Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer tr
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
Sounds OK to me! It's very easy to get carried away though, with shopping and excursions - maybe have a budget for each week, so you don't find yourself short by the end? If you do find your money going too quickly, then buy cheap food from markets/supermarkets and cook it yourself rather than going to restaurants all the time, and just go on the excursions which are most important to you (hostels usually offer lots of them.) For example, in Rio I didn't have much money but was there for three weeks, so I just did the things that were most important to me - hang gliding (a lifelong dream), Cristo Redentor, the Sugar Loaf Mountain, and things which either only cost a couple of quid or were free (museums, beaches, the Botanical Gardens, the lagoon etc.) We cooked food we bought from the supermarkets, and I only really let myself go shopping-wise once.
Thanks. I probably won't do much shopping, but I can see myself going overboard on excursions. My solution is though to leave the money at home and get a Caxton FX card. That way my parents can top up money gradually and I force myself to have a steady budget throughout. Half my trip though is in Peru/Bolivia which are a lot cheaper than Brazil.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer tr
Originally Posted by miml
Thanks. I probably won't do much shopping, but I can see myself going overboard on excursions. My solution is though to leave the money at home and get a Caxton FX card. That way my parents can top up money gradually and I force myself to have a steady budget throughout. Half my trip though is in Peru/Bolivia which are a lot cheaper than Brazil.
Salar de Uyuni packages and the Inca Trail both cost quite a lot though, so make sure to take these into account! Everything else is pretty cheap though, apart from places like La Paz and Cuzco which are a bit less so.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
You can get a Salar tour from Tupiza as well as Uyuni.
4 days with Tupiza Tours cost us $120 or so.
Beware, there is no ATM in Tupiza (banks will do a cash advance but it must be on YOUR *credit* card) and only one in Uyuni, which is empty or broken at the most inconvenient of times....
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
How much money would you say this journey would cost, not taking into account accomodation only bus fares:-
Rio-Buzios-Parati-Ihrs Grandes-Iguassu falls-Bonito-Panatal-Ouro Preto-Back to Rio
And a return flight from Manaus to Rio
With the flight, you're best off going into STA (and other agents if you want to compare prices) and asking them straight out what the cheapest return flight from Rio to Manaus would be for the time you want to go. The flight prices fluctuate a lot so it's hard to tell what it'll be like in June.
With the bus trips, go onto www.tripadvisor.com. For example, on there it says that bus tickets from Rio to Buzios cost between R$18-30 - the conversion rate is 2.9 Brazialian Reais to the pound at the moment, so a single ticket should be pretty cheap!
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
With the flight, you're best off going into STA (and other agents if you want to compare prices) and asking them straight out what the cheapest return flight from Rio to Manaus would be for the time you want to go. The flight prices fluctuate a lot so it's hard to tell what it'll be like in June.
With the bus trips, go onto www.tripadvisor.com. For example, on there it says that bus tickets from Rio to Buzios cost between R$18-30 - the conversion rate is 2.9 Brazialian Reais to the pound at the moment, so a single ticket should be pretty cheap!
Hey, I was quoted £750 for flights to and from rio by STA travel, who said they couldn't sell me an internal flight within Brazil. I went to 'Nomadic travel' to see what they could offer, the guy said I'd be cheaper flying home from Manaus and doing the internal flight from Sao Paolo and the international flight and internal flight would work out at £1048! Anyway, I've now booked it myself, well the international flight at £585, cheapest I've seen it anywhere, and flying with TAM.
I'll book the internal flight in the next two weeks, it seems to be £280-300 but I'll look around, and may potentially buy the $500 4 flight pass if I think I'll need it.
Those bus tickets sound cheap! wow. I'm so excited Thanks for even more advice. And thanks for the recommendation of Ilha Grande, looks like paradise!
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
Hey, I was quoted £750 for flights to and from rio by STA travel, who said they couldn't sell me an internal flight within Brazil. I went to 'Nomadic travel' to see what they could offer, the guy said I'd be cheaper flying home from Manaus and doing the internal flight from Sao Paolo and the international flight and internal flight would work out at £1048! Anyway, I've now booked it myself, well the international flight at £585, cheapest I've seen it anywhere, and flying with TAM.
