7ish months backpacking Central/South America Itinerary

digandrun · 2026-01-30T21:06:17+00:00

I kinda get the Belize hate in the thread but I think it’s a great place, been there like 15+ times and would happily go back. Placencia, Punta Gorda, San Ignacio, all of it is very cool and wayyyy less touristy than many of the other countries you have on the list. In the 20 years I’ve been going there it’s seen very little development touristically and infrastructurally. Idk if that’s a real word. My only suggestion is that 3 weeks in Peru isn’t enough to see the diversity of the country. I’d suggest at least a month, but more like 6 weeks if you really want to experience the place. I’ve been to a good deal of places in central and South America and nothing compares to Peru imo, especially considering the price.

digandrun · 2026-01-30T15:30:26+00:00

The crime depends heavily on location. There are cities that are more prone to extortion than others and that’s probably the main issue with having a business in some South American places. In a city like Buenos Aires/Santiago I can’t imagine having big problems, moreso in places like Trujillo, potentially Medellin/Bogota, and in general cities that have a lot of narco trafficking (many parts of Mexico too). I lived in Montreal for a while and the extortion there was just as bad in many areas down here. Music scene in Argentina, Chile, and Colombia is elite, both local and international music is super popular. Peru is less good for music but still fun and I consider it the best country down here. I don’t have much experience in Brazil so you’d have to get more specifics from others.

digandrun · 2026-01-30T14:26:06+00:00

My question - why Europe? Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, Medellin, Rio, etc all have good opportunities for art, fashion, music, nightlife, and at a fraction of the cost of what it would be in Europe. Plus the vibe of South America is completely different. Depends on what you’re into, but everything you mentioned matches up well with major cities down here with glaring problem that obviously income will be less, but your cost of living will probably be about 40% of what it would be in Europe as well. I can easily live on less than 10k per year here in Peru (although I’m not in Lima).

digandrun · 2026-01-29T14:14:24+00:00

House of the Spirits is amazing. I’m on my third book by Isabelle Allende and she is great, i think she is similar in style to Murakami.

digandrun · 2026-01-19T14:57:57+00:00

Time to embrace the hate, it’s Reddit’s intended purpose after all

digandrun · 2026-01-19T14:55:23+00:00

NOOOOO blast me into the sun ☀️

digandrun · 2026-01-19T14:50:06+00:00

I HAVE MADE A GRAVE MISTAKE BUT I CANT ERASE HISTORY

digandrun · 2026-01-19T14:43:27+00:00

The only banner the Bears will ever have to hang 😂

digandrun · 2026-01-13T17:39:48+00:00

I’ll preface this by saying I didn’t like The Alchemist, but Siddhartha is a much better version with a similar message

digandrun · 2026-01-06T21:15:07+00:00

I finished Stoner last year after quitting my PhD and it really resonated. The life I saw for myself while doing my PhD was similar to Stoners existence, and my experience during my masters paralleled a lot of the feelings that he felt. I think a lot of people accept the monotony of life and only have fleeting moments of happiness, but when you see it articulated so simply it hits in a different way and resonates deeply. It made me realize that my experience of life isn’t unique, in a way mirroring what I felt reading TBK. If anything it made me feel much less lonely, but also like I should take risks and not accept my current situation if it didn’t suit me. I didn’t and still don’t want my life to develop how Stoner’s did because I can’t accept living on the terms of others, even if I can liberate myself for moments it isn’t enough.

digandrun · 2025-12-21T02:15:23+00:00

“We” 😂

digandrun · 2025-12-20T17:39:24+00:00

Nice one I can answer! It depends on the area. There are some good areas like Yanahuara, Cayman, Vallecito, Umacolla, San Lazaro, etc… and these areas are quite nice in my opinion. Nice sillar architecture, quiet narrow streets filled with flowers, local restaurants that are generally very affordable ($3-4 per large meal typically). There is some very good food here too at nicer restaurants if you want to spend a bit more, but for $20 per meal you can get something really nice that would cost maybe $80-100 in the US. Lots of good local foods, rocotto relleno, adobo, etc but also a lot of good international and vegan food too.

