Is wild camping allowed in South America?

Your working week is slowly coming to an end and you have a few days off ahead of you. You want to get into your van or motorhome, go out into nature and spend your free time in nature. Camping sites or RV parks are out of the question for you, you want to be in nature and not have to share your space with other people. That's why you want to go wild camping, but you still have a few questions.

Can I pitch my tent anywhere?

Can I wild camp with my van?

What can happen if I get caught?

How strict are the rules and are there exceptions?

Depending on where you want to go or where you are, the answers to these questions look very different. To the question of whether wild camping is allowed, there are three possible answers, it is forbidden, tolerated or allowed. However, there are exceptions and special features in every country. On the individual country pages, you can take a closer look at the respective events so that you are perfectly prepared for the trip.

On the road in South America with the van

Pitches and places to camp are best found with Caravanya

Tips and tricks for wild camping and standing free

Depending on your destination, there are different guidelines and loopholes regarding wild camping and free standing. However, two principles are always the same, no matter where you are.

1. Be considerate of other campers and nature
2. There are easy ways to determine if a place is suitable for wild camping.

Since you are an exemplary camper, you will always show consideration for nature. For this reason, we will not go into this further here and concentrate more on the signs of a good place for wild camping and standing free.

Cleanliness
If you want to know if a place you have just found is a good place for wild camping, you should have a look at the ground. If it is littered with cigarette butts, plastic waste, broken glass, and empty drinks cans, then the place is probably a popular meeting place, or at least not as remote as you think. Ideally, your place is completely untouched and you will not find any rubbish. Of course, you can take your rubbish with you when you leave.

Tracks
If you are just about to take a closer look at the ground, you should also look for tracks. Tire tracks or footprints are a clear indication that people are often on the road here. Hoofprints or other animal tracks indicate that animals are more common.

Trash can
A garbage can is always a sign of civilization. If a garbage can is in your place, it means that there are so many people on the road that even garbage cans have to be put up by now. The contents of the garbage cans can at least give you an indication of the people who pass by. Especially if you find a lot of empty cans or bottles in the trash cans that were filled with alcoholic beverages, this is a sign that people often meet here to have a drink.

Environment
Everything that applies to your pitch naturally also applies to your immediate surroundings. For example, if there is a meeting point just ten meters from your pitch, this increases the likelihood of being seen. For this reason, you should always look at your surroundings.

Our tip: Before your trip to South America you should check which vaccinations you might still be missing or should be refreshed. An overview of possible vaccinations can be found here, but you should definitely consult your doctor. You can find the overview here: ITVC.

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10 interesting, bizarre and funny facts about South America

When we think of South America, most people think of the Amazon rainforest, Aztecs and Mayans and of course extremely talented footballers. But do you know who or what Aconcagua is? Or what is special about the city of La Paz? The answers and eight other interesting facts about South America are listed here.

Fact #1 - Oxygen
Over 20% of the continent is covered by forests. This is so much that the forests of South America produce about 20% of the Earth's oxygen.

Fact #2 - Salto Ángel
Salto Ángel is not just any waterfall in Venezuela. With a height of 979 m, it is the highest waterfall on earth.

Fact #3 - Aconcagua
The Cerro Aconcagua, as it is fully named, is with 6962 m the highest mountain of South America and also the highest mountain outside of Asia.

Fact #4 - The Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest is the largest remaining rainforest on earth and forms half of all tropical rainforests worldwide.

Fact #5 - The Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert in Chile is the driest in the world. In some parts of the desert, it does not rain at all for up to four years.

Fact #6 - The Andes
The Andes is the longest mountain range in the world. They extend over the entire continent and have a length of over 7500 km.

Fact #7 - La Paz
The Bolivian capital La Paz is located at a height of 3640 m. Therewith, it is the highest located capital and seat of government of the world.

Fact #8 - Harpy
The Harpy is not only one of the largest birds of prey in the world, but it is also the physically strongest and can carry prey weighing up to 9 kg.

Fact #9 - Suriname
The Republic of Surinam is the smallest country in South America, with just 163,820 km² and 541,638 inhabitants.

Fact #10 - Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar is a national hero of several South American countries, including Ecuador, Panama, and Colombia. He fought for independence from Spanish colonial rule.