I'll book the internal flight in the next two weeks, it seems to be £280-300 but I'll look around, and may potentially buy the $500 4 flight pass if I think I'll need it.
Those bus tickets sound cheap! wow. I'm so excited Thanks for even more advice. And thanks for the recommendation of Ilha Grande, looks like paradise!
Glad it's turned out well so far. What's your final route going to be then, or is it too soon to tell without having booked the internal flight yet?
That's OK - I had such a great experience there I can't let anyone else going to that region pass through it without going there too Remember that name - Lopez Mendes Beach - and go there when there's a good weather forecast!
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
Glad it's turned out well so far. What's your final route going to be then, or is it too soon to tell without having booked the internal flight yet?
That's OK - I had such a great experience there I can't let anyone else going to that region pass through it without going there too Remember that name - Lopez Mendes Beach - and go there when there's a good weather forecast!
Not 100% sure on this and may add little bits in between, and no idea how long to spend in each place but...
30th June fly to Rio
>
Ilha Grande
>
Paraty
>
Sao Paolo
>
Iguassu brazilian side
>
Iguassu Argentinian side
>
Ouro Preto
>
Rio>Internal flight to Manaus
>
1 day in Manaus to look around, 10 day expedition into the amazon
>internal flight to rio on 12th or 13th depending on times
>14th Flight back to London
I'm not gonna do the Panatal, Bonito, Salvador this time even though they all look amazing. My mum said she'd take me back to Bahia and the Panatal later in the year as she loves safari stuff to, and i'm doing some pretty intense wildlife viewing in the amazon.
If you could possibly give me indication of times of travel and cost of buses in between some of those places, it'd be great. Also, how long would you recommend in each?
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
Not 100% sure on this and may add little bits in between, and no idea how long to spend in each place but...
30th June fly to Rio
>
Ilha Grande
>
Paraty
>
Sao Paolo
>
Iguassu brazilian side
>
Iguassu Argentinian side
>
Ouro Preto
>
Rio>Internal flight to Manaus
>
1 day in Manaus to look around, 10 day expedition into the amazon
>internal flight to rio on 12th or 13th depending on times
>14th Flight back to London
I'm not gonna do the Panatal, Bonito, Salvador this time even though they all look amazing. My mum said she'd take me back to Bahia and the Panatal later in the year as she loves safari stuff to, and i'm doing some pretty intense wildlife viewing in the amazon.
If you could possibly give me indication of times of travel and cost of buses in between some of those places, it'd be great. Also, how long would you recommend in each?
Oh well, I suppose it's better to save the Pantanal and Bonito and Salvador until another time really, otherwise you'd be squeezing in an awful lot into a shortish length of time. Have you made sure that your Amazon expedition includes hikes into the rainforest, because as I said earlier in the thread, if all you literally do is stay on the boat all day every day, you won't be able to see the wildlife because you'll be too far from the shores!
For Ilha Grande, if as well as Lopez Mendes beach you want to go on hikes through the rainforest to other beaches, and spend time in the little village where you first arrive and neighbouring beaches too, then allow 2 - 3 full days.
Paraty - there are a couple of excursions you can do, but I've forgotten what they are now (I didn't do them because I was forced to be a cheapskate at that particular point and just wandered around town) - I think one of them was mountain biking though. The town is very historical too, and there's quite a few bars and restaurants, & street entertainers at night. So I'd allow say 2 full days here too, or more if you want to stay on.
Sao Paulo - are you just here for transit, or do you intend on staying longer? I only passed through here, but from what I've heard of it, it's definitely worth a couple of days if you're interested in modern art, museums and good restaurants.
Iguassu - I'd say allow a full day for each side!
Ouro Preto - never went here, don't know what's there so can't advise on how long to spend here!
Rio - if you have time, then spend a full week here - I spent 3 weeks there and by the time I left there was still stuff I hadn't managed to do!
