The costs for a tour through South America can amount to as high as you like. The costs are however in general a little higher than when you would make a trip in Southeast-Asia. In most South American countries the prices for food and beverages, accommodation and domestic transportation are somewhat higher. According to experienced travellers you can keep the costs per day within 35 and 40 dollars. The costs are however also very much so dependent upon which South American country you are visiting. In Brazil or Argentina the costs can amount to a lot more than in countries in the likes of Bolivia or Peru. For a trip to South America there is not set route. You can choose yourself in which country you want to start and how you travel around. The route is primarily dependent upon which countries you want to see. In general it is advised to start your travels in one of the following big cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Sao Paolo in Brazil or Lima in Peru. Airfares to one of these big cities are often the cheapest and from these cities it is fairly simple to continue your travels through South America.
Besides choosing your first destination and figuring out your route, you will need to make a few extra preparations. It is important to make sure you have the necessary vaccinations for your travels. For a trip to almost any country in South America the vaccinations for DTP, Hepatitis A and Yellow Fever are advised. Are you planning to stay for more than 3 months in South America? Then in that case the vaccinations for Typhoid, Hepatitis B, Rabies and Tuberculosis are also recommended. Furthermore you always need to find out if you need a visa for the countries that you plan to visit and how much time the particular visa allows you stay in the country. Is a visa not required? Then also check how long you can stay in the country with this visa exemption.
The language that is spoken in most South American countries is Spanish. South America has been conquered by the Spanish centuries ago. In most countries the people also speak a lot of English, but taking a course in Spanish would be a very good idea before you start your travels in South America. Brazil is however an exception, as Portugese is the first language spoken in Brazil.
During a trip through South America you will encounter plenty of different experiences. The continent is known for their lively culture. Almost every night you will find in a lot of places live music and dance shows. Furthermore in countries such as Argentina you will find the most delicious wines, and you will find the most beautiful nature that you will find only in South America. Think about the waterfalls of Iguaçud. These are the biggest waterfalls of South America and are on the border with Brazil and Argentina. It is not without a reason that these waterfalls belong to the 7 natural world wonders. As a whole together it is a complex of 270 to 300 waterfalls. The area of the Amazonian rainforest also belongs to one of the 7 natural world wonders. Besides this South America has a lot more to offer with regards to beautiful nature. There are plentiful places that you cannot miss turing your trip to this continent. We will discuss the countries below that you can visit during your tour through South America.
Peru is to be found on the West side of South America and this country borders Bolivia. When you make a trip to one of these countries you can easily cross the border to the other country. A tour through Bolivia and Peru is full of beautiful nature, a special culture and is nothing short of adventure. In Bolivia you will of course visit the Andes Mountains and the salt lakes of Uyuni. Finally you have the possibility in Bolivia to explore the jungle in the Amazone. Besides this you should not forget lake Titicaca which is exactly on the border of Bolivia and Peru. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake of the world. This lake lies on a height of nearly 4 kilometres from sea level. There are different agencies that offer day trips to visit this lake.
During your travels through Peru visiting the Machu Picchu is of course number one on the list. To reach the Machu Picchu you have to trek for a couple of days, during which you will also get to know the local culture and see beautiful landscapes. The Machu Picchu is called the city of the Inca's and the trek is called the Inca Trail. In the middle of Peru you will find the Colca Canyon. This is even deeper than the Grand Canyon. In the Colca Canyon you can admire a beautiful view and look of the by the Inca's built agricultural terraces.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and houses almost 190 million inhabitants. The language that is spoken in Brazil is Portugese, but in general people are able to speak English quite well. A tour of Brazil will allow you to get to know the exuberant Brazilian culture, the beautiful nature and impressive cities. The capital of the country is Brasilia, but on your trip you will be more likely to be attracted to cities like Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires. Brazil is of course world famous for the exuberant carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. When you get the chance you should definitely take a look while this is going on! A visit to Rio de Janeiro is a must-do during your trip. When you pay a visit to this city you can visit the beach Copacobana. Here you have the chance to spot beautiful Brazilians. The city Salvador de Bahia is very suitable to try capoeira. Salvador de Bahia also has a very impressive historical part where you have the chance to buy some beautiful art.
In the North of Brazil you can visit the Amazone. To do this you fly into the city of Manaus. The Amazon is full of adventure and you will encounter the craziest animal species. The Amazone is one of the highlights of a trip to South America and it would be a shame to miss this chance. Finally you will find in the direction of the South of Brazil the waterfalls of Iguaçu. The borders with Argentina are close to Paraguay. A trip to Brazil can be as crazy as you like. You can take a couple of weeks, but you can even spend a couple of months in Brazil. You can also divide your travels into two separate trips, one in which you will visit the North and the other where you will visit the South. Once you are in the South you can easily go from the Iguaçu waterfalls onto Argentina.
Argentina knows comparable prices as most European countries or the USA and a trip to this South American country is thus often not so cheap. There are still many highlights that you would not easily forget. In the northeast of this country you find the Iguaçu waterfalls close to the border of Brazil. From here you can travel to the middle of Argentina and then you will find on the east coast the city Buenos Aires. There is always something to do in this lively city. The city knows an exuberant nightlife, you have the chance to witness a real Argentinian football match or you can admire Tango dancing. When you travel in the southern direction in Argentina you come to the area of Patagonia. This area houses incredible nature and beautiful landscapes. Totally in the south is a famous town called Ushuaia. This is the southern most town of the world and is very well known because of the national park Tierra del Fuego.
From Argentina you can easily cross the border to Chile or Paraguay. In the north of Argentina you can cross the border to Paraguay. The whole west of Argentina borders Chile with Patagonia. In Chile this area is also not to be missed and for the nature lovers this is an area that should most definitely be visited. Patagonia is covering the south of Chile and you can find glaciers, enormous mountains, fields of ice and great forests here. In the north of chile you find quite the opposite, namely huge deserts. The biggest desert in Chile is called the Atacama desert and is the driest desert of the world. In the north there is a lot to sea, such as salt lakes, hot springs, fertile oases, copper mines and much more.
The country of Paraguay is also called the green heart of South America. This country is still seen as an undiscovered country and has a lot to offer for an adventurous trip. Visit the capital Asuncion or the many green plains. In Paraguay there are a lot of ancient ruins to visit. Furthermore you can make a trip to the beautiful national park called Cerro Corá.
In the north of South America there are a number of countries that are easy to combine together. These are Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Surinam. Ecuador and Colombia are easily accessed through the northern border of Peru. Via the north you can also go in the direction of Venezuela or Colombia. The Amazonian rainforest is covering areas of all these countries and you are able to visit it in all these countries too. In these countries there are different colonial towns worth visiting. In Ecuador you have the chance to view white mountaintops of the Andes and you have a chance to visit the Galapagos Islands. Besides colonial towns, Colombia has a lot to offer. You can get acquainted with the lively culture, with the Caribbean beaches and you should definitely have tried the Colombian coffee. Venezuela is known as an exotic country where there is a lot to do. Especially the beautiful nature which consists of jungle, waterfalls, mountains and Caribbean beaches. Finally in the north of South America you can also visit Surinam. This country is called the beating heart of the Amazone. Besides the beautiful nature you also get to meet the friendly and lively people of Surinam. You can enjoy the tasty food and visit the old Dutch colonial capital city of Paramaribo.
