South America · HALF-DAY

The 15 Most Booked Half-Day Tours in South America

53 tours  ·  from $3

A trip has room for a handful of paid days. These 15 half-day tours earn the slot, and the price and the start time sit on every one of them.

Rio De Janeiro: Half-Day Rocinha Favela Walking Tour - Walking through Rocinha’s narrow lanes
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Rio De Janeiro: Half-Day Rocinha Favela Walking Tour

1.Half-Day Rocinha Favela Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,272 reviews · 3 hours · from $35Our pick

Walk through Rocinha with an English, Spanish, or Portuguese-speaking local guide. You’ll learn how the community developed, hear personal stories, visit a capoeira school, and stop at a rooftop viewpoint. Guides such as Wellington, Alberto, Daniel, and Martin have been praised for making the visit thoughtful, clear, and reassuring.

“The tour was absolutely fantastic, the favela was so different then expected. This is a must-do tour when you are in Rio if you ask me. I learned a lot today about the culture also. Our tour guide was absolutely fantastic! you can really feel he loves to do his work and explained everything very well, he is also a very funny guy! I will never forget the experience of today!”

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Cusco: Half-Day City Tour with Sacsayhuaman and Q'enco - Qoricancha: where Inca and Spanish Cusco meet
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Cusco: Half-Day City Tour with Sacsayhuaman and Q’enco

2.Cusco: Half-Day City Tour with Sacsayhuaman and Q’enco

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,129 reviews · 5 hours · from $13

Spend five hours exploring Cusco’s Inca and colonial highlights with an English or Spanish-speaking guide. You’ll visit Qoricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay by minivan. Guides such as Luis, Wilson, Victor, and Jared are praised for clear explanations and patient pacing, though the busy meeting point can be hard to find.

“Everything was great, fair amount of time to see the different places. Answered everyone’s question and provided additional details about the historical significance of each place. He even gave us a great recommendation for a place to have dinner after the tour.”

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Mendoza: Half-Day Wine Tour with Tastings - Two wineries, with a different pair each day
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Mendoza: Half-Day Wine Tour with Tastings

3.Half-Day Wine Tour with Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 727 reviews · 5 hours · from $43

Spend five hours touring Mendoza’s Luján de Cuyo or Maipú wine country, with visits to two selected wineries and an olive oil factory in the regular option. Learn how irrigation transformed the desert, taste regional wines, and travel with an English, Spanish, or Portuguese-speaking guide. The wineries vary by day.

“Very nice tour ! I really enjoyed it ! Everything was good organised, there was for us guide in enblish and spanish as well! Wineries were really nice and wine delicious ! Highly reccomend this tour !”

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La Paz Half-Day Walking Tour - Learning La Paz through street life
Bolivia Tours, Half-Day, La Paz Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

La Paz Half-Day Walking Tour

4.La Paz Half-Day Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 591 reviews · 2h 30m · from $3Best value

Spend 2 to 2.5 hours walking central La Paz with an English-speaking Red Cap guide such as Denise, Max, Daniel, or Rem. You’ll visit Plaza Murillo and the Witches’ Market while learning about cholitas, masked shoe shiners, street zebras, Andean beliefs, and Bolivia’s political past. The pace is adjusted for high altitude, though steep streets and limited accessibility remain concerns.

“I loved seeing the key areas of La Paz in a safer way before I was confident enough to explore by myself. Denise was knowledgeable, personable and funny and I’d recommend this tour to others”

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Lima's Vibrant Heritage: Exploring the City's Landmarks Half-day - Lima’s Main Square frames the colonial city
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Lima’s Vibrant Heritage: Exploring the City’s Landmarks Half-day

5.Lima’s Vibrant Heritage: Exploring the City’s Landmarks Half-day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 581 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $39

Explore Lima with an English-speaking guide, visiting Love Park, Huaca Pucllana, the Main Square, Lima Cathedral, and Santo Domingo Convent. The 3.5-hour tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off, entrance fees, and an air-conditioned vehicle. Guides such as Janet, Gabriel, Rosa, and Ursula have been praised for clear explanations and patient service.

“Tour operator never showed up. When called on phone, I was told that the tour operator picked up a wrong person from the hotel. The tour operator should have examined the Viator ticket.”

