South America is a continent with a lot of different kinds of landscapes. It has the highest, driest, biggest, deepest, rarest, and more. If you’re thinking about taking a trip to South America, here are 10 of the most amazing places you should check out:
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One of the worlds seven wonders in South America
Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu ranks among the most interesting places in the world and could be the best tourist attraction in South America. This abandoned ancient Incan city is 7,000 feet above sea level in the Andes, high above the Urubamba Valley. It is covered in mist and surrounded by green vegetation and cliffs.
Machu Picchu was built in the 1450s. It may have been a country home for the emperor or an essential place of worship. The well-preserved buildings in the city include houses, shrines, fountains, baths, and evidence of an irrigation system as well as agricultural terraces.
The Temple of the Sun, the Astronomical Observatory, and the Intihuatana are amazing buildings that show an advanced understanding of the Sun and how it affects other planets. Before American archaeologist Hiram Bingham found Machu Picchu in 1911, only peasants knew about the abandoned citadel.
Iguazu Falls, Argentina, and Brazil
The point where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet is also a wonderful place to visit in South America. Ten miles before it joins the Parana River, the Iguazu River flows over rough terrain in the forest before crashing into a semicircular chain of 247 irregular waterfalls that thunder into the gorge below. Below the falls, the river narrows to a quarter of its usual width because of a bottleneck.
This makes the water’s pulling power even stronger. Some cascades are over 330 feet tall and stretch almost 1.85 miles, so you can’t see them all simultaneously. The Argentinian and Brazilian sides of the falls can feel their power, noise, and presence. Both sides have different ideas and points of view, so it’s wise to arrange to see both.
Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil
Sugarloaf Mountain is a famous granite and quartz peak in Brazil that looks out over Guanabara Bay. It sticks out from a tree-covered cliff and rises nearly 1300 feet above Rio de Janeiro’s beaches and city. At the top, you can ride a cable car and see Rio and the harbor from a bird’s-eye view, which is an exciting experience.
The first part of the trip starts at Avenida Pasteur in the Red Beach District, Praia Vermelha, and goes to the top of Urca Mountain. On the ride, you can see Copacabana, this same Christ statue, Niteroi Bridge, and Guanabara Bay for the first time from above. The second cable car goes from Urca to the top of Sugarloaf, where you can see an amazing view of the area in all directions.
Christ the Redeemer statue, Brazil
It is the most well-known landmark and Rio’s most popular tourist spot. It was finished in 1931. Even though it is a Christian building, it is known worldwide as a sign of peace. The statue is 98 feet high, and its horizontally stretched arms are 92 feet long.
It has become a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil and is the world’s largest Art Deco-style sculpture among the World’s New Seven Wonders. You can see a beautiful city and bay views from the top of Corcovado, 2310 feet above Rio de Janeiro.
The area where it stands is part of Tijuca National Park, and a rack railway climbs two miles to a wide plaza at the top. At a stop halfway along the train line, you can get on trails that take you through the Tijuca National Park, which has springs, waterfalls, and many different kinds of tropical birds, butterflies, and plants.
The Amazon Rainforest
It is the biggest tropical forest on Earth and has the highest number of plant and animal species of any place on Earth. It is also the most complex and diverse place on Earth. Sixty percent of the rainforest is in Brazil. Large parts are also in Peru and Columbia; Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana have smaller parts.
The Amazon has a diverse ecosystem, with rainforests, seasonal forests, deciduous forests, flooded forests, and savannas. There are about 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 fish species, 430 mammal species, 2.5 million insect species, and many other types of life, many of which have not yet been discovered by science.
Patagonia
Patagonia is a part of South America that belongs to Chile and Argentina. It is about 300,000 square miles big and has some islands in Argentine Antarctica and the South Atlantic. It also has Tierra del Fuego, which is a very popular place. Patagonia’s beautiful landscape results from big geology and glaciology changes that happened millions of years ago.
These changes made mountains and valleys carved by fjords, rivers, and lakes and topped by glistening glaciers. Patagonia is among the least populated places on Earth, and it has a huge variety of animals and plants, many of which are only found there. The attractions include Valdes Peninsula, Bariloche, Torres del Paine National Park, and Los Glaciares National Park.
Cusco, Peru
Cusco, a colorful city in Peru once the center of the Incan empire and in the Southern Sierras, has a lot to offer. Its ruins are great examples of how well the Incas built things. The Temple of a Sun, the Cusco Cathedral, and the impressive Sacsayhuaman fortress are all great places to visit. There are no separate south america flags, each country has its own flag.
Sacsayhuaman is an antiquity engineering marvel because it perfectly aligns with the solstices and can withstand earthquakes. The main square, Plaza de Armas, is the city’s heart. It is covered by restaurants, cafes, as well as churches. Crafts made by Quechua people are sold at the nearby San Pedro Market. The city is the center of Quechua culture in the Andes, and its mountains are full of hiking trails and hot springs.
Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia Lake Titicaca is the tallest navigable body of water. It is the biggest lake in South America. It stands more than 12,500 feet above sea level, which is a big deal. The Uros “Floating Islands,” which are made of totara reeds, are one of the most popular sights.
