From a stunning island with a morbid past to an icy scientific mystery, these are some
of the most amazingly beautiful places in South America:
11.
River Of Five Colors
This river is also called Caño Cristales or the Crystal Channel and is located in the
Serrania de la Macarena mountain range in the Meta province in Colombia.
It is often referred to as the “River of Five Colors” because of its beautiful array
of hues.
Through the years, this river has often been called one of the world’s most stunning
and for good reason.
It has even been compared to something from “The Garden of Eden.”
The rocks on the riverbed are quartzite that was formed about 1.2 billion years ago.
The Crystal Channel is located next to three different ecosystems that contain numerous
types of flora and fauna, including the Amazon rainforest, Eastern Lanos, and the Andes.
Due to its lack of nutrients, the water of the river is clear, allowing you to see the
vibrant red color of the plant species that attaches itself to the rocks.
The diversity of species near the Crystal Channel is also amazing, including sixty-nine
types of primates, forty-three reptile species, ten types of amphibians, and four hundred
twenty kinds of birds.
10.
Cusco
This city in Peru is often spelled C-U-Z-C-O, and it’s located near the Andes mountains’
Urubamba Valley.
It served as the capital of the Inca Empire, which was from the thirteenth century to 1532.
Many people think that Cusco was formed in the shape of a puma, which was considered
a sacred animal.
After the Spanish invaded the city, it was transformed into the primary point for spreading
Christianity and Spanish colonization.
In 1950, an earthquake destroyed over a third of Cusco’s buildings, but the architecture
left by the Incan people withstood the event.
This city is beautiful regarding its architecture and place among the mountains, but it’s
also very close to a stunning geographical feature called Rainbow Mountain.
The mountain’s name is a perfect fit because its mineral composition creates numerous layers
of different colors.
The various hues are made up of red clay, mud and sand, sandstone, marlstone, and quartzose,
as well as other mineral-rich materials.
9.
Galapagos Islands
If you know anything about Charles Darwin studies about evolution, then chances are
that you’ve heard of the Galapagos Islands.
They are known for the wide variety of endemic species that live there and served as the
origin of Darwin’s famous book, On the Origin of Species, which focused on the various types
of finches he discovered in the Galapagos.
Other interesting animals found in these islands include the land iguanas, Galapagos tortoise,
blue-footed booby, and Galapagos sea lions.
Unfortunately, human interference has caused many of the native species of plants and animals
to be overrun.
The introduction of cattle, goats, cats and dogs, etc. has negatively impacted the Galapagos.
Cats and dogs have been known to ruin bird, turtle, and tortoise nests as well.
However, a protection policy was established in 1930, and things started to change by the
1950s.
Nearly ninety-eight percent of the land in the area was declared a national park in 1959.
8.
Salar de Uyuni
This salt flat spans four thousand eighty-six square miles, making it the largest in the
world.
Considering its immense size, Salar de Uyuni acts like a giant mirror when it rains because
it reflects everything above its eighty-mile-long expanse.
This salt flat is also covering saline-rich pools that contains between fifty and seventy
percent of the Earth’s lithium.
Salar de Uyuni was formed when the Andes rose, creating the Bolivian Plateau.
Due to the amount of salt, hardly any animals or plants can thrive there besides some cacti
and shrubs.
But, it is an enormous flamingo breeding ground.
Some other animals have been seen in Salar de Uyuni as well, including the Andean goose
and horned coot.
7.
Easter Island
This beautiful island is located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is a part of Chile.
It’s most well-known for the giant statues that line the coast.
It’s estimated that people settled on Easter Island sometime between 300 and 1200 AD.
Many researchers believe that the first people to arrive at Easter Island were Polynesians
from the Gambier Islands, Marquesas Islands, or South America.
According to traditions that were written down by missionaries in the mid-1800s, Easter
Island used to have a class system, and a high chief had power over other leaders and
their people.
The statues, or moai, are thought to represent and honor their ancestors.
Despite this island’s beauty, some terrible things happened here.
Using numerous resources to construct the moai resulted in severe deforestation and
environmental damages.
Since Easter Island’s natural state was already uncertain, this drove it over the
edge.
The settlers’ main protein source was dolphin and tuna, and the rest of their diets were
made up of the crops they farmed, like sweet potato, taro root, and bananas.
But, without the protection of the forest, salt spray from the ocean ruined their crops
and freshwater, and without trees, they couldn’t build boats to fish.
The people were able to live off of birds for a short time, but things quickly turned
worse, and they were forced to start feeding on each other.
However, despite the evidence suggesting a lack of food caused this, the practice was
once common among the Polynesian cultures.
6.
Iguazu Falls
These waterfalls are part of the Iguazu River and are located in both Argentina and Brazil.
Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system on Earth.
The area around these gorgeous cascades was inhabited by Eldoradense hunter-gatherers
about ten thousand years ago before the Guarani displaced them in 1000 CE.
During the sixteenth century, Portuguese and Spanish conquistadors took over.
