Top Ten Places to Visit in South America

[StuartDH]

What are your top ten favourite places in South America that you have either visited or would like to visit?

Your top 10 should only include wildlife/rural/natural places like forests, canyons, beaches, mountain ranges, valleys, lakes etc and not the cities or urban areas.

It'll be great to hear everyone's ideas so get posting...if you can only think of a few, add them in and come back to add some more to your list when you've thought of them

[Captain Crosman]

1. The Amazon Rain Forest
2. The Blue Hole - Belize

[Tanny]

During my time in the Merchant Navy in the 1950s I visited Brazil, Argentina, Uraguay and Panama. I have unforgetable memories of the the River Plate and the Pampass outback of Argentina. The deep impenatrable jungle of Panama, not forgetting the tropical hillside on the outskirts of Rio-de-Jenero where I saw my first Hummingbird among other exotic creatures. Now when I am at the age of just "waiting for God" I have all these wonderful memories to stimulate my mind.

[paul m]

Beautiful - what exactly is it?

Originally Posted by Captain Crosman

2. The Blue Hole - Belize

[black]

Here's my five to start off with

1. Iguazu Falls. Iguazu Falls are on the Rio Parana, the border between Brazil and Argentina. They are the most stunning waterfalls I have ever seen, taller than Niagra Falls and twice as wide. And much as I hate to admit it they knock the socks off Vic Falls, except at sunset

2. Torres del Paine NP, Chile. Some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery you could ever see. The hike up to the Three Towers is knackering but well worth the effort, they are absolutely spectacular granite pillars. Our campsite was on the shore of Lake Pehoe with the spectacular peaks of Los Cuernos behind it. I’ll never forget shaking with the cold watching the pink sunrise over the lake one New Years Day.

3. Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Argentina. Designated a World Heritage region by UNESCO. The northern part of the park has splendid vistas and panoramas of Cerro Fitz Roy and tri-pinnacled Cerro Torre. Again marvellous for hiking, rock and ice climbing. The southern part of the park has the Perito Moreno Glacier, its walls tower over two-hundred vertical feet from the ground, where the ice meets the Lago Argentino.

4. Pantanal, Brazil. The Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland area covering 150,000 square kilometres. I have fond memories of riding a horse through the swamps looking for Caiman and Anacondas. Sleeping in hammocks in a barn at a cattle ranch. I don’t have such fond memories of the mosquitos that were the worse I have ever encountered.

5. Amazon Rainforest, Ecuador. Stayed with a wonderful hospitable indigenous family - Delfin, his wife Estella and their kids at their stilt house near the village of Cando close to Tena. He explained the families close connection to the jungle whom they describe as Mama Patcha. We went wandering through the forest Delfin describing the many medicinal plants we found including Dragons Blood, the liana Banisteriopsis caapi from which they extract Ayahuasca andthe large vine Chondrodendron tomentosum from which they extract Curaré. We also stayed at a posh lodge called Shangri-la with gorgeous views over the muddy silt covered Anzu River that was meandering through thick Amazonian jungle with a chain of volcanoes behind shrouded in clouds.

[allan.noah78]

Hi StuartDH,

My five favorite places you start off:-

The Wonderful Creatures of The Galapagos Islands

A wonder of creation, the Galapagos Islands have captured the imagination of poets and biologists alike. Separated from the mainland in the waters of Ecuador, evolution created stunning endemic creatures such as the giant tortoise and the sea iguana, animals found only on the Galapagos. The most groundbreaking work ever to be published concerning evolution, “The Origin of Species”, was based on observations made on the Galapagos Islands by Charles Darwin.

Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca evokes a spiritual tranquility and is the most beautiful lake I've ever seen. It touches the clouds at an altitude of 12.532 ft. (3.820 m.) with amazing dark blue waters never seen before. Titicaca, the biggest freshwater lake of South America, lies on the borders of Bolivia and Peru and hosts some wonderful islands such as “The Floating Islands” and “The Island of the Sun”.

Patagonia

Patagonia is without doubt one of the most mesmerizing places of the world. It encompasses the South of both Argentina and Chile. The name Patagonia stands for 'Land of the Big Feet'. Legends say that discoverer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew saw a tribe of nine foot tall giants with big feet. He named the tribe the Patagons or big feet. It's paradise for the adventurous traveler with landscapes impossible to imagine. Highlights are whale watching in Puerto Madryn, visiting Ushuaia (the southernmost city of the world) and hiking in Torres del Paine national park.

Machu Picchu – The Lost City of The Incas

Machu Picchu, the Lost city of the Incas, is a mystical, sacred place. The ruins are one of the most enigmatic and beautiful ancient ruins in the world. Rediscovered on July 24, 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas) was thought to be a sanctuary for the preparation of priestesses and brides for the Inca nobility. The dramatic setting in a remote area of the Peruvian Andes enhances the shroud of mystery even more.

Salar de Uyuni

The big secret of South America is without doubt the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. It's the largest salt flat in the world, a staggering 4.025 square miles (10.500 square km.). The beautiful Fish Island (Isla Pescada) gives a wonderful contrast with the salt lake. The “salar” continues in the atacama desert, near the border of Chile, with geysers, the red and green lake, hot baths and a never ceasing tranquility.

[paul m]

Not at the moment I suspect - looks a big one?

Emergency evacuation as Chile volcano spits lava - Worldnews.com

Originally Posted by allan.noah78

Patagonia

Patagonia is without doubt one of the most mesmerizing places of the world. It encompasses the South of both Argentina and Chile. The name Patagonia stands for 'Land of the Big Feet'. Legends say that discoverer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew saw a tribe of nine foot tall giants with big feet. He named the tribe the Patagons or big feet. It's paradise for the adventurous traveler with landscapes impossible to imagine. Highlights are whale watching in Puerto Madryn, visiting Ushuaia (the southernmost city of the world) and hiking in Torres del Paine national park.
[

[migu999]

Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina is great, heres ome photos of this wonderfull `place:

Places to visit in Argentina: Calafate

[tufftie]

I'd love to visit this place in Ecuador. A close friend of mine married one of the guys that started it and now helps run it Trying to save up to go out there as the things she says about the wildlife and scenery are giving me seriously itchy feet!

Santa Lucía Ecuadorian Cloud Forest Reserve - Home

(Hope it was ok to put the link Stu?)

[paul m]

Well, I know one place I wouldn't want to visit:
Vicky Baker joins a paying tour of San Pedro Bolivian prison in Bolivia | Travel | The Guardian

[migu999]

Here´s a good list of natural places in Argentina.

Top Ten Natural Places in Argentina

[paul m]

Originally Posted by migu999

Here´s a good list of natural places in Argentina.

Top Ten Natural Places in Argentina

Thanks - a splendid selection. I've never seen anything like the Valle de la Luna: weird.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by migu999

Here´s a good list of natural places in Argentina.

Top Ten Natural Places in Argentina

Thanks migu - it all looks so wonderful!

Are you based in Argentina or from some where else and lucky enough to have visited?

[migu999]

Originally Posted by goosey

Thanks migu - it all looks so wonderful!

Are you based in Argentina or from some where else and lucky enough to have visited?

Hi Goosey, yes I´m from Argentina, I´ve visited some of the places in the post, but not all of them, of course I have plans to travel to those places soon, so I´ll post photos.