7 Days in South America
Trip Overview
Seven days. Three icons. One continent. This South America itinerary ties Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, and Rio de Janeiro into a single, impressive week. Start in Buenos Aires, the Paris of South America, where European facades shelter tango bars and some of the finest South America restaurants on the continent. You'll eat late, dance later, and still wake up ready for more. Mid-week, fly north to Iguazu Falls. The cascade is so vast it makes Niagara look timid. The Argentine-Brazilian border vanishes inside a cathedral of mist and thunder. Bring a poncho. You'll need it. The final act lands in Rio de Janeiro. Copacabana and Ipanema, those famous South America beaches, curve beneath granite peaks while samba spills from alley bars and street art climbs every wall. The city feels like geography gone wild. The pace stays moderate, purposeful but never rushed. First-timers gape. Veterans still grin. This is South America at its most dramatic.
Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$120-200 per day (excluding internal flights)
Best Seasons
The best time to visit South America on this route is the Southern Hemisphere autumn or spring. April, June and September, November offer the best weather across all three destinations, avoiding peak summer crowds in Rio (December, February) and the intense heat of Buenos Aires in January.
Ideal For
First-time South America visitors, Couples, Photography enthusiasts, History and culture lovers, Adventure seekers, Foodies
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Arrival & the Soul of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Touch down in Buenos Aires, ditch the jet lag by weaving through La Boca's paint-box houses, then crash in San Telmo's cobbled grid before your first Argentine steak dinner.
Morning
La Boca & Caminito Street Tour
La Boca, birthplace of tango and Argentine football fever, demands your first morning. Caminito pedestrian street explodes with candy-colored corrugated iron buildings wrapped in murals. Street performers dance tango for tips. Local artists hawk work from easels. The energy is nothing like anywhere else in the city. Arrive before 11am. Beat the tour groups.
Lunch
El Obrero, Agustín R. Caffarena 64, La Boca
Afternoon
San Telmo Antiques Market & Neighbourhood Wander
San Telmo is Buenos Aires at its most atmospheric. 19th-century townhouses lean over narrow streets. Jazz drifts from basement bars. The famous Mercado de San Telmo, an 1897 iron-and-glass market hall, packs antique stalls, coffee counters, and empanada vendors under one roof. Sundays explode into an enormous street market along Defensa. Any other day, the indoor market still earns an hour of slow browsing.
Evening
Traditional Tango Dinner Show
Dinner at Esquina Carlos Gardel (Carlos Gardel 3200, Abasto) starts at 9pm sharp, book early. Prefer to dance instead of watch? La Viruta milonga in Palermo trades spectacle for sweat. Both full dinner-and-show packages run 9pm, midnight, dead-on for Buenos Aires's late dining culture.
Where to Stay Tonight
Palermo or San Telmo (Boutique hotel or design guesthouse)
Palermo parks you beside the city's sharpest restaurants and loudest nightlife; San Telmo plants you inside the historic core. Both link fast, Subte (metro) plus Uber.
See all South America accommodation options →Dinner in Buenos Aires doesn't start until 8:30pm, locals won't touch a plate before 10pm. Show up at 7pm and you'll catch half the kitchen staff still setting up. Embrace the schedule. Or duck into a bakery (panadería) for empanadas, cheap, fast, and they'll tide you over.
Day 1 Budget: $110-170 (excludes international flight)
2
Recoleta, Palermo & the Paris of the South
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Start at 9 a.m. Recoleta Cemetery is a marble maze of mausoleums, go early, beat the tour buses. Walk north through Barrio Norte's Parisian blocks, then catch the 64 bus to Palermo. Palermo Soho's brunch cafés spill onto quiet sidewalks; Palermo Hollywood's grill houses do not open until noon. You'll need both. By 5 p.m. the sky turns amber. Grab the elevator to 1826 Rooftop, order a Fernet and Coke, watch the city flicker on. Full day, grand neighborhoods, one perfect sunset.
Morning
Recoleta Cemetery & Neighbourhood
Eva Perón lies here, alongside Argentina's aristocracy and military heroes, in the Cementerio de la Recoleta, one of the world's great burial grounds. A city of marble mausoleums. Hire a guide at the gate ($10-15) to decode the social history carved into every arch and angel. Afterward, wander Recoleta neighborhood. It feels more European than Latin American. French mansions. Manicured parks. Weekend artisan fairs.
