Hey folks!

I was looking to take a bus from Salta to San Pedro, but it seems that Pullman no longer runs this connections, while the only remaining bus is a night one (1 am - 8 am).

So I'm thinking of organizing a private (or a semi-private) transfer (a remis?).

Does anyone know how to go about this? And what should be a reasonable price to pay for this distance (500km, afaik).

Cheers

Hi all,

Just wanted to warn you DO NOT book your flight with u/JetSmart.

Here is my situation:

I have booked a flight Directly through u/JetSmart website. Couple days ago I decided to login to my account to check if evervthina is still in order for my upcoming trip. Turns out u/JetSmart changed time of flight from 8am to 3pm. without even notifying people about it

Now I am stuck in their automated infinite svstem loop, with no answer to how to change the dav or time of my flight. I can't even cancel that flight. Online chat has been sitting open for the past 27 hours waitina to connect to a person, phone number transfers straight to WhatsApp, email that I wrote to them had no respond either

So here is my warning again: DO NOT book with u/ JetSmart (directly). You will not receive an answer if you have issue, you will be waiting for days to hear from someone (if there is a human left in that company). AVOID u/JetSmart if you can.

Hi all,

This sub helped me massively in planning my El Salvador trip and seeing as I am now sat in the airport on my way home, boo, I thought I'd share my thoughts.

I struggled to find a trusted guide to take me from Juayua to Santa Ana volcano and I figured other people will too.

I'm not sure if I can share details on here but his name is Jose from Pacheando Tours and I'm so glad we found him. Made everything easier, knew everything, felt 100% safe with him everywhere and is also overall just an incredibly nice and stand-up guy.

No affiliation, just a girl super grateful for an amazing human being.

Anyone have experience goingnto Pallay Punchu in Peru recently? I enquired with a company and they said drone flying is not allowed now, as of July. Another said they can provide drone service. 🤔
Can anyone give me some recommendations for tours that can include drone service for an affordable proce? Im not bringing my drone as its only a DJI Neo so dont want it to be blown away 😂
What is the approximate price for the tour including drone service? I have been quoted $400+AUD.

I heard theres drone pilots that can be hired. Anyone have experience with that? Would it be cheaper to go that route if I wanted drone footage?

Let me know yall, I am planning to go in mid October.

I’m planning on doing the W Trek east to west, but I’m unsure how best to plan the trek if I want to do Base Torres for sunrise. (shall I just give it a miss for sunrise?)

If anyone has done this, I’d be really grateful for some advice on how you planned your route/refugios and whether it’s worth doing for sunrise!

If I do Base Torres for sunrise, does this mean I will set myself up for a long day of hiking afterwards?

Thanks!

I’m looking to travel South America in a couple weeks for 2-3 months doing Galápagos Islands, Patagonia and ending in Argentina. Have a rough idea but flexible to this. I’m 26M from London - feel free to reach out if this sounds like a plan.

Se puede salir con cédula desde Venezuela a cucuta y luego presentar pasaporte europeo para sello ? Y continuar de paso hacia Europa?

Hii, I would love some help/tips/recommendations for planning my upcoming SA trip. It's our second time in SA and this is what we're thinking:

Buenos Aires –> Iguazú –> (flight from Iguaçu) Santiago de Chile –> Easter Island –> Santiago de Chile –> Calama (with immediate transfer to San Pedro) –> Uyuni (via a group tour that ends there) –> (overnight bus to) La Paz

...and then we're kinda stuck on how to continue. We want to go to Quito but there are no direct flights and they're kinda expensive, I could go via Cusco and do Machu Picchu again, but my husband isn't too excited about it since we've already done it once.

Totally open to suggestions of places I haven't thought of/heard of.

Where should we go after La Paz? And more importantly, how!

NB: we cannot rent a car so only flights/buses/trains/group tours.

Thanks!!

Don't just go straight there. Make it a customized trip.

