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RG3
Apr 2, 2012

by Fistgrrl
Little Mac or anyone else who has been let me know more about Costa Rica? My three friends just bought tickets and I'm really close to pulling the trigger.

How is crime / traveling / people / etc. etc.

Going for ten days in late July. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

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R2ICustomerSupport
Dec 12, 2004

duralict posted:

Panama City isn't very interesting, honestly. There's some Jesuit ruins and an old colonial port in Balboa, but that's sort of an afternoon thing, and almost everything else about PC that's different from [any American port city] is poverty-related. There are some neat things within easy day trip distance, though, like the Canal, Portobello (the old Spanish fort on the Caribbean side, a few miles away from the modern canal mouth) and the rainforest (most of the country southeast of Panama City is a series of enormous nature preserves/native reservations).

Basically, if you wind up with a spare day or two, you won't have trouble finding neat stuff to do. But you're not going to miss anything spectacular if you just go to the islands.

Agreed. I would suggest one day in Panama City to at least walk around Casco Viejo and see the canal though. I spent a couple weeks in Bocas del Toro and it has a huge backpacker vibe. I really don't see it as a honeymoon destination, especially as a first time traveler.

SuicidalSmurf
Feb 12, 2002


DustingDuvet posted:

Agreed. I would suggest one day in Panama City to at least walk around Casco Viejo and see the canal though. I spent a couple weeks in Bocas del Toro and it has a huge backpacker vibe. I really don't see it as a honeymoon destination, especially as a first time traveler.
We have been to Maui previously and what we enjoyed most was lounging on the beach, snorkeling and hiking. We enjoy the outdoors quite a bit, and it seems as though there are some real bargain rates in some nice accommodations- the idea of having the back porch over the water at some places sounds amazing, not to mention cheap fresh seafood. Are there destinations that you think we would enjoy better for roughly the same price?

Simone Poodoin
Jun 26, 2003

Che storia figata, ragazzo!



RG3 posted:

Little Mac or anyone else who has been let me know more about Costa Rica? My three friends just bought tickets and I'm really close to pulling the trigger.

How is crime / traveling / people / etc. etc.

Going for ten days in late July. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

You're in luck that I decided it was time for my yearly visit to this thread haha. Maybe I can't help as a tourist but will have some answers as a local.

Crime: you need to keep an eye on your stuff and stay away from bad areas. In the pacific coast or the mountains you have nothing to worry about. The south Caribbean is a bit more dangerous so you'd need to watch out.

Travelling: buses are cheap and go pretty much anywhere, or you can rent a car and use waze (http://www.waze.com/) which will take you anywhere and has social traffic/accident/cops alerts. You can get a prepaid simcard at the airport for cheap, I recommend Kolbi because they have better coverage and plans than the foreign companies.

People: I think you will find that people in touristy places are nice and helpful to foreigners.

If you don't like rain then July is not a good time to come, the rainy season is about to start. However, this makes hotels and stuff cheaper. Also the amount and pattern of rainfall depends on where you're going.

If you tell me where you guys plan to visit I can give you specific tips/suggestions.

xcdude24
Dec 23, 2008

TheImmigrant posted:

Which part? It´s not a small state. I used to live in Puerto Escondido, which is one of my small paradises on earth. Oaxaca City is very nice also - artsy-fartsy cultural, with interesting food.

Sorry for the super delayed response- I thought I was headed back to SE Asia, but flights were way too expensive.

To be honest, I'm completely flexible to where in Oaxaca; all I know is that I'm flying into Mexico City on June 8 and flying out of Mexico City on June 28. I was thinking about four or five days in Mexico City, three days in Puebla, and the rest of the time in Oaxaca. In terms of where I'm headed, I'm open for suggestions. I've heard Oaxaca city is awesome (lots of great places to eat, cool markets, etc.), and Lonely Planet mentioned that there's some pretty cool markets that go on in the surrounding countryside. I wouldn't mind heading to the coast-I found some pretty cheap flights from Puerto Escondido to Mexico City. My only concern is that I'm going to be there in June, which apparently is the beginning of the rainy season. But yeah, any suggestions on what to see and do would be greatly appreciated (including suggestions for Mexico City and Puebla).

