Let us help you experience Latin America.
Every country in Latin America is unique. From the Caribbean to Argentina, you will find vast differences in culture, art, cuisine, climate, and nature. While it can be tempting to visit as many countries as possible, in the case of Latin America, less is more.
The region consists of over 30 countries stretching over 4,500 miles from the US border in northern Mexico to Cape Horn at the continent’s tip. It’s impossible to list all the highlights of this incredible part of the world. Still, wherever you visit, you will experience a true voyage of discovery because Latin America is a geography lesson brought to life. The mighty Andes wind their way through thousands of miles of the continent; Chile offers fjords, Argentina has wine and pampas, Bolivia has salt flats and silly hats, Mexico has golden beaches, while Ecuador is home to volcanoes and is the natural gateway to the Galapagos Islands.
For culture, you can find Maya and Aztec sites in Mexico (Chichen Itza), Guatemala (Tika), and Honduras (Copan). Hiking and walking can be found along the Inca Trail to Latin America’s biggest attraction, Machu Picchu, or on a long list of stunning Peruvian trails.
The Amazon is the biggest attraction for wildlife enthusiasts, although better animal sightings can be experienced in Brazil’s Pantanal or the Galapagos Islands. Mexico’s Baja peninsula is for whales, and innumerable exotic birds are seen throughout Central America. Meanwhile, sophisticated cities abound, including Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Buenos Aires in Argentina, Limain Peru, and Cuba’s evocative Havana, to name just a few.
Brazil is the largest country in Latin America, some 35 times bigger than the UK, which gives a sense of the vastness of the area, which occupies over half the continent. Much of it is tropical, and strong Portuguese influences are evident from its colonial past, as shown in its architecture and language. Brazil can be an intoxicating and vibrant destination for visitors looking for idyllic beach holidays and jungle exploration, and it boasts world-class museums and entertainment. The rhythms of the annual Rio Carnaval are well known, but to see it in the flesh, as it were, is an experience visitors will never forget.
Brazil also shares one of the planet’s greatest natural attractions on the border with Argentina. If you are impressed by Niagara in Canada, then Iguazu Falls will astound you. Consisting of a chain of over 200 individual waterfalls, all situated within a short expanse of less than 2 miles, the power and noise of the cascades are not only visually exciting but offer an unexpected emotional and uplifting experience. A two-hour flight from either Rio or Buenos Aires allows a triangular route to link all three destinations relatively easily.
As the eighth largest country in the world, Argentina is a land of staggering contrasts. Choosing how to experience the romance, drama, history, or epic landscapes can be a challenge if short on time. The capital and main gateway, Buenos Aires, is one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Offering faded colonial architecture alongside remarkable cuisine, secret speakeasy bars, bohemian neighbourhoods and a tango-style feel to everyday life, it has the most European look and feel of all South American cities and rightly earned its nickname as the “Paris of the South”.
Known as the world’s thinnest country, Chile’s two main attractions are over 2,000 km apart. The Atacama Desert lies north of Santiago, while parts of Patagonia lie several hours’ travel to the south. With a heady mix of ancient culture and intriguing history, you can wander the leafy bohemian neighbourhoods of Santiago or visit the port city of Valparaiso, known for its 19th-century funicular transport, to sample its colonial mansions and creative street art.
Colombia means coffee, but this remarkable country will take you by surprise. The second most biodiverse nation in the world has vast areas of wildlife-filled Amazon jungle, while coral beaches, high mountains, and traditional coffee plantations provide a backdrop to its extraordinary natural contrasts. The stately old town of Cartegena, with its bougainvillea-strewn cobbled streets, has a vibrant energy exemplified by performers showing off their skills in the little squares.
Although Costa Rica isn’t a big country, it offers a real change from normal tourist centres. Like its immediate neighbours, its coastline runs along the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other. A local tour is preferable to hiring a car as the many unpaved roads can be challenging. Alternatively, you can drift through the waters and intricate canals of Tortuguero National Park or the Pacuare River, which provides some great white-water rafting. Guanacaste has a stunning Pacific coastline and sun-drenched beaches, while the Corcovado National Park has scarlet macaws, sloths, and tree frogs to seek out.