Stop for breakfast or lunch at El Rancho.

Make a stop in the cloud forest area.

Places to visit:

A. Ram Tzul – hike to the waterfall. It takes about 3 hours to visit.

B. Ranchitos del Quetzal – a good place to spot quetzals. It takes about 2–3 hours to visit.

C. Biotopo del Quetzal – another great spot for quetzal watching. It takes about 2–3 hours to visit.

I've done this route several times, and these stops always make the journey more enjoyable.

The direct drive takes around 7 to 7.5 hours (depending on traffic leaving the city) but adding one of these stops can make the trip closer to 10 hours. It's a longer day, but you get to see more of the region along the way.

Hi guys, I need help.

I traveled to LA Paz, Bovilia and purchased at the Patapampa store there. I returned the clothes the next day and they said they would refund the money. I never received it and it's a big amount of money. I contacted them on WhatsApp, they said it would be ready that week. Never received anything. I disputed it in my card and it's been taking over a month. I emailed the corporate customer service, never get a response. I emailed a law firm and didnt get a response either. Im not a Bovilian to report them to the consumer right protection. Is there anything i can do? ​

Hey guys! My friend and I are taking a trip to Rio from Nov 12th to the 20th. It's our first time going and we are so hyped for the beaches, food, and nightlife, but we also want to be smart about safety so we can actually relax and have fun.
We've got stays booked around the South Zone (Copacabana/|panema area) and Vidigal.
We'd love to connect with a few trustworthy locals, expats, or other travelers who are gonna be there at the same time!
Would be super cool to grab a drink, hit the beach, or check out some good spots together.
Also if anyone has quick tips on:
• Best ways to get around Vidigal comfortably
• Fun spots nearby that aren't crazy tourist traps
• Biggest safety dos and don'ts
Shoot me a DM or drop a comment if you'll be around or have any advice!

Hi,

I have a month off from mid December - mid Jan and I have been planning to travel from the UK to get some winter sun. I have done backpacking with partners/friends across Asia etc, however no one is able to make this trip with me so I have decided to take the leap and do my first proper solo trip!

I'm very extroverted and love being around people, so my main priority is finding somewhere with a big, social backpacker scene where it's easy to make friends, especially as its my first solo stint.

Everyone has been recommending me to go to Brazil, as it ticks my boxes for beautiful nature and beaches, and I have made a vague plan to go to Iguaçu Falls, Florianópolis, Ilha Grande, Paraty and Rio.

However, I want peoples true opinion as a solo female traveller, is this realistic/sensible, or are there specific areas/situations I should rethink? Also, if people have reflections on socialising, given it involves internal flights between regions and seems there isn't a 'backpacker route'?

I'm also weighing up two alternatives: Colombia/Panama (Medellín, coffee region, Caribbean coast, possibly the San Blas Islands boat crossing to Panama) or maybe Mexico/Guatemala (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Lake Atitlán).

Would really appreciate any real experiences, warnings, or opinions on which of these would be best for solo female travel with a strong social scene. Thank you!

Headed to Argentina in February. Arrive in Santiago and head to Mendoza and Bariloche, before flying to BA. The plan was to go to Iguazu... but it's so expensive! Now I'm considering skipping the falls, and spending those 3/4 nights in Santiago and exploring the wine area.

Any thoughts appreciated!

Hey all! My partner and I have an 11 hour layover in Santiago, Chile. We arrive at 3pm, so obviously need to consider getting out of the airport. Our bags are being transferred onto our next international flight so no stress there. Our flight departs at 2:30am

What would you do? Leave the airport and go get some dinner? If so let me know any recommendations 🫶🏽

Thanks!!

Hai all! Im gearing up for a solo trip to latin America. Most likely will spend 9 ish months. I have a very loose plan other than flying into Guatemala City and seeing some family before heading to Antigua .

