A good route around South America?

Question

I've got 2-3 months to travel round S.America with a friend and want to know what are the best places to see etc and a good route to follow? We are probably flying into Sao Paulo and out of Buenos Aires but this is flexible at the mo. We want to see as much as possible!

Answer 1

If I were you I would spend most of my time in Argentina! The thing is that you can't do everything in that time so you need to choose.

I would fly into Rio, take a trip up North to Salvador, then come back thru Rio, Sao Paolo, Florianopolis (go to the far side of the island) and then to Iguazu. Stay on the Brazilian side, but see it from the Arg side as well. Go on the boat into the falls from the Arg side as it is better. You will need a whole day for this side and only a few hours for the Brazilian side.

From here you want to move into Argentina where you can either move south east or south west.

If you go from Cordoba, you could go south west to Mendoza which is a great city with whitewater rafting, horseriding, wineries, nightlife etc.

Then move to Santiago de Chile and go south to Patagonia. Stop in Pucon for some adventure sport and beautiful mountains. It is a pretty village that is popular.

Then further south to Puerto Montt. Cross the border into Arg again into Bariloche. There is a boat trip that is a bit pricey but stunning called Cruce de Lagos www.crucedelagos.cl This is one of my favourite places in South America. You will spend more time than you think. It is beautiful and has great food and is the chocolate capital of South America!

Back to Puerto Montt, catch the Navimag (freight ship that takes some passengers) through the fjords to Puerto Natales. Do the "w" trek in Parqe Nacional Torred del Paine.  

Then cross the border to Argentina to see Glaciar Perito Moreno. You can't miss this.

Fly north to Buenos Aires and leave as much time as you can to see it. It is my favourite city in the world outside of home.

You can do 1 or 2 day trips to places like Mar del Plata or a few more days to get to Rosario, Cordoba, Tucuman and Salta.

Have a great trip!

Answer 2

Rio, Manaus (stay in a jungle-lodge), Quito (Otavalo), Guayaquil (Galapagos), Peru (Cuzco & Machu Picchu), Bolivia (Titicaca & LaPaz), Pantanal, Foz do Iguaçú, Uchoaia, Buenos Aires

Answer 3

If you are spending some time in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador are a must. Sao Paulo is pretty dull as a city, but has fantastic restaurants. In Rio, try and visit Paraty or Buzios and in Salvador, visit Morro de Sao Paulo and Praia do Forte. If you intend to visit other places in Brazil, it would be a good idea to get an Air pass. Have fun!!