Peru or Vietnam/Cambodia April 2016

2792722

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and would like some holiday advice or suggestions. I'm looking to go on a 2 week holiday with my other half in early April and we are both in our mid 20's. So far our ideas are as follows:

Peru
Pros: Machu Picchu etc.
Cons: Safety, now this is our biggest worry, as reading around and particulalry on the government travel advice webpage, the safety advice given is: "Street crime, including muggings and thefts, is a significant problem in Lima,"

Cambodia/Vietnam, Ideally a week in both.
Pros: Various raving reviews from friends, Angkor Wat etc.
Cons: I've read that April is one of the hottest times to visit, making it potentially a very unpleasant experience.

Finland, would likely be a shorter trip, i. 1 Week, not looked into this one as much yet, but, we'd like to go husky riding, snowmobiling etc. Although lack of northern lights in April.

If anyone has been, I would kindly appreciate your opinions on our concerns and any recommendations you may have .

Would also appreciate suggestions for other Holiday destinations.

Thanks a lot

PompeyPete

Here'a an excellent weather and when to go website for the whole of SE Asia. Just choose the country and the month...

http://www.selectiveasia.com/cambodia-holidays/weather

As you've only got a couple of weeks I wouldn't bother with both countries, as you'll be rushing around too much. And in any case too much is too little.

You can easily fit in three or four places in Cambodia. Siem Reap and Battambang in the north, and Phnom Penh and Kampot/Kep in the south.

Vietnam is a long and narrow country North to South, with different climates and cultures. So I'd choose either North or South, but not both. I've just been for a month and only scratched the surface in the South, taking in Saigon [flew with Qatar Airways from LHR], Da Lat [ in the hills, refreshingly cool[ish]. Da Nang, Hue, and Hoi An.

There's no need to arrange any expensive tours, and as you'll be outside the main tourist season there'll be plenty of accommodation available at off-peak prices.

Make sure you spend your final night in the city that you are flying home from.

A Cambodian Visa is US$30 and easy to get at the arrival airport.

A visit of 15 days or less to Vietnam is visa exempt. A 30 day visa is US$25, but you need to arrange it beforehand. I can give you details if you decide on Vietnam.

Whichever country you decide on you'll have a great time.:beer:

Steph0101

Hey, I 've visit Indochina including Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in 2013, and I don't think the weather was hot, bealive me, April is just after the spring, still cool and comfortable, the hottest months from May to July, and this is a peaceful place, so I think Vietnam&Cambodia is better, 1 week is perfect to visit. if you want a romantic way to see these 2 charming countries, I highly recommend a cruise trip on Mekong River. I did my trip with BestPrice Vietnam, a travel agency, save my money and the service was good. (to find them, just google).

Peccary

Hi,
I have been to Peru twice (once on my own, I am a small woman) and never felt unsafe. Just take common sense precautions. You don't really need to spend any time in Lima if big cities don't interest you. You could see a lot in your time. In about 2 and a half weeks I went Lima-Nazca-Arequipa-Cuzco-Inca-Trail-Lake Titicaca overland. There's also the high Andes and the Jungle to consider. I love Peru for the history and the culture.


If you choose SE Asia, try travelling from HCMC to Phnom Penh along the Mekong (boat with a bit of bus), one of the best things I have done. The North and South of Vietnam are quite different so it's good to see both and as others have said, you could easily spend the whole fortnight there. Angkor is fantastic but as I only went there and Phnom Penh I can't really add much on Cambodia

70sthrowback

Haven't been to Peru, but done Cambodia and Vietnam.

The rave reviews for Angkor Wat I would completely agree, it was one the best places I have ever visited. I think we had 3-4 days there in total, its a huge complex of temples and needs time to do it justice. It can be done quicker, but we wanted to explore it properly, and it also gives you time to allow the huge tourist buses to come and go so you can have moments of peace. I would recommend just getting a tuk-tuk driver and negotiating. We just asked our guest house.

Agree with other posters on Vietnam, it is a huge country and can take a long time to get around. We only did the south as we only have 2 weeks there, taking in HCMC, the Mekong and then had a few days at a beach resort to relax.

Still need to do the North, and will definitely get there as it looks amazing. Good luck with your trip. All I would say is make sure you allow yourself enough time to do everything properly, its a long way to fly and you may never go back.

beluga

I've just got back from a two week (ish) Vietnam trip, it was amazing and I'd highly recommend it! I did a tour (I know a lot of people on here don't like them, but as my first solo trip I felt more comfortable with a group). I started in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), visited Can Tho, Da Lat, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Hanoi and overnight in Halong Bay. It was a very fast paced tour, but great to get a taste of the country. Many of the people on the tour added 4 days in Cambodia at the end to see Angkor Wat, but that ended up as a three week trip in total.

slinga

beluga wrote: »

I've just got back from a two week (ish) Vietnam trip, it was amazing and I'd highly recommend it! I did a tour (I know a lot of people on here don't like them, but as my first solo trip I felt more comfortable with a group). I started in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), visited Can Tho, Da Lat, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Hanoi and overnight in Halong Bay. It was a very fast paced tour, but great to get a taste of the country. Many of the people on the tour added 4 days in Cambodia at the end to see Angkor Wat, but that ended up as a three week trip in total.

So if yours was whistle stop which places would you advise for longer stay.

Da Lat, Hoi An?????

PompeyPete

slinga wrote: »

So if yours was whistle stop which places would you advise for longer stay.

Da Lat, Hoi An?????

Had 5 nights in Da Lat, and 7 nights in Hoi An recently.

Da Lat was probably a night too long for us, but there were things like a tour with Easy Riders, or adrenaline activities that we never did.

Loved Hoi An. It's v.touristy, but it'a a magical place. The longer you stay, the longer you want to stay.

Both are easy to do under your own steam. Da Lat is a 30 minute flight from Saigon. Hoi An is easiest reached by air via Da Nang, then 40 minute taxi ride [330,000 dong/cUS$20]. Stay close to the Old Town.

slinga

Did you book internal flights when in Saigon on beforehand.
If beforehand which site?

PompeyPete

slinga wrote: »

Did you book internal flights when in Saigon on beforehand.
If beforehand which site?

Beforehand. But that was simply by choice. Flight schedules can change quite a bit, so the closer to the time you book the better [I suppose]. The Da Lat to Da Nang flight was in a 68 seater turboprop, and was full. The Da Nang to Saigon flight was 3 hours late, but the weather was awful that day.

Saigon to Da Lat, and Da Nang to Saigon with Vietjet...

http://www.vietjetair.com/Sites/Web/en-US/Home

Da Lat to Da Nang with Vietnam Airways...

http://www.vietnamairlines.com/vn/en/#

Vietjet have their own v.efficient domestic terminal at Saigon Airport.

Da Lat is a tiny airport. Your book the shuttle bus or arrival, while you're waiting for your bags. The bus to Da Lat costs 40k dong, and takes about 50 minutes. Or you can get a taxi from the same desk, a bit dearer, but at least it's door-to-door.

If you decide to go to Hue before or after Hoi An, then the train is v.scenic. There's a train leaves Da Nang @ 0835, and a 3rd Class seat cost 42k dong [£1.25] for the 4 hour trip.