South America is located in the western hemisphere, south of North America. It’s the fourth-largest continent, with over 420 million people living on a mere 17 million square kilometers. Yet, it’s a melting pot of diverse cultures, with influences from Africa, Europe, and Asia. Known for its natural beauty, South America offers a unique blend of rich history, vibrant culture, and diverse wildlife. So whether you are interested in exploring ancient ruins, trekking through the Andes Mountains, or enjoying its miles of beaches, South America is a place you can book flights to.
Belize: It’s like a giant saltwater aquarium that isn’t all full of fish poop.
People don’t come to Belize for white sandy beaches. They come for what most islands don’t have: an epic, ocean-taming barrier reef.
The Galápagos Islands: We take a vacation from Natural Selection.
Want to see how much better the world would be if humans never existed? This is the closest you’ll get.
Quito Ecuador: The world’s second-highest capital city (and not because they legalized drugs).
Though merely the second capital of the Inca Empire, Quito was, and still is, first in “cities surrounded on all sides by active volcanoes.”
Machu Picchu Peru: We find the “Lost City of The Incas” right where they left it.
Occupied for only a century, this site was a spectacular human achievement and waste of time.
Urubamba Valley, Peru: aka “Yucay Valley,” aka “Sacred Valley,” aka “Holy Crap! Valley.”
We had to get there from Cusco by traversing Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Cusco Peru: Not everyone who lives in the Andes Mountains crashed their airplane.
Incas thought the Andes was a great place to build a capital city. Of course, they were hopped up on coca leaves most of the time.
Hot and dry like LA, Lima Peru even has its clean, breathable air.
Lima is an amazing, chaotic city with a rich and tragic heritage that I’d highly recommend visiting.
South America: We visited our fellow Americans below the equator.
South America is full of amazing places like Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Galápagos, and other places we didn’t visit.
Costa Rica: Two weeks in rustic Nirvana.
If you’re thinking of going to Mexico, you may want to save your pesos, Amigo.
