Hey there!

I'm planning a trip to South America for 2025, and I'm not sure where to start. I'm looking for great spots to explore nature rather than fancy locations. Thinking about starting with Colombia, then heading to Brazil and Argentina. Are these good choices? I'll be traveling with my boyfriend. Thanks for any tips!

IMO, the best place to start would be with guidebooks, many of which include recommendations about places where you can explore nature. You might check your local library. Happy planning!

Ariana, keep in mind that you're talking about a continent here. It would be like starting your visit to the United States in Maine, jumping to Kansas and finishing in Southern California. Doable, but you'd miss much of the experience.
Think about concentrating on a couple of countries near each other -- Colombia would be a great jumping off place - you can easily spend a week or more just in that country.
I'd skip Venezuela for now, but right next door are the northern countries on the Atlantic; Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. All significantly different.
Another option is to head west to Ecuador or Peru. The Andes, Inca history and deserts are fascinating on the Pacific Coast of S.A.
Above all, Have A Wonderful Time!

kja makes an excellent point re starting with a guidebook. South America is huge and if you dont know where to start, I would pickup a South America guide book on ebay or from a library and try and narrow down what you want to see and do.

You can either take a "top down" approach i.e. pick a country and identify what it is you want to see in that (or those countries ) , or a "bottom up) approach i.e identify what specific sites or places you want to visit and work out how best to fit them into an itinerary .

Importnat questions include:

1. how long have you got?
2. when are you going?
3. what is your budget?

All of these will have a big impact on your choices.

Nature seems to be a big factor for you. South America is arguably the most diverse continent on the planet encompassing the Andes to the Amazon and everything in between.

My wife and I have travelled extensively throughout the continent , usually for longer trips of circa 6 months which has enabled us to see multiple countries in one trip. I that is you aim then consider open jaw flights into one city and out of another to avoid back-tracking . On one trip we flew into Lima, traveled around Peru and then went overland through Ecuador to Colombia. There are endless variations you could do. Some countries combine better than others - Peru/Bolivia, Argentina/Chile, Argentina/Bolivia.

We have only been to Brazil briefly, partly because the thought of learning yet another language was too daunting. If you don't speak Spanish already , I would strongly recommend learning the basics before you go . Even 30 mins a day on Duolingo will enhance your experience immensely.

Here is a link to our blog which covers some of our travels in SA https://accidentalnomads.com

Make sure to get good travel insurance before you book your trip.

Also, where are you flying from? From the west coast you may find it easier to go to Ecuador/Peru (and Chile). From the east coast, Colombia/Argentina and Brazil. There are also a lot of flights to Peru.

Weather is another factor. I like weatherspark for climate planning.

If by "nature" you are interested in the Amazon, I think Peru to Iquitos or some of the lodges in Ecuador are good places to start.

Also a good idea to look into current advisories especially if you are on a time budget. There are often planned protests that can disrupt travel (or worse).

Thanks so much for the thoughtful advice, it’s exactly what I needed as I’m starting to plan!
A guidebook sounds like a great idea to help me figure out where to begin, although I think they might not include tips on safe places to visit.
I’ve got a few months and definitely want to focus on nature. I’m from LA and excited to explore, so the Andes is already high on my list, though I’m not so sure about the Amazon. I hadn’t considered open-jaw flights before, but that’s such a smart tip. I’ll definitely look into it. Peru and Bolivia also seem like a great combo for the time I have.
I’ve been practicing a little Spanish on Duolingo, but now I’ll make more of an effort knowing how much it can enhance the trip.

Thanks for sharing your blog. I’ll check out your travel stories for more ideas!

I’ll be flying from LA, so it’s good to know that Ecuador, Peru, and Chile are more accessible from the west coast. I’m now considering Peru and Ecuador instead of Brazil and Argentina.

Avoiding protests and political issues is definitely a priority for me. I want to avoid any disruptions during the trip. I’ll keep an eye on current advisories and adjust my plans as needed.

Thanks again for all the tips!

With a few months, you can cover Peru well. I really loved Bolivia, especially if you make it to the Salar de Uyuni area. La Paz is amazing, I also went to Potosi and Sucre (which has a university and milder climate than Potosi). It actually is quite a safe country, probably more so than Ecuador. There are a lot of backpackers from other countries around Bolivia.

Peru is by far the easiest for independent travel, I would start there. Note that the Andes do have a rainy season (January-March are the worst most years).

As a nature lover, if you have the budget the Galapagos are very worthwhile. I had avoided going but was happy that I did. I would say the large cities in Ecuador are less safe than those in Peru and Bolivia but with good planning and common sense I would not worry much.

Many guidebooks have sections on safety. Of course, things can change, so one would be well advised to keep an eye on the news and on resources focused on safety, e.g., the U.S. Dept. of State travel advisories.

