South America Travel
If you’re looking for thrills, chills, and hopefully not too many spills, South America tours should be on your radar. This remarkable travel destination is full of soaring mountain peaks, deep ocean depths, and plenty of desert paths. If you’re the type that thinks a luxury tour should lean more toward high quality Travel Guides and trekking equipment rather than sipping cocktails on the beach, here are several South America vacations ideas fit for the adventure seeker.
- Diving in the Galapagos. Most people know the Galapagos Islands are full of crazy creatures like lava lizards and giant tortoises. But did you know the surrounding seas are also full of interesting animals? And one of the best ways to see them is by taking a diving trip. The highlight of many people’s Galapagos tour is diving with hammerhead sharks, which is truly an experience of a lifetime. You enter the water far from where they commonly swim, and then dive below them, so you look up at them from below.
- Trekking in Patagonia. Many South America luxury tours take you to Patagonia where you stay in warm cozy lodges. This is certainly a great way to spend part of your vacation, because who doesn’t enjoy some hot chocolate in front of the fire, but if you truly want to experience the vast icy planes of Patagonia, the only way is to get out there an experience it yourself. Day treks in Patagonia are common, and several take you to glaciers, but if you’re looking for something more intense, you can take a trek that lasts several days and camp out overnight, or trek between basic lodges.
- Rafting in Peru. Peru is mainly known for Machu Picchu, the massive Inca city that was built on mountain peaks outside of Cuzco. Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is a great adventure experience, but if you’re looking for something slightly different, consider taking a rafting trip. The Andes run through Peru, and the mountain runoff water creates plenty of exciting rapids to get wet on.
- Jungle explorations in Brazil. Did you know that there are entire tribes of people living in the Amazon Rainforest that have never made contact with modern civilization? That is how deep and dense the Amazon Rainforest is: a true marvel and mystery of nature. Experience some of its immenseness by taking jungle exportations. Brazil has the largest portion of the Amazon, but the rainforest also grows into Peru, Bolivia, and Columbia. It is easiest visited in Peru from the town of either Iquitos in the north or Puerto Maldonado in the South (which is closer to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, and therefore easier to add onto a longer Peru vacation).
Five Tips Travel To Make Your Vacation a Success:
Vacations to South America are typically a once in a lifetime experience, which means that people who visit here often want to get the most out of every location they discover on their travels. If you’re considering a vacation to this continent, use these tips to help ensure that you have a great time.
1: Check to Make Sure You Don’t Need an Entry Visa:
It’s a given that you’ll need a valid passport, but some countries will also require an entry visa, especially if you’re considering staying for more than 90 days. Different countries will have very different requirements. For instance, Brazil requires a visa for any length of stay, but Chile allows visitors to stay for up to three months without one. Some countries will also require that visitors have proof of a return ticket and they won’t allow you in the country without a return ticket.
2: Learn A Little Spanish:
Most of the countries in South America speak Spanish, so it’s not a bad idea to learn a few key phrases before you go. Although some places, such as Brazil, speak Portuguese, the two languages are similar enough that travelers find they can get by with Spanish. Many people do speak a little English, especially in the tourist areas, so you’ll likely be okay without learning a lot of Spanish but the locals will certainly appreciate your attempt to speak their language.
3: Time Your Visit Right, Especially If You Want To See The Summer Sky:
The best time to plan your vacations depends on what you’re looking for. Do you want to discover the summer sky? If so, you’ll need to plan your vacations during December or January. If you like skiing, sledding and snowboarding, consider a trip to Chile or Argentina in July or August. If you’re coming from the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll need to remember that the seasons will be switched when planning your vacations.
4: Change Money Before You Go:
Since you’ll be traveling to places throughout South America, it’s a given that your local currency won’t work. It’s usually easy to change money at the airport or even get funds out through a local ATM, but many people prefer to have some local currency on them before they arrive in country. You can usually change money through your local bank, but make sure to call first because some small banks have to special order currency and don’t keep it stocked.
