Passports & Visas
All travellers to South America require a valid Passport.

Some countries within South America allow persons of specific nationalities to enter for a tourist stay without the necessity of obtaining a visa prior to arrival.

However, this is not the case for all countries & we strongly advise you check with your Travel Consultant or the Embassy of the country you are visiting for accurate up to date information regarding their Visa requirements & the length of required validity of your Passport beyond the date of your intended departure.


Language
With the solitary exception being Brasil, where Portuguese is the primary language, Spanish is spoken in ALL other South American countries, as their primary tongue. English is understood & widely spoken by persons in front line tourism & transport companies, by hotel reception & concierge staff, in many restaurants & certainly, specific transfer & sightseeing suppliers.

If you are unsure or perhaps prefer to have a specific English language guide or transfer driver for services you are taking, please let Sundance Spirit know in advance of your arrival & we can quite easily provide & assign one for you at a nominal surcharge for transfers or on a half day, or full day basis for sightseeing services.

Equally in Brasil, a Portuguese & English speaking guide can easily be arranged.

We do however feel that in most instances, this is not essential nor necessary. Besides which, dependant upon where you are travelling ( & therefore equiped with a suitably simple Berlitz Spanish / English or Portuguese / English phrase book & dictionary ) you can gain valuable self education & have a lot of fun expanding your knowledge of languages.

If all else fails, provided both parties want to understand each & other, hand gestures, sign language, & a big smile usually achieve the required result, overcoming most initial language barriers.

At all Airports - usually heralded under a large blue & white circle i sign, you will find an Information booth with multi-lingual support staff ready to assist travellers.

It is also our experience that many young people & students will actively seek out International English speaking travellers & engage in conversation. You are likely to find that in many shops or restaurants, pubs etc when you are heard to be speaking English, somebody within earshot is bound to volunteer to act as interpreter should the need arise, if to only practice their English skills or impress their companions.

To South Americans, to be able to speak conversational English is a real achievement as it widens their horizons - so taking the same approach equiped with your phrase book, you'll likely be just fine.

Lastly, Sundance Spirit will provide all of our guests with a 24 hour 'hotline' to contact us directly, should you require assistance, so don't be concerned - the 'language issue' is not as daunting as it may at first appear, nor as it perhaps is made out to be.


Vaccinations
Several countries within South America mandate you are vaccinated prior to arrival for exotic viruses such as Yellow Fever etc. This varies by country.

We strongly recommend you consult the nearest Embassy of the South America countries you intend visiting, for the most current & up to date vaccination requirements.

Do not overlook this most important item, as to do so may result in your being denied travel within a country, or entry to that country on arrival. For all Visa & Medical information we strongly urge you must seek advice from your travel consultant, your local Doctor & the Embassy or Consulate of the countries in which you are intending traveling, prior to your departure.


Departure Taxes
For Argentina & Chile, Airport Tax , Immigration & Security Tax are applicable & will be prepaid in conjunction with your International airline ticket issuance.

Brasil charges a departure tax of USD 36 which must be paid at the international airport of departure. This is usually included in your air ticket. There is a domestic departure tax applying to intra-Brasil flight departures which currently is USD 7 per person payable at time of traveling. We suggest you consult your Travel Consultant or Airline to verify these amounts having not changed. For Bolivia a tax of USD 20 is levied on passengers departing Internationally & USD 2.50 for domestic flights within Bolivia. For Peru, an Airport Departure tax of USD 25 is levied for International Departures & USD 2 for domestic flights within Peru. Uruguay charges a nominal airport users tax of US 2.50 which is paid at time of check-in. Departure tax will be included on your International air tickets.

The above amounts are a guide to be reconfirmed by your travel professional at time of booking.


Accommodation
Hotels throughout South America are generally more expensive than that you would encounter at home.

Often this is because of seasonal demand where for instance, in El Calafate, Argentina, the summer months draw large numbers of visitors to view the spectacular Upsala & Perito Moreno Glaciers. It equally applies in Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Rio de Janeiro at Carvnival time & Cataratas de Iguazu (Iguazu Falls) where, at times heavy seasonal demands outweigh availability.

The same holds true in major cities such as Buenos Aires & Sao Paulo where volumes of International visitors be they on vacation or attending business, are constant year round.

This is not to say there are not wonderful 'value for money' hotels to be found. Quite to the contrary.

Sundance Spirit South America is painstakingly selective with the hotels we offer, factoring in location, style, facilities & the seasonal discounts available to ensure you receive excellent value for money in each of the countries & places you stay.

