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South America Overland Travel - Essential Information
From Brazil to Peru & Ecuador, we offer the opportunity to experience the best of South American culture. Read below about the essential facts you should know before you travel to South America.
Flights While we do not sell, book or arrange flights, here is some information that may be of help. For most trips in South America that we run, your destination city is possibly going to be different from the city you started your trip in. In this case you will need to ask for an 'open jaw' ticket instead of a 'return' ticket. This allows you to fly into one destination and out of another. There are many travel agents both online (Opodo & E-bookers are but two) and in the high streets offering great deals on flights, so shop around and get a few quotes from various agents, some will have better deals than others and its not always the big co's that have the best deals. There is ALWAYS seats available to any destination, it just comes down to how much you are willing to pay for one! Its not always the cheapest (or the easiest) to book with airlines direct as they tend to give preferential deals to agencies. If you would like any more advice or specific contact no's etc please feel free to phone or email us.
South America: Travel Style CAMPING / OVERLAND TRUCK TRIP - This is a traditional South America overland travel option, where we use our own truck for transport. We stay in simple hotels, guesthouses or camp in both designated campsites, and desert or bush-camp using two person tents. We usually cook using gas stoves and take turns, so expect to cook about every 15 days or so. Driving days normally start around 8am and finish around 5pm with stops for lunch and buying of food, seeing local sights etc. We will not be travelling every day. The average group size is around 18 although our vehicles can carry a maximum of 23.
LOCAL TRANSPORT / HOTEL TRIP - For the Peru Encompassed local transport trips, we travel using internal flights, trains and coaches. The hotels we use on our South America tours vary from small friendly guesthouses to three star hotels. We eat in local restaurants and the group size is a maximum of 15 people.
Spending Money and Local Payment Our South America trips require two types of spending: a Local Payment and personal spending money. At the beginning of your trip the crew will collect the Local Payment in US Dollars Cash. For personal spending during our South America tours we suggest an average of $150 - $200 per week. Personal spending requirements vary hugely depending on individuals. We cannot specify every cost for your trip; however, you need to allow for visas, drinks, occasional meals out, curios and local crafts, emails etc. Budget for optional side trips separately. Credit cards are only accepted in the main cities so you need to bring at least a third of your spending money in US Dollars cash and the rest in US Dollar Travellers Cheques.
Health Precautions Vaccinations - It is advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis before embarking on a South America travel experience. Consult your doctor about having Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B and Rabies shots. Malaria - The only areas we visit with a recognised malaria risk are the Amazon Jungle, The Pantanal and Iguazu Falls. You cannot be vaccinated against malaria for South America tours, but there are a number of preventative treatments. While some GPs are quite well-versed in tropical medicine and malarial prevention many are not! If you are not happy with the information your doctor has provided, contact a reputable travel clinic in your area or phone us and we can give you details of several clinics.
Travel Requirements - passport and visas At the present time United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand passport holders do not require visas to travel in the countries that we visit on our South America tours. Australia, USA and Canadian passport holders require a visa for Brazil only and South African passport holders for Bolivia only. These can ALL be obtained en-route.Your passport must be valid for at least nine months from the start date of your South America overland tour and you will need one blank page for each country you intend to visit.
South America Tours - Carnivals and Festivals Fiestas (festivals) are a fundamental part of life for most Latin Americans, and South America overland travel is simply not complete without experiencing them! Arriving in a city in time for one of these inevitably frenetic celebrations is an experience you will always remember. However be prepared for some serious partying and a hangover the size of the Amazon! There are too many fiestas to mention but where possible your tour leaders will always try and incorporate one during your trip. Among the most notable celebrations are News Years Eve on Copacabana Beach and the annual 'carnaval' which takes place the weekend before Ash Wednesday in towns and villages across the continent. The dates for the famous 'Rio carnaval' for the next three years are; 17 - 20 Feb 2007, 02 - 05 Feb 2008, 21 - 24 Feb 2009 and we recommend arriving a few days early or staying on after our trips finish in Rio for a few days to experience either of these festivals at New Year or Carnaval season.
South America Travel Tips - Local Customs People in the countries we visit on our South America overland travel tours are usually extremely friendly and helpful. Most Latin Americans, if they can afford it, take pride in their clothes and appearance and it is appreciated if travellers make an effort to do like wise. Buying clothing locally can help you look less like a tourist. In the more remote Andean regions ask before photographing people as this may cause offence.
The Climate During our South America tours you will experience a wide range of conditions. From very cold temperatures and snow in the highlands and mountains of the Andes, to heavy rainfalls in the tropical jungle areas, to blazing sunshine on the coast, South America has it all.
