This blog captured our year long journey round South America starting in Brazil in January 2018 and finishing in Colombia in December 2018. During our 333 days in South America, we:
- Visited 11 countries
- Distance travelled in South America:
- Airplane 24,074 kms
- Road 35,623 kms
- Crossed 30 Borders
- Visited 37 UNESCO Sites
South America is one of the most diverse continents in the world which has so much to offer any traveller, including both the Andes and the Amazon which make a dramatic contrast. It has a number of mega world cities as well as some of the finest old colonial gems. Its people are some of the friendliest you can come across and with a bit of effort, it is relatively simple to pick up enough of the basics in Spanish and Portuguese to make your interaction with the locals so much more rewarding.
In addition, elsewhere on this blog are a number of individual postings covering our further travels to destinations both inside and outside of Latin America.
In particular given that the current COVID restrictions have seriously impacted travel of any type, we have included visits to Venice in August 2020 when there was a lull in infections and a recent pilgrimage in the UK from London to Canterbury, following the route of Chaucer’s pilgrims to the Becket shrine in Canterbury Cathedral.
Post COVID we returned to Colombia in 2022 and then Mexico in January and February 2023 and have just returned from Central America, travelling between Panama to Guatemala through Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador in January to February 2024
The Andes stretches from the Caribbean Coast in Colombia right down the continent to Tierra del Fuego. Some of the mountain landscapes, especially in Bolivia, Peru and Chile can be very harsh, but with clear skies, the colours are dramatic. Throughout there are many volcanos and snow capped mountains that make trekking such a dramatic and rewarding experience. While travelling the length of the continent we did several treks in Torres del Paine, Mount Fitzroy, the Chilean & Argentinian Lake District, the Camino Inca and the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. All very different and pm many cases require a fair bit of preparation for the altitude. We found that especially when you got above 4,000 metres, you had to take things particularly easy.
The Amazon is quite a contrast to the Andes, with the cloud forests stretching down the Eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru and Ecuador through to the middle reaches in Leticia, Colombia and down through Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. In the Andean mountain sides, the river is fast flowing through both virgin forest and in a number of places re-forested landscapes in Ecuador, where indigenous populations still live. The river widens significantly when it reaches the junction of the three countries of Peru, Colombia and Brazil at Leticia, which makes a convenient base to explore the unspoilt rain forest. Leticia can only be reached by airplane or river transport.
Further South in Brazil, sit Manaus, a megacity of some 5 million, where the river is already over two kilometres wide. The markets in Manaus where the shear variety of the produce of the jungle is sold has to be seen to believed. The river as it continues to the ocean continues to widen, so much so that when we took the ferry from Macapá to Belém, it took 25 hours to travel the 330 kms as the crow flies, or 254 kms through the various river channels.
South America has some of the most dramatic waterfalls in the world, and in Igauzu Falls has the widest and arguably when it is in full flow the most spectacular of the worlds major waterfalls, However, the Kaieteur Falls in Guyana, sitting in virgin jungle (it can only be reached by light aircraft) also has a strong claim to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
Some of the worlds mega cities are located in South America and while like many cities the world over one has to be careful with safety and in particular follow your instinct. However most of the places that visitors will visit are reasonably safe. Brazil alone has 15 cities with populations over a million and a further 20 over half a million. In addition there are a large number of megacities in the Spanish speaking countries. Rio de Janeiro has to have one of the most beautiful geographic locations in the world, but there are many hidden gems in other cities like São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte etc.
Buenos Aires is the most European city and has a style and sophistication of its own that is unparalleled in the world. While other large cities like Bogotá, Santiago de Chile, Lima etc. all have their own unique charms. Travelling through the continent most visitors will pass through major transport hubs like Säo Paulo, Bogotá and Lima several times.
One of the particular charms of most South American cities is the street art. Some of the street art is right up there with the best examples in the world. The art often reflects the many social and economic challenges and inequalities that the local populations encounter. Often it is also very political in nature and is continually being refreshed. In Bogotá and some other cities there is a growing movement of female street artists. Practically all large cities have excellent examples of street art, we found some of the best examples in Bogotá, Medellin, Valparaíso and São Paulo.
In addition to the mega cities, some of the most beautiful urban places to visits are the many old colonial cities the length and breadth of the continent. All the large cities have their old colonial districts like the Candelaria district of Bogotá, or the Ciudad Vieja district of Montevideo but some of the most delightful places are the smaller cities. Cartagena de la Indias sits on the Caribbean coast of Colombia as one of the if not the finest old Spanish colonial ports in the world. The walled old town has beautifully restored with buildings painted in a mixture of yellows and other bright colours, with many of them now turned into boutique hotels and restaurants. Cartagena is one of those towns that is in danger of being over touristed, especially when the cruise ships visit, however most ships don’t stay overnight and when they leave the city still retains much of its original charm.