The falls are formed by three basalt layers that cause a staircase effect.
Each step is between thirty-five and forty meters high - between one hundred fifteen
and one hundred thirty feet.
The average annual flow of Iguazu Falls is about sixty-one thousand six hundred cubic
feet per second, but the highest recorded flow was one million six hundred fourteen
thousand cubic feet per second.
These cascades aren’t just enormous and powerful though; they’re also absolutely
stunning.
The blue-green water against the greenery Argentina and Brazil have to offer provides
a natural contrast that’s hard to come by.
5.
Machu Picchu
There’s a good chance you’ve heard about this historical location in southern Peru.
The construction of Machu Picchu began between 1450 and 1460, and it was used as a royal
estate.
Estimates suggest that about seven hundred fifty people resided there, most of whom worked
to support the rulers and lived there full-time.
During difficult seasons, only around a hundred servants stayed in Machu Picchu to focus on
maintenance.
From the skeletal remains of those who lived there, scientists have concluded many of the
people were immigrants from many varying backgrounds.
These remains also suggest that most of the citizens had lower bone damage levels than
those living elsewhere.
In addition to the human remains, Machu Picchu is also known for the impressive engineering
presented in its drainage systems.
Farming was primarily done on a man-made terrace, and irrigation wasn’t needed due to large
amounts of rainfall.
Although the Spanish found and conquered Cusco, as we briefly mentioned, they never discovered
Machu Picchu, which is why it remained mostly unscathed throughout the years.
This place was declared a “historic sanctuary” in 1981.
Like in many ancient civilizations, however, living in Machu Picchu wasn’t always rainbows
and butterflies.
Evidence suggests that people were sacrificed there to accompany nobles in the afterlife.
But, sacrificing animals, dirt, and liquids was more commonplace.
4.
Torres Del Paine
This national park encompasses various landscapes in the Chilean region of southern Patagonia.
The area was first visited by outsiders in 1880 when Lady Florence Dixie and her party
were traveling, and she described one of the most unique rock formations as “Cleopatra’s
Needles.”
In 1959, the park was established but didn’t become “Torres Del Paine” until 1970.
There are numerous rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and waterfalls within the National Park, and
it was once home to ancient creatures called Ichthyosaurs.
Scientists discovered these ninety-million-year-old animals’ fossils in 2014, uncovering over
forty-six specimens.
Nowadays, there are many creatures that call Torres Del Paine their home, including guanacos,
pumas, foxes, owls, swans, and flamingos.
This park is also a very popular tourist destination, with about two hundred fifty thousand people
visiting every year.
Plus, National Geographic once named it the fifth “most beautiful” place on Earth,
and TripAdvisor called it the “8th Wonder of the World.”
3.
Angel Falls
This awe-inspiring cascade is in Venezuela and is the highest uninterrupted waterfall
in the world.
It reaches three thousand two hundred twelve feet tall, and the water pours over the Auyan-tepui
mountain’s edge in Canaima National Park.
Angel Falls was named after Jimmy Angel, a United States pilot, who became the first
to fly over the cascade.
His ashes were scattered over Angel Falls when he passed in 1960.
Considering the waterfall’s impressive height and sheer beauty, it’s not surprising that
Angel Falls is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Venezuela.
2.
Fernando de Noronha
This incredibly stunning archipelago is made up of twenty-one islets and islands within
the Atlantic Ocean about two hundred twenty miles off the coast of Brazil.
The main island is almost seven square miles and makes up ninety-one percent of the entire
area.
There are about fifteen endemic species of plants that grow here, including flowers,
cacti, and gourds.
Fernando de Noronha is also home to two exclusive bird species, the Noronha vireo and Noronha
elaenia.
There’s also a species of eared dove that resides here.
The islands also house two types of endemic reptiles, including the Noronha skink and
Noronha wormlizard.
But, in addition to the creatures living on the islands, there are plenty of animals that
roam the waters surrounding them.
Sea turtles, spinner dolphins, and whales attract divers from all over the world.
Plus, this tropical climate offers a relaxing vacation spot.
1.
Perito Moreno Glacier
This glacier is located in the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina.
The incredible thing about this particular glacier is that, instead of retreating, it
is advancing.
The reason why the Perito Moreno Glacier continues to grow is still being debated by scientists.
This glacier is over three miles wide and reaches an average of two hundred forty feet
above the water’s surface.
Since Perito Moreno is so easily accessible, it has become one of the most significant
tourist destinations in southern Patagonia.
Plus, the immense size of the glacier is enough to draw visitors in.
It was spotted by non-natives for the first time in 1879 by the Chilean Navy’s British
Captain, Juan Tomas Rogers.
Two years later, Chile and Argentina signed the Boundary Treaty, which defined the countries’
boundaries, and the area was within Argentina’s.
The glacier was named after Mr. Francisco Pascasio Moreno, a famous explorer from the
country, in 1899.
What are some of the most beautiful places you’ve visited?
Tell us about them in the comment section below!