South America is not a single “trip” so much as a theatre of scenes. One minute you're watching surfers thread Rio’s Atlantic light, the next you are drinking Malbec where the pampas meets the city, then rolling past street art that climbs a Chilean hill like ivy. Push farther and the jungle delivers a belle époque opera house in the middle of the Amazon, and at the continent’s ragged hem Patagonia flings you at the Beagle Channel and the weather that made explorers famous. 

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

If a port could wear a sash, Rio would be wearing Miss World. The city’s “Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea” are inscribed by UNESCO for the way granite peaks, beaches and urban life knot together in one view. It was the first city inscribed as a cultural landscape, which feels about right when the backdrop is Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer and the foreground is a beach volleyball game you will not be joining. 

What to do in a day: Shoot up to Sugarloaf early, paddle or people-watch on Copacabana, and detour to the Botanical Garden if the heat climbs. Sunset at Arpoador is the kind of free show that convinces you to look up more.

Who sails there and who it suits: Big-ship classics like Princess and Holland America fold Rio into South America passages and Grand Voyages, handy for first-timers who want the greatest hits with sea days to match. Luxe lines such as Silversea often pair Rio with warmer-water meanders up or down the coast, good for travellers who want a glass of something crisp with their skyline. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Tango is not a gimmick here; UNESCO lists it as Intangible Cultural Heritage born on both banks of the Río de la Plata, which tells you why every café seems to hum in 2x4 time. Book a guided peek inside the glorious Teatro Colón if you can, then eat embarrassingly well and walk it off in the Recoleta’s sculpted avenues. 

What to do in a day: Coffee in San Telmo, colour and photos in La Boca, steak and a siesta-level sobremesa, then a twilight stroll through the leafy Palermo parks.

Who sails there and who it suits: Celebrity, Holland America and Princess all use Buenos Aires as a turn-around or key call, sometimes with overnights. Culture chasers and food-motivated travellers will be happiest here, especially on itineraries that let you linger past midnight. 

Valparaíso, Chile

Valpo is a living mood board: funiculars that creak up impossible hills, houses the colour of boiled sweets, and sea-air that tastes faintly of stories. UNESCO protects the historic quarter for its industrial-age harbour fabric and those corrugated-iron mansions stacked like theatre boxes above the bay. It is also the door to Santiago and the Maipo and Casablanca wine valleys, so your day can be murals before lunch and sauvignon blanc after.

What to do in a day: Ride an ascensor, wander Paseo Gervasoni for the views, then take the vineyard detour if you have the hours.

Who sails there and who it suits: Princess, Holland America and Oceania weave Valparaíso or nearby San Antonio into fjord and Patagonia routes. It is the stop for design-minded flâneurs and wine people who judge a port by its glassware. 

Manaus, Brazil

An opera house with pink cupola in the middle of rainforest would sound like a novelist’s flourish if Teatro Amazonas did not actually exist. Built on rubber wealth and now home to an opera festival, it sits a short ride from the “Meeting of the Waters,” where the dark Rio Negro and the pale Solimões run side by side for kilometres without mixing. Science says temperature, speed and sediment keep them apart; your eyes will just say “wow.” 

What to do in a day: Morning visit to the confluence by boat, a wander inside the opera house, and time for cupuaçu ice cream before sail-away.

Who sails there and who it suits: Expedition-leaning ocean ships like Seabourn Venture and luxury lines such as Silversea regularly push upriver to Manaus on dedicated Amazon itineraries. Wildlife lovers and curious romantics who enjoy zodiacs, river light and the sound of rain on a balcony will thrive. 

Ushuaia, Argentina

“End of the world” is a marketing line that happens to feel true when you watch the Beagle Channel flash steel and silver under a south wind. Chile’s Puerto Williams now claims the southernmost-city title on paper, but Ushuaia remains the big, buzzing springboard for Antarctica and the place to join a boat out past sea lions and the far-photographed Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. 

What to do in a day: Catamaran the Beagle, browse the small but absorbing maritime museum, and eat king crab that tastes like it came from a colder, cleaner planet.

Who sails there and who it suits: This is expedition territory. Quark, Ponant and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) all embark here for the Drake and beyond. If your happy place is a parka, a lecture theatre, and a zodiac skimming past ice, Ushuaia is your port. 

Planning notes

• Seasonality matters: Rio dances year-round, but the Amazon rises and falls dramatically with the seasons, which changes what you can see from the water. Antarctica-bound seasons cluster from November to March, with Ushuaia at the centre of most departures.
• How to choose your ship: If you want big-ticket icons and creature comforts, the mainstream lines are your friend. If you want zodiacs, naturalists and fewer formal nights than a student union, look at expedition brands. Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, Azamara, Silversea, Seabourn and HX all have strong South America programmes in different styles and sizes. 

The takeaway

Pick any one of these ports and you will get the continent in shorthand: the lift of Rio’s light, the swagger of Buenos Aires, Valparaíso’s paint-splashed hills, Manaus’ improbable opera in the jungle, or Ushuaia’s clean-edged horizon. Stitch two or three together and you start to feel what South America really is on a map. The trick is simple: arrive curious, leave unhurried, and let the days between ports do the knitting.