Brazil APE cache - go solo?

[+Redfist]

I'm going to Brazil at the end of February and am tempted to go after the APE cache. I knew of a 2 different groups who were potentially interested in going, but both fell through.

 

Now... I wonder if I should go solo or wait until my next trip and hope for company. The obsessive side says "Go!!!", the rational side of me says "Drive off 4-5 hours away from Sao Paulo and into the jungles of Brazil without speaking the language well... Are you nuts????"

 

I'm curious where you land on this. Does anyone else have experience of going after it solo? (hiring a local guide, etc.)

[+SwineFlew]

You can hire a guide. He is on that cache page somewhere. Heard hes very good.

[+Viajero Perdido]

It looks doable solo.

 

Especially if, by "solo", you mean hiring a guide. But it looks like you could even get by without one; it seems there's a trail from the parking lot right up to the new GZ, or pretty close to it.

 

That's just my impression from afar (I haven't been to that cache), though I have done comparable non-ape jungle hunts elsewhere, both solo and with a guide or two.

[+Mitragorz]

Having just did the cache, my initial intent was to go completely alone. By myself.

 

Having been there, I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you speak Portuguese. I SEVERELY underestimated how difficult it would've been to get by without knowing the language. It's very rare to find someone outside of Sao Paulo who speaks English. It's non-existent in the park, unless you happen across some other visitors. There's a guard and gate at the park that you need to pass through to get inside... Not speaking the same language may make it difficult. Driving in Sao Paulo, and even getting out of the city, was pretty chaotic. Trying to follow road signs in another language on multi-lane highways with erratic drivers... Toll booths, speed cameras on the highways... I would've found out a lot of things the hard way.

 

The "I Can Take Care Of Myself" in me told me to go alone. And that's a big part of me! But I'm glad I went with a guide. If you're interested I can pass along his info. Very nice guy, very reasonable.

 

Again, unless you have been down there before or speak the language, I wouldn't recommend doing it by yourself.

 

EDIT:

 

I saw you posted in my own APE Cache thread, but you hadn't posted anything after I posted my write-up. In case you haven't seen it, here's the link:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=285759&st=50

Edited January 28, 2012 by Mitragorz