At 2, meters, climbing Mount Roraima the highest tabletop mountain in the world is an epic hike. Mount Roraima stands on the border of Venezuela , Guyana and Brazil but to climb this tabletop, you have to be on the Venezuelan side. Hell yes.
I recommend flying into Lima, Peru unless you know you want to start in the north Venezuela, Brazil or Colombia or further south Argentina or Chile. Explore Lima and the coast before heading to the Andes. There Machu Picchu awaits in all of its glory. Definitely, do a trek to the famous Inca city! More on hiking in South America later in the post.
From here, you can either drop down on the other side of the Andes and explore the Amazon basin or you can head south to Bolivia and eventually Argentina and Patagonia. Alternatively, you can slowly start making your way north via the Coast. You could spend a month or more in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela , or Brazil respectively. Personally, I started off in Buenos Aires, went all the way to the southern tip of Patagonia, and made my way north en route to Ecuador and Colombia from there.
The distances were truly massive. Traveling in South America is never a quick affair, so plan your itinerary accordingly. Life has brought you to the fortunate crossroads of having a six-month South American odyssey eh? Good on you! With six months you have the luxury of really being able to take your damn time. If you know you want to see multiple countries, it is an easy and practical choice to begin your journey either in the north or the south to avoid backtracking.
With a six month itinerary, you can certainly dedicate your backpacking faculties to exploring multiple countries in depth. You might need more like nine months to complete the whole route though it depends on the kind of traveler you are.
Hopefully, it gives you some ideas of where to start and what a potential trans-continental tour would look like. Starting your journey in Venezuela or Rio de Janerio might be a bit of a rough landing, though you will be a primed bad-ass by the time it comes to move on to another country. Another option is to begin with Argentina and Chile in the south, go on a wine-tasting and trekking rampage for a month or two before forging north. You can easily be surfing it up on the coast of Ecuador one day, and be in the mountains of Peru several days and many bus rides later.
I advise taking a chunk of your time to really explore and get off the beaten path destinations like Venezuela, Brazil , and Bolivia. Having six months or more to go backpacking truly means you have a total blank slate to work with.
So get ready to write your own beautiful backpacking destiny! What is this forgotten essential of the backpacker-life? Each country in South America has something unique and profoundly exciting for backpackers. The common themes between countries are that they are Spanish speaking Portuguese in Brazil , offer up stunning natural beauty, and some of the nicest people you will ever meet whilst traveling.
Finding the best places to backpack in South America has a lot to do with your own interests. Explore the epic snow-capped peaks of Patagonia in Argentina and Chile. Soak in the surf on the stunning beaches in Ecuador. Party with the beautiful people at the famous Carnival in Brazil. Trek to the Lost City in Colombia. Get off the beaten path in Venezuela. Experience the sun-drenched deserts of Bolivia and the colourful Rainbow Mountains of Peru.
Wherever your journey backpacking in South America takes you, you can be sure that it will be some of the most fun you will have in your life. South America is a continent on the move. The number of people traveling to South America is increasing every year. Whilst the cost of living in South America remains quite low, each country requires a different budget for travelers.
Once you begin to discover a few of the South American countries for yourself, you can be sure that you will be entranced by the jaw-dropping landscapes, fascinating history, vibrant culture, and awesome food. Feeling excited yet? Let us take a look at the countries that make backpacking in South America so damn special.
Brazil is a country packed with exciting things to do around every corner. Attend the legendary Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Go to a football match. Visit the Amazon.
Drink a Caipirinha on the beach! That should give you an idea of how big it is but, more importantly, a better idea of how many different places and things there are to do here. The best hiking opportunities are usually found in the parques nacionais national parks.
Brazil has over 70 national parks and, in terms of beauty, these can contend with any other on the continent. Venezuela is a truly incredible country. Backpacking Venezuela has a truly terrible reputation, perhaps unjustly so. If you are careful and lucky, you should be able to travel to Venezuela without much risk.
Saying that it really helps to have friends on the ground who can help you change money. Venezuela is a mysterious country , attracting adventurers looking for a raw adventure into its lands. Colombia is just one of those countries that has been stuck in our imaginations ever since we heard the name Pablo Escobar.
