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Backpacking South America

South America on a Budget

We break down our trip through South America – the costs, how we saved money, what we liked, loved, and hated.

So how much does it cost to travel South America for 50 days?

In an effort to make this blog useful, what follows is a spending summary to give fellow travelers an idea of how much it cost us to travel through Peru, Chile, and Argentina. We are frugal travelers which means we don’t spend a lot of money on things like souvenirs, fancy meals, fabulous hotels, or first-class tickets. We do, however, like to maximize the bang for our buck; this requires planning and research on our part. We are a couple, and this gives us an advantage when traveling as we can split everything 50/50. In fact, a shared double room often tends to work out cheaper than the cost of a dorm bed.

“Day Trips” includes admission fees, taxis, public transit fares, etc.
“Transport” is the cost of transportation between cities: buses, trains, boats, etc.
“Spending money” includes things like beer money, gifts, laundry, and sundries.
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How We Conquered Half the Pan-Am Highway in 2 Months for $2000

Backpacking South America: 2 Months, $2000

Welcome to the origin of Itchy Feet on the Cheap. This blog originally started as a way to share all the planning we did to make our first backpacking trip as a couple as budget friendly as possible. In this post, you will find the videos and links to the guides that outline the specifics of our journey.

If you are planning a trip to South America, you’ll find the guides helpful with your planning, and the videos will give you a preview of what’s to come.
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I ♥ Buenos Aires, Argentina (even when it’s covered in garbage!)

Disclaimer: some of the following photos contain large piles of garbage; yet, despite the ongoing garbage strike that occurred the week that we visited Buenos Aires, it still managed to be beautiful (albeit a little stinky at times).

Casa Rosada Plaza de Mayo where Eva Perón often used the balcony to address the people.
Casa Rosada Plaza de Mayo where Eva Perón often used the balcony to address the people.

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Mendoza, Argentina

A typical street in Mendoza
A typical street in Mendoza
There are several possible buses that make the daily run from Valparaiso, Chile (originating in Vina del Mar) to Mendoza and they cost about CLP9000/$19 for the 15 hour bus ride. I suggest either Tas-Choapa or El Rapido as they both offer good service, reasonable price, and safe buses.

Crossing the Chile-Argentina border was a breeze; just make sure to eat all your fruit before you get there.
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Santiago, Chile

View of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal.
View of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal.
We took TurBus from La Serena to Santiago. The trip was about five hours and cost CLP8000/$17. It was amazing how similar Santiago seemed to Toronto on the drive in on the highway through the outskirts. We had read some negative things about Santiago, particularly about the pollution problem. Unfortunately, in the winter months a thick layer of smog drapes the city creating scenes like this.
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The Descent into Chile: Journey to Santiago

Crossing the Peru-Chile Border via Tacna/Arica

Arica Bus Station
Cruz del Sur waiting room in Arica’s bus station

At 7am we were cruising in style with Cruz del Sur from Arequipa to Tacna (S/36, CAD$12.70, 6 hours).  (Tacna is a town on the Peruvian side of the Peru-Chile border.)  We even had a fancy, private waiting room to keep out all the riff-raff.

We were lucky enough to have another comfortable ride in the front window seat (thanks to booking ahead) with “breakfast” served to our seats.
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The White City: Arequipa, Peru and Going Deep into the Colca Canyon

The bus ride from Puno to Arequipa was the best we’ve had so far.  We paid slightly more through Cruz del Sur than we needed to (S/54, CAD$18.60), but it was totally worth it.  We had front row seats, a meal (read: sandwich, cookies, and juice), and a movie.  Not to mention, a clean bus that didn’t stop at every rest stop in the Peruvian wilderness.

We arrived in Arequipa around 8 or 9pm and took a taxi for S/6 (CAD$2) from the bus station to Amazing Home Backpackers (S/70/CAD$24 for a private double with en suite bathroom per night).  Alex, the hostel owner, was friendly and helpful and gave us information about the two- and three-day tours to Colca Canyon.

We left our laundry with Alex the next morning after breakfast.  Breakfast at Amazing Home Backpackers was a treat.  A rooftop patio serving freshly prepared banana pancakes with dulce de leche.  With bellies filled with pancakes we went out to explore Arequipa.
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Puno and Lake Titicaca, Peru

We caught a bus to Puno from Cusco with a company called San Luis. We paid S/25 (CAD$8.40) for 1st class seats. The ride was about 5 hours long.

Puno isn’t a very attractive town and it doesn’t really hold very many tourist attractions aside from the fact that it sits on the largest lake in South America, Lake Titicaca. The lake sits at 3800 m above sea level which makes it the highest navigable body of water in the world.

We stayed at the Walk on Inn (Jiron La Libertad 115) which cost us S/50 (CAD$16.70) for a private double with private bathroom per night. They served a delicious buffet breakfast for an extra S/8 (CAD$2.70).
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The Cheapest Way to get to Machu Picchu

Buses, Taxis, Hiking, and Avoiding the Expensive Train

Backpacking South America: Machu Picchu, Peru

A typical visit to Machu Picchu costs about $174. That’s a ton of money in Peru. It’s especially painful knowing that a lot of that money is going into deep pockets, and not into preserving the ruins.

We managed to get there for $132.

That might not seem like a big saving, but the real value is in the time.
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Cusco, Peru

We took the Palomino bus from Abancay to Cusco (5 hours, 15PEN/CAD$5).  There happened to be a Palomino bus station directly opposite our hostel, so at 5:30 in the morning we decided to catch our 6:00am bus there (thinking it must go to the main terminal).  The bus didn’t do that.  We weren’t idiots.  We had asked the driver, he checked our tickets (twice) and confirmed that we were on the right bus heading to Cusco.  The bus didn’t stop at the main bus terminal (where we were supposed to get on).  So we sat on the bus for 5 hours hoping that there would be enough seats for everyone.  There was and we made it to Cusco.

Main square Cuzco
View of the main square, Cuzco, Peru.

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Andahuaylas and Abancay, Peru

Given that Abancay is a 14-17 hour bus ride from Ayacucho, and our previous Andes bus experience was less than desirable, we opted for an overnight stop in Andahuaylas.  The bus (Expreso Los Chankas 25 PEN/CAD$8.80) to Andahuaylas was eleven hard hours on unpaved winding mountain roads.

While the motion sickness/soroche didn’t raise its ugly head again (thank Science!), I cannot stress how tiring and soul consuming an eleven hour bus ride through the Andes on an unpaved road is.  There were several moments of teeth clenching as the bus swerved around precipitous curves, but for the most part the driver seemed cautious and drove at a good speed.  The majority of buses that leave for these treks through the Andes leave at night and there are rumours (and crosses at the side of the road as a testament) that buses regularly veer off the edge of the cliffs.
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