Beach Time
Our original vision was to become the company who knew the most about Argentina, then, as so many routes naturally flow through the country, we added Chile, but never intended to expand beyond those destinations. Instead, our idea was to build on our current knowledge and learn to be able to tailor our trips to different types of visitors, with all sorts of different needs and requirements. However, over the years, we’ve organized a lot of trips (particularly honeymoons) when our guests have requested exciting adventures in Chile or Argentina (or both) and then some time to relax on the beach, which led us to a bit of a conundrum:
Argentina and Chile have some strikingly beautiful coastlines and, for marine wildlife and some spectacular scenery, they’re hard to beat but they are not exactly your typical beach destinations. They do have a version of those styles of beaches but they are in each country’s central coastal regions, which tend to have short seasons of good weather and due to their proximity to larger cities, they are often very crowded. They have their charms outside the seasons but, if you’ve flown by the Caribbean, Mediterranean or many of the coasts of Oceania and Asia to get here, you would likely be disappointed.
In the end, we decided the priority must be to tailor the trips to the wishes of our guests so we headed north, along the eastern coast, first to Uruguay and then, as we got requests for beach time outside our Summer months, up into Brazil.
Where to go & What to do
Despite what I’ve written above, there are some beaches we love to send people to in Chile and Argentina, three of those are as follows:
- Pichilemu: 3 hrs south of Santiago de Chile, rated as one of the best surfing spots on the continent. The best waves are in the winter when they regularly go over 20 ft/6 m, though in the Summer months, from December to February, they consistently come in at a respectable 8ft/2 m and there are all sorts of other interesting activities to get up to along the area’s pretty beaches. It’s a great place for families.
- Copiapo: Atacama, the northern region of Chile, is rarely thought of as a beach destination, though it has some sections of rarely visited, breathtakingly beautiful coastline. Each year, the fabulous hotel Wara sets up a luxury campsite on one of the region’s most secluded beaches. It only has three ensuite safari-style tents so it takes exclusivity and luxury Glamping to a level rarely seen. They also tailor the excursions for each of their guests so it is a very special experience.
- Puerto Pirmades: another spot you’ll not likely see listed as a beach destination. However, this charming village, on the northern coast of Argentine Patagonia, has a lovely long sandy beach that stretches out from the village and its bustling community is bursting with a warm friendly character and several good restaurants. It is also the only village on the Peninsula Valdes, an area known as one of the best places in the world to see a wide range of marine wildlife. There are no whales, for which the area is best known, in the summer though there are sealions, sea elephants and penguins along with a mass of other sea birds. In land, its low scrub, arid land has a surprisingly abundant wildlife, with loads of guanacos (wild llamas), Patagonian foxes, armadillos, and mara hares along with a variety of others.
URUGUAY
- Colonia del Sacramento: not really a beach destination, but it’s well worth the stop, if you’re taking the ferry over from Buenos Aires, and the beach on the river is nothing to write home about but perfectly pleasant. Much more interesting is the town which has maintained much of its Portuguese Colonial style and has some good restaurants and local wineries to visit.
- Jose Ignacio: a laid back beach town of Uruguay, with some fantastic restaurants and our favourite spot on the Uruguayan coast, it also has some of the best hotels in the country and it’s only a short drive from some wineries that have been making big waves in the industry in recent years.
- Cabo Polonio: a perfectly preserved traditional Uruguay coastal village, located in a protected area where there is little to no access to any mod cons, including mains electricity and water, which comes purely from solar panels and bore holes – if you’re looking to totally disconnect, it’s the place to be. It also has some huge (up to 30 m/98 ft) sand dunes (through which you travel by to get there) and a colony of sea lions who have set themselves up a short walk from the village
- Punta del Diablo: a fun, chilled out surfer town that attracts a younger crowd and, unlike much of the Uruguayan coast, it has a slope coming up from the beach so most houses have great views.
BRAZIL
- Florianopolis: the closest Brazilian destination to Buenos Aires and one of the few places, with some more exclusive accommodation options as well as a nearby airport with a direct flight to the Argentine capital.
- Rio de Janeiro: the ultimate city beach experience, with a great nightlife. However, there are also a variety of options of accommodation in smaller towns, close enough to the city to experience it but far enough away to have a break from the bustle when you need it.
- Trancoso: jumping much further north, and coming from Chile or Argentina you’d need to fly via Rio or Sao Paulo, from where it would be another hour and half flight. Trancoso is one of the most beautiful towns on the Brazilian coast and home to possibly the most incredible beach hotel in South America.
- Boipeba and the Cairu Archipelago: a beautiful, very excluded archipelago off the coast of north eastern Brazil.
- Fernando do Noronha: an island off the northeast coast of Brazil, declared a marine national park in 1988, and only 420 tourists are allowed on the island at any one time. The island lies within a volcanic archipelago of 21 islands, and the waters are teeming with colourful fish, dolphins, lobsters, turtles, sponges and corals, making it a favourite for diving and snorkelling.
- Jericoacoara: the most northern destination in which we work in, known for its stunning sad dunes and it has some excellent windsurfing and kitesurfing options.
Travel logistics
- Excluding the Patagonia coast, which is dependent on the wildlife, high season for beach time is mid-December to mid-March though for a more chilled out experience there are options for both Spring (October/November) and Autumn (March/April.
- By including the coast of Brazil we are able to offer time on the beach all year round. If you are looking for a more private experience, an interesting nightlife, or a certain activity, the dates are more important. However, if you let us know your preferences, we’ll make sure to send you to the beach that fits you best.
- Between Uruguay and Brazil we are talking about a very long stretch of coastline and weather can be varying, though, as a very general rule, in the Autumn/Winter months (April to September) head north and in the Spring/Summer ones (October to March) head South.
- The most accessible beaches from Buenos Aires are in Uruguay, which you can get to by ferry across the River Plate.
- The Iguazu Waterfalls can link well with Florianopolis, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo, as there are direct flights from Foz de Iguaçu, which is just over the border from Argentina’s Puerto Iguazu.
- There are also direct flights from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro and Florianopolis.
- Unless you are happy to charter flights, many of the destinations further north in Brazil are trickier to get to, particularly those situated on islands, some of which require several flights, boats, and even tractor-taxis to get to. We always do everything we can to alleviate the stress of traveling, though at times there is little we can do, and it is important to factor in at least a day’s traveling when going to more remote regions. We can only say that, if you have the time, these regions are worth every inconvenience to get to.
Things to keep in mind
- The obvious is of course the rising temperatures around the globe. Irrelevant of your skin type the sun can be very powerful and you want to make sure you have good protection and access to shade.
- The Brazilian government has a habit of changing their visa rules so, during the planning of any given trip, we would advise on any updated information and do everything can to help to make the process as stress-free as possible.
- As we only work with a very select group of accommodations along the Uruguayan and Brazil coasts, availability is more of an issue, so the more time in advance you give us, the better the chance we have of getting you to the beach destination of your dreams.
Example Itineraries
Some examples of our favourite trips that we’ve organised over the years:
