South America Honeymoons

How to Choose Your South America Honeymoon

Most couples here are choosing between four kinds of trip.

• Mountains and ice: Patagonia in Chile and Argentina, with Torres del Paine, El Calafate and El Chaltén, plus the lake country of Bariloche and Puerto Varas.
• Ancient sites: Peru's Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, with Easter Island (Rapa Nui) as the far-flung alternative.
• Wildlife: the Galápagos Islands, the Ecuadorian Amazon, the Brazilian Amazon, Tambopata and, for the adventurous, the Rupununi in Guyana or Sea Lion Island in the Falklands.
• Beaches and cities: Brazil's coast from Rio de Janeiro to Trancoso and Fernando de Noronha, Colombia's Cartagena, or Buenos Aires and Punta del Este.

Give each big idea at least four or five nights. A ten-day honeymoon comfortably holds two of them in one or two countries. Trying to see Machu Picchu, Patagonia and the Galápagos in the same trip usually means more time in airports than in lodges.

Seasons Run in Reverse

Below the equator, December to March is summer and June to August is winter. That single fact sorts most of the region.

Patagonia is a summer destination. Lodges around Torres del Paine mostly run from about September or October to April, with El Calafate and El Chaltén on a similar calendar. January and February bring the longest days and the strongest wind.

The Andes work the other way. Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca are at their driest from roughly May through September, while the rainy months bring afternoon storms. The Salar de Uyuni turns into a mirror after rain, roughly December through March.

Some places work all year. The Galápagos Islands, the Atacama around San Pedro de Atacama and the eternal spring of Medellín have no bad month, only different ones. Brazil's northeast coast, including Jericoacoara and São Miguel dos Milagres, is best from roughly September to March. Cartagena and Colombia's Caribbean islands are driest from December to April.

Patagonia, the Andes and the Lakes

Torres del Paine is the headline for good reason, with granite towers over turquoise lakes and several of the continent's best all-inclusive lodges, where guides plan each day's hike around the weather. Across the border, El Calafate has the Perito Moreno Glacier, a wall of blue ice you can watch calve from the walkways. El Chaltén is the trekking village under Mount Fitz Roy, the choice for couples who want to walk most days.

Farther north, the lake districts are gentler. Bariloche feels like the Alps in Patagonia, with chocolate shops and a lodge on its own peninsula. Puerto Varas faces the snowy cone of Osorno Volcano across Lake Llanquihue.

In the high Andes, the Sacred Valley is the best base for a Peru honeymoon, lower and warmer than Cusco, with river lodges and Inca terraces. Arequipa adds white stone streets and condors two valleys away. San Pedro de Atacama has salt flats, flamingos and some of the darkest skies on earth. Salta offers red canyons and high vineyards in northwest Argentina.

Beaches and Islands

Brazil has the longest list. Trancoso is the romantic favorite, with candlelit dinners on a grassy village square above a long Bahia beach. São Miguel dos Milagres is all small pousadas and warm reef pools at low tide. Jericoacoara is a village of sand streets with hammocks strung over lagoon water and a dune for sunsets. Fernando de Noronha is the splurge, a protected volcanic island with the clearest water on the coast and spinner dolphins in the bay. Paraty pairs a whitewashed colonial town with boat days among green islands.

On the Caribbean side, the Rosario Islands and Barú are an hour from Cartagena, while Providencia is a small English-speaking island on a huge reef with almost no development.

Uruguay's Punta del Este is the glamorous South American summer beach, busiest in January. For something with history rather than sun loungers, Îles du Salut in French Guiana lets you spend a night on a former penal island. Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has one palm-lined beach and many stone giants.

Wildlife, Rainforest and Remote Lodges

The Galápagos Islands are the region's most rewarding wildlife honeymoon, where sea lions, marine iguanas and boobies carry on as if you were not there. Choose between a small-ship cruise and island-hopping from hotels.

For the Amazon, distance matters. The Ecuadorian Amazon is a 35-minute flight from Quito plus a canoe ride, with lodges around Yasuní National Park. Tambopata is a short flight from Cusco, which makes it the easiest add-on to a Peru trip. The Brazilian Amazon is reached through Manaus, with lodges on stilts above the blackwater Rio Negro.

Iguazú Falls (Argentina) and Foz do Iguaçu are two sides of the same set of falls. The Argentine side puts you on walkways over the water, while the Brazilian side gives the panorama and a hotel inside the park.

For couples who want to be nearly alone with wildlife, the Rupununi in Guyana offers savanna lodges run by local communities, giant otters and caiman. Sea Lion Island in the Falklands has elephant seals dozing outside the lodge.

Cities, Wine and Food

Buenos Aires is the continent's most romantic big city, with Belle Époque avenues, steak dinners at ten and tango after midnight. Rio de Janeiro gives you beaches wrapped around granite peaks, best for three or four nights before somewhere quieter. Cartagena is all balconies, ramparts and evening walks on the old walls.

For slower cities, Cusco layers Spanish churches on Inca walls, Quito has gold-heavy churches and volcano views and Cuenca is the relaxed café chapter of an Ecuador trip. Sucre is a white colonial city that eases you into Bolivia, while Valparaíso is a port of painted hillside houses and funiculars. Medellín is Colombia's modern face, with good food and spring weather year-round. Colonia del Sacramento is a small Portuguese town across the River Plate from Buenos Aires.

Wine country is a highlight. Mendoza pairs Malbec with Andes views, the Colchagua Valley offers Carménère and long lunches near Santiago and Salta grows some of the highest vineyards on earth. Colombia's Coffee Region swaps wine for hacienda stays among the coffee rows.

Getting There From the US

The northern countries are the closest. Bogotá is about four hours from Miami and Cartagena under three. Quito and Guayaquil are about four to four and a half hours from Miami. Lima is roughly five and a half. Cusco needs a connection in Lima.

The Southern Cone means an overnight flight. Santiago is about 8.5 hours from Miami and 11 from New York, Buenos Aires about 9 from Miami and São Paulo 8 to 9. Patagonia, Easter Island (Rapa Nui) and the Atacama all need a domestic flight on top. Easter Island alone is about five hours from Santiago.

Entry and visa rules depend on your citizenship and can change at short notice, so check the official government website before you book. Budget for the Galápagos national park fee too, roughly $200 per person on top of your cruise or hotel.

Safety and Travel Advisories

Most of the places couples visit sit at Level 1 or Level 2, but a few countries carry heavier warnings.

• Level 1: Argentina, Paraguay and Suriname. The Falklands have no separate advisory and are treated as low risk.
• Level 2: Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and French Guiana. Brazil's advisory warns against favelas and areas near most land borders, with Iguaçu excepted. Bolivia's Chapare Province is Level 4 and protests can block roads anywhere. Some districts of Guayaquil carry higher warnings, while Peru's Level 4 areas are far from Cusco and Machu Picchu.
• Level 3: Colombia, for crime, terrorism, unrest and kidnapping, with Level 4 areas that do not include Cartagena, Medellín or Colombia's Coffee Region. Guyana is Level 3 for crime, so book the Rupununi through established lodges.
• Countries under Do Not Travel advisories are not covered on our site.

Altitude is the other health concern. Cusco sits at 11,150 feet, Lake Titicaca higher still, so start in the Sacred Valley and take the first day easy.

In big cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, Lima and Buenos Aires, use ride apps or hotel taxis at night and keep phones out of sight on the street. For Amazon lodges and the Guianas, if you're pregnant or hoping to be soon, check CDC travel health notices before you book.

Two-Country Trips That Work

South America's borders are made for combining, especially in the south.

• Torres del Paine and El Calafate: about five hours apart by road through the Cerro Castillo border crossing.
• Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento: an hour or so by ferry across the River Plate.
• Iguazú Falls (Argentina) and Foz do Iguaçu: see both sides of the falls in two days.
• San Pedro de Atacama and Salar de Uyuni: the three-day jeep circuit from Uyuni can finish at the Chilean border.
• Machu Picchu and the Galápagos Islands: Lima has direct flights to Quito and Guayaquil, the Galápagos gateways.
• Lake Titicaca: the lake straddles Peru and Bolivia, so a crossing toward Bolivia is natural.

Within one country, Mendoza with Buenos Aires, Cartagena with the Rosario Islands and Barú, or Rio de Janeiro with Paraty all make easy pairs. Chile's Colchagua Valley and Valparaíso both sit within a few hours of Santiago, which is also the gateway to Easter Island (Rapa Nui).

South America Honeymoon FAQ