EDIT: I don't know if you have any knowledge on this, but I'm interested in taking some hiking/biking trips around Oaxaca city. The LP book listed a few companies; is it worth contacting them in advance, or is this something I can arrange when I get there?

xcdude24 fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Apr 21, 2013

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

xcdude24 posted:

EDIT: I don't know if you have any knowledge on this, but I'm interested in taking some hiking/biking trips around Oaxaca city. The LP book listed a few companies; is it worth contacting them in advance, or is this something I can arrange when I get there?

Don't rent a bike and try to climb Monte Albán. Some locals took pity on me and put my bike in the back of their SUV. The ride down is pretty baller though, I passed more than a few cars.

In the core of old downtown traffic is slow enough you can rent a bike for a day and just tool around.

Positive Optimyst
Oct 25, 2010

by FactsAreUseless
Quick question to anyone who has recently been the Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Columbia.

Are there internet cafes? If so, how common? Only in big cities and large towns?

Wifi common or rare?

I have a small Asus net book and can bring it, but I'd rather not.

I just want to email family a couple to three times per week as I need updates from them.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

Positive Optimyst posted:

Are there internet cafes? If so, how common? Only in big cities and large towns?

Wifi common or rare?

I was there 2009/2010, the answer is

Yes, somewhat, mostly yes. It's probably improved since then.

Ubiquitous in hostels. If you want to be a jerk and you're a gringo, you can just wander in to a hostel and ask for the wifi password. My netbook traveled with me and wasn't ever a burden, it's flat so it doesn't take up much room and provides a good way to back up all your pictures. Otherwise you can just bring your smartphone and use it's wifi. What's the point of owning a netbook if you can't use it for this exact purpose? Cheap, tiny disposable laptop excels here.

Doctor Malaver
May 23, 2007

Ce qui s'est passé t'a rendu plus fort

Positive Optimyst posted:

Quick question to anyone who has recently been the Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Columbia.

Are there internet cafes? If so, how common? Only in big cities and large towns?

Wifi common or rare?

I have a small Asus net book and can bring it, but I'd rather not.

I just want to email family a couple to three times per week as I need updates from them.

In Peru they are quite common, mixed with phone call shops. You can always access email from somewhere.

Brian Fellows
May 29, 2003
I'm Brian Fellows
I'm heading to Peru in a couple of days myself. I'm finding some conflicting reports, maybe someone here knows:

I have an unlocked American iPhone 4 (micro SIM). It looks like I can get a prepaid SIM card in the airport from Movistar... however I can't find anything showing me the rates, and I can't seem to figure out if they include data or not. Also I've heard nightmare stories of people thinking they're buying a prepaid SIM but then getting a credit card charge when they don't return the SIM "in time," AKA it turns out they were on a 7 day plan and the rental location wanted it back.

Does anyone have any experience buying a SIM in the Lima airport, or really any South American country that has Movistar service?

billy cuts
Aug 14, 2003

wrists of fury
Buglord

Brian Fellows posted:

I'm heading to Peru in a couple of days myself. I'm finding some conflicting reports, maybe someone here knows:

I have an unlocked American iPhone 4 (micro SIM). It looks like I can get a prepaid SIM card in the airport from Movistar... however I can't find anything showing me the rates, and I can't seem to figure out if they include data or not. Also I've heard nightmare stories of people thinking they're buying a prepaid SIM but then getting a credit card charge when they don't return the SIM "in time," AKA it turns out they were on a 7 day plan and the rental location wanted it back.

Does anyone have any experience buying a SIM in the Lima airport, or really any South American country that has Movistar service?

The prepaid SIMs do have data, but you have to set it up yourself. First, you'll need to get a Movistar profile installed on your phone to use the data services. Then buy a SIM from a Movistar store in Miraflores or wherever you're staying in Lima. You should be able to get one using your passport. While you're there get a recarga virtual for at least 10 soles. Once you have the credit on your phone, you can then buy whatever amount of bandwidth you need.

Check out this page for data prices and this page for voice/sms prices

Brian Fellows
May 29, 2003
I'm Brian Fellows
That is actually perfect advice, thanks. Reminded me of my ordeal trying to do the same basic thing in German, except I had a guy feeding me step by step instructions while I frantically live-chatted using the lobby wi-fi.

