Travelling in South America with kids
South America is a magical lab able to conjure up any child's dream![]()
Travelling in South America with kids will make lifelong memories. Animal lovers will adore a startling menagerie: penguins, pumas and pygmy deer; whales and condors; soft-furred alpaca and giant flightless rhea; jaguars and marine iguanas. Fit kids will jump at wilderness hikes, kayaking fjords, rafting wild rivers, or surfing on golden beaches. Horse-mad types have trail rides with the cowboys of Chile and Argentina or splashing canters through Brazil's Pantanal. Let them discover wondrous cultures older than Egypt, from the Andes to the Amazon, and learn about the earth and sky amid smoking volcanoes beneath remote starry skies lit by the Milky Way.
Our South America family Holidays
Flexible Galapagos Islands tailor made tour
Your choice of four to eight-day land-based adventure
From
US $2125 to US $4385
5 days
ex flights
Galapagos adventure holiday
An active Galapagos Islands adventure holiday
From
£4424
10 days
ex flights
Peru Amazon Rainforest family adventure
Amazon family adventure holiday, for children aged 4-10
From
£740
4 days
ex flights
Bolivia tour, tailor made
Tour the magnificent landscapes of Bolivia.
From
US $3895 to US $4850
26 days
ex flights
Argentina Family Holiday
Buenos Aires, Iguazú Falls, the Lake District & the Pampas
From
£12200 to £18800
12 days
ex flights
Family volunteering in Peru
Experience sensational Peru with family volunteering
From
US $649
7 days
ex flights
Ecuador and Galapagos family activity holiday
View world famous wildlife in award winning National Parks
From
£4795
15 days
ex flights
Brazil holiday, tailor made
Wildlife & culture roundtrip through Brazil, all tailormade
From
€3495
23 days
ex flights
Exciting family holiday in Peru
A fabulous family holiday including the best of Peru
From
£1900 to £2400
15 days
ex flights
Brazil wildlife holiday, Pantanal & Rio
Wildlife & culture for couples or families, Private tour
From
£3475
14 days
inc UK flights
Family holiday in Peru
Amazon rainforest and Peruvian culture family adventure
From
£1815 to £2025
10 days
ex flights
Peru trekking holiday, Lares
Alternative Inca Trail - Lares trek to Machu Picchu
From
£705
5 days
ex flights
Galapagos family holiday, hotel based
Fantastic Galapagos Islands Family Adventure Holiday
From
£1542
6 days
ex flights
Colombia highlights tour
Roundtrip Colombia, from coffee tasting, art and history to the Caribbean coast
From
€2190
17 days
ex flights
Argentina tailor made holiday
Private driver guide, spa & volcanoes in the Andes
From
US $3490 to US $3990
12 days
ex flights
Galapagos family adventure holiday
Family activity holiday on the beautiful Galapagos Islands
From
£2625 to £2895
7 days
ex flights
Colombia holiday, tailor made
Amazing Colombia from Caribbean to Amazon, tailor made
From
€1920 to €3340
27 days
ex flights
Family holiday to Peru, Machu Picchu & the Amazon
Experience Peru's top sights as a family
From
£3608
19 days
ex flights
Peru walking and cultural holiday
Trek the cultural sites and mountain scenery of Peru
From
£1917
10 days
ex flights
Family Machu Picchu and Inca Trail holiday
Trek along the famous mountain trail to Machu-Picchu
From
£2896 to £3156
15 days
inc UK flights
Horse riding and trekking in Argentina
The Andes on horseback
From
US $2495 to US $3492
10 days
ex flights
Family adventure holiday in Peru, Inca & Amazon
Pretty Sherpa villages and spectacular mountains
From
£3299 to £3699
16 days
inc UK flights
Bolivia tailor made tour
Experience the magnificent landscapes of Bolivia.
From
US $1625 to US $1945
9 days
ex flights
Peru & Ecuador family holiday, Lima to Quito
A great family adventure encompassing Peru
From
£5650
4 weeks
ex flights
Patagonia family holiday, glacial lakes and mountains
Discover true wilderness on this adventurous family holiday
From
£6329
16 days
ex flights
Things to do in South America
Strange beasts
South America is home to a plethora of quirky but enchanting animals. Marvel at giant flightless rheas, adorable pygmy deer and cute soft-furred llama-like guanacos. Smile at waddling penguins and blubbery elephant seals. And be very glad your hamster isn't as big as a capybara!
Get active!