Colombia boasts many other beautiful colonial towns including Santa Cruz de Mompox, Villa de Leyva, Guatapé and Popayán. Further south in Peru, there is Cusco, the old Incan capital which was rebuilt by the Spanish colonialists and is also in danger of being overrun by tourists. Peru’s most charming city Arequipa, still retains the elegance of its old colonial architecture and feels much less overrun by tourists. Its location surrounded by Volcanos including the stunningly beautiful El Misti, adds to its charm.
Argentina and Chile also have their colonial gems in Salta and Valparaíso, both of which have been sensitively restored, though at night the port area of Valparaíso can have an edge to it. Uruguay also has its laid back colonial town in Colonia de Sacramento, which is a hybrid between both Spanish and Portuguese influences.
Brazil’s colonial towns are noticeably different, especially with the extensive use of tiles on the buildings, that make them much more like those in Portugal. Some of the old towns in the poor areas of the north like São Luis still have an aura of faded decay and are in need of significant investment. As you move further south to Olinda, next to Recife and Salvador de Bahia, the buildings and architecture have been much restored. Indeed Salvador since our previous visit back in World Cup 2014, now is a very elegant and attractive city, that also has made important progress in its safety.
The old mining towns of Ouro Preto, Diamantina in Minas Gerais are now very attractive examples of Portuguese colonial architecture. Diamantina which is well off the beaten track is particularly worth the visit to get there. Paraty on the coast was often the main port that served these towns and shares with them similar beautiful architecture.
Brazil has some of the finest beaches in the world, and the coast from the mouth of the Amazon all the way to the border with Uruguay is full of beaches. While most people will be well aware of the Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches in Rio de Janeiro, further North there are some particularly beautiful beaches, including Jericoacora, Canoa Quebrada, Praia de Pipa and Itacaré. While to the South the beaches at Florianópolis and Ilha de Santa Catarina are equally attractive.
South America contains some of the worlds premier archaeological sites. Most tourists will have heard of Macchu Picchu and many will have on their bucket lists to walk the Inca Trail. A trek that should not be taken lightly as it takes four days, including visiting the citadel, and climbs up to 4,100 metres, so requires a reasonable amount of acclimatisation to altitude and thus can not be tackled straight off the plane. Also the Peruvian authorities manage access to the trail and site through a limited number of daily passes, which will require some planning to organise.
Peru and Bolivia both have a number of other important archaeological sites that are well worth exploring and complement any visit to Macchu Picchu. Lake Titcaca is often added to a classic trip to Peru, and while vista to Uros Islands near Puno can feel a bit set up for tourists, visiting the Ilsas del Sol and Luna near the Bolivian town of Copacabana offers a much more natural experience.
The Incas were only ruling the central Andes for 130 to 140 years until the Spanish came in the 1530s. However the Incas, like many other civilisations built upon earlier civilisations. There are many pre-Incan sites in Peru and Bolivia which will also get you further off the main tourist trails. Tiwanaku, between La Paz and Lake Titicaca is an easy day trip out of La Paz and shows some very advanced examples of engineering. Elsewhere in Peru, are the Nazca Lines and further north are the earlier civilisations at Chavin de Huantar near Huaraz and both Chan Chan and the Moche near Trujillo.
Requiring more effort to reach is the archaeological site a Kuélap near the town of Chachapoyas in Peru. Kuélap has been called the new Macchu Picchu, which probably overstates it, but its isolation, albeit with a new access cable car, and its predominately local Peruvian tourists is well worth the visit before it is more widely know.
Colombia also has two of the finest archaeological sites in San Agustín and Tierradentro. Both can be challenging to visit by public transport, especially Tierradentro but are set in beautiful mountain countryside and like the Norther Peruvian sites are still relatively uncrowded. Often you can have the site almost to yourself, especially the remoter ones of San Agustín and Tierradentro.
1. Travel Blogs
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2. Countries
3. Map
4. Journey Days
| Country | Days |
| Argentina | 46 |
| Bolivia | 17 |
| Brazil | 82 |
| Chile | 20 |
| Colombia | 47 |
| Ecuador | 27 |
| French Guiana | 5 |
| Guyana | 7 |
| Peru | 46 |
| Suriname | 7 |
| UK | 20 |
| Uruguay | 9 |
| Total | 333 |