You've seen the photos of Machu Picchu at sunrise. They’re beautiful. They’re also everywhere. Honestly, if I see one more perfectly framed shot of a llama in front of those ruins, I might lose it. Don’t get me wrong—Peru is incredible—but the way we talk about South America is usually stuck in a loop of three or four major landmarks. It’s like visiting Europe and never leaving the Eiffel Tower.
People forget how massive this place is. It’s nearly twice the size of Europe.
You’ve got the world's driest non-polar desert in Chile, the largest rainforest on the planet, and a mountain range so long it makes the Rockies look like a warm-up. But beyond the geography, it’s the weird, specific details that actually make the continent breathe. Like how in La Paz, you’ll see people dressed as zebras helping people cross the street. Or how in Buenos Aires, dinner doesn't even start until 10:00 PM, and if you show up at 8:00 PM, you’ll be eating with the cleaning crew.
The Overlooked Reality of South America
We need to talk about the "Gringo Trail." It’s that well-worn path from Cusco to Salar de Uyuni to Rio de Janeiro. It’s popular for a reason, but it’s also crowded and increasingly expensive. If you want the "real" experience—whatever that means these days—you have to look at the gaps in the map.
Take Paraguay. Most travelers skip it entirely. Why? Because it doesn't have a world-famous wonder. But if you actually go there, you find the Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná, which are hauntingly beautiful and almost completely empty of tourists. It’s one of the few places left where you can feel like an actual explorer instead of just another person in a queue.
Then there’s the Guianas. Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Most people I talk to can’t even point to them on a map. Guyana is the only South American nation with English as its official language, and it houses Kaieteur Falls—the world’s largest single-drop waterfall by volume. It’s five times higher than Niagara. And yet, hardly anyone goes. That's the thing about South America; the scale of what we ignore is just as big as what we celebrate.
Why Altitude is Your Biggest Enemy (and Friend)
Let’s get technical for a second. If you’re planning a trip to the Andes, you’re probably thinking about the views. You should be thinking about oxygen. Or the lack of it.
La Paz sits at about 3,640 meters. That is high. It’s high enough that your bag of chips will literally explode from the pressure change. Many travelers land at El Alto airport and immediately feel like they’ve been hit by a bus. Your heart races. Your head thumps. You can’t sleep.
- Pro tip: Don't fly straight into the heights.
- Start low.
- Drink the coca tea (it actually works, though it tastes like hot grass).
- Eat light. Digestion slows down at altitude, so that massive steak in a high-altitude city is a recipe for a miserable night.
The local experts, like those at the High Altitude Pathology Institute in Bolivia, have studied this for decades. They’ve found that while your body eventually produces more red blood cells to carry oxygen, the first 48 hours are purely about survival and hydration. If you rush it, you’ll spend your expensive vacation staring at the walls of a hotel room.
The Biodiversity Crisis Nobody Mentions
Everyone knows the Amazon is the "lungs of the world," which, by the way, isn't scientifically accurate. Most of the world's oxygen actually comes from phytoplankton in the ocean. The Amazon is more like a giant air conditioner. It’s a carbon sink. But it’s also a place of immense tension.
When you visit the Amazon through Iquitos in Peru or Manaus in Brazil, you’re seeing a version of the rainforest that is under siege. It’s not just about trees being cut down. It’s about "silent forests"—areas where the trees are still standing, but the animals have been hunted out or driven away by noise and pollution.
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Researchers like Carlos Nobre have warned that the Amazon is approaching a "tipping point." If 20% to 25% of the forest is lost, it might stop being a rainforest altogether and turn into a dry savannah. We are currently at about 17%. That’s a scary number. When you travel there, support eco-lodges that are actually owned by Indigenous communities, like the Kapawi Ecolodge in Ecuador. They have a vested interest in keeping the forest alive because it's their home, not just a line item on a corporate balance sheet.
Beyond the Steak: The Food Revolution
If you think South American food is just tacos (which are Mexican, by the way) and steak, you’re missing the most interesting culinary shift in the world.
Central in Lima has been ranked as the best restaurant in the world. Its chef, Virgilio Martínez, doesn't just cook food; he cooks ecosystems. He has a dish for different altitudes—one from 10 meters below sea level, one from 3,000 meters up. He uses ingredients you’ve never heard of, like cushuro, which is a cyanobacteria that looks like pearls and grows in high-altitude lagoons.
It's weird. It’s brilliant.
