When to go: altitude is a key factor in the climate of South America, but as a general rule, the further south you plan to travel, the more you should avoid going in (British) summer. The Pacific coast, from the south of Ecuador to Chile, is at its driest between November and April — which is also the best season for travelling east of the Andes.
Getting there: you can fly direct from Heathrow with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) to Buenos Aires, Bogota, Caracas, Rio and Sao Paulo; from about £650. Good options from UK regional airports are Iberia (0845 850 9000, www.iberiaairlines.co.uk) via Madrid, and KLM (0870 507 4074, www.klm.com) via Amsterdam, with offers from £450.
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You won’t need visas with a UK passport.
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Getting around: you can travel the length of South America by bus. Fares are ridiculously low, but don’t underestimate the gruelling journeys along rough and sometimes perilous roads. The Pan American Highway (also known as “The Gringo Trail”) is the main artery, with a branch that cuts across the belly of the continent from Peru to Brazil. It has become something of a rite of passage for many young travellers clutching well-worn copies of the South American Handbook (the 81st edition is published by Footprint next month, price £25).
Often, a one-hour flight can save you a day and a night on the road. The best deal for hopping around is an air pass such as the All America. This covers several local airlines and can be combined with an open-jaw international ticket (flying into Buenos Aires or Rio and home from Caracas, Lima or Bogota, for example).
The price depends on the routes you choose (which must be booked in the UK), but will significantly undercut normal published fares. Dates, but not routes, can be changed later for $50 a time.
A sample ticket, shadowing Che Guevara’s route, could see you fly from Buenos Aires to San Martin de los Andes, from Cuzco to Lima and from Lima to Caracas; from £345. You could even complete Guevara’s revolutionary story by flying on from Caracas to Havana and visiting his final resting place in Santa Clara — that flight costs about £160.
All of the above can be booked with Journey Latin America (020 8747 3108, www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk); or try Last Frontiers (01296 653000, www.lastfrontiers.com) or Tim Best Travel (020 7591 0300, www.timbesttravel.com).