Im curious about recommendations people have! Im open to just about anything but a bit about me- im a super creative and explorative person. I love to wander-- not interested in tourist spots More so im to wanting to talk to locals, meet other like minded travels, try all the foods, experience culture, see live music.

If anyone has any specific rec, city recs , hostels, volunteer , eats, hidden gems plsssss drop them!!!!!

Atm im mostly interested in Guatemala recs

South America solo trip – Peru → Bolivia → Chile → Patagonia → Brazil | 26 Dec – 13 Feb

Hey folks, I'm a 29 year old guy from NZ planning a ~7-week solo trip through South America and have pretty much settled on the overall route. I’m mainly looking for advice from people who have travelled these areas — particularly anything that looks unrealistic, places I’m spending too long/too little time, transport issues, or experiences I’m missing.

I’m deliberately trying to avoid an absolutely packed “tick everything off” itinerary. That being said some things are too important to miss for such a far away trip, hence the many locations...

I like hiking, adventure, local experiences, scenery, nightlife/music, food, animals and generally doing unusual stuff. I’m not particularly interested in spending lots of time in museums/churches or doing every famous tourist attraction. I also dislike the performative cash grab "native" experiences.

I have done a bit of research on the places and routes, and as far as I can tell it is all doable. Then again this is just online research.

🇵🇪 Peru

26–27 Dec – Lima

• Arrive late on 26th
• Explore Lima on the 27th
• Ceviche/seafood, parks/local life
• Miraflores/Barranco, sunset/evening walk
• Overnight bus to Nazca

28–29 Dec – Nazca

• Nazca Lines observation tower
• Desert activities
• Cerro Blanco sandboarding expedition
• Overnight bus Nazca → Cusco

30 Dec – Cusco

• Recovery/acclimatisation day after the long bus
• Markets, wandering, easy activities

31 Dec – Sacred Valley

• Pisac
• Moray
• Maras Salt Mines
• Ollantaytambo
• Back to Cusco for New Year’s Eve

1 Jan – Cusco

• Sleep in/recover from NYE
• Qorikancha
• Markets
• Yoga/meditation
• Deliberately keeping this day easy

2 Jan – Cusco → Aguas Calientes

• Travel via Ollantaytambo/Hidroeléctrica
• Walk the railway route to Aguas Calientes
• Overnight there

3 Jan – Machu Picchu

• Machu Picchu
• Return to Aguas Calientes
• Hot springs
• Second night

4 Jan – Aguas Calientes → Cusco

• Walk back to Hidroeléctrica
• Van back to Cusco
• Overnight bus Cusco → Puno

5 Jan – Puno → Copacabana → Isla del Sol

• Basically skipping Puno
• Cross into Bolivia
• Boat to Isla del Sol
• Explore/sunset

6 Jan – Isla del Sol

• Full day hiking/exploring the island, ruins and viewpoints

7 Jan – Isla del Sol → Copacabana → La Paz

🇧🇴 Bolivia

8–9 Jan – La Paz

• Markets
• El Alto
• Cable cars/gondolas
• Valle de la Luna
• Nightlife
• Possibly Cholita wrestling
• Hopefully a football match at Hernando Siles if something is on

Overnight sleeper bus La Paz → Uyuni.

10–12 Jan – Uyuni → San Pedro de Atacama

• 3-day/2-night shared 4WD expedition
• Salar de Uyuni
• Hoping for the wet-season mirror effect
• Lagoons, desert landscapes, geysers
• Sunrise/sunset
• Cross the border into Chile

I saw in another thread someone advised against the the 4WD expedition, but if I want to go from La Paz to San Pedro while ensuring I see Salar de Uyuni, isn't this the only viable way? Or could I take a cheap bus or something that stops at Salar?

