Question: how can you travel more and spend less? Answer: by heading to a few of the cheap destinations in South America we’ve picked out.

Choose your destination carefully and your budget will stretch just that bit further – allowing you to spend longer eating great food, relaxing in a hot spring, doing a bit of skiing, or just marvelling at the incredible landscapes that stretch away in every direction…

The Central Sierra, Ecuador – Good for: cheap ‘spa days’

Ecuador is South America’s spa country. While Baños is probably the most well-known spa town, it’s also priced and visited accordingly; the hot springs dotted around Riobamba and the Central Sierra make for a less busy alternative. You won’t get many seaweed facials at El Placer, for example, but you will get a restorative dip in waters warmed by the nearby Sangay Volcano.

Look into a ‘spa day’ around Riobamba

Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil – Good for: cheap hiking

The Parque Nacional Chapada dos Veadeiros, (in the heart of Goiás’ planalto) offers some great hiking through forests and past waterfalls, canyons and pools. Although you technically have to hire a guide, the day rate doesn’t come to very much, and their local knowledge is worth every penny.

Stay on track while hiking in Chapada dos Veadeiros

Trujillo, Peru – Good for: cheap sightseeing and ancient ruins

As you leave behind the wonders of Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, to the north, beyond Trujillo, are the sites of Chan Chan, Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. Although they’re not exactly off the beaten track, they’re surrounded by plenty of other minor ruins to explore. And since the coach parties are much fewer and further between, the price of board and lodging tends to be a fair bit cheaper.

Read more about the archaeological remains around Trujillo

The Andes, Chile – Good for: cheap skiing

It might not have (quite) the same cachet of Whistler or Chamonix, but the cost of a day’s skiing in Chile is much more attractive. To the south of Santiago, El Fraile, Chapa Verde, Antuco, and Cerro Mirador are more budget-friendly; but even the more prestigious resorts to the east/north of the capital don’t come to anywhere near the cost of their equivalents in Europe or North America.

Find out more about snow sports in Chile

The Eastern Pampas, Argentina – Good for: cheap meals

Across the board, Argentina might not be quite the acme of cheap destinations in South America it used to be, but for great food at a snip, it still really can’t be beaten. Out in the Pampas, you can get wine, a salad and asado-cooked steak – the like of which you’ll never have tasted before – for not much more than the cost of a deli sandwich in London or New York City.

Learn more about food and drink in Argentina

Chicama, Peru – Good for: cheap surfing

The small fishing port of Puerto Chicama is held by many to be home of the longest left-hand wave in the world. Obviously it’s not the act of surfing itself that’s cheap (the sea, after all, is free…) but a bed in one of a couple of surfer-friendly guesthouses in town – or a little further along in Máncora – comes in at a very manageable £6 a night for a dorm or around £10 for a private (about $9-14).

Get more info on surfing in Chicama

La Paz, Bolivia – Good for: cheap museums

In the heart of La Paz’ historic quarter, Calle Jaén is one of the best preserved colonial streets in the whole of Bolivia. But it’s not just style that the street’s got going for it – there’s plenty of substance on offer, too, as it’s home to no fewer than four municipal museums. And the collective admission fee? A reassuring $0.55.

And as if that weren’t enough, price-wise, Bolivia generally is also perhaps the most tempting of all cheap destinations in South America. In terms of essentials, a bottle of Paceña beer is likely to set you back less than a pound (or about a dollar), and a bowl of chairo (potato soup) not much more.

Get the lowdown on visiting La Paz

To get more tips on travelling further and spending less in countless other cheap destinations in South America, check out the brand new Rough Guide to South America on a Budget