Three Week South America Itinerary – 4 Great Routes To Pick!

Three weeks in South America really isn’t a long time, so to have the best time it’s about finding the shortest route and most efficient itinerary so that you can see as much as possible. Here are 4 expertly curated three week itineraries for South America to suit every traveller.

What’s The Best Travel Route For Three Weeks In South America?

If I only had three weeks in South America, I would stick to visiting two countries. That gives you around 10 days in each country, which is more than enough to see the best sights.

Here are all the different options I think fit well with three weeks in South America:

3-Week South America Itinerary	Highlights	Perfect For…
1. Ecuador & Peru	Cotopaxi Volcano, Machu Picchu	Budget travellers
2. Peru & Bolivia	Machu Picchu, Uyuni Salt Flats	Hike and nature enthusiasts
3. Bolivia & Chile	Amazon, Uyuni Salt Flats, Atacama Desert	Adventure lovers
4. Chile & Argentina	Wine Route	Wine and culture enthusiasts
5. Argentina & Brazil	Rio, Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires	Tropical vibes

#1 Three Week South America Itinerary: Ecuador & Peru

Here’s the complete three-week South America itinerary that includes Ecuador, Peru, and Machu Picchu:

Day	Location	Highlights
1-2	Quito	Walking Tour, Teleferico Cable Car
3-4	Cotopaxi	Cotopaxi Volcano
5-6	Quilotoa	Quilotoa Crater
7-8	Banos	Route of Waterfalls
9-10	Lima	Miraflores, Barranco
11-13	Ica	Paracas, Huacachina Oasis
14-16	Arequipa	Colca Canyon
17-21	Cusco	Machu Picchu, Ranbow Mountain

Day 1 – Quito

We are starting this three-week South America itinerary in Ecuador’s capital – Quito.

Whilst there you can explore the UNESCO historical centre, visit the equator line at Mitad Del Mundo, and have a night out on the town. If you are feeling brave you can also attempt your first hike at altitude in Quito and climb Volcano Pichincha which looms over the city.  

Day 3-4 – Cotopaxi National Park

• Bus: Quito to Cotopaxi (1h 30m)

Now it’s time to spend 2 days at Ecuador’s best hostel – Secret Garden Cotopaxi. The hostel is set in the middle of the national park and has one of the best views in the world, directly opposite Cotopaxi Volcano.

From the hostel, you can plan hikes into the park, go horse-riding across the Andean planes, and even summit Cotopaxi if you are brave enough.

Read our review for all the reasons you need to stay at this hostel:

• Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel Review & What To Expect 

Day 5-6 – Quilotoa

• Bus: Cotopaxi to Quilotoa (2h)

After a lovely stay at Cotopaxi is time for more trekking. A short journey will take you to the town of Latacunga. From here you can get a bus to the town of Quilotoa.

The town of Quilotoa is tiny but the main attraction is the huge water-filled crater created by a volcanic eruption around 800 years ago.

You can walk to the crater in 5 minutes for incredible views but seeing as you have a full day, aim for the full trek around the crater which can take 4-5 hours.

Day 7-8 – Baños

• Bus: Cotopaxi to Quilotoa (2h)

Baños is the adventure capital of Ecuador.

There’s so much to do here including white-water rafting, hiking, and riding bicycles along a 16km stretch of road known as the ‘Route of Waterfalls’ to the insanely powerful waterfall ‘Pailon del Diablo’.

Banos is also the perfect place to relax! Massage and treatments are cheap here and there are several bath houses with thermal baths fueled by the volcanoes surrounding the town.

Check out my Baños guide for more information:

• The Essential 4-Day Baños Itinerary 

Day 10 – Lima

• Flight: Guayaquil to Lima (2h)

One day in the capital of Peru is more than enough to explore the bohemian district of Barranco and try some amazing regional dishes like ceviche.

But there isn’t much here for travellers compared to the rest of the country so best to move on after a day and use your limited days in the more exciting places.

Day 11-13 – Ica

• Bus: Lima to Ica (4h)

You can use the city of Ica as a base to explore two highlights of Peru: Paracas and Huacachina.

Paracas National Park is an untouched natural desert perfect for exploration and adventure. You can navigate the park by tour, bicycle, ATV, or dune buggy. Checking out the park at sunset is a must.

