Travel with: 5+ handpicked travel buddies
Stay in: Simple spots
Come for: 3 months

Three months moving through South America. Solo travelers who travel together—designed for people with time, curiosity, and zero interest in tours or packages.

Andes mountains that touch the clouds. Salt flats that stretch to nothing. Glaciers loud enough to hear from shore. Jungle so thick you lose the sky. Desert where nothing should live but flamingos stand in pink water anyway. Cities built on cliffs, cities built vertically, cities that don't sleep until midnight.

One day a week is planned together—paragliding over Lima, staying in the Amazon, glacier trekking in Patagonia. The rest of the time you shape your own days and tell everyone about it later. Accommodation is characterful and well-chosen—not five-star, but a long way from budget.

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This trip works for you if

You want adventure across an entire continent, are happy on a multi-day salt flat crossing as you are on an overnight bus, find joy not boredom in long distances, and approach things like Cholita wrestling or piranha fishing with curiosity. Most people on this trip are over 50, done with work or taking a break from it, and treating this like the gap year they never had. Unlike standard South America tours, you'll spend weeks in places, not days.

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Highlights
  • Machu Picchu - arrive by mountain train with mist still in the valleys below
  • Bolivia by 4×4 - three days across the world's largest salt flat
  • Perito Moreno Glacier - watch building-sized chunks of blue ice calve into the lake
  • The Amazon - giant river otters, caiman by canoe, and the jungle at night
  • Stargazing in the Atacama desert - one of the clearest skies on earth

And so much more over the course of your 3 month adventure.

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Itinerary

Lima, Peru - 5 nights
Amazon, Peru - 4 nights
Ollantaytambo & Cusco, Peru - 5 + 6 nights
Lake Titicaca, Peru/Bolivia - 3 nights
La Paz, Bolivia - 7 nights
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - 6 nights
Salta, Argentina - 6 nights
Mendoza, Argentina - 7 nights
Santiago, Chile - 7 nights
Puerto Natales, Chile - 8 nights
El Calafate, Argentina - 7 nights
Buenos Aires, Argentina - 12 nights
What's included
  • ✓
    Great places to stay for three months
    Your own room. Well-located, well-chosen.
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    Adventure Days
    One per week, handpicked to show off the region.
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    All travel days by boat, train, car or bus.
    Chosen for variety and just enough adventure.
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    Small group of fellow Pioneers
    Handpicked for curiousity, generosity and a good sense of humour.
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    A DECADES Host
    Experienced, calm, kind.
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    Support throughout
    Before you go and while you're living it.
  • Not included
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    Meals
    On your tab—great excuse to explore local food!
    Meals
    On your tab—great excuse to explore local food!
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  • ✕
    International flights
    You choose when. We'll help you find the best options.
    International flights
    You choose when. We’ll help you find the best options.
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    Travel insurance
    Highly recommended. We'll point you in the right direction.
    Travel insurance
    Highly recommended. We’ll point you in the right direction.
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  • ✕
    Meals
    Not included — this is how you inhabit a place.
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  • ✕
    International flights
    Booked by you — we’re happy to advise.
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    Travel insurance
    Personal to you — we’ll share what works for others.
  • ✕
    Connecting flights
    Connecting flights within the continent: ~£1000 for 1–2 legs

Accommodation

Introducing SIMPLE–but perfectly formed

SIMPLE trades boutique amenities for a lower price point. You get your own room, a hot shower, somewhere that works. The accommodation does its job, and more of your money goes into the experience itself.

Discover more >

The kinds of places we stay on this route

DECADES is about the adventure, not the hotel. To give you an idea of what we mean for this route, here's a mix of places on our shortlist. We'll firm up accommodation nearer the time, so you'll know exactly where you're staying before you depart.

El Calafate
Lakefront design-led hotel

Lakefront design-led hotel on Lago Argentino, built in local stone and wood.

Ollantaytambo
Family-run guesthouse

Family-run guesthouse with mountain views, an eight-minute walk to town.

Lima
Modern central hotel

Modern central hotel in Lima's Miraflores district, with clifftop views.

Dates & Prices

Simple
1 April 2027
3 months · Returns
26 June 2027
£17,499
ENQUIRE
1 September 2027
3 months · Returns
26 November 2027
£17,499
ENQUIRE
1 April 2028
3 months · Returns
26 June 2028
£18,103
ENQUIRE
1 September 2028
3 months · Returns
26 November 2028
£18,103
ENQUIRE
Lavish
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£250 deposit to hold your spot

How it works

Like living
Abroad

With months to play with, this will feel like living abroad – time to settle in, establish your rituals (from your favourite coffee spot to yoga class) and properly unpack.

Handpicked travel
buddies

6-12 people we select. Everyone 50+ and good craic. Explore what interests you, then join them for dinner to debrief afterwards. If you fancy.

Solo travel
freedom

You know what you like – this is very much your trip. We sort accommodation, travel days, and weekly time together for an adventure of sorts. Other than that, the time's your own.

24/7
backup

One of our people on WhatsApp for backup locally and to help with logistics – stays, travel days, whatever comes up. Otherwise, you're left to your own devices.

Financial protection

Your money is held in a trust account managed by Protected Trust Services until your trip departs.

Blue rectangular membership badge for PTS with the name Decades Travel Limited and member number 6340 in white text.
Sue and her friend at Machu Picchu

You deserve great travel buddies

So we’re thoughtful about who joins.

We're looking for: Optimistic. Curious. Easy with the unknown. People who go with the flow and say yes when it counts.

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How it works:

- Step 1. Book a discovery call. A quick chat to see if it feels right.

- Step 2. Apply with £250 deposit. Refunded if it's not a fit.

- Step 3. Complete a short application. So we understand -your experience and expectations.

- Step 4. Get your place. You're officially in.

- Step 5. Join the WhatsApp group. Meet fellow Pioneers as departure approaches.