The Ultimate South America Packing List for Your Backpacking Adventure
- Anna & Tom
- 20 hours ago
- 5 min read
Are you planning a trip to South America and wondering what to pack? In our clear and detailed South America packing list, you’ll find everything you need for your trip — without overpacking.
1. Climate in South America
Since South America is huge, it’s important to first think about which countries you’ll be visiting before you start packing. In fact, it’s not uncommon to experience several different climate zones within just one South American country.
During our travels through South America, we encountered everything from the Amazon Rainforest to dreamy beaches and even altitudes of over 6,000 meters — and that's exactly how this comprehensive South America packing list came to life.
Typical Climate Zones in South America
In South America, you’ll encounter a wide range of climate zones: tropical heat, moderate climates, or freezing temperatures at over 4,000 meters altitude. It’s really important to check the climate of your specific destination in advance. Here’s a quick overview:
Caribbean (Colombia, Venezuela): tropical, humid
Andes (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia): cold, dry
Patagonia (Chile, Argentina): windy, cool to cold
2. Trip Duration and Best Season for South America
Of course, your packing list also heavily depends on how long you’re traveling and which season you’re visiting South America.For long-haul trips, we usually plan about 3 weeks per country to really have enough time to explore the country and its culture. Depending on your plans, you can use the following guidelines:
Trip Duration for South America
Short trips (1–2 weeks): Minimalist packing, focus on essentials
Long-term travel (2+ months): More layering options, more durable gear
Best Season for Traveling to South America
In general, we recommend planning your trip according to the best travel time for each country.Even if that sometimes means slightly higher costs or more tourists, you usually only have a limited time — and we believe you should make the most of it!It’s not worth missing out on certain places just because of flooded roads or bad weather conditions.
Here are some basic guidelines for different regions in South America:
Andes: Best between May and September
Amazon lowlands: Better during the dry season (June–October)
3. The right Luggage for Your South America Trip
In general, we recommend bringing a large backpack* for traveling and a smaller daypack* for excursions. You can use the smaller backpack as your carry-on during flights.
In your daypack*, you can keep all your important items, like your passport, which you should always have with you. Big backpacks often end up in the luggage compartment during bus transfers, but your daypack can stay with you at all times.
A little tip from us: we always carry a rain cover for both our daypack and our trekking backpack. It not only protects your gear from sudden rain showers but can also deter pickpockets. |
4. Comprehensive South America Packing List
Below you’ll find, sorted by categories, all the important items and documents you’ll need for a trip to South America. Try to make sure that the items are as light and compact as possible to save space and weight.
South America Packing List: Travel Documents and Money
You should have the following documents with you when traveling through South America:
Passport and a copy of your passport (stored in a different place, e.g., in your trekking backpack)
Wallet
Credit card
Health insurance card / Travel insurance
Cash
International driver’s license
Vaccination card (if necessary)
Student ID (if applicable)
South America Packing List: Clothing
Now let’s get to the clothes you’ll need during your trip. Before you start packing, please keep in mind that you will find plenty of opportunities to do laundry while traveling — so don’t pack too much. Choose clothes that can be easily combined and, ideally, are multifunctional.
Underwear (including sports bras)
Socks and hiking socks
Swimwear (bikini, swim trunks, etc.)
UV shirt (for women / for men)* for sun protection in the water — we always have one with us
Pajamas
3–4 T-shirts
Functional shirt
Lightweight long-sleeve shirt
2 pairs of shorts
2 pairs of long pants
Sportswear
A nicer outfit (e.g., a dress or a button-down shirt)
Knit jacket
Fleece jacket or fleece sweater
Rain jacket
Beanie and gloves
South America Packing List: Shoes
Shoes take up a lot of space (and add extra weight), so you should think carefully ahead of time about what activities you have planned and what shoes you’ll need for them. Also, make sure your shoes are already broken in.
Sneakers
Flip-flops, slides*, or similar
Optional: Ballet flats
Optional: Hiking boots
South America Packing List: Toiletries
When it comes to toiletries, we always make sure everything is as small, lightweight, and minimally packaged as possible. In the list below, you’ll find everything we carry in our backpacks when traveling through South America.
Toiletry bag
Shampoo, shower gel, and conditioner
Deodorant
Toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss
Cotton swabs
Hairbrush
Hair ties
Makeup
Razor
Tweezers
Tampons, sanitary pads
Face cream
Body lotion
Small microfiber towel* for on the go
South America Packing List: Travel First Aid Kit
Before your trip to South America, you should definitely think about putting together a proper travel first aid kit.
We actually created a separate blog post for you where we explain exactly which medications and first aid essentials you really should pack for your South America adventure.
Click here to read the South America Travel First Aid Guide
South America Packing List: Tech Gear
Here’s a list of the tech gear we always have with us while traveling:
Camera (including lenses, batteries, and filters)
Drone* (including spare batteries)
Laptop
Charging cables (for phone, camera, drone, laptop)
Travel adapter
Headphones
South America Packing List: Miscellaneous
And finally, a few more important items that we never leave home without:
Sunglasses
Cap
Waterproof sunscreen* (in our opinion the best waterproof sunscreen ever — non-sticky, absorbs quickly, and cools the skin — 100% worth its price!)
Small combination lock* for your trekking backpack
Protective cover for your backpack* during flights
Lightweight sleeping bag* (perfect if you don't want to sleep directly in hostel bedding)
5. Extra Tip: Find Your (Hand) Luggage Again
You probably remember those old-school luggage tags where you had to write your name and address in case your bag got lost. Today, there’s a much easier and safer option: a QR code sticker* that you just stick onto your luggage. If your bag is lost, someone can scan the code to contact you — without your name and address being visible to everyone.
You can, of course, also stick these QR code tags* on other valuable items like your AirPods* and more.
You need some inspiration for planning the rest of your backpacking trip? These articles might be helpful for you:
You’d like to see more insights from our travels? Then feel free to check out our Instagram channels tom_rbg_ and anna_rbg! If you have any questions about our routes, you’re also more than welcome to contact us there!
*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, it won’t cost you anything extra — but you’ll be supporting our work. Thank you!
