30-day South America Backpacking Itinerary for Peru, Chile and Bolivia

This guide shows you a 30-day South America backpacking itinerary for Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. I show you how to travel around, things to see and where to stay. I include my costs and travel tips for you to build your own 1-month South America backpacking route.

Do you dream to travel to South America and see as much as possible? But do you feel this can only be done when you take a gap year in your twenties?

WRONG!

As a thirty-year something, I decide to follow my dream. I arranged a 30-day backpacking trip around South America. I managed to visit the highlights of 3 different countries and experienced amazing epic adventures. Do you want to do the same? But no idea where to start? I give you my 30-day South America itinerary.

I paid for everything in full myself. I was not paid or sponsored. All my opinions and experiences are my own.

Probe around the Globe does use affiliate links. If you decide to follow one of my links and make a purchase, I’ll earn a small commission. This is at no extra cost to you.

I share my 30-day South America backpacking itinerary. I tell you where I stayed and what I did in Peru, Chile and Bolivia and I share my costs for lodging.

Table of Content

How long should you go to South America?

For the past decade, the idea of traversing the continent of South America lingered in my mind. I have a complete 12-month South America backpacking itinerary imprinted in my brain, but I don’t think I’ll ever use it completely. South America is really a vast continent.

This is a long post filled to the brim with useful information and links – save it on Pinterest to read later.

One moment you’re in the jungle and the next you could be in the desert or almost in the Arctic! If you wonder how long you should travel to South America, the answer is: as long as you can.

But it isn’t said that this should all be in 1 stretch! You can explore parts of South America on different trips. This 4-weeks South America backpacking route focuses on Peru, Bolivia and the northern tip of Chile. This can be done in a loop, without backtracking and within 30 days!

Backpacking South America

Before I tell you all about my route and dish out all my tips to build the best itinerary for travel in South America, you need to know a little bit about my travel style.

This is called my backpacking itinerary for South America because that is how I did it. I packed my backpack and traveled from place to place. I slept in dorms and traveled by bus and arranged it all independently.

But, as a 30-something woman, I need some privacy from time to time. And I like to treat myself to some epic adventures and luxury when I feel like it.

When needed, I booked a private (luxury!!) hotel room or booked a flight to cover the biggest distances in the most efficient way. After all, this is my holiday as well!

You can use my South America itinerary and not use a backpack. Or stay longer in 1 place or book family accommodations if you travel with your kids or partner. This 30-day backpacking route for South America can be used as a guideline to see if your travel plans are feasible.

Research your trip to South America at home

Before I left, I researched everything indefinitely. I am not the kind of person who shows up at a bus station and sees where things take her. My travel planning OCD made sure I maximized my time and my 1-month South America budget. So I knew my options and was prepared.

I didn’t want to lose valuable time because the only bus of the day just left half an hour ago. That being said, you need to be flexible when you travel to the countries of South America.

Plans change, roadblocks happen and strikes but especially festivals can turn a place upside down and your travel schedule too! So what did I do?

I researched everything in-depth, and made (mental) notes but didn’t make any plans. All the plans were in my head. I had my 1-month route through South America set in my head but only booked for the first 2 days.

I had alternative ideas and a backup plan ready (in my head) when needed. Every time when I knew I’d leave a city the next day, I would go online and book my next hostel or hotel via the app.

At home, I made a list of hostels in each place I liked and I could easily see if they were available on my preferred dates and book online.

My backpacking route through Peru, Bolivia, and Chile in South America

I asked for 8 weeks off work to travel from Buenos Aires to Lima in Peru, in the hope my boss would allow 6 weeks.

Unfortunately, he didn’t and I got 4 weeks max. Together with some bank holidays, I managed to get 30 days off straight to go to South America.

This meant I had to cross some things off. In the end, I decided to focus on Peru and Bolivia and if possible, add the northern tip of Chile too.

During my 4 weeks in South America, I backpacked from Lima, Peru, via Arequipa to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. From there I took a tour of the Uyuni Salt Flats which landed me in Bolivia.

I visited Sucre and La Paz before I traveled back to Peru via Lake Titicaca. After some time in Cusco, I visited Machu Picchu and headed to the Peruvian coast to finish my 30-day backpacking itinerary in Lima, Peru.

Read more: if you’d like to add in Argentina to your time in South America, you can easily hop the border in San Pedro de Atacama and explore the stunningly colorful north-west of Jujuy Province, Argentina.

