The Best Spots for Your Favorite Sports
A basic guide to the best places to climb, scuba dive, snowboard, surf, raft, canopy glide and trek in Latin America.
text Paulo Flores
Given its generous size and varied geography, our continent is a wonderful place to enjoy adventure sports. The rugged Andes, tumbling rivers and broad Pacific and Atlantic Oceans comprise a circuit with plenty of energy and adventure, a challenge for those who dare. »
Climbing
Ascend steep walls and pronounced slopes, defying the laws of physics and perception; sometimes the only equipment may be specially designed climbing shoes, but safety gear – including a harness, helmet and ropes – is recommend. The physical demands involve using your feet and legs as well as your hands and arms. The levels of difficulty vary according the height and the inclination of the surface being scaled.
Our Favorites:
Cañón de Aculco, Mexico. Located in the State of Mexico, this waterfall has a drop of over 400 feet during the summer.
Tips
From Mexico City, take highway 55 (San Juan del Río-Querétaro) 75 miles to Aculco. The road to the waterfall is ten minutes from the main square.
 Diving
Choose from skin diving (without any breathing apparatus) or scuba diving (with a breathing apparatus).
Our Favorites:
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this city is located on the Caribbean coast, which means crystal-clear waters and an average temperature of 32ºC/90ºF.
Guanacaste, Costa Rica: This resort area on the Pacific Ocean offers clear waters and a good climate.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: Over 60 miles of beaches with a tropical climate: the average annual temperature is 27ºC/80ºF.
Tips
Colombia: Most diving spots are 30 minutes to an hour from Cartagena. Open-water classes cost US$380 (including practice time). www.divingplanet.org.
Costa Rica : Swimming classes, diving equipment and a class in the sea, plus ground transport, water and other beverages for the trip come to a total of US$90 for a half day.
www.scubadivingixtapa.com.
México: Renting equipment for six hours costs US$105. www.puertovallarta.net
Snowboarding
 This hybrid of skiing and surfing was born in the 1960s and has rapidly evolved. New materials and technologies mean more flexible boards and better boots and bindings. Since 1998, half-pipe and boardercross snowboarding have been part of the Olympic Games. In South America, this winter sport flourishes in the Andes mountain range.
Our Favorites:
Las Lenas, Argentina: This winter resort in the province of Mendoza has an excellent reputation for quality powder. Valleys run north-south and are framed by huge massifs of exposed rock. Most of the runs offer unobstructed snowboarding.
Zona Central, Chile: The section of the Andes mountain range in Chile’s central valley boasts the best possible conditions for enjoying this sport, as well as several quality resorts, like Valle Nevado, with runs of varying difficulty, off-run options like Heliski and world-class hotel services. The season begins in July and ends in late September.
Tips
Argentina: The Las Lenas ski center, with the five-star Piscis hotel, adult passes for US$60. www.laslenas.com
Chile: Valle Nevado ski center, with the Puerta del Sol hotel, a one-night minimum stay for two people (with lift ticket) for US$593.www.vallenevado.com
 Surfing
Long associated with the U.S. west coast, especially California, and the islands of Hawaii, this sport is now practiced all over the globe. Wherever there are quality waves, there will always be a surfer trying to master them.
Our Favorites:
Punta Hermosa, Peru: This Lima beach is ideal for beginners and offers good conditions year-round. The extensive Peruvian coast abounds with alternatives and constant tubular waves. One of the most famous is Máncora, 725 miles north of Lima, near the Ecuadorian border.
Puerto Escondido, Mexico: November is the perfect time to enjoy internationally renowned surf in the state of Oaxaca. This beach is best suited for advanced or professional surfers.
Pichilemu, Chile: Nearly 155 miles south of Santiago, this beach is well known by surfers from around the world, especially the Punta de Lobos area. Be sure to bring a high-density wetsuit for the cold Chilean waters.
