Backpacking in South America is one of the most popular backpacker destinations, after Australia and Southeast Asia.
There are plenty of incredible experiences and countries on offer to any traveller wanting to go there, as well as many different South America backpacking routes.
South America has huge amounts of culture and a well-developed backpacking route, so you’re always meeting new people having good times and exploring new countries.
With Xtreme gap year you can go backpacking throughout the continent, or spend some quality time in many of the most exciting destinations to develop a new passion or pick up a new skill like learning Spanish, or becoming a surf god in Ecuador. Contact us and ask us about our South America packages to to get the best advice before you travel.
The Galapagos Islands are a definite highlight, and with the Galapagos Islands experience you can visit multiple islands as part of your backpacking journey.
One of the main attractions the people who choose a gap year in South America, is to trek the Inca Trail, whatever you want to do on your trip, make sure you talk to us first because we can custom build some amazing adventures.
Check Out Some Amazing South America Backpacking Highlights
These are just some of the more popular suggestions that some of our clients do when backpacking in South America. Everyone is different though, so contact us about your travel plans and we will tailor make the perfect suggestions for you.
Trek the Inca Trail
Study Spanish learn to surf in Ecuador
Go backpacking through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia
Learn Spanish in Argentina
Check out some of the trips below:
Rio Carnival Experience£799
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to a party on the street with 1 million other people? Would you like to experience the biggest, craziest and most colorful event on the planet? Then you need to get yourself to Rio for the biggest, most bucket-list worthy event of the year; Carnival!
Rio ConneXion Brazil Arrival Pack£490
Spend two days in Rio de Janeiro with Xtreme Gap Year and check out what the city has to offer. This marvellous city is one of the best places to visit in South America, and we will show you it in its full glory over a two-day period. A favela tour and Rio de Janeiro city tour is included as well as airport pick up from two nights hostel accommodation. The perfect way to finish all start your South America trip and a great stopover in Rio de Janeiro.
Ecuador Travel Pass£325
A flexible hop on hop off travel pass taking you from Quito to Guayagil. The perfect way to Explorer Ecuador at your own pace taking in mountings, jungles waterfalls and the Pacific coast. Easily add on Galapagos Islands tours, surfing in Spanish and are Ecuador adrenaline overload.
Round The World Xtreme South America Gap Year£3099
If your dream is to explore South America, and you have at least 10 weeks then check out this stunning itinerary. Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia with just the right mix of everything Xtreme thrown in. From trekking the Inca Trail, to learning to surf with the Ecuador surf pros, you can learn Spanish, discover the glories of South America from the jungles to the mountain peaks of the Andes. From £2500 excluding flights.
Spanish And Surfing In Ecuador£529
Surfing and Spanish is a wicked combination if you are heading out on a South America Gap Year. No boring classrooms, but learning Spanish on the beach. You will be staying in Montanita, a funky beach town and the capital of surfing in Ecuador. You become a great surfer as you will be taught by worlds best competitive surfing champions. No surf experience is needed.
Lima Surf ConneXion£189
A fun arrival pack in Peru with a difference, you get to hang out with our English-speaking surfer dude guides and see Perus capital city through the eyes of the local. Normal run-of-the-mill city tours this is not, this is about discovering the exciting underbelly of Lima and definitely not following the usual tourist trail. Choose two out of four day trips, take a surflessons and enjoy a friendly warm welcome with a homestay on your first night, with airport pickup included.
Lima Loop South America Travel Pass£959
Our uber popular backpacker travel pass. This pass provides full transport starting in Lima through Peru, Bolivia and Chile taking in some of the most amazing aspects of the South America backpacker trail, before heading up the West Coast pass the Nasca lines to end backup in Lima. One of the cheapest cities to fly into South America. This pass works very well with the Inca Trail as you can set your trail dates well ahead.