Hotel Standards throughout South America differ from what many people are accustomed to at home. For instance, in South America, room size is usually smaller & twin single beds are common. Should you wish to request a Double Bed, this needs to be noted & requested in advance. When a triple room is required, usually the third bed is a rollaway. Unless otherwise stated, all rooms are based on a 'Run of House'. This policy entitles the hotel to issue the guest any room they have available & may mean if you are traveling with others, your room can differ in layout or size or aspect from that which other people are allocated.

It is unusual for South American hotels to differentiate between Non-Smoking & Smoking rooms, as the instance of smoking is high throughout the Continent. Some hotels pursue a non-smoking floor policy, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

Hotels charge a nominal fee for use of in-room safes, however we strongly urge travellers to place all items of value, Passports, tickets, money & especially any jewelry into the in-room safe as security is something to be aware of constantly.

It is NOT recommended that you take valuable items of jewelry, rings, watches, necklaces or bracelets with you. They are best left at home as such items do highlight the wearer out from a crowd. We strongly advise you to at all times when outside of your hotel room in public places, carry your valuables in a money belt, secured around your waist & inside your clothes.
Most check-in times in South American hotels are 3.00pm & check-out is 12 noon. Hotels where they can, will accommodate requests for latter check out, but check-out after the officially posted check-out time unless approved in advance & recorded at the front desk, can & will result in an additional charge that the guest is required to bear.
So if in doubt, please ask when you arrive as to the check-out time for each hotel where you stay.

All of the Accommodation offered by Sundance Spirit South America has been carefully selected & screened for its cleanliness & location. Each property has been issued with a Star rating which is not necessarily that the hotel uses in its own publicity, however is reflective of the rating Sundance Spirit South America judges the hotel to be.


Voltage for personal items
The current output of electrical outlets vary country to country throughout South America, from 110v in Brasil to 220v for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay. Therefore, hairdryers, electric shavers, video camera battery chargers all will require either a current converter & most likely, an adaptor as the design of the actual plug & pin layout is non-standard.

Most International Duty Free shops carry adaptors & multiple use plugs for worldwide destinations & we recommend in advance of your traveling, you take advice as to the specific plug & voltage adaptor you will require depending on the countries you are visiting.


Water
Water generally should not be used for drinking if sourced from a local tap. This also applies in the hotels. While it may be considered 'safe & pure' it is advisable to stick to bottled water at all times, where available. Bottled water is widely available & comes either 'sin gas' ( still water ) or 'con gas'( sparkling & bubbly water ). Some hotels with mini-bars stock small bottles of water, however we recommend you purchase bottled water from a local shop as it is cheaper & equally, the bottles are larger in content.

The heat & humidity in parts of South America especially in Spring & Summer, require you to have a generous intake of water per hour.


Daily expenditure on essential items
One of the most commonly asked questions is 'how much do I need per day for meals ?' This depends entirely on where you are & on your personal tastes.

In the major cities, unless you have gourmet tastes & a budget to suit, there are literally hundreds of local restaurants & cafes that serve a wide range of foods.

Pastas, Chicken, all manner of Beef & red meats, fish ( depending on location ) & vegetarian. Buenos Aires, Santiago, Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo all have vast choices of restaurants & cafes for dining out. Cost of a typical four course dinner of soup or starter, main course, desert & coffee will average US$ 18 per person. Excellent quality local wines are very reasonable in price as are local beers. When traveling in countries such as Bolivia & Peru, you will discover local restaurants that provide exceptional value for money on meal costs.

Overall & on 'average' as breakfast is included with your room in most cases, we recommend you budget for meals & incidental purchases, approximately US$ 35 per person per day. This of course is an individual choice issue.

Please note - it is not uncommon throughout South America for purchases made with credit cards to be subject to surcharges by the vendor. Whilst this is not a practice you will experience at home, be aware that basing your budgeting on the use of a credit card is a risky practice as not all restaurants & cafes accept credit cards, equally some of those who do, will surcharge for the use thereof.


Important information regarding Altitude
Many of the archeological highlights, the Andean mountain cities & sightseeing excursions are at altitudes well above those normally encountered in traveling by land.

In Peru for instance, Cuzco city, the gateway to Machu Picchu - the 'Lost City of the Incas' - is located at 3399 metres, or 11,151 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains. For those enthusiasts who are trekking here, the Inca Trail follows a series of alpine ridges, passes & valleys & involves strenuous climbs. The highest point on the Inca Trail is 3950 metres or 12840 feet above sea level & therefore is not something to be undertaken by an under prepared or casual weekend trekking enthusiast.

