South America
South America offers the best of two worlds: the natural one, in the Amazon, Galapagos, and the northern reaches of Antarctica; and the urban one, from beautiful Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro, Caracas, and Montevideo. Itineraries range from seven days to several weeks and often cruise between Rio or Buenos Aires and Valparaiso, Chile (relatively close to Santiago). Cruises that focus on the Amazon River typically sail between Manaus, Brazil, and Rio or Buenos Aires. If you’ve got the time, see it all with a cruise circumnavigating the continent.
What We Love
Colonial Architecture: Beautiful churches, theaters, mansions, and grand boulevards built by the Spanish and Portuguese are found in cities throughout Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
Cultural Mix: From the African, Spanish, Portuguese, and indigenous peoples of Brazil to the migration of Germans to Chile and Argentina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, South America is as multiculti as they come.
Fjords: The Chilean fjords are even more spectacular than the Norwegian and Alaskan ones, though only small ships can get through them and around Cape Horn.
Best Known For
The Amazon: The mighty Amazon River flows from Peru into Brazil and empties into the Atlantic. It’s the quintessential jungle river, complete with piranhas and alligators.
Machu Picchu: The spectacular 15th-century Inca sight high up in the Andes Mountains of Peru is definitely worth a visit — many cruise lines offer multiday overland trips there.
European-Flavored Cities: Parts of Buenos Aires feel like Paris, sections of Lima and Montevideo are Spanish, and Rio de Janeiro still embraces its Portuguese past.