But you don’t need a $400 tasting menu to get it. Go to a market in Cuenca, Ecuador. Buy a hornado (roasted pig). It’s salty, fatty, and comes with llapingachos (potato cakes). It’ll cost you five bucks and change your life.
The Logistics of a Massive Continent
You cannot "do" South America in three weeks. Stop trying.
The bus system is actually incredible—places like Cruz del Sur in Peru or the various cama (bed) buses in Argentina are more comfortable than a first-class flight. You get a seat that reclines 180 degrees, a blanket, and sometimes a glass of wine. But the distances are punishing. A "short" bus ride in Brazil can be 12 hours.
If you’re flying, keep an eye on the "low-cost" carriers like JetSmart or Flybondi. They’ve opened up the continent in the last few years, making it possible to skip the 24-hour bus rides for about the same price. Just watch the baggage fees. They’ll get you every time.
Safety: Let’s Be Real
Is it safe? Sorta. It depends on where you are and how you act.
Crime in major cities like Bogotá, Rio, or Caracas is a real thing. But it’s rarely the "Taken" movie scenario people imagine. It’s mostly petty theft. "No dar papaya"—it’s a Colombian expression that basically means "don't give papaya." Don't put yourself in a position where you’re an easy target. Don't walk around with your iPhone 15 Pro Max in your hand while looking lost.
The biggest danger for most travelers isn’t crime; it’s the roads. Traffic laws in many parts of the continent are more like "suggestions." Whether you’re on a moped in Cartagena or a bus on the "Death Road" in Bolivia (which is now mostly a tourist bike path, but still), the transit is where things get dicey.
The Cultural Nuance We Miss
We tend to lump everything south of Panama together. That’s a mistake.
Uruguay is basically the Switzerland of the continent. It’s progressive, quiet, and everyone drinks mate (a bitter herbal tea) from a gourd with a metal straw. They legalized marijuana years ago, and their former president, José Mujica, used to drive a beat-up Volkswagen Beetle while in office.
Contrast that with the chaotic energy of Medellin or the stoic, European vibe of Santiago. Every country has a distinct flavor of Spanish (or Portuguese in Brazil). If you learn "Spanish" in school and then go to Chile, you won't understand a word they say. They speak fast, they drop their "s" sounds, and they have slang (cachai?) that doesn't exist anywhere else.
The Rise of Digital Nomad Hubs
Post-2020, places like Buenos Aires and Medellín have exploded with remote workers. Why? Because the exchange rate in Argentina is currently... well, it’s complicated. They have a "Blue Dollar" rate which is the unofficial market rate, often double the official one. If you bring physical US dollars and exchange them at a cueva (an unofficial exchange house), your money goes incredibly far.
This has led to a bit of a gentrification crisis in neighborhoods like El Poblado in Medellín or Palermo in Buenos Aires. Prices for locals are skyrocketing. As a traveler, it’s worth being aware of that footprint. Stay in local guesthouses. Eat at the comedores. Don't just hang out at the "digital nomad cafe" with the fast Wi-Fi and overpriced avocado toast.
Actionable Steps for Your Journey
If you’re actually going to do this, here is how you handle it without losing your mind or your wallet:
- Download WhatsApp. Everyone uses it. Your hotel, your tour guide, the guy selling empanadas on the corner. If you don't have it, you don't exist.
- Get a multi-currency card. Use something like Wise or Revolut. But always carry some cash, especially in smaller towns. In many places, the "card machine is broken" is a permanent state of being.
- Learn basic Spanish (or Portuguese). Even "Where is the bathroom?" and "The bill, please" goes a long way. People are much friendlier when they see you trying to bridge the gap.
- Buy travel insurance. Specifically, one that covers medical evacuation. If you’re trekking in Patagonia and break an ankle, you do not want to see the bill for a private helicopter.
- Check the seasons. Remember, when it’s summer in the US, it’s winter in the southern half of South America. Don't show up in Bariloche in July expecting a beach vacation—you’ll find a ski resort instead.
The continent is changing fast. Governments shift, currencies fluctuate, and the glaciers in Patagonia are visibly shrinking every year. It’s a place that demands you pay attention. It’s not a theme park; it’s a living, breathing, and often complicated part of the world that rewards people who are willing to look past the postcards.
Go to the places that scare you a little bit. Take the long bus ride. Eat the weird fruit. You’ll find that the best parts of the continent are the ones that didn't make it onto your Instagram feed.
Move slowly. Talk to the locals. Actually listen to what they say about their history and their struggles. That’s how you actually see the place.