Then after Paracas, it’s time to swap one desert for another with a visit to the famous oasis at Huacachina.

You’ll get another chance to fly across the giant dunes in sand buggies as well as sandboard down to the tallest of them before ending the day watching another epic sunset. 

Day 14-16 – Arequipa

• Flight: Ica to Arequipa (1h)

Arequipa is an amazing city for travellers, but the real wonder here is a visit to Colca Canyon – the second deepest canyon in the world.

Unfortunately, you won’t have enough time to trek down into it on this itinerary but you can visit the canyon for the day.

Arequipa is also full of great backpacker hostels, restaurants, and bars to enjoy. Our favourite thing to do there is to find a rooftop bar and watch as the sun sets on all volcanoes surrounding the city. 

Or you can check out my extended itinerary below if you want to stay a bit longer: 

• 3-Day vs 4-Day Arequipa Itinerary

Day 17-21 – Cusco & Machu Picchu

• Flight: Arequipa to Cusco (1h 30m)

Cusco is known for a wealth of archaeological remains and beautiful Spanish colonial-era architecture. Spend your first day here before preparing to travel to Machu Picchu.

There’s so much to do in Cusco though, so you may wish to extend this part of the itinerary and cut off days from somewhere else. I would recommend visiting Rainbow Mountain in Cusco if you can.

Want longer in South America? Explore four expertly curated 1-month South America routes – from the Galápagos to Patagonia – with this complete itinerary guide.

#2 Three Week South America Itinerary: Peru & Bolivia

Here is the complete three-week south America itinerary that includes Peru, Machu Picchu, and Bolivia:

Day	Location	Highlights
1	Lima	Miraflores, Barranco
2-5	Ica	Paracas, Huacachina Oasis
6-8	Arequipa	Colca Canyon
9-12	Cusco	Machu Picchu, Ranbow Mountain
13-14	Copacabana	Lake Titicaca
15-17	La Paz	Death Road, Valle de la Luna
18-21	Uyuni	Uyuni Salt Flats

Day 1-12 – Lima to Cusco

Follow the same itinerary as laid out above with a couple of changes.

Also, if you prefer, you can spend longer in Cusco as it’s one of the best cities in South America. We recommend, either skipping over Paracas/Huacachina or just visiting each for a day if you wish to do this.

Day 13-14 – Copacabana

• Bus: Cusco to Copacabana (13-14h overnight)

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,810 metres above sea level.

Half of it sits in Peru, the other half in Bolivia. The town of Copacabana on the Bolivian side is a small but pretty place filled with local markets and artisan restaurants, but it’s the lake itself that is the must-see.

Fun activities include walking up to the summit of Cerro Calvario to get beautiful views of the lake and taking a boat tour to Isla del Sol, the largest island on the lake.

Day 15-17 – La Paz

• Bus: Copacabana to La Paz (4h)

Once you reach La Paz you have an endless list of things to choose from such as biking down Death Road, trekking in the Valley of the Moon, or climbing Huayna Potosi.

3 days is a good amount of time to cover it all.

I recommend riding down Death Road one day and then using the others to explore in and outside of the city.

Follow my La Paz guide to help you plan:

• The 13 Best Things To Do In La Paz As A Backpacker

Day 18-21 – Uyuni

• Bus: La Paz to Uyuni (9h)

Once you arrive in Uyuni, it’s time to end this epic three-week South America trip with probably one of the best tours on the whole continent.

The 3-day Salar De Uyuni tour will take you from one unique landscape to the next, starting with the white expanse of the salt flat on day 1, to the high-altitude desert of the Andes on the next.

Your mind will be blown by all the incredible scenery and you will leave on a high. The perfect way to end an incredible 3 weeks in South America!

Double your time? This six week South America plan lets you explore even more iconic destinations

Or if you prefer to stick to one country like Bolivia and visit the Amazon instead of more places in Peru, then check out our Bolivia itinerary to see how it can work:

• Bolivia Three-Week Itinerary

#3 Three Week South America Itinerary: Bolivia & Chile

Day	Location	Highlights
1-2	La Paz	Death Road, Valle de la Luna
3-7	Rurrenabaque	Amazon Tour
8-11	Uyuni	Uyuni Salt Flats
12-14	Atacama	Salt Lagoons, Star Gazing Tour
15-16	Santiago	Cerro San Cristobal, Sky Costanera
17-21	Pucon	Villarica Volcano

Day 1-2 – La Paz

La Paz is the thriving capital of Bolivia and your first stop on this three-week South America itinerary.

