south america

Between its wonderous mountain ranges, remote islands and the world's biggest rainforest, your first trip to South America likely won't be your last.

The Train to Pozo del Tigre
It always surprises me just how different people and their lives are when you travel around the world. Every place is different; every group of people live different lives. This brings to mind the time I had cause to travel to Pozo del Tigre. Where is Pozo del Tigre? I hear you ask. Pozo del Tigre, which means ‘Well of the Tiger’, is laughingly described as a village on the rail route from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, travelling south towards Argentina. I say laughingly called a village because there is practically nothing there and if you closed your eyes for three seconds on the train, you would miss it.
By Chris Randall9 years ago in Wander
Jujuy: A Travel Guide
Jujuy is one of the main destinations in the north of Argentina — a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires (from the domestic airport near the centre of town).
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Cafayate: A Travel Guide
Cafayate is the wine region in the Salta region — the north of Argentina. This is the Calchaqui Valley — at 1700 metres above sea-level this is one of the highest places in the world that is suitable for viticulture.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Salta: A Travel Guide
Salta is surrounded by mountains on all sides — it’s a beautiful city in a unique location. There are about 1.2 million people living in the province, and about 700,000 living in the city of Salta.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
Bahia Solano & Nuqui
If you’re visiting Colombia and you are really looking for an off-the-beaten track experience that most tourists who visit the country don’t get to experience, then you may want to consider visiting Bahia Solano and Nuqui.
By Ben W9 years ago in Wander
Chasing Roatan Island Pirate Treasure
Rob and I stepped off the plane at the airport in Coxon Hole on to the shores of Roatan Island, one of the Bay Islands in the Gulf of Honduras. We were assaulted by taxi drivers all wanting to take us to the West End, a place which we were told in broken Spanish is the place where all gringos are supposed to go.
By Daryl Friesen9 years ago in Wander
Buenos Aires: Live Like a Local
I’m not quite sure what I expected to find in Buenos Aires — perhaps some kind of old-world city full of faded glamour and suave, stylish men who lived life full of tango passion.
By Gareth Johnson9 years ago in Wander
For the Love of the Game
One of the best things about living in a foreign country is exploring and becoming immersed in the local sports scene. When you’re living outside the U.S., a different kind of football takes precedence over all of the sports combined. Football, in most countries, is the national sport and one in which kids from an early age learn to play and master over the years. Whether it's a city street, a dirt field, or turf glass, football is an adaptable sport to any kind of climate which is why it's such a famed world sport.
By Ben W9 years ago in Wander
Bribing Border Guards and Smuggling Human Remains
Late last year I took a little trip to South America. Why South America, you might ask. Well, quite simply, because someone said to me "what about South America?" And so it was decided.
By Maggie Harris9 years ago in Wander
The City of Eternal Spring
Medellin, a bustling metropolis of over three million people, has a popular and well-known nickname, “The City of Eternal Spring.” I can say for certain that this particular nickname is well warranted and appropriate given the moderate temperatures and humidity that make up the day and night here. Among the cities and towns I’ve visited in Colombia thus far, Medellin is special in that its’ climate is hospitable and agreeable.
By Ben W9 years ago in Wander
A Weekend in Santa Marta
Santa Marta is an undiscovered gem of a city located on the northeastern tip of Atlantic coast of Colombia. I say that it’s an ‘undiscovered gem’ because it usually flies under the radar when compared to its coastal counterparts of Cartagena and Barranquilla. Still though, for Colombians and foreigners alike on vacation, Santa Marta has a lot to offer its visitors. I was drawn to Santa Marta a couple of months ago when I visited its neighboring town of Minca, which is also quite beautiful and full of lush scenery up in the mountains. Unfortunately, I did not get to spend much time in Santa Marta so I decided that during my 2nd time living in Colombia, I could not pass up the chance to visit this city if I had the chance.
By Ben W9 years ago in Wander
Siestas are Interesting
There’s good news in the world but it seems weighted towards the Southern Hemisphere although it starts somewhat north of the Equator. A continent, artificially severed by a canal, curled around a three pronged spine. Long suppressed, exploited and despoiled, it has seemingly shaken its lethargy and from various umbrae is experimenting with innovative solutions to intractable problems. An aroma emerges, the scent of potential tranquility blended with equity and possibly, even joy. But it’s just a possibility, plausible only because of dark distractions almost everywhere else; very, very dark distractions; drawing in entropy, negativity and despair as though from the gravity well of a dead and decaying universe.
By Guillermo Calvo9 years ago in Wander