Whilst it is true that the guy had a major impact on Colombia and the South American continent in general, his reign of terror is over. You have epic surf, great parties, wild jungle, fun cities, and towering mountains all rolled into a relatively small country. Cali, Cartagena, Bogota, and Medellin are a few cities in Colombia where you can really let loose. Finally, you can learn how to dance salsa you cant go backpacking Latin America and not try salsa and meet some locals keen to tell you about life in Colombia.
Is Colombia safe? Perhaps your mum would love to know. Hell yes, it is! Times have changed and the reality is that since the fall of the countries major drug lords has greatly improved the security situation. The Medellin of today is much more safe and secure.
If you love outdoor activities you can find them all and more here in Colombia. The northern terminus of the Andes Mountains ends in Colombia and there are plenty of remote treks in the jungle to undertake. I spent nearly three months backpacking in Ecuador and absolutely loved it. If you are traveling south from Colombia then a trip to the Andes in Ecuador might be your first encounter with Andean Highland culture.
The people who live in the Andes have a distinct and ancient culture rooted in mountain life. They even speak another language called Quechua.
In addition to volcanoes, waterfalls, and massive snow-capped mountains, and the related trekking opportunities, Ecuador has a stunning coastline. Surfing reigns supreme on the Ecuadorian coast, and if you are a beginner it is a great place to learn how to surf. You can spend weeks or months exploring the coast before heading to the mountains and vice versa.
This is not a cheap endeavor so prepare yourself to shell out some cash! Then there is the Amazon Basin of Ecuador. The Amazon region is what helps make Ecuador one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The Amazon is best explored by boat and with a local guide and is bound to be the adventure of a lifetime!
Ah Peru. Backpacking Peru is the essence of traveling in South America. Though tourism has spiked in Peru in recent years, there is still plenty of magic to be found here. The cost of travel in Peru is a little higher than you might expect.
More about South American backpacking costs later in the post. Peru has a super long coastline dotted with prime surf beaches and scuba diving sites. In the Andes lies a whole other form of beauty. There is much much more to the Peruvian Andes than Machu Picchu, however, you should still absolutely go there!
Peru has some truly fascinating colonial cities as well including Cuenca and Cuzco, which is the gateway city to Machu Picchu. The off the beaten path potential in Peru is enormous.
Check out the Rainbow Mountains for a look at nature at its most colorful. Hike the majestic Cordillera Huayhuash. Explore Colca Canyon and sleep out under the stars. Wherever you decide to travel in Peru, be sure that it will be a highlight of your South America backpacking adventure. Backpacking in Bolivia offers up a glimpse of what much of South America was like 30 years ago.
Bolivia appears to be a country looking to the future in many ways whilst still having one foot firmly rooted in the tradition of the past.
Expect super friendly locals, dramatic desert and mountain landscapes, and low prices. In fact, Bolivia might just be the cheapest country in South America for backpackers except of course for Venezuela. Bolivia is home to plenty of adrenaline-pumping activities including the Road of Death , which in essence is a road down through the mountains in which people ride bicycles to the bottom at top speed. Aside from the high-risk adventure activities, Bolivia is safe for the most part as well.
The ride goes on for at least 30 kilometers and it is straight down and thus aptly named. World-class trekking is abundant in the Bolivian Andes if you love to hike. Bring along a good sleeping bag as temperatures can plummet at night. La Paz is a cool city to base yourself in. Lake Titicaca is breathtaking, however, it has become far too touristy, which is a shame. The Salt Flats are also cool AF. Backpacking Chile is all about the extremes. From trekking through gorgeous glacial national parks in the south to explore the martian bone-dry Atacama desert in the north, it is one fantastic country to travel.
There are 36 National Parks in Chile, all of them beautiful and unique in their own way. Chile is also home to Easter Island, one of the most mysterious places on the planet. Like Argentina, Chilean Patagonia is fucking paradise for trekker and adventure types.
It does take some effort to reach the places you will want to go trekking it. That said the journey will be well worth it. Experiencing some of the planets last truly wild places is an indescribable feeling that one can feel only by getting out and doing it.
