For colourful design hotels, inventive dining scenes, and an otherworldly canyon in the Andes

In a region spanning over 7 million square miles, the best places to go in Central and South America simply depend on what you're looking for. We're talking about two continents touching two oceans, crisscrossed by surging rivers as mighty as the Amazon and the Parantraá, whose lush landscapes and dramatic moonlike deserts are carved by volcanoes, jagged mountain ranges, turquoise lakes, and jaw-dropping waterfalls. Over tens of thousands of years, humans have built thriving cities here -- some which remain and others whose longstanding bones we yearn to peek at.

In selecting our annual list of the Best Places to Go in Central & South America, we were, per usual, faced with a wealth of destinations any traveller would jump to visit. What moved us this year were tales of transformation -- how one Colombian city continues to evolve as a hub for farm-to-table dining and community-focused urban design; or, how the overlooked capital of Paraguay has begun to draw travellers who previously flew over it en route to neighbouring countries, thanks to new restaurants, parks, and boutique hotels. There are also wild landscapes in Northern Patagonia and the Southern Andes, tamed only by new lodges that act as plush launchpads for remote hiking and wildlife spotting. And of course, there are castaway beaches in Central America and off the coast of Brazil, where the palms sway and the living is easy, that will now be quicker to get to courtesy of new train routes and flights. In 2026, what more could we ask for?

This is our list of the Best Places to Go in Central & South America for 2026. Consider it your template for a year very well-travelled.

Paraguay, squeezed between Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia, is one of the least-visited countries in South America. But the landlocked nation has been breaking tourism records of late -- seeing a 53% year-over-year increase in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025.

The capital, Asunción, is an especially burgeoning destination, buoyed by ongoing projects like the effort to revitalise its historic centre; new developments like a pedestrian area and dining complex called La Cuadrita and the forthcoming Distríto Perseverancia, a walkable planned neighbourhood anchored by a nearly three-acre elevated park, set to open in late 2025; and sustainable infrastructure efforts, including the summer 2025 rollout of new electric buses. But Asunción also has all the makings of a well-rounded city getaway. Young chefs are carving out their own "new Paraguayan" cuisine at creative restaurants: Cocina Clandestina and Pakuri, both spotlighted by 50 Best Discovery; Óga, featured in The New York Times; and Patio Colonial, the latest iteration of the celebrated 13 Fronteras in Buenos Aires, which opened inside a century-old mansion in Asunción this spring. The growing specialty coffee scene -- exemplified by favourites like Kaffe'i (opened late 2024) and El Cafetero -- gets a spotlight at the annual Asu Coffee Fest. There's a new energy in the city's hotel scene too, with grande dames like Gran Hotel del Paraguay, opened in 1921, being joined by newer boutique properties like Factoria, La Misión, and Palmaroga Hotel Asunción (which became the country's first Hilton property when it opened after a renovation at the end of 2024). Travellers will find no shortage of cultural institutions, including the new Museo de Economía; for a peek at Asunción's contemporary art scene, head to the Fundación Texo or the La Chispa cultural center. And you can learn more about the country's Guaraní Indigenous groups at museums like Museo del Barro or the Dr. Andrés Barbero Ethnographic Museum. Indigenous influence is palpable throughout Paraguay, and not only is Guaraní an official language, but the large majority of Paraguayans are also fluent, making the country unique among its South American neighbours. -- Hannah Walhout

The Chiriquí Province, roughly 300 miles southwest of Panama City and hugging the Pacific, has emerged over the past decade as a castaway-style escape. The area includes La Amistad International Park, an over 400,000-hectare UNESCO World Heritage Site and Central America's largest nature reserve, as well as the Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park, home to howler monkeys, armadillos, and, from July to October, migrating humpback whales. Luxury tour company Black Tomato will expand Chiriquí coverage for 2026, offering snorkelling within the marine park, naturalist-guided cloud forest hikes, and bespoke whale watches that are paired with lunch on a deserted island. Hoteliers, too, have taken note, slowly rolling out stays that capture the spirit of this getaway with top-tier amenities: The Cayuga Collection's Isla Palenque, a 10-key luxury eco-resort, will introduce three two-bedroom villas in 2026 and 2027, all with a funicular and private pools. In February 2025, Hyatt opened the 70-key art and wellness house, Hotel La Compañía del Valle, just 20 miles from the coast; it'll add the 18,000-square-foot Elysium Spa in fall 2025. In late 2026, travellers can expect the 186-key Viceroy Bocas del Toro, catering to the luxury clientele who prefer a more traditional resort experience. Getting to Chiriquí is also about to get easier. President José Raúl Mulino announced the forthcoming Panamá-David Railway, a 475-kilometer high-speed rail, connecting Panama City with Chiriquí in under three hours and bypassing the need for small flights or long drives when it opens. -- Hannah Selinger

In Marino Ballena National Park on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, there's a natural sandbar known as Cola de Ballena ("whale's tail") thanks to its Y-like shape. It's only visible at low tide, emerging like a fluke. In much the same way, the once-overlooked town of Uvita is having a similar moment now, suddenly surfacing in full view. Brilliant eco-lodges such as solar-powered ocean-view Kura Boutique Hotel have made tracks into the tropical rainforest, while private villas such as Villa Kañik and Villa Sueño (both in Dominical, 15 minutes from Uvita) bring high-end hospitality -- private chefs, wellness specialists, and concierge services -- to deliciously secluded locations enveloped by dense jungle. In February 2026, underground music and wellness festival Envision will return to Uvita after a year's hiatus: The lineup has yet to be announced, but previous performers have included experimental electronic producer CloZee, Sonoma folk soloist Ayla Nereo, and house heavyweight Gordo. Farther south, the 50th anniversary of Corcovado National Park is a reminder of the efforts to keep this place, on the whole, raw and wild: A proposal to increase the number of visitor permits was recently rejected in order to preserve the unique ecosystem, which is thought to contain a staggering 2.5% of the world's biodiversity. On the border of the national park, in a private reserve so remote it's only accessible by boat, the new Corcovado Wilderness Lodge is an immersive way to stay, offering jungle treks and marine-biologist-led snorkelling excursions, while off the Osa Peninsula, Isla del Caño's coral reefs offer some of the best scuba diving in the country. Combine both Uvita and Corcovado with a base at Drake Bay, where 20 breezy new treehouse-style bungalows (all with private pools) are opening at Sandglass property Tibo in 2026. -- Anna Prendergast

In Fernando de Noronha, a volcanic archipelago over 200 miles off the northern coast of Brazil, black-rock peaks rising dramatically from the sea make it unlike anything on the mainland. Here, turquoise waters are so rich with marine life that spotting a sea turtle, reef shark, or the island's native spinner dolphins on any given beach day isn't wishful thinking -- it's guaranteed. This is all thanks to strict environmental protections that keep the beaches pristine, with stretches of sand like Praia do Sancho often ranked among the world's best. Even so, Noronha's remote location has kept it largely off the international radar, accessible only via small connecting flights from Brazil's northeast. That's now changing: A new direct flight from São Paulo makes the island easier to access, and in 2026 a fully renovated airport will nearly double visitor capacity. Still, most of the island is a protected National Marine Park, meaning the government must regulate how many tourists can enter in order to keep its fragile ecosystem unspoiled -- and its beaches uncrowded.