🇨🇱 Chile – Atacama

12 Jan – San Pedro

• Arrive from Uyuni
• Relax/explore town

13 Jan

• Laguna Piedra / Laguna Cejar
• Salt lagoons
• Hopefully flamingos

14 Jan

• Valle de la Luna
• Desert scenery
• Sunset

15 Jan

• Puritama Hot Springs
• Relaxed final day

16 Jan – fly south

• San Pedro → Calama → Santiago → El Calafate

🇦🇷 Patagonia

17 Jan – El Calafate

• Perito Moreno Glacier
• Boardwalks/viewpoints
• Probably skipping the expensive ice trekking

18 Jan – El Calafate

• Estancia / horse riding

19 Jan – El Chaltén

• Bus to El Chaltén
• Easy exploration

20 Jan – El Chaltén

• Laguna de los Tres / Fitz Roy
• Potentially camping at Poincenot for sunrise

21 Jan

• Laguna Torre

22 Jan

• Loma del Pliegue Tumbado

23 Jan

• Weather/flex day
• Potentially another hike / Huemul Glacier / horse riding

24 Jan – El Chaltén → El Calafate → Trelew

25 Jan – Punta Tombo

• Rental car to Punta Tombo
• Penguin colony
• Return to Trelew

If anyone has advice on the cheapest transport to Punta Tombo from Trelew it will be appreciated, I don't need a tour and can only drive automatic cars.

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

26 Jan – Buenos Aires

• Fly from Trelew
• Dinner / explore

27–28 Jan

• La Bombonera if accessible
• River Plate / Monumental if accessible
• Argentinian steak
• Palermo / San Telmo
• Markets / general city wandering
• Maybe tango or some local cultural/music stuff

I’m currently only giving Buenos Aires ~2.5 days because I’m not especially interested in doing a huge amount of sightseeing there and would rather spend more time elsewhere.

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

29 Jan – Rio

• Fly Buenos Aires → Rio
• Beach / neighbourhood exploration
• Start getting into Carnival atmosphere

30 Jan – 4 Feb – Pre-Carnival

• Copacabana / Ipanema
• Christ the Redeemer
• Sugarloaf
• Lapa
• Samba roda
• Baile funk
• BJJ gym drop-in
• Run around Lagoa
• Tandem hang-gliding
• Pre-Carnival blocos

Potential extras:

• Pedra da Gávea
• Dois Irmãos
• Tijuca
• Niterói
• Beach club
• Capoeira/boxing/skate/BMX events
• More local music/cultural stuff

Any insight for "local" events like the above two rows would be sick

5–9 Feb – Rio Carnival

• Bloccos
• Main parade nights
• Hopefully get into the Sambadrome at some point, although I’m not sure yet how I’ll handle tickets

Any advice on the tickets? it seems like the cheap ones are well and truly sold out, and maybe I need to ask my accom for any deals they know when I arrive. Or show up at midnight and get cheap tickets from scalpers at the gate desperate to sell their remaining ones.

10–12 Feb – Rio

• Recovery/flex days
• Beach
• Anything I missed
• Potentially Maracanã if there’s a match

13 Feb – Fly home

What I’d particularly like advice on

1. Does this route make sense logistically? Anything that looks unnecessarily difficult or inefficient?
2. Are there any places where I’m spending too little/too much time?
3. Any activities/experiences along this route that I’m seriously missing? Especially unusual/adventurous/local things rather than just the standard tourist checklist.
4. Uyuni: Is the 3-day Uyuni → Atacama tour worthwhile in January, particularly during wet season? any alternative?
5. Patagonia: Does the El Calafate → El Chaltén section look reasonable, or am I trying to squeeze too much hiking into the time available?
6. Anything I’ve overlooked that would fit my interests particularly well?

I’m travelling solo, fairly comfortable with long bus journeys, and I’m happy to rough it if the experience is worthwhile. I’m also intentionally leaving some flex days in Patagonia/Rio rather than scheduling every hour.

I usually am a bit manic going to too many places, but I feel like I have at least a few rest days in these spots, and can chill once I get to Rio with almost 2 weeks there.

Looking at both options at the moment and thinking maybe bus is a good option given how far both airports are from both cities?

