Travel

An Odyssey through South America

Jun 05, 2017

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South America is like no continent you’ve ever seen. It’s so different to what we’re used to in Australia – one moment you can be touring a sophisticated city like Lima or Buenos Aires, the next you’re deep in third world slums, or tiny towns with unpredictable electricity!

It’s important to check your fitness before a SA trip: many of the areas you visit are at extremely high altitude: Cuzco, for example is set high in the Andes at 3,400 metres. This can take its toll on anyone with a heart or respiratory condition, so make sure you get the all clear before you travel. However, I’ve travelled with an 83-year-old man who managed perfectly well. Just remember to take it easy! You’re on holiday!

If you’ve never gone to SA before, I suggest that your first trip is a “taster”, taking in some of the best sights and getting a feel for two or three countries, so that next time you go back you will have an appreciation for their differences and unique flavours.

PERU’s DIVERSITY

I suggest starting with Peru, for its geographical diversity and rich history. Thousands of years ago, this was the centre of the Inca civilization. In the capital, Lima, you can wander through Spanish colonial elegance of its Cathedral and central square, and visit the Larco Herrera Museum which is built on a 8^th century pre-Columbian pyramid. It’s hard not to gasp at the extraordinary wealth of gold and silver artifacts, with intricately made masks and jewellery so modern in design you could buy it in shops today!

National dress is often worn but watch out for spitting llamas! Inca solid gold mask

Peru is also famous for the ruins of Machu Picchu. You take the scenic train from Cuzco, which winds its way through the rocky Andes to this Inca settlement, which was only discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, and ruins are still being uncovered today. With staircases, palaces, towers and fountains, this citadel is one of the wonders of the world. Some like to visit at sunrise, a very mystic time, and watch the sun’s rays pouring through the sacred Sun Gate. But whenever you visit, Machu Picchu is unmissable.

A visit to Peru is also incomplete without a trip through the Amazonian jungle. Again, you can organize a jungle trek and hack your way through the lush green undergrowth with an Indian guide, or simply take a boat ride along the Amazon River to your jungle lodge –it all depends of your level of fitness. You’ll see glorious birdlife, and if you’re lucky sloths and ocelots! Again, be prepared for differences in temperature: after the cool of Cuzco, the steamy heat of the jungle can be a shock for travellers at first.

Machu Picchu and a canoe trip on the Amazon River

SNAPSHOT OF ARGENTINA

If you’re visiting Buenos Aires, then you have to learn to tango! Or at the very least, take in a Tango show and find out why it’s called the world’s sexiest dance! Buenos Aires has elegant shops and boulevards in the Recoleta district, and you should also visit the historic La Boca part of the city with its colourful higglepiggledy tenements. You can even visit the grave of politician and socialite Eva Peron, immortalised by Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical“Evita”.

There’s breathtaking scenery too. The Iguazu Falls divide Brazil from Argentina. With a drop of some 80 metres, the Falls are far higher and wider than Niagara and have several hundred cataracts. Make sure you pack waterproofs as you can get seriously wet with spray! You can walk over the top of the catatact and often see colourful tropical birds flying over the Falls. The view is dramatic and awe-inspiring and many in my group have told me this is one of the highlights of their trip.

The sensual Tango and the magnificent Iguazu Falls

COFFEE IN BRAZIL

Consider ending your SA taster with a visit to Rio de Janeiro. Remember the song “Girl from Ipanema?” She could have been strolling along Copocabana beach as well! You can watch the beautiful people laze the day away on its sandy but crowded beaches and enjoy a dip in the ocean. Of course, Rio boasts “that view”- the statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado Mountain. You can take the rack train to the base of the statue at 670 metres and look down at the whole of Rio. The cablecar ride to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain is also a must: the two gondola rides take six minutes and the views from the scenic lookout are unrivalled. Rio has wonderful seafood and you can’t visit Brazil without indulging in at least one cup of some of the best coffee in the world!