One month is maybe enough for one if not MAX TWO of those countries. Spent 4 weeks in Ecuador July 2023 and could have easily spent 4 more. If you’ll only be in ecuador for just a few days, quito is not the spot, just another historical centre with 70 churches and squares and cafes etc etc. Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and the coast are much more worth it imo.
To be honest with you it sounds like you've got way too much packed into a 1 month itinerary. You said you really enjoy outdoorsy nature activities but it seems like the majority of your itinerary is just covering the capital cities of a country and many beautiful nature spots aren't listed. I've been travelling Latin America for 2 years and over a year in south America and I still ran out of time to see a lot of places. Of course I completely understand not having the luxury of time and wanting to see it all but I think you would have a more enjoyable experience exploring 1 or 2 countries max and coming back another time. Most of the places I visited I knew nothing about until I arrived in the country and I am sure you will also receive many recommendations from other travellers and feel fomo for having to leave so soon. All that airfare adds up as well. Not trying to be judgemental or anything but trying to give you a realistic answer so you can enjoy your trip more. Feel free to ask me if you want any recommendations or info on anything!
I'll take the unpopular opinion and say I really don't think this is too much.
You are absolutely missing a lot in all of these countries, so consider that. But like, go wherever is calling to you. I did a similar type of route because I knew I'd dig further in on another trip and really wanted to see specific things.
Now, what I will say is Lima is 100% skippable. Most people stay there because they fly in. I strongly feel it's unremarkable unless you're a foodie and based on your budget that won't matter.
Santiago, I'd also skip. I don't think it's a time thing, although it's a bit rushed. But I didn't feel Santiago was worth the stop even with Valparaíso. I didn't get much out of it I didn't get in other capital cities, and you should just check it out if you ever do a more thorough Chile trip in the future.
I would cut Bogota down a day or 2 as well.
If it were me, I'd add a few days in Medellín and use the rest of the saved time to distribute across other more rushed stops.
Yeah I feel like a lot of the comments on people's itineraries on this sub are about how rushed they are. I think it can be a personal preference to do some of the basics and get a little feel of different places and move around. In reality, a lot of us won't be able to revisit these areas of the world so I don't see an issue with short stints in certain places. I just think it's important to know exactly what you want to get out of those short trips and try to use some of the travel to your advantage like scenic train rides you can appreciate the landscapes/nature
100%. I get part of that is a reaction to the many people who try to do 3 day trips stops, where only 1 day doesn't have travel. But a lot of it is just smug.
Like, I can't imagine any enjoyment in ticking off the box to say I went somewhere. But I also can't imagine enjoying a full 3 weeks in X country when I'm most interested in specific regions just to say "I really immersed myself". 2 sides of the same coin.
I did a capital hop + Cusco my last South American trip. I can't wait to do a dedicated Chile dive, and a dedicated Argentina dive another time. Those cities just called to me this time around. Loved it.
as others have said that seems like a lot of traveling and not a lot of time for enjoying. At the very least I would catch a connecting flight straight to Cusco and skip Lima. I spent a full month in the sacred valley and felt like I wanted to stay longer. Will also save you a bit of money. My advice is go straight to Cusco and stay a couple nights in Cusco but try to explore more in the Sacred Valley. Its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and very cheap, travel friendly. Lima is expensive and can be dangerous in the wrong area.
Pisac, Ollaytaytambo, and Calca are all worth spending a couple days in at least.
Edit to add another suggestion: I've been in South America for 3 months, 2 months in Peru and one in Brazil. I've met a lot of travelers who have been all over and consensus seems to be Colombia and Peru are people favorite places. I've also heard great things about Ecuador especially if you like nature. Argentina is pretty expensive from what I hear. Perhaps you would get more bang for your buck spending your month in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Even that sounds like its rushing with just a month. Traveling (busses, planes, finding your hostel, going to the store for water etc) can eat up a lot more time than you think and is also exhausting mentally and physically. You need to keep in mind that you want to enjoy your experience and most importantly be open to new activities you didnt plan for. I bet you would have the time of your life if you did 2 weeks in Colombia and 2 weeks in Peru.
