Hi everyone,
So this is my first post on Reddit, longtime lurker though, and feel like this is a great place to seek advice.
So a friend and decided last minute to head to Central or South America towards the end of July, which will be our first trip outside of the US besides Mexico.
A little information about us: I speak fluent spanish, however my friend does not. We are both 21 yr old males looking for a little adventure after college since we will both be starting 9-5's in August. Would love to have a fun, memorable trip, but spend as little as possible i.e stay in hostels, take local buses, rough it a bit if necessary, etc. We are not looking for a touristy trip, we really want to get a feel for the local culture.
We should have around $500 USD spending money after flight expenses. Is this sufficient for a 7-10 day trip in either of these countries (or others you recommend)?
From what I've read Nicaragua seems to be a low-key country that offers a lot to do at very reasonable price which is why we are considering it.
I don't know if Peru will work for us since I've read that Machu Pichu can get expensive plus we would have to spend around $150 to get from Lima to Cuzco. Is Peru out of the question with our budget, or is there a way to make it work?
I compared prices for Flights (out of LAX) on Kayak, Hipmunk, and Skyscanner. Cheapest flight for Lima I found was $786 USD and Managua $543 USD. Are there any other sites you recommend for cheap flights or are these good resources?
So if you guys could offer up some advice on the two places I mentioned or even offer up a completely different destination that would be great. We are open to anything as long as it will be a fun, memorable trip that we could do on a $500 budget for a 7-10 day trip.
Thank You! All of your responses are appreciated!