skyscanner.net.The range of direct flights from Europe to South America – particularly Argentina, Brazil and Chile – is currently expanding. As well as European carriers like British Airways, Iberia and Air France, South American airlines, such as Aerolíneas Argentinas, Avianca and particularly LATAM (previously LAN and TAM), provide a choice of schedules and routes. Many people travel via the USA, usually through a hub such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta or Miami; these routes are particularly useful for northern South America. Note that many immigration departments in South America insist you have an onward or return ticket to enter the country, though the application of such rules is stricter in some countries than in others.
Airfares are seasonal, with the highest around July, August and mid-December to mid-January; you’ll get the best prices during the dry winter (May, June and late Sept) and the wet summer (in most of the region Feb–April, excluding Carnaval and Easter). Flying on weekends is often more expensive. You can generally cut costs by going through a specialist flight agent, booking flights well in advance or taking advantage of online-only offers and (sometimes) airline frequent-flyer programmes. Another way to cut costs is to book with a tour operator that can put together a package deal including flights and accommodation, and tours as well.
Compare flight prices online with a site like skyscanner.net.
Flights from the UK and Ireland
Book months, not weeks, in advance for cheaper flights to South America from the UK, unless you manage to get a last-minute deal – which you can’t always bank on. If you’re prepared to fly indirectly, you’ll also get a cheaper price, but this could mean a long stopover. Return flights from the UK and Ireland start at around £450–500, though you should expect to pay more. British Airways has direct flights from Heathrow to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina and Santiago in Chile, though fares tend to be more expensive than those of its European and South American rivals. In early 2018, Norwegian launched “low-cost” flights from Gatwick to Buenos Aires, and reportedly has plans for flights to further destinations in South America. There are also plenty of options to travel with a European airline such as Air Europa (which vies with Norwegian to provide the cheapest fares), Iberia, TAP or Air France, via their hub cities. US airlines like American Airlines sometimes offer competitive fares, too.
Flights from the US and Canada
American, Delta and United airlines have direct flights to most major South American capitals from US cities, with the cheapest fares generally from Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and Miami. Several South American Airlines also serve the USA; Avianca often has good-value fares to northern South America, particularly its home base of Colombia. Direct flights from Canada are very limited; it’s generally best to travel via the USA, though it is also possible to travel via Central America. Expect to pay from around US$500 for return flights from either the US or Canada.
The best deals to South America are offered by Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM in conjunction with Qantas and Air New Zealand. Aerolíneas Argentinas flies from Sydney to Buenos Aires, via Auckland, with connections across the continent; Qantas has code-shares with LATAM via Auckland to Santiago and beyond. There are also plenty of flights via the US, but these take longer and tend to cost more. From Australia and NZ expect to pay at least US$1400 – but you can sometimes pay much more. Often airlines will charge more if you wish to stay in South America for longer than a month.
The US government requires those travellers coming to or through the USA (even just transiting) on the Visa Waiver Program to apply for clearance via ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). This is not something to ignore – if you arrive at the airport without having done it, the airline won’t allow you to check in. To apply, visit cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/esta. Make sure you do this at least 72 hours before travelling; you’ll need your passport to hand, and the admin fee is US$14. Once a traveller has received clearance, it remains valid for two years for unlimited visits.
Major border crossings, overland and sea routes
The following is an overview of the main land and sea crossings travellers can use to travel between the countries of South America. The information is fleshed out in the accounts of relevant border towns within this book.
From Brazil Most people use the easy road crossing to Puerto Iguazú from Foz do Iguaçu.
From Bolivia There are three overland entry points: Villazón to La Quiaca, Bermejo to Aguas Blancas and Yacuiba to Pocitos.
From Chile The most popular border crossing is the Santiago–Mendoza route via the Los Libertadores tunnel. If you’re coming from the south, routes in the Lake District include Osorno–Bariloche, and Temuco–San Martín de Los Andes. Further south still are the Puerto Natales–El Calafate and Punta Arenas–Río Gallegos crossings. In the north, there is a popular crossing from San Pedro de Atacama to Jujuy/Salta.
From Paraguay Popular road crossings include to Posadas from Encarnación, to Clorinda from Puerto Falcón, and to Puerto Iguazú from Ciudad del Este.
