5 Week South America Itinerary: Slow vs Fast Paced Route!

Two optional 5 week South America itineraries: a fast paced route vs a slow one to help you decide which suits you best.

Is Five Weeks Enough To See South America?

Five weeks is the perfect amount of time in South America, and you should be able to tick off 3-4 countries.

Five weeks isn’t enough to see every country on the continent though so you’ll need to decide what type of trip you want.

Do you want to take a slower route and see less countries in more detail? Or a faster one that sees as many of the highlights as possible?

Where To Go In South America For 5 Weeks?

The variety of routes you can take through South America is endless. But for five weeks in South America, I think there are several options:

Five Week South America Itinerary	Countries	Highlights	Best Time	Budget
#1 Highlights	Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador	Patagonia, Salt Flats, Machu Picchu, Galapagos	Oct-Dec	High
#2 Less Is More	Peru, Bolivia & Chile	Cusco, Machu Picchu, Laz Paz, Uyuni, Atacama Desert	May-Oct	Low

Want to add just one more week? This comprehensive 6-week itinerary includes an extra country and even more epic stops.

#1 Highlights: 5-Week South America Itinerary

This five-week itinerary is for travellers without a budget. You’ll be visiting Patagonia and the Galapagos Islands which are the two most expensive places in South America but also two of the best. Pick this itinerary if you want to see the best of South America.

Here’s the breakdown of this five-week South America backpacking itinerary:

Week	Country	Highlights
1	Argentina	Buenos Aires, Patagonia
2	Chile	Torres Del Paine, Atacama Desert
3	Bolivia	La Paz and the Salt Flats
4	Peru	Cusco, Machu Picchu
5	Ecuador	Galapagos Islands

Week 1 – Argentina

Stop	Where?	Highlights
1	Buenos Aires	Tango Show, San Telmo Market, Recoleta
2	El Calafate	Perito Moreno Glacier
3	El Chalten	Laguna Del Los Tres

Stop 1 – Buenos Aires

Start this 5-week South America itinerary with 3 days in one of the best capitals on the continent.  Buenos Aires is known as the “Paris of South America,” as it feels like your visiting a European capital.

Here some great things to do whilst in BA:

• Tango – experience the city’s famous tango dancing and enjoy its delicious cuisine.
• San Telmo Market – tour the iconic market and go on a food tasting experience

Stop 2 – El Calafate

The town of El Calafate is your base for seeing the epic Perito Moreno Glacier.

Whilst here:

• Wander the town and visit the Laguna Nimez Bird Sanctuary to see over 100 species of birds.
• Spend a day at Perito Moreno. You can take in the views of this huge chunk of ice from the visitor centre or take a boat to get a up close and personal. 

Stop 3 – El Chalten

El Chalten is known as the “Trekking Capital of Argentina”.

• You will have your pick of hikes from single day to multi-day options that take you into the beautiful Patagonian wilderness and Glacier National Park. 
• One of the most iconic single day hikes is the Laguna de los Tres hike, popular for the sublime panoramic views it offers of Glaciar de Los Tres and Mount Fitz Roy. 

If you are interested in spending more time in Chile and Argentina, check out the post below:

• The Essential 1-Month Chile And Argentina Itinerary
• 7 Week South America Itinerary

Week 2 – Chile

Chile is country two of five in this five-week South America itinerary. Here’s what you can look forward to in week 2: 

Stop	Where?	Highlights
4	Torres Del Paine National Park	Lago Grey Trek
5	Santiago	Walking Tour, Sky Costerna
6	Atacama Desert	Valley Of The Moon, Salt Lagoons

Stop 4 – Torres Del Paine National Park

Trekking in Torres Del Paine National Park is a hikers dream and there are many single day hikes to choose from.

As you only have a couple of days here, I would recommend:

• The Lago Grey / Grey Glacier trek.  This is one of the best treks in the park due to the scenery on offer: on one side, the Patagonian mountains and on the other side, the bright blue Lake Grey.
• The Mirador Las Torres trek which takes you to the base of the famous towers

Stop 5 – Santiago

Chile is a big country so you’ll need to fly up to Santiago before heading to Atacama!

The best things to do here are:

• Join a free walking tour. I’d recommend Strawberry Walking Tours. They take you to several places in the city including Santa Lucia Hill to discover where Santiago’s history began, and through the Plaza de Armas to enjoy cosmopolitan Santiago.
• Head up to the top of the Sky Costerna, Santiago’s tallest building, to find the best views of the city.

Stop 6 – Atacama Desert

The Atacama desert is a beautiful place but its sights are spread out meaning you have to book several different tours to try and see it all.

Alternatively, renting a car for a day or two means you can explore as much as you want without any time restrictions.  I recommend:

• Drive north to see the fields of geysers
• Head south to float in the salt lagoons
• Head to ‘Valle de la Luna’ for sunset to see strange rock formations eroded over millions of years

Week 3 – Bolivia

Bolivia is country number three out of five on this five-week itinerary. 

Stop	Where?	Highlights
7	Uyuni	Salt Flat Tour
8	La Paz	Cable Cars, Cholita Wrestling, Death Road

Stop 7 – Uyuni / Salt Flats Tour

One of the great things about a Salt Flat tour is that it also includes your transportation from Chile to Bolivia.

The three-day/two-night salt flat tour will take you exploring on one of the most surreal landscapes in the world.

