YHD - South America – the Top 10 Destinations This Year Part Two

South America – the Top 10 Destinations This Year Part Two

In the previous part of this article I began covering the top ten locations for UK tourists to visit this year in South America, already covered was Panama City, The Atacama Desert in Chile and cookery classes in Mexico. The rest of this list continues with some destinations a bit further south including Brazil, Peru and even director Francis Ford Coppolla’s lodge in Guatemala.

7.    Pantenal, Brazil
Brazil is famous for their football team, carnivals and the enormous statue of Jesus that overlooks Rio de Janeiro but aside from these iconic symbols there is a wealth of nature lurking just miles away from the cities. One such location is Pantenal; it holds the title of the world’s largest wetland and many people in the know claim that the amount of nature present rivals even the Amazon!

Pantenal is just one of the many emerging holiday hotspots in Brazil as well as the Serra Geral Mountains in the southern part of the country. Recently interest in Brazils has been sparked by the sighting of tribesmen in the jungles within Brazil. You may not be looking to join a native tribe but the nature in Brazil can certainly rival the draw of the big city.

6.    Peru
Peru is a popular destination amongst backpackers and gap year students partially due to all the ancient ruins which are a spectacle to see. Manchu Picchu is a popular hot spot for hikers, but beware; the hiking is tough going.

The culture of Peru is a historic one too with many of the communities sticking to traditions that have lasted generations free of the trappings of modern life. Some holiday companies have an easy time getting people to come to Peru because in some cases the locals will insist you stay with them as hotels are few and far between in the mountainous areas.

By sharing the living space of a local family you can get the most authentic feel of what life is like in the region, plus all you’d need to pay for is your flights to the country which doesn’t hurt!

5.    Guatemala
When the man who directed the Godfather and slaved over Apocalypse Now to the point of exhaustion chooses a holiday spot you can rest assured that it will be worth it. Francis Ford Coppolla owns a lodge in Guatemala called La Lancha and is set in an amazing area of Guatemala that should impress the Indiana Jones’ out there.

There are many ancient Mayan ruins which served as inspiration for the latest adventure of Dr. Jones this summer nearby such as Tikal which is home to the enormous pyramids and encroaching jungle undergrowth seen in many movies. Similar architecture can be found at Uaxacatún which is home to large stucco sculpture traditional to the area. Yaxhá is a wonderful lakeside location that many people who have seen Indiana Jones and the kingdom of the Crystal Skulls will be familiar with. It is most definitely worthy of booking flights, packing the fedora and bullwhip to go exploring if you are looking for a more historic and interesting holiday.

In the final part of this article I’ll be covering the final four destinations that I recommend for holidays this year. With cheap flights to Mexico and other countries now may be the best time to explore new grounds.