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Private Santiago City Half Day Tour - La Moneda and Santiago’s civic center
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Private Santiago City Half Day Tour

6.Private Santiago City Half Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 414 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $76

Spend about four hours with a private bilingual guide exploring Santiago by car and on foot. Visit Plaza de Armas, the Metropolitan Cathedral, La Moneda, Mercado Central, and either Santa Lucia or San Cristobal Hill. Hotel pickup is offered in central districts, with guides such as Jaime, Luis, Janina, and Erick assigned according to availability.

“Had a great guided Santiago half day tour with Luís Gomez. He provided detailed comments about different areas of the city with many opportunities to take photos as well as some walking tours of the city. He was an excellent guide for ten of us and highly recommend him for future tours!”

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From Puno: Floating Islands of the Uros Half-Day Tour - From Puno’s port to the open water
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From Puno: Floating Islands of the Uros Half-Day Tour

7.From Puno: Floating Islands of the Uros Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 394 reviews · 3 hours · from $10

From Puno, you’ll take a boat across Lake Titicaca to the Uros floating islands. A bilingual guide, sometimes a Uros local such as Freddy or Roly, explains the islands, homes, boats, and totora reeds. Expect about 105 minutes on the islands, time for photos and shopping, and an optional 15-sol reed-boat ride.

“The tour was amazing! The guide explained everything so well and translated for us. Had time to buy some souvenirs or drinks/food.”

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Rio: Half-Day Jeep Tour at Floresta da Tijuca - The open Jeep ride through Rio
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Rio: Half-Day Jeep Tour at Floresta da Tijuca

8.Half-Day Jeep Tour at Floresta da Tijuca

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 353 reviews · 4 hours · from $60

Spend four hours exploring Tijuca National Forest in a restored open-air military Jeep. Your guide leads easy forest walks to Cascatinha Taunay, Capela Mayrink, and Vista Chinesa, with chances to see monkeys, coatis, and toucans. Guides including Aline, Dario, and Gustavo are praised for clear explanations and warm service. Swimming at the waterfall depends on weather and conditions.

“Our guide & driver were excellent throughout our trip. The Rain forest was just as we thought, dense foliage and even better with it raining.”

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Lima: Pachacamac Ruins & Barranco Half-Day Guided Tour - Barranco begins with atmosphere, not a long tour
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Lima: Pachacamac Ruins & Barranco Half-Day Guided Tour

9.Lima: Pachacamac Ruins & Barranco Half-Day Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 296 reviews · 4 hours · from $59

See Barranco’s Central Park, colonial homes, boulevard, and Bridge of Sighs before touring Pachacamac with an English, Spanish, or Portuguese guide. The 4-hour trip includes hotel pickup, site admission, the archaeological museum, and the Temple of the Sun’s ocean views. Expect some walking, uneven ground, and limited time at each stop.

“Interesting site and great guide. Be prepared for very bumpy ride but otherwise nice tour.”

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Two of Rio's Best: Christ the Redeemer & Sugarloaf Mountain Half-Day Tour - Christ the Redeemer at 710 meters
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Two of Rio’s Best: Christ the Redeemer & Sugarloaf Mountain Half-Day Tour

10.Two of Rio’s Best: Christ the Redeemer & Sugarloaf Mountain Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 294 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $118

See Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain in about five hours with round-trip transport, admission fees, and a guide. The tour includes a drive through Tijuca Forest, the Paineiras route to Corcovado, and Sugarloaf’s two-stage cable car ride. Guides such as Marlady, Roberto, Carlos, and Lidia have earned strong praise for clear, friendly help.

“We were not picked up from our hotel as advertised in the tour. The tour guides' English was very poor. The sites were good to see but with no information about them from the guide it was disappointing.”

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Pre Inca Temple of Pachacamac Half-Day Tour from Lima - Start with the site museum
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Pre Inca Temple of Pachacamac Half-Day Tour from Lima

11.Pre Inca Temple of Pachacamac Half-Day Tour from Lima

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 283 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $79

Travel 30 km south of Lima in an air-conditioned minivan to Pachacamac, an ancient adobe pilgrimage center. A bilingual guide leads you through the site museum, Temple of the Sun, Acllahuasi, palace ruins, plazas, and coastal viewpoints. The 12-person limit keeps the visit personal, though the three-hour schedule can feel tight.