For any Americans trying to use an unlocked phone and a prepaid foreign SIM, the dumber your phone the easier it is to do. AT&T have hidden your ability to change the APN on your iPhones (the profile billy cuts mentioned), but you should be able to change it once a new SIM is in your phone. The people that sell you the SIM should be able to tell you the login info etc if it isn't autodetected.

Or do what I had to do with my iPhone in Germany and go to unlockit.co.nz, select your intended carrier and the profile will download as an app you just have to install. Which never really made sense until I looked at billy cuts' post...

xcdude24
Dec 23, 2008
On a similar note, can I bring my crappy $20 T-Mobile phone and buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card in Mexico, or does it need to be unlocked?

xcdude24
Dec 23, 2008
I know I just made a post about this, but I'm headed to Mexico City (for a week or so), Puebla (for a day or two), and Oaxaca (in and around the city for a week and down to the coast for another week) next weekend. Does anyone have any advice on things to do or places to eat? I like art galleries, markets, outdoorsy stuff, and the like. My itinerary is flexible, so any input would be awesome.

Aesis
Oct 9, 2012
Filthy J4G
For Mexico City Zocalo is a good place to visit. You can also pay entrance fee and go to the top of Torre Latinoamericana skyscraper (couple of blocks from Zocalo) for view of the city. There's also Basilica de Guadalupe which is located in Gustavo A. Madero district. Teotihuacan is about 30~60 minutes from Mexico City.

As for food, I literally fed myself on street taco for couple of weeks and some places can give you nasty diarrhea. The ones that many locals frequent are usually good and hygienic enough, and there're also big taco places (obviously many locals eat there) that offer wide range of meat. Zocalo also has good restaurants but bit expensive though.

Also try to keep yourself safe at all times.

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.
Is there a specific Macchu Picchu route that is better suited for someone a little nervous around heights...uhh its for a friend.
Also, is Lake Titicaca worth it? I heard some bad stuff about how it is over-touristy and not much to do

Brian Fellows
May 29, 2003
I'm Brian Fellows
What triggers your fear of heights? No approach to the proper ruins is going to be a height issue. If you walk to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu you could have a problem- one edge of the path is basically a cliff, though the other edge is a wall cut out of the cliff (so rocks and the like). There are also rarely walls or anything to stop you from falling in the ruins themselves, but there's always plenty of room to stay well away from edges.

I didn't go to the Inca Bridge so I can't speak to that. Also didn't climb Huayna Picchu but I'm pretty sure there's a bridge there that may be problematic for you.

I DID climb Putucusi, the mountain accross from Machu Picchu. Don't climb that if you're not cool with heights (hands over head wooden ladders).

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

Brian Fellows posted:

What triggers your fear of heights? No approach to the proper ruins is going to be a height issue. If you walk to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu you could have a problem- one edge of the path is basically a cliff, though the other edge is a wall cut out of the cliff (so rocks and the like). There are also rarely walls or anything to stop you from falling in the ruins themselves, but there's always plenty of room to stay well away from edges.

I didn't go to the Inca Bridge so I can't speak to that. Also didn't climb Huayna Picchu but I'm pretty sure there's a bridge there that may be problematic for you.

I DID climb Putucusi, the mountain accross from Machu Picchu. Don't climb that if you're not cool with heights (hands over head wooden ladders).

Its mainly if there is a narrow steep path open at both ends. It sounds like there isn't. oWhat about the Inca Trail itself?

e:
I pretty much jumped in a trip last minute with some friends who are going to SA for months. I'm just tagging along for a few weeks. They are pretty laid back about everything. They haven't even booked a Macchu Picchu trek yet and told me we'd take care of it later. Isn't it too late for July/August everything is booked months in advance?

CatchrNdRy fucked around with this message at 17:28 on Jun 4, 2013

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

I've always heard it's booked months in advance, but at the same time I've never heard of someone showing up in person, cash in hand and being denied, either.

Several people showed up the night before (in December, the slow season) and had a trip booked for the next day.

Brian Fellows
May 29, 2003
I'm Brian Fellows
The INCA TRAIL is most likely booked and there's no chance you'll get into that with so little notice. That is the 4 day trek to get to Machu Picchu and it sells out way ahead of time (Peru government has a max trekkers per day limit).

