Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for south america
The Southernmost Park
By Linda Tancs
Discovered by a Dutch navigator in 1616, Cape Horn (named for the Dutch city Hoorn where the expedition originated) is a rocky headland on Hornos Island off the southern tip of South America where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. Cape Horn National Park was created in 1945 by the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture and is the world’s southernmost national park. Famously one of the most dangerous passages in the world, the park’s Albatross Monument pays tribute to the many sailors who failed to cross the cape. You can access this and other highlights using the walkways that crisscross the island. Many visitors come to the park via trips that take tourists from Punta Arenas to Cape Horn. It’s best to visit between November and March when the waves are less choppy.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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The Woman’s Bridge
By Linda Tancs
The neighborhood of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is built on reclaimed land and sits adjacent to the river. A must-see in the area is Woman’s Bridge (Puente de la Mujer). The graceful bridge over Rio de la Plata represents the image of a couple dancing the tango. The white mast symbolizes the man and the curved silhouette of the bridge, the woman. More than just aesthetics, the bridge has one of the largest turning mechanisms in the world, engineered with a rotating central section that opens and allows the passage of boats. The homage to women doesn’t stop with the bridge; every street in Puerto Madero is named after a famous woman in Argentine history.
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Biodiversity in Ecuador
By Linda Tancs
Considered one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, Yasuní National Park is the largest protected area of continental Ecuador. It teems with life, which isn’t all that surprising considering that it sits at the intersection of the Amazon, the Andes and the Equator. It boasts around 1,300 tree species, 600 bird species, 400 fish species and at least 170 species of mammals, including the endangered white-bellied spider monkey and the giant otter. The park is also home to several indigenous communities. Most visitors fly from Quito to the gateway town of Coca. Tours of the park are available through lodges and river cruises.
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Chile’s Biosphere
By Linda Tancs
A wonderland of volcanoes and lakes, Chile’s Lauca National Park in the northeast forms part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve thanks to its diverse collection of flora and fauna. Indeed, over 130 different bird species live in the park, in addition to the distinctive vicuñas, vizcachas and condors. A major attraction in the park is Lake Chungará, one of the highest lakes in the world, located at the foot of the Payachata twin volcanoes in all their snow-capped glory.
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Brazil’s Pantanal
By Linda Tancs
Larger than 29 U.S. states and at least nine European countries, the Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland system. Although Brazil lays claim to most of the region, it also sprawls into Bolivia and Paraguay. Partly comprising a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as a Biosphere Reserve, it contains the highest concentration of some wildlife species, including the jaguar and caiman, and is home to the biggest parrot on the planet, the hyacinth macaw. The highlight of any visit to western Brazil, many tourists prefer the drier winter season (around June to September) but the end of the rainy summer season (April) offers photographers irresistible views of the flooding and receding of the waters.
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Bolivia’s Oldest Park
By Linda Tancs
Bolivia’s highest point is the extinct stratovolcano Sajama, rising to 21,463 feet. Naturally it’s the centerpiece of Sajama National Park, the country’s oldest national park. Hiking and mountain trekking are popular ways to engage with the natural, cultural and historical features of the park. One of its prized highlights is the Quenoa forest, recognized as one of the highest forests in the world. In fact, the preservation of this prized treasure is a primary reason why the area became a national park. You’ll also find historic burial buildings, cave paintings and remnants of colonial architecture along with native wildlife like the Andean mountain cat.
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Argentina’s Oldest Park
By Linda Tancs
Located in Argentina’s fabled Lake District, Nahuel Huapi National Park is the country’s oldest national park. Established in 1934, it’s named for Nahuel Huapi, the park’s largest glacial lake. The expansive environment is ringed by the Andes, featuring Mount Tronador, a dormant volcano. You’ll also find dense forest areas that provide cover for pudu, the world’s smallest deer. January is a popular time for hiking and lake rafting.
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Holy Water in Ecuador
By Linda Tancs
Nestled at the foot of Tungurahua (an active volcano) in Ecuador is Baños de Agua Santa (baths, or springs, of holy water). A major tourist center between the central Andes and the Amazon of Ecuador, it’s prized for its hot springs credited with healing powers. The views aren’t bad, either, surrounded as it is by mountains and waterfalls flowing into deep ravines. You can view the cascades on a gondola-style cable car strung from one hilltop to the next. As you might imagine, it’s a great locale for landscape photographers. Enjoy a three-and-a-half-hour drive south from Quito through the Andes.
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The Charm of Suriname
By Linda Tancs
Arguably one of the best-kept secrets in South America, Suriname is a small country on the northeastern coast of the continent. Once a Dutch colony, its capital Paramaribo reflects the integration of the European culture of the Netherlands and the indigenous cultures and environment of South America in the years of intensive colonization of this region in the 16th and 17th centuries. This fusion is what garnered the historic Inner City its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, boasting attractions like a wooden cathedral, presidential palace and a palm tree landscape garden. Fusion extends to gastronomy as well, particularly in Blauwgrond, an ethnically mixed district known for its Javanese restaurants called warungs. Take a walk along the waterfront for local handicrafts and delicacies.
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The Inca Trail
By Linda Tancs
The Inca Trail is a hiking trail in Peru that terminates at Machu Picchu. Lauded as one of the most iconic treks in the world, you’ll be following in the footsteps of the ancient Incas, who ultimately designed a network reaching 25,000 miles through their South American empire. The classic route to Machu Picchu is 26 miles from the trailhead known as Kilometre 82 to the ancient citadel, which is sprinkled with ruins and cloud-cloaked mountainsides. That trek generally takes four days and includes camping. A shorter trail from Kilometre 104 can be accomplished in a day. Whichever trek you choose, you’ll need a permit so it’s advisable to book several months in advance. The end of April or May is a good time to visit; the ground is drier and permits generally won’t sell out as fast as during the peak season from June to August.
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