Some General Advice Needed for SA Backpacking

[jakesing]

Hello Mark and everyone! I am extremely grateful for your site and I am excited to use it moving forward.

I am leaving in one week to backpack through South America for almost 3 months (returning May 1st) and I have a few questions and concerns that I REALLY hope someone can answer for me (to help you understand, here is my itinerary, briefly - Flying to Quito, want to go to Machu Picchu, head down to Chile through Bolivia and then end up in Argentina around April 5th - that gives me about two months to get from Quito to Buenos Aires):

1. Weather: How warm of clothing do I need to pack? How cold will it get at its coldest points? I'd imagine Machu Picchu will be the coldest place I go, so if anyone has an idea of how to pack for that in March, that would be incredible.

2. Machu Picchu: I am having trouble finding information about this, but here goes. It may be too late to book the official Inca Trail for mid-March, but in general, I have no idea what day I'll be arriving in Cusco hoping to climb Machu Picchu. Thus, it would be really difficult for me to book anything in advance. The question is - is it completely crucial for me to book something in advance or could I figure it out when I get there? If I do need to book something ahead of time, can you please recommend tour operators or the best ways to do that?

3. Flight question: This is a bit convoluted, so I'll try to be clear. Since I am flying in with American Airlines, I am eligible to use the OneWorld SA Pass, which means I can get flights between SA cities for relatively cheap (around $100). The problem is twofold - I have to book at least 3 flights and I have to set the cities for all 3, and the dates for the first one. Since I have to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, I'm thinking of setting something up. For example, I'm thinking of flying from S. Ecuador to Cusco, and then, after Machu Picchu, either flying from La Paz to Santiago and then from there to Buenos Aires, or perhaps bussing to BsAs and then booking a random round trip from there. I have no idea what a good itinerary is for this sort of thing but I could, as you can see, use some help!

4. Ecuador: I will almost certainly go from Quito to Cusco by Bus. Can that be done in 3 weeks (while going a bit out of the way to see the coast of Ecuador, Guayaquil, Cuenca etc..) without being TOO rushed? If yes, what is the best route to take?

I think that is all for now and I REALLY appreciate the help. I realize that I've planned a lot in a short amount of time, but I don't have much choice and I have to make it happen.

Thank you very much!

Jake

[Mark]

Hi James,

Great to hear your South America adventure is starting soon! I'll go over your questions one by one:

1. How cold will it get at its coldest points?
This will depend on the altitude. When you have a sunny day and you're hiking all day long you'll not be cold at all. Temperatures drop when the sun sets. Don't worry too much about packing clothing. You can buy warm clothing in Otavalo, Ecuador (just a few hours from Quito). Do take high quality gore tex walking boots and rain jacket (gear) from home as the quality in South America is not as good.

The coldest places will be in Bolivia. La Paz, Lake Titicaca, Potosi and the Salar de Uyuni all lie on an altitude of 3,820 meters (12,532 ft.).

2. The Inca Trail
Only 500 passes are issued per day. As soon as you know when you'll be hiking the Inca Trail you should contact a travel agency to ensure your pass. The tours I offer are operated by Kumuka Wordwide. They offer a 4 day hike to Machu Picchu. You can check out what they offer here.

3. Flights
You can consider flying from Quito or Cuenca to Lima or Cusco (this means you'll not see Northern Peru) and from La Paz to Santiago. You can also opt for an internal flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu to see the falls or to Perito Moreno in Southern Argentina. A visit to the jungle of Rurrenabaque in Bolivia, one of the best places in South America to see an abundance of wildlife, can also be done with an internal flight.

4. Bus
Distances are enourmous in South America. Traveling by bus from Quito to Cusco in 3 weeks is not possible. It's better to travel around in Ecuador and take a flight to Peru. The most scenic bus rides are in Peru and Bolivia. The road Cusco-Arequipa-Lake Titicaca is breathtaking.

I wish you a wonderful trip! Have fun!

Best wishes,

Mark

[jakesing]

Thank you very much for the response!

It's good to know that the distances are so large in S. America - here is my question, though.

Do you think it would be possible to make it down from Quito to Lima by March 1st (from February 11th) and then fly from Lima to Cuzco in order to climb Machu Pichu?

That would give me just about three weeks to go from Quito to Lima - does that sound possible?

Thank you very much!!

Jake

[Mark]

It's a very long way from Quito to Lima. 1,318 km. (819 miles). Highlights of Ecuador are Quito, Otavalo, Cotopaxi National Park, Galapagos Islands and Cuenca. Highlights in Northern Peru are Cajamarca, Kuelap, Huaraz and Trujillo with the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex.

You'll have to plan how long you'd like to stay in each place. There will be no room for pleasant surprises on the road as you are on a very tight schedule.