Write your own South American diary!

22nd September 2011

This week, the venerable BBC presenter Jonathan Dimbleby started his fascinating tour around South America with visits to Chile and Bolivia. Over the next two weeks, he continues his journey as he ventures into the less-well known countries of Colombia and Venezuela before culminating in the largest and most diverse, the mighty Brazil.

Although we can’t promise that you’ll be treated to a show by indigenous female wrestlers in La Paz, or guarantee you front row seats at Chile’s most famous rodeo, we can promise you in-depth explorations of all five countries, as well as Peru, Ecuador and Argentina, on Exodus trips!

South America encompasses a huge range of landscapes, cultures and ecosystems, so it really does have something for everyone. For wilderness lovers, the high-altitude wastelands of the Atacama Desert and the Salar de Uyuni compete with the impenetrable jungles of the Amazon Basin and the wetlands of the Pantanal.

Unique wildlife experiences can be found in abundance – depending on your choice of trip you could be searching for the elusive Jaguar in Brazil, snorkelling with turtles in the Galapagos Islands, or catching a fleeting glimpse of shy guanacos as they wander through the scrub in Patagonia. If you have a passion for birdwatching, nothing can equal the sight of condors soaring over Andean valleys or being woken by a pair of Scarlet macaws as they make their way noisily through the rainforest.

The Aymara and Quechua indigenous groups dominate highland Bolivia and Peru, creating a unique cultural atmosphere, the people of Colombia’s central valleys really put the “Latin” in Latin America, and Brazil’s fusion of the Portuguese and the African makes for a heady brew, most noticeable during the annual Carnival.

Food and drink are always high on the agenda wherever you travel in South America – Colombian coffee is the perfect complement to a hearty breakfast of arepas (corn pancakes) eggs and beans, coca tea will help you adjust to the altitude on the shores of Lake Titicaca and helps you digest your huge bowl of maize soup in Cuzco, and nothing beats ending a long day walking in Torres del Paine National Park like an exquisitely cooked steak washed down with a glass of the best Chilean red.

Whatever you’re looking for in a holiday, South America is sure to please, so browse through the selection of trips below, get packing and get your diary out to document your own voyage across this incredible continent!