The Best Places in South America to Visit in 2024

Paraty is one of the most historic and charming towns in all of Brazil, with its centre earning Unesco-listed status thanks in no small part to the colourful buildings and knobbly old cobbled streets. It sits prettily on the shores of the Costa Verde, a stretch of verdant coastline near Rio de Janeiro. The town itself is hard not to fall head over heels for, but if you need any convincing then the nearby nature is sure to secure the deal. Quiet golden beaches, crystal clear waters and the Unesco-listed Atlantic Forest all surround Paraty. Our nine-day Brazil tour takes in the very best of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but the meat of the sandwich is our little retreat to Paraty, where we’ll stay in a gorgeous old mansion house. You’ll snorkel, boat and barbecue your way across the crystalline waters of Paraty Bay, get a guided walking tour of the town and discover hidden waterfalls on an Atlantic Forest Jeep tour, before heading down the coast to Rio.

Ecuador is not short on natural splendour, as our eight-day tour from the Andes to Amazon showcases. There’s the volcanic landscapes of Cotopaxi and the immersive overgrowth of the Amazon rainforest, but for our money the most spectacular of the lot is the Baños Waterfall Route. Known locally as the Ruta de Las Cascadas, or Waterfall Highway, this hilly path passes as many as 12 stunning jungle waterfalls, including the largest in the Ecuadorian Andes (Agoyán) and Manto de la Novia – or the the Bride’s Veil, thanks to the pure white colour of its twin cascades. The 80m (262ft) drop of Pailon del Diablo (Devil’s Cauldron), meanwhile, creates a cascading sonic cacophony that will send shivers through your core. Our Ecuador trip includes a spectacular guided bike ride along the entire route – just don’t go too fast, or you might miss some of the waterfalls!

Let’s leave mainland South America behind and heading to this archipelago off the coast of Ecuador, made famous by Charles Darwin and his fascination with the islands’ extraordinary exotic collection of creatures. The entire island group is more than worth exploring, and we cover as much of it as possible across just five days on this outdoorsy itinerary. You’ll kayak or stand-up paddleboard above white-tipped reef sharks in the Itabaca Channel, stroll past blue-footed boobies along the lava trails of San Cristóbal and swim or snorkel with penguins, iguanas and sea lions off Punta Carola Beach. Perhaps most amazingly, you’ll spend two nights hanging out with over a hundred freely roaming giant tortoises at a secluded glampsite in the highlands of Santa Cruz. Some of your campmates will have been roaming the island for over a century…