What makes a fantastic family holiday? It’s having big adventures together, sharing an ice cream, coming face to face with exotic wildlife, discovering new flavours and of course the endless freedom of days on sugary beaches.
A family holiday is a cherished moment. You want it to be a holiday that will burn bright in your kid’s memories for years to come and there is nowhere better than Latin America.
Its sheer size and diversity means that there is the perfect holiday for every family whether you are after ancient ruins, wildlife spotting, colourful markets, friendly locals, soft adventure or relaxation.
Latin America’s dazzling array of natural wonders serve as the backdrop for incredible experiences such as watching wildlife from a dugout canoe, white-water rafting on class V rapids and surfing amazing breaks off the Pacific coast (to name but a few).
We understand how precious your family holidays are and we know how to make it as perfect as possible. Our first-hand knowledge of the best family locations, hotels and activities means that you‘re in safe hands.
Family holidays in Belize are full of places that offer ‘soft adventure’ making it an ideal location for a family holiday. It is a country where distances are small, so very little travelling required and it is diverse. Within a 10 day period you could have visited Mayan temples, walked under waterfalls, taken boat rides up remote rivers and swum in the crystal clear Caribbean waters off its coastline, Belize is an unforgettable experience.
Brazil has a little bit of everything; pristine beaches, Amazon jungle, thunderous waterfalls, low lying mountains and wildlife. On top of this, Brazilians are some of the friendliest in South America and a place where you will be encouraged to join in, whether a game of football on the beach, a swim in the pool or a chance to try your hand at surfing, you will be welcomed.
Costa Rica is a brilliant country for a family holiday. It has some of the best infrastructure of any country in Central America with a wide range of hotels, so there is something for everyone. Getting around is easy as Costa Rica has a very good internal flight schedule, making larger distances easy to cover and roads are generally of good quality.
A family holiday in Argentina is for those who want a bit of adventure. The Andes Mountain range runs the length of the country and at the base you will find; glaciers, lakes and white water rivers. Here you can go; kayaking across lakes, raft the rivers, walk over glaciers and go horse riding for days. All of this can also be combined with the impressive Iguazu falls making Argentina a family holiday to remember.
This is such a unique destination, which any adult or child will remember for the rest of their lives. Nowhere else in the world can you get so close to such an array of wildlife and when you are told, ‘the wildlife can touch you, but you cannot touch the wildlife’ you know you are in for something special.
A family holiday in Peru is slightly different to most other South American countries as there is a certain amount of ancient ruins and culture to see, which, as we know can bore the kids! However, it doesn’t have to be so. Peru has a lot more to offer than just Inca ruins. Certainly Machu Picchu is a highlight and this will spark your kid’s imagination and although there are other impressive Inca ruins to see, you don’t have to visit them all.
At each destination we ensure that the right guides will be there to meet you and have experience in entertaining and looking after kids, whether they are 6 years old or 16. In the past few years certain hotels and estancias have also introduced specific family orientated activities, so your whole stay is geared around not only what your kids want to do, but you as well.
This has also led to some excellent deals for families, so it has never been a better time to take your kids on an adventure! Whether you seek a relaxing beach holiday, fun-filled adventure, a slice of exotic paradise or somewhere closer to home, let us take you away from the ordinary and create a fabulous family holiday that is a cherished memory for many years to come.
Everybody knows that, at times, teenagers can be spectacularly difficult to please. However take them somewhere far-flung and exotic or somewhere with adrenalin rich activities where they can let off steam and it’s a different story. In short, Latin America is packed full of ‘awesome’ experiences which they will love to tell their mates about.
We believe that relaxed and stylish holiday with babies and toddlers are possible. We know the locations and child friendly hotels that are as suited to children as they are to their parents. We also know that a happy family holiday requires a little extra thought. You can rely on us to go the extra mile to ensure that your holiday is enjoyed by all.
Extraordinary holidays in the world’s greatest adventure playground will get your family away from technology and create special, bonding moments that you’ll remember forever. The vibrant Amazon rainforest, majestic Machu Picchu and the wildlife paradise of Galapagos are just a few of the destinations that will make for an unforgettable family adventure holiday.
March/April is the perfect time for the whole of Central America. This isthmus has it all; pristine beaches along the Mexican Caribbean coast, ancient ruins and colourful markets in Guatemala, soft adventure and a world class coral reef off Belize’s coast, lakes and colonial towns in Nicaragua – Central Americas best kept secret, whilst Costa Rica has wildlife in abundance as well as a first class adventure infrastructure and remote beaches.
This is also one of the best times to be visiting either the Galapagos Islands or Peru. In Peru the main season is June-September, but coming at this time of year (spring time in Peru) the majority of other travellers are yet to arrive so you will find yourself alone at some of the key places, the wild flowers are all out and the Andes are still packed with snow so it’s visually stunning. In the Galapagos, the seas are at their calmest and the water at its warmest, so ideal for all your water based activities.
March/April is also a good time to be in Patagonia, although it is coming to the end of their season, there are often excellent special deals at this time of year which is great as it is an expensive part of South America.
From June to October, the middle part of South America is in season; Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, far northern Chile (Atacama Desert) and the northern part of Argentina. It is the rainy season in Central America (hurricane season) and the far south of the continent (Patagonia) is covered in snow and largely inaccessible.
So where to go and what to do! Peru is fantastic, though expect a fair amount of travelling if you want to see everything, though no other country in South America offers as much diversity in such a small area, so if you want to see it all allow a good 2 ½ weeks and you’ll see; high Andean peaks, colonial towns, Inca ruins, llamas and alpacas roaming the altiplano, local markets, interact with ancient civilisations on the edge of Lake Titicaca and see an array of wildlife in the Amazon.
If its beaches you are after then look no further than Brazil. During these months though expect it to be cold (relatively speaking that is!) in the south of the country, where daytime temperatures hover around the low twenties, but in the south (Trancoso northwards) temperatures go to the mid-twenties and even high further north in places such as Pipa.
On top of this though you can’t miss the icon city of Rio de Janeiro and no visit is complete without going to incredible Iguazu Falls (280 waterfalls in a 1 square mile area). Brazil is also home to the wetlands of the Pantanal, where at this time of year the water is beginning to disperse south leaving pools of isolated water with trapped fish, which in turn attracts large numbers of migratory birds as well the larger animals such as the giant anteater as well as the elusive jaguar.
This is one of the best times to visit the far south and far north of Latin America. It is spring time in Central America, though perhaps expect the odd day of rain, whilst it is the peak of the summer in both Chile and Argentina.
A major highlight of South America is Patagonia. An area of outstanding natural beauty where glaciers feed into huge lakes and where the great Andean mountain range meets the Pacific Ocean. This is not just a trekking paradise, but an area teeming with wildlife and stunning scenery and no visit to Patagonia is complete without going to the Torres del Paine national park in the far south of Chile.
Brazil is still in season at this time of year, though you may get the odd heavy downpour in the south of country, but it is accompanied by warmer temperatures. The Amazon has lower rainfall at this time of year so the Amazon river is low making it easier to see wildlife and for those looking for the heat, the north east of Brazil is perfect as it’s a time when temperatures are in low thirties
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Latin Odyssey listened carefully to what we wanted from our holiday and came up with some brilliant suggestions which met our preferences and excited us
Neil & Trisha R