However, the holiday begins in Argentina: Buenos Aires, the soi-disant Paris of Latin America, before continuing north to the Iguazú Falls, the immense, roaring cataracts which straddle the frontier of the two countries.

The vast Pantanal wetlands are a paradise for nature lovers, especially for wildlife observation. Unlike the areas of high jungle, the Pantanal is an open area of swampy grasslands, leaving some of the highest concentration of fauna in the continent exposed to view. Stay at one of our favourite eco lodges: there are plenty of excursions by boat, trail and on horse-back.

For many the seemingly impenetrable wilderness of the Amazon, sprawling across half of South America's vast territory, conjures an unrivalled sense of adventure which taps into some of their very earliest images of the exotic. Here you can make childhood dreams a reality, with a stay of several days at a jungle lodge not far from the city of Manaus but surrounded by the wilds of the rainforest.