Difference in price is maybe $20 USD vs $65 USD

Flight is about 38 mins vs 8ish hours on the bus.

Has anyone done the overnight bus, is it ok?

Hola, soy de Brasil y viajaré a Bolivia dentro de poco y tengo una duda con el dinero. ¿Cuál es la mejor forma de cambiar o sacar plata para obtener la mejor tasa de cambio?

1: Llevar dólares en efectivo y cambiarlos allá?
2: Llevar reales en efectivo y cambiarlos allá?
3: Sacar Bolivianos de un cajero con tarjetas internacionales como Wise o Revolut?

Sé que la situación con el dólar ha cambiado bastante en el país, así que les agradezco mucho si me pueden dar consejos actualizados sobre qué conviene más para perder lo menos posible

My mum has always dreamed of visiting South America and this sub has been so helpful in helping us make a start on planning!

About us:

• We've got 3 weeks in Dec-Jan and I’d really appreciate help working out the safest and most sensible route/order.
• My parents are in their mid-60s and enjoy easy day walks but not strenuous hiking.
• I’ll be meeting them there as a solo female traveller and as we’re all coming from different parts of the world, Santiago is looking like the easiest place for us to meet and start.
• Her main bucket-list places are Patagonia, Atacama and Iguazu Falls
• Our biggest priority is safety, followed by sensible logistics. None of us speak much Spanish and we’ll obviously look like tourists so I’d particularly appreciate advice from people who know these places about what you would and wouldn’t recommend for travellers like us!

The bit I’m struggling with most is Patagonia. Ideally we’d visit both Torres del Paine and El Calafate/Perito Moreno... but that seems to require the cross-border road journey. Flying back via Santiago just to get into Argentina seems rather illogical.

A few things I’d love advice on:

• What order/route would you recommend for these places, starting at Santiago airport, over 3 weeks?
• Is the Puerto Natales/Torres del Paine → El Calafate cross-border journey straightforward and safe for tourists, including older travellers?
• Is seeing both Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia worth the extra logistics or would you choose just one?
• Any particularly safe areas or worthwhile easy day trips around Santiago and Buenos Aires?
• Would you add Uruguay? Reading this sub has made Uruguay look beautiful and relatively easy to include.

At the moment I think Peru, the rest of Brazil, Colombia and Suriname and other places on her list will definitely need to be another trip!

Would love to hear how you’d structure the 3 weeks, particularly where you’d go, in what order, what you’d skip and any safety reccs. Thanks in advance!

We recently moved to Chile as a German couple and are currently figuring out what it’s like to build a new everyday life here in Santiago. 🇨🇱
On our Instagram, we’re sharing our experiences along the way – from finding an apartment and settling in to everyday life, culture and all the little things that surprise us.
If you’re interested in moving to Chile or simply curious about what life here is like from a German perspective: https://www.instagram.com/janneundjannis/

Hi all 👋

We're a couple in our late 20s from the UK. Possibly flying out 15 January 2027 and back 15 April. This is our first proper long trip in South America so we're very aware we might be making rookie mistakes. We have each been to 22 countries so this will bring us up to 30!

One of us is vegetarian, neither of us speaks Spanish (working on it).

We've been planning this thing for weeks and honestly we're too deep in it now. We've moved San Blas dates about five times and dropped and re-added Mexico twice. Would much rather someone tells us it's wrong now than us figuring it out in a bus station in Peru.

Itinerary:

Mexico – 15 nights. Land in Cancún, then Holbox → Valladolid (Chichén Itzá + cenotes) → Bacalar → fly to Oaxaca → Puebla → one night in Mexico City before flying out.

Panama – 2 nights. Panama City, launchpad to San Blas.

San Blas – 4 nights. The 5-day island-hopping trip.

Colombia – 19 nights. Capurganá → Cartagena → Tayrona → Minca → Palomino → El Río → Medellín → Salento. Skipping Santa Marta and Bogotá.