Though hang on, I'm a little confused - are you only going for two weeks, and does that include your 10-day trip in the Amazon? If so, you'll only have 4 days to do everything else! You say you're leaving on 30th June, and that you're going home on the 14th (July, I presume)?
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
Oh well, I suppose it's better to save the Pantanal and Bonito and Salvador until another time really, otherwise you'd be squeezing in an awful lot into a shortish length of time. Have you made sure that your Amazon expedition includes hikes into the rainforest, because as I said earlier in the thread, if all you literally do is stay on the boat all day every day, you won't be able to see the wildlife because you'll be too far from the shores!
For Ilha Grande, if as well as Lopez Mendes beach you want to go on hikes through the rainforest to other beaches, and spend time in the little village where you first arrive and neighbouring beaches too, then allow 2 - 3 full days.
Paraty - there are a couple of excursions you can do, but I've forgotten what they are now (I didn't do them because I was forced to be a cheapskate at that particular point and just wandered around town) - I think one of them was mountain biking though. The town is very historical too, and there's quite a few bars and restaurants, & street entertainers at night. So I'd allow say 2 full days here too, or more if you want to stay on.
Sao Paulo - are you just here for transit, or do you intend on staying longer? I only passed through here, but from what I've heard of it, it's definitely worth a couple of days if you're interested in modern art, museums and good restaurants.
Iguassu - I'd say allow a full day for each side!
Ouro Preto - never went here, don't know what's there so can't advise on how long to spend here!
Rio - if you have time, then spend a full week here - I spent 3 weeks there and by the time I left there was still stuff I hadn't managed to do!
Though hang on, I'm a little confused - are you only going for two weeks, and does that include your 10-day trip in the Amazon? If so, you'll only have 4 days to do everything else! You say you're leaving on 30th June, and that you're going home on the 14th (July, I presume)?
My 10 day amazon tour guarantees you go on canoes beside boats, trekking deep into the center of the jungle, stay with various tribes, swim with river dolphins, see caimens, sloths, potential of seeing jaguars, tarantualas (erghhhh!), snakes, monkeys, capbybaras...
I'm not sure on how long to stay in Rio... What did you do there other than the main sites? And how cheap is it (food, buses, sights, shopping etc)
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
Returning 14th August
My 10 day amazon tour guarantees you go on canoes beside boats, trekking deep into the center of the jungle, stay with various tribes, swim with river dolphins, see caimens, sloths, potential of seeing jaguars, tarantualas (erghhhh!), snakes, monkeys, capbybaras...
I'm not sure on how long to stay in Rio... What did you do there other than the main sites? And how cheap is it (food, buses, sights, shopping etc)
Sounds great
OK, this is a full list of what I did in Rio!
Copacabana Beach
Forte Copacabana (a fortress built in 1914, has brilliant views over the beach & has a military museum inside)
Ipanema Beach
The 'Hippie Market' at Ipanema
The Museu do Indio (about the Amerindians of Brazil)
The National Fine Arts Museum
Ingreja Santa Luzia (historical church)
Ingreja San Jose (another historical church, in the centre of town)
The Botanical Gardens
The Lagoon (near the Botanical Gardens & Ipanema)
Walking along the harbour edge from Botafogo area to Centro, passing by Botafogo & Flamengo beaches
The National Museum (very good - very interesting & has English explanations)
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Cristo Redentor
Wandering around Botafogo area
Hang gliding over rainforest and landing onto Sao Conrado Beach - simply amazing!
Dinner at a Churrascaria restaurant - a fabulous experience, and one I definitely recommend, even if you only do it once!
As well as those, there's stuff like Favela tours, watching football at the Maracana Stadium, the nightlife in Lapa district, looking around the famous Samba Schools (with examples of the costumes they wear for the Carnivale), the old & quirky & colourful Santa Teresa district (which you can reach by a famous tram which passes over the Lapa Aqueduct), and lots more markets and historical buildings. There's more beaches only a bus ride away too, further out of town.
