South America

Planning a route through South America

South America's classic route runs the Andean spine, from Colombia south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia into Chile and Argentina, a corridor long-distance buses and a scattering of flights connect start to finish. Brazil is large enough to function as its own leg, joined to the Andean countries mainly by flights rather than roads, since the interior offers few direct overland links. Guyana and Suriname, tucked into the continent's northeast corner, sit apart from the rest of the region with limited connections and are usually paired with each other as a separate side trip. The Southern Cone, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay, forms a tighter secondary cluster with better road and bus links between capitals, often the easiest multi-country leg on the continent.

Nearly all of South America sits in the Southern Hemisphere, so its seasons run opposite the calendar most Northern Hemisphere travelers know, summer falling around December through February. The Amazon basin follows its own wet and dry alternation rather than a temperate calendar, while Andean altitude adds a second variable, since high routes can turn cold and wet while nearby lowlands stay warm. Patagonia, at the southern tip, has a short, firm window of good weather in the austral summer, shaping when a southbound Andean route should finish.

Peru sits mid-spine on the Andean route, Brazil anchors the east, and Argentina gateways the Southern Cone, a pattern covered in how to plan a multi-country trip.

Page reviewed 5 August 2026 · Routing notes are general guidance from Amit's travels — check current entry rules for each country before you book.