The Best Places To Visit In South And Central America In Winter

Whether it’s to avoid the summer season crowds or simply to load up on Vitamin D, travelling in winter offers a load of unique benefits, and South and Central America is a great region to take full advantage. Here is a selection of our winter trips in this beautiful part of the world.

Central and South America in winter offers dramatic variations in weather as you travel from north to south. The winter months in Colombia and Costa Rica will always remain hot and humid – but visit the wilderness of Patagonia in the far south of Argentina and you’ll need to be wrapped up warm as you explore glaciers and hiking trails. From steamy rainforests to sun-soaked beaches and remote island adventures, here are the best places to visit in South and Central America in winter, courtesy of Culture Trip.

Spring Sale

Bathers at the verdant La Fortuna Waterfall, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica, Central America

Costa Rica, for rainforests and waterfalls

Costa Rica’s winter is from May right through to December – but it’s not a traditional winter season, rather, it’s the country’s dry season. This is the best time to plan a South America trip that includes Costa Rica because you’ll experience the coolest and driest weather of the year. This eight-day group tour with Culture Trip can help you to explore Costa Rica’s rainforests – as you travel from San Jose to the wilds of Arenal in search of volcanoes, waterfalls and hot springs. In the Monteverde Cloud Forest, you’ll find sloths, hanging bridges and zip lines – while in Tamarindo, you can tackle the big waves of the Pacific Ocean as you learn how to surf, or simply kick back with a cocktail on the beach.

From US$2023

Next available from 11th May 2024

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

San Jose, Costa Rica

ENDS AT

Tamarindo, Provincia De Guanacaste

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

STYLE

Discovery

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This is an updated version of an article originally written by Richard Collett, with additional words from Maja Proescholdt.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.