South America is seen by many as the adventure travel destination of the experienced – only the street-wise and linguistically talented need apply. This is simply not the case. Yes there are areas to be aware of, but for the most part, a decent dose of common sense will see adventure travellers through to their dream adventure. This, the fourth largest continent, unsurprisingly, is home to some of the most diverse adventures on offer by adventure travel providers today. Not to be overlooked is the biodiversity of the region, making Eco Tours an essential activity during any length of stay. Llamas, anacondas, jaguars, tapirs and piranhas make up just some of the unique species in these areas. That said, unique wildlife is not only present in the jungles – South American cities have some of the best carnivals, bars and clubs in the world.
Sea Kayaking In Chile
The waterways and fjords of Chile are barely matched by any other on the planet. With mountains rising up in the distance, primeval temperate forests, glacial valleys and picturesque islands dotted all around, southern Chile offers some truly stunning views. And that’s just looking up. Looking down, adventure travellers might be able to glimpse dolphins, sea lions and penguins. Because it is such a vast and beautiful area, there are many adventure travel providers aching to show you around. One of our favourites is Expediciones Chile. These guys have been around for a while, offering all types of trips ranging from luxurious to truly epic. That’s probably why beouthere.com like them – they’ve got that ‘out-there’ factor. Our preference would be the 10-day Patagonia River Odyssey – Chile Sea Kayak Traverse. It has it all – landscapes, wildlife and friendly people. The trip involves whitewater and a border-to-ocean traverse (of which only 3 individuals have done the whole thing!!!)
Mountaineering In Peru
Peru is home to the longest exposed mountain range – The Andes. At over 7,000 miles long there are mountaineering opportunities of all levels from unclimbed (simply ridiculous) peaks to 1-day treks. Peru is one of the best countries for mountaineering and other related activities, if for no other reason than the quality of it’s adventure travel providers. Of course, many of these providers will happily take you over the border into Mendoza in neighbouring Argentina, to tackle the tallest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua. The choices of provider are extensive. One of our favourites is Andean Destinations who offer a variety of packages to suite all levels. Perhaps the best being the highest in Peru: South Huascaran. At 6,768 MASL this 8 day climb is both tough and rewarding. Look for adventure travel providers who have a real UIAGM accreditation.
Eco Tours In Ecuador
In terms of endemic species and ecological diversity, it doesn’t come much better than the Galapagos Islands. Forget Darwin’s theory of evolution. beouthere.com’s theory of evolution is thus: go a tourist, come back a conservationist. That’s evolution. Like so many of the countries in South America, Ecuador is swamped with bad to very amazing adventure travel providers, so be careful who you use. Also worth noting is that continental Ecuador (rather than it’s brother – Little G!) still provides thousands of incredible tours of pristine jungle and the unbeatable Andes. We believe that some of the best trips to Ecuador are provided by Nature Trek, an international adventure travel provider, based in the UK. They offer an 11-day birdwatching tour in the Napo River basin. Enjoy rare species and the tropical forest landscapes of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
Overland Tours In Argentina
Arguably one of the best ways to see a large country, with limited time available, is to overland your way through. Where one would usually get up and personal with a country by backpacking or cycling through, over-landing gives adventure travellers the opportunity to see much more in much less time, with hardly any loss of a true sense of adventure. There are hundreds of places to see in Argentina, but perhaps the most noteworthy are covered in Dragoman’s Bolivia and Argentina Overland expedition. During the course of this trip you spend 10 days seeing some of the most impressive sites in Argentina including, the colonial City of Salta, the Argentinean wine region, the high Argentinean mountain passes, horse-riding and finally you get a chance to explore Buenos Aires – probably one of the coolest cities in the world.
Kite Boarding In Brazil
Kite boarding or kite surfing is a relatively new adventure sport (in comparison to say mountaineering), but nevertheless has boomed in almost every location where the winds are conducive. In fact, some locations like Cabarete in the Dominican Republic or Tarifa in southern Spain have used their original windsurfing fame to draw millions of new adventurers into Kite Boarding. This has it’s advantages, but also it’s drawbacks. At beouthere.com, we are big believers in finding adventures that are still fresh, still a bit raw. For this reason, we think that Brazil is THE destination for Kite Boarding. If you can get over there Kite Adventures will give you the time of your life. The tour to go for is the 10-Day Dowinder which involves a string of downwind sessions, including a 10km wave-riding downwinder into Paracuru, river crossings, ocean coves and lagoons.
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