2019 Travel Guide to South America

South America is a continent full of vibrant cultures, amazing attractions, and bustling cities. If you can only visit three destinations in South America in 2019, we'd choose Colombia, Suriname, and Bolivia. Colombia just reopened to the world in the last decade, offering rich adventure through rainforests and coffee plantations, and bustling day activities and nightlife in its main cities of Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena.

Bolivia is extremely safe and offers unique nature experiences from the Atacama Desert to the Amazon Basin Rainforest. With stunning sights like the salt flats and Incan ruins, and extreme sports like cycling down Death Road, Bolivia has endless opportunities for travelers.

As for Suriname, we picked it because its under-the-radar, and we imagine it'll gain more popularity in the coming years, especially since its safe, has a delicious food scene that's a mix of African, Dutch, Indian, Chinese, Javanese, AmerIndian, and Portuguese flavors, and great national parks full of hiking and kayaking opportunities. Get to Suriname before everyone else does and witness the beauty of this country firsthand.

It's hard to choose just five top things to do in South America, a continent that's vast and diverse in its offerings, but we'll try. First up is Machu Picchu, the famous Incan ruins in the middle of the Andes Mountains. The mystery and awe of the ruins are enough to alight any traveler's interest.

The Iguazu Falls sit between Argentina and Brazil, and as the largest waterfalls in the world, they deserve a spot on this list. So, too, does Torres del Paine National Park, a region perfect for hiking and exploring icebergs and mountains.

Easter Island and Christ the Redeemer couldn't be left off this list either. While Easter Island is an archeological site famed for the nearly 900 oversized heads that populate the island, Christ the Redeemer shows that modern monuments can also draw crowds to a mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro.

South America is a large continent with too many events to name. However, there are a few that you don't want to miss.

If you know anything about Brazil, it's that they know how to throw a party. Pride and Carnival are two of the most popular events in Brazil and they're both colorful and full of energy. If music is more your thing, Rock in Rio is a huge concert series that will host stars like Pink, Imagine Dragons, and Nickelback in Rio de Janeiro.

Argentina event highlights include the Tango Festival, a stunning sight of beautiful dancers, and the National Grape Harvest Festival in Mendoza, a perfect event for wine enthusiasts.

If the opportunity arises to witness indigenous and/or religious holidays in South America, make sure you take it. Events like the Oruro Festival in Bolivia, and Inti Raymi and Senor de los Milagros festival in Peru will provide an insight into the religious and Indigenous cultures of the continent.

Lastly, the Feria de los Flores festival is one of the biggest floral events in the world and it's held in Medellin, Colombia, featuring floats made of flowers, pageants, and musical concerts.

Family travel doesn't come cheap which is why our first pick is Ecuador, a country where the USD exchange rate will allow for affordable family fun. Families should check out their beaches, all-inclusive resorts, and rainforests. Don't forget to take a trip to the famed Galapagos Islands and watch the kids marvel at the wildlife.

Argentina is a little bit more expensive, but the cowboy culture - or gauchos - is a cool thing to experience with kids. Head to Patagonia for hiking, horseback riding, and to catch a gaucho rodeo.

And it's never too early to get the kids interested in history. Children and parents will love Machu Picchu and other historical sites in the Sacred Valley. Cusco, Peru, is also a charming town that's easy to get around and has some colorful festivals that families will enjoy throughout the year.

There are plenty of places for couples to fall in love all over again in South America. Relax on one of the many beaches of Brazil or go on an Amazon adventure in the interior together. Or perhaps travel through Chile's wine regions such as Casablanca, Colchagua, and Aconcagua Valley, sipping on the various wines of the region and enjoying small appetizers and the gorgeous landscape of Northern Chile.

If intimate romance is what you're seeking, Argentina is where it's at. Learn to tango in Buenos Aires and share great desserts like dulce de leche. If dancing isn't for you, cozy up in Patagonia and admire the icebergs, mountains, and pristine nature of one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Exploring South America with friends or new friends in travel groups make for great memories. Consider Guyana's interior, a low-key country with multiple national parks and gorgeous sights like Kaieteur Falls. It's a great place to explore and hike with friends, and it won't be crowded as it has yet to gain international interest.

There are plenty of group travel trips by tour companies that will take you through Peru to places like Cusco, Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, and Lima.