Backpacking South America Route

Below you can find all the details of what I did and how long I stayed in each part of South America, together with some tips and suggestions on how to make your own travel itinerary for South America.

Backpacking Peru Itinerary part 1

In total, I visited Peru twice as I booked a round trip to Lima from Europe. This is the first part. You can use this to build your own Peru itinerary if you link to part 1 and part 2 together.

My arrival in Lima Peru

My 1-month South America itinerary started in Lima, Peru, where I arrived in the evening and took a taxi to my hostel in Miraflores. I booked 1 night at this hostel to make my arrival a bit easier and to recover from the flight.

I flew direct from Amsterdam to Lima with KLM, mainly because they had the best price, departed every day and I could earn some miles.

Because I anticipated that I might not like the crowded capital of Peru, I figured I would always be able to spend some more time in Lima on my return.

I got some money and I walked around a bit. The next morning I enjoyed the amazing breakfast and went back to the airport for my flight to Arequipa.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Chaski Lodge in Miraflores, private room and this hostel has the best breakfast ever!	€32 or $36 per night for a private room. Dorms from €13

Things you can do in Lima

If you want to explore more in Lima (or have more time) make sure to check out the following:

Eat Ceviche at Miraflores
Visit the Larco Museum in Lima

Travel to Arequipa Peru

At home, I stared at the map of Peru for hours on end. I researched bus schedules and tour schedules to see if I would be able to take a bus from Lima to the coast, do some tours and continue to Arequipa by bus.

But as my departure date got closer, I was anxious if the start of my 30-day South America backpacking itinerary would be a bit too tiring for me. So I decided to throw some money at the problem and booked a 1-way flight to Arequipa from Lima.

	Hours in Transit	Price
Bus Lima- Arequipa	17 hours	€28 or $31 for regular seat up to €55 or $61 for a VIP seat
Flight Lima- Arequipa	1,5 hours	€75 or $83 one way

Driving through the city towards the Plaza de Armas, I was a bit intimidated but I instantly fell in love with Arequipa. The white and brown buildings and the street vibe looked too appealing.

I visited the Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa, ate cuy (guinea pig) on a rooftop terrace, and joined a walking tour of the city.

I would have loved to stay longer in Arequipa to explore more, but I was a bit eager to continue my travels and afraid I’d run out of time in the end. So I booked a 2-day trip to the Colca Canyon.

Read more: My disastrous trip to the Colca Canyon Peru.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
3 nights	Mercaderes Backpackers (out of business) find other hostels in Arequipa	€7,50 or $8.50 per night

Things you can do in Arequipa

If you want to explore more in Arequipa (or have more time) make sure to check out the following:

Visit the view tower
Go to the Alpaca petting zoo
Join a cooking class of Peruvian fusion cooking.

Travel by bus from Peru to Chile

Chile is one of the longest countries in the world. If you wish to see Chile, you need to travel a bit more of the 2,653 miles (4,270 km) from North to South than I did.

As I was dead set to include the region of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile in my 30-day South America backpacking route, I headed south from Arequipa Peru towards the border with Chile.

I left Arequipa Peru at 10.00 am and arrived in San Pedro de Atacama Chile at 7.00 am the next day. You can break up your journey and see more of Chile with a stop in Arica.

San Pedro de Atacama Chile

I wanted to see and do so many things when in San Pedro de Atacama. On my list were the Tatio Geysers and Valle de la Luna. I wanted to see the colorful lakes and go on a stargazing tour.

Unfortunately, the overnight bus and the lack of sleep spiked my Crohn’s disease and as of this moment, I was in a bad flare. I couldn’t keep down any food, had a fever and needed sleep.

I still managed to book a stargazing tour in the Atacama Desert, which was one of the highlights of my 30-day South America backpacking trip. But as the tour ran until well after midnight, I didn’t manage to get up the next morning at 4 am to go to the Tatio Geysers.

I did manage to do an afternoon tour of Valle de la Luna, which felt already pretty out worldly to me. I met a nice couple from Australia on the bus from Peru to Chile and we decided to book a 3-day Uyuni Salt Flat tour to Bolivia together.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
2 night	Hostel Al Anexo, opposide a great bakery with fresh croissants... Mhhh	€18 or $20 per night for a 3-bed shared room.

Things you can do in San Pedro de Atacama Chile

If you want to explore more of San Pedro and the Atacama Desert, make sure to check out the following:

Backpacking Bolivia

Before I left, I always imagined spending most of my 1-month South America itinerary in Bolivia. I knew I wanted to see the Salar de Uyuni and I wanted to visit Sucre. If you don’t feel like visiting Sucre or Potosi, you can save some valuable time as it was quite a detour.

Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia

As most Uyuni Salt Flat tours are operated from Uyuni in Bolivia, people believe this is the only way to go. You can go on a 1-day Salt Flat tour or on a 4-day loop tour of the whole region.

I researched a bit and found some tour operators who also depart from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and drop you off in Bolivia. This was the perfect way to travel overland to Bolivia from Chile.

When I arrived in the small town of Uyuni, I was too sick to stand on my legs anymore. The Uyuni Salt Flats had demanded too much of my body and my plan to continue straight to Sucre was down the drain (quite literally actually).

I booked a hotel room in Uyuni and enjoyed the welcome vicinity of a bathroom. Although I didn’t feel better at all the next day, I knew I wanted to move as quickly as possible.

I needed to get out of Uyuni! The mines of Potosi never interested me much, so I decided to take a direct bus to Sucre (with a bus change in Potosi nevertheless but I didn’t stay there).

What tour did I book?	How much did I pay?	Say what?
3 day Uyuni Salt Flat Tour from San Pedro de Atacama	105.000 Chilean Pesos	that is €140 or $158

Colonial Sucre, Bolivia

After I survived the most horrendous bus ride of my life, I arrived in warm and balmy Sucre. For the first time since I left Arequipa in Peru, I was finally warm again.

I booked myself a fancy hotel and stayed in bed for 2 days straight. In between the runs to the bathroom, I visited the pharmacy, sat in a café and eat grilled cheese sandwiches. Although I felt absolutely miserable and cried a lot, I still loved Sucre!

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
2 nights	Hostel Patrimonio Sucre downtown. It was too expensive but a great place to vegg out in bed and recover.	€31 or $35 per night for a double bedroom with bathroom ensuite and breakfast included.
2 nights	Condor B&B Casa de Huéspedes more a backpacker place with a great courtyard not far from the Plaza d'Armas	€14 or $16 per night for a 4-bed shared room with breakfast included.

Things you can do in Sucre

If you’re not sick, you can enjoy the following:

Explore the colonial town of Sucre
Go hiking in the surrounding area of the Maragua crater
Go see the dinosaur footprints at the Park Cretácico

http://www.sucrelife.com/trekking-to-maragua-crater-from-sucre/ — I managed to walk around town a bit. That was all I was able to do in Sucre.

The highest capital in the world: La Paz, Bolivia

As I was feeling sorry for myself for being sick, I was debating what to do next. I felt I wouldn’t really enjoy La Paz as a city and preferable would skip it altogether. But as La Paz is basically the gateway for the rest of Bolivia and I did want to go to Lake Titicaca, I decided to stay 1 night in La Paz.

I booked a direct flight from Sucre to La Paz, found via Skyscanner again, and managed to be in La Paz within the hour.

As my taxi drove me through the streets of La Paz, I knew I was right. Maybe I should even try to get out of La Paz the same night?

Unfortunately, there was a big festival going on and I needed to wait until after the weekend the get out of La Paz. I absolutely did not want that, so I jumped through some hoops but managed to get a bus ticket to Copacabana at Lake Titicaca the next day.

As I felt a bit better, I wanted to do something in La Paz and went on the Cable Car above La Paz, Bolivia.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Hotel Sagarnaga Great hotel in the centre of town. The staff was really helpful.	€26 or $29 per night for a double bedroom with bathroom ensuite and breakfast included.

Things you can do in La Paz, Bolivia

If you want to stay longer in La Paz here are some suggestions to do:

Visit the Witches Market
Survive downhill biking on Death Road
Food Tour in La Paz

From La Paz, you can book tickets to Rurrambanque to explore the jungle in Bolivia.

Copacabana at Lake Titicaca Bolivia

When our bus pulled up at the glistering blue lake, I immediately felt better. All the traffic and delays of getting out of La Paz were forgotten and I settled myself on a rooftop terrace to take in the views.

The lake was stunning and nothing like I imagined. The town of Copacabana is a bit of a tourist trap with everyone either selling boat trips or tours. The food was bad on several occasions but nevertheless, I’d recommend staying here.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Hotel Utama a bit of a walk but quiet hotel with good rooms with heating and extra blankets.	€18 or $20 per night for a double bedroom with bathroom ensuite and breakfast included.

