The easiest time to travel in South America is early and mid November: most of its destinations are comfortable to be outside then. Below, the best places for each month, and every country’s own seasons, across 15 countries and 244 destinations.
Month by month
For each month, the best places in South America for being outside, for sun at the seaside and for walking, read at midday and spread across the region. Each name opens the map there, in the middle of that month, on that rating.
- January — Being outside: Antofagasta, Medellín, Chincha Alta. Sun: Aracaju, Puerto Ayora, Máncora. Walking: Arequipa, Coquimbo, Ipiales.
- February — Being outside: Antofagasta, Medellín, Malargüe. Sun: Pôrto Seguro, Cartagena, Puerto Ayora. Walking: Cusco, Antofagasta, Ipiales.
- March — Being outside: Antofagasta, Manizales, Malargüe. Sun: Pôrto Seguro, Lima, Puerto Ayora. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ipiales.
- April — Being outside: Antofagasta, Chincha Alta, Manizales. Sun: Puerto Ayora, Mangaratiba, Salinas. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ipiales.
- May — Being outside: Lima, Ouro Prêto, Manizales. Sun: Pôrto Seguro, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Máncora. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Godoy Cruz.
- June — Being outside: Ouro Prêto, Trujillo, Manizales. Sun: Recife, Pôrto Seguro, Playas. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ipiales.
- July — Being outside: Resende, Nazca, Manizales. Sun: Recife, Pôrto Seguro. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ibarra.
- August — Being outside: Ouro Prêto, Huaraz, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Sun: Salvador, Fortaleza, Manta. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Cuenca.
- September — Being outside: Chiclayo, Florianópolis, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Sun: Salvador, Fortaleza, Angra dos Reis. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ibarra.
- October — Being outside: Lima, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Balneário de Camboriú. Sun: Aracaju, Paraty. Walking: Antofagasta, Lima, Ipiales.
- November — Being outside: Lima, Medellín, Santiago. Sun: Aracaju, Iguape. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ipiales.
- December — Being outside: Lima, Iquique, Medellín. Sun: Aracaju, Salinas, São Sebastião. Walking: Antofagasta, Cusco, Ipiales.
Country by country
Each country’s main season, where most of its cities agree. “Varies by place” means no stretch suits most of the country at once; its own guide splits it up.
| Country | Being outside | Sun | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | late Sep to early Dec | late Jan | Apr to mid Oct |
| Bolivia | mid May | rarely good | late Dec to May |
| Brazil | mid May to early Sep | Dec to early Apr | varies by place |
| Chile | mid Nov to mid Jan | varies by place | late Jul to mid Dec |
| Colombia | varies by place | varies by place | varies by place |
| Ecuador | varies by place | varies by place | varies by place |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| French Guiana | rarely good | Jan to Feb | rarely good |
| Guyana | rarely good | late Dec to mid Apr | rarely good |
| Paraguay | mid May to early Jun | mid Apr | late May to early Jun |
| Peru | mid Apr to Jan | varies by place | May to mid Dec |
| South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | rarely good | rarely good | rarely good |
| Suriname | rarely good | late Dec to early Apr | rarely good |
| Uruguay | late Oct to mid Jan | late Jan | Apr to mid Nov |
| Venezuela | rarely good | Nov to mid Apr | rarely good |
The best-known places
The most-visited places with a guide of their own, and each one’s main season. Each season opens the map at its peak.
| Place | Country | Being outside | Sun | Walking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | Brazil | Apr to Nov | Dec to early Apr | mid May to mid Aug |
| Lima | Peru | mid Mar to early Feb | late Jan to Mar | May to mid Dec |
| Santiago | Chile | late Oct to mid Jan | mid to late Feb | mid Mar to early Jul |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | late Sep to Dec | Jan | Apr to early Nov |
| Bogotá | Colombia | late Sep to mid Jun | rarely good | all year |
| Medellín | Colombia | all year | at best fair | mid Jan |
| Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | mid May to early Sep | late Mar to early May | at best fair |
| Cusco | Peru | late Aug to early Jan | rarely good | all year |
| Cartagena | Colombia | rarely good | mid Jan to Mar | rarely good |
| Viña del Mar | Chile | Dec to mid Apr | rarely good | all year |
| Santa Marta | Colombia | rarely good | late Feb | rarely good |
| Villa Carlos Paz | Argentina | mid Sep to mid Nov | mid Dec to early Jan | Apr to mid Oct |
| Fortaleza | Brazil | rarely good | late Apr to early Apr | rarely good |
| Cali | Colombia | rarely good | all year | rarely good |
| Arequipa | Peru | Dec to early Jun | rarely good | all year |
| Quito | Ecuador | all year | rarely good | all year |
Rankings for South America
Best places for sun at ChristmasWhere late December and early January are warm, dry and bright enough to lie out.Best places for sun in FebruaryThe late-winter escape: where February is reliably warm and bright.Best places for sun at EasterWarm, dry weather from late March to mid April.Best places for sun in MayEarly-summer heat before the crowds and before the worst of it.Best places for sun in late OctoberWhere the half-term fortnight is still properly warm.Where it is still warm in NovemberSunbathing weather in the darkest stretch of the northern autumn.Clear skies and warmth in FebruaryThe least cloud anywhere that also feels warm at midday in February.August without the heatComfortable, dry August days in places that do not feel hotter than 26°C.Where to go walking in JanuaryPlaces where the middle of winter is cool, dry walking weather rather than cold or wet.Cool enough to walk in JulyWhere the height of the northern summer is still mild enough for a long day on foot.Best cities for a break in AprilBig cities where April is comfortable for a day on foot between sights.Best cities for a break in OctoberBig cities where October is mild and dry enough to be outside all day.Places that are pleasant most of the yearThe cities with the most weeks a year of comfortable, dry weather for being outdoors.
How this is worked out
Every figure is a decade of weather-station observations blended into one typical year, read at midday local solar time. Places are the region’s towns and cities that draw visitors, and for sun its seaside holiday places. Being outside is the Easy outdoors rating, Sun is Sunbathing and Walking is Active outdoors; a place is named for a month when it rates Good or better across the whole month.