Since the Olympics, I have observed that the foreign guests arriving at Rio Lapa Inn Hostel are either starting or in the midst of a trip through South America. From today, I will publish a series of articles that I hope you can help to all who are planning or actually making a tour through this amazing continent. Thanks to the site website travelindependent.info, where I extract this very interesting article.
What
follows are only basic snap shot summaries. If you have
decided these are
some of the countries you want to visit and need more planning
information, you are strongly recommended to complement what you find
here with a
planning guide. Trust us: it will make life
much easier.
It is worth looking,
if you have not already, at the example
layout to see the guidelines each section of information is based
on - or for other travel advice and site home head for
www.travelindependent.info
- See more at: http://www.travelindependent.info/america-south.htm#sthash.WEWd4flI.dpuf
INTRO.... From a traveller perspective, South
America splits into roughly three regions.
The more developed Southern countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile; with their European feel, political stability and relatively high standards (not to mention great wine and meat). This is where many start/finish a trip.
The more developed Southern countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile; with their European feel, political stability and relatively high standards (not to mention great wine and meat). This is where many start/finish a trip.
Then you
have the less developed 'Inca and Amazon' countries - Bolivia, Peru and
Ecuador/Colombia. Here you have the main concentration of travellers, drawn not
only by the world famous sights, but also the significantly lower cost of
travel (certainly in Bolivia). And a more 'authentic' South American feeling
with a great percentage of indigenous population (highest in Bolivia) and
stereotypical scenery.
And
lastly you have Brazil, which although often combined as part of a larger trip
(typically Rio and/or the Foz do Iguaçu), needs to be treated separately
due to its size and different vibe/language.
South America
on the whole lacks difficult border crossings and visa headaches (although
Americas will occasionally run into hefty charges). Bus transport is easy to
arrange and there is a very established trail of attractions (often known as
the 'Gringo Trail'). This however causes many to 'bite off more than
they can chew' in terms of distances to be covered overland, not finding
the time or the energy to discover out of the way gems and (although good value
on a world level) spending too much [money] in the Southern developed countries
and/or (especially) Brazil.
The most
'backpackery' countries are Bolivia and Peru with a clear 'trail' of attractions, 'party'
hostels/towns/tours and lots of people to meet. Tour mentality and the type of
other travellers (certainly at the budget end) you meet can jade some,
certainly in the case of Bolivia where you'll find the best value for money on
the continent.
You don't
need to be fluent in Spanish (or even know more than a good number of
phases), but a basic level makes a HUGE difference in this region. The same can
be said for Portuguese in Brazil. Spanish lessons are normally cheap/easy to
arrange on route.
A number
of South/Central American countries have currencies pegged/fixed to the US
dollar where a better parallel (black market) exchange rate can exist. To
benefit you need USD cash. Do your research before travel. This is currently
the case in Venezuela and Argentina.
What follows are only basic snap
shot summaries. If you
have decided these are some of the countries you want to visit and need more
planning information, you are strongly recommended to complement what you find
here with a planning guide. Trust us: it will make life much
easier.
Intro.... From a traveller perspective,
South America splits into roughly three regions. The more developed
Southern countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile; with their European
feel, political stability and relatively high standards (not to
mention great wine and meat). This is where
many start/finish a trip.
Then you have the less developed 'Inca and Amazon' countries - Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador/Colombia. Here you have the main concentration of travellers, drawn not only by the world famous sights, but also the significantly lower cost of travel (certainly in Bolivia). And a more 'authentic' South American feeling with a great percentage of indigenous population (highest in Bolivia) and stereotypical scenery.
And lastly you have Brazil, which although often combined as part of a larger trip (typically Rio and/or the Foz do Iguaçu), needs to be treated separately due to its size and different vibe/language.
Then you have the less developed 'Inca and Amazon' countries - Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador/Colombia. Here you have the main concentration of travellers, drawn not only by the world famous sights, but also the significantly lower cost of travel (certainly in Bolivia). And a more 'authentic' South American feeling with a great percentage of indigenous population (highest in Bolivia) and stereotypical scenery.
And lastly you have Brazil, which although often combined as part of a larger trip (typically Rio and/or the Foz do Iguaçu), needs to be treated separately due to its size and different vibe/language.
South America on the whole lacks difficult border crossings and visa
headaches (although Americas will occasionally run into hefty charges). Bus transport
is easy to arrange and there is a very established trail of attractions
(often known as the 'Gringo Trail').
This however causes many to 'bite off more than they can chew'
in terms of distances to be covered overland, not finding the time
or the energy
to discover out of the way gems and (although good value on a world
level) spending too much [money] in the Southern developed countries
and/or (especially) Brazil.
The most 'backpackery' countries are Bolivia and Peru with a clear 'trail' of attractions, 'party' hostels/towns/tours and lots of people to meet. Tour mentality and the type of other travellers (certainly at the budget end) you meet can jade some, certainly in the case of Bolivia where you'll find the best value for money on the continent.
The most 'backpackery' countries are Bolivia and Peru with a clear 'trail' of attractions, 'party' hostels/towns/tours and lots of people to meet. Tour mentality and the type of other travellers (certainly at the budget end) you meet can jade some, certainly in the case of Bolivia where you'll find the best value for money on the continent.
You don't need to be fluent in
Spanish (or even know more than a good number of phases), but
a basic level makes a HUGE difference in this
region. The same can be said for Portuguese in Brazil. Spanish
lessons are normally cheap/easy to arrange on route.
A number of
South/Central American countries have currencies pegged/fixed to
the US dollar where a better parallel (black market) exchange rate
can exist. To benefit you need USD cash.
Do your research before travel. This is currently the case in Venezuela
and Argentina.
What
follows are only basic snap shot summaries. If you have
decided these are
some of the countries you want to visit and need more planning
information, you are strongly recommended to complement what you find
here with a
planning guide. Trust us: it will make life
much easier. It is worth looking,
if you have not already, at the example
layout to see the guidelines each section of information is based
on - or for other travel advice and site home head for
www.travelindependent.info
If you are set on going and need a guidebook or reading material
please see a list of recommended guides/books here
(go on have a look!). If you want to read fiction, you are in luck as some
of the world's best writers were from South America.
All guides/books are described here in more detail.
Get your bearings... 
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