Hello, I am going to be graduating college in May, and my full time job will start July 19th. I’ll probably go to Las Vegas right after graduating, so starting in June, I want to go traveling for a month, possibly a month and a half. I want to go places before I start working. I don’t want to visit the city/night life – I want to see natural things i.e. safari in Africa, rainforests, pyramids, waterfalls, old churches, etc. Basically anything that is interesting, natural, and possibly historic. The only place I have been, outside of America, is India. So basically, anything besides India and America I would consider. I don’t know about Europe, mainly because I don’t know if it is sort of the natural sort of atmosphere that I am looking for, at least not based on face-value, but if you think otherwise please tell me why. Right now, I am thinking Costa Rica, or Africa, or Australia/New Zealand. Who knows, maybe even two out of the three, or all three. What do you guys think? Should I go somewhere else? Where would you recommend I go based on what I want to see. Also, if anyone knows any good deals for flying, or other deals once I actually land (i.e. discount for a safari or something), please let me know of that as well. Any help is appreciated! Thanks.
For Europe, I would suggest Ireland. The countryside is just beautiful, lots of nature, tons of cool stuff to see. You can go to Dublin if you want some more historical stuff. There are old castles all over. It's a great place to rent a car and drive all over. This was probably my favorite thing to see there. For Asia, I would suggest Kyoto, Japan. It's not like the rest of Japan, it's slow-paced, lots of nature, architecture, and history, just a great city. Of the ones you named, I think New Zealand would be cool, I have always wanted to go there.
How old do you have to be to rent a car? I will be 22 by the time this trip is done (birthday in April). I think I have narrowed it down. Right now, I am leaning toward Central and South America. I am thinking the rainforests and sights of Costa Rica > then to Quito, Ecuador in order to take a trip to the > Galapagos islands > Iguazu waterfall in Argentina > Patanal in Brazil/Bolivia > San Pedro de Atacam in Chile > go north via Nazca to > Machu Picchu, Peru Is this the most efficient way to go about it? I might as well visit Brazil while I am in the Patanal, right? Check out those Brazilian beaches? This sounds very expensive! I don't even know if I will even be able to do half of it! Also, how will I actually go about seeing all these things? Will I have to go through a company that specializes in adventure packages? Or is it possible for me to just do these things without that? Maybe I will just use a company in order to go to the Galapagos, and for the rest, just backpack it? Is that possible? Anyone with any information is appreciated. Thanks.
Ruins in Mexico, Central America, and Machu Pichu. Caverns in South Central Texas (San Marcos' small mountain), Mexico (Monterrey's Grutas de Garcia), etc. Waterfalls in South America (Iguazú), Niagara (Buffalo/Canada), Mexico (Monterrey) Anyway, go to MEXICO. We have plenty of natural attractions there. What is your budget?
I don't know my budget.. I wouldn't mind spending 3-4 grand only because of the fact that I might not have a opportunity like this for a long time, and the fact that I have a job waiting for me when I come back.
Your dollar will go very far in South America. I think it has exactly what you are looking for. Lots and lots of natural beauty. Machu Picchu and Lake Titikaka in Peru, Iguazu in Argentina, wine country in Chile, Rio in Brazil are just a few of what SA has to offer.
google is your best friend. find a hotel where they have all these things already set up. All you do is sign up with the other group of people and poof, you're off to see mother nature.
3-4 grand. I think Europe is you best bet if you planning on spending like close to a month traveling or South America. But I think Europe would be the easiest to get around for an inexperienced traveler. You can do the same thing in Asia if you don't mind backpacking and sleeping in strange places but it would preferred to go with a buddy these kind of adventures.