Machu Picchu itself does have a daily limit (you just stay in or take a train into Aguas Calientes, the small town at the foot of the mountain), but I'm fairly sure you can generally show up and get a ticket to that day-of, or at least a few days out. Definitely research it yourself, and I think you can buy tickets online so you might as well do that ahead of time.

For a data point, I booked a trip to Peru in... Feb or March? I went in early May, which is just before peak season. At the time I booked, all of the Inca Trail passes were long gone, but there was no problem getting a Machu Picchu ticket.

No matter what happens, be sure you have a ticket in hand BEFORE you start climbing or riding up the winding road to Machu Picchu itself, whether you get it online or from a booth in Aguas Calientes. They don't sell tickets on-site and you'll have to go back down the mountain. I saw them turn away people that'd walked (1 hour up hill on a dirt road) if they didn't have a ticket.

Edit- I just checked and there are some random dates that are available in the time frames you're talking about, but not many. For a good gauge, G Adventures is the biggest company in terms of passes purchased. Go to their site, search for Inca trail, then view their availability calendars for the dates you're looking at to see what is and isn't sold out.

Brian Fellows fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Jun 4, 2013

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

Hadlock posted:

I've always heard it's booked months in advance, but at the same time I've never heard of someone showing up in person, cash in hand and being denied, either.

Several people showed up the night before (in December, the slow season) and had a trip booked for the next day.

Yeah its probably too into the season to pull that stuff off. Normally I would say in most countries some money will get you in, but isn't the trails pretty heavily regulated?


Brian Fellows posted:

The INCA TRAIL is most likely booked and there's no chance you'll get into that with so little notice. That is the 4 day trek to get to Machu Picchu and it sells out way ahead of time (Peru government has a max trekkers per day limit).

Machu Picchu itself does have a daily limit (you just stay in or take a train into Aguas Calientes, the small town at the foot of the mountain), but I'm fairly sure you can generally show up and get a ticket to that day-of, or at least a few days out. Definitely research it yourself, and I think you can buy tickets online so you might as well do that ahead of time.

For a data point, I booked a trip to Peru in... Feb or March? I went in early May, which is just before peak season. At the time I booked, all of the Inca Trail passes were long gone, but there was no problem getting a Machu Picchu ticket.

No matter what happens, be sure you have a ticket in hand BEFORE you start climbing or riding up the winding road to Machu Picchu itself, whether you get it online or from a booth in Aguas Calientes. They don't sell tickets on-site and you'll have to go back down the mountain. I saw them turn away people that'd walked (1 hour up hill on a dirt road) if they didn't have a ticket.

Edit- I just checked and there are some random dates that are available in the time frames you're talking about, but not many. For a good gauge, G Adventures is the biggest company in terms of passes purchased. Go to their site, search for Inca trail, then view their availability calendars for the dates you're looking at to see what is and isn't sold out.

Thanks that is helpful info. I'm not really leading our travel agenda, but I'm armed with your knowledge now.

I've seen some stuff about the "less crowded" routes such as the Royal Inca Trail which is apparently two days and leads to Macchu Picchu? Are these things also probably extremely booked?

Brian Fellows
May 29, 2003
I'm Brian Fellows
I'd actually never heard of the Royal Inca Trail. Looking it up, I'd just heard that referred to as the Alternate Inca Trail. Royal sounds cooler. Anyway, I don't know anything about that. I do know the Lares trek is an alternative trek that takes you through more actual modern Inca settlements. I'm really not sure on how limited (if at all) those are, but everywhere I've seen says that if you miss out on booking the Inca Trail you should be able to get in on the Lares or Alternative trail.

That's probably not a helpful answer. I did meet a girl who showed up as I was leaving that booked her trip at the same time as me (Feb or March for a May trip), and the Inca Trail had been sold out so she'd gotten a Lares trail tour. I know Lares and the other trail are less difficult and they're far less traveled than the Inca Trail, but let's be honest, you're there for the views. The entire area around Cuzco and Machu Picchu is incredible looking (it seriously doesn't even look real), so I'm pretty sure it's not AMAZINGLY important where you come in from.

