Americas

The best countries for travel in the Americas

Selecting which country to visit in the Americas depends very much on your interests. The tropical forests areas offer the best wildlife safari; the Andes Mountains and Patagonia areas offer epic scenery and adventure; the highlands of Peru offer remarkable history; the islands of the Pacific are extraordinary.

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The Americas

offer a remarkable

diversity of experiences

seven prime countries to choose from

At present, we are able to include seven countries in the Americas into trips, largely focused in the areas of greatest wilderness.

If you are looking for wildlife safari, the best location is the Pantanal in Brazil, renowned for jaguars and giant anteaters. The various parts of the Amazon in Brazil, Peru and Ecuador all offer remarkable jungle experiences.

If you are primarily interested in active outdoor adventures and magnificent scenery, the Patagonia areas in the far south of Argentina and Chile are fabulous.

Similarly, the high mountains and deserts of the Andes Mountains in northern Chile, Argentina and Bolivia are mind-blowing, especially when explored as a private-guided overland safari.

The extremely remote Easter Island is home to those enormous and mysterious moai statues, a natural extension to a trip to Chile.

Peru is the Egypt of the Americas, with ten thousand years of incredible ancient history, capped off with the relatively recent but incredibly impressive Inca sites like Machu Picchu.

Ecuador is a little-visited country with rainforest and cloud forest, with both indigenous and colonial history.

The islands of Galapagos, with their connections with Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution, offer remarkable marine and land safari.

the usual first step is to choose

the optimum country for your safari

Countries …

The largest country in South America, Brazil is a vast tropical land, dominated by the Amazon Basin and a seemingly endless tropical coastline. The two most popular areas are the iconic Rio de Janeiro and the fabulous Iguaçu Falls, whilst the best area for wildlife is the Pantanal.

the best safari in the Americas

Brazil is the largest country in South America.

It’s centred on the fabulous city of Rio de Janeiro …

… focused on the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema …

… backed by an historic and hectic city centre …

… all under the watchful eye of Christ the Redeemer …

… and famously driven by an obsessive passion for soccer.

… best known for its iconic jaguars …

… but with a fabulous supporting cast, including giant anteaters …

… and caiman crocodiles.

Also in the south lie the remarkable Iguaçu Falls …

… surrounded by fascinating areas of Atlantic rainforests …

… containing some iconic tropical species.

To the northwest, Brazil is dominated by the vast Amazon Basin …

… one of the world’s great centres of bio-diversity …

… with lodge-based trips heading to the Alta Floresta area …

… with river boat cruises in the Manaus Amazon area.

Remarkably, Brazil has almost 6000km of coastline …

… including the scenic Costa Verde in the south …

… the tropical beaches of Porto Seguro and Salvador …

… the remote islands of Fernando de Noronha …

… with its fabulous diving …

… and the incredible lagoons of Lencois Maranhenses.

Brazil can be visited in isolation, or can be easily combined with other countries, most commonly Argentina.

Go to Brazil

The second largest country in South America, Argentina is dominated by relatively featureless flat grasslands, but fringed by an incredible array of remarkable landscapes, from bucolic winelands, to extreme high altitude deserts and on down to the great ice-sheets and glaciers of the deep south. The country is easy to get around and offers a fabulous range of places to stay.

adventurous, cool and great value

Argentina is the second largest country in South America.

The coastal capital, Buenos Aires, is both historic and hectic.

Here you will encounter the nation’s three great passions of tango …

… beef …

… and soccer.

In the sub-tropical north, the impressive Iguazú Falls are a major attraction …

… with the surrounding Atlantic rainforest hosting a good range of exotic species.

A little further south, the Iberá Wetlands are presently being restored …

… and look set to become a haven for a wide range of indigenous animals.

Heading southwest, we hit the traditional farmlands of the Cordoba area …

… where life is centred around all things equestrian.

In the remote northwest corner, the Salta region contains some incredible mountain scenery …

The landscapes of the high Andes are truly epic.

The indigeous culture up here remains strong and deep-rooted.

There are also some very pleasant high altitude winelands in the foothills.

Around 700km south down the Andes, the winelands of Mendoza are much larger and more commercial.

Another 700km south, about half way down the country, we hit the Lake District …

… centred on the remarkably Germanic town of Bariloche …

… with options for mountain hiking …

… and skiing during the May-Sep winter season.

Another 1000km south, we hit the pioneer landscapes of Patagonia …

… centred on the remarkable landscapes of Los Glaciares National Park …

… where there are simply epic options for hiking and horseback riding.

In the far south, we reach the functional port of Ushuaia …

… surrounded by some impressive sub-Polar landscapes …

… and further options for skiing during May-Sep.

Ushuaia is the main departure point for cruises around Cape Horn and down to Antarctica.

The Cape Horn cruises provide access to some very impressive and remote landscapes.

About half way up the eastern coast, we reach Península Valdés …

… one of the richest areas for marine wildlife in the world …

… home to colonies of enormous sea lions.

This is famously the location where orcas beach themselves when hunting seal pups during Oct-Dec and Mar-Apr.

Generally speaking, Argentina is usually best visited during the during Oct-Apr southern summer.

Go to Argentina

Set on the west coast of South America, Chile is an extremely long and skinny country which contains an incredible range of climates and landscapes from searing deserts to enormous glaciers. It’s a very friendly country, with excellent travel infrastructure and some great lodges. Also the best puma viewing in the Americas.

wonderfully diverse, but very expensive

Chile is an incredibly long and skinny country on the western flank of South America.

