Things to Do in South America in March
March weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
March Weather in South America
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
43°F (6°C)
High Temp
29°F (-2°C)
Low Temp
0.0 inches (0 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Near-freezing temperatures, pack warm layers
Is March Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + Shoulder-season calm. You'll share Torres del Paine with a fraction of the January crowds and get refugio beds without the 6-month booking war. Worth it.
- + Wine harvest is in full swing in Mendoza and Colchagua. Tasting rooms keep longer hours and pour barrel samples you'll never see in July. Sip now.
- + The Atacama is at its photographic best. Clear skies 80% of nights, mild 24°C (75°F) days, and no summer dust storms that ruin astro-tours. Pack your tripod.
- + Easter Island's Tapati Rapa Nui festival usually spills into early March. Body-painting, banana-leaf canoe races, and night dances you can still join without a ticket. Jump in.
Considerations
- − Patagonia starts shutting down. Buses thin out from the 15th onward and some lodges close for winter, so you'll need to double-check onward transport. Plan ahead.
- − Amazon water levels are still high after the wet season. River dolphins are easier to spot but jungle walks are ankle-deep and leech patrol is real. Bring repellent.
- − The Central Andes are still in wet-season mode. Cusco-Machu Picchu train tracks wash out more often and the classic 4-day Inca Trail can be closed at short notice. Check daily.
Best Activities in March
Top things to do during your visit
Atacama Desert Astro-Photography Tours
March gives you the tail end of the southern-hemisphere Milky Way season with warm nights around 8°C (46°F) and 70% clear-sky probability. The moon rises late, so guides run stargazing until 2 am without the -10°C (14°F) freeze you'd get in July. Stay up.
Booking Tip: Book 5-7 days ahead in San Pedro de Atacama. Choose operators that include hotel pick-up and use 11-inch telescopes. You'll see Saturn's rings, not just a smudge. Splurge.
Mendoza Harvest Bike & Wine Routes
Grape trucks crawl along vineyard lanes, the air smells like crushed fruit, and tasting rooms waive normal pour limits during Vendimia week. Daytime 28°C (82°F) sun makes cycling between bodegas comfortable; you're done by 5 pm before mountain chills roll in. Pedal easy.
Booking Tip: Reserve bikes the night before. March is still busy on weekends. Stick to the Maipú-Chacras corridor. Traffic is lighter than Luján and the Malbec vines are 100-year-old originals. Ride early.
Patagonia Multi-Day Glacier Treks
Post-summer winds drop to 30 km/h (19 mph) and the O-circuit in Torres del Paine re-opens after February's capacity cap. You'll walk on the Grey Glacier in crampons while listening to melt-water rivers gurgle beneath blue ice. Impossible once winter sets in April. Do it now.
Booking Tip: Book refugios as soon as you land in El Calafate or Puerto Natales. Beds sell out nightly even in March. Carry a -5°C (23°F) sleeping bag. Night temps already dip below freezing. Bundle up.
Easter Island (Rapa Nui) Cultural Circuits
If Tapati overlaps early March you'll see haka pei banana-trunk sled races down 200 m (656 ft) grass slopes. Either way, March empties cruise crowds and you can photograph Ahu Tongariki at sunrise without 40 photographers in frame. Arrive early.
Booking Tip: Flights from Santiago add extra March departures but still fill up. Reserve seats when you book your international ticket. Hire a local guide at Hanga Roa pier. They know which moai platforms are safe to climb for sunset shots. Ask around.
Galápagos Wildlife Cruises
Albatross chicks fledge on Española and waved albatross courtship dances peak. Water hovers around 25°C (77°F) so you can snorkel without a wetsuit and still spend an hour with playful sea lion pups. Jump in.
Booking Tip: Last-minute berths appear in Puerto Ayora after 1 March when operators panic-fill cabins. Aim for 8-day loops; 4-day itineraries skip the western islands where you'll see the biggest albatross colony. Go long.
Quito-Otavalo Highland Market & Weaving Workshops
March sits in the dry 'shoulder' gap: mornings are 12°C (54°F) and bright, good for photographing Otavalo's Saturday textile market before clouds bubble up. You can try back-strap loom weaving in Peguche village without the summer downpour that turns yarns moldy. Shoot early.
Booking Tip: Arrive by 7 am when stallholders spread out alpaca rugs. The early light makes colours pop and you'll avoid tour-bus crowds that roll in at 10 am. Bring small USD notes. Ecuador's dollarised economy means no ATM hunt. Cash is king.
Where to Stay in South America in March
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for March travellers.
March Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Early March
Fiesta de la Vendimia (Mendoza Wine Harvest)
Parades of grape-crowned queens, free tastings in Plaza Independencia, and a Monday night serenade with 200,000 people. The main events cluster around the first weekend of March. Hotels triple-block rooms so book early. Party hard.
Early March
Tapati Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Body-painting with natural pigments, sliding down extinct volcano slopes on banana trunks, and moonlit dances at Tahai. The festival usually runs the first two weeks of March. You can join teams and get painted even if you arrived yesterday. Jump in.
Packing Checklist
Bookmark this page — your progress is saved between visits
Need the full list with shopping links?
Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View South America Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
Patagonia buses drop to two departures daily after 15 March. If you're heading south of El Calafate, buy your return seat the moment you arrive or risk 12-hour hitch-hike waits. Move fast.
Mendoza wineries offer 'cosecha' lunches only at harvest. You pick grapes at 8 am, eat empanadas in the vines, then blend your own rosé to bottle and ship home (ask for 'experiencia cosechero'). Taste your work.
On Easter Island, the cheapest way to see Tapati is join a 'cuadrilla' (team) at the harbour. Locals adopt travellers, lend you paint, and you get free entry to the nightly cultural shows. Make friends.
Galápagos park fees double to USD 200 on 1 August 2025; March 2026 is the last shoulder season before the hike, so you'll save that cash for an extra dive. Book now.
Sacred Valley's 3-day 'Sacred Rock' community trek starts in March. No permit cap. No advance lottery. You camp on isolated terraces overlooking Ollantaytambo ruins. Wake to sunrise over stone walls nobody else booked.
ATMs in Uruguay and parts of Argentina run out of USD bills on weekends. Withdraw on a weekday. Carry crisp hundreds. Many border buses refuse torn notes. A small rip can strand you.
Avoid These Mistakes
Assuming you can wing Patagonia transport after mid-March is risky. Some hostels close. Buses shrink. You face USD 300 taxi rides across the empty steppe. Plan or pay.
Booking Galápagos flights separately from international ticket is a gamble. If LATAM cancels your domestic leg you lose the cruise. You then pay last-minute ferry surcharges. One missed connection sinks the whole trip.
Ignoring altitude when planning hikes around Cusco tricks people every March. Cloud-cover hides the truth. 4,200 m (13,780 ft) is still harsh. You still need two acclimatisation days. Respect the height.
Packing only summer clothes for Buenos Aires backfires. Night temps drop to 15°C (59°F). Restaurants blast AC. You'll shiver in that sleeveless dress. Bring a light jacket.
Explore More Activities in South America
Didn't see anything interesting yet?
Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in South America.
See All South America Tours on Viator