South America

See also: Indigenous cultures of South America

Before the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century, the continent was home to different native American peoples, the most prominent being the Incas, whose empire stretched across much of the Andes, along the Inca Trails that are popular with trekkers today. Warfare and new diseases the colonizers brought with them afflicted the native population. Eventually the entire continent was conquered by Spain and Portugal, with some other countries establishing colonies in the northeast, one of which — French Guiana still belongs to a European nation. The last indigenous polity to hold out was the Mapuche in what is now Southern Chile, who were only conquered after Chilean independence. As a legacy of this, virtually all of the continent is today either Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking; nevertheless, native cultures and languages are still alive, particularly in Andean countries such as Bolivia and Peru, and also in Paraguay, where the Guarani language is co-official with Spanish and spoken by many Paraguayans without any indigenous heritage whatsoever. The continent is also pretty diverse, with almost any ethnicity you can think of having a presence, including Jews, Italians, Germans, Afro-Latinos, Japanese (mostly in Peru and Brazil), Indians (mostly in Guyana and Suriname), Chinese, Arabs, and various combinations of European, African and Indigenous.

Following a series of wars in the early 19th century, the colonies became independent and countries emerged largely in the form we know them today. However, the history of the continent has not been free from trouble, with (civil) wars, coups and periods of dictatorship occurring. Nevertheless, as with North America and Oceania, South America was and to some extent still is a popular destination for immigrants, first from Europe and later on also from other parts of the world.

Two prominent geographical features of South America are the Amazon rainforest and the Andes. South of the Tropic of Capricorn the landscape is savanna on the east coast and as a rule of thumb, it gets dryer the further west one goes. West of the Andes you can find the driest place in the world — the Atacama Desert. Patagonia, covering much of the southernmost 2/3 of Argentina and Chile is cool and dry with steppe and some forest, somewhat reminiscent of Central Asia or the North American prairie.

Much of the continent is situated in the tropics and in these places the climate is defined by wet and dry seasons and constantly warm or hot temperatures (except for high-altitude locations in the Andes). The further south one goes, the more temperate the climate becomes and in Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world) weather conditions are even reminiscent of coastal northern Scandinavia.

Football (soccer) is popular all over the continent, and it is often said that football is not just a sport but a religion. It is common to see children in rural areas and slums playing football in the street, and top level football matches often attract sold-out crowds. By far the most famous rivalry on the continent is that between the two giants of Brazil and Argentina. Men's national teams compete in the Copa América, whose standard of football is generally regarded to be on par with the European Championships. The South American continental championship for clubs is known as the Cope Libertadores, and the standard of football is generally regarded to be good, but lower than in the UEFA Champions' League as most of the top South American footballers play for European clubs.

Linguistically and religiously, the continent is at least superficially homogeneous, with Romance languages and Catholicism being the "norm" in almost all countries. However, in the latter half of the 20th century, U.S.-style Evangelical Christianity and irreligion started making major inroads, the former mostly among the poor and the latter often among urban and university-educated youth. Pockets of indigenous religions survive, too, and every winter solstice, the indigenous people in Cuzco, Peru re-enact the traditional Inca festival of the sun god, Inti Raymi. There is also a following for Yoruba and African Diaspora religions such as Candomblé, especially in Brazil.

Peru and Bolivia are probably the best places to experience pre-Columbian culture with traditional dishes, clothing, handicraft and language still around together with attractions like Machu Picchu or Tiwanaku.

Main article: Flying to South America

Getting to South America has gotten much easier due to massive increases in flights to the continent by major global airlines. Although some particular places are still quite hard to reach (e.g. Paraguay, Suriname, northern Brazil), the places that you most likely want to go, such as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport, are more accessible than ever before.