Buses and museums are only a couple of Reais, the historical churches cost nothing, the Sugar Loaf was R$44 (seriously worth it though),Cristo Redentor was R$35 (and you can get there for even less if you get a taxi to take you up there & back down, rather than the cog train which we took.) Food from the supermarkets and from street stalls was pretty cheap, the churrascaria restaurant was a bit more though, as were the Kilo restaurants (where you pay by weight.) I didn't do much shopping, but Haviana flipflops were about R$18 - a bargain when apparently they sell here for over £20! (Remember - 2.9 R$ to the pound)
Last edited by FormerlyHistoryStudent : 22-01-2010 at 23:28.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
Sounds great
OK, this is a full list of what I did in Rio!
Copacabana Beach
Forte Copacabana (a fortress built in 1914, has brilliant views over the beach & has a military museum inside)
Ipanema Beach
The 'Hippie Market' at Ipanema
The Museu do Indio (about the Amerindians of Brazil)
The National Fine Arts Museum
Ingreja Santa Luzia (historical church)
Ingreja San Jose (another historical church, in the centre of town)
The Botanical Gardens
The Lagoon (near the Botanical Gardens & Ipanema)
Walking along the harbour edge from Botafogo area to Centro, passing by Botafogo & Flamengo beaches
The National Museum (very good - very interesting & has English explanations)
Sugar Loaf Mountain
Cristo Redentor
Wandering around Botafogo area
Hang gliding over rainforest and landing onto Sao Conrado Beach - simply amazing!
Dinner at a Churrascaria restaurant - a fabulous experience, and one I definitely recommend, even if you only do it once!
As well as those, there's stuff like Favela tours, watching football at the Maracana Stadium, the nightlife in Lapa district, looking around the famous Samba Schools (with examples of the costumes they wear for the Carnivale), the old & quirky & colourful Santa Teresa district (which you can reach by a famous tram which passes over the Lapa Aqueduct), and lots more markets and historical buildings. There's more beaches only a bus ride away too, further out of town.
Buses and museums are only a couple of Reais, the historical churches cost nothing, the Sugar Loaf was R$44 (seriously worth it though),Cristo Redentor was R$35 (and you can get there for even less if you get a taxi to take you up there & back down, rather than the cog train which we took.) Food from the supermarkets and from street stalls was pretty cheap, the churrascaria restaurant was a bit more though, as were the Kilo restaurants (where you pay by weight.) I didn't do much shopping, but Haviana flipflops were about R$18 - a bargain when apparently they sell here for over £20! (Remember - 2.9 R$ to the pound)
How much was hand gliding!? That would be amazing! I guess in Reias 35, and 40 isn't so bad though, about £10-15? Also how much do the museums/botanical garden/favela tours cost? I was wondering whether they were absolutely neccesary, or whether it was possible to just walk around safely without a guide? I've heard mixed messages.
Sorry for all these questions but... Where did you stay, and can you recommend any cheap hostels/hotels? I'm a vegetarian so I probably wouldn't be best going to the steak restaurant, but I've heard of some 'naturale' places that do veggie/vegan takes on Brazilian classics.
Thanks AGAIN for all the information you keep passing to me! I keep getting new ideas! I bet I could spend a hell of a lot longer out there and not get bored.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
How much was hand gliding!? That would be amazing! I guess in Reias 35, and 40 isn't so bad though, about £10-15? Also how much do the museums/botanical garden/favela tours cost? I was wondering whether they were absolutely neccesary, or whether it was possible to just walk around safely without a guide? I've heard mixed messages.
Sorry for all these questions but... Where did you stay, and can you recommend any cheap hostels/hotels? I'm a vegetarian so I probably wouldn't be best going to the steak restaurant, but I've heard of some 'naturale' places that do veggie/vegan takes on Brazilian classics.
Thanks AGAIN for all the information you keep passing to me! I keep getting new ideas! I bet I could spend a hell of a lot longer out there and not get bored.
I'm afraid the hang gliding was pretty expensive, I can't remember exactly how much but it was about five times as much as the Sugar Loaf/Cristo Redentor - BUT, it was seriously one of the best things I have ever done, not only in my entire round the world trip, but in my entire life! (See my 'best travel experiences' thread )
Yes, the Sugar Loaf came to the equivalent of about £15 (strictly speaking, that's just for the cable car - you can hike your way up it for nothing, but I've heard it's very, very arduous!) Cristo Redentor was the equivalent of just over £11.