Burn youthful energy on land and water. Kayak around fjords and glaciers, thrill with whitewater rafting or canoe through flooded Amazon jungle. Scale Andean peaks on ancient trails or cross vast plains. Horse-ride through a wetland nirvana. Or wander amid jetting geysers and smoking volcanoes.
Chile and Argentina have fascinating - but distinctive - cowboy cultures, without any Wild West bad guys! riding with Argentinian gauchos across the grass sea of the Pampas is fantastic even without the stupendous barbecues!
Our top South America family Holiday
Galapagos adventure holiday
An active Galapagos Islands adventure holiday
From
£4424
10 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 3 Apr, 17 Apr, 1 May, 15 May, 29 May, 12 Jun, 26 Jun, 10 Jul, 24 Jul, 7 Aug, 21 Aug, 4 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 16 Oct, 30 Oct, 13 Nov, 27 Nov, 11 Dec, 25 Dec
2020: 3 Apr, 17 Apr, 1 May, 15 May, 29 May, 12 Jun, 26 Jun, 10 Jul, 24 Jul, 7 Aug, 21 Aug, 4 Sep, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 16 Oct, 30 Oct, 13 Nov, 27 Nov, 11 Dec, 25 Dec
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about South America or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
Tips for families
Alan Lyall from our supplier Andean Trails reels off some Patagonian pleasures for travelling in South America with kids:
“Walking trails in the Torres del Paine National park. Seeing if you can spot a fox, pudu (miniature deer) or ñandu (rhea). Zip lining in cold rain forest, floating on emerald coloured rivers, exploring volcanic caves, picking shellfish and crabs on rocky beaches. Spotting shooting stars in immaculate clear desert skies, horse riding and so much more. Active kids = happy kids.”
Tim Winkworth from our supplier The Family Adventure Company highlights Andean culture in his tips for travelling in South America with kids:
“The Inca culture is not as prevalent in Ecuador as it is in Peru as it doesn't have the ruins - but there are traditional communities, and where you really get that feel is in the markets and in the highlands. You have farmers working in a traditional way, and it's great to show children what's outside of the technological world they live in. The colourfully dressed children are happy to see people, you can kick a football around with them; it's a wonderful opportunity. It's great to take the kids to the markets too. They can have a look at the different trinkets and see all the people.”
Anna Scrivens from our supplier Audley Travel explains why Brazil is a good choice for travelling in South America with kids:
“I think Brazil works well for families – as long as they’re aware of all the travelling involved. Children would love the wildlife in the Pantanal or the jungle in the Amazon or the waterfalls, it’s all very visual. In Rio there are some really good family tours. You can do cycling trips around the beaches, walking, kayaking... It’s a very active country, so even if you just go to the beach, there are kayaks you can hire or boat trips you can take.”
More about South America
The best time to visit much of South America is any time outside of the Jan-March rains. Remember that in the southern hemisphere, seasons are reversed...
We take you trekking, bushwhacking, rafting and salsa-ing your way across this thrilling continent, from Amazon depths to Andean peaks...
Our map helps you choose which places to visit in South America, whether you're enjoying an epic overland tour or a relaxing two-week holiday...
Trek in the Andes, spot Andean wildlife, discover Aymara, Quechua, Afro and Latino culture, or cross remote borders on a thrilling overland tour...
There are few places that hold such significance for life on earth as the Galapagos Islands.
Towering walls of glacial ice, windswept open steppe and spectacular miradores with views of majestic jagged mountains are Patagonia’s calling cards.
Wildlife in South America has thrilled scientists and explorers and beguiled travellers for centuries.
Get tips on the best way to explore Patagonia, the Amazon vs the Pantanal, what to do in the Lake District and where to find the best street food...
Is there really such a thing as an ethical wildlife selfie? The spread of social media has encouraged a worrying trend in pictures of tourists holding, hugging and feeding wild animals, and NGO World Animal Protection has campaigned to stop this.
Across the continent there are issues with the displacement, deforestation and deep set poverty. Our guide helps you make wise - and kind - choices...
Find all of our South America guides in one place, for particular places in South America such as Bolivia, the Galapagos or Peru.
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Photo credits: [Page banner: McKay Savage] [Topbox: Kenneth Banks]
[Strange beasts - Guanacos: strudelt]
[Get active: Marcelo Jorge Vieira]
[Cowboy thrills: Vince Alongi]
[Alan Lyall quote - zip lining: Steven Depolo]
[Tim Winkworth quote - Ecuadorian market: Rinaldo Wurglitsch]
[Anna Scrivens quote - cycling Brazil: mi chiel]
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