<p>I have been to a lot of countries, but never anywhere in South America or Central America (other than Mexico).</p>
<p>So we want to set aside 3 weeks at the end of this year (easier to take time off over Xmas and New Year, but don’t know if its too crazy busy then). February next year is possible too.</p>
<p>One idea would be a 3 (?) country Central America tour - places such as Cuba, Costa Rica, Belize??</p>
<p>Or really South, such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay ??</p>
<p>Would want a mixture of city life and nature, and not running every day to a new place and new hotel.</p>
<p>Any tips to help the early planning process?</p>
<p>If you’re going to head to South America, I think it would be a mistake to not go to Peru and at least hit up Lima and Cuzco (and obviously Machu Picchu)</p>
<p>We went to Argentina and Uruguay several years ago when our youngest dd was studying down there. We want to go again! The countries were beautiful and non touristy. We (who don’t speak any Spanish) were able to get around fairly well. English is spotty there but the people were very friendly and helpful. We visited Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. We took a ferry over to the delightful town of Colonia in Uruguay for a day trip. We stayed in b & b’s in both places. I would like to go back and see Mendoza and Patagonia which our dd did see. Argentina- home to handsome men, great food and good, cheap wine- what is not to love!</p>
<p>I would look into Chile. It is a beautiful country. I was in Santiago several years ago on business and fell in love. Given it is so narrow you can be at the beach in the morning and the mountains in the afternoon (surf & ski). The food was great and there are wineries to the south. Much farther south is great fishing and hiking. </p>
<p>One issue with South America is that’s its very expensive theses days because of the strong currencies due to their commodity economies. (Good article in today’s NY times on how expensive brazil is. I would avoid for now, as they are getting ready for World Cup and the rio Olympics. Traffic has always been a nightmare ) </p>
<p>Remember their seasons are opposite of ours.</p>
<p>Have been to all the Central American countries you listed, plus Argentina and Chile. Some quick observations: Central America is, obviously, closer (assuming you live in the US). Nature abounds in all three countries you mentioned, and you can schedule a mix of the city and more rural (although you won’t want to hang out in Belize City much…lots of crime). </p>
<p>Argentina and Chile are also beautiful but much farther away. The plane ride is long! Just know that they are very large countries and you won’t have time to “see it all” in 3 weeks. We went there last December and did a poor job of recognizing vast distances, thus spent a lot of time in transit and not enough relaxing.</p>
<p>My 24 year old son just got back from 5 weeks in Peru and Colombia. The three weeks would fit nicely for Colombia.</p>
<p>Guatamala, Costa Rica and Belieze. </p>
<p>I have used LADATCO in both Central (Guatamala and Honduras) and South America (Peru and Bolivia). Check out Adventuras Naturales in Costa Rica. They are both online.</p>
<p>I just got back from a two week trip to Argentina (my 26 year old daughter did an extra week). It fits your interest in both urban and natural environments. I had one week in Buenos Aires (did the day trip to Colonia in Uruguay as well) and one week in Patagonia (in Bariloche) which is gorgeous. My daughter also got to go to Iguazu Falls. I found Argentina to be fairly inexpensive. We rented an apartment in both Buenos Aires and Bariloche.</p>
<p>sorghum, if you are a US citizen or a permanent resident, you should carefully check if the tour company you plan on using is licensed by the US govt for traveling to Cuba.</p>
<p>Fwiw, Brazil is very different from Argentina regarding costs. While the official exchange rate is making Argentina affordable, the unofficial rate is making it very cheap. Remember that February will feel like September. So no ski in Bariloche in February but boating on the lake! It is a good idea to price local flights from here and check for promotions a la Visit XXX that sells prepaid coupons.</p>
<p>sorghum, sorry about the PM box. It fills up and I prefer not using it as it is one more box to check. If you click on my name, you can choose to “email member” and send me an email. </p>
<p>However, the answer to your question is that we used Airbnb, a site online for renting an apartment anywhere, and has some safeguards by going through the site/third party. I had used it this past year three times in NYC and so did it for Buenos Aires and Bariloche and all these times worked out great. The rental prices in Argentina were WAY cheaper than in NYC. In fact, VERY cheap, in my opinion. If you want to know the specific units we rented, email me. Both were convenient locations and nice hosts. They were one bedroom apartments.</p>