Our time in South America has come to an end and I am sad to leave but excited for our next journey. Overall we were pleasantly surprised with our experience. South America seems to have an unfair bad reputation as someplace not worth going. There is so much to offer and we found the people we encountered warm and hospitable. And on top of that the dollar goes a long way.
In a little over three months we saw diverse landscapes from lush jungle to the driest desert. We hit some of the popular “must do’s” like the Galapagos and the Inca Trail but honestly my favorites were the hidden gems we would have never discovered on a two-week vacation. I truly believe that our hammock boat down the amazon will be one of the most unique “un-touristy” things I will ever do.
Our top 5 picks for “must do’s” in South America (from what we saw of course)
- Floating down the amazon on a hammock boat – Truly unique and the best sunsets I have ever seen
- Amazon Jungle Lodge – Where else can you fish for piranha and hold a sloth
- Inca Trail – In my mind there is no other way to see Machu Picchu for the first time than from above after a three-day hike to get there
- Galapagos – Hands down best marine wildlife spotting and snorkeling
- Chillan – Skiing in South America is a must. If you don’t ski there are awesome hikes, hot springs, and cozy fireplaces
Jon combines the amazon boat and lodge together and recommends Quito and visiting the equator.
Our final numbers are higher than we expected but we did have some big ticket “must do” items like the cruise in Galapagos that was $1,000 for 5 days and the Inca Trail that was $700 for 4 days. The following is for 2 people so my share was only half. We won’t break any records for having the lowest cost per day but we also ate all of our meals out (except Chile), had private rooms, supported Jon’s American snacking habit and my museum fix and did the activities we were interested in. Not too bad for almost 4 months away.
| Flights | ||||
| To Belem | 30.52 | |||
| To Ecuador/Galapagos/Peru | 1,024.84 | |||
| To Easter Island/Thaiti/Australia | 2,920.44 | |||
| 3,975.80 | ||||
| Visa | ||||
| Bolivia | 320.00 | |||
| Cost | Number of Days | Average Per Day | ||
| Country/Region | ||||
| Amazon | 2,986.94 | 29.00 | 103.00 | |
| Ecuador | 4,208.68 | 16.00 | 263.04 | |
| Peru | 6,383.48 | 47.00 | 135.82 | |
| Bolivia | 718.22 | 6.00 | 119.70 | |
| Chile (Including 1 day in Thaiti) | 2,216.04 | 17.00 | 130.36 | |
| 16,513.36 | 115.00 | 143.59 |
And just because I’m and accountant and love analyzing costs here is a breakdown by type:
| Accomodation | 19.7% |
| Food | 18.7% |
| Transport | 11.5% |
| Entertainment and Tours | 42.8% |
| Beverage | 3.3% |
| Miscellaneous | 4.0% |
Questions? – We would love to hear any questions/thoughts you have on our trip so far!
Journey with Christina 
Hey guys. What do you miss the most so far? What are you looking forward to next?
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I miss modern bathrooms and being able to flush my toilet paper. Jon misses the comforts and familiars of home. We both miss our family and friends. Excited to see a new part of the world!
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