Q&A: Want to go on holiday or backpacking in South America?
Question by Randy Marsh: Want to go on holiday or backpacking in South America?
febuary 2012 im thinking of going to south america for a couple of weeks, What is backpacking in South America like? What are the best countries and places to visit? Is it safe, I’ve heard much of Mexico’s unsafe-ness in the media, is there a real descendancy due to the violence and kidnapping of people, or is it media propaganda? I’d like to visit Medellin in Colombia, Ecuador and definatly Brazil. Are there any places to reccomend, how much money in English pounds or American dollars should I take, Where should I stay away from? How much South American spanish would I have to learn, would I have to learn it fluently or could you get away with just the basics? Any information would be an extraordinary help.
Best answer:
Answer by chepoaqp
Visit Peru, Cuzco is what you are looking for full of backpackers plenty of bed and breakfast for backpackers everybody speaks english Machu picchu is close by you can take an spectacular 3 day hike to get there it would be the most safe adventure in south america and you would meet people from all over the world with the same spirit of adventure.
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Well you’ve got plenty of time to plan! Backpacking in South America is great and safe in almost all places. And its quite affordable in most countries. I’ve spent lots of time in Mexico, all of Central America, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil love them all. Columbia has some places that are not so safe and Brazil does as well. However, I live in the Bay Area and I’ve never ben anywhere that was more dangerous-feeling than downtown Oakland in certain neighborhoods. Its really a matter of getting a good guide book, reading it and talking to people. One big difference is that in most of Latin America people are very extroverted and will tell you where NOT to go whereas in the US I don’t find people quite as helpful. Definitely go to Peru as it is one of the most traveler friendly countries and is quite affordable and just gorgeous. The prices of all countries is different. You can live on $20/day in Peru, $15/day in Bolivia but Brazil is just as expensive as California (quite). In Brazil they speak Portuguese but everywhere else speaks Spanish and yes you should start studying now. Just download some free podcasts on beginning Spanish conversation and start listening during your commute. You can also find local Spanish conversation groups, check out some children’s books in Spanish, and if you can take a class. You can also start your trip with a 2-4 week language intensive of which there are many. The more Spanish you speak, the richer your experience will be as you will be able to communicate with locals and hear their stories and histories. If you don’t speak the language than traveling can be quite surface level as you will only connect with people in the tourist sector who speak English but are usually trying to sell you something.
Buy some guidebooks now and check out Lonely Planets online forum http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa which a great resource for all places on this beautiful planet of ours. Have fun and take lots of pictures and meet as many people as you can. If you can visit the rainforest, do! So vivid, alive and magical. The lungs of our planet creating 20 % of our planets oxygen!