The Best Places to Embrace South American Culture

Paradise found at the Rosario Islands, Colombia
Paradise found at the Rosario Islands, Colombia
Siobhan Grogan

Love nothing more than a dose of Latin American culture when traveling abroad? These Culture Trip small-group adventures lift the lid on South America’s many fascinating cultures.

There are few places as geographically, linguistically or culturally diverse as South America, a continent with 12 countries, which speak a staggering 450 languages among them. From yawning salt flats to the Amazon rainforest, there are many adventures to be had and customs to discover. Book onto one of these trips to get fast-tracked to the heart of it all.

Tourists walk through the jungle on a wooden boardwalk in Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian Andes, for horse riding and local art

It may be one of the smallest countries in the continent, but Ecuador offers vast swathes of Amazonian rainforest, soaring mountains and volcanoes, and more than its fair share of South American culture. In just eight days, you’ll journey to its heart, standing with one foot in each hemisphere, riding horses with the Ecuadorian highlanders and visiting the studio of a Tiguan artist who paints life in the high Andes. Before you leave, a guided hike will teach you how natural essential oils are used for medicine and aromatherapy, before you swap highlights at a final farewell dinner with your travel group.

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Trip highlights and details

STARTS AT

Quito, Ecuador

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ENDS AT

Quito, Ecuador

DURATION

8

GROUP SIZE

16

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate

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STYLE

Discovery

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Maja Proescholdt and Gethin Morgan contributed additional reporting to this article.

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Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

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