Travel to South America with this Excellent Opportunity!

Planning a trip to South America soon? Here are some great travel offers that might interested you. Explora Hotels is offering until September 30, 2011 a special promotion where you buy a 4 nights program and you receive a complementary night 5 nights program. This applies to Explora Hotels in the following locations:

Explora Atacama, Hotel de Larache, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Looking for an opportunity to get away of the stress of urban life and relax at a remote location with beautiful sights? then the Atacama desert in Chile just might be the right place to go.

Explora Easter Island, Posada Mike Rapu, Easter Island

Rapa Nui or Easter Island is an amazing option for those that like to see and feel the magic of an island with an interesting and intriguing history, while at the same time, enjoy the unique subtroptical climate with surroundings that invite you to explore the island in a joint excursion or independently. 

Explora Patagonia, Hotel Salto Chico, Patagonia, Chile

Interested in having a real adventure? to be in touch with nature in an enviroment that includes spiky mountains, beautiful wildlife and hiking excursions? Then the Chilean Patagonia is an option you might want to consider with this interesting offer.

 For more information regarding the promotions, prices, hotels and other travel locations in South America, please visit us at http://www.i-southernworld.com/promotions

Travel to South America, Mozilla Business Directory

Travel to South America, Mozilla Business Directory

Experience the Wine Route in the Colchagua Valley

Considered one of the most important wine regions in Chile, and located just 2 hours from Santiago, Colchagua Valley represents a must see destination for all wine enthusiasts and lovers. This is a place full of history, breathtaking natural vistas and home of exquisite and world class wines.

Named “2005 World´s Best Wine Regions” by Wine Enthusiast magazine, Colchagua Valley is perhaps best known for producing excellent and unique red wines, a quality that at this point is almost a trademark of this region in Chile, with its beautiful hills, or “Morros” as they are also called.

Warm, dry and with different microclimates, the valley gets its name from a variation of the indigenous Mapuche word “Colchaguala”, which means “place where the sacred Huala bird nests”. This culture, along with other indigenous populations of Chile play a big role in some of the wineries that seek inspiration for wine names.

With tours coming out of Santiago almost daily, this gifted land for wine production offers visitors exclusive and interesting activities to do. Some of this include visiting museums, local and painteresque towns, wineries, and of course, a taste of the fabulous wines.

The region produces red and white wines that are mostly young in age (2 years.) Most of the production is via water drop irrigation, a process that according to experts gives the wine a sweet flavor with strong tannins. The exports are to multiple and diverse countries around the globle, but the demand tends to go to England, the United States, Denmark and Brazil.

The multiple tours offered in Santiago allow the visitors to see the various machines that “clean” the grapes before going to the numerous production steps and barrels. Also, some of the wine companies have special rooms where you can taste different wines accompanied with cheeses, hams and salamis, a process called “maridaje” (the union, or harmony between two foods or flavors that complement each other).

With a wide arrange of wine grapes like the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and the rediscovered Carmenere –originally from France and thought to be lost-, this blessed land offers an exceptional experience filled with adventure and exquisite tasting sensations.

A Fascinating Look at Chilean and South American History

Located just 200kms from the capital of Chile, Santiago, in the lovely city of Santa Cruz (VI region), is The Museum Of Colchagua, a place that offers visitors a truly unique experience with a visually and highly informative exhibition about Chilean and South American history with a collection of fossils, jewelry, paintings and even trains! 

The museum, inaugurated in 1995 and with more than 3.300 square meters of exhibition, is divided into two zones. The first one is indoor, and it begins by allowing the visitor to “travel” 300 million years to the past and see fossils of fish, vegetables, insects, and even a live replica of the skeleton of a Smilodon in the paleontology section.

The exhibition continues with a display of Chilean Prehispanic Culture that shows the cultural development of the zone before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors. Here you can see tools produced with different materials, ancient mummies, potteries and textiles. Next is the hall dedicated to Prehispanic Culture in America -Mesoamerica, Intermediate Area and Andean Area-, where you can see and read about the different art and artifacts produced by the Vicus, Viru, Chavin, Chancay and Inca cultures amongst many others.

Other sections include information and items from different periods of Chilean history like the Conquest, Colony, Independence and Republic. Paintings, firearms, pictures of Haciendas and even the original piano of the liberator of Chile, Bernardo O’Higgins are some of the items on display.