For your day in the city, book onto a Red Cap walking tour to explore the sprawl that is La Paz, ride the cable cars around to some incredible viewpoints and then spend the evening enjoying the lively bar and club scene.

You also have one full day of adrenaline-fuelled fun on the Death Road tour. Your heart will be in your mouth as you bike down one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

Day 3-7 – The Amazon

Visiting the Amazon in Bolivia is much cheaper and easier compared to other countries in South America. Most Amazon tours are 3 days and two nights.

The Pampas tour is the most popular among backpackers. On the tour, your days will be spent on a longboat winding through the tributaries of the Amazon searching for caimans, anacondas, and exotic birds. You can even go swimming with pink river dolphins!

This is one of the best tours in South America and a fraction of the price it would cost in countries like Brazil or Colombia.

My complete guide to getting to Rurrenabaque and finding and booking an Amazon tour can be found here:

• How To Visit The Amazon In Bolivia

Day 8-11 – Uyuni and the Salt Flats Tour

Your next stop is the town of Uyuni.

The three-day/two-night tour will take you exploring one of the most surreal landscapes in the world. This is one of the best tours in the whole of South America and shouldn’t be missed.

The salt flats tour then drops you off at the Chilean border where you can take a bus to the town of San Pedro De Atacama. Nice and easy!

Day 12-14 – Atacama Desert

Your mind may have just been blown with volcanoes, high-altitude lagoons, and surreal landscapes on the salt flats tour, but it doesn’t stop there.

Just across the border, the Atacama Desert still has some incredible landscapes worth checking out.

Why not rent a car and explore it yourself this time? You can head to the ‘Valle de la Luna’ to see strange rock formations eroded over millions of years or float in the tranquil salt lagoons of the desert surrounded by mountains and volcanoes.

Check out my Atacama Desert itinerary for more information on the best places to visit:

• An Adventure-Filled Atacama Desert 4-Day Itinerary

Day 14-16 – Santiago

Santiago is a long drive from Atacama so best to take a short 1-hour flight. Once in the capital, you can start with the walking tour to get your bearings and then visit one of the several museums Santiago has to offer.

For any extra days you wish to stay, you can take day trips outside of the city to Valparaiso, go trekking in the mountains or head to one of the many vineyards to try the best of Chilean wine.

Day 17-20 – Pucon

Pucón is the adventure capital of Chile, and there are so many great activities on offer in this city including horse riding, kayaking, volcano trekking and much more.

You won’t be disappointed ending an epic three-weeks in South America here.

One of the best hostels in the country is here – Chili Kiwi Hostel which won HostelWorld’s Best Hostel in Latin America in both 2017 and 2018.

This hostel is in an unbeatable location on the shore of Villarrica lake, directly opposite the majestic Villarrica Volcano and only a short walk from downtown Pucón. 

To see how to spend your days here in more detail, head to the post below:

• How Many Days In Pucon? 3 Great Itineraries

Day 21 – Santiago

Fly back to Santiago to take your flight home. If this itinerary contains too many flights and long journeys for you then we have some other options.

From Santiago, you can take a bus across the border to Argentina into wine country. Keep reading as it’s the next three-week South America itinerary on this list.

Want to see more countries instead of two? Extend your trip to a month and you will have more than enough time. See the posts below for how to do it:

• The Ideal 1-Month Backpacking Itinerary For Peru, Bolivia & Chile
• 7-Week South America Itinerary

#4 Three Week South America Itinerary: Chile & Argentina

Here is the breakdown of this three-week South America itinerary that includes Chile & north Argentina:

Day	Location	Highlights
1-4	Santiago	Cerro San Cristobal, Valparaiso
5-8	Mendoza	Vineyard Tours, Aconcagua Mountain
9-12	Cafayate	Vineyards and bodegas
13-18	Salta	Salinas Grandes, Rainbow Mountain
19-21	Buenos Aires	Tango Shows, Asado Experience

Day 1-4 – Santiago

Santiago is a beautiful place and there will be some great restaurants in the city for tasting wines, or you could head outside of the city to the Maipo valley to start your wine tasting journey.

