Hi I'm traveling to South America at the beginning of April 2011. The plan is to work my way up from Ushuaia in Argentina and finish in Ecuador or the other way around. The problem I'm having is deciding which way around to do the trip due to the weather. I'm really keen to visit the Galapagos islands and I've read its best to visit these before May as the sea gets rough and the water isn't as clear. However I also really want to go trekking through Patagonia and realise that winter sets in around this time too? I'm there for 3mths and although money will be tight, if i need to take internal flights to make this trip as good as possible then so be it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I can't help with the Patagonia part of your decision. But we were in the Galápagos Island last Sept., which is the least visited month of the year. The waters were indeed choppy at times, primarily on the open-water crossings to Genovesa and Española; the waters were a bit less clear because of the nutrient-rich waters. However, because of the latter, many of the marine animals/fish came very close because they were busy feeding and not paying much attention to us. This off-season has a lot to recommend it--far fewer visitors at each stop, milder temps (in the mid-70s every day), no insects at all, just to name a few. So I would say that just about any time you get to the Galápagos will be terrific and you will have a wonderful time. Don't write off the less popular months!
Tina
trip report at -snip-
[ , no personal details please. ]
Hi I'm traveling to South America at the beginning of April 2011. The plan is to work my way up from Ushuaia in Argentina and finish in Ecuador or the other way around. The problem I'm having is deciding which way around to do the trip due to the weather. I'm really keen to visit the Galapagos islands and I've read its best to visit these before May as the sea gets rough and the water isn't as clear. However I also really want to go trekking through Patagonia and realise that winter sets in around this time too? I'm there for 3mths and although money will be tight, if i need to take internal flights to make this trip as good as possible then so be it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Earlier the better and DEFINITELY start with Ushuaia and work your way up - since winter hits there first. I did my trip to Ushuaia and Patagonia in mid-April of 2008. I was in Patagonia between April 14 and April 19 and then three more days in Ushuaia. Ushuaia gets cold but not terrible at this time. The Penguin colony totally empties out by this time so if that is high on your priority, I suggest getting there in the first 5 days of April or so. The sea lions are still around though in hordes. Patagonia was unbelievably gorgeous at that time. The weather was brilliant. It was like watching two seasons at the same time. The Fall colors were blindingly beautiful. My room mate from Ushuaia ended up going there 10 days later than I did and by that time, the weather had gotten pretty bad and there were not travelers around. Keep that in mind if you are traveling alone. Definitely begin in Argentina (all the way at the south) and just work your way north. Send me a personal message if you have any specific questions.
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