What to do in Copacabana Bolivia

If you want to stay longer in Copacabana here are some suggestions to do:

Hike Isla del Sol
Visit Isla del Sol on a boat trip

I had little time and didn’t feel fit enough to hike, so only visited the south part of Isla del Sol.

Backpacking Peru Itinerary part 2

As I was already into the 2^nd half of my backpacking South America trip, I needed to head back to Peru and the highlight of my trip was awaiting me.

Puno Lake Titicaca – Peru

Because I was at Lake Titicaca and the bus stops in Puno, Peru anyways, I decided on a half-day tour of the Uros Islands and the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca to be able to compare both sides.

Puno is the gateway to the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. Here’s what you can do

What to do in Puno Peru

Visit the Uros islands on a boat trip
Book an overnight stay with locals at some of the islands

Although it was freezing cold in Puno and it was a rushed visit, I really enjoyed it. This is partly due to some of the best Mexican food I ever had at a local pizza place (!?) and the friendly people of my hotel.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Hostal Los Pinos Inn central location and the staff went above and beyond to help me.	€15 or $17 per night for a double bedroom with bathroom ensuite and breakfast included.

Bus from Puno to Cusco

From Puno, you can fly to Cusco or take the train. As I love a good train ride, I researched the options. Being almost 10x as expensive as a normal bus ticket, it didn’t run on the right days and I didn’t want to stay longer in Puno.

Instead, I choose the cheaper option to travel by bus. A bit more expensive than the normal bus tickets, I decided to take a cultural bus tour from Puno to Cusco to see some (pre) Inca sites, learn more about the history and get to Cusco all in one go! In one day, I saw 5 different Inca sites with my personal favorite the ruins of Racqi.

Explore the Inca capital Cusco in Peru

I felt so much better in Cusco and although I stayed quite a few days, it seemed I didn’t have enough time to explore everything there is to see in Cusco.

But I did visit the sights of Sacyhuamen and did a tour of the other Inca sites around Cusco. I ate great burgers at the Plaza, visited the Cathedral with a guide, went shopping for chocolates at the chocolate museum and I also took a tour of the Salt Mines of Maras, the ruins of Moray and Ollantaytambo.

Read more: 7 Interesting Inca sites around Cusco that are not Machu Picchu

I think I could have easily spent a whole week in Cusco. If you plan your own Peru itinerary, I recommend giving Cusco as much time as you can spare as there are a ton of things to do in Cusco.

There is so much to see and do. The restaurants are amazing and it has a great vibe.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
2 nights	Pirwa Backpackers Colonial a real backpackers hostel. It was a bit too noisy for my taste so I decided to move.	€6,50 or $8.50 per night for a 4 bed dorm.
3 nights	Kokopelli Hostel Cusco This place was amazing! The 6-bed girl dorm had a bathroom ensuite, curtains, power sockets in a little locker inside the bed, hairdryer and good breakfast. This is what every hostel should be like.	€13,50 or $15 per night for a 6-bed shared room with breakfast included.

What to do in Cusco Peru

Some people only use Cusco as a base for their trip to Machu Picchu, but Cusco is really worth more of your time. The things to do:

Soak up the backpacking life Cusco
Visit Sachsaywaman
Visit the Cathedral
Tour the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Chocolate Museum in Cusco
Hike to Rainbow Mountain

Read more: Chocolate Museum in Cusco

Machu Picchu Peru

I like to think I saved the best for almost the last. I did this intentionally and kept Cusco and Machu Picchu for the end of my Peru trip.

This way, I got to learn more about Inca culture before visiting this Wonder of the World. As I am absolutely not fit enough to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, I saved myself 3 to 5 days. Instead, I went on a 2-day trip by train to Aguas Caliente, the gateway to Machu Picchu.

I actually went to Machu Picchu twice. The first time was the afternoon I arrived and I returned the next morning and spent all day at Machu Picchu.

Read more:

I toured the ruins of Machu Picchu, took plenty of selfies and walked to the sun gate.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Casa del Sol Machupicchu I decided to splurge for my time in Machu Picchu. Queen size room with river views, a bath tub and a very luxurious breakfast (that they serve from 5 am onwards). This is the ultimate luxury retreat!	€192 or $214 per night for a queen size room. Ahum.. say what!?!

Other things you can do in Machu Picchu:

Climb Huayna Picchu mountain
Hike Machu Picchu mountain

Desert Oasis Huacachina Peru

With 4 nights to spare before my flight home, I was pretty happy with myself. I executed my 30-day South America backpacking itinerary to a tee and did all the things I wanted to do.