Cuba has an old-time feel about it with a vibrant history and culture. Its streets are filled with brightly coloured houses, roads are ruled by classic cars and buildings display colourful graffiti. This Caribbean Island stands out from its neighbours in every aspect. Havana, the capital city along with Santiago de Cuba, Camagueyand Varadero exhibit opulent history enriched with influences of colonial settlements and of course, pirates.
Ecuador packs a sizeable number of attractions into its dramatic landscape. The country has many beaches with a reputation for great surfing, and as you move inland, the capital, Quito, is situated in the high foothills of the towering snow-topped peaks of the Andes. It has a majestic colonial feel to the city, where churches and cathedrals are dotted alongside little alleyways, and busy market stalls complete the picture. In Banosyou’ll find rafting, canyoning and huge swings elevated on cliff edges for the adrenaline junkie, while quieter Cuenca is a beautiful and historically important city.
Quito and Guayaquil are the main gateways to The Galapagos archipelago. Some two hours by plane from either city, Darwin’s land of evolution offers close encounters with wildlife that have never really known how to fear humans. With the absence of light pollution and sitting on the Equator, the night skies over the Galapagos are some of the most dazzling on the planet, a unique opportunity to view stars in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres simultaneously.
Mexico’s history is steeped in conquest and revolution, a country of different traditions and cultures. Millions of holidaymakers are attracted to the wonderful climate, the endless beaches, and the beautiful scenery. Whether it is jungle, mountain, ocean or desert on your list, Mexico has it all. Some of the best places to visit include Tulum, Cozumel, Ixtapa and Isla Mujeres for beach time, while for more cultural aspects, Merida and Mexico City beckon.
Peru is best known for Machu Picchu, the ultimate Inca citadel in the clouds, but there is so much more to the rest of the region. With more archaeological sites than any other country in Latin America, Peru has many other outstanding ruins to uncover and explore. It also has a vast diversity of both plants and wildlife, in addition to offering dramatic white-water river rafting and surfing in the Pacific. High in the Andes, the city of Cusco is the gateway to Machu Picchu but has earned its place as a destination of choice in its own right. Traditional dress is still the norm here, with colonial buildings seemingly sprouting straight from Inca ruins.
With Latin America, you can’t do it all, so we’ve picked three major highlights you may want to consider.
The Amazon Rainforest
If you want to see the sheer size and scale of the Amazon River, choose Brazil.
If you want a quicker and more cost-effective visit, choose Peru.
If you’re going to experience the most biodiverse section of the Amazon, choose Ecuador.
You will almost certainly need vaccinations before you travel, and in many areas, there is no wi-fi or phone signal, so save the batteries for those all-important pictures.
Patagonia
The spectacular Argentinean Patagonia has vast cinematic landscapes, jagged mountain peaks and epic glaciers, so it requires a little patience and a lot of planning just to get there, but the rewards are enormous. El Calafate or Punta Arenas in Chile are the gateway airports, although it is another three-hour road journey to the majestic Torres del Paine National Park. The area has many trails known for outstanding walking and hiking through scenic glaciers, beautiful lakes and lush forests. EL Calafate, a curiously busy outpost with numerous restaurants, shops and bars, sits on the shores of Lake Argentino. On the outskirts of town, boat trips take you down the lake to the Perito Merino glacier, an outstanding and unforgettable experience visiting a pristine ice flow which is forever on the move. As aquamarine blocks of ice crash into the water before sliding past the boat, the sheer scale and majesty of the surrounding area is a photographer’s dream.
The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, to give its full name, requires some pre-planning as visitor numbers are now heavily restricted, so participating in an organised tour from the UK is one of the best ways to get access. From Cusco (worthy of an overnight stop), you can choose a train ride or the four-day Inca Trail trek to Aguas Calientes, the main town at the foot of Machu Picchu Mountain. A 20-minute shuttle bus takes you to the ancient ruins via a steep and spectacular mountain road. Take a guidebook with you as there are few information boards at the site, and indeed, it is estimated that 60% of the construction at the time was built underground and remains unseen.
Latin America’s Wild Card Destination
Many people have never heard of Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, situated in the top north corner of South America. Unlike Rio or Santiago, the town was originally a Dutch colony but now has Creole and indigenous cultural influences. The downtown area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, with many beautiful historic wooden buildings dating back to the 18th century.
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