Okay, here is an update of where I am now. I haven't even begun to plan out the logistics - i.e. costs, flight, transportation, living accomodations, visas, other documentation (?), immunizations, exchange rates, weather, what places I should avoid due to crime, what I will need to bring to the trip, etc. (I am probably missing a lot). I am going to be using Lonely Planet's and Frommer's travel guides to help me with some of this stuff, along with internet resources. For flight, I am thinking of doing it through oneWorld (http://www.oneworld.com/ow/air-travel-options/single-continent-fares/visit-south-america). Is this a good idea? Here is what I REALLY WANT to see: (2) Peru - Machu Picchu (3) Bolivia - Lake TitiCaca ( on the border of Peru/Bolivia), Río Madidi watershed (Parque Nacional Madidi) also (Noel Kempff Mercado National Park) (1) Brazil - Amazon River/Rainforest/Pantanal/Iguazu Falls/Brazilian Beaches/Rio de Janeiro (1) Argentina - Iguazu Falls (I hear both sides of the falls are amazing to see. Here is what I wouldn't mind seeing, but will probably skip due to cost/time reasons: (4) Costa Rica - rainforests/other activities (ziplining, river rafting, white water rafting, etc.) (this is nice but the rainforest isn't so great compared to the Amazon, right?) (5) Galapagos Islands (very expensive) (6) Kaieteur Falls, Guyana - (this place looks beautiful, but again, expense and time). (7) San Pedro de Atacam in Chile (I don't know how exciting this will be) What do you think of that list? Is it realistic to do 1, 2, and 3? Should I get rid of (3)? Is it possible to include (4)? Like I said, I haven't planned much of the logistics yet. I have no idea how long I will stay at a particular location, let me know if you have any estimates. Here is the specific journey, in my mind so far. I am thinking that I will land in Peru, somehow find a safe place to stay that is not far from Machu Picchu, and then use a guided tour to visit Machu Picchu. I want to avoid guided tours due to expense, but I am told that it is a good idea to do this for Machu Picchu. After that, go to the border of Bolivia to see Lake TitiCaca/Parque Nacional Madidi. Then somehow travel east to see Parque Nacional Noel Kempff. After that, I will be pretty much on the border of Brazil. Then I will somehow go South to see the Pantanal and the Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense. After that, I will continue to go further south (a lot). Until I reach Iguazu Falls (Parque Nacional Iguazu). Then, if time permits, I will head northeast to Rio de Janeiro and spend some time there and find a nearby airport to come back to Chicago. In the above trip, I did not include the Amazon Rainforest/River because I have NO IDEA yet where in Brazil I should go to see this. I do not want to go to Manaus because I understand that this is a beaten path, and I want to go somewhere less traveled, but not overly expensive. I am thinking I visit the Amazon rainforest/river before I head south for the Pantanal, but that will depend on where I want to see it. As for the Brazilian beaches, I am clueless on that as well so far. Please let me know where I should go. Thanks!
i second mexico - sounds like you are looking for a kind of eco-tourism experience and if so, mexico is the place to go. for $1000 you could spend a month traveling around living like a king. you could see mexico city (aztec ruins), zacatecas (my favorite city), puerta vallarta (very chill place to spend a week - lots of stuff to do around the area), guadalajara, oaxaca (monte alban) and the yucatan (chichen itza/cenotes) - very easy to travel around by bus - do you speak spanish - you dont need to be fluent, but you should be able to walk into a hotel and get a room, order food in a restaurant and other basic stuff. ive been to monterrey several times, but mainly just passing thru to the interior - i know there are a bunch of cool places to check out in the mountains like waterfalls, caves and mexico's biggest national park, but ive never been outside the city. it sounds like you might like a place called las pozas, in xilitla (se part of the state of san luis potosi). one of the coolest places ive ever been - in the 50's this rich surrealist dude moved from england to xilitla and spent 30 years creating this crazy alice-in-wonderland in the jungle type place - multi-colored concrete pillars and staircases going up into the trees, concrete egyptian pyraminds and a river running thru the whole thing which has several waterfalls and damned up areas for swimming. we stayed onsite in a 2 room/4 bed cabins for $60 a night ($15/person) - had a waterfall and pool right outside and could pick limes off a tree from our patio. there are also lots of caves around there which you can tour - one of them is famous b/c hundreds of parrots live in it and come out at dusk or something like that (didnt see it). and there is a river called the rio tampaon (tampon-hehe) - you can hire a canoe/guide and paddle upriver to this amazing waterfall called cascada tamul. when i did this trip in 2002 we also went to this amazing place called real de catorce - old pancho villa era mining town up in the mountains - totally isolated and like stepping back in time 100 years - i heard they have internet cafes there now, so some of that ambiance might be gone, but its still cool.
