February in Latin America brings festivals in full swing, wildlife spectacles at their peak, and coastlines at their most enticing.
It’s high summer in the Southern Cone, but with less of January’s intensity. In places like Patagonia, conditions remain at their most reliable while the crowds begin to loosen their grip. Central America basks in sunshine, Antarctic wildlife conditions are at their peak, and Carnival festivities spill theatrically into the streets across the region.
For those contemplating a trip in February, these are four destinations that we believe truly shine.
Uruguay
In Uruguay, Montevideo’s Carnaval takes over the city with a 40-day celebration of murga performances, Candombe drum parades and neighbourhood tablados (street theatre); less choreographed and more family-led than Rio, performances are based in social and political satire.
Along the Atlantic coast, the January rush has ebbed, with the beaches of José Ignacio and Punta del Este far calmer. The country is still very much in summer mode, but without the crowds of peak season – making it a wonderful moment for an unhurried road trip through its cities, coastline and rural interior.
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Mexico
In Mexico City, Zona Maco art fair brings collectors, gallerists, and creatives from across the world each February to experience the capital’s galleries, architecture, and culinary scene, with a web of satellite fairs, studio events and museum programming taking place alongside it.
Beyond the capital, Baja California and the Sea of Cortez are in the height of whale watching season, as grey and humpback whales migrate to calve in warm waters. Inland, in the highlands of Michoacán, the annual butterfly migration reaches its peak, with millions of monarch butterflies clustering in its forests before beginning their return north.
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Colombia
Colombia in February comes alive. On the Caribbean coast, Cartagena basks in dry-season sunshine, its colonial plazas and rooftops filled with music. Inland, Medellín’s hillsides and Bogotá’s cultural scene are at their most accessible without the summer rains. Along the Pacific and Amazon regions, wildlife thrives, and our local contacts open doors to private fincas, art collections, and hidden corners few travellers ever reach.
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Dominican Republic
February sits squarely in the Dominican Republic’s dry season. Along the Samaná Peninsula, long, pale-sand beaches give way to coconut groves and transparent green-blue sea, but the real draw sits just offshore. Each February, thousands of humpback whales complete their annual migration from the North Atlantic, arriving to breed and calve in the sheltered bay, making this one of the Caribbean’s most reliable places to see mothers and newborns up close.
In Santo Domingo, the oldest European city in the Americas, February marks the build-up to Dominican Carnival, centred on Independence Day (27th February). Processions and cultural events take place across the Malecón and historic centre, where sixteenth-century churches and cloisters sit alongside an increasingly confident food and arts scene.
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Antarctica
February sits at the height of the austral summer, when Antarctica is at its most accessible. The sea ice has retreated as far as it will all year, opening up deeper channels along the Antarctic Peninsula and into the Weddell Sea, and allowing expedition ships to reach remote landing sites rarely possible earlier in the season.
It’s also prime time for penguins: gentoo, chinstrap and Adélie chicks are fully hatched and starting to fledge, filling the colonies with constant movement and noise, while adults make their final feeding trips of the season. With long daylight hours, relatively stable weather and the richest concentration of wildlife all season, this is Antarctica at its most alive.
Explore Dominican RepublicOur journeys are defined by deep knowledge, rare access, and meticulous attention to detail – speak to our specialists to begin planning your February adventure in Latin America.
Looking for more inspiration?
Where to Travel in December
Where to Travel in January
Where to Travel in March
