South America Cruises
All aboard for a spectacular cruising adventure discovering the treasures of South America. Relish incredible wildlife encounters as you cruise the Galapagos Islands, glide through the stunning fjords of the Chilean coast, enjoy a tango show in Buenos Aires, and experience the highlights of Brazil. Cruise around Cape Horn, visit the Falkland Islands or brave the Drake Passage and take a look at our Antarctic cruises.
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Search 2,264 cruise departures around South America
Top Selling South America Cruises
15 Days Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires
Operator: Celebrity Cruises
From
2,049pp
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2,736pp
30 Days Manaus to Guayaquil
Operator: Cosmos
From
15,079pp
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564pp
18 Days Buenos Aires to Santiago
Operator: Viking Cruises
From
12,147pp
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286pp
10 Days Quito to Quito
Operator: Intrepid Travel
From
8,530pp
Save
2,013pp
Popular Destinations
Featured South American Cruise Lines Featured Cruise Lines
Why Princess? Because you want to tell better stories. To immerse yourself in destinations near and far. To try new foods and encounter new cultures. To more refresh your spirit and reconnect with those you love. Choosing a cruise line can seem tough, but Princess makes it easy. Because you want more than the usual cruise experience…you want to come back new. Discover what makes each port unique through the insights of local experts and crew members who sail with us to over 330 destinations.
Here at Azamara, we continue our efforts to be the world's top up-market cruise line. As such, we are committed to providing you with unparalleled service; more the finest dining at sea; a glorious spa and wellness retreat, and innovations such as Destination Immersion® experiences. With our hallmark of stay longer, experience more, we'll not only take you to awe-inspiring destinations, but also give you more time to fall in love with them.
Chart a course along remote coastlines around the world with APT’s collection of small ship expedition cruises or combine a land journey and ocean cruise, more in partnership with Holland America Line and Ponant.
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Popular experiences you can enjoy on a South American cruise
The Chilean Fjords 
Tango in Buenos Aires 
Recent Reviews
What our clients are saying about cruising around South America
Fabulous Cruise around South America
South America & the Chilean Fjords
Colleen & David, NSW, Australia, Nov 2025
Absolutely love Viking Cruises. The ships are amazing; not too big but big enough to offer quality dining, entertainment, spa experiences and interesting informative talks Staff are so welcoming and put 100 percent effort into making sure you enjoy your cruise. The people you meet are always very nice. Loved the Falkland Islands and the penguins.
Lovely Cruise and Fabulous Pre-Cruise Tour
South America & the Chilean Fjords
Julie and David, QLD, Australia, Dec 2024
Our trip to South America comprised of the 18-day Viking Cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago, preceded by the 6-day Gateway to Patagonia Viking add-on which started with a night in Santiago, followed by 2 nights each in both Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. This land tour, although expensive, was the highlight of our trip. The scenery was absolutely read more spectacular at both the Torres del Paine National Park (Chile) and the Perito Moreno Glacier (Argentina), South America’s most spectacular glacier. The hotel in Puerto Bories, a former sheep abattoir and cold storage plant, was a destination in itself, with the heritage of the old buildings and equipment carefully preserved and integrated into the modern luxury hotel.
Our 18-day Viking Cruise was good value for the price, but we had a few disappointments too. The itinerary already included quite a few sea days, but we ended up with even more than scheduled. We were unable to land at the Falkland Islands due to weather (wind and choppy seas), a huge disappointment as this was one of the main reasons we had chosen this cruise. Port Stanley has to be landed by ship’s tender, and we suspect that, had we been an expedition ship with fewer mobility limited passengers, that landing would have been feasible. Additionally, we had to return to Ushuaia 4 hours after departure to offload a medical emergency, meaning that we arrived in Punta Arenas too late in the day to go ashore and do any excursions. As a result, this cruise ended up with far too many sea days for our liking.
Having said that, the ship itself was beautiful, the 4 guest lecturers were knowledgeable and fascinating, the entertainment was excellent, the dining was delicious, and the staff were absolutely fabulous. Viking is certainly a company that prides itself on faultless service and they definitely delivered on that. The photo I am including is of the Perito Morino Glacier which we saw on our pre-cruise trip to Patagonia.
Our 18-day Viking Cruise was good value for the price, but we had a few disappointments too. The itinerary already included quite a few sea days, but we ended up with even more than scheduled. We were unable to land at the Falkland Islands due to weather (wind and choppy seas), a huge disappointment as this was one of the main reasons we had chosen this cruise. Port Stanley has to be landed by ship’s tender, and we suspect that, had we been an expedition ship with fewer mobility limited passengers, that landing would have been feasible. Additionally, we had to return to Ushuaia 4 hours after departure to offload a medical emergency, meaning that we arrived in Punta Arenas too late in the day to go ashore and do any excursions. As a result, this cruise ended up with far too many sea days for our liking.
Having said that, the ship itself was beautiful, the 4 guest lecturers were knowledgeable and fascinating, the entertainment was excellent, the dining was delicious, and the staff were absolutely fabulous. Viking is certainly a company that prides itself on faultless service and they definitely delivered on that. The photo I am including is of the Perito Morino Glacier which we saw on our pre-cruise trip to Patagonia.
