First Stop: South America

Torres del Paine is a large Chilean National Park that is renowned for its luxurious hiking circuits and multitude of flora and fauna. Hikers can get a look at glaciers, lakes, mountains, and deep blue rivers. The park was labeled as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. Cougars, foxes and guanacos are the most prevalent animal species found in the Torres del Paine. Hikers can choose from various courses. The first is just a day trip to see the famous “towers” at Torres del Paine. The second is about a five day hike and the last is about an 8 or 9 day journey to see the most breathtaking views of Torres del Paine. The trails are clearly marked for hikers and it is higly illegal to hike off of these trails as Torres del Paine is a national park. Refugees are availble in the park for hikers to rest or sleep in.

If those aren’t enough reasons to chek out Torres del Paine, just take a look at some pictures!

Looking for a fun place to travel? Buenos Aires is obviously a huge hit for many South American travelers. One of the most exciting spots in Buenos Aires is Puerto Madero, the old port. Puerto Madero occupies a huge portion of the Río de la Plata. In the early ’90’s, Puerto Madero underwent huge urbanization developments as the port side warehouses were converted into high end houses and businesses, many of which are trendy resturants. It is one of the most successful waterfront renewl projects, beating the decay of the degrated zone from the early ’20’s. Other than the massive amount of resturants availble at the port, you can also take a tour of an ancient ship at the Uruguay Corvette museum. The Puente de la Mujer is a fun, architecturally askew bridge in the port. Lastly, Puerto Madero borders a natural reserve, that you can run, hike or bike around depending on how much time you want to spend at the reserve. If thats not enough for you, check out the nightlife. Asia de Cuba is a popular club nearby, but dont forget to try the myriad of other bars around the area.

If you decide along your journey in Peru that it might be wise to travel to Trujillo (it is), then you might also decide to stop along the way in Chiclayo. Chiclayo is about 128 miles from Trujillo and about 474 miles from Lima. It is said that the god, Naylamp, once sailed all the way to Chiclayo to begin his grand empire. Since that time, Chiclayo has since flourished, becoming on of the many important trade cities in Peru. Not only is Chiclayo located at the crux of agricultural harvesting, it is also the meeting place of many important Peruvian roads. Chiclayo is coveted for its educational museums, which harbor a great wealth of information about Peru during pre- Incan times. The Bruning Museum, The Museum of the Royal tombs of Sipan and Sican National Museum are the three most famous museums in the area. After Cusco, Chiclayo is the second most important archeological tourist destination in Peru. So come, and be a part of Peruvian history at Chiclayo.

  In the city it can be difficult to maintain a green standard of living. Most large   cities in South America (and in North America for that matter) are littered with   trash and smothered in choking car or bus exhaust fumes. But don’t lose faith yet.  South America may even be ahead of the U.S. in terms of green city planning. Curitaba, Brazil is a reigning example of green urban planning and experimentation. Other than being the nation’s leading recycler, Curitaba also boasts 28 parks helping to total 20 million square meters of undeveloped land. Not only were those parks specifically built to better the social community, but were created out of previous industrial or commercial sites. One large park was a former flavela, or shanty town, that frequently flooded. The city moved the people into low income housing in another part of town and rebuilt the flood zone as a park with a natural ebbing lake. The city then added a running track, picnic tables, and sheep. Why sheep? The sheep keep the grass nice and tidy, without the undesired noise or fumes from large lawnmowers. Moreover, Curitaba has a bus system that many large cities envy. In fact, some larger cities in the world have adopted the Curitaba model because it worked so efficiently. 60% of the transportation in Curitaba lies with the bus system. Rather than building an entirely new bus system, Curitaba decided to revise the one they already had, making it economical and efficent. Check out PBS.org to find out more.

Plazas are the best way to start off your tourist vacations. Most times, the main Plaza is the city center, usually combining office buildings, governmental offices, and churches or other places of worship with an historical atmosphere. Plaza’s litter the South American cityscape. Historically, most Plazas were built to house military meetings and the city was built around this area. They may have started from old market centers and gradually morphed into artistic hubs and meeting locations. For example, the Plaza de Mayo en Buenos Aires, Argentina was used during the Dirty War by mothers of the desaparacidos (or missing chidren) as a standing ground to protest human rights violations and violence. Plaza 25 de Mayo in Bolivia is a gorgeous place to sit and spend the day, or decide where to go with your day. Wherever you are, the Plaza is a good place to start of your journey. Catch some historical action, artwork, or just check out the governemental block of your country.

While on your travels around South America, you might decide you want to work with those less fortunate or with the children in the community. If you decide you want to volunteer there are plenty of options available. There are a wide range of programs to enlist in if you want to devote your whole trip to volunteering. Help Argentina is an example of one such program. However, if you cant afford to pay  volunteering check out Idealist for updates on volunteer information in your country. If you want to do something more long term, the Peace Corps enlists a lot of volunteers to South America. VolunteerLatinAmerica is another site that will set you up with a place to live and an organization to work with. If you just want to be out and about working with nature and feeling like a part of the planet, become a woofer and learn organic farming!