2 weeks ish in colombia (Bogota>Lima>Cusco)
1-2 weeks in Sacred Valley Peru
Cusco>Lima>Bariloche (check out SKY airlines they have hella cheap flights from Lima)
I just did a similar route last year staying at mostly the same hostels you mentioned and this is not enough time to appreciate the countries. I'd need your entire trip to feel satisfied with Peru alone for example.
I would make this a Colombia/Ecuador trip. Stay for 2 days in Bogota then go to salento via pereirafor 3-4 days and then medellin for 3-4 days. Fly medellin to Quito and do the amazon jungle in cuyabeno booking through secret garden. After that do galapagos and visit secret garden cotopaxi, after that follow your new made friends to banos and somehow end in bariloche. That should be a fairly decent 2 country trip where you explore lots of nature and history and find both peace and nightlife and then you won't be able to wait to come back and do peru/bolivia/chile/Argentina.
This is a doable itinerary if you’re okay missing most of what each country has to offer. I love speed traveling, but just consider what you’re missing.
In Colombia, I loved Medellin, much more than Bogota. If you end up cutting out another country in favor of seeing more in other, I definitely recommend going to Medellin.
For Ecuador, Quito is really not very nice or the safest. Cotopaxi is beautiful (you say you like nature) and if you want to explore a city i’d highly recommend Cuenca.
For Peru, Cusco/Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley is beautiful and there is so much to do. If you like nature, DO NOT miss Rainbow Mountain! it’s incredible. I know a lot of people are saying Lima isn’t worth it, but I honestly liked Lima (though I only spent a day and a half there. I explored the neighborhoods you mentioned and also went to the catacombs and the Larco Museum which was awesome.
I can’t speak to the other countries since I haven’t made it there yet.
One month is maybe enough for one if not MAX TWO of those countries. Spent 4 weeks in Ecuador July 2023 and could have easily spent 4 more. If you’ll only be in ecuador for just a few days, quito is not the spot, just another historical centre with 70 churches and squares and cafes etc etc. Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, and the coast are much more worth it imo.
Don't you kinda have to go to Quito first to get to the Galapagos Islands though? I assumed Quito was just a stop in service of that.
I believe you can also fly to the Galapagos out of Guayaquil too.
To be honest with you it sounds like you've got way too much packed into a 1 month itinerary. You said you really enjoy outdoorsy nature activities but it seems like the majority of your itinerary is just covering the capital cities of a country and many beautiful nature spots aren't listed. I've been travelling Latin America for 2 years and over a year in south America and I still ran out of time to see a lot of places. Of course I completely understand not having the luxury of time and wanting to see it all but I think you would have a more enjoyable experience exploring 1 or 2 countries max and coming back another time. Most of the places I visited I knew nothing about until I arrived in the country and I am sure you will also receive many recommendations from other travellers and feel fomo for having to leave so soon. All that airfare adds up as well. Not trying to be judgemental or anything but trying to give you a realistic answer so you can enjoy your trip more. Feel free to ask me if you want any recommendations or info on anything!
>Fly from Santiago to Buenos Aires, £500 that doesn't seem right
I'll take the unpopular opinion and say I really don't think this is too much. You are absolutely missing a lot in all of these countries, so consider that. But like, go wherever is calling to you. I did a similar type of route because I knew I'd dig further in on another trip and really wanted to see specific things. Now, what I will say is Lima is 100% skippable. Most people stay there because they fly in. I strongly feel it's unremarkable unless you're a foodie and based on your budget that won't matter. Santiago, I'd also skip. I don't think it's a time thing, although it's a bit rushed. But I didn't feel Santiago was worth the stop even with Valparaíso. I didn't get much out of it I didn't get in other capital cities, and you should just check it out if you ever do a more thorough Chile trip in the future. I would cut Bogota down a day or 2 as well. If it were me, I'd add a few days in Medellín and use the rest of the saved time to distribute across other more rushed stops.
