The Cuernos del Paine glowing pink at sunrise under swirling cloud, above a lake in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

Road trips, rainforest, Andean ruins and Patagonian ice, from the Rockies all the way to Cape Horn

12 destinations

Americas travel: The Americas

How to think about The Americas

The Americas run from the Arctic to Patagonia, so think in parts. North America means road trips and national parks: the USA from California to Yellowstone, and Canada for the Rockies and the whales of British Columbia. Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama bring Maya ruins, reef and rainforest within a shorter flight.

South America asks for more time and pays it back. Peru has Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Chile runs from the Atacama Desert to Torres del Paine, and Argentina adds Buenos Aires, Mendoza wine and the glaciers near El Calafate. Brazil has Rio and the Iguazu Falls, and Ecuador is the gateway to the Galapagos.

Good combinations follow geography: Peru with the Galapagos, Chile with Argentina across Patagonia, or Costa Rica with Panama. The seasons flip across the equator, so Patagonia is a trip for the southern summer, roughly November to March, while the Peruvian Andes are driest in the middle of the year.

Destinations in The Americas

Showing 12 destinations.

The wall of blue ice at the front of the Perito Moreno glacier rising from Lago Argentino beneath snow-capped peaks and a clear sky

The Americas

Argentina

Buenos Aires evenings, the Iguazú falls and the glaciers of Patagonia, joined by short domestic flights.

  • Perito Moreno glacier
  • Iguazú falls
  • Fitz Roy trails at El Chaltén
  • Whales at Península Valdés
  • Turquoise shallows running out to the white surf line of the Belize Barrier Reef off Ambergris Caye, with open sea to the horizon

    The Americas

    Belize

    Maya cities in the rainforest and the longest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, a short hop apart and in English.

    Best January to April

  • Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain silhouetted against an orange dawn sky above Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

    The Americas

    Brazil

    Rio on its granite peaks, the roar of Iguaçu and jaguars on the Pantanal riverbanks, in one long-haul trip from Heathrow.

    Best July to September

  • Turquoise Lake Louise seen from high above, cradled by forest beneath Mount Fairview and the peaks of Banff National Park

    The Americas

    Canada

    Glacier lakes in the Rockies, whales off Vancouver Island and polar bears on Hudson Bay, each in its own short season.

    Best July to September

  • The snow-streaked granite Cuernos del Paine rising above the blue water of Lago Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park

    The Americas

    Chile

    The Atacama's high desert and the granite towers of Patagonia in one trip, with Santiago's wine valleys in between.

    Best October to March

  • The cone of Arenal Volcano rising above green rainforest and farmland under a blue sky with drifting cloud, Costa Rica

    The Americas

    Costa Rica

    Volcano, cloud forest, turtle beach and whale coast in one small country, with a lodge in each that puts you in the forest.

    Best January to March

  • The snow-capped cone of Cotopaxi rising above a layer of cloud and the green Andean highlands, Ecuador

    The Americas

    Ecuador

    Andean volcanoes, cloud forest and Amazon rainforest within a day of each other, with Quito's colonial centre at the heart.

    Best July to September

  • Pinnacle Rock and the twin sandy bays of Bartolomé Island seen from its summit, with Santiago and the open sea beyond, Galapagos

    The Americas

    Galapagos

    Volcanic islands where sea lions, iguanas and boobies ignore you entirely, seen from a small ship with a naturalist guide.

    Best March to May and November

  • The Temple of the God of the Winds at Tulum on a limestone headland above a white beach and the turquoise Caribbean

    The Americas

    Mexico

    Mexico City’s food, Oaxaca’s markets and Maya ruins in the Yucatán, finished with a week on the Caribbean coast.

    Best November to March

  • A low palm-covered island and its thatched huts on calm water in the Guna Yala archipelago, Panama, under a wide sky

    The Americas

    Panama

    A canal city with a colonial old quarter, cloud forest coffee farms and two coasts of islands, each a short flight away.

    Best January to March

  • The green floor of the Sacred Valley near Pisac, Peru, between steep Andean slopes, with snow-capped peaks under cloud

    The Americas

    Peru

    Inca stonework in the high Andes, Machu Picchu at dawn and Amazon rainforest, all within a short flight of Cusco.

    Best May and September

  • Layered red and gold buttes of the Grand Canyon seen from the South Rim, fading to a level horizon, Arizona

    The Americas

    USA

    Canyon country, geyser basins and Pacific coast roads, planned so the long drives land you somewhere worth waking up in.

    Best April, May, September and October

Journeys in The Americas

Sample routes to start from. Every one can be changed.

Plan your The Americas trip

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