South America (19)

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Colombia is just packed with remarkable landmarks, sights, and experiences, and this one is singular, indeed: a vertiginous 220-metre (722-foot) hill - rising abruptly near a small town two hours from the city of Medellín in the department of Antioquía - is in a class by itself. The Peñón de Guatapé (Rock of Guatapé, also known as the Piedra del Peñol, Stone of El Peñol), was venerated by the prehispanic Tahamí, and many visitors come to pay homage to it today - including some pretty

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L2F-Jun-18-Brazil-Rio-de-Janeiro-Saude-street-mural-640x480.jpg?profile=RESIZE_930xphotos | Sarah Brown

by Sarah Brown

Though most famous for Carnival, golden beaches, and world-famous landmarks, the real heart of Rio de Janeiro, for those in the know, lies in its downtown, most notably in SaúdeGamboa, and the surrounding neighbourhoods hard by the port. For it’s this area that’s steeped in a complex history that dates back half a millennium to the Portuguese colonisers’ founding of Rio and the centuries of brutal slavery which followed.

A good place to start is Praça Mauá, a o

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On Colombia´s Caribbean coast near better known Cartagena, Barranquilla is famous for its gorgeous inhabitants, Caribbean culture, and vibrant Carnaval celebrations. Even if you're here to celebrate the festivities the nightlife in Barranquilla is well-known for its traditional salsa dancing and late-night events.

The beach is open all year long for a day of surfing or just relaxing in the numerous bars as well as beach bars. The fourth-largest city in Colombia is a thriving port along the Carib

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Santiago is a pleasurable blend of old European influences and an ultramodern, Bohemian life. While in the history it has not attracted as numerous excursionists as other South American centrals, Santiago is snappily rising as a little-given jewel. It's a megacity where Belle Époque armature shares pavements with glass towers and premises full of win trees. While over 40 of the population of Chile live in Santiago, the megacity maintains a relaxed pace, with its moping lunches at out-of-door caf

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The Basics Of Guayaquil, Ecuador

It's a great idea to make the trip to Guayaquil with an array of activities, regardless of how big or small your group. We're not going to advise the places and attractions you go to while in Guayaquil, however, we could provide some suggestions regarding what there is to do in the city. Similar to many other towns, Guayaquil has both good and bad spots to go to and, if this is your first time to Guayaquil or if you've visited previously, you must take advantage of your visit. It's a good idea t

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South America's Iconic Vicuñas

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Visitors to part of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru (where it's the national animal and is even on the country's coat of arms) may come across this quintessential South American mammal, a camelid related to guanacos, llamas, and alpacas (which are descended from vicuñas) The smallest of the camelids, vicuñas stand about three feet tall at the shoulder; weigh between 70 and 150 pounds; and have long necks and legs as well as relatively small heads with long pointed ears.

Basicall

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Top 10 Reasons to Volunteer in Peru

Volunteering your time to an organization and dedicating some of your time to a cause is one of the most noble and meaningful things a person can do. Whether assisting the poor, taking care of abandoned children or helping communities grow, the simple and generous act of participation is a rewarding experience to both the volunteer and the people they help.


Being that our own volunteer program is only months away we thought it a good idea to highlight why volunteering in Peru is such a special an

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Coveting the Cuisine of Chile

12378082097?profile=RESIZE_930xPablo Rogat

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by José Alejandro Adamuz


One of the best ways to get to know a country is through its markets. What you find is not only its products, but an entire way of life, of feeling, of talking… dare we even say, of falling in love with the place. An entire country is exposed to our senses, through its people and its culture. And so in order to get to know Ecuador better, we’re going to take a stroll through one of the most important markets – not just of the country, but of all South America. Get yo

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by Miguel Martínez Rabanal

Along with cumbia, the folk music form known as vallenato is a calling card of Colombian culture, and its Vallenata Legend Festival is a particularly momentous one, marking its 52nd edition this year April 26-30 in the city of Valledupar, in Colombia's northeast, about an hour and a half flight from Bogotá and just under four hours' drive from Cartagena.