I have updated my trip out of concern for time, please let me know what you think. Also, for the most part, Brazil is not included in this updated itinerary. I think your idea about making 3 itineraries is really good, and I will definitely do this, but first I need to find some focus on what I am doing. After I have some focus, I will definitely do that! My concern for time is due to a lot of people telling me that I will not have time to do the following plan in 5 weeks: Machu Picchu > Lake TitiCaca > Parque Nacional Madidi > Noel Kempff > Amazon Rainforest/River/Brazilian Beaches (I am not sure where to put this, but I definitely want to do this) > Pantanal / Parque Nacional do Pantanal Matogrossense > Rio de Janeiro. You guys are saying that I will not be able to do this, and that I should focus on less things and just not rush it and enjoy my time there. I don't know how to alter my trip if I am not going to have enough time. I definitely want to see the Amazon! My priorities are more over toward nature and wildlife than toward history and things like that - I only want to see Machu Picchu, I will pass on the Incan Trail, and the Nazca lines I researched Puerto Moldanado and it seems like this is more and more of what I am looking for. Maybe this is a better idea. Instead of rushing to Brazil after Lake Titicaca, I can stay in Peru and see the the Amazon from Puerto Moldanado? Or is it better to see it from Brazil? Please see my modified trip below. Please let me know where you think Salar de Uyuni can fit in this trip, if it is possible So here is what I am thinking now. I start with Lake titicaca > Machu Picchu > Cusco > take a train or flight to Puerto Maldonado > take a boat to Tambopata-Candamo/Sandoval Lake/Collpa de Guacamayos (apparently boat is the only way to access this place, please tell me if you know otherwise) > go south to see Bahuaja-Sonene National Park > go west to see Manú National Park > Iguazu Falls??? Will this work? Tambopata sounds very exciting, it is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. It is also home to Colpa de Guacamayos (the clay lick attracts thousands of macaws and parrots each day!). I don't think I will have time to see Iquitos, right? since that is much further northwest than my current itinerary. Which would you recommend, Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos? The downside to this is that I will not get to see the Pantanal, nor Iguazu Falls. Is there a way I can still do one of two of these things? If not both =[. Maybe take a flight from somewhere near Puerto Moldanado to the Iguazu Falls? And then either end my trip there, or go to the Rio if I have time. Thanks for your help!
The thing about looking for nature is that you may have to limit yourself. Do you want to go to Africa, Australia, or Brazil? At least with Europe you can take day trips from one location to other countries and see lots of different history and culture for the same price as going to Australia.
A friend of mine went with his wife to New Zealand for their honeymoon. They stayed in hotels, but during the day did lots of backpacking, bike riding, horseback riding, canoeing, etc. Very outdoorsy folks. He is also a world traveler. He's been all over Europe, Asia, etc. Apparently New Zealand was the most beautiful place he's ever seen and he seriously wants to retire there.
I can't comment specifically on your plans, having never been to South America. But I have done some traveling - Central America, Europe, Egypt, Israel, USA and would agree with those that note it isn't about how many places you visit, but the quality of your vacation overall. Don't try and stuff absolutely everything in your trip. The world's a big place, you'll never get to visit it all anyway...BUT you are young, and will likely get to travel internationally again. Perhaps not for a 5 week stretch, but you never know. Also, obviously, the more places you see, the more "travel" is involved (trains, planes, automobiles), which takes up a lot of time. Another thought, I am a huge national park and outdoor lover. Done a ton of hiking in my day. But even then, I'd caution how much "national park" you might want to be doing on your trip - not that you necessarily have too much, but just make sure you aren't traveling hundreds of miles to see a national park and take a half day "tour" of sorts. I'm sure you got it all figured out. Again, just general comments. Can't speak to the specifics of your itinerary. 5 weeks is a pretty long trip, anyway, so you should still be able too really get a good feel for a lot of the places you visit on more than a superficial level while still packing a lot in. Have fun.
im going to guatemala and chiapas in june! never been to g-mala so im pretty excited about that trip.
