I'm thinking of spending a section of my gap year in S. America and Bolivia and Peru particularly appealed to me because I've always wanted to visit the Inca Trail. I have a few questions though for anyone who's visited these countries and indeed S. America in general.
The first is about the vaccinations which I'm sure pretty much anyone whose been to a S. American country could answer. I know which ones I need to have but I wondered how awful they are? I'm not very keen on needles and I have to say I hated the tuberculosis one we had done in yr 10 as a compulsory vaccination - were the others much worse than this? For instance it appears that for rabies the vaccination is given in 3 doses and some of the side effects for yellow fever and rabies sound horrible!! Is it actually worth the number of inoculations required?!!
On a more cheerful note, if I do go, what would previous travellers say are the must see sights of Peru and Bolivia (and indeed the places to avoid?). I'll hopefully organise some volunteer work to do while I'm there but I'd like ideas for my spare time and I can pretty much volunteer near to what I want to visit I imagine.
Yellow fever is definitely worth getting and is essential for entry to certain areas and neighbouring countries. Rabies is generally only worth it if you're going to be working with animals or away from major towns or cities, as if you get bitten you're in serious trouble. Best to make an appointment with a nurse or see http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/. Ideally need to do this at least a 6-8 weeks in advance though.
Volunteering I would arrange with an in-country organisation based on recommendations either here or on other websites such as Lonely Planet's thorntree. No point wasting £500 for places as well travelled as these.
Must sees in Peru - standard trail of Macchu Pichu, Arequipa, Nasca Lines and Titicaca
Must sees in Bolivia - Salar de Uyuni. It's the most spectactular geographical feature on the continent. Incredible. Also, La Paz, Potosi, Sucre, most dangerous road, Santa Cruz,
Also, the Amazon in either Peru or Bolivia.
I'm thinking of spending a section of my gap year in S. America and Bolivia and Peru particularly appealed to me because I've always wanted to visit the Inca Trail. I have a few questions though for anyone who's visited these countries and indeed S. America in general.
The first is about the vaccinations which I'm sure pretty much anyone whose been to a S. American country could answer. I know which ones I need to have but I wondered how awful they are? I'm not very keen on needles and I have to say I hated the tuberculosis one we had done in yr 10 as a compulsory vaccination - were the others much worse than this? For instance it appears that for rabies the vaccination is given in 3 doses and some of the side effects for yellow fever and rabies sound horrible!! Is it actually worth the number of inoculations required?!!
On a more cheerful note, if I do go, what would previous travellers say are the must see sights of Peru and Bolivia (and indeed the places to avoid?). I'll hopefully organise some volunteer work to do while I'm there but I'd like ideas for my spare time and I can pretty much volunteer near to what I want to visit I imagine.
Rabies is expensive for a full course (£130 ish) so only get it if you're going to be really remote (>12 hours from an hospital), or with frequent contact with animals. I don't remember it being particularly painful, though. None of the injections that you'll have will be as
bad as the BCG. Go and book a travel clinic appointment at your local doctors' surgery and they'll be able to give you current advice, though.
Side effects are really rare. They just list every single possible side effect that could ever happen to you, many of which might not be linked to the injections.
I haven't been to Peru or Bolivia, but I understand that the Copacabana crossing between the two countries can be a little dodgy so it's advised that you get reputable and registered travel over that border.
Hep. B is the most painful injection. others are fine but I didn't bother with rabies. I'm not sure how essential hep. B and rabies are really, if you're not planning on going to the jungle I would probably not bother with either, but at the end of the day if you can afford it, then there's no harm in it - my friends all had both and I don't think rabies is painful.
Don't worry about the copacabana crossing, I've done it both ways, and in both directions the only people on the bus were whities. although I did only go to Copacabana, if you're going on to La Paz in one journey from Peru make sure you know where you're going when you get there, and try to stick to some people if you're alone - there's one bus a day from Puno (most common crossing start point) and it leaves in the afternoon, so you cross the border at 6, but don't get into La Paz till 5am or something)
Places to see
Bolivia - I loved copacabana and Isla de la Sol (stay there if you can, but go to the north side of the island rather than the more common south)
Peru - Don't bother with the Inca trail, its overpriced and overbooked, if you like trekking there's better things to do in Arequipa or Huaraz. Or do an alternative trail to Macchu Pichu. But definitely go to Macchu Pichu. Also, don't do what everyone does and get up at 5am to go, go in the morning, take some lunch and wait around till about 3.30, the park is emptier then than at 6am.
