How expensive/cheap is it to take a vacation in South America?

Question

What can I do or learn? I was thinking tango, maybe pick up some art and music etc. Ideas?

Answer 1

Argentina is really cheap right now and really nice with lots to do, and depending on where you live you can fly there really cheaply.  There's definetly tango in Buenos Aires and lots of outdoorsy things in other parts somewhat nearby if you like that kind of stuff.  Iguazu Falls is really beautiful too, especially if you want to see a rainforest.  You can access it from either Argentina and Brazil.

Answer 2

Argentina is very cheap compared to north America.  There are plenty of places that will teach you to tango, also reasonably priced Spanish language classes if you are going to be there long enough.  Definitely see a soccer match while you are in town.  There are tours that can be arranged from your hotel to attend games, it is very cheap and includes ticket, guide and transport.

Answer 3

A lot cheaper than North.

Answer 4

chile is relatively expensive but still alot cheaper than here. argentina pretty cheap though

Answer 5

Depends where you go in South America, there are so many different countries.

I would suggest Ecuador for your best bet money wise and diversity for the things you can see and do.

1.  Quito - big city at 10,000 ft. nestled in the Andes mountain range.  Quito is a good place to go to a Spanish school for cheap and meet other travellers to go off and do other things like:

2. Jungle - it's the Amazon jungle and it's amazing, good hotels, jungle tours, whitewater rafting, wildlife treks and much more

3. Mountains - Climb mountains or the world's highest active volcano

4. Atacames - Ecuador's beach party town is a blast, bars lined up on the beach and fun till dawn, as well as great ceviche stands.  Stay in Casablanca in Same if you have the cash, it's near Atacames but fancy.

5. Galapagos - most bizarre wildlife on earth

6. Los Banos - hot baths, bars, beer and more, what more could you ask for.

-there are many other things you can do in Ecuador too, but these are the main ones.

plus it's cheap, Ecuador uses the dollar so you don't have to exchange money and you can find a place to stay for under $10 if you are on a budget or $100 or more if you aren't.

it's also a very artistic country, check out the bohemian scene around Quito for painters, writers, etc. hanging out in cafes and drinking.

Answer 6

The exchange rate really favors Argentina at the moment. There is plenty of American and European universitary students in Buenos Aires that have taken a 2-week holiday and stayed there there for 2 months or more taking advantage of the exchange rate.

The airfare is more or less the same for all South American countries (Brazil, Arg, and Chile), and given the fact that Argentina is currently the most visited country in SA you might need to invest some extra time in finding a competitive rate compared to the other countries.