From Uruguay Boats to Buenos Aires depart regularly from Colonia del Sacramento, and less frequently to Tigre from Carmelo. You can also cross by road to Gualeguaychú from Fray Bentos.
From Argentina There are three overland entry points: La Quiaca to Villazón, Aguas Blancas to Bermejo, and Pocitos to Yacuiba.
From Brazil The busiest crossing is from Corumbá to the railhead of Puerto Quijarro. There are also crossings in the Amazon, including from Guajará-Mirim to Guayaramerín.
From Chile The most popular crossing is from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni via a three-/four-day salt flats tour.
From Paraguay There’s an arduous crossing via the trans-Chaco road.
From Peru The most popular, and straight-forward, crossing is around Lake Titicaca, from Puno to Copacabana.
From Argentina Most people use the easy road crossing to Foz do Iguaçu from Puerto Iguazú.
From Bolivia The busiest crossing is from the railhead of Puerto Quijarro to Corumbá. There are also crossings in the Amazon, including from Guayaramerín to Guajará-Mirim.
From Colombia In the Amazon region it is possible to take a riverboat from Leticia to Manaus.
From the Guianas Minibuses cross from the Guyanese town of Lethem to Boa Vista, 130km southwest.
From Paraguay Most people cross over the Puente de la Amistad bridge from Ciudad del Este to Foz do Iguaçu.
From Peru There is a land crossing to Assis Brasil from the Peruvian village of Iñapari. The small Amazonian port of Tabatinga can be reached from Iquitos, via the Santa Rosa border post.
From Uruguay Many people use the overland crossing from Chuy to Chui; other options include from Rivera to Santana do Livramento, Bella Unión to Barra do Quarai, and Artigas to Quarai.
From Venezuela From Santa Elena de Uairén buses cross to Boa Vista.
From Argentina One of the most popular border crossings is the Mendoza-Santiago route via the Los Libertadores tunnel. If you’re coming from the south, routes in the Lake District include Bariloche-Osorno, and San Martín de Los Andes-Temuco. Further south still are the El Calafate-Puerto Natales and Río Gallegos-Punta Arenas crossings. In the north, there is a popular crossing from Jujuy/Salta to San Pedro de Atacama.
From Bolivia The most popular crossing is from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama via a three-/four-day salt flats tour.
From Peru Frequent buses, colectivos and taxis cross from Tacna to Arica.
From Brazil In the Amazon region it is possible to take a riverboat from Manaus to Leticia.
From Ecuador The Panamerican Highway runs north from Ecuador, with the Ipiales–Tulcán crossing the most popular and straightforward crossing.
From Peru In the Amazon region travellers can take a riverboat from Iquitos to Leticia.
From Venezuela There are three main overland border crossings: from San Cristóbal to Cúcuta, Maracaibo to Maicao, and Casuarito to Puerto Carreño.
From Colombia The Panamerican Highway runs south from Colombia, with the Ipiales–Tulcán crossing the most popular and straightforward crossing.
From Peru There are three border crossings: Tumbes-Machala-Tumbes (the most popular, on the Panamericana); from Piura to Loja via La Tina; and (more difficult thanks to poorer roads and several bus changes) from Vilcabamba to Jaén.
From Brazil Minibuses cross from Boa Vista to the Guyanese town of Lethem, 130km northeast.
From Argentina Popular road crossings include to Encarnación from Posadas, to Puerto Falcón from Clorinda, and to Ciudad del Este from Puerto Iguazú.
From Bolivia There’s an arduous crossing via the trans-Chaco road.
From Brazil Most people cross over the Puente de la Amistad bridge from Foz do Iguaçu to Ciudad del Este.
From Bolivia The most popular, and straight-forward, crossing is around Lake Titicaca, from Copacabana to Puno.
From Brazil There is a land crossing from Assis Brasil to the Peruvian village of Iñapari, a three-hour bus ride from Puerto Maldonado. Inquitos can be reached from the small Amazonian port of Tabatinga via the Santa Rosa border post.
From Chile Frequent buses, colectivos and taxis cross from Arica to Tacna.
From Ecuador There are three border crossings: Machala-Tumbes (the most popular, on the Panamericana); from Loja to Piura via La Tina; and (more difficult thanks to poorer roads and several bus changes) from Jaén to Vilcabamba.
