The route
We started in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of November 2024 and finished in Mexico at the end of January 2025. In between, our photos place us in twelve countries.
- Brazil: Rio de Janeiro and the Iguazú Falls
- Argentina: Puerto Iguazú, the other side of the falls
- Bolivia: La Paz and the Uyuni salt flats
- Peru: Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu
- Ecuador: Tena in the Amazon, then Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal in the Galápagos
- Colombia: Medellín, Tayrona, Santa Marta and Cartagena
- Panama: Panama City, San Blas and Bocas del Toro
- Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio over Christmas
- Nicaragua: Granada, Ometepe and San Juan del Sur
- Guatemala: Acatenango, Lake Atitlán and Semuc Champey
- Belize: San Pedro on Ambergris Caye
- Mexico: Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres
The days we still talk about
A rare purple sunset on the Uyuni salt flats, on a day we called the best ever at the time. Machu Picchu. Island hopping in the Galápagos. Our first South American football match, Atlético Nacional in Medellín. The overnight hike up Acatenango to watch Fuego erupt next door, and the turquoise pools of Semuc Champey.
What it taught us
La Paz, Uyuni and Cusco all sit well above 3,000 metres, and the distances between the big sights are long, so a route like this needs rest days planned in rather than squeezed in. Much of our Central and South America advice comes from this trip, and the guides below are written with it in mind.