• On the first day, the tour heads out across the high-altitude desert known as the Altiplano to see even wilder landscapes such as volcanoes, geysers, and beautiful high-altitude lakes full of flamingos.
• Then the second day is spent on the actual salt flat taking the popular perspective and reflection photos for the gram. This is one of best tours in the whole of South America and shouldn’t be missed.

Stop 8 – La Paz

Once you reach La Paz you have an endless list of activities to choose from such as:

• Biking down Death Road
• Climbing Huayna Potosi (known as the easiest 6000m mountain to climb in the world).

Week 4 – Peru

Peru is country number four out of five on this itinerary. You have one weeks here with the highlight being Machu Pichu.

Stop	Where?	Highlights
9	Cusco	Rainbow Mountain
10	Aguas Calientes	Machu Picchu

Stop 9 – Cusco

Once in Cusco it’s time to explore the city and its surroundings. 

• Start with a free waling tour to learn more about the historical centre
• Visit the popular Rainbow Mountain or one of the many other natural wonders such as Laguna Humantay at 4200m above sea level.

Stop 10 – Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu

Once you arrive in Aguas Calientes, take the evening to relax and get an early night in preparation for Machu Picchu.

The next day, it’s time to climb the 1,600+ stairs up to Peru’s most popular tourist attraction – Machu Picchu.

Many people like to wake up at 4.30AM to arrive at the top for 6AM. You’ll see the sunrise and largely having the place to yourself (at least for half an hour, until it becomes packed!).

Week 5 – Ecuador

Ecuador is the fifth and final country on this five-week itinerary. However, most of your time will be spent on the Galapagos Islands.

Stop	Where?	Highlights
11	Guayaquil	Rest Day
12	Galapagos Islands	San Cristobal Island, Santa Cruz Island

Stop 11 – Guayaquil

There isn’t much in Guayaquil for backpackers, so take a day here just to rest and relax and get everything ready for your trip to the Galapagos Islands.

The full guide linked below has all the information you need from booking flights to what to pack:

• The Complete Guide To Visiting The Galapagos Islands

Stop 13 – Galapagos Islands

You have 5 days total on the Galapagos islands which gives you enough time to see two islands.

On San Cristobal:

• Aim to visit the Interpretation Centre, Cerro Tijeretas and Playa Punta Carola.
• Visit the Giant Tortoise Sanctuary. This is a semi-open enclosure where you can wander around and see these gentle giants up close.

On Santa Cruz:

• Visit the Darwin Research Centre. The centre is a fantastic educational space dedicated to the conservation of the rare animals that live on the Galapagos islands.
• Tortuga Bay is a secluded beach surrounded by mangrove trees. Along the beach, you can see marine iguanas crawling out of the sea and up onto the beach to warm up. If you go snorkelling, try looking for baby sharks, rays, and turtles in the mangroves. 

For more on the Galapagos Islands:

• 15 Reasons Why The Galapagos Islands Are Worth Visiting

#2 Less Is More: 5 Week South America Itinerary

This five-week itinerary is much more budget friendly that the last.

Skipping over the Galapagos Islands and Patagonia means your money will go a long way. Don’t worry though, you will still some of the best that South America has to offer including Cotopaxi Volcano in Ecuador, Machu Picchu in Peru and the Salt Flats in Bolivia. 

Here’s the complete breakdown of this budget five-week South America backpacking itinerary:

Week	Country	Highlights
1-2	Peru	Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Cusco
3-4	Bolivia	Lake Titicaca, La Paz, Amazon, Uyuni
5	Chile	Atacama, Santiago

Weeks 1-2 – Peru

With two weeks in Peru, you can go much slower and spend more days at each stop. 

Stop	Where?	Highlights
1	Lima	Miraflores, Barranco
2	Ica	Paracas National Park, Huacachina Oasis
3	Arequipa	Colca Canyon
4	Cusco	Rainbow Mountain, Machu Picchu

Weeks 2-4 – Bolivia

Two weeks in Bolivia allows you to see more of the country. Lake Titicaca and the Amazon are two highlights. 

Stop	Where?	Highlights
5	Copacabana	Lake Titicaca
6	La Paz	Death Road, Cable Car Tour
7	Rurrenabaque	Amazon Tour
	Uyuni	Salt Flat Tour

Week 5 – Chile

The Salt Flat tour drops you at the border of Chile. From here you can head to San Pedro De Atacama before flying down to Santiago. 

Stop	Where?	Highlights
8	Atacama	Salt Lagoons, Star Gazing Tour
9	Santiago	Sky Costanera, Maipo Canyon

What To Budget For Five Weeks In South America?

A good rule of thumb for backpacking South America is $500 a week. So, for five weeks of travelling around South America, I would budget a minimum of $2500.

However, the flashpacker five-week itinerary has you visiting five countries with several flights included. It also includes some of the best tours in South America such as Machu Picchu, the Salt Flats, the Galapagos Islands, and the W-trek in Torres Del Paine National Park.

These will also cost extra and add to your budget so therefore, I would recommend budgeting $3500 for this five-week itinerary. That gives you a budget of $700 a week.

That $700 a week won’t always be used, but it will be necessary when you come to book expensive flights and tours. For example, your week in Chile or on the Galapagos will likely cost around $800 whereas a week in Bolivia will be closer to $500.