Lunch
Gran Bar Danzón, Libertad 1161, Recoleta
Afternoon
MALBA Museum & Palermo Soho
MALBA, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, packs the best 20th-century Latin American art you'll see in one place. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera hang here. Ninety minutes is enough. Then walk south into Palermo Soho's grid of boutiques, street murals, and artisan coffee shops. The neighborhood shows Argentine design culture and ranks among the great things to do in South America for culture travelers.
Evening
Rooftop sundowner followed by parrilla dinner in Palermo
Miranda or Azotea bar first, grab a Malbec at sunset, skyline glittering. Then walk to Don Julio (Guatemala 4691). Many call it the finest parrilla in Buenos Aires. Don Julio needs a reservation weeks ahead. No luck? Hierro or El Preferido de Palermo match the quality, minus the wait.
Where to Stay Tonight
Palermo (Design boutique hotel (Hotel Craft, Mine Hotel, or Fierro Hotel))
Palermo, one more night. You'll dodge the 4 a.m. scramble and walk straight onto the Iguazu flight.
See all South America accommodation options →Book Don Julio 3-4 weeks ahead if your travel dates are fixed, it is one of the top 50 restaurants in Latin America. No table? Grab the choripán (chorizo sandwich) from the street vendor outside. It is legitimately excellent, and you'll pay a fraction of the price.
Day 2 Budget: $130-200
3
Thunder & Mist: The Argentine Falls
Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
Book the dawn flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu; you'll be spray-drenched by lunch. The Argentine side owns the best angles, boardwalks nose right up to each cataract, climaxing at the Garganta del Diablo, a roaring throat that swallows the sky.
Morning
Morning flight Buenos Aires (AEP) to Puerto Iguazu (IGR)
Aerolíneas Argentinas and LATAM both operate frequent 1h45m flights from Jorge Newbery Aeroparque directly to Puerto Iguazu. Book morning departures (6:30-8:00am) to maximize afternoon time at the falls. The airport is only 20 minutes from the park entrance, so you can be standing at the first catwalk by noon.
Book 2-3 weeks ahead on the Aerolíneas Argentinas site, prices spike hard as departure nears.
Lunch
La Rueda, Avenida Córdoba 28, Puerto Iguazu town
Afternoon
Parque Nacional Iguazú, Argentine Side
275 waterfalls crash along 2.7km of catwalks on the Argentine side of Iguazu, jungle pressing in from every angle. You'll need 3 hours to walk both the Upper Circuit and Lower Circuit. Skip the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat) train until late afternoon. The light turns gold and the crowds drop by then. Coatis, those raccoon-like mammals, patrol every path. Don't feed them. Guard your food.
Skip the line, buy your tickets online at argentina.tur.ar/iguazu before you leave the hotel. Bring a waterproof case for your phone. You will get soaked on the lower walkways.
Evening
Sundowner at the Sheraton Iguazu Resort terrace and dinner in town
Skip the hotel lobby, head straight to the Sheraton terrace bar for the best view in town. It sits directly above the falls, and non-guests can use it for drinks. Watch the last light fade over the canyon with a local Patagonian craft beer. Then grab a taxi back to Puerto Iguazu town. Dinner waits at Aqva Restaurant (Av. Córdoba 24), they do excellent regional fish dishes.
Where to Stay Tonight
Puerto Iguazu town or inside the national park (Skip the town. Sleep inside the falls. Sheraton sits in the park, wake to mist on your balcony. Can't swing it? Hotel Saint George and Mercure Iguazu both deliver solid mid-range beds a short ride away.)
Sheraton guests step straight into the park. Dawn at the falls before day-trippers flood in, pay the premium if your budget stretches.
See all South America accommodation options →Sheraton Iguazu guests get the jump on everyone. The park gates open at 8am. They can access the falls from 7am, a full hour before the crowds. Staying in town? Take the first public bus (roughly 8:05am) and you'll still beat the rush.
Day 3 Budget: $150-250 (including flight)
4
The Brazilian Panorama & Parrot Paradise
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Cross the border. The Brazilian side of the falls delivers the only angle that shows the full cascade, nothing else comes close. After that, hit Parque das Aves bird sanctuary before you fly to Rio.
Morning
Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, Brazilian Side
The Brazilian side of the falls gives you one killer shot: a single, sweeping 1.2km walkway that hands you the continent's most photogenic vista, the entire horseshoe of the Garganta del Diablo thundering in the middle distance, jungle framing both flanks. This perspective is broader, more cinematic than Argentina's tight catwalks. A glass elevator caps the trail, dropping you to a pontoon that plants you right in the main falls' spray for a drenching you won't forget.
