Underrated Latin America: 22 Destinations for Your Next Trip, From Baja to the Amazon

Photo: Tatiane Kátia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Jet Set LatAM · Destination Guide

Latin America’s headline cities get the crowds, but some of its most rewarding trips start where most itineraries end: a wine valley in Baja, a lace-making town outside Asunción, an art park in the hills of Minas Gerais. These are the underrated Latin America destinations we think deserve a place on your list.

Each guide covers boutique hotels, fine dining, artisan shopping and, where it matters, an honest note on current travel advisories. Under every destination you’ll also find our in-depth hotel review and restaurant guide.

Baja California and Mexico’s Pacific

• Los Cabos: art hotels in San José and the Corridor’s icons
  Stay: Hotel El Ganzo · Eat: Flora Farms
• Valle de Guadalupe: wineries, eco-lofts and a Michelin-starred oak
  Stay: Encuentro Guadalupe · Eat: Deckman’s en el Mogor
• Rosarito: Puerto Nuevo lobster and a 1920s beach hotel
  Stay: Rosarito Beach Hotel · Eat: Puerto Nuevo lobster
• Tijuana: the original Caesar salad and Baja Med tables
  Eat: Misión 19 · Caesar’s
• Acapulco: reopened luxury hotels and the cliff divers
  Stay: Las Brisas · Banyan Tree Cabo Marqués
• Mazatlán: a 19th-century old town on the Pacific
  Stay: Casa Lucila · Eat: Pedro y Lola
• Huatulco: nine bays and Oaxacan coffee mountains
  Stay: Quinta Real · Do: Pluma Hidalgo coffee tour

Mexico’s colonial heartland

• Morelia: pink-stone hotels and Michoacán crafts
  Stay: Hotel Los Juaninos · Eat: LU Cocina Michoacana
• Guanajuato: tunnel streets and the Cervantino
  Stay: Quinta Las Acacias · Eat: enchiladas mineras

Central America

• Roatán: reef diving and West Bay resorts
  Stay: Kimpton Grand Roatán · Eat: West End restaurants
• El Salvador: indigo, surf and coffee towns
  Stay: Los Almendros de San Lorenzo · Eat: pupusas

Colombia

• Barranquilla: Carnival and Caribbean kitchens
  Stay: Hotel El Prado · Eat: Narcobollo
• Santa Marta: Tayrona, Minca and the Lost City
  Stay: Casa de Leda · Do: Finca La Victoria coffee farm
• Cali: salsa and Pacific flavors
  Do: the best salsa clubs · Eat: Platillos Voladores

Paraguay and Ecuador

• Asunción: ñandutí lace and tereré
  Stay: Palmaroga · Eat: Tierra Colorada Gastró
• Guayaquil: Las Peñas and the cacao coast
  Stay: Mansión del Río · Eat: encebollado and the Ruta del Cacao

Argentina

• Ushuaia: penguins and king crab at the end of the world
  Stay: Arakur · Eat: Kalma Resto
• Córdoba: the Jesuit Block and Güemes antiques
  Stay: Azur Real Hotel Boutique · Eat: Güemes

Brazil

• Curitiba: design hotels and Manu Buffara
  Stay: Nomaa Hotel · Eat: Manu
• Manaus and the Amazon: jungle lodges and an opera house
  Stay: Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge · Eat: Banzeiro
• Fernando de Noronha: Brazil’s most beautiful beaches
  Stay: Pousada Maravilha · Eat: the Zé Maria festival
• Inhotim and Belo Horizonte: an art park and Minas cooking
  Stay: Clara Arte Resort · Eat: Glouton

Frequently asked questions

What is the most underrated country in Latin America?

Paraguay and El Salvador are two of the most overlooked, both with low advisory levels and plenty to discover.

What are hidden gems in Mexico?

Huatulco, Guanajuato, Morelia and Valle de Guadalupe are four of our favorites beyond the Riviera Maya.

What are underrated places in Brazil?

Curitiba, Inhotim and Belo Horizonte, and the protected island of Fernando de Noronha.

Looking for city icons? Start with our solo travel guide to South America.

Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you book or buy through them, Jet Set LatAM may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is a researched editorial guide; details, hours, prices and travel advisories change, so confirm before you go.