“Great tour. Very interesting history. Our guide Victor was friendly, informative and has excellent English skills.”

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Rio de Janeiro: Historic Rio and Santa Teresa Half-Day Tour - Driving up to bohemian Santa Teresa
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Rio de Janeiro: Historic Rio and Santa Teresa Half-Day Tour

12.Historic Rio and Santa Teresa Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 228 reviews · 4 hours · from $47

Spend four hours exploring Rio’s old center, XV de Novembro Square, Cinelândia, the Carioca Aqueduct and Santa Teresa. Your guide drives between stops, shares Brazil’s past and takes you to Parque das Ruínas for wide views over Guanabara Bay. Guides include Dario, Monica, Thiago and Millene, with several languages available.

“Our tour was great. Picked up on time. Itinerary explained. Tour guide was great!”

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Sugar Loaf Mountain Half-Day Tour - The Metropolitan Cathedral is a worthwhile short stop
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Sugar Loaf Mountain Half-Day Tour

13.Sugar Loaf Mountain Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 217 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $50

Spend about four hours seeing Rio from the cable cars on Sugar Loaf Mountain, with hotel pickup, a short city tour, and stops at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Sambadrome, and Flamengo Park. Guides such as Tania Uhlala, Warley, Luis, and Gabi are praised for energy and clear explanations. Choose carefully between tickets included and excluded.

“We opted to do a series of half day tours while in Rio to reduce the risk of Rio's temperamental weather impacting all of our sightseeing. We had nothing to worry about here though! Magnificent weather, the guide arrived early to pick us up, and we were at the start of the cable car before the crowds. Once up the top we had plenty of time for a coffee and to take pics of the 360° views and watch the planes land and take off from the Santos Dumont Airport below. We then took in a few of Rio's other landmarks. Once we were dropped off after our half day,…”

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Cusco: City Tour | Half-Day Tour to 4 Archaeological Sites - Qoricancha, where Inca stone meets Santo Domingo
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Cusco: City Tour | Half-Day Tour to 4 Archaeological Sites

14.Cusco: City Tour | Half-Day Tour to 4 Archaeological Sites

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 206 reviews · 4 hours · from $29

Start with hotel pickup in Cusco’s historic center, then visit Qoricancha and four Inca sites with an English and Spanish-speaking guide. Luis, Maribel, and other guides are praised for clear history and friendly care. Expect transport, walking, extra entrance fees, and a bilingual pace that can sometimes stretch beyond four hours.

“Louis was a great guide and very knowledgeable. The trip was well planned and gave you enough time at each site. Good mix of walking and transport.”

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From Puerto Iguazu: Half-Day Brazilian Falls Excursion - Starting in Puerto Iguazu
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From Puerto Iguazu: Half-Day Brazilian Falls Excursion

15.Half-Day Brazilian Falls Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 180 reviews · 7 hours · from $27

Travel from Puerto Iguazu to Brazil with hotel pickup, a bilingual guide, and help at both border crossings. At Iguaçu National Park, follow jungle paths to a panoramic view of the falls, then get close enough to feel the spray. Allow extra time for customs, bring your passport, and budget separately for park admission and food.

“Magnificient falls, but, not unexpectadly, too many people. Unfortunately weather was a bit rainy. Getting through the border takes a while - at least 20min.”

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New in Half-Day

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★ 5.0Cartagena Unforgettable: Half Day Private City Tour (Also for Cruisers)From $18877 reviews
★ 4.5Half-Day Tour of Cartagena by Air-Conditioned VehiclesFrom $55105 reviews
★ 5.0Private Half Day City Tour of Buenos AiresFrom $5656 reviews
★ 5.0Half Day Private Safari Delta in TigreFrom $16091 reviews
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★ 5.0Andes Mountains Horseback Riding – Half DayFrom $9063 reviews
★ 5.0Half-Day Rock Climbing in Canton BañosFrom $3036 reviews
★ 3.9Tigre Delta: Half-Day Tour and Boat TripFrom $5650 reviews
★ 4.0City Tour of the city on a half-day rideFrom $2059 reviews

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