• From Africa: the only (reliable) options worth considering would be the South African Airways service linking O. R. Tambo International Airport with São Paulo - Guarulhos; or the Ethiopian Airlines service from Addis Ababa to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport and São Paulo - Guarulhos. There are also connections between Luanda and Rio de Janeiro, Salvador de Bahia and Recife with Taag Angola Airlines. Do realize that demand between Africa and South America is very limited, so even the aforementioned services are infrequent and fares may be quite high.
• From Asia: Be prepared for a very long journey, especially if your itinerary includes connecting flights to travel to/beyond the major Asian and South American hubs. São Paulo - Guarulhos is the only destination with flights from the Far East. The Korean Air route between Seoul-Incheon and São Paulo - Guarulhos involves a stop in the United States (LAX) therefore it will require all passengers, including those in transit, to pass through U.S. customs and immigration. Air China flies to São Paulo from Beijing Capital via Madrid Barajas. From the Middle East there are some more alternatives; Emirates (Dubai), Etihad (Abu Dhabi) and Qatar Airways (Doha) all fly nonstop to São Paulo. Of these Qatar Airways continues down to Buenos Aires and Emirates has another line to South America — via Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport to Buenos Aires.
• From Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific: A somewhat surprising number of options exist. LATAM Airlines serve Auckland and Sydney from their hub at Santiago. Qantas introduced a non-stop service between Sydney and Santiago in March 2012, and Air New Zealand flies direct from Auckland to Buenos Aires. LATAM also operates one of the world's most obscure flights of all - a service linking Santiago-Easter Island-Tahiti. From Perth Emirates provides affordable flights to Buenos Aires with a stopover in Dubai, around 30 hours total flying time.
• From Europe: The political, social, and economic ties between (former) colonies and their (former) metropoles remain strong. Portuguese flag carrier TAP Airlines is by far the leading foreign carrier to Brazil, serving a slew of destinations in North and East Brazil as well as the Brazilian capital Brasilia which otherwise have only limited or absolutely no other international connections. Spanish flag carrier Iberia flies to most of the former Spanish colonies, although neither Bolivia nor Paraguay are served. KLM flies between Amsterdam Schiphol and Suriname and Air France links Paris-Orly with French Guiana. Of course, such services are not exclusive - KLM also flies to Lima, TAP to Caracas, Air France to Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport and Lima, etc. Other leading European airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss Airlines, and ITA Airways also serve key South American gateways from their respective hubs, while South American airlines also operate into several major European cities as well. Air Europa also flies to many South American cities via their Madrid hub and connecting flights mainly across Western Europe.
• From North America: Historically Miami airport has been the main gateway to South America from the US, however hubs at Atlanta airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Benito Juárez International Airport, New York, Newark Liberty Airport, Orlando, Toronto, and Washington-Dulles offer viable alternatives, with airlines such as Air Canada, United and Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. American discount carriers such as Spirit Airlines and JetBlue now serve Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Latin American carriers such as Avianca, LATAM and Copa Airlines provide good hubs in the region.

Although it looks like there is a land connection with the Pan-American Highway, there are actually no roads connecting Panama with Colombia through the infamous Darien Gap and hence it is not possible to drive from Central America. People overcome this problem by shipping their cars from Colon (Atlantic side in Panama) to Cartagena or Barranquilla (Colombia), or from Panama City (Pacific side of the Panama canal) to Buenaventura (Colombia) or Guayaquil (Ecuador).

Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru and Brazil have good roads. Night time driving is generally dangerous on this continent.

There are no railroads between Panama and Colombia, so you can't enter the continent by train.

Around South America trains are not often the best option or even an option, as most lines have been neglected for most of the last decades. Some lines do however offer the chance to see amazing scenery.

There are a couple of ferries linking Panama and Colombia, and they are also the only way to get a car from Central to South America.

Some cruise liners cover the towns in the lower Caribbean (Cartagena, Santa Marta, Margarita Island). Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess Cruises, spanish line Pullmantur

The Union of South American Nations gives visa-free access and a customs union between all countries in South America. With the exception of Suriname, visitors from industrialized countries generally do not need visas anywhere in South America. Exceptions are mainly in off-the-beaten-path countries; for instance, American, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand citizens need a visa on arrival for Paraguay as a tit-for-tat for fees Paraguayan citizens pay for those countries' visas. Also, citizens of Russia, Turkey and some Asian countries don't need visas in most of South America, and very few nationalities have to obtain a visa for entering Ecuador. Yellow fever vaccinations may be necessary to enter some countries.

