South America
by Drew Hawkins
South America conjures up many different images for different people. Exotic, mysterious, diverse, adventurous, The Amazon, Miss Universe beauties, football champions, Carnaval, sultry Latin rhythms. Yes, South America is all these and there's so much more.
South America as a travel destination has everything to offer even the most discerning traveller. From huge cities to remote beaches, from the Amazon jungle to the Andes Mountains, from vast glaciers to deserts, from ancient civilisations to cosmopolitan nightlife, from great rivers to massive waterfalls, from icy fjords to active volcanos, from world class ski fields to some really bizzare animals. The locals are incredibly friendly, the food is great and the music from tango, samba and salsa are world renowned.
Whichever way you look at it, South America is an incredible destination & well worth the time & effort to get there. One thing I am certain of is that once you have seen and experienced the wonders of South America, you will fall in love with the people, their culture, their passion for life, and everything this fabulous continent has to offer. On top of that, South America is still cheap for the traveller, especially with the current state of the Aussie dollar.
I first considered travelling to South America back in 1993. Primarily I wanted to experience Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro and the Inca ruins. As I did some research I discovered that South America is a vast continent - even for Australians to comprehend. Most people do not realise that Brazil alone is over 800,000 square kilometres larger than Australia! Consequently, if time is limited it pays to do some research before you get there to make the most of your time.
To cover the continent properly, realistically you would need around 6 months. This of course is not possible for most of us and as most of us have constraints on our time, I will try to recommend an itinerary for say a 3 to 4-week trip. Even so, some of the distances are quite large and you will need to book flights within South America.
Flying from Australia, there are two different destinations (hubs) in South America - Santiago the capital of Chile (Qantas & Lan Chile) or Buenos Aires (Qantas) in Argentina. I can recommend both cities as interesting and safe.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (BA) has often been describes as the Paris of South America. Whilst BA still has the legacy of some beautiful buildings and a more than colourful history, it is somewhat run down by Australian city standards. Nevertheless the city has a soul of it's own and the locals (Portenos - port dwellers) have a genuine passion for life.
On the top of the list of things to do in BA are visiting a Tango Show, visiting the up-market suburb of Recoleta, visiting Caminito in La Boca (the origin of the tango), visiting San Telmo and Palermo and for the meat lovers, eating in a Parrilla. Also (when in season), attend a football match (if possible, the local BA derby between Maradona's old team, Boca Juniors and arch rivals River Plate). From BA, you can even take a day trip by ferry to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
One thing you will quickly discover is that South Americans are nocturnal. I found it amazing to be walking through the heart of BA at 3.00 am on a Sunday morning and the streets are packed with families - Grandparents, mums & dads, and the children all walking arm in arm together. The Latino's have a family culture that is very different to Australia. Portenos will not go out to eat at night till late and you will find even popular restaurants empty until 9 or 10.00 pm. On the subject of food, one must visit an authentic Argentinian Parrilla (pronounced Parreejya) or steakhouse. Argentina prides itself on its meat. Statistically Argentina has double the head of cattle than Australia yet exports very little. The reason being that they consume 2 to 3 times as much beef as Australians! To be honest a Parrilla is a vegetarian's nightmare but for the meat-lovers, you will be in heaven & find arguably the best steaks in the world (even by Australian standards). Highly recommended is the Parrilla, La Estancia (The Ranch) in Calle Lavalle in cental BA.
Using BA as your hub, it is easy to get a flight to Iguazu Falls, on the Argentinian/ Brazilian border. The falls are nothing less than spectacular and in my opinion make Niagara Falls in the US and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe look somewhat small by comparison. The Falls are situated within a 55,000 hectare National Park which is a natural wonderland of sub-tropical rainforest with over 2,000 identified species of plants and over 400 different species of birds and a multitude of insects and other animals. The Falls themselves are so extensive you will need at least two days to view then, one day from the Argentinian side and the other from the Brazillian side. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhawkins/fozdoiguazu.htm
By South American standards, Buenos Aires (BA) is fairly expensive - 1 peso is fixed at 1 USD. I have often joked that the only cheap things in BA are steak and wine - which isn't all that bad really. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhawkins/buenosaires.htm
Santiago
Santiago is a sprawling city of over 4 million inhabitants. Though not as rich in culture as BA, Santiago still has a lot to offer being literally nestled against the snow capped Andes and an easy drive to a number of world class ski fields. Most sights in Santiago are within easy walking distance from the Plaza de Armas in central Santiago. A good place to start is Santiago's colourful Central Market with its array of fresh seafood. Most of Santiago's main sights are within walking distance of here. The hilltop gardens and fountains in Cerro Santa Lucia are also worth a visit (during the day) along with Cerro San Cristobal (860m) with its teleferico (cable car) in the Metropolitan Park. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhawkins/santiago.htm
Chileans are very friendly and helpful for tourists. You would need only 2 to 3 days in Santiago, and maybe a similar time period for a side trip (2 hours by bus) to the historical port of Valparaiso and the Garden City of Vina del Mar.
The south of Chile is incredible and highly recommended. However, to delve into the heart of Chile's Lakes District and Patagonia, you would need 2 to 3 weeks in Chile alone.
Rio
Rio de Janeiro is without question one of the most geographically spectacular cities in the world. Rio is known as 'the magnificent city' and once witnessed, it is easy to understand why. Nestled tightly between the mountains and the Atlantic ocean and connected by a series of tunnels, Rio's beauty and appeal has seen the population of the city explode to over 9 million inhabitants (Cariocas) where entire villages (favelas) have "mushroomed" on every available piece of land.
