South America Overland Tours: Travel Information

Overland Truck Trips

This is a traditional South America overland travel option, where an Overland truck is used for transport. You will stay in simple hotels, guesthouses or camp in both designated campsites, and desert or bush-camp using two person tents. You will cook using gas stoves and take turns, so expect to cook about every 15 days or so. Driving days normally start around 8am and finish around 5pm with stops for lunch and buying of food, seeing local sights etc. You will not be traveling every day. The average group size is around 18 although the vehicles can carry a maximum of 23. 

All the trucks are equipped with:
Inward and forward facing coach seats with head rests, providing more storage space for your souvenirs and luggage as well as more leg room for our overland travel groups to stretch out on the longer journeys. It means we can't pack as many people in as with 'bus' type forward-facing layouts with narrow aisles, but the extra space is always appreciated on a South America overland trip!
Insulated for your comfort.
Internal heating for those high altitudes that are part and parcel of our South America overland trips.
Under-seat storage for your backpack so you have easy access even when driving.
A mixture of sliding, forward and side facing windows, providing extensive visibility and security.
All trucks are equipped with sand mats and where necessary, tyre chains.
12V charging points for Video and Mobile phone batteries.
Onboard stereo with MP3, MD or CD walkman adaptor.
A comprehensive range of spare parts and tools.
Large dried and fresh food storage capacities.
Overhead lockers for cameras and day bags.
Onboard truck safe for valuables and money.
Large water carrying capacity.
Internal truck buzzer system.
Internal and external lighting.
Long range fuel tanks.

Accessory Equipment Carried:
Spacious 'Dome' or 'A frame' style two-person tents with in-built ground sheets and mosquito netting.
Cooler boxes (for storage of fresh food and drinks).
All weather cook tent for wet weather and shade.
Professionally compiled expedition medical kit.
All cooking and cutlery equipment.
Well stocked on-board library.
Gas cooker and fire grate.
Campstools.

South American Overland Crew:

Except in exceptional circumstances, all vehicles In South America have two crew members - a Driver and a Tour Leader. Their experience and knowledge will enable you to get the most out of your trip and to have an unforgettable experience. Their roles are many and varied and include amongst other things, maintaining the truck throughout the trip, organising group activities and bookings, managing trip funds, overseeing group rosters, organising border crossings and permits, organising the day to day running of the trip and passing on general information to the group.

Local Transport / Hotel based trips

For the Local Transport (Hote based) trips, we travel using internal flights, trains and coaches. The hotels we use on our South America tours vary from small friendly guesthouses to three star hotels. We eat in local restaurants and the group size is generally 15 to 20 people. use a variety of transport, from trains, air-con. coasters, boats and planes. Accommodation is usually in small locally owned pensions & budget hotels.

Starting & Ending your Trip

Quito

Only 25 kilometres south of the equator it would be easy to imagine a city basking in intense tropical heat. However, at a height of 2850m (9350ft) it has a climate more similar to spring in southern England. The city was founded by the Incas and is set in a hollow below a towering volcano and surrounded by mountains. The old quarter is characterised by steep, narrow, cobbled streets. The restaurants here are cheaper and more likely to serve local dishes. If you are lucky you will find one serving Cuy, one of the national dishes of baked guinea pig. Quito also has many museums and 16th and 17th century churches, which are well worth visiting. Lima, Like Quito has a mild climate. It was at one time the chief city of Spanish South America. With an estimated 8 million people inhabiting Lima it has a vibrant and varied atmosphere and is a great place to spend a couple of days. During our South America tours pay a visit to the interesting and informative museums as well as cathedrals and churches on offer in the old colonial part of the city.

La Paz

The highest capital in the world lies in a steep canyon. The view from the air as you fly in is dramatic, with snow covered Mt. Illimani at 6400m towering almost 3000m above the city. It has interesting markets selling local cuisine & ethnic crafts including jumpers & woollen garments made from Alpaca, llama and Vicuna wool. There are a number of festivals in La Paz & we try & time our South America tours to coincide with some of these.

Santiago

Essentially a modern city of 5 million people. A smart underground metro, well kept parks and cleanliness and efficiency are the things that strike a visitor on arrival. There are a number of very informative museums with pre-colonial and post-colonial history. Santiago is a pleasant and safe place to spend a few days during a South America travel experience.

Rio de Janeiro

Visually one of the most stunningly beautiful cities in the world and a definite highlight of your South America travel experience. The Corcovado (hunchback) mountain and the Sugar Loaf dominate the skyline. This and the giant white sweep of Copacabana beach overlooking the azure Guanabara Bay, provide the 'cariocas', as Rio's citizens are known, with the setting for the explosive, frenetic sensuality of the annual 'carnival'.

Spending Money & Local Payment

South American  trips require two types of spending: a Local Payment and personal spending money. At the beginning of your trip the crew will collect the Local Payment in US Dollars Cash. This is a pre-determined amount which covers the cost of your trips day to day expenses such as food, local guides, firewood, gas, some entrance fees to certain sites and game parks, accommodation etc. It goes towards a variety of services which your Tour Leader pays for in cash, direct to local people on the ground as international money transfers can be expensive and problematic. The LP helps reduce the overall price of the trip which in turn passes cost savings onto you. The advantage of Local Payments over 'kitty' based systems is that once the LP has been collected you will not be asked for 'top ups' or add extra payments. It is just as important to us as well as you, that there are NO hidden extras which are not included on our website.

For personal spending during our South America tours we suggest an average of $150 - $200 per week. Personal spending requirements vary hugely depending on individuals. We cannot specify every cost for your trip; however, you need to allow for visas, drinks, occasional meals out, curios and local crafts, emails etc. Budget for optional side trips separately. Credit cards are only accepted in the main cities so you need to bring at least a third of your spending money in US Dollars cash and the rest in US Dollar Travellers Cheques.

Health Precautions

Vaccinations - It is advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis before embarking on a South America travel experience. Consult your doctor about having Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B and Rabies shots. Malaria - The only areas we visit with a recognised malaria risk are the Amazon Jungle, The Pantanal and Iguazu Falls. You cannot be vaccinated against malaria for South America tours, but there are a number of preventative treatments. While some GPs are quite well-versed in tropical medicine and malarial prevention many are not! If you are not happy with the information your doctor has provided, contact a reputable travel clinic in your area or phone us and we can give you details of several clinics.

Local Customs

People in the countries we visit on our South America overland travel tours are usually extremely friendly and helpful. Most Latin Americans, if they can afford it, take pride in their clothes and appearance and it is appreciated if travellers make an effort to do like wise. Buying clothing locally can help you look less like a tourist. In the more remote Andean regions ask before photographing people as this may cause offence.

The Climate

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