Tips for a South American trip with teenagers

[mmgirish]

Hi there,

We are thinking about going to South America next summer with the kids. We are hoping to go to Brazil, Peru, either side of the Iguazu Falls and we would really love to go to Galapagos if the budget stretched that far. We'll have a 15 and 12 year old with us.

Any top tips would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Look at intrepid - their trips are amazing (personal experience) and ours loved them at that age. It also keeps the cost down.

Have a fab time! We took our four (younger) children a few years ago and found people were welcoming to families. We went to Rio and Paraty in Brazil and both sides of Iguazu - they were amazing - you could hear the roar of the falls from a long way away. We were told there’d been jaguar attacks recently and ‘to peel it off firmly’ 🤣! We enjoyed the wildlife on The Galapagos too - snorkelling with penguins was fun but the sea was freezing in their summer (Humboldt current). I’m not sure I would have been as relaxed on the beach if I’d seen David Attenborough’s marine iguana survivor film first! We also enjoyed a river cruise on the Amazon from Iquitos to Leticia although the humidity was something else - it was their summer.
I’m aware you can only do the Inca trail at certain times of the year so worth checking that if it’s something you want to do. And we were glad we’d spent a couple of days acclimatising to the altitude in Cuzco - a lovely town. Huacachina is a desert oasis near Ica ( and the Nazca lines) and we did dune buggy riding there which was fun.

Having spent 3 weeks in Peru and having 3 weeks in Brazil now, I’d say you’re trying to do too much and will miss all but the surface highlights unless you have the whole summer holidays.

Our teens loved the hike to Machu P, time in the Amazon, rafting, sacred valley, Cuzco, Lima, the train south to lake Titicaca. We are currently in the Pantannal and having a break at the pool between horse riding before we go fishing. It’s beautiful and not to be missed. Brazil is huge and 3 weeks is scratching the surface. I couldn’t do everything we wanted as we didn’t have time.

The Galápagos Islands and Ecuador is a trip in itself too, but a few days tagged into Peru is more common.

I'm not sure how I would feel about a group trip tbh. I don't think it's for us. My friend used them for a solo trip and had a ball though.

Perhaps I need to rethink Galapagos. I was hoping for maybe 3 and a half weeks. We just came back from a big trip around South Africa, Eswatini and Ethiopia for 4 weeks. That was a few days too long I think.

Brazil eats up days on travel as it’s so vast and 3.5 weeks would be amazing.

I think it’s worth looking at their itineraries even if you don’t fancy a group trip… I have done this before, helps you get a rough structure and then can tweak accordingly for your own needs and preferences.

Would also say, do Galapagos in a separate trip - there’s so much in Brazil and Peru! I’d be tempted to limit to Brazil, but I love Brazil 😎

I’d stick to Peru and Bolivia. Or Peru and Chile. I love Brazil but the Peru and Bolivia are more interesting. Have your kids seen lots of big waterfalls. Iguazu Fall are obviously incredible but it’s a lot of time and expense to go there. There is less water in the summer but also less spray if you do go.
Peru is amazing. Machu Pichu is truly spectacular. We travelled by train quite a bit. I think it’s better to travel around by train rather than whizzing around flying. I’d prefer to see less but see it properly.

Unless you are going for several weeks, then definitely pick either Peru or Brazil, both countries have so much going for them.
If it’s just 2 weeks, I’d say Peru as distances are vast in Brazil ie if you fly to the Amazon, that’s a full day travel plus another day flying back. You’ll still need to fly in Peru but most flights will just be an hour unless you go north which most tourists don’t do.
Peru - with teens, I’d say 3 days in Sacred Valley , go white water rafting, do the via Ferrata and zip lines at Skylodge, spend a day riding or mountain biking in the hills, potter around Ollantaytambo, Pisac, see the ruins and markets, salt flats and Moray site.
This will also let you acclimatise easier to the altitude. Then train to Machu Picchu, maybe stay overnight and have a second visit as different circuits see different things.
Then Cuzco, lots to see, maybe go up one of the rainbow mountains , Arequipa if you like a city, drive to Colca Canyon across the desert, see the condors, amazing scenery, relax in the hot springs, lots of hiking, biking, riding.
Then there’s Paracas on the coast where you can fly over the Nazca lines , go sand dune buggies, see Ballestos islands with penguins, sea lions etc. its also a relatively short flight up to the Peruvian Amazon. It’s a very under rated destination but one of our best holidays.
Brazil is fab too, especially Pantanal for wildlife and Rio is interesting (despite the “dangerous” destination tag it has).
For both, I’d suggest a pre organised private tour , Peru in particular it’s not recommended to drive yourself. Far easier and cheap to get private drivers and guides.
Galapagos - don’t tack this on, far better done as a separate trip with Ecuador.

Ah, just seen you are going for 3 weeks in which case Brazil definitely doable. I found Brazil a bit more expensive, some of the wildlife lodges can be quite expensive per night depending on where you are.

Iguazu falls are Argentina and Brazil. These are some way from Peru and Ecuador! Not combinable in my view.

You really need to look at one country. Plus there’s no cheap way of seeing the Galápagos Islands. We went to Ecuador and Galápagos Islands with dc as teens and 3 weeks is ideal. Ditto that time in Peru which we visited separately. Visiting too many countries is just ticking boxes. You will not see anything in depth but will just be travelling. Remember Lake Titicaca is over 13,000 ft so check your tolerance of altitude. Both Peru and Ecuador have great rainforest options which our dc really enjoyed. They are top destinations with teens in my view.

DH and me have also been to Brazil and Argentina. I really like Argentina but in both you need more internal flights and careful planning. They are huge countries. I’d never combine east and west South America destinations -choose one or the other. Build in some quiet days at a Hacienda and savour each country.

These are all great tips. Thank you!