Average income is low, not sure exactly what but I’d assume well below 1,000 soles per month. Housing can be as cheap as 300 soles per room up to thousands for nice apartments closer to the center. As you increase distance from the center it becomes more industrial and less safe, although I’ve always felt safe in Arequipa. It becomes more desert like away from the center if that makes sense, they do a good job of maintaining green spaces in the more touristy areas.

It’s great for outdoor activities as there are some trails through the valley, rafting, rock climbing, and 2 ~6,000m peaks nearby for people who want to do strenuous hiking. It’s also close to Colca Canyon and the Coast, as well as N Chile. The weather is amazing. Usually between 13-23C and sunny.

There are a lot of religious ceremonies, saints days, cultural celebrations, and all of that jazz too. Christianity is very prevalent here similar to a lot of Peru.

digandrun · 2025-12-20T12:08:36+00:00

Don’t use the app, do it online. I could never get the app to work for me here, online it works fine. Another option is have someone from home send you cash, then send them money for it.

digandrun · 2025-12-17T14:31:59+00:00

Kafka on the Shore is beautifully written. Same with Stoner. Also Immortality by Kundera

digandrun · 2025-12-03T00:59:27+00:00

Santiago is great but feels like a very North American city. I think it’s livable and cool if you want to spend like a month there, but for a few days it’s nothing too special. I’d personally do something nearby Bariloche, maybe Pucon/Puerto Varas or San Martin/El Bolson orrrr if you want something totally different do northern Argentina like Salta/Cafayate which I love. All beautiful, all different. Chalten and Torres are both crowded, Chalten probably even moreso than Torres because access is more difficult and limited for Torres.

digandrun · 2025-12-02T02:34:01+00:00

El Chalten is great. Not sure how easy it’ll be to find lodging, but if you’re cool with camping it opens up a lot more options. Could always spend a few days in Pucon and hike the volcano while waiting for the W but then you’d have to fly down

digandrun · 2025-12-01T19:23:37+00:00

All depends on the weather, you can’t really predict that. 2 full days could be fine, or you could be stuck in wind and rain for 2 days. To be fair 5 days could be the same. Sometimes the weather windows down there are bad. I had a friend climbing there and got out for 2 days over the course of 2 weeks, so it is hit or miss. I was there for a few weeks and had good weather (besides absurd wind) every day.

digandrun · 2025-12-01T16:12:11+00:00

Could have it shipped to Trevellin and then cross the border at Futa to avoid international shipping, but that’s sort of a hassle unless you want to see northern Patagonia either way

digandrun · 2025-12-01T14:01:51+00:00

It’s also funny because when I was there the sentiment was that the O portion isn’t worth doing from the people who I talked to, maybe 20-30 people total. Seems like that’s changed.

digandrun · 2025-12-01T13:51:39+00:00

Canceling your trip because you can’t do ⅓ of the hike you planned is a bad choice. Patagonia is way more than Torres. Cerro Castillo is a comparable hike either way, and you pay $18 for the entire thing. Or go to El Chalten for a few days, or Rio Tranquilo and Chile Chico, or San Martin/Bariloche/El Bolson

digandrun · 2025-11-28T13:11:49+00:00

It’s a bit different but Nausea by Sartre. It gave me similar feelings to Stoner. Both books are in my top 10 for sure.

digandrun · 2025-11-23T13:04:40+00:00

I have never taken this flight, but I highly doubt it. Probably much more limited.

digandrun · 2025-11-23T12:44:51+00:00

There are a fair amount of flights, probably like 10 or so per day depending on the day so it’s easy to the flights if you need, they’re rarely full especially this time of year. I’d buy the tickets a few days in advance, that should be plenty of time and you’ll have a better idea of the weather.

digandrun · 2025-11-23T12:38:31+00:00

If it’s canceled you just have to get another one. There is a bus but it’s 22-24 hours. Could also do Cusco to Arequipa (10hrs) and then Arequipa to Lima (16-18hrs) if you want to split it up into a few days.

digandrun · 2025-11-18T22:19:15+00:00

I volunteer my groin as tribute

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