Nature

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  Ants, Pantanal

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  Colourful Parrots, Amazon

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  Common wooly monkey, Amazon, Peru

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  Bastimentos Red Frog, Panama

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  Penguins, Patagonia

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  Butterflies

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  Sea Lions of the Galapagos

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  Sea birds, Ballestas Islands, Peru

The natural beauty and wildlife of Latin America is as varied and colourful as it is abundant. Nowhere else on earth has this sort of diversity.

Latin America is home to an incredible variety of natural beauty, fauna and flora. Yes, it doesn’t have the ‘Big Five’ game animals of Africa, but what it lacks in size it more makes up for in fascination.

There cannot be any other place on earth that has so many different types of landscape, ranges of climates and diversity of habitats. From the icy glaciers and wilderness of Patagonia to the steaming rainforests of the Amazon basin and the cloud forests of Ecuador; from the high altitude desert of Atacama to the colourful coral reefs of Panama and the avian paradise that is Colombia. Not to forget the green jungles of Costa Rica, and in a category all of its own: the enchanted Galapagos Islands: a dream place just waiting to be visited.

It is hard to know where to start with wildlife and nature in the region: there is so much to discover. The Amazon is the largest and best known rainforest habitat in the world – and here Brazil immediately springs to mind. While we can arrange visits to some wonderful jungle lodges and an expedition cruise boat in the Brazilian Amazon, it is easy to forget that the upper Amazon basin spreads into Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In some ways the rainforest experience in these countries is better, with greater biodiversity and the opportunity to see such oddities as Pink River Dolphins and Giant Otters as well as a host of monkey and bird species.

In Brazil, probably the best place to see wildlife is the Pantanal: the world’s largest wetland. 80% of the region gets flooded during the high water season, which helps foster biodiversity and the relative openness of the country makes it much easier to see animals than the dense rainforest of the Amazon. Another great experience is the Ibera Wetland region in Argentina, which also offers superb wildlife spotting opportunities.

Avid bird watchers will want to head to the Choco cloud forests of Ecuador, Colombia and Panama. These countries have the largest number of bird species of any country in the world, with many endemic species – some are extremely rare. Peru also offers a plethora of bird species and one of the largest birds in the world can be seen in the high Andes. Giant Condors are an awe-inspiring sight when you see them gliding and circling looking for prey.

Talking of size, the largest mammals in the world can often be seen along the Pacific coast: the annual migration of humpback whales and other whale species is astonishing to behold. There are opportunities all along the coast at different times of year as these magnificent animals make their way north towards the equator – and then back again towards Antarctica…. Just amazing.

But the jewel in the crown of the Latin American wildlife experience just has to be the Galapagos Islands. And there is absolutely no chance of not being able to see the wildlife here: the animals virtually pose for your camera! Playful sea lions, lumbering giant tortoises, dancing blue-footed boobies, waddling penguins and multi-coloured iguanas…it is an experience that you will remember forever.

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