Which Latin American country should you visit first?

For most first-time visitors from the UK, the honest answer is Peru or Costa Rica — and which one depends almost entirely on how you feel about altitude.

Peru is the great cultural journey: Machu Picchu, the Andes, Lake Titicaca, one of the world's best cuisines. It also spends much of its time above 3,000 metres. Costa Rica is greener, lower, warmer and gentler, and is about wildlife rather than empires.

The other three are all excellent, and each is the right answer for someone.

In short

• Peru — the classic first trip. Extraordinary history. Altitude is the thing to plan around
• Costa Rica — wildlife, rainforest and coast, at sea level and an easy pace
• Mexico — culture, food and Mayan sites, with the shortest flight of the six
• Ecuador & Galápagos — the wildlife trip of a lifetime, and a small country that is easy to travel
• Argentina — vast, European in feel, best for landscapes, wine and Patagonia

It is the single most useful filter, and it splits the region cleanly in two.

Peru and Bolivia are high. Cusco sits at 3,400 metres, and our Peru route crosses passes at 4,323 and 4,910 metres. Altitude affects fit and unfit travellers alike — it is not a question of stamina — and while a well-built itinerary softens it considerably by starting at sea level in Lima and pacing the first days, it does not remove it.

Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia's coast and the Galápagos are not. If altitude worries you, or if you have been told to avoid it, these are where to look, and you lose nothing in the way of interest.

Argentina and Ecuador sit in between, with high sections you can plan around.

If Peru is what you really want but altitude is the hesitation, read our guide to altitude on a Peru trip and then talk to a specialist. It is a more solvable problem than most people assume.

Peru — 16 days. Machu Picchu reached by train, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, the Colca Canyon, Arequipa and the desert coast. The most complete cultural journey in the region and the one most first-timers should take. No trekking, no camping.

Costa Rica — 18 days. Rainforest, volcanoes, cloud forest and two coastlines, with wildlife you will actually see. The gentlest introduction to Latin America, and the strongest choice for travellers who want nature over ruins.

Mexico — 15 days. Mayan and Aztec sites, colonial cities, Oaxacan food, and the shortest flight from the UK of any of these. Underrated as a first trip.

Ecuador & Galápagos — 15 days. The islands are the point, and they are as extraordinary as their reputation. Ecuador itself is compact and easy to travel, which makes the combination unusually efficient.

Argentina — 16 days, or 20 days for Patagonia with Brazil and Chile. Glaciers, the Andes, Iguazú, Buenos Aires and Mendoza wine. Big distances and a European feel.

Beyond altitude, four factors settle most decisions.

Flight length. Mexico and Colombia are the shortest hops from the UK. Argentina and Chile are the longest — and Patagonia adds internal flights on top.

Heat and humidity. Costa Rica, Colombia's coast and the Yucatán are hot and humid year-round. The Andes are cool, sometimes cold at night. Argentina has proper seasons, reversed from ours.

When you can travel. The southern hemisphere flips the calendar: Patagonia is a southern-summer trip, roughly November to March, while the Andean dry season runs May to September. Central America and the Caribbean coast are best in our winter — which conveniently is when most people want to escape.

Pace. Costa Rica and Ecuador involve less internal travel. Argentina and the three-country Andean route involve a good deal more.

Our guide to Latin America month by month is a useful next step if timing is the constraint.

You do not always have to. Three of our routes combine countries in one trip.

Peru, Bolivia & Chile — 23 days. The Andean trilogy: Machu Picchu, the Uyuni salt flats and the Atacama. Our most ambitious route, and best suited to travellers who have done a long-haul trip or two before. It is also the highest.

Patagonia — 20 days, across Argentina, Brazil and Chile: Iguazú, glaciers, the Andes and the tropics in one journey.

Every trip above is land-only, so you fly from the airport that suits you, and every one runs on guaranteed departures — they go ahead regardless of how many others have booked. Group sizes run from 12 to 15 travellers.

If you are still torn between two countries, that is exactly the ten-minute conversation our Latin America specialists have every day — and they will happily tell you that the one you were leaning towards is the wrong one for what you have described.