South America Cruises

The best time to cruise South America depends on where youre going. Take a Galapagos Cruise during the warmer season from December to June. However, the time of the year does affect the type of wildlife you will see. Embark on an Amazon River Cruise when the water level is the highest during the rainy season, January to June. Combine a Patagonia and Antarctica Cruise during the summer months from late October to late March. The main attraction of a Galapagos cruise is wildlife. At all times of year, there is a lot of wildlife present and a different species will be breeding or nesting so from that side, there is no one time better than another. One consideration is the weather temperatures are highest and there is most rainfall from around December to March. This is also the time with the calmest seas and warmest water. June to September is a cooler and drier time of year though it is windier and the seas are rougher, something which travelers who suffer seasickness should keep in mind. For the Amazon River cruises, there are two distinct seasons the high water and the low water season. In general the best time for an Amazon cruise is during the high water season which is from around December to May. At this time ships can travel up smaller and more remote channels of the river. Patagonia cruises mostly run only from around October to April avoiding winter. Day length is greatest in December and January and this is also usually when some of the best weather can be expected though it is changeable all year.

Generally this is the opposite of the best time to take a cruise! See the question above. In the Galapagos, there is not much variation in price, though in September and October some ships go into dry dock and special offers may be a little more common in these months than others. Christmas and New Year tend to be the most expensive time of year on most cruises, however this is a good time for all cruises in South America, so dont rule it out. In Patagonia, it is usually cheaper to take a cruise at the start or end of the season and the weather is not necessarily worse in these months so this is definitely worth considering. There is little difference in price on Amazon cruises between the high and low water seasons.