Helisul's helicopter flight ($75-90 per person, 10 minutes) books out fast, reserve at least one day ahead. The aerial view of the entire falls system is unmatched. The flights are controversial environmentally. Your call.
Lunch
Porto Canoas Restaurant, inside Parque Nacional do Iguaçu
Afternoon
Parque das Aves (Bird Park)
You'll stand toe-to-beak with harpy eagles, fewer than 900 left in the wild, inside Parque das Aves, the bird sanctuary wedged against the Brazilian park entrance. Massive walk-through aviaries hold 1,500 birds from 150 species: toucans overhead, scarlet macaws banking past your shoulder, roseate spoonbills wading inches away. Distances like these can't happen in the forest. Rushed itineraries skip it. Don't.
Evening
Evening flight to Rio de Janeiro and late dinner in Ipanema
Fly Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) to Rio de Janeiro Galeão (GIG) or Santos Dumont (SDU), LATAM and Azul run several afternoon and evening flights, about 2h30m. Land, skip luggage drama, and ride straight to Ipanema. At 22:00 the Zona Sul supermarket still dishes out hot meals, cheap, fast, beach-adjacent. Want a table? Astor on Rua Delfim Moreira keeps the grill going until late. First caipirinha, first ocean breeze, Rio's official hello.
Where to Stay Tonight
Ipanema or Leblon, Rio de Janeiro (Beach-facing hotel or design hotel one block from the beach)
Ipanema plants you on Rio's flashiest strip of sand, and you can walk to the best South America restaurants in zona sul.
See all South America accommodation options →Taxi from Puerto Iguazu (Argentina) to Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil) takes 20-25 minutes and costs $25-30 USD. Drivers sometimes skip stamping your passport at both the Argentine exit post and the Brazilian entry point, insist they stop.
Day 4 Budget: $160-260 (including Foz-Rio flight)
5
The Marvelous City Reveals Herself
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sunrise on Ipanema Beach, then you're on Sugarloaf Mountain before the cable-car queue forms, Rio's skyline rolling out like a 360° map. Santa Teresa's hilltop streets crawl with mansions, murals, and cafés that spill onto the cobbles. When dusk drops, Lapa won't wait; samba clubs swing open at 9 p.m. sharp.
Morning
Ipanema Beach Morning & Bairro Market
Rio's mornings are sacred. Grab coffee and pão de queijo (cheese bread) at a beachside kiosk, then walk the full length of Ipanema and Leblon beaches before the heat builds after 10am. On Sundays, the Feira Hippie de Ipanema (Praça General Osório) fills with artisan stalls and street food. Weekday mornings? Fitness culture everywhere: volleyball nets, bodyweight training stations, cyclists on the beachside path.
Lunch
CT Boucherie, Rua Dias Ferreira 636, Leblon
Afternoon
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar)
Two cable cars haul you 396 meters above Rio Bay to Sugarloaf's summit and one of the planet's best city views: Copacabana's scalloped beach south, Guanabara Bay sweeping north toward Niterói, and Christ the Redeemer watching from Corcovado across the skyline. Board at 3-4pm when the light softens, then ride the second stage every 20 minutes and linger for sunset, golden hour melts into a carpet of city lights, and the show is spectacular.
Weekend sunset slots sell out by noon, book at bondinho.com.br and skip the queue.
Evening
Santa Teresa neighbourhood dinner and Lapa samba
Ride the rattling bonde or grab an Uber uphill to Santa Teresa, Rio's artsy ridge where paint peels in technicolor. Aprazível (Rua Aprazível 62) hangs its tables among mango trees. Dinner there runs open-air, garden-scented, city-lit, regional Brazilian plates that outclass most beachfront grills. When plates are empty, coast downhill to Lapa, the arches glowing like half-lit vertebrae over Rio's music spine. Rio Scenarium (Rua do Lavradio 20) waits, three floors of aged wood, circus lights, and samba that feels older than the port. Best venue in the country? No argument here.
Where to Stay Tonight
Ipanema (Hotel Arpoador, Ipanema Beach House, or Fasano Rio (splurge))
Ipanema puts the beach, the best restaurants, and easy Uber access to every major sight right at your feet.
See all South America accommodation options →Rio's South America beaches run a color-coded flag system, green means swim freely, yellow warns of moderate currents, caution, red screams dangerous, do not enter. Families crowd Ipanema's Post 9 and Post 10 areas. The stretch near Post 8 (Arpoador) pulls surfers and a younger crowd.