Lake titikaka is a must, absolutley stunning, make sure you spend some time going to the islands in Peru and Bolivia (tours are cheaper than taking the local boat - if you haggle - and you get coffee etc with most)
Nazca lines are cool, but expensive, but Nazca is a pretty cool town, try to coincide your visit with a saints festival or something if you can- they do it well. sandboarding there is pretty cool as well, and there's a decent hotel with a nice pool if you're stuck there for an afternoon (lunch and drinks included in entry price)
Lima - Avoid.
Trujillo - i liked it here, not that much to do but the sun and moon pyramid ruins are pretty cool and the town is pretty.
if you like the coast Huanchaco (sp??) is nice, and you can visit chan chan on the way there from trujillo. Mancora is pretty cool as well, but i think you either love it or hate it.
Cuzco is a cool city - stay in Hostel Loki, its the best one I stayed in in 3 months- if only because its a good place to meet people. good value as well. catch the parade on sundays.
Other general things - LEARN SPANISH!! the majority of places and people (outside of Cuzco) have little to no english. you'll have trouble with food etc if you dont and you'll almost definitely be badly ripped off.
take a stash of dollars.
take a decent travel pillow for night buses...
most volunteering agencies (apart from the expensive ones) will require a competent grasp of basic spanish, but preferably the ability to have a conversation.
rabies cost me £150 (including nurses fees) so expensive and like somebody already said only worth going if you are going to remote areas...
if you get hep B make sure you get hep a and b, as you will get this injection for free! it hurts a little bit and for the first time it makes your arm stiff...but wears of after a few hours...i think its a course of 3 injections for this.
Hi I'm planning on going to Peru in April, and your gap year looks very similar to mine. Are you planning on going with a company? If so which one? I don't have the guts to go on my own!
Hi I'm planning on going to Peru in April, and your gap year looks very similar to mine. Are you planning on going with a company? If so which one? I don't have the guts to go on my own!
snap! In April I'm setting off 'til September to South America. I won this thing with Madventurer for 2 weeks volunteering in Peru and 1 week trek on the Inca trail so I'm doing that but I'm lost about the rest. I REALLY want to learn Spanish so I might go on the 2 month Jakera travelling classroom in Venezeula. It also seems really difficult to do seriously long distance travelling without going with on an overland expedition or coughing up for pretty expensive flights
its possible to do it by bus, if you don't mind sitting for a few days.
Just my experience, but I found Venezuela really really scary. much more threatening than anywhere else, loads worse than Colombia or Bolivia. Also heard a few really bad stories from other travellers. and expect to be bribed at every turn. Also, take a huge stash of dollars if you do go, the official rate for conversion is 2 to the dollar, but if you exchange cash you can get up to 4 to the dollar. It's also only possible for foreigners to take money out of one branch of bank (mercantil).
The spanish in Colombia and Ecuador is generally supposed to be much easier to understand (My spanish is bad but i found it better in both places) so it might be worth looking into doing it there instead? then you could defninitely get the bus across (a 24hr bus costs around £20, depending on the company - that much money gets you a decent bus)
Hi I'm planning on going to Peru in April, and your gap year looks very similar to mine. Are you planning on going with a company? If so which one? I don't have the guts to go on my own!
if you don't have the guts to go on your own your best option is go with a gap year company...
i was on the same boat as you before I volunteered in Sri Lanka. i went away with projects abroad and they are amazing! I had the support more than i expected and it gives me an assurance to know that what ever happens to me the local staff were always there to extend their help and support.
if you don't have the guts to go on your own your best option is go with a gap year company...
i was on the same boat as you before I volunteered in Sri Lanka. i went away with projects abroad and they are amazing! I had the support more than i expected and it gives me an assurance to know that what ever happens to me the local staff were always there to extend their help and support.
I'm in a similar situation, i don't have the guts to go on my own. TBH I'll probably just book the ticket and suck it up lol, I wanna get a RTW ticket anyways. I just don't have the money to spend on a gap year company, as much as I'd like to
if you don't have the guts to go on your own your best option is go with a gap year company...
i was on the same boat as you before I volunteered in Sri Lanka. i went away with projects abroad and they are amazing! I had the support more than i expected and it gives me an assurance to know that what ever happens to me the local staff were always there to extend their help and support.
I'm torn between Frontier and Projects Abroad, Im worried about these as the trips arent organised in groups - my only concern at the moment! What did you do in Sri Lanka?