From Argentina Ferries head to Colonia del Sacramento from Buenos Aires, and less frequently to Carmelo from Tigre. There are buses from Colón. You can also cross by road to Fray Bentos from Gualeguaychú.
From Brazil Many people use the overland crossing from Chui to Chuy; other options include from Santana do Livramento to Rivera, Barra do Quarai to Bella Unión, and Quarai to Artigas.
From Brazil From Boa Vista, buses cross to Santa Elena de Uairén.
From Colombia There are three main overland border crossings: from Cúcuta to San Cristóbal, Maicao to Maracaibo, and Puerto Carreño to Casuarito.
Round-the-world tickets and airpasses
If South America is only one stop on a longer journey, consider buying a round-the-world (RTW) ticket – if your starting point is Australia or New Zealand, it may even be cheaper. An “off-the-shelf” ticket will have you touching down in about half a dozen cities. Alternatively, you can have a travel agent custom-make a RTW ticket for you, though this is more expensive. Fares depend on the month, point of origin and number of continents or distance travelled, and in general the more expensive options include South America, but they are worth exploring. Trailfinders (trailfinders.com), STA Travel (statravel.com) and Round The World Flights (roundtheworldflights.com) all sell RTW tickets.
If you’re planning to do a lot of travelling in South America, an alternative is to buy an airpass, for example, the Oneworld Visit South America Pass (oneworld.com).
Crossing overland from Panama into Colombia is not recommended as it entails traversing the Darién, a wild, lawless region occupied by guerrillas. The safest option is to fly – Bogotá and Caracas are the main points of entry – or take a boat from Panama to the Caribbean coast of Colombia. There is a ferry service from Colón in Panama to Cartagena, Colombia.
Aerolíneas Argentinas aerolineas.com.ar
Air Europa aireuropa.com
Air France airfrance.com
Air New Zealand airnewzealand.com
Alitalia alitalia.com
American Airlines aa.com
Avianca avianca.com
British Airways ba.com
Delta Airlines delta.com
Gol voegol.com.br
Iberia Airlines iberia.com
KLM klm.com
LATAM latam.com
Norwegian norwegian.com
Qantas qantas.com.au
TAP Air Portugal flytap.com
United Airlines united.com
At Rough Guides we are passionately committed to travel. We believe it helps us understand the world we live in and the people we share it with – and of course tourism is vital to many developing economies. But the scale of modern tourism has also damaged some places irreparably, and climate change is accelerated by most forms of transport, especially flying. All Rough Guides’ flights are carbon-offset.
Dragoman UK 
01728 861133, dragoman.com. A range of overland trips on a giant 4WD truck, with accommodation in hotels, hostels or tents.
Exodus UK 020 8675 5550, exodus.co.uk. Walking and cycling – and everything in between across the continent.
HostelTrail hosteltrail.com. A useful resource for hostels and budget tour companies in South America.
Hotwire hotwire.com. Last-minute savings of up to forty percent on regular published fares. Travellers must be at least 18 and there are no refunds, transfers or changes allowed.
Intrepid Australia intrepidtravel.com. Global company with almost three decades organizing adventure group travel – also has a “basix” option for those on a budget.
Journey Latin America UK 020 8747 8315, journeylatinamerica.co.uk. Knowledgeable and helpful staff, good at sorting out stopovers, open-jaw flights and package tours.
REI Adventures US 1 800 622 2236, rei.com/adventures. Climbing, cycling, hiking, cruising, paddling and multi-sport tours to many countries on the continent.
Round The World Flights roundtheworldflights.com. Specialists in round-the-world flights, both tailored and off the shelf.
STA Travel UK 0333 321 0099, statravel.co.uk. Low-cost flights and tours for students and under-26s, though other customers welcome. Good for round-the-world tickets.
Trailfinders UK 020 7368 1200, trailfinders.com. One of the best-informed and most efficient agents for independent travellers.
Travel Cuts Canada 1 800 667 2887, travelcuts.com. Canadian student-travel organization.
Tucan Travel Australia 029326 6633, tucantravel.com. Specializing in adventure and backpacker holidays – and also has a budget option. Based in Australia but offices worldwide.
Wilderness Travel US 1 800 368 2794, wildernesstravel.com. Adventure travel and wildlife tours throughout South America.