Hello,
Considering South America for several months. Would really appreciate recommendations for a safe/progressive/ town/city that has a good presence of natural trees and plants and we may find some other English speakers (but not all). Flexible on the country.
Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
Though I suspect that your title refers to the northern-hemisphere winter, you may want to be explicit about this -- south of the equator, where most of South America is, it's winter right now.
synapse,
Please clarify which months and whether north or south of the equator. A decent part of South America is still in the northern hemisphere.
synapse,
I am getting the feeling you are not a real person. AI perhaps?
With over 200 posts, going back to 2019, probably not AI.
Thanks for the infor David. I should have thought to check. It's a shame how we have become somewhat more suspicious. I have noticed a bit more skepticism on the forum in the past few months. Dommage!
South America has many countries. Care to specify which ones are of interest to you? One city in the entire continent for several months? Their winter or our winter? What months? The northern SA countries are hot year round.
If i had to pick only one - Buenos Aires. But i wouldn't necessarily want to be there for months. How's your Spanish?
Hello,
Thank you for the request for clarification. The time of year being referred to is the Northern Hemisphere fall/winter. The goal is to choose an area in South America that will be experiencing spring/summer.
Latitudinally south of the Tropic of Capricorn. Ideally looking for weather patterns similar to the Pennsylvania/New York, Southern Vermont and New Hampshire area
Looking for some English speaking, Safe (want to be able to walk at night without feeling too uncomfortable), good architecture. Small-mid-sized town or outside of a large city OK too.
Thank you
We have visited South America many times in the past 14 years.
You refer to Winter, I assume you reference Winter in North America.
Uruguay, Argentina and Chile are great and it would be their Summer when you visit.
Those countries a much more like Europe than the rest of South America.
Recommend a two week cruise around Cape Horn from Buenos Aires to Chile or in reverse.
All those countries have plenty of English speakers.
I don't recommend just staying in one town or city. There is a lot to see in all three countries. Santiago, Chile is worth 4-5 days. Valparaíso is an interesting city on the coast.
Other great countries to visit are Peru and Ecuador.
Ecuador has Quito, its capital which has much history, but also it has part of the Amazon as does Peru to visit. The greatest thing to see in Ecuador is the Galapagos Islands, which are very, very special, but most tours there are expensive. Gate 1 Travel has a good tour of Ecuador that does three nights in those islands. We did a cruise for a week that was fantastic, but expensive.
Peru is our favorite S. American country. The cuisine there is very special and excellent. Lima is worth 3-4 days and has much history.
The best part of Peru is south including Cusco, the former Incan Empire's capital and worth 2-3 days. Then on to the Sacred Valley toward Machu Picchu. Do a tour that includes this and Machu Picchu. It is amazing. Machu Picchu is a complete Incan city almost intact that was only rediscovered a little over a hundred years ago. We used a great tour company called PeruAgency.com for our four day tour of that area and the cost was very inexpensive.
One thing about visiting Peru and Ecuador, is don't go during the rainy season, which would include much of the months of Jan-March.
Go in April or May.
synapse,
I don't know about where I would stay for several months, but in 2015 we spent 17 days in Chile and had a wonderful time. Santiago was a nice city, well-cared for and easy to navigate. We felt comfortable in all the areas we walked in, felt safe and comfortable on the subway, and noticed that automobile drivers were courteous re pedestrians. (They stopped at red lights, didn't terrify people crossing the street, and followed good driving behavior (unlike, Boston, Rome, New York or DC). There was plenty to do in the city. You could get into the Andes foothills relatively quickly. We flew to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) for a great 4 night stay. We also flew to Punta Arenas from which we took a four day cruise on a small ship (about 150 passengers) through the Straits of Magellan and the islands at the tip of So. America. It was a scientifically-oriented cruise, but with good food and drink and excellent excursions to Isla de Los Penguinos and other islands, which we accessed by Zodiac boats. We spent an extra day in Punta Arenas. Also took a full day wine-tasting tour in the Colchagua Valley. Even with 17 days we didn't have time to visit Valparaiso or the Atacama Desert. It was a great vacation! Santiago is a very up-to-date city. I think a month there would suffice for me, and allow time to see what I missed (the Atacama, a trip into the lower reaches of the Andes, Valparaiso, Torres del Paine N/P, and a couple of other N/Ps.) Other wine tours would be good (Aconcagua Valley and Colchagua Valley).
Maybe 3-4 weeks there would do for me, but I am not into some of the hiking and camping which can be done in some of the many beautiful parks in Chile. That could easily add another two weeks (a week each in 2 of the parks).
Good luck in your search!
P.S. We were there in mid-March to beginning of April. Ideal weather in Santiago and Easter Island, and pretty darn nice in Punta Arenas also! Warm gear needed for the cruise and island visits.
If you’re already considering Argentina and Patagonia, I’d strongly suggest looking beyond the usual “headline” destinations and spending some time in Puerto Madryn and the Península Valdés area.
This region offers a very different side of Patagonia: incredible wildlife (whales, penguins, sea lions), wide open landscapes, coastal hikes, and a much more relaxed pace compared to the southern circuit. It’s also one of the best places in Argentina to experience nature without needing long treks or extreme logistics.
One important thing to know while planning: many travelers researching Patagonia from abroad get discouraged by prices they see online, especially for tours and transportation. In reality, costs on the ground can be significantly lower if you understand how things work locally and avoid the most visible “international-facing” operators.
I live in the area and see this all the time — visitors who thought Patagonia was “too expensive” end up being pleasantly surprised once they have real, local information and flexible options. Accommodation, car rentals and excursions can often be arranged more efficiently than what appears in Google searches.
If wildlife, nature, photography and authentic local experiences are high on your list, Madryn and Península Valdés are absolutely worth considering as part of your Patagonia trip. Happy to answer questions if you’re trying to figure out timing, logistics or realistic budgets.
