Flying between the Southern Cone capitals: times and distances

If you're putting together a multi-stop trip around the Southern Cone, it helps to have a mental map of how long it takes to fly between the major cities. Here's a quick guide to the most useful connections.

Distances rule

The region is large, but the southern capitals are relatively close to each other by plane:

• Buenos Aires ↔ Montevideo: the shortest hop, ~50 min. So close that the ferry competes on equal terms. See the route.
• Buenos Aires ↔ Santiago: crossing the Andes, around 2 hours. One of the busiest routes on the continent. See Buenos Aires to Santiago.
• Santiago ↔ Lima: the Pacific coast, about 3 h 40. See Santiago to Lima.

And within Brazil, the classic São Paulo ↔ Rio de Janeiro is a ~1-hour air shuttle with constant departures.

How to think about a multi-stop trip

1. Group by proximity. Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Santiago form a convenient triangle. Lima adds the Andean north.
2. Use the hubs. Buenos Aires (EZE), Santiago (SCL), São Paulo (GRU) and Lima (LIM) concentrate connections: it's often worth routing through them.
3. Mix modes. For short legs, the ferry or the bus can beat the plane in total time. That's why we always compare every option.

To go deeper

• Heading to Brazil? Read flying around Brazil.
• Crossing the Río de la Plata? See the Río de la Plata guide.
• Or simply explore all destinations and build your route.

Flight times are approximate, calculated from distance. Check the real offering with the airlines.