Day 5 Budget: $130-210
6
Christ, Corcovado & the Soul of Rio
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio's best move: hit Corcovado first. The 38-meter Christ the Redeemer looms overhead, go early, beat the crowds. Afterward, downtown's colonial arcades and baroque churches wait. Porto Maravilha's warehouses now pulse with galleries and cafés. The port district got a $2 billion facelift and it shows. Finish at the contemporary art museum, sharp angles, sharper curation, before your final night in Rio.
Morning
Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)
The first train leaves Cosme Velho Station at 8:30am, catch it or miss the best view. This official train climbs straight through Tijuca Forest, the planet's largest urban rainforest, to Corcovado's summit at 710 meters. Christ the Redeemer, finished in 1931, rises 38 meters high and stretches 28 meters wide. From the platform you see all of Rio: Guanabara Bay, Sugarloaf, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Niterói Bridge, both beaches running clean to the horizon. Clouds and crowds build fast, early arrival isn't optional.
Pre-book at tremdocorcovado.com.br, first departures sell out days ahead. No exceptions. The Uber van through the forest costs $10-12 round trip. Cheaper. Less atmosphere.
Lunch
Confeitaria Colombo, Rua Gonçalves Dias 32, Centro
Afternoon
MAR (Museum of Art of Rio) & Porto Maravilha
Skip the postcards. The Museu de Arte do Rio anchors the revitalized port precinct and delivers a sharp survey of Rio's visual culture from colonial times to the present. Up top, the rooftop terrace gives a rarely photographed view of Guanabara Bay and the old port. Afterward, walk the neighborhood to AquaRio aquarium or the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), Santiago Calatrava's impressive science museum on a pier over the bay, one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Brazil.
Pre-booking Museu do Amanhã tickets online beats the door queue. You'll still pay the same price, just without the wait.
Evening
Farewell dinner on Ipanema beachfront
Skip the clichés, sunset at Arpoador Rock is Rio's cheapest ticket to goose-bumps. Between Ipanema and Copacabana, locals line the promontory, clapping the sun into the sea. You'll hear it once; you'll replay it forever. After the applause, walk ten minutes to Zazá Bistrô Tropical, Rua Joana Angélica 40. Candles flicker, tapestries sway, and the kitchen sends out pan-Asian plates that taste like the chef backpacked through Bangkok then landed in Brazil. Creative, yes, also filling. Dinner runs about R$ 180 per person. One night, two icons: the city's most honest ritual, then its most romantic table.
Where to Stay Tonight
Ipanema (Same hotel as previous nights)
Staying put in Ipanema skips the pack/unpack circus and leaves you 15 minutes from the airport transfer the next morning.
See all South America accommodation options →The crowd at Arpoador applauds daily, sun or rain, doesn't matter. If the clouds part even briefly, everyone erupts. This is one of those free, unreplicable moments that no South America travel guide fully captures. Be there by 5:30pm to claim a good rock perch.
Day 6 Budget: $120-190
7
Last Morning Light & Departure
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Spend your last morning horizontal on Copacabana or Ipanema, sand still warm, waves clocking in like slow metronomes. One final açaí bowl, one last green coconut hacked open beside you, water sweet as goodbye. Then we'll bundle you into the car and thread traffic to Galeão International Airport for the onward flight.
Morning
Copacabana Beach Final Walk & Beachside Breakfast
Copacabana's 4km arc is one of the world's great urban beaches. It earns its legendary status most fully in the early morning, bodyboarders catch the first waves, vendors set up their coolers, and the mosaic promenade is peaceful. Walk the full length from Leme to Posto 6 past the well-known Copacabana Palace Hotel. Stop for breakfast at any of the kiosk bars along the boardwalk. Fresh coconut water, açaí bowls, and tapioca pancakes are the canonical Carioca morning meal.
Lunch
Cervantes, Rua Prado Júnior 335, Copacabana
Afternoon
Airport Transfer & Departure
Galeão International Airport (GIG) is 40-50 minutes north of Ipanema by Uber when traffic is light, add 75+ minutes if the roads clog. Santos Dumont Airport (SDU), near Centro, covers some domestic routes. Arrive 3 hours early for international flights. Inside the departure lounge, a cachaca and Brazilian products shop gives you one last shot at gifts and supplies.
Book your Uber or airport transfer the night before. Morning rush (7-9am) on Linha Vermelha highway? Total chaos, delays stretch forever.