Truth to tell, Colombian culture wouldn't be the same without this music, which goes back more

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by Miguel Martínez Rabanal


Chile is a very special country, full of very special sights and experiences. But the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui is not only special, but dramatically unique in all the world. What makes it worth the time (a five-hour flight from Santiago), effort, and expense to make your way out to this wee chunk of rock in the middle of the southeastern Pacific Ocean –  one of the world’s most remoted inhabited islands? 

Named Isla de Pascua because it was found by Europeans (th

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En Route in Argentina's Dramatic North

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by Felice Hardy


Even if you’ve been not just to Buenos Aires but also the pampas, Mendoza, Córdoba, Patagonia, and Iguazú Falls, that still leaves much more wonderful stuff to explore in Argentina. I recently took the sunny city of Salta in the far north of the country as the stepping-off point for a 900-kilometre (560-mile) round trip, with only the first 90 minutes’ drive outside the city on paved road. It’s an area that is so little known that in some parts they see almost no visitors all

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The Point of Punta del Este, Uruguay

11129573484?profile=RESIZE_930xKobby Dagn


Way down South America way, one of the hemisphere’s most chichi beach resorts sits astride the Atlantic coast of one of South America’s lower-profile countries, Uruguay. On a narrow spit of land separating the Atlantic from the Rio de la Plata, Punta del Este is a 90-minute drive east of the national capital, Montevideo, and a 45-minute flight from Buenos Aires. Why do I mention the latter?

Because as popular as Punta is with many Uruguayans, it would be pretty much nowheresville wi

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Manaus, Brazil's Paris of the Amazon

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by María José Cortés Llamas

Carved out of the Amazonian rain forest, Manaus (pop. 1.8 million) has been little known by the outside world, the capital of Amazonas state is filled with contrasts and intrigue, and previously lived through a golden age due to the rubber boom in the 19th century. The results can be seen in the architecture, which exude majesty and the inspiration of Belle-Époque Paris. The Amazon Theatre is the foremost example; inaugurated in 1896, it’s

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10518854666?profile=RESIZE_930xMichelle Mariani



There’s a stereotype in Colombia that the country’s fourth-largest city, a bustling but somewhat nondescript bit of business on the Caribbean coast about an hour east of Cartagena, is also their country’s “happiest.” Well, like any broad generalization, this one’s greatly exaggerated. But it doesn’t come from nowhere.

Costeños – the folks who live on and near the coast, not just Barranquilla but also Cartagena and other cities and towns like Santa Marta –  are indeed a bit of

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by Felice Hardy

Happily, powderhounds in withdrawal don’t have to hang on till December to hit the ski resorts. The Southern Hemisphere is happy to oblige us with some superb skiing on amazing terrain throughout the southern Andes, where the reversal of seasons means of course it’s winter there right now.

The South America skiing season in Argentina and Chile runs from June through October, with skiing for all levels, modern lifts, some great off-piste skiing, quirky resorts and e

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Seeing White in Arequipa, Peru

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Let’s face it: When we think about PeruMachu Picchu and Cuzco, along with Lima, are usually the first places to spring to mind. But many are this country’s alluring destinations, and none more so than its second city, Arequipa, in the deep south, at the edge of the Altiplano highlands. If the capital is stress, hurry, and humidity, Arequipa is the opposite – relatively tranquil; with a crisp, sunny climate (more than 300 days of sunshine per year); rugged countryside punctuated by the trio o

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San Telmo, Buenos Aires' Historic Heart

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by Asli Pelit


The oldest neighborhood in Argentina‘s capital, San Telmo is a barrio founded in the 16th century, where history – romantic cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, cafés, churches, and its tango culture — happily coexists with today’s fashionista edge and Montmartre-like buzz. It became a bastion of the upper class in the 1800s, declined after the cholera epidemic of 1871, and has been reviving since the country’s economic crisis in 2002, luring (mostly European) investors and b

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Bogotá and its Handsome Historic Center

10978179881?profile=RESIZE_930xPedro Szekely



For reasons that certainly don’t need repeating, until fairly recently informing your nearest and dearest you’re considering a vacation in Colombia might’ve been considered grounds for dialing the dudes in the white coats. But these days, the country’s capital is optimistic, as safe as anywhere in Latin America, and in the midst of a boom in restaurants, la rumba (nightlife), and the economy and society in general. Apart from an impressive mountain setting and comfily cool weathe

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