Need South America trip recommendations

[skibumsmith]

I’m going to SA with a friend in late October. This is my first time traveling abroad so this is an exploratory mission. Skiing isn’t a priority. However I would be pretty hyped if we were able to get some turns in. We have two weeks and are probably going to be spending the bulk of our time in Peru and Chile. The caveat is that the person I’m going with doesn’t have a lot of experience in the mountains and I don’t have enough experience to be a full on guide for them. We both like to ski, alpine climb and rock climb, but for the sake of this thread, it’s best to assume that we’re amateurs in these activities and we’d even consider paying for a guided trip. Also interested in seeing cultural checkpoints and maybe even a couple days at the beach.
Cheers!

[kokomas]

Did a big family "backpack" trip with small kids and no skiing a couple years back so not really close to what you are doing. But happy to give any pointers. We went to Peru and Argentina but not Chile. Also visited Bay Islands, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Belize. TR here:

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app

Ongoing nsr TR: Taking the tribe across the other Americas

Give a holler if I can some way be of help

[rideit]

Hit me up via PM (or here) if you want some super recent Perú beta. I am here right now for a Peruvian wedding, and this is my ninth trip here. I know a thing or three.

[kamtron]

Two weeks isn't much. October is generally late season in Chile, although good for volcano skiing further South or high peaks near Santiago. I would probably just bring hiking gear and make the trip about walking around with that short amount of time and for ease of travel.

Chile and Peru are really different. San Pedro de Atacama is worth a visit, along with Valparaiso and the areas much further South aka the lakes district. With only 2 weeks I would pick 2 towns in each country to base out of and check out. Near San Pedro the cragging at Socaire is really cool, and you can also walk up a number of desert peaks near the Bolivian border. Local guides can help you out.

If you speak some Spanish it will help a lot. October is far enough out to learn!

[SpeLunker]

great blow in peru

[406]

I only have about 1 week experience in Chile, but I think only Southern Volcanoes would be option that late. Can you shift trip earlier? A few days at Valle Nevado area and Portillo would likely be a good intro for someone with no backcountry experience. Check out the Casey's Chile thread. I scored awesome snow late season (Sept) a few years back:
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...e-Nevado-Chile

[carlh]

I found Bolivia much more authentic than Peru and it’s a quick trip over to La Paz area from Cusco which is a tourist trap but still worth a visit. The San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni trip is probably the most unique place we went but is hard to get to and really high if you have any altitude issues.

Patagonia is awesome but really far away from Peru, take an airplane not a bus if you have a timeline.

In general the further off the beaten path the better. Given a short trip I would err on experiencing culture not doing alpine activities you can do at home just in a different place.

I spend a year down there but it was 10 years ago so I’m sure it has changed.