Most backpackers will start their backpacking journey in Santiago unless one is coming to Chile from one of its borders in the South as I did. Backpacking through Argentina will be one for the ages.
Argentina is a big country with lots to see and do in each of its regions. Buenos Aires is arguably the cultural capital of all of South America. You can find great restaurants, interesting museums, tango shows, crazy hostels , and all-night parties and concerts.
Further south lies Patagonia: one of my favorite places on earth. Patagonia is a truly expansive, desolate wilderness area where the weather is harsh and civilization is far a few between.
If you are trekking in the mountains or sea kayaking around a glacier, you could go days without seeing many if any backpackers. Staying at an Argentine mountain hut refugios is a wonderful experience not to be missed.
Visit one of the most dramatic places in Argentina with its long summer days and epic arctic landscapes. Speaking of the arctic, you can arrange trips to Antarctica from Ushuaia! This would be the adventure of a lifetime but are no means cheap. All of the above are true to some extent. Uruguay is not overflowing with adventurous activities or jawdropping sights nor is really on the way to anything else.
Uruguay is a great place to get away from the usual South American backpacker route and to just chill out. For one thing, there are a couple of nice beach towns worth crashing at. Punta del Diablo is the quintessential lazy surfer town. Punta del Este can be fun in the summer if you like partying with a bunch of rich Argentinians.
The bud is a bit rough around the edges to smoke but still gets you high. Lots of locals keep a weed garden on their balconies; perhaps your accommodation in Montevideo will have one too?
Head to Uruguay if you want to chill out and do your own thing. South America is totally full of wild places, tiny villages, far-flung settlements, lonesome valleys, sparsely inhabited jungle etc… Point being, there are many places to go where other travelers do not. With a little motivation, you may well find yourself cutting your own path and writing your own backpacking destiny one off the beaten path adventure at a time.
Investigate the little interesting looking food stalls where all the locals are queuing up. In South America, all the makings of an epic adventure are there for taking. All you have to do is go and get it. Then read our comprehensive review for the inside scoop! Despite its increased popularity in recent years, Patagonia is still one the last untouched wildernesses on the planet. The carnivals in Bahia, Rio, and Barranquilla are particularly good. Get ready to be wowed by endless, white salt flats, multicolored lakes, and alien rock formations.
Every kind of beach imaginable is found on the continent. Medellin is one of the most popular cities to visit in South America right now. Medellin has shed its violent past is ready to host the next wave of backpackers. It is arguably the poster child of the entire continent, the place that attracts most people to visit South America.
The Andes are one of the greatest mountain chains in the world, known mostly for hosting the aforementioned Machu Picchu and the gargantuan Aconcagua. But there is more to these mountains than just these places: the highlands of Ecuador, Cordillera Huayhush in Peru, the Cordillera Real in Bolivia are all stunning.
Even Colombia gets a slice of the pie at Cocuy National Park. Florianopolis, La Paz, Medellin, Mancora…all of these locations start off as a stop on an itinerary, but eventually turn into resting places. Find your honey pot and stay a while. All those traveller shenanigans deserve the action cam treatment!
South America has a wide range of budget accommodation options for backpackers. In fact, we at the Broke Backpacker love South American hostels so much we have created a whole series of guides breaking down the best hostels to be found in cities across South America. They make it very easy to pick the right hostel for yourself in any given place! It is the common belief that backpacking in South America is dirt cheap.
That said, it is easy to travel South America on a budget. Due to the nature of Patagonia being one of the remote regions on earth, expect to pay double if not more what you would throughout the rest of South America.
Brazil is notorious as well for jacking up accommodation prices during the high season. As a country dealing with a major tourism influx, Peru also takes some navigating in order to travel as cheap as possible. With a few travel hacks up your sleeve, you will save a ton of money and have the time of your life.
Be sure to up your haggle game whilst backpacking through Latin America to ensure you get the best possible price for things, including accommodation. Staying in hostels every single night, buying beer and drugs, taking long-distance buses, paying entrance fees to National Parks… these things add up fast. Remember to always leave a little extra wiggle room in your budget so you can go scuba diving or go on a trek that you have been dreaming about!
