South America Holidays and Tours

Flight times vary depending on your eventual destination, with some of the shortest direct flight times of around 11 hours to Rio de Janeiro or Bogota, while direct flights to Santiago in Chile take just under 15 hours. Other destinations include at least one stop en route, often at another European airport, taking around 14 hours to Quito, 15 hours to Lima and 16 hours to Buenos Aires.

Yes, there are some direct flights from the UK to South America, although only to a limited number of destinations. Direct flight routes include London to Santiago in Chile, to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo in Brazil, as well as Bogota in Colombia.

All our trips to South America are escorted tours, some of which also include a cruise with all meals, and with options visiting multiple countries or focusing on a single destination. There’s the chance to theme your trip to South America around the wildlife and natural wonders of the continent, or to visit some of South America’s biggest highlights in one itinerary.

Whatever tour you choose, Saga includes our nationwide return shared chauffeur service, to pick you up from home or another address, and take you back after your trip finishes. We also offer optional travel insurance, plus all escorted tours have an expert tour manager to make sure everything runs smoothly, alongside tour guides to ensure you see the best of your destination.

Like the rest of our tours, the activity levels vary depending on the itinerary you pack – some might include lots of walking, early starts with action-packed days or limited nights in any single place, while others are less strenuous, with a more relaxed approach to exploring.

Our suitability guide gives each tour a rating from 1 (Leisurely) to 4 (Active Explorer), and you can check against the pace rating descriptions to give more idea what’s involved. For South America, you consider the ‘Relaxed Explorer’ rating of our South American Discovery Cruise and Tour with 14 nights spent aboard a cruise ship but some adventures during the day. Many of our South America escorted tours fall into the ‘Active Explorer’ bracket, which tend to include more walking and standing, sometimes with some more challenging walks and hikes, although there’s also time at leisure to relax.

You could easily spend months, if not years, exploring South America with so much to see across the continent. Assuming your time is more limited, allow at least three weeks if you’re hoping to see some of the highlights, such as on our Grand Tour of South America which visits Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, or our South America Discovery Cruise and Tour, taking you around the southern tip of Chile and Argentina, and stopping at the Falkland Islands and Brazil. Or choose to focus on a couple of countries in more depth; on our Footsteps of the Incas with Quito and the Galapagos Islands, you can discover Peruvian culture along with some of the world’s most astonishing wildlife.

If you have less time to spend, it’s best to stick to a single country – you can easily spend a fortnight exploring Inca history or wildlife in Peru, as well as in Ecuador alone.

The weather varies hugely across South America, with different climates ranging from desert conditions in Chile, to the rain and snow of Patagonia and the Andes, tropical rainforest in the Amazon, glorious sunny beaches along the coasts and a whole lot more. Brazil alone has a string of different climates to bear in mind when you visit, while Chile’s long thin geography means its north and south can experience quite different conditions in the same month.

When you’re planning your South America holiday, consider too that the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere, so June/July is the heart of winter in Chile and Argentina. In some areas, the temperature is consistent year-round and the big difference is between wet and dry season, with the wettest months in the Amazon usually from around mid-December to mid-May and from December to March in the Pantanal.

Temperatures regularly soar above 30C in midsummer in destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and Buenos Aires, while the Amazon sees 30C+ heat all year. Meanwhile, in Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of Patagonia, temperatures drop well below freezing during the winter and rarely get above the low teens even in midsummer, with strong winds in the region. Subzero temperatures are common at night in Chile’s Atacama Desert in the colder months, although it’s warmer during the day and there’s barely any chance of rain whenever you visit.

The best month to visit South America depends mainly on where you’re planning to go, as the weather conditions can be very different across the continent. You’ll also need to bear in mind the busiest seasons for tourists if you’re hoping to avoid the crowds, when the rainy season can make travel difficult or even impossible, along with high summer temperatures and freezing winter weather during the reversed seasons of the Southern Hemisphere.

In Brazil, the shoulder months of October/November and late April can be a good compromise, without the high temperatures and crowds of summer, but avoiding the worst of the rains (although the Amazon is hot and humid year-round). Similarly spring (September to November) and autumn (March to June) are among the best months to visit Argentina, with fewer crowds and milder weather, as well as some of the best times to hike in Patagonia. Autumn is also a good time to appreciate the cascades at the Iguazu Falls, and enjoy the grape harvest in the vineyards.

Elsewhere, the geography can make planning a trip more complicated. In Peru, the driest months run from May to September, which is ideal to explore Machu Picchu and Cusco, but it’s not the best time to visit Lima or the coast, which is usually at its best from around December to March. Chile is similarly complicated, with tropical, Mediterranean and Antarctic climates plus desert and mountains crammed into its borders. Santiago, the central valleys and Atacama desert can be visited year-round but are hottest and busiest from December to February. Autumn (March and April) is a good time to explore the winelands, while March also sees good weather in Patagonia without the crowds of summer. It’s best to avoid winter with freezing weather in the south and rain in the Lake District though.