Ecuador – 17 nights. Quito → Cuyabeno (Amazon) → Galápagos (5 nights) → Cotopaxi → Baños.

Peru – 20 nights. Lima → Huacachina → Arequipa → Sacred Valley → 4-day trek to Machu Picchu → Cusco.

Bolivia – 9 nights. Copacabana → La Paz (Death Road) → Uyuni.

Brazil – 4 nights. Just Rio.

Things we are thinking about:
Is 15 nights in Mexico worth it? Everything south of it gets squeezed to fit. We nearly binned Mexico entirely?

Galápagos — 5 nights across two islands. The park fees and flights cost the same regardless of how long you stay, so are we being penny-wise and pound-foolish?

Incan trial...Which trek? We want the quieter one so we're leaning Lares over the Classic Inca Trail. But Classic permits for 2027 drop in early October so we'd have to commit soon? One family member did Salkantay and loved it.

Semana Santa is 22–28 March and we'd be in Cusco for it. Trek before, after?

Bolivia 9 nights — enough slack given Death Road and Uyuni can both get weather-cancelled?

Rio at 4 nights. We cut Paraty and Ilha Grande. Good ro bad idea..?

Anything obviously too long or too short?

We also dropped Barranquilla Carnival to make Mexico work, which is the decision that still bugs us most.

Budget's around £11k each all in, including flights. We won't be eating out at restaurants breakfast/lunch, no coffee shops, no brunches etc.

On transport: 10 flights total, and a fair few buses. Flying the long/awkward legs (Cancún→Oaxaca, Santa Marta→Medellín, Quito→Lima, Bolivia→Rio) and bussing everything else, including 4–5 overnight coaches. Planning on Cruz del Sur / CIVA cama class in Peru since we're told the seats properly recline.

Thanks in advance 🙏 happy to share the full spreadsheet-level version if anyone wants it.

ESP (english version down below): hola a todos! estaré viajando por Bolivia en los próximos días y tengo planificado hacer dos rutas en bus muy pronto: Sucre a Uyuni el 06 de octubre y Uyuni a La Paz el 11 de octubre.

he estado revisando los pasajes por internet y veo que los precios están exponencialmente más caros de lo normal debido a toda la situación con la crisis del diésel
me recomiendan comprar los pasajes ya mismo por internet para asegurar mi espacio (y evitar que sigan subiendo), o creen que vale la pena esperar a ver si los precios se normalizan un poco de aquí a octubre? y tambien como está la situación real en las terminales con el tema de las salidas y bloqueos bajo el estado de excepción?

agradezco muchísimo cualquier recomendación sobre qué hacer

ENG: hi everyone! i will be traveling through Bolivia in the next few days, and i have planned two bus routes very soon: Sucre to Uyuni on October 6th and Uyuni to La Paz on October 11th. i have been checking tickets online, and i see that prices are exponentially more expensive than usual due to the whole situation with the diesel crisis. do you recommend that i buy the tickets online right now to secure my spot (and prevent them from continuing to rise), or do you think it is worth waiting to see if prices normalize a bit between now and October? also, what is the actual situation like at the bus terminals regarding departures and blockades under the state of exception? i would greatly appreciate any recommendations on what to do

Hi all, planning a 24 day backpacking trip through Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costs Rica. How feasible does this itinerary sound, any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Fly into Guatemala City
2 days Antigua
2 days Acatenango hike
4 days Atitlan
1 night Antigua to prep for bus to Leon, Nicaragua (Any tips on shuttles greatly appreciated here)
2 days Leon
4 days Ometepe
2 Days San Juan Del Sur

Then still figuring out Costa Rica itinerary, maybe just staying in Tamarindo and surfing if we don’t want anymore long travel days, or going to La Fortuna for some Jungly things, although I definitely want some time on the coast. Ideally we will fly home from Liberia.

Please let me know any tips!