I actually didn't do any trail. I toured several ruins in the days leading up to Machu Picchu (Pisac, Ollyantatambo, and Moray to be exact), took the train from Ollyantatambo to Aguas Calientes and then went to MP the next day. It was a great train ride- I'm sure not comparable to walking it and having time to take it in, but you really can't go wrong as long as you're SOMEWHERE in that area for at least a couple of days.

hoiyes
May 17, 2007
There are no Inca Trail passes available until the 4th of October, the terrible, terrible official site can be found here - http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ -- change language to english, click on the Queries tab, then change the box under 'Archaeological Centre' to Camino Inka for real-time ticket availability.

Checking out the G-Adventures site, and the fine print if you click on an "available date" says that the Inca Trail is booked so they'll do an alternative trek. Don't book with G-Adventures though because that price is about 4x what you'll pay for trek organised in Cusco itself. Like, that is a huge price for an alternative trek. The main cost in the Camino Inka trek is the entry price which is about $400 last I checked, but companies such as SAS travel offer the Inca Trail for $650 pp.

The Royal Inca is a pretty good alternative hike if you're short on time, you get to see the ruins and steep terraces at Winaywayna which are very impressive. And you get to enter Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate (although unlike the Inca Trail hikers who arrive at sunrise and stay there for the day, you'll arrive in the afternoon and head straight for the exit and then return the next day -- good for recouping your energy to take on Huanya Picchu).

I have no idea about the Lares trek but I've heard about and seen photos of the Salkantay trek, which is utterly stunning. I'd say it rivals Torres del Paine for its sheer natural vistas & high altitude lakes. You will need time to acclimatise because its much higher than other treks, but if you're all pretty adventurous Salkantay is an option.

Vanilla
Feb 24, 2002

Hay guys what's going on in th
Currently in Cartagena, Colombia and getting a boat to Panama tomorrow.

Once that's over i'm going to work my way up central for a bit. Costa Rica & Nicaragua for sure but does anyone know anything about Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize? These worth spending some time in?

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

hoiyes posted:

There are no Inca Trail passes available until the 4th of October, the terrible, terrible official site can be found here - http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ -- change language to english, click on the Queries tab, then change the box under 'Archaeological Centre' to Camino Inka for real-time ticket availability.

Checking out the G-Adventures site, and the fine print if you click on an "available date" says that the Inca Trail is booked so they'll do an alternative trek. Don't book with G-Adventures though because that price is about 4x what you'll pay for trek organised in Cusco itself. Like, that is a huge price for an alternative trek. The main cost in the Camino Inka trek is the entry price which is about $400 last I checked, but companies such as SAS travel offer the Inca Trail for $650 pp.

The Royal Inca is a pretty good alternative hike if you're short on time, you get to see the ruins and steep terraces at Winaywayna which are very impressive. And you get to enter Machu Picchu via the Sun Gate (although unlike the Inca Trail hikers who arrive at sunrise and stay there for the day, you'll arrive in the afternoon and head straight for the exit and then return the next day -- good for recouping your energy to take on Huanya Picchu).

I have no idea about the Lares trek but I've heard about and seen photos of the Salkantay trek, which is utterly stunning. I'd say it rivals Torres del Paine for its sheer natural vistas & high altitude lakes. You will need time to acclimatise because its much higher than other treks, but if you're all pretty adventurous Salkantay is an option.

Thanks, my friends are convinced that they can get stuff on the ground a few days before, because they heard such-and-such do it. Yeah G-Adventures looks incredibly expensive. I figure any guide who can get in will be pretty good, because there are a limited, select group that can get in anyway?

As someone nervous around heights, Huanya Picchu looks scary as poo poo.

also, is Lake Titicaca worthwhile?

TheLizard
Oct 27, 2004

I am the Lizard Queen!

Vanilla posted:

Once that's over i'm going to work my way up central for a bit. Costa Rica & Nicaragua for sure but does anyone know anything about Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Belize? These worth spending some time in?

Guatemala is a good blend of awesome food, friendly people, natural sites, ancient ruins and colonial history. Anything particular you want to know about?

hoiyes
May 17, 2007

CatchrNdRy posted:

Thanks, my friends are convinced that they can get stuff on the ground a few days before, because they heard such-and-such do it. Yeah G-Adventures looks incredibly expensive. I figure any guide who can get in will be pretty good, because there are a limited, select group that can get in anyway?

As someone nervous around heights, Huanya Picchu looks scary as poo poo.

also, is Lake Titicaca worthwhile?

