South America

The city center is a charming mix of old city walls and a large modern shopping centre. With multiple restaurants, museums, cinemas and theatres there is plenty to be explored. Time spent at embarkation and disembarkation ports may be limited which may restrict availability of shore excursions.

Las Palmas is a capital of Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. A major cruise-ship port, the city is known for duty-free shopping and for its sandy beaches. At Playa de Las Canteras, a coral barrier lines the beach and shelters swimmers. The annual Las Palmas de Gran Canaria carnival brings together flamboyantly costumed performers, music and dancing.

Recife, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco, is distinguished by its many rivers, bridges, islets and peninsulas. Recife Antigo, on its own island by the harbor, is the historic old town center dating to the 16th century. To its south, popular Boa Viagem Beach is sheltered by reefs and lined by tall apartment blocks, modern hotels and restaurants.

Salvador, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, is known for its Portuguese colonial architecture, Afro-Brazilian culture and a tropical coastline. The Pelourinho neighborhood is its historic heart, with cobblestone alleys opening onto large squares, colorful buildings and baroque churches such as São Francisco, featuring gilt woodwork.

Armação dos Búzios (or Búzios) is a Brazilian resort set on an ocean peninsula east of Rio de Janeiro. It’s known as an upscale vacation destination with numerous beaches. These include Ferradura, on a calm horseshoe bay with water sports, and Geribá, a popular surfing site. Among its village streets, cobbled Rua das Pedras is a center of dining and nightlife

Famous for its colourful carnival and fabulous beaches, as well as the dramatic entry to its cruise port, Rio de Janeiro in the south-eastern corner of Brazil has much more to offer than sun and sand. You can enjoy breathtaking views from the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain (the cable car journey up is even more spectacular!), or take a taxi up Corcovado Mountain in the Parque Nacional de Tijuca to view the city’s most famous landmark, the 30 metre-high statue of Christ the Redeemer. Make time, too, to visit Praca Floriano, the vast square at the heart of the city which is home to its exquisite Teatro Municipal opera house and close to the city’s best art gallery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Floriana Square is also the place to catch Rio’s social life at its best – grab a beer at a pavement caf and tap your feet to the rhythms of the Samba before exploring the shops along the 19th century Rua da Carioca.

Famous for its colourful carnival and fabulous beaches, as well as the dramatic entry to its cruise port, Rio de Janeiro in the south-eastern corner of Brazil has much more to offer than sun and sand. You can enjoy breathtaking views from the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain (the cable car journey up is even more spectacular!), or take a taxi up Corcovado Mountain in the Parque Nacional de Tijuca to view the city’s most famous landmark, the 30 metre-high statue of Christ the Redeemer. Make time, too, to visit Praca Floriano, the vast square at the heart of the city which is home to its exquisite Teatro Municipal opera house and close to the city’s best art gallery, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. Floriana Square is also the place to catch Rio’s social life at its best – grab a beer at a pavement caf and tap your feet to the rhythms of the Samba before exploring the shops along the 19th century Rua da Carioca.

Just across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, Montevideo could hardly be more different. Here the pace is sedate, the architecture perfectly preserved Colonial Spanish and the city itself something of a split personality. Around Plaza Constitucion, ministries and palaces signify the city’s role as Uruguay’s capital. But along the coast stretch miles and miles of flawless beaches, displaying a fun-loving resort quality that’s just delightful.

Just across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, Montevideo could hardly be more different. Here the pace is sedate, the architecture perfectly preserved Colonial Spanish and the city itself something of a split personality. Around Plaza Constitucion, ministries and palaces signify the city’s role as Uruguay’s capital. But along the coast stretch miles and miles of flawless beaches, displaying a fun-loving resort quality that’s just delightful.

The capital of the remote Falkland Islands, Port Stanley, is little more than a village, but a truly historic and welcoming one. You’ll be urged to sign the visitors’ register outside the Government House before seeing the tributes to our war heroes in Christ Church Cathedral.

Cape Horn is a rocky headland on Hornos Island, in southern Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It’s surrounded by wild seas off the southern tip of South America where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. The albatross-shaped Cape Horn Monument commemorates the lives of thousands of seafarers who perished attempting to sail around the cape. A secluded lighthouse and the tiny Stella-Maris Chapel are nearby.

Punta Arenas overlooks the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego – the most southerly point of land before you reach Antarctica. Kiss the toe of the Indian on the Magellan monument in Playa del Armas and local legend says you’ll return to this spectacular place. Head to Otway Bay for a visit to a penguin colony, or take a trip of lifetime flightseeing over the Antarctic Peninsula.

San Antonio is a Chilean city, commune and the capital of the San Antonio Province in the Valparaíso Region. It is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena

San Antonio is a Chilean city, commune and the capital of the San Antonio Province in the Valparaíso Region. It is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo Domingo to Cartagena

Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley 10 km south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than 400,000 inhabitants

Arica is a port city in northern Chile, known for its surfing beaches. Near the center, a path climbs up to Morro Arica hill, which has sweeping views and the Museo Histórico y de Armas war museum. Designed by French architect Gustave Eiffel in metal and wood, Gothic San Marcos Cathedral dates from 1876. The high plains of the Andes mountains rise to the east, home to Lauca National Park and Chungará Lake.

