South America Holidays
America
South America represents a continent of unique geographic features and climate. In the Atacama Desert in Chile, the most arid desert in the world, it hasn't rained in four hundred years in some areas, while in the lush rainforests of the Amazon of Brazil it rains regularly. In Ecuador, the spring-like climate reflects its high altitude, while you can also visit Cabo Polonio in Uruguay where residents don't have access to electrical power.
Map of South America
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South America Holidays Guide
South America is just as varied in the activities that it offers to its visitors. Numerous festivals are celebrated throughout the continent; Ecuador being perhaps the most inclined to celebrations, but if you want to celebrate Carnival, the longest celebrations are in Montevideo, Uruguay.
There are numerous urban options for visitors to South America. You can enjoy the cuisine of Peru by enjoying a freshly made ceviche in Lima, or you can enjoy a stroll and a visit to a European café in a nice neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. Perhaps you'd prefer to celebrate what has been called one of the most authentic festivals in the world by spending Carnival in Bolivia at Oruru.
For outdoor adventures, there are numerous choices in South America, whether you prefer wine tours in Argentina, or water tours of the Amazon in Brazil. You can also view the eerie Nazca Lines, sculptures on the plains in Peru of animals that are believed to be of religious significance, so large that they need to be viewed from the sky.
Due to its long Colonial history, there are many interesting architecturally beautiful sites throughout South America. Spots you can visit include the Jesuit ruins of Rio Grande Do Sul in Brazil, and the pretty colourful churches of the Chiloe Island Archipelago in Chile. For a modern twist, you can visit the futuristic buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer in Brasilia.
For outdoor activities, there are the Iguazo Waterfalls, there are over 200 waterfalls, including the Devil's Throat at over one and a half times the height of Niagara. You can access Iguazo from Brazil or Argentina. Perhaps the ultimate in an eco-adventure is a visit to the Galapagos Islands, this unique ecosystem is protected by stringent environmental laws, but that doesn't stop a strictly monitored tourist trade from offering cruises and flights to tourists interested in viewing the wildlife and plantlife of this volcanic archipelago.
You can arrange a cowboy experience, South American style, in Argentina with a gaucho tour in the scorched red landscape of Pampas and eat around the campfire and sleep under the stars. A river tour or trek of the rain forest can be arranged of the Amazon at the colonial gateway city of Manaus in Brazil, and in Bolivia you can visit islands on Lake Titicaca that are entirely man-made, constructed of reeds.
The sky's the limit for a vacation in South America. There are a variety of landscapes and sites to visit in South America, and the chances for losing interest in the varied and multi-faceted continent are slim.