Half way down lies the scenic capital Santiago …

… with a Mediterranean climate and surrounded by scenic winelands …

… home to some impressive historic wineries and boutique lodges.

These areas are served by the colourful port of Valparaiso.

To the north of the country lies the Atacama Desert …

… with its spectacular high altitude scenery …

… iconic salt lagoons …

… and indigenous Aymara culture.

Even further north is the little-visited but epically scenic Lauca area …

… home to a good range of indigenous wildlife.

Around 700km south of Santiago, we reach the very scenic Los Lagos area …

… and the May-Oct winter season.

The nearby Isla Chiloe is renowned for its traditional culture …

… and the natural beauty of its wild coastline.

Another 1000km further south and we reach the spectacularly beautiful Torres del Paine area …

… a remarkable area for hiking …

… the best place in the world for puma viewing …

… a great location for horseback riding …

… and with some very impressive glaciers.

Even further south, Punta Arenas is the start point for some fabulous cruises the the fjords of Cape Horn …

… where you can encounter whales, dolphins, seals and penguins.

Around 3500km west of Chile lies the remote Easter Island …

… with its iconic and mysterious moai statues.

The best time to visit Chile is usually during the Nov-Apr southern summer season.

Go to Chile

Set in the heart of South America, Bolivia is an incredibly diverse country, which ranges from the vast glacier-covered volcanoes of the high Andes, all the way down to the tropical rainforest of the Amazon Basin. Usually best visited by private guided overland safari.

little-visited, but diverse and adventurous

Bolivia is set high in the Andes Mountains of South America.

The biggest attraction in the country is the famous Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt pan in the world.

The pan usually floods Jan-Apr, creating this remarkable mirror effect.

Salar de Uyuni is usually reached by means of an overland safari from San Pedro in Chile …

… passing through the remarkable high desert scenery of Eduardo Avaroa.

Sajama is a particularly beautiful and remote part of the altiplano …

… where there is a good deal of indigenous wildlife …

… as well as wonderfully remote and authentic villages.

The historic city of Sucre is a wonderful place to explore …

… along with the richest mine in history, the legendary silver mountain of Potosi.

On Lago Titicaca, the Isla del Sol is a really attractive option …

… which provides some wonderful opportunities for authentic cultural interaction.

Nearby lies the stunning pre-Inca site of Tiwanaku.

La Paz may not be as appealing as most capital cities on the continent …

… but it’s not without interest, such as the famous Witches’ Market.

The El Camino de la Muerte was, until recently, the most dangerous road in the world.

On the eastern side of the Andes, lie the forested mountains of Amboro National Park …

… with an extraordinary bio-diversity and especially prolific birding …

… as well as some more fascinating pre-Inca ruins.

In the northeast lies Madidi National Park …

… the western fringe of the vast jungles of the Amazon Basin.

Bolivia is most commonly visited in combination with Chile, Argentina and/or Peru.

Go to Bolivia

Set on the west coast of South America, Peru is a remarkably diverse country, dominated by the Andes Mountains and their remarkable Inca history, but also containing some of the most interesting parts of the Amazon Basin. Travel infrastructure is well established in the more popular areas, but there are also lots of fabulous lesser-known places to explore.

remarkable history and rainforest

More than any other country in South America, Peru is dominated by its rich history and culture.

The country is centred on Lima, a large modern city …

… which was previously the capital of the vast Spanish territories.

The historic Inca capital of Cusco lies high in the Andes …

… still very much a centre for this ancient mountain culture.

The Inca and the Spanish both built their cities on much older and more impressive foundations.

Machu Picchu is the best known of many impressive Inca settlements …

… which remain connected by an ancient network of royal roads, including the famous Inca Trail.

These mountains a adorned with many fabulous sites, including the remote citadel of Choquequirao.

The Valle Sagrado was the agricultural epicentre of the Inca civilisation …

… now connected to Cusco and Machu Picchu by an excellent luxury train service.

Further south lies the magnificent Lago Titicaca …

… including the famous floating islands of Uros …

… and another epicentre for the indigenous mountain cultures.

Heading back down towards the coast, we pass the famous ‘white city’ of Arequipa …

… and the impressive Colca Canyon …

… a renowned spot for viewing iconic Andean condors.

Down on the arid coastal plateau, lie the Nazca Lines …

… vast designs etched into the landscapes over 2000 years ago.

The renowned Oasis de la Huahachina is now hideously touristy …

… but the nearby winelands remain a pleasure to visit.

The arid southern coastline is really rather impressive …

… with some truly incredible marine wildlife.

Further north, close to Trujillo, lies the vast ancient city of Chan Chan …

… which remains surprisingly off the beaten track …

… as does the impressive citacal of Keulap, high in the northern Andes …

… and the ancient burial site at Revash.

Even the spectacular hiking area of Huascarán attracts very few visitors.

To the east lie the vast jungles of the Amazon Basin.

The Iquitos Amazon area is the best spot for comfortable cruise explorations …

Whilst the Tambopata Amazon area further south has the better lodges and stronger wildlife viewing.

Peru is so diverse that trip can easily run to three or more weeks.

Go to Peru

Set in the northwest of South America, Ecuador is a small but ridiculously diverse country, centred on the gorgeous high valleys of the Andes Mountains, flanked either side by the Amazon Basin and the tropical Pacific coastline, to combine with the fabulous islands of Galapagos.