South America Solo Tours for Single Travelers
Discover the most rewarding solo trips and holidays in South America. We offer 90 South America solo tour packages, many featuring small group experiences and expert guides. Read 4,300 customer reviews from fellow solo travelers who have experienced these journeys firsthand.
10 Best South America Solo Trips
Our most popular South America multiday tours perfect for solo adventurers — offering social group settings, safe environments, and the most-booked experiences for independent spirits.
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See How Our Solo Travelers Discover the World
From South America to everywhere, Bookmundi makes solo travel simple — join a group tour for new friendships, or enjoy the flexibility of a private journey crafted just for you.
South America Travel Styles
Explore South America with our diverse travel styles! Choose from luxurious tours that pamper you with comfort and elegance, or budget-friendly options that let you experience the beauty of South America without breaking the bank. Whether you're indulging in fine dining or discovering hidden gems, there's a perfect adventure waiting for you.
Popular Countries for Solo Trips in South America
Discover the best countries in South America for solo trips. Compare destinations, read traveler reviews, and find solo trips that match your interests across the continent.
10 Best South America Solo August Deals
August exclusive deals on South America's top solo-friendly tours — massive savings on safe, social adventures for independent travelers!
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Tips for South America Solo Trips
Think in travel corridors, not country counts
South America is not difficult because of one single thing; it is difficult because the distances, terrain, borders, and climates stack up. A solo trip works better when you follow a natural corridor: Peru and Bolivia for Andes, ruins, salt flats, and altitude; Chile and Argentina for desert, wine, cities, and Patagonia; Brazil and Argentina for Rio, Iguazú, Buenos Aires, and beaches; Ecuador and Colombia for compact routes, coffee towns, coast, and mountains. Counting countries is the rookie trap. Counting realistic travel days is the grown-up version.
Pick places where solo travel has a built-in social scene
The best solo stops in South America are not always the biggest sights; they are the places where it is easy to meet people without trying too hard. Cusco, Lima’s Miraflores and Barranco areas, Arequipa, La Paz, Uyuni tours, Buenos Aires, Mendoza, El Chaltén, Rio, Florianópolis, Medellín, Cartagena, Quito, Baños, and parts of the Galápagos route all have walking tours, hostels, food tours, day trips, language classes, hikes, and shared transfers. Solo travel here works best when you alternate independent days with naturally social activities.
Use buses carefully; they are useful, not automatically smart
Long-distance buses are part of the South America experience, but solo travelers should not romanticize them. A 16-hour bus can save money; it can also drop you half-asleep at a terminal before sunrise with your phone battery dying and no taxi plan. Use reputable companies, book better seat classes for overnight routes, keep valuables with you, and avoid arriving in unfamiliar cities late at night. In Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, domestic flights can be worth it when distances are huge or vacation days are limited.
Do not treat altitude like a minor inconvenience
Altitude shapes many classic South America solo routes, especially in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, northern Chile, and parts of Colombia and Argentina. Cusco, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Uyuni, Quito, and high Andean passes can affect fit travelers too. The solo-specific issue is that no companion is there to notice when you are becoming stubborn, confused, or unusually exhausted. Plan slow first days, avoid alcohol on arrival at altitude, hydrate, and do not stack Rainbow Mountain, Lake Titicaca, or high hikes immediately after landing. Ambition is not an acclimatization strategy.
Spend money where it removes real solo-travel risk
South America is a good region for mixing independent travel with selective tours. Do cities, cafés, museums, beaches, and easy transfers independently. Pay for help where one mistake gets expensive or unsafe: Machu Picchu tickets and trains, Amazon lodges, Uyuni Salt Flats, Patagonia trekking, Galápagos cruises, jungle trips, remote border crossings, and late-night airport transfers. A tour is not always about hand-holding. Sometimes it is buying certainty in a place where transport, weather, permits, language, or remoteness can turn a small error into a full-day mess.
Build a safety routine you can repeat everywhere
Solo safety in South America is less about fear and more about habits. Arrive in daylight when possible, keep your phone out of sight on streets, carry a backup card, use ride apps or trusted taxis at night, ask accommodation staff which areas to avoid, and do not bring every valuable on casual walks. In social settings, watch your drink and know how you are getting back before you go out. This routine should travel with you from Lima to Rio to Buenos Aires. Boring habits are underrated travel insurance.
South America Tours for all Age Groups
Find tours designed for every age group, from young adventurers to senior travelers. Travel with like-minded explorers and enjoy experiences tailored to your needs.
Frequently asked questions about solo travel in South America
South America Tour Reviews for Solo Travelers
Read honest reviews from solo travelers on our solo trips in South America.
Roberto was an excellent tour leader with a wealth of information about architecture, history, flora and fauna. He was a walking Google! He was enthusiastic and made the tour a lot of fun. He was also genuinely caring of each one of us (always carrying water and reminding us to hydrate and apply sun block, among other things!) The highlights of the tour include Cuicocha lake, Cotopaxi volcano, Mindo, and most definitely the Galapagos for its abundance of animals. Everyday was a new adventure during the 2 week tour. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
One of the most unforgettable trips of my life. The Salkantay trek was breathtaking — snow-capped peaks, changing landscapes, and finally arriving at Machu Picchu made every step worth it. Alpaca Expedition handled every detail, from camping to meals, so we could just enjoy the journey.
It was a most enjoyable trip. Coming back home everyone was anxious waiting to hear about this trip. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, with friendly people, and clean delicious food. Incredibly fortunate I was able to have this experience. The Arenal volcano, the hanging bridges, the beach, it was great!!!
This was one of our best vacation/trips. Insight Vacations did an excellent job with our itinerary and the amount of places we visited and things we did. Really saw a lot of the cultural that we would have missed as just a tourist on our own. Hotels and food were the best. Bring a 220V converter for the room and a phone charging cord with a USB end as that was what is available on most busses and train.
Arturo was an amazing guide. Knowledge was exceptional and very helpful especially when some guests felt unwell. His patience and sense of humour also added to a first class trip,
The trip packed a lot in to it so I would strongly recommend anyone thinking about this trip to add a few days to the start in Salvador (as I did) or to add some days at the end in Rio. The travel, with 7 internal flights is quite wearing but the rewards are amazing. Tremendous wildlife in the Amazon and Pantanal, great scenery at Iguaçu, the Amazon and Rio and a wonderful range of colour, culture, music and vibe in Salvador. Diego was an excellent leader, the group was very good, the transport and hotels were good and the whole experience totally unforgettable. A shame we had two days of rain in Rio, but who can control the weather ?
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