Packing for Latin America
Luggage
Packing for Latin America does not have to be complicated. Baggage handling in Latin America is neither worse nor better than anywhere else in the world. Remember that you will probably accumulate extra souvenirs in your luggage as you travel. So it would probably be best to pack light, and with spare capacity.
Otherwise, as well as having the inconvenience of carrying around a couple of plastic bags full of articles acquired en route, you are also more vulnerable to losing things. We recommend a sturdy suitcase, or soft-sided resilient backpack/hold-all (depending on the nature of your trip).
You will also need a daypack, which can be taken on the plane or train/bus as hand luggage, if it falls within the permitted dimensions.
You will NOT need a clean set of clothes for every day of the trip, as all good hotels have laundry facilities if required. It is useful to have luggage that can be locked.
For the latest information on luggage restrictions for your flights, please check online and plan your packing for Latin America accordingly.
Luggage Transfers
If any of your flights involve a change of plane, there is always the possibility that you and your checked luggage will arrive separately.
Try to use distinctive baggage that will be easier to describe if it goes astray, and label your bags clearly with your name and hotel destination. If you are moving fairly quickly on to your next port of call, add this information to the luggage label. Place a duplicate label inside each piece of luggage.
Pack strategically by carrying some essentials as part of your hand luggage, and imagine what you would need in order to spend the night in a hotel until your luggage arrives in a few hours or the next day.
Travel documents including passport, itinerary and any important contact details, essential medicines for the journey, wallets or purses with money and credit cards, any medication and a change of essential clothing if it fits.
Baggage Allowances
Baggage allowances vary from one carrier to another. Infants have no baggage allowance, but parents are normally allowed to carry reasonable items for the baby, free of charge.
Children (aged 2-11 years inclusive) have full adult baggage allowance. Club and First Class passengers have a higher baggage allowance than Economy Class, usually at least 30kg in total.
Hold and cabin baggage varies according to each airline, so make sure of what you are allowed to carry when booking. Then double check with your airline so you are not surprised at check-in. The rules on baggage are getting tighter each year, unfortunately.
As a very general rule, most international carriers as well as domestic carriers in Latin America allow a maximum of 23kg in Economy Class, for both internal and international flights. Aerolineas Argentinas usually only permit 15kg hold luggage on domestic flights on most routes.
Document Checklist
Check you have the following in your hand luggage before departure:
• Airline tickets.
• Our Final Travel Documents & confirmed itinerary.
• Some cash.
• Credit / Debit cards.
• Insurance documents
• Passport plus a photocopy of the page of your passport containing personal information, and any relevant visas.
• Vaccination certificates.
Essentials
• Money-belt – containing those items stated in the “document checklist”, above.
• Medical kit – Anti-diarrhoea tablets and Dioralyte or similar sachets of rehydration salts – Antiseptic / antibiotic cream – Insect-bite ointment/insect repellent (please see section on Malaria) – Lip-salve & sunscreen (high factor with protection against UVA and UVB rays) – After-sun lotion, sticking plasters, painkillers
NB: All these items and many more can be purchased over the counter in pharmacies throughout Latin America.
Clothing
When embarking on any of our Central or South America tours, the following clothing list may be useful as a guide to what you will need to take:
For warmth, it is usually better to wear several thin garments, rather than one thick one. Altitude means that temperatures can change quickly and often as you travel, so layers are best, so you can put on and take off as required.
So if your route takes you to both the high Andes (where it is often very cold at night) and also to the Amazon jungle or very hot coastal regions, then three or four shirts/t-shirts and one or two medium-weight jerseys are a good selection, rather than heavy jackets.
If travelling to Brazil, the Yucatán, Belize, Venezuela, Galápagos Islands or the Caribbean and lowlands of Central America, you will need to adapt your clothing for primarily hot and/or humid weather. Pack light cotton t-shirts, shorts, skirts and trousers, and nothing too tight-fitting.
For travel to Patagonia, and high-altitude regions, you can expect some days of severely cold weather, especially in the Chilean / Argentine winter (June to October) and the Bolivian or Peruvian highlands. For these trips, it is advisable to bring thermal underwear and good quality outer-shell clothing, including gloves, hat and scarf.
