South America

South America is a large continent, stretching from 10 degrees north of the Equator in Colombia, to 55 degrees south of the the Equator in Patagonia. This means the equatorial regions of Peru and Ecuador have a wet and dry season with a consistent temperature year round. 

Peru's dry season ranges from April to October, the same time as the Patagonian winter where day time temperatures are freezing and the sun rises at 9am and sets at 5pm.

If you travel to Patagonia during Peru’s wet season (October – April), you can enjoy up to 16 hours of daylight each day with comfortable daytime temperatures to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. 

When planning your South American adventure, it's best to try and avoid traveling long distances from north to south to optimise local weather patterns.

Many travellers, and avid photographers, are drawn to the South American continent for its incredibly unique wildlife. Where you decide to visit will depend on what wildlife you hope to see, but in general, some of the best South American destinations for wildlife include the Amazon, the Galapagos Islands, the Brazilian Pantanal.

South America is also a dream for bird watching, in particular places like Colca Canyon, the Cloud Forests of Ecuador, and the Amazon River basin

Visas are required by some nationalities for travel to certain South American countries. Please refer to the detailed information on the specific countries that you plan to travel through for visa requirements or contact the official government website for your destination country. 

Many families, of all ages, travel to South America and it's a welcoming destination to kids. In particular, places like the Amazon, Peru, and the Galapagos are very child-friendly, with lots of wildlife and unique activities that will educate and inspire travellers of any age. 

South America is very diverse, and a result, many different languages and dialects are spoken. The most common languages are Spanish and Portuguese. In many tourist areas, some English may be spoken as well. 

What you need to pack will depend on when and where you plan on travelling and on the activities that you plan to include whilst on your South America tour. The following should act as a useful checklist of essential items: • Passport, photocopy of passport & spare passport photos • Travel Insurance documents • Air tickets and itinerary • Foreign Currency (US$) and/or debit/credit cards, traveller’s cheques • Money belt • Small daypack • Basic first aid kit • High UVA sun block • Sunglasses & sunhat • Mosquito spray & insect repellent • Comfortable walking shoes/boots • Sandals • Long sleeve tops and trousers • Light-weight clothing • Warm clothing (depending on itinerary and time of year) • Camera with spare battery and memory cards • Security code padlock • Adaptor • Small torch