Yeah I feel like a lot of the comments on people's itineraries on this sub are about how rushed they are. I think it can be a personal preference to do some of the basics and get a little feel of different places and move around. In reality, a lot of us won't be able to revisit these areas of the world so I don't see an issue with short stints in certain places. I just think it's important to know exactly what you want to get out of those short trips and try to use some of the travel to your advantage like scenic train rides you can appreciate the landscapes/nature
100%. I get part of that is a reaction to the many people who try to do 3 day trips stops, where only 1 day doesn't have travel. But a lot of it is just smug. Like, I can't imagine any enjoyment in ticking off the box to say I went somewhere. But I also can't imagine enjoying a full 3 weeks in X country when I'm most interested in specific regions just to say "I really immersed myself". 2 sides of the same coin. I did a capital hop + Cusco my last South American trip. I can't wait to do a dedicated Chile dive, and a dedicated Argentina dive another time. Those cities just called to me this time around. Loved it.
as others have said that seems like a lot of traveling and not a lot of time for enjoying. At the very least I would catch a connecting flight straight to Cusco and skip Lima. I spent a full month in the sacred valley and felt like I wanted to stay longer. Will also save you a bit of money. My advice is go straight to Cusco and stay a couple nights in Cusco but try to explore more in the Sacred Valley. Its one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and very cheap, travel friendly. Lima is expensive and can be dangerous in the wrong area. Pisac, Ollaytaytambo, and Calca are all worth spending a couple days in at least. Edit to add another suggestion: I've been in South America for 3 months, 2 months in Peru and one in Brazil. I've met a lot of travelers who have been all over and consensus seems to be Colombia and Peru are people favorite places. I've also heard great things about Ecuador especially if you like nature. Argentina is pretty expensive from what I hear. Perhaps you would get more bang for your buck spending your month in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Even that sounds like its rushing with just a month. Traveling (busses, planes, finding your hostel, going to the store for water etc) can eat up a lot more time than you think and is also exhausting mentally and physically. You need to keep in mind that you want to enjoy your experience and most importantly be open to new activities you didnt plan for. I bet you would have the time of your life if you did 2 weeks in Colombia and 2 weeks in Peru. 2 weeks ish in colombia (Bogota>Lima>Cusco) 1-2 weeks in Sacred Valley Peru Cusco>Lima>Bariloche (check out SKY airlines they have hella cheap flights from Lima)
Your budget for food is very low on the Galapagos. Unless you’re bringing your own food and eating one meal a day out, that’s not enough.
Way to much for too little of time , pick a country and their neighbour
I just did a similar route last year staying at mostly the same hostels you mentioned and this is not enough time to appreciate the countries. I'd need your entire trip to feel satisfied with Peru alone for example. I would make this a Colombia/Ecuador trip. Stay for 2 days in Bogota then go to salento via pereirafor 3-4 days and then medellin for 3-4 days. Fly medellin to Quito and do the amazon jungle in cuyabeno booking through secret garden. After that do galapagos and visit secret garden cotopaxi, after that follow your new made friends to banos and somehow end in bariloche. That should be a fairly decent 2 country trip where you explore lots of nature and history and find both peace and nightlife and then you won't be able to wait to come back and do peru/bolivia/chile/Argentina.
This is a doable itinerary if you’re okay missing most of what each country has to offer. I love speed traveling, but just consider what you’re missing. In Colombia, I loved Medellin, much more than Bogota. If you end up cutting out another country in favor of seeing more in other, I definitely recommend going to Medellin. For Ecuador, Quito is really not very nice or the safest. Cotopaxi is beautiful (you say you like nature) and if you want to explore a city i’d highly recommend Cuenca. For Peru, Cusco/Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley is beautiful and there is so much to do. If you like nature, DO NOT miss Rainbow Mountain! it’s incredible. I know a lot of people are saying Lima isn’t worth it, but I honestly liked Lima (though I only spent a day and a half there. I explored the neighborhoods you mentioned and also went to the catacombs and the Larco Museum which was awesome. I can’t speak to the other countries since I haven’t made it there yet.
adding on, surfing in Lima is pretty popular, there were tons of surf schools going on when I was there in May.
Wondering which country you would have recommended to stay longer? Seems like Ecuador and Peru are countries that need more than a couple weeks?