Average Night and Day Temperature (°C) Average Monthly Rainfall (mm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
BUENOS AIRES Argentina - 25m
17-29 79
17-28 71
16-26 109
12-22 89
09-18 76
05-14 61
06-14 56
06-16 61
08-18 79
10-21 86
13-24 84
16-28 99
LA PAZ Bolivia - 3632m
06-16 114
06-16 107
06-17 66
05-17 33
04-12 13
01-16 8
01-17 10
01-17 13
02-17 28
03-18 41
04-18 48
05-18 94
RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil - 15m
24-29 125
23-29 122
22-28 130
21-27 107
19-25 79
18-24 53
17-24 41
18-24 43
18-24 66
20-26 79
20-26 104
22-28 137
QUITO Ecuador - 2818m
08-22 99
08-22 112
08-22 142
08-21 175
08-21 137
07-22 43
07-22 20
07-23 31
07-23 69
07-22 112
07-22 97
08-22 79
SANTIAGO Chile - 520m
12-29 3
13-29 3
09-27 5
07-23 13
05-18 64
03-14 84
03-15 76
04-17 56
06-19 31
09-26 15
09-26 8
11-26 5
LIMA Peru - 137m
19-28 3
19-31 0
19-28 0
17-27 0
16-26 5
14-20 5
14-19 8
13-19 8
14-20 8
16-26 3
16-26 3
17-26 0
CUZCO Peru - 3310m
07-20 163
07-21 150
07-21 109
04-22 51
02-21 15
01-21 5
01-21 5
01-21 10
04-22 25
06-22 66
06-23 76
07-22 137
WEBSITES THAT MIGHT ALSO BE OF INTEREST: FCO Travel Advice www.fco.gov.uk/travel UK Government run site with loads of good information on all aspects of travel abroad
Medical Travel Advice www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm Useful information and advice for travellers about what vaccinations they may need and general health related issues when travelling abroad. The site is funded by the Department of Health and is based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
World Medical Advice www.wmc-card.co.uk World Medical Center offers a Card for a nominal fee that enables you to carry any medical information such as medication, allergies and blood type and next of kin information in a credit card style format. The information is then readable by doctors anywhere in the world with a scanning device or by breaking the seal and reading the text inside. The Card is not insurance but is designed to give you safer medical treatment if you need it when abroad.
Where to find a Visa Card ATM overseas www.visa.com Find an ATM machine (some locations will only issue cash in local currency)
Where to find a Mastercard ATM overseas www.mastercard.com Find an ATM machine (some locations will only issue cash in local currency)
Starting and Ending your Trip Quito, Lima, La Paz, Santiago and Rio de Janeiro are the start and finish points of our South America overland tours. We recommend arriving a couple of days before your trip starts in order to acclimatise and give yourself a free day. Most people also give themselves a few days at the end of their trips to experience the cities our trips finish in and chill out before travelling on to their final destinations. We can advise you of places to stay and on getting around these cities. We can also reserve accommodation in Rio during Carnival and New Year celebrations.
Quito, only 25 kilometres south of the equator it would be easy to imagine a city basking in intense tropical heat. However, at a height of 2850m (9350ft) it has a climate more similar to spring in southern England. The city was founded by the Incas and is set in a hollow below a towering volcano and surrounded by mountains. The old quarter is characterised by steep, narrow, cobbled streets. The restaurants here are cheaper and more likely to serve local dishes. If you are lucky you will find one serving Cuy, one of the national dishes of baked guinea pig. Quito also has many museums and 16th and 17th century churches, which are well worth visiting. Lima, Like Quito has a mild climate. It was at one time the chief city of Spanish South America. With an estimated 8 million people inhabiting Lima it has a vibrant and varied atmosphere and is a great place to spend a couple of days. During our South America tours pay a visit to the interesting and informative museums as well as cathedrals and churches on offer in the old colonial part of the city. La Paz, the highest capital in the world lies in a steep canyon. The view from the air as you fly in is dramatic, with snow covered Mt. Illimani at 6400m towering almost 3000m above the city. It has interesting markets selling local cuisine & ethnic crafts including jumpers & woollen garments made from Alpaca, llama and Vicuna wool. There are a number of festivals in La Paz & we try & time our South America tours to coincide with some of these. Santiago is essentially a modern city of 5 million people. A smart underground metro, well kept parks and cleanliness and efficiency are the things that strike a visitor on arrival. There are a number of very informative museums with pre-colonial and post-colonial history. Santiago is a pleasant and safe place to spend a few days during a South America travel experience. Rio de Janeiro is visually, one of the most stunningly beautiful cities in the world and a definite highlight of your South America travel experience. The Corcovado (hunchback) mountain and the Sugar Loaf dominate the skyline. This and the giant white sweep of Copacabana beach overlooking the azure Guanabara Bay, provide the 'cariocas', as Rio's citizens are known, with the setting for the explosive, frenetic sensuality of the annual 'carnival'.
For further information please contact us by phone fax or email. We are always willing to chat about any of the tours. Our Pre-Departure Dossiers also have further information on each tour.