To clarify, only the Inca Trail proper is booked, because the government has put a strict limit on the number of hikers per day and it's also a very popular hike, deservedly. All the other alternative treks mentioned you should be able to book in Cusco with a few days notice, Especially if there's a group of you, it means that even if it's only you guys that want to trek on a particular date, it'll still be worth their while. Then there's sites and treks you can do without a guide or booking, such as Pisac (nice ruins, really tough hike, the markets in the town are extensive and worth browsing), Tupiza (large Inca farming site, interesting due to the mostly intact irrigation system) or Moray (aliens did it) etc.

Titicaca is pretty stunning due to its overwhelming size, but the town Puno is nothing special. The floating islands are interesting to observe but also a little sad at how the people there now seem to rely on hard sell tourism. I have some fairly interesting stories about Puno, but only because we arrived there in the middle of the 2011 riots. I would recommend instead spending time checking out Huacachina or Arequipa or Iquitos/The Amazon.

As for central America, the impression I got from other travellers was, Belize is full of rich tourists, El Salvador and Honduras are full of kidnappers, and Guatemala is full of awesome - everyone loves Guatemala.

hoiyes fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Jun 7, 2013

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

hoiyes posted:

To clarify, only the Inca Trail proper is booked, because the government has put a strict limit on the number of hikers per day and it's also a very popular hike, deservedly. All the other alternative treks mentioned you should be able to book in Cusco with a few days notice, Especially if there's a group of you, it means that even if it's only you guys that want to trek on a particular date, it'll still be worth their while. Then there's sites and treks you can do without a guide or booking, such as Pisac (nice ruins, really tough hike, the markets in the town are extensive and worth browsing), Tupiza (large Inca farming site, interesting due to the mostly intact irrigation system) or Moray (aliens did it) etc.

Titicaca is pretty stunning due to its overwhelming size, but the town Puno is nothing special. The floating islands are interesting to observe but also a little sad at how the people there now seem to rely on hard sell tourism. I have some fairly interesting stories about Puno, but only because we arrived there in the middle of the 2011 riots. I would recommend instead spending time checking out Huacachina or Arequipa or Iquitos/The Amazon.

As for central America, the impression I got from other travellers was, Belize is full of rich tourists, El Salvador and Honduras are full of kidnappers, and Guatemala is full of awesome - everyone loves Guatemala.

hey i really appreciate the advice, it cleared up a lot of stuff for me. Is there anything else to do in Titicaca besides those islands? Please share your Puno riot stories!

huhu
Feb 24, 2006
Are there any countries in South/Central America where you can rent a motorcycle, even the most wimpy of bikes, for less than say $20 a day? I did it in Laos and would like to do it again but I've been doing some searching and I'm only finding prices of $100/day.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

You can rent scooters in Florinopolis, Brazil for about $20 power day

King Metal
Jun 15, 2001
$100 a day is about the bare minimum in Chile for a low end BMW/KTM. You can get cheaper bikes for $30-$40 a day, just have to not look at the really commercialized tourist sites.

Like here http://www.smartienda.cl/smartienda2004/det_prod.asp?PHP=138&PRODID=53787

Ribsauce
Jul 29, 2006

Blacks in the back.
A couple of years ago I went to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. I loved it. I was there for months though.

My friend and I have 10 days and we want to do this. Maybe see a couple cool nature things like a Volcano or Jungle, hang out on the beach and surf, relax, and drink (party) for 3-4 days, and fill a couple random days with neat stuff too.

We are looking at Costa Rica or Panama. This trip will be mid-August.

Basically the equivalent of it I went to Nicaragua checking out Leon for two days, then heading to San Juan Del Sur for 4 days, then Ometepe for 2 days, and maybe hitting Granda for a night on the way back home.

Can you do an equivalent loop in Panama or Costa Rica?

TheAlphaChaser
May 12, 2013
So I just found out that the girlfriend and I are flying for free into Costa Rica for an impromptu 1 week vacation in a few days. I've been scrambling to research, but what are considered the best hostels? Is there anything "must-see" for first timers? We're looking for good beaches and a fun nightlife moreso than anything else. Super pumped, never been south of Key West.