Tips
México: 1 clase de 2 horas cuesta US$70. /
One two-hour class costs US$70.
www.puertosurf.com.mx
Perú: 4 clases por US$33. /
Four classes for US$33.
www.surfdestiny.com
Chile: 1 clase de 2 horas por US$40. / One two-hour class costs US$40.
www.chilesurfcamp.cl
Rafting
 Take to the river in a canoe, kayak or raft. Usually, the raft is steered by a person sitting in the rear, and the rest of the crew sits along both sides. The difficulty level depends on river flow, current speed, turbulence and the presence and strength of eddies, among other factors.
Our Favorites:
Río Futaleufú, Chile: Very popular in the world of rafting and kayaking, these blue waters (grade IV to V) are located in the 10th Region, over 600 miles south of Santiago.
Río Manso, Argentina: San Carlos de Bariloche is home to one of the most beautiful rivers traversing the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, known for its turquoise color, typical of glacial run-off. The adventure begins calmly in the lower part, before reaching class-III rapids and class-IV torrents.
Río Apurímac and Río Urubamba, Peru: Both located near Cusco, with grade II, III and IV rapids. The Río Apurímac canyon is considered one of the best in the world for rafting and canoeing. The rapids of Río Urubamba cross the famous Valle Sagrado.
Tips
Chile: A four-day, three-night adventure, including transportation, a double room, full board, professional guides, rafts, life jackets, helmets, suits, windbreakers, cataraft and safety kayak, and accident insurance for US$685 per person (minimum four people).
www.elbarrancochile.cl
Argentina: Just over 40 miles south of Bariloche, with rates of ranging from US$165 to US$230, depending on the excursion.
www.todobariloche.com
Perú: programas por 1, 2 y 4 días saliendo de Cusco, desde US$65 a US$155.
www.alltrekcusco.com
Canopy
 This new adventure sport offers a very different kind of ecological experience: spectacular views of the treetops and local flora as you “fly” along a series of ropes secured at tree stations at an average height of 65 feel above the ground.
Our Favorites:
Encañonado de El Salto, Ecuador: On the grounds of the Hacienda Santa Rita, managed by the company Tierra del Volcán, a zigzag of steel cables suspend you 100 feet high among trees and over the river that starts on the slopes of the Pasochoa volcano. The route runs nearly a mile along the river.
Monteverde, Costa Rica: This Central American country has a lot of experience in this sport, and the Monteverde circuit is one of the best for exploring different areas of rain forest, renowned for a great diversity of flora and fauna.
Tips
Ecuador: Cost for one person, US$20, including a guide, helmet, harnesses, pulleys and safety gear. www.volcanoland.com
Costa Rica: Hotel Montaña Monteverde, standard room with one double bed and one single for US$70. www.monteverdeinfo.com
Trekking
This blend of adventure sport and ecological tourism requires stamina for long walks, good orientation, and respect for safety and ecological guidelines.
Our Favorites:
El Altar, Ecuador: Located in the Parque Nacional Sangay, 20 miles from Riobamba, the horseshoe-shaped crater of this extinct volcano is near a number of brilliantly colored lagoons (green, yellow and blue).
El Pantanal, Brazil: Situated in the heights of the Río Paraguay basin, the world’s largest wetlands covers an area of approximately 58,000 square miles, with elevations ranging from 250 to 500 feet above sea level.
Tips
Ecuador: Transportation, full board, horses and donkeys for luggage transportation, a cook, camping equipment, a guide equipped with a phone and radio for emergencies and park entry for US$850 per person (minimum four people), US$1,175 per person (minimum two people) and US$2,115 for a single person.
www.surtrek.org/altar_trekking_ecuador.html
Brasil: US$1,274 per person (minimum four and maximum eight). The package includes all transportation, air transport, four nights’ lodging at the Jungle Lodge, all food and beverages, plus an experienced expedition leader and reliable local guides.
www.surtrek.org/sudamerica/pantanal_wildlife_brasil.html
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