With snow-covered Andean peaks forming the visual backdrop, the Maipo Valley ranks as one of Chile’s most picturesque spots. It’s also home to some of the country’s top wines. 

Another great city to check out is Valparaiso on the coast known as the “Pacific Jewel”. 45km away is the Casablanca valley, another great place full of bodegas and vineyards.

Do you want to do more than three weeks? To see how you can fit Chile into a longer South America itinerary, check out the post below that summarises six of the best itineraries I’ve put together:

• How Many Days Do You Need In South America – 6 Great Itineraries That Work For Every Traveller

Day 5-8 – Mendoza

It’s a short hop across the border from Santiago to reach Mendoza, Argentina’s best wine-producing region. Whilst here, one of the best things to do is head out to the vineyards, rent a bike, and hit up all the different bodegas on a self-guided tour.

You can pay a small amount for a tasting at each bodega, and you will end the day rather tipsy. Lots of backpackers do this and everyone else biking around ends up back at Maipu Bikes for a final round of drinks.

Other activities include trekking around Cerro Aconcagua the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.

Check out my North Argentina backpacking itinerary for more great ideas on some extra stops you can add into this part of the itinerary:

• North Argentina Backpacking Itinerary & Route

Day 9-12 – Cafayate

Cafayate is a must for wine lovers and follows on perfectly from a stay in Mendoza.

The town is the wine-producing region of the northwest of Argentina and is one of the world’s highest suitable locations for growing grapes. It’s second only to Mendoza as one of the best wine-producing regions in the country.

Day 13-14 – Salta

Salta is the biggest city in the northwest of Argentina. It’s full of interesting sights such as the Museum of High-Altitude Archaeology (MAAM) which contains a perfectly preserved mummified corpse of an Andean child, thought to be sacrificed by her tribe hundreds of ago.

You’ll be mainly using it as a base to explore the surrounding region though.

Make sure you rent a car here as the next part of the journey is heading right into the north of the country to check out three small towns that are off the beaten tourist track.

Day 15-18 – Humahuaca, Tilcara and Purmamarca

Humahuaca is the first of three small towns along Route 9 which runs through the beautiful northern countryside all the way down to the city of Salta.

Here you can find Argentina’s very own Rainbow Mountain (and depending on who you ask, better than the more famous one in Peru). Everything else you need to know about Humahuaca from our favourite hostels to the best restaurants is here in our guide to the town:

• The Best Things To Do In Humahuaca
• How To Visit El Hornocal, Argentina’s Rainbow Mountain

Tilcara is the second town you come to along Route 9. It has the same laidback vibe of Humahuaca and is filled with artisan cafes, shops, and restaurants.

In the summer, it gets livelier with Argentinian tourists escaping the big cities and filling up the peñas (communal gatherings with traditional music from the region) and bars.

For more information on Tilcara:

• Tilcara Town Guide & 10 Best Things To Do

Spend one night here before driving back to Salta to drop off the car. On the way back if you want to stop off at a few places you can.

Another short journey south is the third town on Route 9 which includes Argentina’s second Rainbow Mountain – the Hill of 7 Colours.

Whilst it doesn’t sound as impressive as the 14 Coloured Mountain, the hill is just as colourful and impressive, and you don’t need to take a tour to see this one. You can see it from anywhere in town, but the best way is to walk along the Paseo de los Colorados, a 1.5 mile (3 km) easy trail for great views of this multi-coloured hill.

Purmamarca is also a good base for a trip to Salinas Grandes – Argentina’s spectacular salt flat.

27-30 – Buenos Aires

End an incredible three weeks in South America in one of its greatest capitals – Buenos Aires.

Known as the “Paris of South America”, Buenos Aires boasts renowned architecture, world-class cuisine, and fantastic nightlife. You’ll be ending the trip on a high!

For some alternative, one-month long itineraries in this region, check out the post below:

• 1 Month Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina Itinerary