South America is the world’s fourth largest continent and is comprised of two dependencies and twelve countries: Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Guyana, Columbia, the Falkland Islands, Paraguay and Suriname. This culturally fascinating and scenically spectacular continent is completely surrounded by water with the exception of a tiny portion of Columbia that touches the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. In large part due to centuries of interactions between indigenous populations, enslaved Africans and European colonizers, South America is home to a wide array of peoples, languages, cultures and religions.
Travelers all over the world are yearning for remote locations, contact with nature, open-air experiences, and, of course, safety and comfort. South America offers all of this and so much more. From sophisticated cities to ancient civilizations, the world’s driest deserts to the world’s highest waterfalls, South America is a land of contradictions and superlatives. In this colorful land you’ll find indigenous Aymara Indians in british bowler hats. There are mountains, beaches, jungles, glaciers, tiny rural villages, bustling cities and vast archaeological wonders. In addition to the highest waterfall and driest deserts, South America boasts the highest navigable lake, the longest mountain chain, the largest river, the largest rainforest and the tallest volcano.