- haven't heard much, opinions welcome (I don't want to end up on a dud trip in Brazil )

Thanks in advance,

Mike

[ Edit: Edited on 08-Jul-2009, at 13:41 by mike_sa64 ]

Ecuador has many interesting places to visit and since Ecuador is a small country you are able to see a lot in a short time.
there is a whale watching around Puerto Lopez,surfing in Montanita,going to Banos watching the vulcano at night or spend a few days in a Amazon lodge.
a lot of hiking in Ecuador,Indio markets......and it is inexpensiv.

from BA you should visit the Iguazu waterfalls,both sides.
Brazil is much more expensiv then Argentina and keep in mind that in Argentina and Peru you have big distances to cover.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'd definitely love to see the volcano @ Banos that sounds really cool

In my opinion, Galapagos Islands is the most amazing place from Ecuator, If you have the chance to go, do not hesitate!
Besides Ecuator, if you are planing coming to Peru (I currently live there), Machu-Picchu is a MUST!
Hope your trip goes well, Buenos Aires is a great city! I will be there for the 3rd time in two weeks and soooooo looking forward!