Safety issues are ever changing so it does pay to keep abreast of the travel advisories issued by key governmental bodies such as the US State Dept and the UK Foreign Office. Worth noting that many consider the US State dept to be very cautious.

Guide books are next to useless on the subject of safety. Peru had major periods of civil unrest a couple of years ago and many Peruvians were killed in protests. Thankfully that seems to be behind them now. More recently Ecuador had many similar problems and whilst the states of emergency are now lifted in many places, there are still a lot of problems. Chatting with our friends Ecuadorian housekeeper this week , she is still concerned for the safety of her family and doesn't consider it safe to travel.

That said, I have probably spend a couple of years travelling around South America and despite all the warnings, I have only been in situations where I felt unsafe on a handful of occasions. I encountered more situations during my month in California a couple of years ago than I did in two years in SA! As always, common sense is your best defence.

Of course guide books can't and don't speak to unexpected or unpredictable safety issues. But the better ones cover typical scams, issues of particular concern to women or gay travelers, etc.

Sorry, kja, but I disagree. As soon as a guide book is published it is out of date and that includes safety as much as location issues. Even if the author as actually visited the country in question (which is increasingly unlikely ) , it will be a couple of years between that visit and publication by which time many of the " typical scams, issues of particular concern to women or gay travellers" will have changed

Your experience obviously differs from mine. But even if the information is out of date, it can heighten one's alertness to potential concerns. From my perspective, the few minutes it takes to check a guide book are well worth it. Agree to disagree!

I've been thinking about crellston's obviously valid point and wondering why I nonetheless find guide books useful for safety information. My guess -- which could be wrong! -- is that I'm thinking of situations in which I'll be traveling to areas that are totally new to me.

I almost never re-visit anything (not for lack of interest, but rather for lack of time and money), and although about half my trips are to European destinations, my trips to other destinations tend to be "firsts" for me -- often first times to an entire region or even continent. And that means that almost everything about the place will be new to me. There are (were) taxi scams? Oh, how do taxis work in place X? Women traveling alone should consider (or should have considered) avoiding a specific district after dark? Hmmm ... would I want to go there on my trip and if so, what precautions should I consider? I find these alerts -- even if outdated -- helpful in determining what I need to learn as I plan my time. And pursuing that information sometimes leads me to other relevant information.

So I HAVE found it useful to review the safety sections of guidebooks. But I'm far less well traveled than crellson. Too, I travel as a solo woman -- not a man with his wife. I think those differences probably matter in this context. Again, I could be wrong.

To be clear: I never rely solely on guide books for safety information, just as I never rely on guide books as a sole source of information about anything. Doesn't mean they aren't useful! At least to me.

Hi Ariana,
You've come to the right place here. This forum is of course, full of seasoned travelers. So is Lonely Planet's ThornTree forum. It has been recently resurrected these past few years over on a sub-Reddit. Although there are fewer members there than back during its popular glory days, there still exist a number of veteran voyageurs who'd be happy to further advise you and your boyfriend about South American travel.
Myself, I'd simply recco Ecuador as a triple-whammy location: its natural attractions include its underrated mountain area plus the obvious extra step over to the Galapagos. And neighboring Peru would make a logical add-on to any Ecuadorian itinerary.

Never been to Colombia but one of the long-time members on that above ThornTree forum rates it as his fave place on the planet - his wife apparently feels the same way. Poster 'dcd' here did an Argentine TR just last year, if memory serves.
Brazil has an unusual aspect to offer in that it is the undisputed best place on that continent for music. Incredible range of offerings that way.
Good Luck!
I am done. The end.

I just came back from Argentina, and I highly recommend checking out personalized tours through https://gowithguide.com/argentina I did a custom tour to Patagonia, and it was incredible definitely worth it if you're into nature. Colombia and Brazil are also fantastic picks with stunning landscapes, especially if you're looking for adventure. Enjoy your trip!

"Patagonia" is a rather broad term and extends into Chile, including both the relatively boring flat plains and stunning Torres del Paine. Best visited in northern hemisphere's "winter" through to 'spring", since the seasons are reversed. It can be very windy down there, especially so in our "fall". There have been a few trip reports for that on Fodor's but you can also check "lastorres.com" which is one of the major providers of lodging in TdP. The other is "Vertice Patagonia". To access Patagonia, you can fly from Santiago to Punta Arenas, or in season Puerto Natales. There are several seasonal ferries if you have a lot of time. It is possible to get down to Ushuaia or Puerto Williams if you want to go to Tierra del Fuego. For that, a detailed guidebook is a good idea.

Going across the land border between Argentina and Chile can be a bit complicated, the two countries haven't always been the best of friends.

I am not clicking on the above links in post #16.