The USA, Canada and South America from India

How early should we start planning a US trip from India?

Start 12 to 14 months before you want to fly if anyone in the party needs a new US visitor visa, because interview waits at India's consulates run to many months: on 21 October 2026 the State Department showed the next appointment about 12 months out in Mumbai and 11 in New Delhi. Book the interview first, then hold hotels refundably. If every B1/B2 visa is already valid, six months suits most trips; allow nine for New York at Christmas or summer park lodges.

• Waits change monthly; check the current figure for your city on travel.state.gov before you plan dates.
• Keep flights changeable until every visa is in the passport.
• The visa lets you travel to the border; the officer on arrival decides the length of each stay.
• A valid US visa also eases entry to Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Chile.

Source: US Department of State: global visa wait times

What is a good two-week USA route for a first visit from India?

Fourteen nights covers both coasts well: New York 4, Washington or Boston 2, then fly west for San Francisco 3, two nights in Napa or down the Big Sur coast, and Los Angeles 3. Swap the last leg for Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon if landscapes matter more than cities. In five-star hotels with private drivers it costs about ₹16 lakh to ₹30 lakh for two, land only. May, June, September and October are the kindest months.

• Fly New York to San Francisco, about six and a half hours, rather than losing two days to the road.
• Book Broadway, Napa tastings and timed museum entries before you fly; the best slots go weeks ahead.
• Christmas weeks in New York add 30 to 40 percent and sell out 6 to 9 months ahead.

Which US national parks should we visit, and what is the new fee for foreign visitors?

Foreign visitors aged 16 and over now pay a US$100 nonresident fee per person, about ₹9,400, on top of the entrance fee at 11 of the busiest parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion and Glacier. The Non-Resident Annual Pass, US$250 or about ₹23,500, covers it. For a first trip, pair the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce in April, May, September or October; Yellowstone and Glacier are best from June to September.

• The other parks charging it are Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Everglades, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon.
• The fee also applies to nonresidents on commercial and concessionaire tours, unless they hold the annual pass.
• For a couple, the annual pass pays for itself by the second of these parks; it covers entrance fees too.
• Free entrance days are for US citizens and residents only from 2026; nonresidents pay on those days too.

Source: US National Park Service: entrance passes and nonresident fees

Alaska or Hawaii: which suits a trip from India?

Alaska for glaciers, bears and wilderness from May to September; Hawaii for beaches, volcanoes and ease in any month. Alaska works best as a seven-night Inside Passage cruise in a suite plus three nights near Denali, about ₹14 lakh to ₹25 lakh for two, land only. Hawaii suits two islands over eight nights, such as Maui and the Big Island, at about ₹12 lakh to ₹22 lakh for two. Both need only the ordinary US visitor visa.

• Alaska's best whale and bear weeks run June to August; May and September are quieter and cost less.
• Hawaii is reached via the US West Coast or Tokyo; Alaska cruises sail from Seattle or Vancouver.
• A cruise starting in Vancouver also needs a Canadian visitor visa.
• Humpback whales winter off Maui from December to April.

Source: Government of Canada: how to apply for a visitor visa

When should we visit Banff and the Canadian Rockies, and how long does the Canada visa take?

Go from late June to mid-September for the turquoise lakes and open roads, or late September for golden larches. Eight nights works well: Banff 3, Lake Louise 2 and Jasper 2 by the Icefields Parkway, with a night in Vancouver, adding the two-day Rocky Mountaineer if you love trains. Indians need a Canadian visitor visa, which a US visa does not replace; check IRCC's current processing time for India before you book, and apply early.

• The visa costs CAD 100 plus CAD 85 for biometrics, about ₹12,400 per person; a couple applying together pays CAD 370, about ₹24,800.
• Moraine Lake's road is closed to private cars; go by Parks Canada shuttle or a licensed tour.
• The Rocky Mountaineer runs in daylight from spring to autumn, with an overnight hotel stop on the way.
• Eight nights with the train cost about ₹12 lakh to ₹22 lakh for two, land only.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada: fee listSource: Government of Canada: how to apply for a visitor visa

Which Latin American countries let Indians in on a valid US visa?

Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Chile all admit Indian tourists holding a valid US visa without a separate visa, each on its own condition. Argentina, since 28 August 2025, needs no visa and no AVE for holders of a B1/B2, B2 or certain other US visas, or a Green Card, for up to 90 days. Chile takes any US visa except C transit with six months left. Mexico wants a multiple-entry visa already used; Peru, six months' validity. Carry a printout of each rule.

Source: Embassy of Argentina in India: tourist visaSource: Embassy of Chile in India: visas

How do Machu Picchu tickets work, and how far ahead should we book?

Machu Picchu is entered on a timed ticket for a set circuit, with daily caps, sold by Peru's Ministry of Culture on its official TuBoleto site. For May to September, book three to six months ahead, and earlier for Huayna Picchu, whose few slots go first. Fix the ticket before the train, then the hotels. Spend two nights in the Sacred Valley first: it sits well below Cusco, which is about 3,400 metres high, and eases the altitude.

• Buy only on tuboleto.cultura.pe or through a licensed operator; tickets carry each visitor's name and passport number.
• Belmond's Hiram Bingham and PeruRail's Vistadome are the comfortable trains to Aguas Calientes.
• The Inca Trail needs its own permit and closes every February for maintenance.
• India lists Peru as a yellow fever country: carry a valid vaccination certificate home, or expect quarantine on arrival in India.

Source: Ministry of Culture of Peru: TuBoleto official ticket siteSource: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: yellow fever vaccination and country list

Patagonia or the Galapagos from India: how long does it take, and when should we go?

Allow two full travel days each way for either. India to Santiago or Buenos Aires takes about 24 to 30 hours with two stops, then about three more hours to Punta Arenas or El Calafate. The Galapagos is reached via Quito or Guayaquil, then a flight of about two hours. Go to Patagonia from November to March, for long days. The Galapagos works all year: December to May for calmer seas, June to November for richer marine life.

• Plan 12 to 14 nights for Patagonia, pairing Torres del Paine in Chile with the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina.
• Indians with a qualifying US visa enter Argentina, with no AVE, and Chile without a separate visa, on each country's conditions.
• India lists Argentina and Ecuador as yellow fever countries: carry a valid vaccination certificate home, or expect quarantine in India.
• Confirm Ecuador's entry rule for Indian passports with its consulate before paying for a Galapagos yacht.

Read the full guide Source: Embassy of Argentina in India: tourist visaSource: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: yellow fever vaccination and country list