By boat, by plane, or by land. In my first article I will examine the most common ways of getting to South America, as well as some of the best jumping off points.
If you are, intend to, or just curious about traveling in South America I promise that this will be a great place to start your quest for knowledge. Let me just say that there is so much to see and finding the destination to suit your needs can be quite the challenge. My first two articles here will hopefully help narrow that search.
First of all many do not realize the sheer size of the land. The continent is huge and traveling great distances takes time, as does getting there. It is quite isolated from the rest of the world surrounded by vast ocean on two sides, Antarctica below, and a narrow strip of land at Panama which is unconnected by road.
Getting here can be an adventure on its own. As mentioned earlier, South America is connected by land only to Panama and there are no roads. The nearly 48,000-kilometer Pan America Highway (Pan Americana) that stretches from Alaska all the way down to Chile takes a break here for a few hundred kilometers.
The area between is known as the Darien Gap, one of the most dangerous areas of the world. Although of great natural beauty, it is notorious for drug smuggling and other criminal activity. If intending on transporting a vehicle over the gap, you will be able to ship it. Motorcycles are quite easy and can be transported by yacht or plane.
Flights to South America: Flights can be expensive but they will likely always be the best method of getting there for most travelers.There are several major points of entry by air: Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero, Sao Paulo, Lima, Guayaquil, Bogota, Caracas, and Santiago. If you need to visit another country or city, you will likely have no choice but to use a smaller, regional airline.
International Flights to South America: Most international flights originate in the US in Houston, Miami, and New York, although occasionally you might find other places. The most flights international flights to/from the continent are without question from Miami. It may be cheapest to board a plane to Miami and then hop aboard another airline from there. At the very least it will give you more option. From Europe there are flights most frequently from Madrid and Lisbon. From Central America there are some flights, most from Panama and the majority will fly just over the Darien Gap to Venezuela, Colombia, and also to Peru and Argentina.
There are also flights from Santiago, Chile to Australia, usually with a stop on Easter Island. Recently, flights have been added between Buenos Aires and Capetown, South Africa. Both of these routes are booked long in advance.
Getting to South America by Boat: There is some option by sea. The most popular passage is between Panama and Cartegena, Colombia for yachts. This is a trip I have done and will get into deeper discussions in a later article. Yachts will also ply the Pacific coasts en route to the Galapagos, French Polynesia, or sometimes around Cape Horn. Cruise ships will follow each coastline, often originating in the US or Central America, sometimes crossing the Panama Canal en route.
Next week I will highlight some of the major destinations in South America. Stay tuned.
