The Ultimate South America Bucket List!
Typically, I avoid the words: “Bucket List.” I dislike the idea of people racing around the globe, checking items off some arbitrary “list.” My own preferred mode of travel is long & slow: meaning, I tend to spend at least a month in each country I visit, to really get a feel for it. Yes, I usually see the highlights of each country ~ but I spend enough time to soak in off-the-beaten path spots too. All that said, why the heck did I create this “Ultimate South America Bucket List?!” If bucket lists are anathema to the way I travel, why create this??
Why Create a Bucket List?
A lot of what I do with my travel writing is try to bring order to chaos. In other words, I attempt to distill down big ideas or big places, making it easier for other travelers to identify what they do & do not want to see. Creating a visual list can help get the “big picture.” As South America is a place I’ve fallen in love with (& that many Americans aren’t necessarily drawn to), the main reason I created this list is to demonstrate just how many incredible adventures & mysterious places await in the wilds of this continent….
Map of South America Bucket List Spots
Cusco, Peru
Galapagos Islands
Machu Picchu
Uyuni Salt Flats
Buenos Aires
Medellin
Patagonia
San Pedro de Atacama
Rio de Janeiro
Iguazu Falls
Easter Island
The Ultimate South America Bucket List
Bucket list travel implies a highlight reel: & the 18 destinations listed below are indeed a “highlight reel” of South America. Each is fantastic enough to warrant ample time & exploration. If I’ve written about a place, I link to the article(s) ~ & you can click to read more.
- PERU: 1) Machu Picchu, 2) Rainbow Mountain (also called, “Vinicunca”), 3) Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas.
- ECUADOR: 4) The Galapagos Islands.
- COLOMBIA: 5) Medellin, 6) Guatape, 7) Cartagena.
- URUGUAY: 8) Punta del Este.
- BOLIVIA: 9) Uyuni Salt Flats (if you can’t make it to Bolivia, check out Argentina’s Salt Flats here).
- ARGENTINA: 10) Iguazu, 11) Buenos Aires, 12) Patagonia.
- BRAZIL: 13) The Amazon (you can also visit the Peruvian Amazon),14) Rio de Janeiro, 15) Sao Paolo.
- CHILE: 16) Easter Island, 17), Santiago, the capital of Chile, & 18) San Pedro de Atacama.
There are 12 countries total in South America, & only 8 represented here. The missing countries are: Venezuela, Paraguay, Guyana, & Suriname. Why are they missing from the list? Venezuela is left off because it’s a very dangerous & inadvisable place to visit right now, due to major civil unrest. As for the others, I’ve never visited them & know little about them, & they would definitely fall more into the “off-the-beaten” path category.
The Ultimate South America Bucket List
Because I’ve written so extensively about many of the destinations on this list, I’m keeping the remainder of this article short ~ & showing you photos of a few of these spectacular destinations instead.
The largest salt flat in the world, in Bolivia: Uyuni.
Spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, in Chile.
Rainbows over Iguazu Falls, on the Argentina side. I have no clue how to use Photoshop ~ so I assure you, this is 100% real!
If you LOVE animals & unspoiled beaches: fly to the Galapagos Islands pronto!
What is My Favorite Country in South America?
People often ask me what my favorite country is, & while this is near-impossible to answer: I’d say within South America, my “favorite” country is Peru, followed closely by Colombia. Peru for its sense of majesty & mystery ~ Colombia for its warm & gregarious people.
One of my favorite shots of Machu Picchu, taken at sunrise.
Rainbow Mountain in Peru.
This is a common sight in colorful Cartagena, Colombia: beautiful, Caribbean women carrying fruit on top of their heads!
Mysterious stone statues on Easter Island, off the coast of Chile.
Glamping under the stars in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
The Ultimate South America Bucket List
Thanks for reading this “Ultimate South America Bucket List!” You can find some of my favorite hotels in South America in the article below ~ & if you want to know what my #1 favorite hotel is in South America…I actually have two, & they’re both in Peru!
One is the El Albergue Hotel in Ollantaytambo, & the other is the JW Marriott El Convento in Cusco….
Read Next: Top 10 Best Hotels in South America
LOVE this bucket list for South America!!
My boyfriend and I are planning a trip there right now (we’ll be gone at least 3 months), and are going to try to make it to most of these spots. Question: because the Galapagos and Easter Island are both so far off the coast, is it really expensive to reach them? And one you got to the Galapagos, was it very expensive? We’ve looked at a cruise option, but it’s incredibly expensive! We’re hoping to do it on our own. Also, if you were going to spend the most time in one of these countries – which would you choose? We’re both pretty active, love the outdoors and adventure sports! Thank you so much for any advice you can give!!
Hi Emily! SO stoked that you guys are able to swing a 3-month trip! And thanks for your questions. First off, there’s NO WAY I’d suggest trying to see all these places in three months!! Unless you want to be on a bus or plane the whole time ; ) South America is a mASSive continent, & it can take a lot longer to travel between places than it may seem. And flights between countries can get really pricey. I’d highly advise narrowing down your list to what you REALLY want to see. Next, all flights I researched to Easter Island were VERY expensive ~ so you may want to opt out of that. But I traveled to the Galapagos twice (from Guayaquil), & neither flight was particularly expensive ($200-range). AVOID cruises if you’re trying to save money!! Once you’re actually in the Galapagos (I stayed on Isla Santa Cruz), it’s not much more expensive than anywhere else in South America (my hotel was $35/night, & snorkel/dive tours were about $75 for a full, 8-hour day). For active outdoor lovers, my vote would be to spend more time in Peru & Argentina ~ you can travel in both countries quite cheaply, & outdoor opportunities ABOUND!! Hope all this helps, xoxo Noelia
When someone writes an post he/she retains the thought of a user in his/her mind that how a user can understand it.
So that’s why this post is outstdanding. Thanks!
Thanks so much! This “South America Bucket List” was definitely made with the user in mind….it provides a nice, succinct way of looking at the major highlights on this gorgeous continent! xoxo