More About South America Trips & Tours

Is traveling to South America safe?

We get this question a lot, especially from solo travelers. The answer is yes. Safety is one of our biggest concerns anywhere in the world and South America is no different. Your Trip Leader will advise you on the local area and provide recommendations for free time or night activities so you don’t have to worry. On all of our trips, we advise traveling light and leaving any valuables at home so you don’t attract unwanted attention. 
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One of the best parts about group travel is “safety in numbers”. You don’t need to be alone and finding others to enjoy activities with is easy.

Do I need to know Spanish? 

While helpful, you will not need to know Spanish for any of our trips. Your Trip Leader will be fluent in the local language if any communication help is needed but you’ll find some locals speak English fairly well. One of the highlights of many people’s trips is learning to order a meal or conversing with someone about their day in basic Spanish or learning a few words in Quechua.

Remember: Portuguese is the national language of Brazil, not Spanish!

What is the best time of year to visit South America?

South America is a huge region with tropical rainforests, deserts, beautiful coastlines, and mountains over 20,000 feet in height so the answer depends on exactly where you are traveling. You will generally find that our Machu Picchu trips run year-round but the dry season is considered to be April to September. 
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You will find that our Galápagos Islands trips run between November and May which is considered the peak times to visit the islands. 
Please check the Trip Details page for more weather and packing information on the specific trip you are looking at.

Why sign-up for a group trip to South America?

Here are just a few of the reasons we see travelers join our group trips:

• Not everyone wants to plan and research everything there is to know about an entire country. Our trips include many of the best locations and activities in each country built for young adventurous travelers.
• A local guide is with you throughout your trip to help with foreign languages, lead you on hikes, teach you about the area and make sure each day goes as planned. It can be reassuring knowing that you are always on the right trail or having a Trip Leader that knows backup plans in bad weather or has recommendations for extra activities.
• Meeting great people! When you join an Under30Experiences trip you know you will be with a group of like-minded people in your age range. 

Over 800 5-star reviews! 

"Just got back from U30X's trip to Brazil and had an awesome time! It was a great itinerary, a great group of fellow travelers, and we had awesome tour guides who were both fun and who knew the lay of the land. Definitely going to be traveling with U30X again soon...couldn't recommend more." - Wesley F. | Google Review