Avanti’s Picks for Top Nature and Adventure Experiences for Independent Travelers Headed to Central and South America

 

Portland, Oregon, December 15, 2025 –  Hiking on glaciers or on the side of a smoldering volcano, white-water rafting, cave and river tubing, two-tank scuba diving or snorkeling along the Northern Hemisphere’s largest barrier reef, trekking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, kayaking the Magellan Straits near the trip of South America are among the top adrenaline-pumping experiences that custom tour operator Avanti Destinations recommends to advisors with adventure-seeking FIT* clients headed to Central and South America.

 

Selling exclusively to advisors, not directly to consumers, Avanti helps advisors create unique multi-destination vacations focused on nature or adventure complete with English-speaking guides, convenient transfers and a broad range of accommodations, including eco-lodges, over-the-water bungalows, dive resorts and expedition cruise ships.  

 

The company has just issued a new 96-page lavishly illustrated e-brochure, Nature and Adventure; Central and South America, downloadable at https://www.flipsnack.com/779977E569B/nature-and-adventure-central-and-south-america/full-view.html highlighting a sample of the hundreds of tours, packages, hotels, resorts, and unique accommodations that Avanti offers in the region. Many of the tours are private. Prices are not included, so advisors can share the e-brochure with clients.

 

Nature for both thrill-seekers and those seeking spectacular scenery

“Some clients prefer thrills, other prefer calm enjoyment of Latin America’s scenic wonders – and we have those kinds of experiences covered, too,” said Paul Barry, Avanti’s CEO. “Natural beauty is everywhere – on the beaches, in the rainforests and cloud forests, among Iguazu’s 275 waterfalls, on and around the unique Galapagos Islands, in the deserts like Atacama, with each view of the awe-inspiring Andes mountains, on the salt flats of Bolivia, Chile or Argentina, Peru. In addition to the more challenging tours, we offer easier hikes, horseback riding, cycling, birdwatching, and wildlife-spotting in national parks, tours of waterfalls, fjords and jewel-like lakes.”

 

  The e-brochure describes a total of seven vacation packages, 31 tours and experiences, and 34 hotels and resorts, the majority rated four-stars and above, located in 11 countries. This year Avanti celebrates its 35th anniversary of selling Latin America for independent travelers.

 

Top picks for Latin American nature and adventure experiences

• Buena Vista Hot Springs Canopy and Horseback Riding – 11 hour shared tour by zipline then horseback in Guanacaste, Costa Rica;

 

• White Water Rafting Sarapiqui – 7 hour shared tour on Class IV Sarapiqui River in Arenal, Costa Rica;

 

• Two-Tank Scuba Diving – 3-hour small group tour (60-80 foot depth) on barrier reef in Ambergris Caye, Belize;

 

• Cave Tubing & Zipline Tour (with lunch) – 7-hour tour shared tour in San Ignacio, Belize;

 

• Pacaya Volcano Tour – all day private tour on the smoldering slope of one of Guatemala’s most active volcanoes, near Antigua;

 

• Bolivian Salt Flats in Airstream trailer – 3 days/2 nights on the lunar landscape of Uyuni;

 

• M/T Horizon luxury Galapagos cruise – 5 days/4 nights on a five-star eight-cabin ship exploring the Galapagos Islands;

 

• Brazil Falls Tour with Macuco safari – 5-hour walking/jeep/boat private tour of the Brazil side of 275-drop Iguassu Falls, where clients get drenched in the falls’ mist;

 

• Hiking Palcoyo Mountain – 12-hour private hiking tour of vividly colored mountains and “stone forest” near Cuzco, Peru;

 

• Inca Trail Express – two-day/one-night experience hiking the challenging path to Machu Picchu with overnight in hotel, Peru;

 

• Birdwatching & Otun Quimbaya Nature Reserve hike (with lunch) – 8-hour private tour in cloud forest that is home to over 200 bird species, Coffee Triangle area, Colombia;

 

• Minitrekking on Perito Moreno Glacier – 8-hour shared tour of this bright blue ice glacier – one of the few that is actually advancing, not shrinking, near Calafate, Argentina;

 

• Kayaking the Strait of Magellan – 3.5 hour small group tour paddling and wildlife-spotting in the channel separating mainland South America and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, near Punta Arenas, Chile.

 

To book nature- and adventure-focused experiences on a custom-tailored, multi-destination independent travel vacations to Central and South America, as well as throughout Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, North Africa, and the Middle East, log onto www.avantidestinations.com or call 1-800-422-5053 to speak with an expert destination specialist.   

 

Since 1981, Avanti Destinations has been selling independent travel products and customizable vacations in Europe, Asia, Central and South America, the South Pacific, North Africa and the Middle East. The Portland, Oregon-based wholesale tour operator offers a wide range of FIT components to travel advisors only, including air, rail, rental cars, hotels, sightseeing/attractions, transfers and hard-to-find experiential travel options.  Avanti specializes in handpicked, locally-owned hotels in both large and small cities and connecting all the pieces of complex, multi-destination itineraries. For more information: www.avantidestinations.com . 

*FIT = Foreign Independent Travel