The first thing most people associate with Rio is the beaches and in particular Copacabana and Ipanema. Carioca's in a word are sun-worshippers and the beach is their way of life - a place to be seen, a place to people watch, a meeting place, a market, a football field, a volleyball court, a place to drink, a place for music, samba and capoeira (Brazilian martial art). For Cariocas, the beach is more like a frenzied marketplace than a place for a quiet swim and relief from the Rio heat.
The granite peaks of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado are the best place from which to survey Rio. Sugar Loaf peak of 396m appears to guard the entrance to the vast natural harbour of Guanabara Bay. From Sugar Loaf, the views of Rio with the mountains in the background and Botofogo Bay are incredible. The views from Sugar Loaf are spectacular at any time but I would recommend going in the morning for the best photos. The 30m high statue of Christ with His outstretched arms sits upon the 709m mountain of Corcovado. Once again the vistas are stunning with views from Guanabara Bay all the way to Copacabana and Ipanema and best viewed in the afternoon, early evening.
Carnaval is synonymous with Brazil and during Carnaval, Rio abandons itself deliberately & unashamedly into chaos. Celebrations from the city's ballrooms, to the streets and plazas, to the Sambadromo, the whole city abandons itself into a blur of pounding samba rhythms tambourines, rattles and drums. For 4 days, Carnaval in Brazil and Rio itself is both a riotous and sumptuous festival where Cariocas can shed their everyday inhibitions and escape and dress up to become whomever they please. Some Brazilians may tell you that to experience the true spirit of Carnaval you have to travel to Salvador de Bahia in the north of Brazil which is less commercialised. Nevertheless Carnaval in Rio is still said to be one of the Greatest Shows on Earth. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhawkins/rio.htm
Cuzco
High on most travellers' lists when travelling to South America is Peru's Cuzco & Macchu Pichu. Peru was the centre of the Inca Empire with Cuzco its glittering capital. Today Cuzco is living testimony to the Inca civilisation and the starting point for most expeditions to Macchu Pichu.
The most startling characteristic of Cuzco is it's architecture. The Spanish Conquistadors tried to destroy every trace of the Inca civilisation but eventually gave up and built their own Colonial buildings on the indestructable ruins. Most notable is the beautiful Cathedral on Cuzco's Plaza de Armas. Along with the Cathedral, Cuzco has many other elaborate churches. As Cuzco is a major tourist hub, the city abounds with great food and restaurants, markets and bars/clubs, along with many choices of good, cheap accommodation. At 3,326m, it is well advised to spend a few days in Cuzco and take in the sights & scenes of the Andean Indian Culture to acclimatise to the altitude before embarking on the somewhat physical trek along the Inca Trail to Macchu Pichu.
Macchu Pichu is without doubt one of the major highlights of any trip to South America. The Spanish Conquistadors never discovered Macchu Pichu and the "Lost City" was only re-discovered in 1911. Consequently the site remained largely intact after almost 500 years. It is a mystical place with many archaeological questions still to be answered. The site has an aura of sanctity and is a must for all visitors to Peru. These days, the only two ways to reach the site are along the Inca Trail or on a four hour bus and train trip from Cuzco.
Of all the popular treks in South America, the 3 to 4 day trek along the Inca Trail to Macchu Pichu is the most famous and popular hike. With numerous ruins along the way, high mountain passes (4,198m being the highest) and snow capped vistas, the Inca history begins to unfold more and more after each kilometre as each new ruin seems more spectacular than the last.
The Trail can be undertaken independently (only if well prepared) but many companies offer organized tours from Cuzco. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~dhawkins/macchupichu.htm
Travel Tips
Travelling in South America today, there is a vast network of Hostels and economically priced accommodation along a well-established "Gringo Trail" from country to country - from one tourist attraction to the next. And like travelling in other parts of the world, if you are travelling in the same direction as other travellers, you will continuously keep bumping into the same people along the way.
Besides travelling by plane, travelling by bus through South America is very easy. At first glance, bus terminals in South American are busy & appear confusing. Yet even without fluent Spanish, all one needs to say is your destination and you will have half-a-dozen bus operators vying for your business. Buses are usually frequent, cheap and generally clean and comfortable.
Personal safety is a frequently asked question when travelling in South America. I personally have had very few problems in my travels through South America. With the possible exceptions of Brazil and Colombia, incidents with travellers are generally non-violent. Of course there are thieves and pickpockets as some of the countries are very poor. But if one takes some peremptory precautions, most vacations are incident free. A general rule of thumb is to wear a money belt and keep it out of sight. Likewise do not walk around with a camera on your shoulder. Single women (especially blond haired) sometimes find they are the object of some chauvinistic attention and would be advised to consider "hooking-up" with fellow travellers heading along the same route. If you are worried about safety, the South America Lonely Planet section on "Dangers & Annoyances" is very appropriate and highly recommended.
Though not essential, some understanding of even basic Spanish is highly recommended for South America. Unlike Europe or Africa, very few locals speak English. A handbook and/or dictionary are highly recommended. Of course the places of interest recommended above are tourist destinations and here you will find English more widely spoken. Yet in saying this, even if you learn and attempt to use "restaurant Spanish" & the basic pleasantries, South Americans are usually very tolerant and will try to help. Furthermore a grasp of Spanish will help you meet & get to know the locals who are usually fascinated in where you are from and where you are travelling. Believe me, it is not uncommon to be invited by locals into their home for a meal where you will be treated as a privileged guest and where they expect nothing in return except your company. Experiences like this is where you will find the true spirit of South America.
Suggested 4 Week Itinerary
Week 1 Santiago/Valparaiso/Vina del Mar/ Buenos Aires
Week 2 Iguazu Falls/Rio
Week 3 Rio/Cuzco/Macchu Pichu
Week 4 Cuzco/Buenos Aires