5: Visit Your Doctor For Any Necessary Immunizations:
Some places in South America require different immunizations than what’s required in your home country. Some countries, such as Brazil, don’t require extra vaccinations, but they do recommend that visitors protect themselves against typhoid and yellow fever. You may also need a certificate from your doctor verifying that you’ve been vaccinated. If you do not have this certificate, you might not be allowed to travel or you might be turned away once you arrive in country.
Vacation Destination in South America:
Looking for an exciting new vacation destination? Look no further than Florianopolis, Brazil.
Florianopolis is a charming island located two hours south of the famous Rio de Janeiro. Florianopolis is blessed with 42 beautiful beaches, one more eye pleasing than the next, and with styles and atmospheres to fit every taste imaginable. In addition, the island is blessed with soft white sand dunes, rolling green hills and crystalline lagoons. Truly a nature lover’s paradise, one can continually find new treasures on the island.
Out of island’s many beaches, there are over 20 high quality surf breaks, providing nearly unlimited choices and variety for visiting surfers, and as such is known as the surf capital of Brazil. The WCT Pro Tour (the highest level surf competition in the world) has only 12 stops around the globe, and the only one in all of South America is in Florianopolis. So if the waves are good enough for Slater, Irons & co., then that is already a pretty good sign!
In addition to the island’s stunning natural beauty, visitors will also be astounded by the amazing dining and nightlife options on the island, some of South America’s best, as well as the broad array of outdoor activities available for sporting enthusiasts and fine shopping for the shop-a-holics. Completely safe (unlike Brazil’s largest urban mega-centers such as Sao Paulo and Rio), Florianopolis has retained the feel of a sleepy beach town despite being a state capital and having grown quite a bit in its own right after landing on the international radar screen just a few short years ago.
The “magic island” as many refer to it has an uncanny effect of enchanting visitors from around the globe, many of whom leave with dreams of coming back – not just to visit, but to live!
Recently named by Newsweek international as one of the world’s “top 10 most dynamic cities”, Florianopolis truly has something to offer for anyone. So if you’re looking for Travel Guide Book, mark this one on the top of the list!
Learn Spanish in South America:
South America is the best region in the world to go to if you want to learn Spanish as fast as possible in a foreign country. If you can immerse yourself in Spanish for a month or two you will gain a very solid foundation in Spanish. It’s important to speak only Spanish while you are there clearly, and if you do you will absorb the language like a sponge.
On top of that when you live in South America you will have a terrific time. And it’s known that the very best way to learn a language is while you are enjoying yourself.
An advantage that much of South America has over Spain as a destination to learn Spanish is that many consider the South American Spanish accents to be the best. Many people don’t like the Spanish accent from Spain for example, because they have a lisp on the ‘th’ that they don’t have in South America.
Except Argentinians, who have their own unique lisp. Here are some of the best countries to visit to learn Spanish in South America:
Apart from their own lisp when they pronounce double L’s (as ‘sh’), Argentina is an incredible place to go to. Argentina has some of the best food and wine in the world, and the arts, culture and people are all great too. Chile on the other hand, is a country with more incredible natural beauty and unbelievable extremes – Chile offers skiing, jungle trekking, surfing and just about every outdoor activity possible.
What many people consider to be the most attractive Spanish accent is the Venezuelan accent. Also a country with incredible natural beauty and sites to see. Colombia is the place to go for people who want somewhere more undiscovered by tourists and Travel Guide. This incredibly beautiful country is now relatively safe and welcoming, especially in its capital – Bogota.
But the most popular of them all for visitors learning Spanish is Ecuador. Quito is a wonderful, cheap, friendly, and convenient place to go with many excellent Spanish schools waiting for you.
Whichever country you go for in the end, it’s a good idea to set yourself a goal before you go of reaching a decent level of fluency in 2 or 3 months. With some sort of goal to focus on you will learn faster.
And make sure that you only speak Spanish while you’re out there. You’ll be surprised by how many people you meet who want to speak English with you, so be strong and you’ll really learn a lot of Spanish. Get stuck into the culture and the language. Sometimes it’s better to go to smaller out of the way places rather than the big cities where you will meet less English speakers.
