Where to Go in South America in February

South America in February is one long, glorious celebration. Carnaval season takes over most of the continent this month, blanketing cities in colour, music, and spectacular street parties. It’s still the height of summer across much of the south, making February a fantastic month for outdoor adventures in Patagonia. And as the end-of-year holiday rush begins to ease, the most popular destinations see crowds start to thin out too.

Dreaming of dancing in Rio, cruising the Amazon, watching wildlife in the Galápagos, or hiking Patagonia’s iconic trails? Then February is your ideal month to explore South America.

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South America in February - Overview

Best City Escapes in February

• São Paulo, Salvador de Bahia & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Cartagena, Colombia

Best Wilderness & Wildlife Experiences in February

• Patagonia, Argentina & Chile
• Amazon River Cruising
• Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
• Barranquilla Carnival & the Magic of Colombia Cruise
• Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

A thin layer of rainwater transforms the Uyuni Salt Flats into a vast natural mirror, one of the best places to visit in South America in February.

Here’s a quick overview of the best places to visit in South America in February:

• Carnaval is here, and in February it reaches its full, magnificent crescendo. Rio de Janeiro hosts the most famous celebration on the planet, but spectacular parties light up São Paulo, Salvador de Bahia, and cities all over the continent.

• Patagonia is in its late-summer prime, with slightly smaller crowds than January, still-great hiking conditions, and better availability across lodges and refugios. February can be the sweet spot for a Patagonian adventure.

• The central Andes are cloudy and rainy, which makes it a poor month for hiking in Peru and Bolivia. That said, if Machu Picchu by train is on the agenda, you’ll find a quieter, more atmospheric visit than at peak season.

• The Amazon is in flood season, which is actually ideal for river cruising. High water levels open up channels and lagoons that are inaccessible at other times of year, making February excellent for spotting wildlife deep in the jungle.

• The Galápagos are warm and active, with short daily showers that barely dent the experience. Waters are at their warmest, making for excellent snorkelling. Wildlife, as always in the Galápagos, puts on a great show.

• Colombia’s dry season is in full swing, making it a great month for Cartagena, the Caribbean coast, and the lush national parks of the interior. And if you time it right, you can experience Barranquilla’s spectacular UNESCO-recognised Carnival. It isone of South America’s great February highlights!

• Uyuni Salt Flats are at their most magical in January and February, the rainiest months on the Bolivian Altiplano. Rains on salt flats translate to peak reflections season on the world’s largest salt flat.

A quick reference guide to the best places to visit in South America in February

Best City Escapes in February

São Paulo, Salvador de Bahia & Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

February is Carnaval month, and Brazil does it better than anywhere else on earth. Rio de Janeiro hosts the most famous spectacle of all, with samba schools competing in the Sambadrome in a jaw-dropping display of colour, fancy foot moves, and elaborate costumes that has to be seen to be believed. Our ultimate guide to Rio Carnival covers everything you need to know before you go.

São Paulo and Salvador de Bahia offer equally thrilling, if slightly smaller-scale, parties, each with their own distinct personality and style.

Beyond the Carnaval madness, February is also a fantastic time to explore Brazil’s cities in summer warmth. It’s all so easy to include a few days of blissful R&R on a stretch of impossibly turquoise beach south of Rio.

Rio de Janeiro’s Carnaval reaches its peak in February, with the Sambadrome samba school parades among the most spectacular events on the planet.

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Buenos Aires, Argentina

With average daytime temperatures in the high-20sC (around 77F) and long, languid evenings, Buenos Aires is an absolute dream to visit in February. It’s still high season in the Argentinian capital, so booking accommodation in advance is wise, but the flip side is that you experience a city thriving with life and in full summer bloom.

With an endless array of sightseeing, shopping, and dining options, not to mention theatres, tango nights, museums, and some of the best steak on the planet. For inspiration, check out our top 10 things to do in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires in February is warm and buzzing, perfect for long evenings out, tango shows and late dinners.

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Cartagena, Colombia

February falls in the heart of Colombia’s dry season, which makes Cartagena one of the best places to visit in South America this month. Fewer deluges means less chance of travel disruption, and the colonial architecture of the walled city absolutely glows in the dry-season sunshine. The dreamy islands just off the coast are also at their most inviting.

If you want to combine a city escape with a tropical beach stretch in one short trip, this is your answer.

February is one of Cartagena’s best months, with dry skies, warm temperatures, and the walled city at its most photogenic.

