Visit Every Country In South America

The adventure

South America is made for the long haul. Cross it overland and you watch the whole planet change outside the window: the colonial streets of Cartagena, the cloud-wrapped terraces of Machu Picchu, the white emptiness of the Bolivian salt flats, the vineyards of Mendoza and finally the granite towers and glaciers of Patagonia.

Along the way you are breathing thin air at La Paz, drinking maté with strangers in Uruguay and feeling the spray of Iguazú. The final countries are the curveballs: Guyana and Suriname on the north coast, where English and Dutch are spoken, the rainforest comes right to the edge of town and Kaieteur Falls plunges into a gorge with hardly anyone else there to see it.

Why it’s epic

• Angel Falls in Venezuela, the world's highest uninterrupted waterfall at 979 metres.
• Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the largest salt flat in the world at more than 10,000 square kilometres.
• Machu Picchu, the 15th-century Inca citadel high in the Peruvian Andes.
• Kaieteur Falls in Guyana, a single drop of about 226 metres into a jungle gorge.

What it is

South America has 12 countries, from Colombia and Venezuela in the north to Argentina and Chile in the south.

How to do it

An overland truck tour covers most of the continent in a few months, as it did for me. Guyana and Suriname are best done together on a separate trip.

Top tip

Guyana and Suriname are most easily reached from each other, or via Trinidad and northern Brazil.

Need to know

• Altitude is a real issue in Bolivia and Peru, so allow time to acclimatise in places like Cusco and La Paz.
• A yellow fever vaccination is recommended for much of the continent, and some countries ask for the certificate.
• Check FCDO advice for Venezuela, which has carried strong warnings against travel for several years.

Why it’s on my list

Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.