Southern Cone Cool

January 4, 2023 5:01 PM

Where can I go in South America that is not hot?

I am looking for a place to go South America for December/January/February. I was looking at Mendoza, Argentina, but it gets way too hot there. Prefer < 80F/26C for the daily high temperature. Prefer high altitude. Cities/Towns from Mendoza-size to 500K. American. Speaks passable Spanish.

posted by falsedmitri to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

I traveled around Peru in December 2019. Other than Lima (Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Maras/Moray, Machu Picchu) everything else was fairly temperate (though still wear sunblock when at elevation!)
posted by raccoon409 at 5:24 PM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Valparaíso, Chile would be lovely. The weather is quite a bit cooler than 26C during those months - average daily high is around 20c. It's coastal rather than high altitude, though. Viña del Mar is the more resort town version of Valparaíso's historic, bohemian vibe, if that's more your style.

In Argentina, again coastal, but Mar del Plata or Bahía Blanca might be good bets.

I haven't been, but Cuenca, Ecuador is high and cooler and seems to be a pretty nice place to visit.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:40 PM on January 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Arequipa, Peru
posted by mochapickle at 5:47 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Montevideo, Uruguay has highs of 80-82 usually in January and is a little smaller than Mendoza. It's a pleasant little city with some very old parts.
posted by vunder at 5:59 PM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Baños, Ecuador. Also features dozens of natural hotsprings and waterfalls in and around the city. Excellent restaurants as well.

I can confirm Cuenca is very cool, especially if you like architecture. There's also Incan ruins nearby, called Ingapirca. It's a nice day trip.
posted by ananci at 6:24 PM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Santiago, Chile is in the Andes foothills. Northeast of the city is a literal ski resort. All the vineyards and towns in that direction will feature ever increasing altitude and thus cooler climates.
posted by mmascolino at 6:25 PM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Bariloche, Argentina.

Good access to the pleasures of Patagonia! It's at ~900 metres, so not exactly HIGH altitude, but not low either.

I've only spent a few days there, and that over a decade ago, but really got a nice vibe from it. Could have been the chocolate, of course.
posted by inexorably_forward at 8:34 PM on January 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

I'd say anywhere in Chile south of about Temuco is likely to fit the weather requirement. That said most of the population centers down that way are in the 150-250K range or lower, if that's a hard requirement. Plenty of touristy places to go down that way, tho unfortunately my experience down there was as a missionary for a church I no longer am a member of, so my ability to participate in tourist activities was limited.
posted by Aleyn at 10:05 PM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Cuenca, Ecuador is actually quite nice. If you'd like to be closer to the capital and an international airport, then I would also suggest Cumbaya.
posted by alchemist at 6:12 AM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

Cusco could fit the bill. High elevation at 11,150ft/3,400m, close to 500k population. It has an average high of 66f/18c during their summer in December/January.

(Much) Further south, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, El Calafate, and El Chaltén are lovely this time of the year.

But they are not big population centers by any stretch of the imagination. Punta Arenas tops out at 125k. The others are a 1/10th of that. Lower temperatures in the summer make for brutal and cold winters. That makes folks want to live elsewhere. But these are also the type of places that I like to visit. :-)

With all of these locations, bring a jacket, even in summer.
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 6:34 AM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you're really especially into the mountains, you could look into Bolivia. La Paz itself is about 800k, while the larger metro area is about 2million; weatherwise, it's very cool. with an average high of like 63. Cochabamba is about 1.4 million, at lower elevation with January highs about 79.
posted by vunder at 8:25 AM on January 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

For high altitude in your population range, I'd suggest Salta in Argentina.

It's smaller and at sea level, but Valdivia in Chile was a place I could really see myself settling in - to the point of fantasizing about doing a geology degree at the University there after I retire.

Both places have lots of fun stuff within an enjoyable 4-6 hour bus ride.
posted by kelper at 9:20 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Central, not South America, but we spent some time in the mountains around Boquete in Panama and it was surprisingly comfortable there. Daytime highs in the 70s, nights in the upper 50s.
posted by JaredSeth at 6:27 AM on January 11, 2023