If you enjoy what to do in South America but all plans are similar, we present 7 ideas that are out of the ordinary. They will make you want to travel already.
Traveling to Latin America or South America to be more precise is something that is becoming a trend. But so famous is the destiny becoming that it is not always easy to find something out of the ordinary. That is why here we bring you something different to do in South America so that you armes of courage and you throw to the adventure.
Paraguay: Mix with smuggling buyers in Ciudad del Este
Buses arrive by hundreds on a weekend from Brazil and Argentina. They are not tourists; they are people who travel to buy products imported from Asia at a lower price and pass all the merchandise as contraband. This is the “hot” Triple Frontier.
Next to the Iguazú Falls there is not only nature, but a world ignored by much that could be interesting for the intrepid traveler.
To get lost in the streets of Ciudad del Este is to meet you with many people who run everywhere, with a musician who plays the harp or with stalls of street food. But when it comes to noon everything calms down, people sit down to eat and very few things move.
This place can be passionate or a bad idea. It’s always good to try.
Peru: Climb to Machu Pichu by an alternative path
Although it is somewhat exhausting, it is becoming easier to climb the Machu Picchu. And as more and more tourists are traveling it is a bit harder to find something different to do. Or it was until the appearance of alternative routes.
The Inca Jungle Tour, in addition to the hike, includes cycling, zip line and rafting. In addition, this tour takes you through the jungle and invites you to explore some alternative paths that were recently discovered.
This ride is a bit more tiring, but its organizers say that it is 4 unforgettable days that cannot be compared to any other that is done in the area.
Argentina: Visit the Historical Memory Center
Visiting the former ESMA or Historic Memory Center is to let history slap you so that you wake up, learn and know that Argentina is more than a couple dancing the tango in Caminito.
The former ESMA tells the story of terror that was the last military dictatorship and how the atrocities passed before the noses of all but hardly anyone could speak.
Admission is free, there are guided walks and the local staff are pleasant to help you understand what has happened.
Brazil: Eat at a set menu cafe with local
Sao Paulo is a chaotic city. It is the second most populated city in Latin America (20 million inhabitants) and can look like New York or London in many ways. But there are corners that remind you of where you are. If you walk the streets surrounding the large office buildings you will find small premises whose door is nothing more than a metal shutter. Inside you will encounter workers and workers eating for a few euros. The food is not bad and the best thing is they give you a small coffee without paying anything.
In these places you can meet those who live in the city, those who do not seek to appear anything and those who enjoy as much as suffer Sao Paulo.
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Uruguay: Making the route of Eduardo Galeano
As we already told in another entry to do the route of Eduardo Galeano in Montevideo is a different way to know the capital of Uruguay and how lived and enjoyed this place the writer and journalist River Plate.
The route will take us through the Matriz Square, the Central Post and its magnificent building or if you like football you will reach the mythical Estadio Centenario.
But the most recommended of this route is to visit the Rinaldi and Riso Bookstore or the Brazil Café, the most classic in Montevideo.
Bolivia: Eating in a local street market
If you are looking for a real adventure do not go to the typical market in La Paz or Cochabamba. Enter a town, or a smaller town. Keep walking through its streets, talk to locals and find out where the market is with produce from the land. When you get closer you will realize that you are in the right place by some signs.
You’ll hear hens cackle in the middle of the street, maybe an alpaca or a llama will wait in a corner and the smell of food becoming in that moment will penetrate everywhere.
The peasants will speak to you in Quechua or Aimara until someone with more knowledge will appear and offer you some product. But you do not want to buy something, you want to eat.
If you see someone sitting at a table in the middle of the street do not be surprised. Grab a chair, sit next to it and order a soup or a stew. It is better any meal that has a lot of corn because it is the best there is in this stupendous country called Bolivia.
Ecuador: Visit Vilcabamba, the paradise of longevity
In 1973 Alexander Leaf and Harold Elrick of the University of California visited this town and registered a high number of centenarians. The number of people who reported being over 100 years old was the most seen in a locality. They even found someone who claimed to be 140 years old. In a subsequent census, of the 819 inhabitants of Loja (region where Vilcabamba is), 9 people with more than 100 years were found, one with 123 and one with 142 ..
There are an average of 1,100 centenarians per 100 thousand people. In the United States, for example, it is 3 per 100 thousand.
Vilcabamba is undoubtedly one of the places that should be visited if you are looking for a trip of much more adventure and different to South America.