Callao is a seaside city on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru’s chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Callao Region, which is also coterminous with the Province of Callao.

Callao is a seaside city on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru’s chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Callao Region, which is also coterminous with the Province of Callao.

This seaside port city’s charm extends to every part of your experience here while stopped on a Manta cruise. While it’s not the flashiest destination you’ll visit on a South America cruise, it well makes up for that with its laidback spirit and quirky embrace of its biggest (and smelliest) industry: tuna fishing.

The best way to describe Manta is full of life. The friendliness of the people and an unhurried pace of life mean that things move a little slower here. You might not be able to see it all in a day, but that’s not the point. Manta is meant to be enjoyed, not consumed. Buy one of the region’s signature Panama hats for shade from the strong Ecuadorian sun. Day trip to El Murciélago, surf in Playa Bonita, or see endangered and protected wildlife at Pacoche Reserve. Throw away your to-do list, put away your phone, and explore Manta, Ecuador at your leisure.

The fast-growing city of Fuerte Amador lies at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal on a peninsular jutting out from Balboa. It has a marina and a yacht club, and lies close to Panama City, which is on the other side of Ancon Hill.

The Panama Canal is the worlds biggest short-cut. You will be amazed by its sheer scale and clockwork efficiency.

Cartagena de Indias, to give its full name, is an historic city in Columbia founded in 1533 and ringed with massive walls built by the Spanish to fend off pirates. The city’s palaces and the maze of winding streets give the city its unique Iberian character.

Talcum-soft beaches, world class shopping, glitzy casinos, stunning sea views and tracts of desert landscape scattered with giant boulders and exotic cacti are all yours to enjoy when you visit popular Aruba, jewel of the ‘deep’ Caribbean.

Sailors through the centuries have rated it one of the worlds prettiest harbours and it is hard to disagree. Horseshoe-shaped and set in a volcanic crater, Grenadas capital and cruise port St Georges is flanked by two forts, with colourful French colonial style buildings ranged along the front. It is the perfect entrance to one of the Caribbean’s most scenic islands. Only 12 miles by 21, it is awash with waterfalls, mountain valleys, rainforests, lakes and volcanic craters. The beaches are to die for, especially Grand Anse – a two-mile stretch of pure white sand just around the bay from St Georges. Grenada is also the island you can smell before you can see it. The ‘Spice Island’ grows more spices per square mile than anywhere else on the planet with nutmeg its signature seasoning. In fact, gentle haggling with spice vendors is part of the fun of cruising to this laid-back Caribbean island.

Barbados is the most British of the Caribbean islands, where cricket is the national passion and afternoon tea a tradition. Yet the flawless skies, lilting rhythms of both speech and calypso and the endless beaches all provide vivid reminders that you are a long way from home. Enjoy a stroll around Bridgetown, the capital which boasts impressive colonial architecture and take a snap of what used to be known as Trafalgar Square.

Castries is the capital of the island nation of St. Lucia, in the Caribbean Sea. It’s known for palm-lined Vigie Beach and as a port of call for cruise lines, with duty-free shopping near the harbor. The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, with its colorful murals, sits by leafy Derek Walcott Square park. Lively Castries Market is nearby. In the south, Morne Fortune hill offers views of the city.

With over 365 beaches, there is a slice of white sand heaven for every day of the year – even a leap year – on the idyllic Caribbean holiday island Antigua. Antigua played host to Admiral Horatio Nelson’s fleet in the late 1700’s. Nelson’s Dockyard now bustles with crew and guests from yachts and cruise ships sailing these waters for pleasure rather than for King and Country. The main port, St John’s, is also the capital and a vibrant hub for shopping as well as being within easy range of some of the best beaches – at Fort James, Deep Bay, Galley Bay and Hawksbill. Almost perfect weather conditions and low humidity, due to the warm prevailing trade winds, allows Antigua to boast of being the sunniest of the Eastern Caribbean islands with the lowest annual rainfall. It is also the largest of the English-speaking Leeward Islands although it is only 14 miles long and 11 miles wide. Still, with a population of less than 70,000, this means there are lots of wide open spaces – especially on those gorgeous beaches.

An island with a split personality, this is one of the few places in the Caribbean where the European powers co-existed peacefully. Hence, this lovely island is a mixture of Dutch, French and Caribbean tastes and delights.

Ponta Delgada in the Azores, is a tiny speckle of islands in the Atlantic.The Islands are rurally lovely, their fields separated by hydrangea hedges rather than walls. The twin lakes of Sete Cidades will amaze: one turquoise the other vivid emerald.

The city center is a charming mix of old city walls and a large modern shopping centre. With multiple restaurants, museums, cinemas and theatres there is plenty to be explored. Time spent at embarkation and disembarkation ports may be limited which may restrict availability of shore excursions.