Most trips to South America begin in one of five cities: Bogotá, Lima, São Paulo, Santiago or Buenos Aires. That is where the long-haul flights land. Getting around South America after that means more flights, a few border crossings on the ground, and respect for the distances. Panama City to Montevideo takes about 7 h 15 m in the air, longer than Miami to Lima.
Our co-founder Juergen Keller, who has known the continent for 30 years, starts with time: “South-America is big… Do not plan a very tight schedule! Some routes are flown only 3 times a week and easily canceled due to bad weather and bad airport infrastructure. Leave slack in your trip!”
Five airports take most long-haul flights; Panama City links the rest.
From the United States, Miami is the common thread. As of October 2026 it had non-stops to the main gateway of every country here except Paraguay, Suriname and French Guiana, and the Montevideo flight runs only in the southern summer. Atlanta, Houston and New York reach most of the big five; Los Angeles reaches Lima, Santiago and São Paulo. From Miami it is about 3 h 45 m to Bogotá, 5 h 45 m to Lima, 8 h to 8 h 30 m to Santiago or São Paulo and 9 h to Buenos Aires.
From Canada, Toronto and Montreal fly non-stop to Bogotá, Lima and São Paulo, and Toronto also to Santiago and Georgetown.
From Europe, Madrid plays that role. It has non-stops to every country here except the Guianas, and the only European non-stops to Uruguay and Paraguay. Madrid is about 10 h 15 m from Bogotá and 13 h from Buenos Aires or Santiago. Paris and Amsterdam reach most of the big five; Paris is also the door to French Guiana, Amsterdam to Suriname. London flies non-stop to São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá and, until late March 2027, Santiago, not to Lima or Quito.
From Australia and New Zealand, fly to Santiago: Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland have non-stops, and Auckland also to Buenos Aires.
From Africa and the Middle East, most flights land in São Paulo, with non-stops from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Istanbul, Dubai and Doha, Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa via Lagos and TAAG from Luanda.
From Asia, routes are more limited, but two one-stop services now link China with South America: Air China from Beijing via Madrid to São Paulo, and China Eastern from Shanghai via Auckland to Buenos Aires. Otherwise, connect in Europe, North America, the Middle East or Oceania.
| Destination | Main gateway | Getting around |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires: Ezeiza (EZE), Aeroparque (AEP) | Flights, most of them through Buenos Aires |
| Bolivia | Santa Cruz (VVI) or La Paz (LPB) | Fly the long hops, drive the scenic ones |
| Brazil | São Paulo (GRU) or Rio de Janeiro (GIG) | Flights, often changing in São Paulo or BrasÃlia |
| Chile | Santiago (SCL) | Flights from Santiago; Puerto Montt for the south |
| Colombia | Bogotá (BOG), MedellÃn (MDE) or Cartagena (CTG) | Fly between regions, drive within them |
| Ecuador | Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE) | Short flights; the Andes by road |
| The Guianas | Georgetown (GEO), Paramaribo (PBM), Cayenne (CAY) | Small planes inland; flight, road and canoe between them |
| Paraguay | Asunción (ASU) | By road |
| Peru | Lima (LIM) | Flights from Lima, then train and road |
| Uruguay | Montevideo (MVD), or the ferry from Buenos Aires | Coach and car |
| Venezuela | Caracas (CCS) | Flights from Caracas; read the travel advisory first |
| Patagonia | Bariloche (BRC), El Calafate (FTE), Ushuaia (USH), Punta Arenas (PUQ) | Fly down each side, cross by road, lake or ship |
| The Amazon | Manaus (MAO), Iquitos (IQT), Puerto Maldonado (PEM), Coca (OCC), Leticia (LET) | A flight to a river city, then boat or road |
| The Galápagos | Baltra (GPS) or San Cristóbal (SCY), via Quito or Guayaquil | Your cruise boat; small planes and speedboats |
| Machu Picchu | Cusco (CUZ), usually via Lima | Train to Aguas Calientes, then the bus up |
| Antarctica | Ushuaia (USH) or Punta Arenas (PUQ) | Two days each way by ship, or the fly-cruise charter |
Juergen wrote his routing rule for Argentina, and it travels: “Think international! Time permitting, of course, then think about the route. Things are much easier than flying in AND out of Buenos Aires.” Fly into one country and home from another. Of 17 multi-country itineraries we checked, 15 start and end in different cities.
Chile, Andean Lakes & Buenos Aires lands in Santiago, crosses the lakes to Bariloche and flies home from Buenos Aires. The Coast to Coast Tour takes 37 days from Lima to Montevideo and crosses every border by road or ferry. His method is in How to Plan an Argentina Trip.
For the borders worth crossing on the ground, Juergen’s rule: “Use buses for spectacular routes.”
| Crossing | How it works | On our itineraries |
|---|---|---|
| Bariloche – Puerto Varas (Argentina–Chile) | Boats and buses across three lakes, all year, in one long day or two | Argentina to Chile Lake Crossing |
| San Pedro de Atacama – Salta (Chile–Argentina) | Road over the Paso de Jama, Juergen’s favorite | Magic Triangle of the Andes |
| Uyuni – San Pedro de Atacama (Bolivia–Chile) | Two to three days by road; the Hito Cajón border, at 14,925 ft, takes small vehicles only | Uyuni, the Atacama Desert & Potosi |
| Puno – La Paz (Peru–Bolivia) | A day by road along the shores of Lake Titicaca | The Incas, Uros, Gauchos & Cariocas Tour |
| Puerto Iguazú – Foz do Iguaçu (Argentina–Brazil) | The Tancredo Neves Bridge: see both sides of the falls, fly out of either country | Tango, Candombe, & Samba |
| Buenos Aires – Uruguay | Ferry, about 2 h 15 m to 2 h 30 m direct to Montevideo, or 1 h 15 m to Colonia and on by coach | The Rhythm of Buenos Aires & Uruguay |
| Cusco – Quito – Galápagos (Peru–Ecuador) | No regular non-stop: change in Lima, spend a few nights in Quito, then about 2 h 10 m to Baltra | Peru and Ecuador tours |
Thin routes are where trips break. As of October 2026, Bariloche to El Calafate flew about three times a week and Cayenne to Belém once. We also plan a night in Lima before Cusco, a night or two in Quito before a Galápagos cruise and a day in Ushuaia or Punta Arenas before an Antarctic voyage. La Paz’s airport sits at about 13,300 ft and Cusco at about 11,000 ft: read staying healthy in South America, and look at travel insurance that covers delays.
Most domestic networks run through a hub: Lima, Santiago, Bogotá and Buenos Aires, or São Paulo and BrasÃlia in Brazil. A flight between two regional cities often changes planes there.
LATAM flies domestic routes in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, though no longer within Argentina. Avianca flies within Colombia and Ecuador, Sky within Chile and Peru, and low-cost JetSMART within Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia. Brazil adds GOL and Azul, Argentina has AerolÃneas Argentinas, and Bolivia BoA and EcoJet.
Older guides still list LAN and TAM, which have flown as LATAM since 2016, and TACA, now Avianca. Pluna, TAME, Viva Air and Amaszonas have stopped flying.
Our tour prices do not include flights. Every tour page shows an “Estimated Tour Price Without Flights”, and we quote international and domestic flights separately if you ask. The exceptions are part of the trip, such as the Antarctica fly-cruise charter and the flights inside our Guianas itineraries. A Destination Consultant can design a custom South America trip, or start from our multi-country tours. Each border has its own entry rules (see South America visa requirements), and the season shapes the route, so check the best time to visit South America.
Mainly LATAM, Avianca, GOL, Azul, AerolÃneas Argentinas, JetSMART and Sky, each in its own countries. Copa connects the continent from Panama City.
Yes. As of October 2026, Miami flies non-stop to every country’s main gateway except Paraguay, Suriname and French Guiana, Uruguay in the southern summer only. Atlanta, Houston, New York and Los Angeles serve the biggest hubs.
Fly the long hops. Go overland where the crossing is the point, like the lakes or Salta to the Atacama. Juergen: “Buses in Argentina and especially in Chile are of very high standards and certainly much more comfortable than Greyhound or the likes in the US!”
Yes, and we usually suggest it: an open-jaw ticket, into one city and home from another.
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