How to visit South America’s highlights in one trip?

The best times of the year to visit all the places you mention is between April–June and October-November.

We can tailor-make a holiday to fit all your requirements but we would need to include accommodation and as such we’d need to decide on an itinerary with fixed dates.

We also offer group tours and I’d suggest our Jacana group tour that starts in Rio and finishes in Peru. It includes Bolivia and Iguazú Falls. We could then arrange an extension on a private basis to Easter Island and Galápagos.

As you prefer to be flexible to book your own hotels, we can help you with just flights. The airlines usually charge to change the date (around $100 USD per person per change) and sometimes, if there is a difference in fare, you’d be expected to pay the extra.

Here is the best order to see your chosen highlights:

Rio, Iguazú, Easter Island via Buenos Aires and Santiago, Cusco via Lima, Galápagos via Lima and Guayaquil and finally back to the UK via Quito.

An approximate price for flights would be £2,284pp for the above routing.

I’d estimate that, as a minimum, you’d need 4 weeks in total to do this trip, but that is quite rushed.

If you’re thinking of booking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, you have to buy a permit and they sell fast so I’d try and arrange the trek in advance of departing the UK. It’s not uncommon for permits for July and August to sell out fast by April.

And, don't worry, it’s not too early to enquire for next year!

I hope this information is useful, feel free to contact us on 020 8747 8315 or enquire online.

Last updated: 19 May 2017