Backpacking Across South America

What would be the minimum amount of time needed to make my way through the continent?

An impossible question. A whole year seems reasonable.

What is the best way to get from one destination to another? It seems like bus companies are very common? Can anybody give websites to bus companies?

There are a few places/routes where you can book buses online. But you shouldn't even think about that when planning a SA trip. Most people on the continent never travel any other way than by bus, and the usual way they do it is just go to the bus terminal when they want to leave, and get on a bus that leaves 15 minutes to 1/2 hour later. There are of course some places with more limited transport, where it makes sense to learn the bus schedule. And if using an overnight bus, it's usually best to book that a day or 2 before.

I'm interested in going to Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana, however these seem like the most difficult countries to get into.

That's true. Why don't you spend some time exploring the more accessible countries, and then after seeing Andes and tropical areas in SA, you can decide whether visiting those countries is worth the extra effort and expense.

As above, at least one year.

Michel

Obviously depends on a lot of things,not least what you actually want to do and see in each country ;-)

Plus how you travel...how many flights in particular.More flights means more expensive of course,particularly in this region.

But I'd agree that a year or so is reasonable...mostly overland,and visiting most of the more interesting places,though not everywhere of course!

On the specific question of those 3 "little ones"...yes,they are probably the least visited by foreigners (maybe along with Paraguay,and perhaps Venezuela at the moment)...mainly because they are not easy to get to and from,and they are expensive.

In fact they are the only ones in SA that I haven't been to yet ;-)

For those of you saying it will take a year to trek through South America, what is that based on? Are you figuring spending a month in each country?

Also I'm interested in bus schedules so I can plan an itinerary... it is nice to know how much time it will take to get from one city to another...

Yes as it's not difficult to spend much more than one month around Colombia, Brazil or Argentina.
Then one month per country or at least for most of them can be a good time frame.
With so many potential places, you have thousand of itineraries...

Michel

South America is huge.

1 year at least. I dont think you want to visit Venezuela right now either.

You can speed things up, or, get to more areas, by flying many areas.

I would focus on your Interest in each country/region first.

Dont forget winter is July in Andes/Patagonia, and summer is Dec, need to plan accordingly.

Spanish Immersion/speaking Spanish would be a huge help, both for confidence and security, and meeting/engaging locals, as well as for transport and off the beaten Path.

Amazon region is HUGE.

Brazil is HUGE.

$30 day budget would be low end. $10K Minimum.

Donf Forget Yellow Fever, Tetanus Booster, Hep A-B.

Dengue Issue in rainy season, lowlands and forest.

Not sure why you want to go to every country, I would focus on the highlights of the key countries. Most would focus on Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia.

Galapagos is NOT cheap, need to time it right too...same with Machu Picchu.

For those of you saying it will take a year to trek through South America, what is that based on? Are you figuring spending a month in each country?

No. For a country like Colombia you need at least a month. But you could spend 3 months or more and not see all the best places in Brazil.

Also I'm interested in bus schedules so I can plan an itinerary... it is nice to know how much time it will take to get from one city to another...

You can find some bus schedules for Andes countries on www.andestransit.com . There's no website that lists all of the buses in South America, because many bus companies don't post anything on the internet.

You need a Guidebook on South America, bus companies vary greatly, it all depends where you are coming from and where you are wanting to go. You might just take a local bus to the border, or the city, or the coast...

But you need to grasp the region first, worry about buses last.

if you under 3-4 months, consider Central America, Guatemala to Panama. All 6 countries fit into the size of Colombia.

Guatemala 3-4 weeks
Belize 1 week
Honduras 5-10 days
El Salvador 5-10 days
Nicaragua 1-3 weeks
Costa Rica 2-3 weeks
Panama 1-2 weeks.

SE Asia is even easier, much safer than Latin America, cheaper, far better food, more exotic culture, and excellent backpacker trail and scene. Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam is 3-4 months....Base in Bangkok, do a huge loop.