For longer distances, consider flying. In South America international flights are usually from capital to capital with domestic flights from the capital (the exceptions to this are São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with flights to all over the continent). Some airlines, like Aerolineas Argentinas have remarkable discounts on domestic connections if arriving on their intercontinental flights. The oneworld alliance offers an flight pass which might be a smart choice if you plan a longer South American tour. South America has thus far not seen the explosion of low cost airlines that have happened in Europe, Asia and even Africa to some extent and - mostly for political reasons - international flights can be surprisingly expensive. A flight within the continent can be as expensive or even more expensive than an intercontinental connection to get you to South America in the first place.

There are no cross-country train services in South America, and with the exception of Argentina and Chile, domestic networks are quite limited. Unfortunately for most of the second half of the 20th century networks have been cut and service has been reduced. There has been a renaissance of sorts, but in most cases it has thus far (2015) resulted in more talks than actual construction. There are a number of very scenic "tourist trains" though, including the 445-km Quito-Guayaquil route in Ecuador. The spectacular "tren a las nubes" (train to the clouds) running on a route that formerly connected Argentina and Chile, but only on a portion within Argentina, is the highest train in South America.

Buses are the main form of land transportation for much of the continent, they represent an economical but slower alternative to flying.

Beyond very cheap chicken buses, long distance buses fall under 3 general comfort levels: Semicama, Cama, Cama Suite. These names tend to shift from country to country.

Be aware that although most of the violence of the Cold war era is over some parts of some countries are still not entirely safe and crossing them by bus might not be a smart idea. For more on that issue read the stay safe sections of the respective country, region or city articles.

You can go from Montevideo to Valparaiso by cruise, touching Falkland Islands, Ushuaia and Puerto Montt. Or with an extension to Antarctica.

Also along the South American coast from Buenos Aires up to Brazil. You can do all the Amazon River by boat, starting in Peru, through all Brazil.

Between Argentina and Uruguay you can cross Rio de la Plata by ferry.

There are also all kinds of boat along the Amazon river.

See also: South America itineraries

• Buenos Aires to Machu Picchu overland
• Caminhos do Imigrante
• Colombia to Patagonia overland
• El Choro Trek
• Estrada Real
• Jesuit Missions of the Chiquitos
• Inca Trail
• Paraguay River
• Voyaging along the Amazon River

As home to the Andes, the longest mountain range in the world, South America is a huge destination for hiking and trekking. The Andes are magnificent and breathtakingly beautiful, and their terrain varies from snowy peaks to stark passes to lush forests. Peru is probably the most famous trekking destination, including the world-famous Inca Trail and many lesser-known but equally rewarding journeys. Bolivia also has many popular peaks climbable by non-experienced mountaineers on tours, and a lot of unknown but equally beautiful 1- to 12-day hikes through the mountains and into the rain forest. Argentina and Chile, with their long Andean border, have a wide variety of hikes as well. In fact, almost every country on the continent has beautiful mountains with great hikes, the exceptions being low-lying Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay.

Working as a volunteer, learning Spanish and seeing the country on a shoestring is popular with many travellers in South America. Mostly people with lot of time opt for this kind of travelling, getting to know the country and its people.

Volunteering can be done as part of a large organisation, or for local families. When working with or for local families, they often provide you with food and accommodation for about 3-5 hr work per day. Such engagements can be found with any of the following websites, which differ by length and type of stay: Workaway, HelpX, Wwoof, and Worldpackers. The website generally demand a small commission or a yearly fee.

Use the rating system of these websites to determine good and reliable hosts. And beware, many locals just use those websites to find cheap labour, offering a terrible experience, sometimes no food or no decent accommodation. Avoid such offers, which are just badly managed businesses, and opt for placements that really depend on volunteers (like green farming, education, NGOs, etc.).

Avoid paying for volunteering. You can also contact a bunch of international NGOs and let them know you are interested in working for them. Sometimes you can also get a paid job after doing some volunteer work. Just be clear that you are able to stay a fixed amount of time for unpaid work, and that you would need some money to continue your work.