http://south-america.com.au/things.htm

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

You must be in possession of a valid passport with at least six months validity.Visas are required for most South and Central American countries; the majority of these can be obtained through Consular representatives in Australia. Some must be obtained en route.

CLIMATE

Being such a large continent South America has very distinct weather patterns but the seasons are very similar to Australia on the whole. However, things to remember are that in the Altiplano region, where it would normally be summer, it is the rainy season between December and March, and that Rio de Janeiro has a major rainy season from the end of February through March. Above the Tropic of Capricorn,which runs on a line through Antofogasta to Rio de Janeiro, the climate is hot and sultry most of the time, with coastal areas of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and the Amazon jungle being extremely humid. South of Puerto Montt around the Tierra del Fuego area the best season is literally from September to April. So when asked for the best time to travel, we reply anytime, depending on what you want and where you want to go.