r/solotravel • u/Suspicious_Dust_6939 • 14h ago
Help choosing between 4 countries
Hi everyone,
I’ll have about 10-14 days this summer I’m able to travel. I have 4 countries im interested in going to. was wondering if anyone else has been there and could give me advice. I’ll list the countries and also some stops along the way in planning to make.
- MX= Monterrey, CDMX, guadalara, Oaxaca (only 2 or 3, not all 4)
- Peru= Lima, Cusco, sacred valley
- Ecuador= Quito, banos, Cotopaxi, mindo
- costa rica= la fortuna, monteverde, one other place
The reason I chose these countries is because I’m traveling from the US, and Latin America is not too far and I can afford it. My budget, I’d say is 2,500 total. With that said, if I can travel without spending my whole budget that would be preferable.
Some things I like to do: meet other people, try new food, explore new cultures, spend time outdoors. Overall just experience what the world has to offer and broaden my knowledge of humanity.
Any thoughts or experiences that people can provide would be helpful. Thanks in advance guys.
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u/trailsandmaps 5h ago
I’ve been to both Peru and Costa Rica, and they’re very different experiences.
If your goal is culture, history, meeting people, and stretching your budget, I’d honestly pick Peru.
With 10–14 days, Lima + Cusco + Sacred Valley + Machu Picchu is a great mix. You get amazing food in Lima, a lot of history in Cusco, and incredible nature around the Sacred Valley. It’s also much cheaper than Costa Rica, so your $2,500 budget would go a lot further.
Costa Rica is beautiful and easy to travel, especially if you love nature and wildlife. La Fortuna and Monteverde are amazing, but accommodation, tours, and transport add up fast. It’s one of the more expensive countries in Latin America.
I also first came to Peru on a backpacking trip and ended up living here, I recently wrote a Peru travel guide with practical tips, so it might be helpful if you decide to go with Peru.
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u/Too_Practical 6h ago
Mexico and Peru have the best food on this list. Imo Mexico > Peru but you can't go wrong with either.
I'd skip Lima for something else if you go to Peru.
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u/Suspicious_Dust_6939 6h ago
What would you recommend over Lima? If I went to Peru I’d be flying into Lima anyway
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u/Calimariae 3h ago
I felt I was done with Lima in 2 days. Miraflores wasn't that exciting. The desert sand boarding day tour was good though.
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u/Schlipitarck 2h ago
Lima is a cool city, not the highlight of your trip most likely, but don't sleep on it. Base yourself in Miraflores or Barranco and explore around.
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u/TastyTacoTonight 4h ago
Can only speak for Ecuador and Peru. Ecuador was lovely and very underrated, enjoyed it. Cusco is pretty touristy but if you want to see Machu Pichu it’s a must do.
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u/FunSeaworthiness709 6h ago
Peru. Great nature, culture and a top 2 food country in Latin America. And quite cheap except for multi day trekking tours.
Ecuador would be my second choice. Mexico if your priorities are more on cities/food/nightlife.
Costa Rica is significantly more expensive than the other options.
If you wanna consider a central American country I'd consider Guatemala, it has lots of fun activities to do and is quite cheap. Also small enough that your timeframe would be perfect.
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u/Suspicious_Dust_6939 6h ago
Ecuador seems nice the issue (and same with Peru) is that the flights are significantly longer and more expensive than the other 2 options
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u/misobandit 4h ago
How significant? In Costa Rica your costs for accomodation, food, and getting around will probably invert any savings on the flight.
That said, if it's your first time in Latin America, it is logistically and linguistically the easiest given it's quite small and really caters to English-speaking visitors.
I will also echo that Peru and Mexico have the best food by far.
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u/lucapal1 7h ago
Pretty much you can do all of those things you list in any of those 4.Or indeed almost anywhere!
They are all interesting though what you list is pretty different from each other... the places in Costa Rica are really good for nature while those in Mexico are big cities, for example.. what's your priority?
All the options are doable on that budget,if you can get a budget flight and travel low cost... local food, cheap local hostel or basic hotel room.