Backpacking South America£3200
Superb South America backpacking itinerary starting in Lima. Taking on the Inca Trail, Peru, Bolivia before heading north to Ecuador. All transport and plenty of activities included on this flexible adventure. Epic scenery, culture and adventure on one of the worlds most sort after backpacker routes.
Xtreme Bolivia Experience£779
Xtreme Bolivia Experience Cycle the infamous death road, explore the worlds highest city La Paz and check out the surreal, mirror like salt flats of Salar de Uyuni by jeep. Go deep underground in an active mine (and blow shit up with dynamite if you feel the need!) check out geysers, hot pools and vast desert landscapes. Bolivia is the Xtreme Team’s favourite country in South America, you do not want to miss out.
Ecuador Conservation Experience£449
Visit cloud forests, coastal mountains, mangroves and beaches. Help protect the Amazon rainforests with reforestation projects and interact with the local Indian communities. It is all about getting back to nature with exposure to a huge range of Flora, reptiles, birds and mammals on four different diverse nature reserves. If you want the ultimate biological conservation project and want to spend your gap year giving plenty back to mother nature then this trip is for you!
Buenos Aires to Rio Travel Pass£699
Buenos Aires to Rio Travel Pass All you need to travel between two of South America's most exciting cities: Buenos Aires in Argentina and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and covering a lot of exciting locations between. It's a fair distance, and if you speak little Spanish or Portuguese it takes a lot of the hassle out of finding your way on this ultra-popular South America backpacking route.
Chimborazo The 15 Day Ultimate Climbing Adventure£1499
Chimborazo The 15 Day Ultimate Climbing Adventure Need a challenge? Break the 6000m barrier and summit Chimborazo! As well as experiencing an action packed itinerary all over Quito and Cotopaxi national park. This is like the 12 day intro and climbing adventure but with a serious mountain challenge at the end. Includes a 5 day acclimatisation programme on some other impressive peaks.
12 Day Ecuador Intro and Climbing Adventure£1119
This incredible 12 day trip combines all the excitement of the seven day Ecuador Adrenaline Overload with an epic mountain climbing adventure, taking on three summits in five days. Not for the faint hearted, completing this trip is the ultimate prize in adventure travel bragging rights!
Ecuador to Peru Travel Pass£597
Ecuador to Peru Travel Pass All you need to travel between two of South America's most popular counties, Travel from Quito in Ecuador to Lima in Peru stopping off at lots of exciting places on the way. Why not extend this trip by adding on one or more of our other exciting South America programmes. Choose from Spanish and Surf in Ecuador, Trek the Inca Trail or one of the other choices and make your gap year experience one to remember.
Ultimate Fighter, MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training in Rio£899
Ultimate Fighter, MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training in Rio Living in Rio De Janeiro and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the ultimate martial arts experience. Rio is famous for delivering the best instruction delivered by world class athletes. The training can be tough, eye opening and seriously rewarding with some incredible down time on some of the worlds best beaches.
Ecuador Adrenaline Overload£599
Get ready to hit Ecuador with a vengeance. White water raft along a thundering river in the Andes, explore the Avenue of the Volcanoes on horse back and get a dose of culture in the historic Quito. Action, adventure and an impressive start to any South American trip. Seven days of adrenaline!
Learn Spanish With Culture In Argentina£739
Our Learn Spanish Programme takes you to South America and the vibrant city of Buenos Aires. This is not the kind of holiday where you return to a lonely bedroom after class and a solitary meal in the hotel dining room. Xtreme Gap students benefit from cultural integration by either living with a local family or sharing student accommodation. Work hard and play hard is a good rule, but don’t miss your class the next day!
Xtreme Venezuela Experience£899
The Xtreme Venezuela Experience. A perfect mixture of 5 weeks pure adventure and Spanish lessons, set in one of South Americas most stunning countries. Swim with dolphins, live in the jungle, chill on the beach, go rock climbing, learn about Indians and the culture of the Venezuelans are just a few elements of this amazing group based programme!