I don't know how much the favela tours cost, but everything I've read about them has said that you should definitely take a tour rather than go by yourself. The tour guide is usually from the favela themselves, so they know how everything works, and knows the people there. All the drugs gangs that control the favelas are quite open about it, they hang around the street corners with guns etc. making their deals - they don't touch tour groups, because they know that in most cases the money goes back into the favelas making them a better place (charity projects etc.), but a stranger wandering around by themselves, especially female, and taking photos etc.? I wouldn't risk it. Plus, the tour guides will know when the battles between drug gangs are going to occur, and will not run tours during that time - if you go without a guide, how are you going to know if it's a safe time to visit or not, until it's potentially too late? (I don't think these happen too often, but it's better to err on the side of caution in these matters!)
I'll have to get back to you another time about the cost of the museums/ botanical gardens, when I've got time to look back through the tickets and other stuff that I saved, that have the prices on - I didn't think to write down how much they cost in my blog
For the first couple of days in Rio we stayed at El Misti Hostel in Copacabana, but after that we moved to Vila Carioca Hostel in Botafogo. The owner of El Misti was helpful & nice, and the free breakfasts there were pretty good, but there was hardly any space there at all - it was seriously cramped - so we wanted to move on to somewhere with more room, and better general security. I'll quote from my blog about Vila Carioca (saves me time writing):
'We didn't do much today apart from walk from Copacabana to Botafogo, to check out the other hostel. Although about the same size overall, it has more space inside and security is better. Also, it has quite an arty vibe which I particularly like - lots of paintings and a couple of murals on the walls, and random interesting paraphanalia about, and to cap it all, the internet is nearly half the price p/h than at our original hostel. Throw in the biggest TV screen I've ever seen in my life, a big bouncy ball to rest your feet on or sit on whilst watching TV or reading, and the fact that have free breakfast here as well, and you can see why we chose to move in here rather than stay on at our old place! Botafogo is a safer area than Copacabana too, the black and white mosaiced pavements continue, the streets are lined with trees, and you get fantastic views of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer statue), which looms over Botafogo from Corcovado mountain. We paid for a week in advance, and walked back whilst congratulating ourselves on our find!'
- That's not to say that you shouldn't stay in Copacabana or Ipanema if you want to, though - they are great places, but just stay off the beaches after dark, and hold onto your bags/keep an eye on your stuff/be wary of strangers trying to 'help' you when they may be trying to distract you while accomplices pick your pockets/run off with your bag - stuff that you need to be careful about where ever you go really.
Botafogo area lies about an equal distance between Copacabana/Ipanema and Centro areas - it took about half an hour to walk either way (though obviously you can get buses if you want, which are very cheap.) The botanical gardens are round the corner by foot (in the Jardim Botanico area, next to Botafogo), the same with the lagoon and the museum about the Brazilian Amerindians, and Botafogo Beach (good for sunbathing and volleyball, but not for swimming.) You can stay in other areas too, like Santa Teresa, Leblon, Lapa or Urca - it depends on which things you want to be nearest to really!
EDIT: I take it you like fruit & fruit juices? If so you'll love it in Rio - there's hundreds of little open-sided bars/shops selling all sorts of fruits, which they juice for you on the spot - lots of these are exotic ones which you've probably never seen before in Britain. Especially good if you've been on the beach for a while or been walking around in the heat
Last edited by FormerlyHistoryStudent : 25-01-2010 at 00:24.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by FormerlyHistoryStudent
I'm afraid the hang gliding was pretty expensive, I can't remember exactly how much but it was about five times as much as the Sugar Loaf/Cristo Redentor - BUT, it was seriously one of the best things I have ever done, not only in my entire round the world trip, but in my entire life! (See my 'best travel experiences' thread )
Yes, the Sugar Loaf came to the equivalent of about £15 (strictly speaking, that's just for the cable car - you can hike your way up it for nothing, but I've heard it's very, very arduous!) Cristo Redentor was the equivalent of just over £11.
