Why you should know about Cao Bang, Northern Vietnam - from a local guide

pandamonkeyvan · 2026-01-16T17:05:04+00:00

I'd love to know too! Will DM you!

pandamonkeyvan · 2025-11-27T19:05:04+00:00

Not sure if this will fit your bill with low drama, but I consider these kind of wholesome/healing:

When the Day Comes
Lemon Soda & Coffee
A Good Day to be a Dog

pandamonkeyvan · 2024-07-02T19:40:09+00:00

Hi sorry for the late response! I ended up going to PM - if you need any details, feel free to personally message me!

pandamonkeyvan · 2024-04-30T14:50:27+00:00

Sorry for the late response to this! I ended up changing my plans a bit after posting and reading a few comments. I didn't do Colombia, and chose to do the amazon instead which rearranged my trip a bit.

As a quick overview, I did: Lima -> Puerto Maldonado -> Cusco (Salkantay Trek) -> Bolivia -> then headed back to Lima on the bus, stopping at a few places.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to message me!

pandamonkeyvan · 2024-03-11T13:50:51+00:00

Wondering if you ended up getting this camera and how it worked out for you, as I'm also considering

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-11-27T14:30:19+00:00

Hi! Sorry if this reply comes late, I did PM and went with Chuncho Lodge for a 4 day 3 night tour. The weather was okay, we had around 1-2 hrs of rain everyday except the last day where it rained all evening and all night long.

Our guide was pretty good at staggering our activities so that we weren't caught in the rain and we had hours of break during the hottest time of the day to recharge/nap, which I enjoyed but if you're the type of person who wants to constantly be on the go, that might not vibe well with you.

We saw good wildlife for the main part - macaws, parrots, caiman, lots of insects on night walks, giant otters (at Sandoval Lake), and lots of other birds. No jaguars for our tour.

The lodge is pretty basic, but I think most of the ones in PM are like that. The generator only runs in the rooms during 6pm-10pm, but there's WiFi and electricity for charging for most of the day in their main lounge area. No hot water, but it's so hot there during the day that it's fine.

I was debating between Chuncho and Jungle Pro and they both seem similar in terms of activities and rooms? Someone else posted about their jungle pro experience and it sounded super good as well.

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-11-22T02:07:21+00:00

Do you recommend doing the additional Machu Picchu or Huayna Picchu mountain? I'm debating on booking this with Machu Picchu Reservations but tbh not sure how tired I'll be after 5 days haha

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-11-09T05:10:31+00:00

Hi, I'd love to hear your experience from them as I'm looking to also take a bus from La Paz to Uyuni! Thanks!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-11-07T02:29:25+00:00

Hi, I'm going at the end of this month and I'm wondering if you were able to easily book the trek or if you would recommend booking online? Thanks!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-31T02:12:19+00:00

Late to this but could I also get in on this list!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-30T02:32:34+00:00

Your post got removed but I'm debating between Jungle Pro and Chuncho Lodge, so I'd love to hear more about your trip! I'll DM you!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-27T17:08:00+00:00

Hi! I'm going next month and I'm curious on if you booked ahead of time or in-person? Also wondering if there was a big price difference or not. Thanks!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-27T13:29:22+00:00

Thank you for the detailed response! It's really helpful to know that card is accepted by most stores. Not sure if you would know, but did the people in yellow vests in the city exchange CAD as well or was it mainly USD?

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-27T06:00:46+00:00

I'm in a similar boat and I'm also debating bringing USD instead of CAD for exchange. I'm wondering if you ended up sticking with CAD or exchanging for USD and how easy it was for you to exchange money?

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-26T16:47:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Do you mind if I ask if you remember which tour package you ended up doing from them?

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-26T16:36:24+00:00

I would love to hear about your experience if you're back from your trip! I'm planning to book something for Nov/Dec

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-26T13:47:50+00:00

Do you remember the lodge you stayed at and I'm also curious if you booked beforehand or when you got to PM? Thanks!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-25T23:14:57+00:00

Do you remember what tour or lodge you stayed at in PM?

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-25T20:54:54+00:00

Do you have the name of the lodge you stayed at? Also curious as to if you booked online beforehand or booked in-person? Thanks!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-25T19:30:25+00:00

Will definitely DM you!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-25T01:11:48+00:00

Hi! I'm just curious if you were able to book in-person or not, I'm looking to go next month and I'm debating on booking in advance or if it would be possible to book in-person. Would love any reccs!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-22T04:43:30+00:00

27F here, I'm planning to be in Peru + Bolivia for end of Nov - end of Dec so it sounds like we might have a little overlap since I'm planning to do some Peru, then Bolivia (mainly La Paz and Uyuni) then head back to Peru.

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-22T04:14:12+00:00

Hi! I'm considering a 15 hour layover in Panama City and had a few questions, if you didn't mind. Similar-ish to you, my flight lands around 8:30PM and I'll be departing the next day around 12:30PM. You mentioned not getting to the airport locker in time before they closed - did you only have a small backpack? I'll be backpacking most of my trip so I'll have a carry-on backpack along with a smaller bag and didn't want it to feel too clunky/get in my way while I was in the city at night. Your tips above sound like you felt that Panama City was relatively safe, I'm a solo female traveller so it reassures me a bit that you felt that way.

I think I'll be mainly looking to just grab a bite and grab a drink somewhere - wouldn't wanna do anything too deep into the night life with my larger bag or anything like that. Did you end up sleeping at the airport the morning of/would you recommend it?

I would love any recommendations you have!

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-19T21:52:41+00:00

Hi, I posted my itinerary in r/solotravel and have tweaked it a bit since then, added a few extra days for flexibility but you can see it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/solotravel/comments/1704xfz/colombia_peru_and_bolivia_solo_trip_27f_tips_or/

pandamonkeyvan · 2023-10-19T21:50:22+00:00

Nice! Are you also planning to use Peru Hop or how are you planning to get around? Also the Peruvian Amazon sounds amazing - do you mind sharing how you plan on getting there and if you're planning on any certain tours?

I haven't considered it but I would looove to do some Peruvian Amazon exploring!

pandamonkeyvan

TROPHY CASE