A New Experience Every Day
Treasures of Galapagos: Western & Central Islands (Grand Queen Beatriz)
Julie and David, QLD, Australia, May 2024
Our trip to the Galapagos Islands was one that was long planned and eagerly awaited, and proved to be everything we had hoped. We had decided that, since we were only going to be there once in our lives, we should spend as much time as we could. I wondered whether the 10 nights on the Grand Queen Beatrix might prove too much, but it was fantastic, read more and every day brought a new experience. The wildlife was spectacular and much of it incredibly tame. The opportunity to snorkel every day had us swimming with sea lions, penguins, white-tipped sharks and a huge variety of colourful fish. The unique land and marine iguanas were impressive and birdlife was prolific. Every island was somewhat different and beautiful in its own way.
Intrepid’s Grand Queen Beatrix was a lovely small ship and we were pleased that we had booked one of the balcony rooms. It allowed more air into the cabin and a place to dry wet clothes. The rooms did not have a lot of storage and we ended up with one of us living out of a suitcase, but that worked fine and was not a problem. The crew were wonderful and the guides excellent, food was delicious, healthy and plentiful, which we needed because the high level of activity every day meant increased appetites. We were only filled to capacity (16 pax) for a few days of the trip and our fellow passengers were great company.
The tour included one additional night both before and after the Islands in Quito at Le Parc Hotel. We also booked 2 further nights before and 3 after at Le Parc and made good use of them doing the hop-on/hop-off bus and day trips with to the Mindo Cloud Forest to see hummingbirds and tucans, and Mitad Del Mundo where the equator passes through the outskirts of Quito. We did all these tours with the Quito Tour Bus (quitotourbus.com) which proved good value for money. We also went up the Telerifico Cable Car with expansive views down over Quito and spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Botanic Gardens just one block from the hotel.
I had originally thought I might book a different hotel in the “old town”, but was very glad I had not. Although Le Parc was some distance from the old centre of Quito, it was a comparatively safe area and very cheap to get anywhere by taxi.
For anyone contemplating going to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, my advice is to do an Intrepid cruise for as many nights as you can afford, and add a couple of extra nights in Quito, where there is much to see and do.
Intrepid’s Grand Queen Beatrix was a lovely small ship and we were pleased that we had booked one of the balcony rooms. It allowed more air into the cabin and a place to dry wet clothes. The rooms did not have a lot of storage and we ended up with one of us living out of a suitcase, but that worked fine and was not a problem. The crew were wonderful and the guides excellent, food was delicious, healthy and plentiful, which we needed because the high level of activity every day meant increased appetites. We were only filled to capacity (16 pax) for a few days of the trip and our fellow passengers were great company.
The tour included one additional night both before and after the Islands in Quito at Le Parc Hotel. We also booked 2 further nights before and 3 after at Le Parc and made good use of them doing the hop-on/hop-off bus and day trips with to the Mindo Cloud Forest to see hummingbirds and tucans, and Mitad Del Mundo where the equator passes through the outskirts of Quito. We did all these tours with the Quito Tour Bus (quitotourbus.com) which proved good value for money. We also went up the Telerifico Cable Car with expansive views down over Quito and spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Botanic Gardens just one block from the hotel.
I had originally thought I might book a different hotel in the “old town”, but was very glad I had not. Although Le Parc was some distance from the old centre of Quito, it was a comparatively safe area and very cheap to get anywhere by taxi.
For anyone contemplating going to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, my advice is to do an Intrepid cruise for as many nights as you can afford, and add a couple of extra nights in Quito, where there is much to see and do.
South America Highlights
Highlights of South America and Chilean Fjords Cruise
Helen, QLD, Australia, Feb 2024
This holiday had been well thought out as every day was another exciting experience. It was well balanced with great tour guides and local guides who looked after all our needs. I would certainly recommended this holiday as there were so many different kinds of experiences. Very impressed with beautiful accommodation in every city.
Galapagos Explorer
Galapagos Explorer: Southern Islands (Grand Queen Beatriz)
Kirsten and Amy, VIC, Australia, Jun 2023
My sister and I embarked on an unforgettable journey organised by Global Journeys and travelling with Intrepid, exploring the wonders of South America, from the mesmerizing Galapagos Islands to the vibrant cities of Buenos Aires and Rio De Janeiro, with an awe-inspiring stopover at the majestic Iguazu Falls. Despite encountering initial setbacks due read more to flight cancellations, Georgie's exceptional assistance and expertise ensured our trip remained seamless. Georgie secured refunds and rearranging our travel arrangements when flights were cancelled. We are immensely grateful to Georgie for orchestrating a brilliant trip!
Great adventure
Ultimate South America with Brazil's Amazon & Galapagos Cruise
Terry, WA, Australia, Sep 2019
What an amazing adventure from starting in the Amazon to finishing in the Galápagos Islands it all went as smooth as. Our tour manager knew her stuff and ensured a seamless trip with all the flights and hotels. The local guides were very good, friendly and knowledgeable with lots to see and do every day. I highly recommend Global Journeys and will read more use them again and will do another Cosmos adventure.