I don't know how much the favela tours cost, but everything I've read about them has said that you should definitely take a tour rather than go by yourself. The tour guide is usually from the favela themselves, so they know how everything works, and knows the people there. All the drugs gangs that control the favelas are quite open about it, they hang around the street corners with guns etc. making their deals - they don't touch tour groups, because they know that in most cases the money goes back into the favelas making them a better place (charity projects etc.), but a stranger wandering around by themselves, especially female, and taking photos etc.? I wouldn't risk it. Plus, the tour guides will know when the battles between drug gangs are going to occur, and will not run tours during that time - if you go without a guide, how are you going to know if it's a safe time to visit or not, until it's potentially too late? (I don't think these happen too often, but it's better to err on the side of caution in these matters!)
I'll have to get back to you another time about the cost of the museums/ botanical gardens, when I've got time to look back through the tickets and other stuff that I saved, that have the prices on - I didn't think to write down how much they cost in my blog
For the first couple of days in Rio we stayed at El Misti Hostel in Copacabana, but after that we moved to Vila Carioca Hostel in Botafogo. The owner of El Misti was helpful & nice, and the free breakfasts there were pretty good, but there was hardly any space there at all - it was seriously cramped - so we wanted to move on to somewhere with more room, and better general security. I'll quote from my blog about Vila Carioca (saves me time writing):
'We didn't do much today apart from walk from Copacabana to Botafogo, to check out the other hostel. Although about the same size overall, it has more space inside and security is better. Also, it has quite an arty vibe which I particularly like - lots of paintings and a couple of murals on the walls, and random interesting paraphanalia about, and to cap it all, the internet is nearly half the price p/h than at our original hostel. Throw in the biggest TV screen I've ever seen in my life, a big bouncy ball to rest your feet on or sit on whilst watching TV or reading, and the fact that have free breakfast here as well, and you can see why we chose to move in here rather than stay on at our old place! Botafogo is a safer area than Copacabana too, the black and white mosaiced pavements continue, the streets are lined with trees, and you get fantastic views of Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer statue), which looms over Botafogo from Corcovado mountain. We paid for a week in advance, and walked back whilst congratulating ourselves on our find!'
- That's not to say that you shouldn't stay in Copacabana or Ipanema if you want to, though - they are great places, but just stay off the beaches after dark, and hold onto your bags/keep an eye on your stuff/be wary of strangers trying to 'help' you when they may be trying to distract you while accomplices pick your pockets/run off with your bag - stuff that you need to be careful about where ever you go really.
Botafogo area lies about an equal distance between Copacabana/Ipanema and Centro areas - it took about half an hour to walk either way (though obviously you can get buses if you want, which are very cheap.) The botanical gardens are round the corner by foot (in the Jardim Botanico area, next to Botafogo), the same with the lagoon and the museum about the Brazilian Amerindians, and Botafogo Beach (good for sunbathing and volleyball, but not for swimming.) You can stay in other areas too, like Santa Teresa, Leblon, Lapa or Urca - it depends on which things you want to be nearest to really!
EDIT: I take it you like fruit & fruit juices? If so you'll love it in Rio - there's hundreds of little open-sided bars/shops selling all sorts of fruits, which they juice for you on the spot - lots of these are exotic ones which you've probably never seen before in Britain. Especially good if you've been on the beach for a while or been walking around in the heat
Awesome, i had written to el misti and che lergarto, but now on your advice I've also googled Vila Carioca and emailed them. I love art feeling places so sounds up my street to. I'd love to see your blog! Could I please have a link? Which hostels did you stay (and would you recommend) in Iguassu, Paraty and Ilha Grande? There seem to be so many options, and mixed reviews!
Yes I love fruit and juice, especially in the tropics, again i'm a little bit worried about cheap vegetarian food though, i checked happycow.net and there are a number of veggie/vegan restaurants but they all look really expensive.
If I may ask also, what was it that felt unsafe for you about el Misti? I was particularly interested in there for the homely feel, free breakfasts, location, cost and airport transfers, but security would outweigh those, I don't want my money or camera stolen.
Oh my god is it bad that I can't wait for June and it's only January?
