Best places to visit in South America
32 destinations across 8 countries, each with its seasonal window and budget tier.
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Arequipa, Peru White-stone city under volcanoes, sunny gateway to Colca Canyon -
Banos, Ecuador Waterfall gorge and canyon swings under drier autumn skies -
Barichara, Colombia Colombia's prettiest stone village, golden in the December dry -
Bariloche, Argentina Andean lakes town for winter skiing and summer trail days -
Barreal, Argentina Andes foothills with some of Earth's clearest stargazing skies -
Buenos Aires, Argentina Steak, tango and jacarandas in the mild spring of November -
Cafayate, Argentina High-desert Torrontes wine country, harvest February to April -
Cartagena, Colombia Walled Caribbean old town, breeziest and driest December to March -
Castro, Chile Chiloe's stilt houses and wooden churches, warmest in austral summer -
Colchagua Valley, Chile Carmenere wine country at harvest during the March vendimia -
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay Cobbled Portuguese old town on the Rio de la Plata, summer breezy -
Cuenca, Ecuador Andean cathedral city of red domes, sunny in the June dry season -
Cusco, Peru Inca capital and Machu Picchu gateway, clearest May to September -
El Chalten, Argentina Argentina's trekking capital under Fitz Roy, austral summer -
Galapagos, Ecuador Snorkel with sea lions in the warm-water season, January to June -
Guatape, Colombia Climb the monolith over a maze of lakes, sunniest in dry January -
Inhotim, Brazil Open-air art pavilions in tropical gardens, warm dry-winter strolls -
Jose Ignacio, Uruguay Uruguay's chic beach village, buzzing in January high summer -
Mancora, Peru Peru's warm north-coast surf beach, sunniest December to March -
Medellín, Colombia City of eternal spring, mountain barrios reborn -
Mendoza, Argentina Malbec vineyards under the Andes, grape harvest March to April -
Paraty, Brazil Colonial port between rainforest and sea, driest in winter -
Potosí, Bolivia Silver-mine city at 4000m, cool clear Andean winter skies -
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Beaches, Christ the Redeemer and Carnival in the February summer -
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia Rainy-season floods turn the salt flat into a vast sky mirror -
Salento, Colombia Wax-palm cloud forest and coffee fincas, greenest in dry January -
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Driest desert on earth, geysers and clear stargazing skies -
São Paulo, Brazil Sprawling art museums and Liberdade ramen, mild dry-winter days -
Sucre, Bolivia Whitewashed colonial capital in the Andes, mild in dry winter -
Torres del Paine, Chile Granite towers and glaciers on the classic W trek, austral summer -
Ushuaia, Argentina The end of the world, Beagle Channel cruises in austral summer -
Valparaiso, Chile Bohemian port of funiculars and murals, warm in austral summer