Equipment for Special Destinations:
Amazon & Mato Grosso / Pantanal Trips
Take several changes of light shirts or t-shirts – it is hard to get clothes dry because to the high humidity. Pack light-colored, long-sleeved shirts/t-shirts to protect yourself against biting insects (brightly-colored clothes tend to attract them), particularly during rainy seasons.
You should also pack one pair of safari-type pants/trousers for the walks during the day, and shorts for the evening back at the lodge (while using insect repelent).
It is important that you always keep at least one set of dry clothes for the evening.
The following items may also prove useful:
• Hat • swimsuit • trainers • sunglasses • waterproof jacket • torch • binoculars • insect repellent
It is often possible to buy a lightweight plastic poncho locally – more suitable for the jungle than a heavy waterproof. Something that often catches people out is the low temperature on a moving boat in the Amazon during the early morning. So make sure you have a medium-weight, long-sleeved garment for such journeys.
For some excursions to the Amazon jungle and Pantanal lodges, you may find you are restricted to a maximum baggage allowance of 10kg (owing to limited space in canoes or light aircraft). In these cases, the local operator will provide secure storage of the remainder of your luggage.
The temperature generally ranges from 20 to 35°C (although it can get cold at night in June). Humidity stays at around 90% in the Amazon, and rainfall is in the region of 118 inches (3000 mm) per year.
Galapagos Cruises
Clothing requirements on board boats cruising the Galápagos Islands range from very informal to “smart casual”, depending on the grade of vessel. The smarter, luxury boats prefer you not to wear jeans, shorts or trainers for dinner.
Maximum luggage allowance for the flight to the Galápagos can be 20 kg (one suitcase/bag), so please double-check. Among the essentials are two pairs of trainers or sandals, shorts, long and short-sleeved lightweight shirts, sunglasses, bathing suit, wide-brimmed hat, long trousers, wind-breaker or light jacket for the evening, high-factor sunscreen lotion and sunblock.
At the luxury / first class end of the spectrum you can use credit cards, and there are clothes washing facilities. These facilities are not available on budget/tourist class vessels.
If you wish to snorkel, a lightweight wetsuit is useful from June to November – the water is colder than you’d expect on the Equator. (Some vessels provide wetsuits free of charge and some will rent wetsuits on board).
You are recommended to take your own masks, snorkel and flippers, although there is some equipment (albeit well-used) available on board. (See section for guidelines regarding tipping on the Galápagos Cruises).
Footwear
A basic requirement is a pair of comfortable shoes or lightweight boots that will suit most occasions, and it is a good idea to carry a spare pair. If you are doing any walking in very wet conditions or difficult terrain, you will need waterproof boots or trainers that provide ankle support and have a solid sole.
Rubber boots are now provided, at no extra cost, by most of the better-quality jungle lodges, but there is no guarantee as to what is available in terms of size.
Going Out
You will most likely have the opportunity to eat out at smart restaurants every now and again, and may wish to take along some smarter clothing. Tourists are very seldom subject to dress codes, and you will often see tourists eating in casual clothing or even trekking gear in smart restaurants.
Clients might be interested in the following suggested equipment lists:
Cold weather camping
• 3/4-season sleeping-bag
• Sleeping mat / Therm-a-Rest (supplied locally for Inca Trail)
• Good waterproof jacket
• Waterproof pants/trousers
• Fleece jacket or similar
• Sweater or sweatshirt
• Long-sleeved shirt(s)
• T-shirt(s)
• Shorts
• Thick socks (quick drying)
• Thermal underwear
• Gloves and hat
Hot weather camping
• 2-season sleeping bag
• Waterproof jacket
• Hat
• Light jacket
• Sweatshirt or light jumper
• Long-sleeved shirt(s)
• Several t-shirts
• Shorts
The following items are useful wherever you are camping:
• Water bottle
• Torch
• Swiss Army knife
• Spare shoelaces
• Washing line
• Small inflatable pillow
You must also take your passport on the Inca Trail (a copy will NOT do). Failure to do so may mean that you are not allowed to participate on the trek. (If you change your passport between booking and travelling, please bring the old passport with you on holiday).
Internet & E-mail
Internet access is widely available in Latin America in cities and tourist areas, and often in remote areas also (such as Amazon lodges). Most people these days use roaming on their phones.
Laundry
Most hotels have a laundry service, and they usually take between 10 and 24 hours to return your clothes. Hotel laundry services tend to be expensive, but can be more convenient and often offer a faster service than the cheaper launderettes which can often be found nearby.