Venezuela Adventure Class Room£1899
This is a real adventure seekers dream. Our award winning travelling classroom programme is a unique blend of learning Spanish and travelling adventure. Venezuela is a beautiful country of huge diversity with golden palm fringed beaches, exotic jungles, spectacular and mysterious mountains, ancient indigenous cultures and the beat of exotic Latino! Based at our Caribbean Lodge on one of Venezuelas best beaches, Playa Colorada, in Mochima National Park, explore the lost world while learning Spanish with a fun group of people!
Trek The Inca Trail£399
Trek the Inca Trail Trekking the Inca Trail is the ultimate backpacking rite of passage. An unreal journey that takes you 4 days to complete, trekking high up in the Andes in search of the lost city of Machu Picchu. Not for the faint hearted, this trail leads you through steep mountain passes, with dramatic scenery culminating in a magnificent view of the Incan Citadel, through the infamous Sun Gate.
New: Lima to La Paz via Cuzco Travel Pass£369
This is the perfect pass if you want to travel through Peru seeing some of the major highlights of South America, including stopping off in Cuzco, the Gateway to the Inca Trail. The pass then ends in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia and the world's highest city. Plenty of inclusions like the Colca Canyon, for condor spotting, the Ballestas Islands and the Sacred Valley. High Andean peaks, ruined Incan citadels and a well trodden backpacker trail. South America at its best.
Complete Peru and Bolivia Travel Pass£806
Complete Peru and Bolivia Travel Pass Experience Peru and Bolivia with all the wondrous adventure travel that comes with these two epic backpacker destinations. In Peru go condor spotting in the Colca Canyon, see thousands of seabirds off the Ballestas Islands and as a contrast travel through the lush agricultural region of Sacred Valley. Trek the Inca Trail on an optional excursion. Then onto Bolivia, for Lake Titicaca and the unreal salt flats at Salar de Uyuni.
Galapagos Island Experience Ecuador£1129
Galapagos Island Experience Ecuador Your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Galapagos Islands, a world Heritage site rich in wildlife unique to these beautiful islands. How you see the Galapagos, depends on your choice of land or boat option, each has their own advantages but both are excellent. You do not need to worry about getting there either, as flights from mainland Ecuador are included as well. Perfect to include before Surfing and Spanish in Ecuador trip or after the Ecuador Adrenaline Overload.
Galapagos Conservation Project£649
The ultimate conservation experience in the worlds most diverse and naturally rich islands. The Galapagos. Spend up to a month here volunteering on a research project. This program offers a broad and balanced introduction to the forestry conservation projects currently underway on the Galapagos, and will put volunteers right in the thick of it, with hands-on responsibilities, at a central location on San Cristobal.
Xtreme Reporter£249
Learn, earn and travel by reporting. One accessible online course from any destination while you´re discovering. Investigate new places and learn how to creatively tell the world. Get the opportunity of the lifetime to get advice from a professional mind. No qualifications required yet experience gained. Travel and writing... what more do you need?
Backpacking South America routes.
There are several different backpacking routes favoured by backpackers travelling through South America. The most popular usually involves flying into either Ecuador (Quito), Peru or Buenos Aires.
Our backpacking in South America trip starting Quito taking in the most popular countries in Ecuador Peru and Bolivia in Chile. You can see how much distances covered in the interactive map below, however there are plenty of different routes available to you and these are made easy with our South America travel passes. The perfect route for you really depends on what you want to see, so get in contact with us and we can offer the best suggestions for you. But some of the highlights of South America would include things like the Inca Trail in Peru, the salt lakes in Bolivia, Iguazu Falls in Argentina and Brazil (the biggest in the world in terms of water volume), the Nasca lines in Peru, the Amazon rainforest and Lake Titicaca. Then you have some amazing cities that you really can’t miss, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, Cuzco in Peru and Quito in Ecuador.