Evening
Departure or overnight flight home
Evening departures rule. Most transatlantic and long-haul flights from Rio leave between 9pm, midnight, so you'll squeeze in a full final day. Early flight? Crash near the airport instead. The Windsor Barra or Tulip Inn Aeroporto get the job done, clean beds, zero drama.
Where to Stay Tonight
Departure (or airport hotel if needed) (Check-out from Ipanema hotel. Airport hotel if early departure)
Push for a late check-out. Most Ipanema hotels will stretch it to 2pm, no questions asked. That extra hour buys you one last swim, one last açaí, one last look at the curve of the bay before the airport run.
See all South America accommodation options →Brazilian customs will confiscate your liquids, no exceptions. They're toughest on bags from Ipanema, a shopping district they've flagged. Pack every bottle of cachaça, every beauty product, every açaí supplement in checked luggage. The duty-free limit when you leave Brazil? BRL 3,000, about $600 USD.
Day 7 Budget: $80-130 (departure day)
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
$250-400 USD. That's the magic number if you book smart. Internal flights drive this whole route: Buenos Aires (AEP) to Puerto Iguazu (IGR) on Day 3, then Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) to Rio de Janeiro (GIG or SDU) on Day 4. Lock all three segments together on LATAM or Aerolíneas Argentinas, do it 4-6 weeks out and you'll land inside that range. Getting around? Easy. Uber runs clean and fast in Buenos Aires and Rio. Puerto Iguazu sticks to taxis, no app needed. When you're ready to hop the Argentina-Brazil border, a local taxi handles the paperwork for $25-30 USD.
Book Ahead
Book flights 4-6 weeks ahead minimum, no exceptions. Christ the Redeemer train tickets live at tremdocorcovado.com.br. Sugarloaf sunset slots vanish fast. Grab them at bondinho.com.br. Buenos Aires tango dinner show? Lock it in. Don Julio restaurant needs 3-4 weeks advance reservation, don't wait. Argentine-side Iguazu Falls tickets: argentina.tur.ar/iguazu. South america travel insurance is strongly recommended, purchase before departure.
Packing Essentials
Pack light. Quick-dry shirts, a waterproof jacket, non-negotiable at Iguazu, and reef-safe sunscreen top the list. Jungle zones demand DEET-heavy repellent. Bring a small dry bag for Iguazu's lower walkways. The spray is real. Cobblestones in Buenos Aires punish flimsy shoes, choose sturdy walkers. Flip-flops handle beach days. Argentina runs on Type I plugs; Brazil uses Type N, pack both. If you're pushing farther into South America, carry that yellow fever card.
Total Budget
$1,800-2,800 USD per person covers a full week, no international flights. That buys three domestic hops ($300-500), seven nights under a roof ($700-1,100), three squares a day ($350-500), every park ticket and guide fee ($200-300), plus buses, taxis, and transfers ($150-250). Stay in good hostels, eat at mercado stalls, you'll hit the bottom line. Want more? Add $1,500-2,500 for business-class legs, Sheraton Iguazu and Fasano Rio beds, and a private guide on call.
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Slash your lodging bill by bunking in well-rated hostels, Che Lagarto in Buenos Aires, Tetris Hostel in Puerto Iguazu, Mango Tree Hostel in Ipanema. Lunch at mercado food halls, dinner on the churrascarias rodízio circuit ($15-20 unlimited grilled meat). Skip the Sheraton sundowner. Trade internal flights for overnight buses between Buenos Aires and Iguazu (16 hours, saving $70-100 but burning a full day). Daily spend falls to $70-100 per person.
Luxury Upgrade
The Faena Hotel Buenos Aires sits on Puerto Madero waterfront, a design icon, no contest. Falls-facing rooms at the Sheraton Iguazu Resort & Spa wake you to rushing water. The Fasano Rio de Janeiro? The city's most celebrated hotel. Its poolside scene, pure Fellini. You'll add private guided tours at each falls, a helicopter flight over Iguazu, a private tango lesson with a professional dancer in Buenos Aires, and a sunset catamaran on Guanabara Bay. Daily spend: $400-700.
Family-Friendly
South America with children is very doable on this route. Ditch the Lapa samba night, swap it for an early dinner and a capoeira show instead. At Iguazu, the Argentine Lower Circuit is pushchair-accessible. The Parque das Aves is a genuine highlight for children. In Rio, the AquaRio aquarium and the Museu do Amanhã's interactive exhibits are age-appropriate alternatives to the bar scene. Choose beach-facing hotels with pools, and note that Brazilian and Argentine families eat late, children are welcome in restaurants at 9pm and nobody will look twice.
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