Machu Picchu - the 'Lost City of the Incas' is located at 2300 metres or 7546 feet above sea level. La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia is located in a valley at 3580 metres or 11740 feet above sea level.

Altitude illness, or more commonly altitude sickness has differing effects on individuals & is not something to take lightly. For some people, altitude sickness can & does have serious consequences. For your own benefit, we urge you to seek professional medical advice from your qualified doctor prior to traveling, especially so if you are taking medication or require medication of any sort.

Below, there are general 'rule of thumb' tips for acclimatizing to altitude, but by no means do they take the place of professionally qualified medical advice.


· Do not go to bed to sleep for at least two & a half hours after arriving & do everything possible to limit physical exertion & activity during this time. Remember the air at these altitudes contains significantly less oxygen that those who live at sea level are accustomed to.

· A greater than normal intake of liquids, water, is essential on a regular & ongoing basis.

· DO NOT drink alcohol.

· Eating on your first day & especially the first evening meal should consist of light foods focusing on those things most easily digested as your system will take much longer to perform as it would at sea-level.

· Take a food digestive tablet such as Alka Selzer prior to going to bed or to sleep

· For headaches, try local Coca Tea - this however should not replace your seeking qualified professional medical advice should headaches, listlessness etc continue.

The above 'tips' are merely suggestions. As the effects of being at altitude are different for each individual we suggest your seeking qualified professional advice prior to your leaving home from your local doctor.

Currency & credit cards
All South American countries have their own currencies. In fact, some countries have more than one official currency with printed notes, creating confusion for the unsuspecting visitor.

Travellers cheques, while a 'safe' method to transport convertible currency on your travels, might pose some issues when trying to cash them. Certainly, you will be able to cash travellers cheques at most banks or 'casa de cambio' ( official currency exchange houses ) but you will certainly receive a lesser exchange rate doing so - & what's more, they will be exchanged for 'local' currency of the country you are in.

All 'official exchange houses ' & certainly banks will have exchange rates displayed in their windows. Exchange rates fluctuate in some countries quite markedly on a daily basis, so we recommend you make many comparisons before exchanging money to ensure you receive the best rate possible.

Throughout South America you are likely to be approached by persons who operate street exchanges & offer far in excess of the official exchange rates - something which is indeed tempting. We strongly urge you do NOT be tempted to exchange money on the streets.

Certain countries have changed the 'look' of their notes in recent times, therefore as an unsuspecting visitor, it is possible to receive what turn out to be worthless 'old' tender. This practice is highly unlikely happen to you if you exchange money in major banks, or official exchange houses.

There are countless sad tales of people who have fallen for what is a fairly common ruse, only to find what they received was either worthless 'old' notes, or a large bundle of what looked like local currency cash, but was really a few notes on the outside of the stack & useless paper in the middle. Usually, by the time an unsuspecting traveller discovers that they have been 'taken', their street vendor is long gone.

If you do take the risk of exchanging money with street vendors promising vastly better exchange deals, do NOT expect a sympathetic ear from your countries Embassy or Consulate office, as they have heard the tale of woe countless times before.

The one constant throughout South America is the omnipotent power of the US dollar where it is indeed 'king' as very few nations have faith in their own currencies retaining long-term value.

It makes a lot of sense to carry with you a working amount of US cash in smaller denomination notes, at least to get you by in an emergency or to bolster your bargaining power. We would recommend you consider carrying a few US 20's, 10's, 5's & 1 dollar notes strategically hidden in an interior money belt or ankle holder. That way at least, you have a fall back that is instantly recognizable, instantly convertible & usable in case you need it.

Lastly, remember there is no 'cross-border' acceptance of neighbouring countries currency, so when you depart one country for another, the money you have been using, is no longer valid where you are headed & requires exchanging.

As for the use of credit cards, we draw your attention to the fact in most South American countries, outside of major hotels, the upper echelon restaurants & for purchases of airline, long distance bus or train tickets, credit cards are by-in-large NOT accepted methods of payment.

The instance of credit card fraud is high, so be very aware of where you use your credit card & do not let it out of your direct sight when it is being 'swiped' for purchases. We suggest you decline to use the old 'black carbon' credit card forms as they are more likely to result in your card being used without your knowledge or authorization.

This is vitally important to be forewarned of, as it means you are going to have to get used to carrying sufficient local cash (or strategically protected US small denomination dollar notes ) on a day to day basis.