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South America
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated August 2026
One country book so far — Brazil — with the rest of the continent still to be written. The Guild's chapter on South America begins here.
Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
The Guild's chapter on South America
South America is the continent American travellers most often put off, and most often wish they had seen sooner. The flights are long but they run north and south rather than east and west, which means almost no jet lag to fight: leave Miami after dinner and wake up over Rio. Prices on the ground are gentle, the coastline is enormous, and the cities have a warmth that surprises first-time visitors. The Guild's chapter on South America is one book today — Brazil — and we would rather tell you that outright than dress a single shelf up as a library. Argentina, Peru and Chile are on the writing desk.
The countries on the shelf
One country book so far. It is a good one, and it is the only one we can honestly point you to today.
Brazil is roughly the size of the continental United States and has a coastline to match — Rio's beaches under their granite peaks, São Paulo's restaurants and galleries, the Amazon in the north and the Iguaçu Falls in the far south. Two or three weeks is a fair minimum if you want to see more than one region, and domestic flights rather than buses are how Brazilians themselves cover the distances. One important piece of planning: the State Department is unambiguous that US citizens need a visa to enter Brazil and must apply for and be approved before travelling.
- Brazil Travel Guide Book
- Where to Stay in Rio de Janeiro Guide
- Where to Stay in São Paulo Guide
- Best Time to Visit Brazil When to go
- Compare Rio de Janeiro hotels Trip.com
Elsewhere in South America
There is no Guild book for these countries yet — only the honest note that they are coming. In the meantime, here are hotel searches for the cities readers write to us about.
No Guild book exists for these yet. These links open a hotel search on Trip.com, our booking partner — they are not Guild guides, and we have marked them so.
- Buenos Aires, Argentina hotel search
- Lima, Peru hotel search
- Cusco, Peru hotel search
- Cartagena, Colombia hotel search
- Quito, Ecuador hotel search
When to go
Most of South America lies south of the equator, so the calendar turns over: December to March is high summer, June to August is winter. The one exception to keep in mind is the tropical north, where the year divides into wet and dry rather than hot and cold.
December to March — the southern summer
Hot, humid and festive along the Brazilian coast, with afternoon thunderstorms and the highest prices of the year. Carnival falls in February or early March — in 2027 it begins on Friday 5 February — and Rio hotel rates roughly double around it, so book far ahead or plan deliberately around it. This is also the only sensible window for Patagonia at the far south of the continent.
April to June — the shoulder
Our pick for Rio and the southeast. The heat and humidity ease off, the sea is still warm, the crowds have gone home and airfares fall away sharply after Carnival. Days are shorter but reliably sunny, and this is when the coastal cities feel most like themselves rather than like a resort.
June to September — the dry winter
The best months for wildlife and for the interior. In the Pantanal wetlands the water drops and the animals concentrate, which is why photographers go then; the Amazon is easier to walk; and the Andean countries to the west are in their dry season, which is the right time for the high mountains. Southern Brazil genuinely gets cold, so pack a coat for São Paulo evenings.
October and November — the quiet stretch
The cheapest time to fly to Brazil and one of the pleasantest to travel. Spring warmth is returning, the summer crowds have not yet arrived and hotels are open to negotiation. Rain is picking up in the southeast by late November, but rarely for a whole day at a time.
Questions readers ask about South America
How many South American countries does the Guild cover?
One so far: Brazil. It has a full country book, guides to where to stay in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and a month-by-month best-time-to-go page. Argentina, Peru and Chile are being written and will appear on this page when they are ready. We list only what is actually written — if a country is not on the shelf above, we have not covered it yet.
Do Americans need a visa for Brazil?
Yes. The US State Department's country information page states plainly that you need a visa to enter Brazil and that you must apply for and be approved for it before you travel. Brazil operates an online e-visa for tourists. Apply well before departure rather than in the last fortnight, and confirm current requirements and fees with the Brazilian authorities, since these rules have changed more than once in recent years.
When is the best time to visit South America?
For Brazil's coast, April to June is the Guild's pick — warm, dry enough, far cheaper than summer and free of the Carnival crush. December to March is high summer: wonderful for the beaches and the festivals, but hot, humid and expensive. June to September is the dry winter, which is the right season for the Pantanal, the Amazon and the Andes further west. Remember that the seasons run opposite to ours everywhere south of the equator.
How long is the flight, and how bad is the jet lag?
Better than you expect. Miami to Rio de Janeiro is roughly nine hours, New York to São Paulo about ten, and both are usually overnight. Because the route runs north to south rather than across the Atlantic, the time difference from the US East Coast is only one to three hours depending on the season, so most travellers arrive tired but not disoriented — a real advantage for anyone who finds European jet lag hard going.
Ready to plan your South American trip?
Compare hotels, flights and tours across Brazil and beyond — booked through Trip.com.
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