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Mexico/Guatemala or Peru/Bolivia/Chile? Which do you suggest? Mexico/Guatemala or Peru/Bolivia/Chile? Which do you suggest?
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Photo by Sean Howman, The Pamir highway in an unseasonably cold late October, Tajikistan

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Sean Howman,
The Pamir highway in an unseasonably
cold late October, Tajikistan



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  • 1 Post By stbarnett
  • 1 Post By markharf
  • 1 Post By Flipflop

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  #1  
Old 16 Feb 2016
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Mexico/Guatemala or Peru/Bolivia/Chile? Which do you suggest?
Hi All, Im hoping I can tap into the wealth of experience on here.

I planning on joining an organised tour in Nov/Dec 2016. I have spent a lot of time travelling the world, but never been to central and southern america - and this will be the first trip on a motorbike. (15 years riding - 44yo male)

There are basically three different options I have - so i am keen to hear from those who have spent some time in these areas as to which area would be best to see for a first timer to that part of the world.

Im planning on joining a 3 week approx tour, then spend a week or two afterwards somewhere in the Americas before joining the rest of the family for a holiday in Canada.

Option 1 - is starting in Mexico traveling down to Guatemala, up thru Belize and finishing in CanCun (World On Wheels - Tacos 'n' Tequila Tour)

Option 2 - Is Peru /Bolivia/Chile (World On Wheels - Awesome Andes Tour)

Option 3 - would be Chile and Argentina, but its probably a lot to fit into a shorter trip -

Any suggestion of which option would be the most interesting?

Any suggestions for tour companies??

Cheers

Zane
Queensland, Australia
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  #2  
Old 17 Feb 2016
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Wow! Tough choices. I've done all of north, central, and south America and any of those trips would be fine for the kind of tour you are looking at.

I love traveling in Mexico, but would definitely spend more time in Chiapas and less in tourist resorts like Acapulco and Cancun. Belize is one I wouldn't repeat.

The Peru/Bolivia/Chile ride includes a lot of truly unique areas... things that you won't see anywhere in the world. Machu Pichu, Puno, and Nazca are all incredible, as is the Atacama desert (southern Peru/northern Chile). If I had to make a choice, I would go for this trip. Mexico and Guatemala are great, but the Andes trip is covers things that you just can't see anywhere else.

After you've done that, you might find you want to do Mexico and Guatemala on your own.

Have fun.
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Steve Barnett
Panama City, Panama
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  #3  
Old 17 Feb 2016
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Thankyou!
Hi Steve - I had come to the same conclusion. Really appreciate your input - helps make a tough choice easier. Cheers
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  #4  
Old 20 Feb 2016
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Consider a tour with Around the Block Moto Adventures in Peru.

adventure motorcycle tours in Peru and all South America - Home

I usually travel by myself, but friends were going on a short tour and I wanted to travel, so I signed up. Toby and Sara Shannon will take good care of you. And they offer a good service and well maintained bikes at a fair price.

Three weeks is not that much time. I recommend taking a tour within one country. With a multiple country tour you will chew up a fair amount of time getting to and clearing borders. Peru has a lot to offer. I'm going back there as time allows.
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2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

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  #5  
Old 20 Feb 2016
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Mexico you can do any time. Three months for Peru, Bolivia and Chile would still be about a year too little. The central spine of Peru has some fantastic roads and scenery and would be more than enough. Do you have an itinerary?
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  #6  
Old 22 Feb 2016
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If you're bound and determined to take an organized tour, the Peru/Bolivia/Chile extravaganza is about as good as it'll get--far more fun in almost every way than anything you're likely to find in Central America.

But if you might swing a couple of months or a year down there any day soon, save South America for then. That three-week Andean tour will keep you hopping from place to place without much chance to absorb or explore.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark
Last edited by markharf; 22 Feb 2016 at 17:18.
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  #7  
Old 7 May 2016
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I finished my trip in last December. I would suggest doing the Peru, Bolivia, Chile. Peru is nice for that country is one big desert. It is a lot bigger than it looks on the map.

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  #8  
Old 1 Nov 2024
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Try this itinerary in Peru
9-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cuzco
Activity 1: The historical center and Plaza de Armas
Activity 2: The Qoriqancha Temple


Day 2: Sacsayhuamán and Q’enqo
Activity 1: Sacsayhuamán
Activity 2: Q’enqo

Day 3: Pisac
Activity 1: Visit the Pisac ruins
Activity 2: Pisac craft market

Day 4: Ollantaytambo
Activity 1: The Ollantaytambo fortress
Activity 2: Stroll through the village

Day 5: Moray and Maras
Activity 1: Moray – The mysterious Inca circles
Activity 2: The Maras Salt Mines

Day 6: Machu Picchu
Activity 1: Exploration of Machu Picchu
Activity 2: Climb Huayna Picchu (optional)

Day 7: Return to Ollantaytambo
Activity 1: Hike to the Pumamarca ruins

Day 8: Chinchero
Activity 1: The archaeological center
Activity 2: Traditional weaving workshops

Day 9: Cuzco – Relaxation and museums day
Activity 1: Inca Museum
Activity 2: Temple of the Moon (optional)

What do you think? Any comments/Changes?
You can find more details about activities, accomodation, restaurants, ... on this blog:
https://my-little-trip.com/voyage-pe...rs-historiques

Enjoy
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  #9  
Old 1 Nov 2024
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Another way of looking at it is:
Do you want a bike ride or a tourist trip on a bike?
Peru sounds like the latter so if that’s what you want then great. But, if you want a bike ride then I would choose Patagonia, Columbia or Ecuador.
Enjoy your trip
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Old 1 Nov 2024
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Zebu View Post

Im planning on joining a 3 week approx tour, then spend a week or two afterwards somewhere in the Americas before joining the rest of the family for a holiday in Canada.

Option 1 - Mexico/Guatemala/Belize/Mexico(Cancun)

Option 2 - Peru/Bolivia/Chile

Option 3 - Chile/Argentina
Hmm - in three weeks you don't have nearly enough time to explore any of these fully except perhaps Guatemala or Belize. So, it'll be a very brief introduction to the places you go. Adding another 2 weeks does help.

The question is "what are your interests?". If you want to spend most of your time on back roads the answer will be different from the answer if you want to explore local history and archæological sites.

However, resisting the temptation to go into detail on the pros and cons of all of these, I'd go for the Perú/Bolivia/Chile option. The webpage wouldn't work for me, however I'd hope that this would include time in SW Bolivia, crossing the Salar to San Pedro de Atacama. If you end up in Chile then you could spend the extra 2 weeks criss-crossing Argentina and Chile - Ruta 40, the mountains and lakes.
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  #11  
Old 2 Nov 2024
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flipflop raises a very good question.

For me I would like a bike ride and mix with a bit of touristy stuff. I don't like big crowds.

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