I'm in a similar situation, i don't have the guts to go on my own. TBH I'll probably just book the ticket and suck it up lol, I wanna get a RTW ticket anyways. I just don't have the money to spend on a gap year company, as much as I'd like to
Sorry - basically, you are paying for something that you could very easily do yourself. All it takes is a little more effort.
E.g. You pay £1500 for a company to set you up with a one month tour & you still have to fork out a few hundred more for flights. Whereas if you do your research at home, you will find all the same opportunities for a fraction of the price. When I backpacked around South East Asia a few years ago, I came across two guys who had forked out a hell of a lot of money to a gap year company, and in comparison I spent about less than £10 for the same activities. They wanted to kick themselves when we compared prices.
If you need any help doing any research, pm me. I speak fluent Spanish and good Portuguese, & as said before I've already been to S.E. Asia.
Sorry - basically, you are paying for something that you could very easily do yourself. All it takes is a little more effort.
E.g. You pay £1500 for a company to set you up with a one month tour & you still have to fork out a few hundred more for flights. Whereas if you do your research at home, you will find all the same opportunities for a fraction of the price. When I backpacked around South East Asia a few years ago, I came across two guys who had forked out a hell of a lot of money to a gap year company, and in comparison I spent about less than £10 for the same activities. They wanted to kick themselves when we compared prices.
If you need any help doing any research, pm me. I speak fluent Spanish and good Portuguese, & as said before I've already been to S.E. Asia.
Yeah I always thought that, lol. i never got why you'd pay so much just to build houses for other people. Surely it'd be better to donate the money?
Anyway.. have you ever been to latin america? i wanna get a RTW ticket so i'd check out asia too, where have you been?
Yeah I always thought that, lol. i never got why you'd pay so much just to build houses for other people. Surely it'd be better to donate the money?
Anyway.. have you ever been to latin america? i wanna get a RTW ticket so i'd check out asia too, where have you been?
fluent spanish eyy ? i'm jealous haha
Only lazy bums pay for trips abroad! Or real scaredy cats :P
I'm in the process of sorting out my trip to Central & perhaps South America. That's why I could help (just let you know what I've found so far etc), I can't speak from experience though. I did study Latin America at Uni, so could tell you the political history of most countries there
I personally wouldn't buy a RTW ticket because I need the flexibility. Its great to just go somewhere, meet people who've just been somewhere & head off there (usually with their guide book too)! And once you're in a continent, buying domestic flights is dirt cheap.
I went to Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo. Amazing. Quite safe really, but hard to get away from the typical tourist trails.
The best way to learn a language is to learn it in a country where it is spoken, so I say, pick your language, then pick your country and head there for a good few months. Great fun!
Only lazy bums pay for trips abroad! Or real scaredy cats :P
I'm in the process of sorting out my trip to Central & perhaps South America. That's why I could help (just let you know what I've found so far etc), I can't speak from experience though. I did study Latin America at Uni, so could tell you the political history of most countries there
I personally wouldn't buy a RTW ticket because I need the flexibility. Its great to just go somewhere, meet people who've just been somewhere & head off there (usually with their guide book too)! And once you're in a continent, buying domestic flights is dirt cheap.
I went to Thailand, Malaysia and Borneo. Amazing. Quite safe really, but hard to get away from the typical tourist trails.
The best way to learn a language is to learn it in a country where it is spoken, so I say, pick your language, then pick your country and head there for a good few months. Great fun!
wow when are you going to central/s.america? i'm gonna have to go in the summer, not sure it's the best time though lol.
that's so cool i've already done A level spanish so should be ok in spanish-speaking countries, but asia.. lol i'm gonna have to get a phrasebook or something :P there's too much to see in such little time! ahh
wow when are you going to central/s.america? i'm gonna have to go in the summer, not sure it's the best time though lol.
that's so cool i've already done A level spanish so should be ok in spanish-speaking countries, but asia.. lol i'm gonna have to get a phrasebook or something :P there's too much to see in such little time! ahh
I see you're going to Leeds to do Spanish! I have a few friends who did Spanish there!
My plan is to go Central America in the summer too. But I know what I'm like & I'll probably end up staying there
So what are your plans for the summer? Wouldn't worry about phrasebook, most people were friendly enough to help teach me basics.
This forum is for all your gap year ideas, queries and experiences.
Useful Resources:
South America Gap Year Advice
Good luck!! I'll hopefully be there in the summer..
Great fun!
