South America Cruise Port Guides
Cruise port guides for South America — Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Cartagena, Lima, and more. Local cuisine, cultural tips, and safety advice.
Buenos Aires
Argentina
Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America — a city of tango, steakhouses, ornate architecture, and a passionate intensity unlike anywhere else. The food, the nightlife, and the neighbourhood character are intoxicating.
Cartagena
Colombia
Cartagena is Colombia's Caribbean jewel — a UNESCO-listed walled city of colonial balconies draped in bougainvillea, vibrant street life, Afro-Caribbean music, and some of the best seafood in South America.
Isla Margarita
Venezuela
Isla Margarita is Venezuela's Caribbean resort island — duty-free shopping, golden sand beaches, and warm turquoise water. Political instability has affected tourism, but the island itself offers natural beauty.
Lima (Callao)
Peru
Callao is the gateway to Lima — South America's gastronomic capital with a food scene that rivals any city on earth. Ceviche, pisco sours, pre-Columbian ruins, and a vibrant coastal setting await.
Manaus
Brazil
Manaus is the gateway to the Amazon — a jungle city at the meeting of the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. The famous 'Meeting of the Waters' where two differently coloured rivers flow side by side is a natural wonder.
Montevideo
Uruguay
Montevideo is South America's most liveable capital — a relaxed, cultured city of art deco architecture, endless beaches, mate-drinking locals, and the best steak you may ever eat.
Puerto Montt
Chile
Puerto Montt is the gateway to Chile's Lake District — a region of snow-capped volcanoes, emerald lakes, and German-influenced towns. Nearby Puerto Varas and the Petrohue Falls are spectacularly scenic.
Punta Arenas
Chile
Punta Arenas is Chile's gateway to the Strait of Magellan, penguin colonies, and the wild Patagonian steppe. This wind-swept frontier city is the jumping-off point for some of the most dramatic landscapes in South America.
Punta del Este
Uruguay
Punta del Este is South America's St Tropez — a glamorous resort peninsula with stunning beaches, the famous hand sculpture, and a sophisticated dining scene attracting the Argentine and Brazilian elite.
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most spectacularly set cities — Christ the Redeemer towering above, Sugarloaf Mountain rising from Guanabara Bay, legendary beaches, and a rhythm of samba that pulses through everything.
Salvador
Brazil
Salvador is the soul of Brazil — Afro-Brazilian culture, capoeira in the streets, colonial architecture, and the most vibrant Carnival in the world. The Pelourinho historic centre is a UNESCO site of colour and music.
Santiago (Valparaiso)
Chile
Valparaiso is Chile's bohemian port city — a UNESCO site of colourful hills, street art, funicular railways, and Pablo Neruda's eclectic house. It's a creative, gritty counterpoint to polished Santiago.
Santos (Sao Paulo)
Brazil
Santos is the cruise gateway to Sao Paulo — South America's largest city with world-class museums, incredible food from every continent, and a vibrant cultural scene. Santos itself has beautiful beaches and coffee history.
Stanley (Falkland Islands)
Falkland Islands (UK)
Stanley is the tiny capital of the Falkland Islands — a British outpost in the South Atlantic with extraordinary wildlife, windswept landscapes, and a community of 2,500 people living among penguins, sea lions, and albatrosses.
Ushuaia
Argentina
Ushuaia is the world's southernmost city — a frontier town at the End of the World, perched between the Andes and the Beagle Channel. Gateway to Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego National Park.