Here is an update: Ok, so at least I have something decided. This part of the trip is finalized.. for now. Chicago > Lima > Cuzco (all flights) From Cuzco, (after Machu Picchu) I will meet up with a travel agency to do one of their tours through Manu. The question I am trying to answer right now, is which agency? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are my 5 options based on researching: *1. http://manuperu.com/* *Manu Nature Tours: Manu Cloud Forest Lodge & Manu Lodge (5, 6, 7, or 8 day options) - price not listed, emailed them asking for information on prices.* This seems like a very good site and it seems like they know what they were doing, if price was not a consideration, this would definitely be my first or second choice. *2 atalayaperu.com/peru-tours/02-rainforest.php* *Atalaya Peru* There are a couple of different options here: Either the *"Manu Park" 8d/7n tour (PRICE $ 970.00 PER PERSON + s/ 150.00 Park Entrance)* or the *Manu & Tambopata National Park 11d/10n tour ( PRICE $1840.00 + S/150.00 ENTRADA PARQUE*) This also seems like a great site and would be in my top 2 if money was not a factor. This is where I need help, It seems like the latter is too expensive, is it worth it? I need help in comparing the two trips on this website, and also comparing the trips on this website to that of #1. Although it is difficult without knowing the pricing of #1, but any help is appreciated. *3. Pantiacolla* *Cloud Forest, Lake Salvador & Otorongo, Macaw Lick and Pantiacolla Mountains (9days) in and out by bus (emailed for price)* www.pantiacolla.com/index.php… This one seems a little longer than a few of the other ones, but that may very well be because bus transportation is used. This could also mean it is cheaper, which is good. Although I'm not very impressed with this website, I'm still unsure if it is really going to make a significant difference which tour agency I choose. *4. Perutravels* *perutravels.net/peru-travel-guide/tours-manu…* *Manu Reserved Zone Tour (8d / 7n) (1000$*) This site seems very cluttered, but it seems cheaper than the others, assuming the cost of a single person doesn't shoot the price up. *5. SAS* *http://www.sastravelperumanu.com/english/manu-price-information.html* There are several different Manu trips, but I am not sure which one is the best deal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What do you guys think? One concern with some of these tours is that the price is assumed based on two people traveling. I doubt that I will get a person to accompany me, so hopefully the prices don't shoot up too much. I will work on getting the pricing based on my situation, but what do you guys think about the tours in general? Which one would you guys recommend? After Manu, I will be back in Cuzco, and I am still deciding on whether or not I will go to Lake Titicaca. I definitely wanted to do it at first, but after seeing some videos online, it seems like it's a great lake, and it's definitely going to be a great experience living with the natives.. but I don't know if it is for me. It's a good place to relax, but I don't really see anything besides the lake. Assuming I skip Lake Titicaca, I want to go to the Pantanal from Cusco, and then to Iguazu, and then end my trip in Rio. I will continue planning this, but I want to get the Peru part of my trip finalized first. You guys say that I don't need a guided tour for Machu Picchu, so there really isn't much planning to do there right? I just want to get the Manu trip finalized.
if you want to be in nature then travel to the world's most beautiful country. NORWAY!!! i spent half a month traveling in the fjords. There is simply no place like this on earth... I've been to new zealand... they too have fjords but no where close in size and area to Norway's. pictures/links: http://www.ourworldtravels.com/owt/norway/geiranger/geiranger-fjord-l.jpg http://www.fjordtravel.no/images/pic8.jpg http://terre.sans.frontiere.free.fr...faire_images/Preikestolen_fjord_3_modifie.jpg http://pixdaus.com/pics/1232303453HvY2XpD.jpg http://blog.paradizo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/norwegian-2.png anyways, give it a thought. don't spend anytime in oslo though... city is a bust. cheers g
