Mia
Rye, Victoria
My partner and I have 6wks to explore Central & South America. We are thinking of doing 4 or 5 countries all up. We need help with deciding which countries or example itineraires would be great.
We both love the beach, discovering quiet local towns but also love spending a few days exploring cities. We would like to visit a few places with good nightlife (we are aged 26 and 28) and are interested in music, art, food and wine! We would also like to see some historical sites (eg Mayan ruins ect).
We are also open to doing an arranged tour for part of our trip (7-15 days).
Any suggestions big or small would be greatly appreciated.
In my opinion 6 weeks for 4-5 countries in Latin America is not sufficient and you will force yourselves to "fly" through things and end up not experiencing it to a full degree. You are trying to cover too much in a relatively short time. I would rather pick 2-3 max. and enjoy it. If you focus just on South America I would even narrow it just to 2 countries since they are way bigger than their Central American counterparts.
If this can be of any help, few advices:
Well, if you have any questions feel free to ask more. If you want to get better picture about some countries mentioned here you can take a look at some of my collections well sorted out into albums based on region.
Hope this helps a bit and have a great trip guys!
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I suggest visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu. An amazing, unique place in the world. If you like the sea you can visit in Chile, Viña del MarThe best time of year is March, October and November. Patagonia (Argentina) and Torres del Paine are also two very beautiful and interesting places.
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Hi! If you love beaches, Costa Rica offers plenty of options. I would suggest both the Caribbean side Limon or the Pacific side, Nicoya. One of my favorite is Playa Santa Teresa especially for those who love surfing (or a quite/local type beach). Osa Peninsula is also a very unique place even though it is a bit complicated to get there. (let me know if interested to provide further details). Another recommendations of quite local towns (besides Santa Teresa), are Las Catalinas, Punta Islita or Monteverde.
However, speaking about beautiful beaches in Central America, I would say that Roatan is also magical, especially for diving. The Copan ruins are also another interesting site to visit. If you are interested in something more cultural I will recommend Antigua Guatemala
A city with good nightlife is: Bogota which offers really nice places for dining out, dancing and meeting interesting people. A few examples of these sophisticated places are Park 93, La Candelaria and a restaurant very unique and creative, located in the Chia area is Andres Carne de Res.
I hope this information can be of great help for you guys! Enjoy the ride!!
Pura vida!!
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Since you only have 6 weeks to travel, I would recommend staying in Central America the entire time. Travel time between countries is obviously way less time consuming than South America, and it's more affordable. You also get to experience an entirely different culture each time you cross a border, which makes for a fun and interesting travel experience.
My favorite beaches are in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Try the beaches near Tola in Nicaragua, most notably Popoyo and Playa Gigante- they are less crowded, absolutely beautiful and full of locals and surfers. In Costa Rica I prefer the beaches near Nosara, Garza, and Playa Avellanas- once again, less crowded and more of a local beach culture.
If you like Mayan ruins, you have to go to Tikal National Park in Guatemala. That is an experience you will never forget! Find a knowledgeable guide and go super early in the morning to avoid the crowds and the heat.
Overall, I would recommend starting north in Guatemala and ending in Panama. You could also fly into Cancun (they sometimes have good flight deals) and travel from there to Guatemala.
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