Well, at least I got to visit all the places I wanted to visit. As I couldn’t go back to Arequipa, San Pedro de Atacama or Sucre to spend more time there, I needed to come up with a plan for the 4 days I still had left in Peru.

I decided to take the bus from Cusco and stopped in Huacachina. This desert oasis town is known for 1 thing: Sandboarding in the dunes of Huacachina.

And basically, that is all there is to do but it sure was fun! I didn’t sandboard myself (I’m too much of a chicken to go head down from a huge sand dune) but I did ride the dune buddy and snap some great sunset pictures.

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
1 night	Banana's Adventure I was drawn in by the pool, the beach shack looking place and the tours. It is a great place to relax and join the fun!	€16 or $17.50 per night for a 3-bed shared room.

Final stop: Paracas Peru

After the laid-back vibe of the Huacachina backpackers hostel, I took a short bus ride to Paracas. Ica looked promising too and you can learn to make Pisco Sour or tour the vineyards here, but I went to the small fishermen’s town of Paracas.

Here, I booked a tour to the Islas Ballestas to see a lot of birds, dolphins and sea lions and in the afternoon I joined a tour of the natural reserve.

Read my stories about Paracas:

How long did I stay?	Where did I stay?	How much for 1 night?
2 nights	Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort I wanted to treat myself to a nice place for my last 2 days of my holiday	€121 or $135 per night for a little bungelow with a major bathroom, tv and roomservice.

My flight back home was at 8 pm so I left Paracas in the morning and bussed down to Lima. I didn’t spend any time in Lima but headed straight to the airport.

As I wanted to finish with a bit of luxury, I stayed 2 nights at the Paracas resort. There is not really much to do in Paracas, you can do the tours in 1 day and the town is not fun at all.

But I prebooked it online before I left Huacachina and I was there. You could use these 2 days to explore more of Lima for example.

My 4-weeks South America Itinerary

As you can see, my itinerary of these 3 countries in South America forms a loop. I didn’t backtrack any route and skipped the biggest parts by flying. To decide whether or not to fly, I looked at the price of the journey and the time it would take me.

For example, the bus from Sucre to La Paz takes 18 hours and is a grueling ride over the mountains. Instead, I flew in 1 hour and had an extra day to explore.

My 1-month South America budget and travel time

As you can see from the below table, travel takes time in South America!

Especially if you want to see as much as I did on my 30-day travels through South America. Sometimes, a few bucks more save you a whole day on the bus, whereas other times, it was just impossible to save time and I just had to bite the bullet and endure the bus travel.

From	To	Hours on Bus	Average costs by bus	Hours on Plane	Average costs by plane
Lima Peru	Arequipa Peru	17 hours	€31 to €55 or $35 to $61	1,5 hour direct	€74 or $82
Arequipa Peru	San Pedro de Atacama Chile	21 hours	€34 or $38	12-17 hours (2 stops)	€886 or $986 and you still have to take the bus to get to San Pedro
Uyuni Bolivia	Sucre Bolivia	8 hours	€11 or $12	8-17 hours (2 stops)	€190 or $211
Sucre Bolivia	La Paz Bolivia	12 hours	€23 or $26	1 hour direct or 2 hours with 1 stop	€40 or $44.50
La Paz Bolivia	Puno Peru	5 to 8 hours	€11 or $12	11-14 hours (2 stops)	€365 or $406
Puno Peru	Cusco Peru	6,5 hours	€22 to €31 or $25 to $35	1 hour direct, 9 hours with 1 stop	€96 or $107
Cusco Peru	Lima Peru	22 hours	€41 to €64,50 or $46 to $72	1,5 hours direct	€73 or $81

Helpful resources to plan your South America backpacking trip

Here are some very useful links that I used to research my South America backpacking trip.

Lonely Planet Peru, for what to see and do
Rough Guide to Peru, for how to get around
Lonely Planet Bolivia, for the best time to travel
Lonely Planet Chile, for travel expenses
South America on a Shoestring, for tips on border crossings and routes
Peru Bus, to research bus schedules and prices
Bolivia Bus, to see the bus routes and prices
Search for flights, to check direct flight routes and eventually book cheap flights
Booking.com for my hotels and hostels

In all fairness, I didn’t bring all the Lonely Planets on my backpacking trip through South America, (you know: HEAVY!) but I read them front to cover at home.