South America Trips
In 2023, I had the opportunity to live in Uruguay for just over a year. During this time I tried to visit as much of South America as I could. What an amazing continent full of so many beautiful countries. It was super difficult to narrow down where to visit!! I ended up picking places that had been on my list for a while, with hopes of having the opportunity to explore other countries and things I missed in the future.
Take a look at my final itineraries and I truly hope these blogs inspire you to visit South America! Click on each blog header linked in pink to read the detailed itinerary blog post WITH PHOTOS.
Pick and choose what looks like the most fun to you, copy my itineraries and feel free to send me a message with any questions! Get out there and EXPLORE the WORLD.
ARGENTINA
10 DAYS IN PATAGONIA ARGENTINA DAY BY DAY
Ushuaia, El Calafate & El Chaltén
DAY ONE - Arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina
DAY TWO - Explore Ushuaia and Beagle Channel Boat Tour
DAY THREE - Explore Tierra del Fuego National Park
DAY FOUR - Fly to El Calafate and arrive at Estancia: Nibepo Aike
DAY FIVE - Full day adventure boat ride and hike to Dickson Glacier view
DAY SIX - Half day at Estancia and transfer to downtown El Calafate
DAY SEVEN - Big Ice Trek on Perito Moreno Glacier
DAY EIGHT - Transfer to El Chaltén and rest day
DAY NINE - Hike Laguna de los Tres in El Chaltén
DAY TEN - Option for other hikes in El Chaltén but we had a rest day before flying home
BRAZIL
5 DAYS RIO DE JANEIRO DAY BY DAY
Rio de Janeiro & Iguazu Falls
DAY ONE - Arrive in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and watch access group at Sambadrome
DAY TWO - Rest and then watch special group at Sambadrome
DAY THREE - Relax at Copacabana Beach
DAY FOUR - Visit Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain with tour
DAY FIVE - Personal walking tour of Rio de Janeiro, Aquarium and Ipanema Beach
3 Days at Iguazu Falls Day by Day
DAY ONE - Fly to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil to see Iguazu Falls
DAY TWO - Explore Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls with hired guide
DAY THREE - Explore Argentinian side of Iguazu Falls with hired guide
CHILE
2 DAYS IN SANTIAGO DAY BY DAY
Santiago & Easter Island
DAY ONE - Self walking tour of Santiago, Chile
DAY TWO - Self walking tour of Santiago (or if you prefer day trip to Valparaiso)
4 DAYS IN EASTER ISLAND DAY BY DAY
DAY ONE - Fly to Easter Island (known as Rapa Nui) watch sunset at Ahu Tahai
DAY TWO - Full day tour of Easter Island (Rano Raraku, Ahu Tongariki, Anakena Beach)
DAY THREE - Full day Easter Island on our own (Sunrise at Ahu Tongariki, Ovahe Beach, Sunset at Ahu Tahai)
DAY FOUR - Half day tour of Easter Island (Ahu A Kivi, Puna A Pau, Vinapu, Orongo Crater) and fly back home
CHILE PATAGONIA DAY BY DAY
Punta Arenas, Torres del Paine, Chiloé Island
DAY ONE - Arrive in Punta Arenas, Chile
DAY TWO - Visit Reserva Pingüino Rey to see King Penguins
DAY THREE - Transfer to Torres del Paine National Park
DAY FOUR - Half day hike in Torres del Paine
DAY FIVE - Full day hike to base of the towers in Torres del Paine
DAY SIX - Half day hike and horseback riding in Torres del Paine
DAY SEVEN - Fly to Puerto Montt and transfer to Castro on Chiolé Island
DAY EIGHT - AM exploring Chiolé Island and PM gastronomic experience
DAY NINE - Hike Muelle de las Almas
ATACAMA DESERT DAY BY DAY
DAY TEN - Fly to Calama to visit Atacama Desert, Chile
DAY ELEVEN - Horseback ride, hike and petroglyph exploration
DAY TWELVE - Geysers, cactus hike and thermal spa
COLOMBIA
14 DAYS COLORFUL COLOMBIA DAY BY DAY
Bogota, Quindío, Medellín, Guatapé, Santa Marta & Cartagena
DAY ONE - Explore Bogotá, Colombia and welcome dinner
DAY TWO - Bike tour & explore Bogotá
DAY THREE - Arrive in “Coffee Triangle”, Quindío department
DAY FOUR - Horseback riding in the coffee triangle
DAY FIVE - Wax palms at Valle de Cocora + Salento
DAY SIX - Visit a coffee plantation + fly to Medellín
DAY SEVEN - Medellín city tour + Comuna 13
DAY EIGHT - Day trip to Guatapé
DAY NINE - Arrive in Santa Marta
DAY TEN - Explore Tayrona National Park
DAY ELEVEN - Arrive in Cartagena
DAY TWELVE - City tour of Cartagena
DAY THIRTEEN - Tropical Islands tour on a boat
DAY FOURTEEN - Last day to explore Cartagena and fly home
PERU
Before we moved to South America in 2023, I planned an epic two week trip to Peru in 2018 where we did a lot of local transportation. This blog post might be a bit outdated and doesn’t have tons of information and photos, but it has the basic information you would need to plan a similar trip. My favorite thing about this trip is we did as much as we could in two weeks from the Amazon to Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu! I fell in love with Peru, but since I feel like we did so much on this trip I would be more than okay if we didn’t find time to make it back to this country. Such a limited about of time and money and so much more to explore in this world!!!
PERU IN TWO WEEKS DAY BY DAY
Lima, Iquitos, Amazon, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu.
DAY ONE - Day self walking tour in Lima and fly to Iquitos
DAY TWO - Get picked up in Iquitos for Amazon Adventure
DAY THREE - Explore Amazon with Libertad Jungle Lodge
DAY FOUR - Explore Amazon with Libertad Jungle Lodge
DAY FIVE - Half day in Amazon then head back to Iquitos for flight to Lima
DAY SIX - Fly Lima to Arequipa and free day to explore Arequipa
DAY SEVEN - Colca Canyon tour to see Condors on way to Puno
DAY EIGHT - Arrive in Puno and get picked up by host for evening on Lake Titicaca
DAY NINE - Boat tour of Lake Titicaca and cultural exploration
DAY TEN - Full day bus to Cusco
DAY ELEVEN - Day trip Highlights of the Sacred Valley (Pisac and Ollantaytambo)
DAY TWELVE - First day of Inca Trail with train and trek with overnight in Aguas Calientes
DAY THIRTEEN - Second day of Inca Trail to see Machu Picchu and overnight in Aguas Calientes
DAY FOURTEEN - Free day to explore Cusco before flight home tomorrow
URUGUAY
COMING SOON: My favorite things to see in do in Uruguay!
THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THE LINKS, HOTELS OR TOURS. THESE ARE MY PERSONAL OPINIONS AND ALL FACTS, DETAILS, INFORMATION ABOVE COULD CHANGE WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF COPYING THIS ITINERARY DOES NOT GO EXACTLY AS PLANNED OUT ABOVE.
A few of my favorite blog post with great information and inspiration for your own trips: