Month-to-Month Guide for Adventure Travel in South America
Our expert guide to the best time to visit South America
South America is a year-round adventure destination. However, because the continent spans both hemispheres, its many microclimates and weather patterns vary considerably throughout the year. While the Andes and Patagonia experience classic four-season cycles, the Amazon basin and South America’s tropical coastlines primarily alternate between wet and dry seasons. When to visit and what to do really depend on South America’s distinct geographic zones.
Our month-to-month guide can help you determine the best months for taking advantage of the continent’s many adventure offerings, whatever your favorite activity may be.
Important Takeaways
- South America is a year-round adventure destination.
- The continent has many microclimates and diverse weather patterns.
- Despite its year-round accessibility, where you go and what you do depend on the time of the year.
- With this handy month-by-month guide you can easily plan ahead.
January
Patagonian summer is at its peak in January, with long daylight hours. While it’s also said to have the year’s warmest temperatures, the region’s weather can truly change at the drop of a dime. Still, it’s prime-time for experiencing the region’s many multi-day treks, such as Torres del Paine’s legendary W Trek and O Circuit and Los Glaciares National Park’s Mount Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre trails. January is also the start of the warm, wet season in the Galapagos, and an excellent time for snorkeling and swimming around the archipelago. While you can visit the Andes mountains in January, be prepared for afternoon showers and occasional trail closures.
Top Destination: Torres del Paine National Park (Chile) and Los Glaciares National Park (Argentina)
Adventure Type: Multi-day hiking
What to Know: While January sees some of the longest daylight hours of the year in Patagonia, December through February is also when the trail is at its busiest. Consider the shoulder seasons of October to November and March to April for less foot traffic and superb golden hour light. MT Sobek leads treks November through March in both Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares national parks.
February
February is another great month for trekking in southern Patagonia. It’s also the height of the flood season in the Amazon rainforest. While rain showers and humidity are prevalent, the month’s high waters allow small boats to navigate deep into the vaárzea (flooded forests). In turn, this provides an excellent opportunity to spot birds, sloths, and monkeys residing in the treetops. February is also the month for peak underwater visibility in the Galapagos and a perfect time to see marine iguanas, sea lions, and even schooling hammerheads. Being northern South America’s dry season, you might consider hitting the interior trails of Guyana’s vast rainforest, where giant anteaters, black caimans, and even jaguars call home.
Note that Peru’s Inca Trail closes annually for all of February for trail maintenance.
Top Destination: Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier near El Calafate
Adventure type: Ice trekking
What to Know: Both half-day (3.5 to 4 hours) and full-day tours (8 to 9 hours) of the glacier are available, and include walking across glacier crevasses and sinkholes. The full-day tour is more rigorous. Hielo & Aventura, based in El Calafate, is the exclusive operator for ice trekking on the Perito Moreno Glacier. However, you can marvel at its calving blocks of ice on one of MT Sobek’s Argentine hiking tours.
March
March is an ideal shoulder season across the continent, with subtle weather transitions throughout. Southern Patagonia starts seeing its fall colors, along with fewer crowds. The region’s notorious winds also start to die down, making it a great time for trekking before the trail season ends. It’s right at the end of the dry season in Colombia, making the month an ideal time to tackle the country’s challenging Lost City trek.
Top Destination: Colombia’s Ciudad Perdida/Lost City trek
Adventure type: Multi-day jungle trek
What to Know: While the weather in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range, where the trek takes place, remains warm and humid, the trails are much less muddy than later in the year. River crossings are also typically easier than during the wet season.
April
Another great month for enjoying the continent’s shoulder season, April sees northern South America transition into spring, and the south continues to display its fall colors. Prices are generally lower, crowds are fewer, and almost every region has a little something to offer to travelers adventure-wise.
Top Destination: The Inca Trail or the Salkantay Trail to Machu Picchu
Adventure Type: High-altitude trekking
What to Know: Hiking during this month delivers a perfect balance of lush mountain landscapes, gushing waterfalls, and drier conditions. The Inca Trail is highly regulated, and Peruvian law requires all hikers to hire an authorized guide or licensed tour operator. The Salkantay Trail is a great, less-crowded alternative. While a guide is not required, MT Sobek offers a breathtaking 10-day trekking tour with a mix of comfort and luxury lodges en route.
May
May marks the transition to the dry season across both the Andes and Amazon, clearer, cooler skies, receding rivers, and far fewer crowds before the June-to-August summer rush. Southern Patagonia is heading into its winter season, and many of its treks are limited or shut down completely. It remains a prime time for Inca Trail trekking and Galapagos snorkeling.
Top Destination: The Amazon: Peru, Ecuador, or Brazil
Adventure Type: Canoeing, trekking, and wildlife spotting
What to Know: While the Amazon River and its tributaries remain flooded, there’s a gradual drop in water levels. This makes it easier to spot wildlife such as capybaras and caimans along the river banks. Trails are also less muddy, so you have a perfect balance of accessible jungle treks and water exploration. You can explore the wonders of Ecuador’s Upper Amazon rainforest with MT Sobek’s four-day Sacha Lodge extension after some time in the Galapagos Islands.
June
June is a great month for adventure travel throughout South America’s central and northern regions. The Andes dry season is in full swing, making the mountains ideal for high-altitude trekking, and the Amazon continues its transition from high water to low water, allowing for deeper jungle treks. The month also marks the official start of the ski season in places like Argentina’s Cerro Catedral and Valle Nevado, Chile.
Top Destination: The Yungas Road (“Death Road”), Bolivia
Adventure Type: Downhill mountain biking
What to Know: This 40+ mile descent begins at 15,250 feet in the frigid Andes and drops roughly 11,800 feet to the hot and humid Amazon basin. June is an ideal month to avoid heavy rains and thick fog, cycling instead beneath clear skies and on a firmer, dryer track. While you don’t need to be an expert mountain biker, you do need to know how to brake and handle a bike going downhill. Sheer drops and blind corners are par for the course.
July
July is an interesting month in South America, as its tropical regions and northern Andes feature dry days and clear skies, while widespread snow hits the continent’s deep south. Large swaths of trails like Patagonia’s W Trek are often closed, while northern Patagonia enters its winter ski season. The month is peak season for jungle trekking in the Amazon.
Top Destination: Atacama Desert, Chile
Adventure Type: Hiking; Stargazing
What to Know: Winter (June through August) brings the year’s absolute crispest, clearest, and darkest night skies. Pleasantly warm daytime temperatures make it an ideal month for hiking in the region. The Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is an otherworldly landscape filled with sharp salt ridges, caverns, and massive wind-sculpted rock formations. Most hikes are relatively short, though the air here is thin (the valley sits about 8,200 feet above sea level). Wear sturdy footwear!
August
August is a great month for exploring the central Andes and the Amazon basin, both of which are within the height of their dry seasons. At the same time, northern Patagonia is enjoying its winter ski season, while the southern part of the region is closed to most trekkers as harsh, snowy conditions take hold.
Top Destination: Huayhuash Circuit Trek, Peru
Adventure Type: Alpine trekking
What to Know: Although the days are known for their crystalline skies and warm weather, the nights can get extremely cold. Pack accordingly! The trek itself features long days and multiple alpine passes over 15,000 feet. It’s important to do some high-altitude acclimatization hikes to prepare.
September
September starts to bring snow melt, which feeds the rivers and exposes hiking trails. Wildlife is in full swing, gathering near primary water sources. It’s a great month for spotting migrating marine species along southern Argentina’s Atlantic coast. The Andes’s crisp, clear dry season is at its tail-end, but conditions remain great for high-altitude trekking.
Top Destination: Valdes Peninsula, Argentina
Adventure Type: Wildlife viewing
What to Know: Massive southern right whales pack the peninsula’s sheltered bays, mating and raising calves. Southern elephant seals create coastal spectacles as the males fight for dominance, and Magellanic penguins return from the seas to their nesting grounds. In September, you can see all three simultaneously.
October
The October shoulder season bridges the end of the dry season in the Central Andes with the opening of southern Patagonia’s spring trekking season. This beginning awakening of spring across the Patagonian steppe often results in blooms of bright yellow calafate and fiery red-orange guanaco bush. The Amazon basin is at the heart of its low-water season, making it a great time for deep jungle trekking.
Top Destination: The Pantanal, Brazil
Adventure Type: jaguar tracking
What to Know: The end of the dry season causes wildlife (including jaguars!) to congregate around this large, tropical wetland’s last remaining watering holes and along its riverbanks. Caiman, capybaras, tall jabiru storks, and giant river otters are active and visible daily. While not guaranteed, jaguars are surprisingly easy to see.
November
Patatonia’s deep south is fully reopened for trekking, landscapes are lush in the region’s Lake District, and the continent’s north sees lower crowds, making it a good time for tackling the Inca Trail or exploring the Galapagos. Climbers take to the slopes of Ecuador’s Avenue of the Volcanos and Argentina’s Aconcagua, the highest peak outside of Asia. November also kicks off South America’s prime whitewater rafting season, as spring melt-off fills the Andean rivers.
Top Destination: Juramento River, Argentina
Adventure Type: Whitewater rafting
What to Know: With the arrival of early summer melts, Argentina’s Juramento River swells, making the class II and III rapids at the Peñas Blancas gorge (known for its 65-million-year-old canyon walls) exhilarating!
December
December is summer in Patagonia, with up to 18 hours of daylight. While the region’s hiking trails are fully operational, they’re also at their busiest. The Andes and Amazon enter their wet season, with warm temperatures and heavy—though brief—downpours. The month also marks the peak of South America’s mountaineering season, with the most stable weather for climbing.
Top Destination: Cotopaxi
Adventure Type: high-altitude mountaineering
What to Know: While Cotopaxi is considered a non-technical climb, certified high-altitude guides are mandatory to navigate the glaciated terrain. Some sections require the use of crampons as well as basic mountaineering skills.
MT Sobek has been crafting unforgettable adventures since 1969. Explore all our 2027 departures at mtsobek.com.
FAQs
For regions below the equator, summer runs from December through February and winter from June through August. March through May and September through November are considered shoulder seasons. Areas that are near the equator (like Colombia, Ecuador, and the Amazon) experience consistent tropical climates year-round with wet and dry seasons rather than distinct temperature changes.
It varies by region. While the Andes sees rain from November to April, the Amazon’s heavy rains occur from January to May. In Patagonia, it’s possible to experience all four seasons in literally one day, with rainfall varying wildly depending on the exact location.
Patagonia’s hiking season runs from October through April, with the summer months offering the longest daylight hours (up to 18 hours of sunlight). However, these months are also when the trails are busiest. Opt for the shoulder seasons of October to November and March to April for fewer crowds and highlights like spring wildflowers (October/November) and colorful fall foliage (March/April).
In 1987, MT Sobek launched the very first commercial expedition to completely circumnavigate Torres del Paine’s Paine Massif. This pioneering trip effectively created what is known today as the world-famous O Circuit. We employ vetted, local guides who understand the terrain, changing weather conditions, and history, and arrange everything from securing Inca Trail permits to navigating remote borders (such as crossing between Argentina and Chile in Patagonia). At MT Sobek, we handle all the complex logistics so that you can focus on the journey.
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