In Ecuador, December to May are some of the best months to visit the Galapagos Islands; although it can be wet, you can see mating rituals earlier in the year and young being born towards the end of this period, as well as avoiding the winds and rough seas of August and September. The mainland coast can also be more pleasant at this point before the humidity of the summer, while the Amazon has tropical conditions year-round and the Andes can be wet and cool throughout the year, but with most rain at the start of the year.

Various vaccinations are recommended for different countries across South America – always check the latest advice, as well as looking at additional vaccination recommendations if you’re at particular risk. In Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and the Falkland Islands, no additional vaccinations are advised beyond those recommended for life in the UK. For visits to Uruguay, a tetanus vaccination is advised, while Hepatitis A and tetanus are both recommended for Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. If you’re visiting Brazil, you’re recommended to have a yellow fever vaccinations following a 2017 outbreak, along with diphtheria and tetanus. Yellow fever is also recommended for French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay and Suriname, along with polio and tetanus in French Guiana, tetanus in Guyana and Paraguay, and Hepatitis A and tetanus in Suriname.

There is also a high risk of malaria in some countries or regions, including parts of northern Bolivia, parts of Brazil (particularly the Amazon region), parts of Colombia, parts of French Guiana, parts of north-eastern Peru (particularly the Amazon region), and across Venezuela and Guyana.

Zika virus is also present in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, although pregnant women are most at risk from this.

There are four main time zones in South America – GMT-5 which includes Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and parts of Brazil, GMT-4 which includes Bolivia, Chile, Venezuela, Guyana, and parts of Brazil (including the Amazon), and GMT-3 in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Suriname, French Guiana, the Falkland Islands and parts of Brazil (including Rio de Janeiro).

Easter Island and the Galapagos Islands follow a different time zone, six hours behind GMT, while various islands off the eastern coast of Brazil, including the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, are only two hours behind GMT.

Chile also observes daylight savings, with the dates of the time change varying from year to year.

There are 12 independent nations in South America; Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. There are also several other dependent territories which are considered part of South America, including the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, as well as French Guiana.

No, Mexico is part of North America, although it is considered to be the northernmost part of Latin America. Although that isn’t an official designation, Latin America usually includes South America, Central America, Mexico and some parts of the Caribbean.

No, Cuba and all the Caribbean islands are part of North America. However, like Mexico, the Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean are often considered part of Latin America.

Patagonia is a geographical region at the southern end of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile, and including the territory of Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of the continent. The southern end of the Andes mountain range runs through the area, with the Pacific Ocean on the west coast and the Atlantic ocean on the east coast. Patagonia is known for its dramatic scenery, carved out over millennia, with geological forces creating lakes and rivers in the valleys, overshadowed by mountains and ancient glaciers. It’s also known for having very few people, with only around 1.5 people per square kilometre across its 777,000 sq km expanse.

The Amazon River is the longest in South America, and second-longest in the world (after the Nile), flowing from the Andes mountains in Peru to the Atlantic Ocean. Stretching for at least 4,000 miles – no-one is quite sure where it begins, so it can’t be measured precisely – it travels from west to east through Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil. Around two-thirds of the main Amazon river is in Brazil.

The highest mountain in South America is Aconcagua in the Andes Mountain range in Argentina, followed by Ojos del Salado in Chile, which is also the highest volcano on earth, and Argentina’s Monte Pissis. The extinct volcano Huascaran in Peru takes fourth place, with all the remainder of South America’s top 10 tallest peaks in Argentina, Chile or Peru.

Nevado Sajama in Bolivia is also more than 6,500m high, while Chimborazo, another extinct volcano, is not only Ecuador’s highest mountain but has a claim to fame all of its own, as the farthest point from the Earth’s centre thanks to the planet’s equatorial bulge.

All the highest mountains in South America are part of the Andes mountain range, or one of its offshoots.

Most tourist areas across South America are safe, with petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching among the biggest risks, along with theft at ATMs and distraction robberies. You should always take sensible precautions such as not travelling with valuables, or keeping valuable items like passports locked in a hotel safe, as well as avoiding isolated areas after dark or going out alone. Some countries do also have specific local risks: avoid visiting Brazil’s beaches after darks or visiting the favelas unless with a guide, while there is a problem of fake taxi drivers at airports in Peru and Chile. Tour leaders can help advise of any risks in your particular destination.

The main languages spoken in South America are Spanish and Portuguese. Portuguese is the official languages of Brazil, while Spanish is the official language of all the other countries in South America except Guyana (English), Suriname (Dutch) and French Guiana (French).

There are various indigenous languages spoken across South America as well, including Quechua, Guarani and Aymara. You’ll also find some areas of some countries where German and Italian (or dialects of these) are widely spoken, including in Argentina and Uruguay.

Although there’s less of a tipping culture in South America than in many North American countries, tips are welcome and tend to be the norm in many tourist areas. Around 10% is common in restaurants, with a service charge often added as standard to bills in Chile and Brazil (known as the cubierto) although you can add more if you feel the service was particularly good as the cover charge often goes to the restaurant rather than the waiter. Tips are almost always given in cash and in local currency, even if you paid the main bill by credit card. Rounding up the bill for taxis and in cafes is also appreciated.