TheImmigrant
Jan 18, 2011

TheAlphaChaser posted:

So I just found out that the girlfriend and I are flying for free into Costa Rica for an impromptu 1 week vacation in a few days. I've been scrambling to research, but what are considered the best hostels? Is there anything "must-see" for first timers? We're looking for good beaches and a fun nightlife moreso than anything else. Super pumped, never been south of Key West.

Check out Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo. Lots of backpackers, great party vibe, pretty beaches.

Destroyenator
Dec 27, 2004

Don't ask me lady, I live in beer
I'm heading to Peru in a couple of months and will be flying into Cusco (via Lima). I'm going with my sister and we'd like to do a Machu Picchu hike. I've been a couple of years ago and did a Salkantay trek that I really enjoyed but I came in on bus and had already spent heaps of time at altitude in Bolivia beforehand.

I know it's too late to book the traditional one and we're not fussed about that but we fly into Cusco on the fifth of September and would have to get to MP on the tenth or eleventh at the very latest. We could probably do Salkantay but I'm worried about altitude sickness. Are there any other alternative routes that don't go too high but aren't gimmicky mountain biking/ziplining/rafting ones? Are we likely to be able to rock up the day before and get on one?

Nemesis Of Moles
Jul 25, 2007

Yet another Costa Rica person here. We're going in October in hopes of catching the end of the turtle season in Tortuguero.

Our current plan is to arrive in San Jose, stay there for a night then fly to Tortuguero, spend two days in the village and get a turtle tour/canoe trip. Fly back to San Jose and get a bus to Manuel Antonio for beach hangouts and maybe scuba diving for a few days. Then bus back to SJ for our flight home.

How does this sound? Good plan? How is the crime/people/whatever in these locations? What kind of boots/clothes should we pack? This is our first time going to central america and while some is obvious (bug spray, light clothes, hiking boots) I'd like to make sure we're not being dumb about something.

CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

Destroyenator posted:

I'm heading to Peru in a couple of months and will be flying into Cusco (via Lima). I'm going with my sister and we'd like to do a Machu Picchu hike. I've been a couple of years ago and did a Salkantay trek that I really enjoyed but I came in on bus and had already spent heaps of time at altitude in Bolivia beforehand.

I know it's too late to book the traditional one and we're not fussed about that but we fly into Cusco on the fifth of September and would have to get to MP on the tenth or eleventh at the very latest. We could probably do Salkantay but I'm worried about altitude sickness. Are there any other alternative routes that don't go too high but aren't gimmicky mountain biking/ziplining/rafting ones? Are we likely to be able to rock up the day before and get on one?

I'm in Peru right now and finished Salkantay a few days ago. The other tours that seem to be offered right now are Lares and Jungle. Jungle seems very gimmicky and Laers is quite far from Macchu, you get a train ticket at the end.


As an aside, Im splitting from my friends and heading back to Lima and have a day and a half to kill before my flight. Just cruise around Miraflores?

Aesis
Oct 9, 2012
Filthy J4G

TheImmigrant posted:

Check out Rocking J's in Puerto Viejo. Lots of backpackers, great party vibe, pretty beaches.

Puerto Viejo is recommendable. Not that expensive as well. I think you can rent a hammock to sleep on but not entirely sure myself since I didn't rent one.

Positive Optimyst
Oct 25, 2010

by FactsAreUseless

CatchrNdRy posted:

As an aside, Im splitting from my friends and heading back to Lima and have a day and a half to kill before my flight. Just cruise around Miraflores?

I am in Arequipa and just left Lima (and Huacashina).

Miraflores is a good place to stay in Lima. It feels like Europe (not that I want that) and you'll here French and Eglish spoken on the streets.

I'm moving to Tuscon in November.

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CatchrNdRy
Mar 15, 2005

Receiver of the Rye.

Positive Optimyst posted:

I am in Arequipa and just left Lima (and Huacashina).

Miraflores is a good place to stay in Lima. It feels like Europe (not that I want that) and you'll here French and Eglish spoken on the streets.

I'm moving to Tuscon in November.

Tucson, like the ubiquitous Peruvian Hyundai Tucson.
I do recall your posts in the Arizona thread, let me welcome you to a city that is Latin American not only in language and culture, but in road infrastructure and income disparity! And kilometers!

Lima and Miraflores was fine, but as you said reminded me of any "Western" downtown as opposed to something unique.

CatchrNdRy fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Aug 2, 2013

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