South America Travel Guide

Peru is one of South America's most compelling destinations, anchored by the magnificent Machu Picchu — the fifteenth-century Inca citadel perched on a cloud-forest ridge above the Sacred Valley. The Inca Trail, a four-day hike through mountain passes and ancient ruins, is one of the world's great trekking experiences. Cusco, the former Inca capital, is a remarkable city of Spanish colonial architecture built on Inca foundations. Lima, long overlooked, has emerged as one of the world's great food cities — Central, Maido, and Astrid & Gaston have consistently ranked among the world's fifty best restaurants. The Amazon Basin in the north and Manu National Park in the south protect extraordinary biodiversity. Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, straddles the border with Bolivia and is dotted with ancient floating reed islands.

Brazil is South America's giant — a country so large that it shares a border with every other South American nation except Chile and Ecuador. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most dramatically situated cities: Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado, the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, and the sounds of samba rising from the favelas. Carnival, held in the days before Lent (February or March), is one of the world's great spectacles. The Amazon River and its vast surrounding rainforest — home to an estimated ten percent of all species on earth — can be explored by riverboat from Manaus or in eco-lodges near Belém. The northeast coast (Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco) offers warm water, dramatic dunes, and strong African-influenced culture. São Paulo is a megacity of extraordinary cultural depth and the best food scene in South America.

Argentina is a country of remarkable contrasts — a European-influenced capital that rivals Paris for café culture and architecture, a wine country (Mendoza) that rivals Bordeaux and Napa, and a southern extreme (Patagonia) of such raw, windswept beauty that it draws hikers from around the world. Buenos Aires is a city of wide boulevards, passionate tango, Sunday asados, and one of South America's most sophisticated food and nightlife scenes. Mendoza at the foot of the Andes produces Malbec wines that have earned global recognition. Patagonia — shared with Chile — contains the Torres del Paine massif, Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the few glaciers in the world that is not retreating), and Tierra del Fuego at the very end of the continent. Iguazú Falls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay is one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls.

Colombia's transformation over the past two decades is one of travel's great stories. The country that was once associated primarily with danger has become one of South America's most dynamic and visited destinations, drawing travelers with its extraordinary diversity. Bogotá, the highland capital at 2,600 meters, has a remarkable historic center (La Candelaria), a world-class gold museum, and a food and arts scene that rivals any Latin American city. Medellín's urban transformation — from the world's most dangerous city in the 1990s to a celebrated model of urban innovation — includes cable cars, escalators connecting hillside barrios, and an extraordinary flower festival in August. Cartagena's walled old city on the Caribbean coast is one of South America's most beautiful colonial cities. The coffee region (Zona Cafetera) offers lush landscapes, traditional fincas, and the best coffee you will drink anywhere.

Chile defies easy description — at 4,300 kilometres from north to south, it encompasses desert, Mediterranean wine country, Lake District forests, Patagonian glaciers, and Pacific island mystery (Easter Island). The Atacama Desert in the north is the driest non-polar desert on earth and one of the world's best places for stargazing, with valley of the moon landscapes and geothermal geysers. Santiago is a sophisticated capital with excellent food, wine bars, and snow-capped Andes views on clear days. The Lake District around Pucón and Puerto Varas is green, volcanic, and dotted with alpine lakes. Chilean Patagonia — Torres del Paine National Park — is one of the world's great trekking destinations. Easter Island (Rapa Nui), 3,700 kilometres out in the Pacific, contains the famous moai statues and one of the world's most intriguing archaeological mysteries.