South America | AllCheapFares

 

South America, the planet's 4th largest continent, includes independent countries and  major territories; the Falkland Islands, Galapagos Islands and French Guiana. The continent contains the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela; the largest river (by volume), the Amazon River in Brazil; the longest mountain range, the Andes, and the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile. In addition, it includes the largest rainforest, the Amazon Rainforest; the highest capital city, La Paz, Bolivia; the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca; and, excluding research stations in Antarctica, the world's southernmost permanently inhabited community, Puerto Toro, Chile.

 

Those who are into the fast paced life of big cities have a number of cities to choose from.  Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago or Lima all combine modern life with a South-American touch. In South America most countries are Spanish speaking, with Portuguese-speaking Brazil as the most notable exception. In countries like Paraguay and Bolivia the indiginous languages are (almost) dominant.

 

For travelers looking for an active holiday: there is good skiing in summer in Chile, Bolivia and Argentina; the biggest rainforest and the longest river in the world is in Brazil and great wildlife abounds almost everywhere. The Wadden Islands (off the coast of Ecuador) deserve a special mention here.  The Caribbean is a great place to relax a bit: the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia have great beaches and very good atmosphere. Brazil has great beaches as well.

 

South America has a host of marvelous attractions, with most suitable for the whole family. Travelers will find science, nature and history exhibits throughout the continent as well as a host of natural attractions, from volcanoes to cold glaciers and strange animals. The continent offers incredible pre-Columbian sights all along the Andes Mountains in Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia. The best known of these are probably the Nazca Lines (Ica), Chan Chan (Trujillo) and Machu Picchu (Cuzco) in Peru and Ciudad Perdida in Colombia. Any city has its own important archeological findings nearby. The Inca civilization didn't leave the only archeological findings. From Colombia to Argentina, language and culture are still alive. Furthermore, in every South American country there are lots of stylish colonial churches and palaces. There is no question the lovers of architecture and history will surely find what they are looking for.