Budget for traveling in South America by car
Indice
Click for more info and get a 5% discount. It was a spectacular adventure, my second long backpacking trip around the vast world. I have written several articles reflecting on all that it gave me so I won’t dwell too much on this one.
I just want to tell you that -not even I believe it- I am already preparing another trip around the world -the second of this kind- departing in mid-January 2011. This time it was my girlfriend who has convinced me and I’m already in the process of leaving everything to take the backpack. There’s work to do!
Below I detail the travel route made during six months in South America with relevant links. I hope it will be helpful if you have in mind to visit this spectacular piece of the planet:
South America by bus
Cassie is a young North American woman who decided to undertake this adventure to beat the Guinness World Record for being the woman who has traveled all the countries of the world in the shortest possible time. Of the 196 countries officially recognized by the UN, she has already taken 180 in 15 months, since she started the adventure in July 2015. In that time, she has taken no less than 254 flights.
Cassie has spent approximately $180,000 on her adventure, and has financed it through sponsors who support her expedition, which is characterized by one maxim: eco-sustainability. For this reason, she is taking advantage of the trip to film an educational documentary on the subject and, at the same time, she is staying for free in eco-sustainable hotels which she advertises through her social networks.
On such an extensive (and intense) trip there are highs and lows. Cassie spends between two and five days in each country, and she recognizes that the best moments are her encounters with citizens of the different countries and the idea of visiting places where few people have been before.
How much money is needed to tour South America
In order to enter Argentina you need to have a valid passport and the maximum period of stay in the country is up to 90 days. Simple, isn’t it? But if you are going to enter Argentina, and you come from countries where cholera and yellow fever are endemic diseases, you will have to present a vaccination certificate against these diseases.
And if you want to go to a carnival in Brazil, and you are Mexican, you only have to present your passport with a minimum validity of 6 months and a photocopy of your round-trip tickets. The yellow fever vaccination certificate is not mandatory here, but it is recommended, since in rainy season cases are more frequent.
On the other hand, you also need proof of sufficient financial means to support yourself in the country. The minimum amount is 170 reais per day, which is equivalent to 999 Mexican pesos!
And continuing with the list, we have to talk about Guyana, and as they say “This is where the sow twisted the tail” because to enter this country having Mexican nationality, you need a visa, which you can get arriving at Georgetown International Airport, and also the passport; in addition, you have to pay approximately 20 usd to have the right to use the airport (DUA) It’s quite a mess!
Best route to travel through South America
Insurance, border crossing, budget and itinerary. Travel from Manizales to Tierra del Fuego. Passing through the Panamerican Highway, Route 40 and Carretera Austral. Traveling by car is easier than you think. 32,000 kilometers round trip. Good vibes!
We quit our jobs and decided to spend our savings on a life-changing trip. We sold some things to raise more money to buy the car that would take us from Manizales to the end of the world: Ushuaia.
We have to admit that we had no idea how to start, nor how much we were going to spend. None of our friends or acquaintances had made the trip and there was little information we could find on the internet.
After analyzing several car options and according to our budget, we decided to choose a 2007 Chevrolet Vitara with a 1,600 c.c. engine, 4×4 traction. A perfect car to have power in any terrain and very economical gasoline.
The good news is that you are not alone. On the route you can find people who go by car, bicycle, motorcycles, hitchhiking or walking. We feel that the will to do it and the desire to know is the most important thing.