 

 

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Best Wilderness & Wildlife Experiences in February

Patagonia, Argentina & Chile

Patagonia in February is, for many, the perfect time of year to travel, and our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Patagonia explains why. The summer heat is still peaking yet the end-of-crowds are noticeably thinning out, so you reap better prices, quieter trails, and overall a more intimate experience.

Trekking in Torres del Paine and Los Glaciares National Park is superb this month, with ideal temperatures for long days on foot. Every lodge and refugio is open, wildlife sightings are excellent (especially at Península Valdés), and the lakes are even warm enough to swim in  (especially if you’re a penguin or from the far north of the planet.) 

For luxury expedition cruising of the Chilean Fjords, February is arguably the best month of the year.

February brings long sunny days, thinning crowds, and peak conditions for hiking and cruising in Patagonia.

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Amazon River Cruising

As hinted at the top, February is one of the best months for a luxury Amazon River cruise. The Amazon receives high rainfall this month, sending water levels surging and opening up a stunning network of channels that are completely inaccessible during the dry season. You get to explore flooded forest and remote lagoons you wouldn’t otherwise ever get to see, and cruising these backwaters, all the while spotting pink river dolphins, caimans, macaws, and monkeys from the deck, is a very different experience to a lodge-based jungle visit in low-water season.

Read our guide to the best wildlife experiences in the Amazon for a taste of what to expect.

High water levels in February open up remote Amazon channels that are inaccessible at other times of year — a highlight of river cruising.

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Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

February is not the most popular month to visit the Galápagos, mainly because daily showers are the norm, even though they are short-lived. If you're after the best value-for-money month, though, this is it. Prices are lower than average, and there’s a wider choice of Galápagos yachts available. The rains also bring the warmest temperatures of the year, so snorkelling is ironically at its best in February.

Wildlife will be abundant this month, because it is the Galápagos after all. Those gorgeous courtship displays continue, with abundant nesting, and plenty of marine iguana and sea lion action. For a Galápagos cruise at a great price with warm water and excellent wildlife, February is the underdog of the year.

See our best time to visit the Galápagos Islands guide for the full picture.

February in the Galápagos means warm water, quieter yachts, and wildlife encounters as extraordinary as any other time of year.

See our full range of Galápagos Tours and Cruises

Barranquilla Carnival & the Magic of Colombia Cruise

While Rio grabs the global headlines, Colombia has its own Carnaval, and it's a serious contender. The Barranquilla Carnival is a UNESCO Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage, a four-day explosion of cumbia, vallenato, elaborate costumes, and street dancing that takes over the city every February. If you happen to be in Colombia during Carnival season, building in a visit to Barranquilla before or after Cartagena is well worth considering.

Barranquilla is also the starting point for the Magic of Colombia river cruise, an eight-day journey along the magnificent Magdalena River. The cruise operates year-round and includes an exclusive onboard Carnaval celebration on the first evening. So, even if the February festival dates don’t match with your trip, you’ll still get to experience all the music, dancing, and colour that Barranquilla is famous for. Here’s what to expect on Amawaterway’ Colombia river cruise.

Barranquilla’s Carnival is a UNESCO-recognised celebration and one of the most exuberant festivals in South America — a spectacular way to start a Magdalena River cruise.

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Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

January and February are also the rainiest months on the Bolivian Altiplano, which sounds like a reason to stay away from the Uyuni Salt Flats, but the opposite is true.

When thin sheets of rainwater settle across the world’s largest salt flat, the surface transforms into a vast natural mirror. It reflects the sky so perfectly that it becomes impossible to tell where the earth ends and the clouds begin. It’s one of the most extraordinary, ethereal natural spectacles on the planet and something we think everyone should experience at least once in life.

It's worth mentioning here that heavy rain can restrict access to certain parts of the salar, including Incahuasi Island. Heading out with an experienced local operator who knows the conditions is important as they'll know exactly where to go. For photographers and adventurers who want to see Uyuni at its most surreal, February is the month to go.

Read Tara's first-hand account of the Uyuni Salt Flats for a real sense of the experience.

Mirror reflection of the sunset sky on the Uyuni Salt Flats during rainy season, Bolivia.

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At Viva Expeditions, we’ve travelled South America in every season, summer, winter, and the wet, and we keep coming back for more.

Browse our full range of South America tours and contact our Destination Specialists for personalised advice on the best places to visit in South America in February.

Planning a trip for a slightly different time of year? Check out our guides to South America travel in January and South America travel in March, too.