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
Awesome, i had written to el misti and che lergarto, but now on your advice I've also googled Vila Carioca and emailed them. I love art feeling places so sounds up my street to. I'd love to see your blog! Could I please have a link? Which hostels did you stay (and would you recommend) in Iguassu, Paraty and Ilha Grande? There seem to be so many options, and mixed reviews!
Yes I love fruit and juice, especially in the tropics, again i'm a little bit worried about cheap vegetarian food though, i checked happycow.net and there are a number of veggie/vegan restaurants but they all look really expensive.
If I may ask also, what was it that felt unsafe for you about el Misti? I was particularly interested in there for the homely feel, free breakfasts, location, cost and airport transfers, but security would outweigh those, I don't want my money or camera stolen.
Oh my god is it bad that I can't wait for June and it's only January?
I'm afraid I'm not any use for hostel recommendations anywhere but Rio in Brazil, because after that I was with the tour group, which stayed in hotels rather than hostels. The blog link is http://blogs.statravel.co.uk/lucyanddave - have a look at the three Rio photo albums on there, as well as the text
The cheapest vegetarian food you can get will be from the supermarkets to be honest, and street stalls, but if you want to eat out on a reasonable budget then go to a Kilo restaurant (there's lots all over Rio) - they have lots of different salads, as well as rice and some hot vegetable dishes (if I remember correctly), so even though they're not specifically aimed at vegetarians, there's a decent amount of stuff you can get there.
Security wasn't really issue in El Misti itself, it was just really good in Vila Carioca - there they have railings outside with a gate which you have to buzz at to be let in by the owner, but at El Misti it seemed that the door in was left ajar a lot, so anyone could walk in. Plus, Vila Carioca definitely had big lockers, but I can't remember if El Misti did. TBH the reason why we moved elsewhere wasn't so much El Misti itself but because we didn't have the best arrival into Rio, and because of the stuff that happened we just wanted to make a fresh start - it's on the blog, but basically we arrived very late at night, and because we didn't know that El Misti did free airport transfers, plus the buses had stopped running for the night, we had to get a taxi which cost us R$60 (it was supposed to be R$55 but the taxi driver drove off without giving us the change). Neither of us had any cash, so we couldn't buy any water or snacks despite being ravenous and thirsty (you can't drink the tap water) - they told us that it wasn't safe for us to walk around Copacabana at night to look for an ATM (plus I think they said that most ATMs weren't available after 11pm to begin with.) The next day I had a shopping bag snatched by a beggar in a tunnel, and although I sprinted after him and got it back by grabbing his t-shirt and making him drop it, it did make me want to move to a rather safer area! Added to that, El Misti was very cramped for space indeed, and apart from the small patio outside there wasn't any common room - plus only one of the computers seemed to work properly - so we wanted somewhere with more space. They may well have refurbished the place by now, though, so it may not be like that any more.
I'm so jealous - I am definitely going to make journeys back to South America, because there's so much I didn't get to do, but it's sad to think that I won't be able to afford it for a long time!
Last edited by FormerlyHistoryStudent : 25-01-2010 at 15:52.
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer trip?
Originally Posted by lizfairy
Which hostels did you stay (and would you recommend) in Iguassu, Paraty and Ilha Grande? There seem to be so many options, and mixed reviews!
Just remembered, we did stay in hostel/guesthouse type place on Ilha Grande - it was called 'Pousada Pedacinho de Ceu' - it was very colourful, had a little garden with a hammock and hummingbirds feeding at sugar-feeding things, and from what I can remember the rooms were nice. They aren't hostels as such on Ilha Grande, more like guesthouses or very, very small but homely hotels, but although I don't know what the exact prices were I think they were pretty reasonable, more like hostel prices.
Going on holiday, interrailing, broadening one's horizons and weekends in Skegness
Useful Resources:
Re: Where in South America should I not miss, and how to budget a 1-2 month summer tr
Thanks for even more advice. And thanks for the recommendation of Ilha Grande, looks like paradise!
Remember that name - Lopez Mendes Beach - and go there when there's a good weather forecast!
