Back to grid

Best winter sports destinations in South America

Back to grid
Valle Nevado
Snow‑kissed peaks and alpine serenity
9.1
A French resort company developed Valle Nevado starting in 1988, seeking terrain similar to the Alps. Builders carved roads into the mountainside above 3,000 metres to reach the site. The resort now links by lift to two older, smaller ski areas nearby. Valle Nevado's elevation helps extend its season later into the Southern Hemisphere spring.
Highlights:
  • 🚠 Take a cable car ride for panoramic Andes views
  • ⛷️ Ski or snowboard on world‑class pistes during winter season
  • 🏔️ Hike to the summit of Valle Nevado ski resort
Portillo
Alpine elegance meets Chilean winter wonderland
8.8
Portillo opened in 1949 along a rail route once used to cross the Andes into Argentina. Its lakeside lodge became a training base for ski teams by the 1960s. Portillo hosted the 1966 Alpine World Ski Championships, a rare honour for South America. The resort's single lodge and guest list have changed little since then.
Highlights:
  • 🍖 Enjoy a traditional Chilean barbecue at a local lodge
  • 🏘️ Stroll through the historic wooden town center
  • 🎿 Ski down Portillo's world‑class pistes in winter
San Carlos de Bariloche
Argentina’s Alpine Wonderland
7.4
Swiss and German immigrants settled Bariloche beginning in the late 1800s, shaping its alpine-style architecture. Skiing developed on nearby Cerro Catedral after a ski club formed there in 1936. Chocolate-making traditions brought by those immigrant families remain part of the town's identity. Bariloche later grew into a major winter sports base in Argentine Patagonia.
Highlights:
  • 🏘️ Explore the Bavarian-style Centro Cívico and museums
  • 🥾 Hike the scenic trails of Nahuel Huapi National Park
  • 🚡 Take a cable car to Cerro Otto for panoramic views
Mendoza
Wine, Andes and Adventure Bliss
7.2
General San Martin's army crossed the Andes near Mendoza in 1817 during a campaign for independence. That same mountain corridor later became a route for winter sports development. Las Lenas, developed in the 1980s, brought international ski tourism to the wider Mendoza region. Wine estates founded generations earlier still surround the city below the mountains.
Highlights:
  • 🍇 Join a tasting at a traditional Mendoza bodega
  • 🏔️ Drive along the scenic Route of the Andes to Aconcagua
  • 🍷 Tour vineyards and sample Malbec in the heart of wine country
Feedback