Here is a breakdown of what you can expect to pay on a daily basis whilst backpacking South America…. Plastic washes up on even the most pristine beaches… so do your part and keep the Big Blue beautiful!
And I hope you become more inspired to continue being a responsible traveller. PLUS, you save money and the environment! Be a part of the solution and travel with a filter water bottle. You know by now that we are talking about an enormous amount of land with regards to the South American continent. Countries near the equator do not experience distinct seasons. As you start to get further south you will find the seasons to be the opposite of what they are in the Northern Hemisphere ie winter in June.
Patagonia experiences bitterly cold and windy winters. I do not advise travel there during the winter unless you are a serious mountaineer and have all the right gear. Dry season depends on the country. Generally the cooler months from June- September is the driest in the coastal areas. The Andes are the driest from April- November. High season for all countries is without a doubt from December-February.
This is due to many holidays occurring over that time, and it is also the time when many gringos and locals alike take their holidays. Backpacking in the low or shoulder seasons will definitely make for a cheaper trip, especially with regards to accommodation.
In the south, the hot, wet summer season runs from November-March. In the north, the rainy season is from April-August. In the Amazon, it rains pretty much all year. Venezuela is wet just about all the time.
There is a pronounced rainy season from May to December when the rain is particularly strong. The dry season January-April is a bit more convenient but sights like Angels Falls will be less impressive. Generally speaking, travelers should visit Cartagena and the Caribbean coast between November and March when the weather is dry.
Bariloche in Argentina with its untamed natural beauty, turquoise lakes, evergreen pine forests, colossal glaciers, beautiful mountain peaks and charming villages. Nor should one overlook Bolivia's surreal salt flats of Salar de Uyuni or the Pantanal tropical wetlands of Brazil. Venezuela is home to some of the finest tepui or tabletop mountains. Peru's Nazca Lines in the desert, and well….. If you are looking to experience something different alltogether, we recommend you to visit some of the countries in the northern end of South America: Guyana, French Guiana, or Suriname.
They are less frequented by tourists, but offer their own unique vibe. Maybe you don't know whereto go in South America yet, and we don't blame you! With so many options, make sure you figure out at least some of your itinerary before leaving home! South America will offer too many options, and too little time. Here are the top 3 activities from our travellers. Make sure you check out the full activities list and book a head, so that you don't miss out on you dream trip!
Our travel advisors live and breathe travel. They can tell you all about when to go, top things to do and how to get the most out of your budget. With their best tips you'll get a safe, awesome and authentic experience. Text Kilroy. Oops - The page you tried to reach is unavailable.
We hope you find what you are looking for here. Travel Education Study Tours. Book a flight. Flights Search Contact.
Type Return One-Way Multiple cities. Departure 0" v-on:click. Destination 0" v-on:click. Departure date. Return One-Way Multiple cities. Are you under 31 or a full time student? Add another trip.
Search for places, activities and experiences…. Still didn't find what you were searching for? Get in touch for expert advice from someone who has travelled the world. Please complete details. Lately, Lima and its food scene have been hot, as have excursions to Iquitos and the Peruvian Amazon. Of course, whether the only thing you do in Peru during your 2 months South America itinerary is hike the Inca Trail , or you decide to explore somewhat underrated spots like the white city of Arequipa and the dramatic Colca Canyon , this country is not going to disappoint you.
Of course, depending on how you want to structure your South America trip, you could see other places in Bolivia once your Uyuni Salt Flats tour is done.
Explore cities like Potosi and Sucre , or descend into the tropical jungles of Santa Cruz de la Sierra , an underrated urban center, and the gateway to the Bolivian Amazon. A comprehensive Amazon Rainforest trip, on its own, takes at least two weeks, irrespective of which country you choose as your origination point.
My favorite thing about this particular South America 2 month itinerary? From legitimate luxury South America experiences to boutique hotels throughout the continent, those of you with some extra pesos to spend will be handsomely rewarded:. Neither am I! Enjoy the best of both worlds and integrate a couple of these into your 2 months in South America, rather than bankrupting yourself by following the whole thing. Many, but not all. This is a wide range, to be sure, but this is a huge continent with many forks in the road!
0コメント