While we love Colombia and Brazil, these countries do have some places that are a bit more dangerous than others with warnings about crime against tourists who explore certain areas at night. Since there is safety in numbers, consider these two countries as great destinations to visit with friends.

No matter where you go in South America, you'll have a delightful foodie experience. If you want to experience an explosion of multiple flavors from South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Indigenous cultures, head to Guyana and Suriname. Their diverse history and cultures have resulted in unique creole-style dishes that usually involve a lot of seafood as they are coastal countries.

Brazil is a must-visit for those who love barbecued meats. Check out Brazil's churrascarias, or Brazilian steakhouses, where waiters slice off barbecued meat on large skewers at your table. Don't forget to try street snacks like acaraje, deep-fried patties of crushed black-eyed peas and onions, a result of Brazil's African heritage.

You'll find that even when you travel solo through South America, you won't be alone for long, but end up meeting many other solo travelers like you. If you want to explore a lot of one country, head to Ecuador. Not only is it affordable, but the train called Tren Crucero is perfect for getting around the country and seeing everything from volcanos to Quito's Old Town, rainforests, national parks, and Guayaquil on four-night itineraries.

Chile and Argentina are both popular solo traveler destinations with plenty of hostels, despite being two of the priciest countries in South America. Whether you're hitting the beach or hiking in the mountains, you're sure to find plenty of other solo travelers doing the same.

And if you want to connect with local cultures and communities as a solo traveler, go to Uruguay or Paraguay. These quiet countries have friendly people, tons of beaches and vibrant city life in Montevideo and Asuncion.

It's hard to choose the best places to find adventure travel in South America because every country offers adventure. Explore the interior of the Amazon by a riverboat in Brazil, or trek through the rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador.

Head south to hike national parks with icebergs and mountains in Argentina's Tierra del Fuego National Park or Chile's Torres del Paine National Park. In Bolivia, tackle the Death Road by bike or sandboard in the sand dunes around Huacachina in Peru. Adventure is endless in South America.

Sports are a big deal in South America, especially when it comes to futbol (or soccer) and basketball. While soccer matches are big to-dos in countries like Brazil, Colombia, and Chile, catch a River Plate game, the best team in the league, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Brazil always has a good basketball team in the Olympics, so don't miss out on a chance to catch a game there. They also have some killer beach volleyball matches in Rio.

To watch the best of the best in South American sports, go to the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, which will showcase the best athletes in everything from swimming to boxing, karate, track, tennis, wrestling, volleyball, basketball, and baseball.

South America has plenty of unique wonders that no other continent can claim. Sometimes that uniqueness is visible in the greatest of natural wonders like the largest waterfall of the world, Iguazu Falls, or the world's highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca in Peru. Not to mention, the Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest that has a rich biodiversity.

The ancient ruins of South America baffle archeologists and travelers alike. How did the Moai heads of Easter Island, the likes of which are not found elsewhere, get to the island? And how did the Incans build Machu Picchu in the middle of a mountain range and what did they use it for?

Plus, South America is one of the few places where you can access the South Pole, or discover the rich and diverse cultures that resulted from a history of colonialism and slave trades. Better yet, it offers every type of environment from icebergs in the south to tropical forests in the north and even deserts and fields full of grape vines in the west.

South America is by no means perfect, but for the most part, you'll be safe traveling with a group, family, or by yourself. However, there are areas within countries that you should ultimately avoid. Crime is rampant in many areas of Brazil especially around their land borders, in their low-income slums called "favelas," Recife's Pina Beach, and the satellite cities called Ceilandia, Santa Maria, Sao Sebastiao, and Paranoa. Violent crime statistics are especially high in Sao Paulo and more common at night.

Colombia has turned a new leaf in recent years and is a popular destination that you should absolutely have on your travel bucket list. Despite a new level of safety, you should still steer clear of Arauca, Cauca (except Popayan), Choco (except Nuqui), Narino, and Norte de Santader (except Cucuta) due to high rates of terrorism and crime.

While we wouldn't want you to take Brazil or Colombia off your travel list completely, we do suggest that you steer clear of Venezuela entirely. Political instability, food, water, and medicinal shortages, and crime are a common occurrence, and with lots of demonstrations and rallies, you may find yourself in a very bad situation.