Finishing this last part of the indoor museum, you will find samples of religious art, paintings, clothing and the marvelous XIX and early XX century carriages section.

The outdoor zone of the Museum of Colchagua is also fascinating and interesting to walk, touch and feel. Here you can learn about trains from XIX century Chile and see antique farming machinery in a beautiful central patio, where you can snap a photograph.

Considered the biggest private museum in all of South America and with more than 18 sections to explore in this extraordinary place, including exhibitions about the huaso -typical Chilean character-, Jewels of the Andes -with items made by the Olmeca, Maya, Aztec, Moche, Chimu and Incas cultures-, and a hall filled with classic automobiles, the Museum of Colchagua is an excellent choice for travelers that want to know more about Chilean and South American history.

Visit Colombia and its Sensational Coffee Zone

With its painteresque streets, colonial architecture full of color, markets with exotic and fresh South American fruits, and the fascinating Coffee Zone that lifts your senses as you taste and smell the exquisite properties and varieties of this beverage, Colombia emerges as destination that promises a fun and interesting vacation.

Considered a World heritage site by Unesco, the Coffee Zone or the Triangle of Coffee as its also called, is a topographic region that comprises the departments of Caldas, Quindio, Risaralda and all the southeast region of Antioquia. Initially known for the production of rubber found on the local trees, this wonderful place is ideal for ecotourism, discovering and tasting coffee and to rejoice at the marvelous landscape of the coffee fields.

One of the most interesting places found in the area is the National Coffee Park, located in the municipality of Montenegro in Quindio. The site lets the visitors see how the coffee is produced, walk trough the typical farmer houses -with their ample corridors and colorful doors-, explore the gardens that explain the different varieties of the coffee grain and do entertaining horse rides. If that’s not enough, you can have fun in multiple mechanical attractions and enjoy live presentations like The Coffe Show and The Secret Of Nature that features animatronics and animated projections over holographic screens that gives information about the flora and fauna found in Colombia.

The region is considered one of the best rural destinations in South America and proof of that are the beautiful Haciendas that conserve the traditional architecture of the zone -some of them have been transformed as exclusive hotels-. 

Around the Coffee zone you can also find golf courses, see the breathtaking landscapes of the Cocora Valley and its wax palms, practice extreme sports and do ecological hikes in a place full of exuberant vegetation.

The Coffee Zone of Colombia…a destination like no other!

Peru Celebrates the Centennial Discovery Of Machu Picchu!

Today, the city of Cusco in Peru will celebrate the discovery of this impressive Inca citadel a 100 years ago. Machu Picchu, considered a world heritage site by Unesco is built entirely from stone and is considered an architecture and engineering marvel.

The site is one of South America’s most important tourist attractions and for this special occasion, the organization has prepared a series of activities that include cultural festivals in multiple town squares like Regocijo, Espinar, San Francisco, San Blas and Santa Teresa to name a few.

The celebration will follow with a concert that will feature artists like Los Jaivas, Pachatusan and Arco Iris. There is also a show of lights and sounds that will pay tribute to the history of Machu Picchu, accompanied by the Andina Orchestra, the Symphonic Orchestra of Cusco and the Peruvian singer Tania Libertad.

Andean dances, parades, mystic rituals and academic conferences that will focus on the discovery of the site are also programmed for the celebration of this historic site.

Buenos Aires city of entertaining activities

Traveling to the capital of Argentina promises a great array of activities and places to see and feel. Characterized for being one of the most cosmopolitan, dynamic and interesting cities of South America, their streets are filled with places where eating, drinking and having fun are guaranteed.

In a country renowned for its great literary authors, Buenos Aires is the perfect city for hours of interesting sightseeing, looking for great books. This passion for culture and good reading, manifests it self in multiple places, like Palermo and the Corrientes Avenue, book stops, and literary tours that give the casual traveler useful and interesting information regarding some of Argentina’s more illustrious writers, like Jorge Luis Borges of world fame.

Walking the streets of Buenos Aires can mean stopping by the classic Barrio de la Boca and el Caminito, a museum street that acquires its name thanks to the Tango song of the same name, composed in 1926 by the Argentinean musicians Juan de Dios Filiberto and Gabino Coria Peñaloza. In this painteresque place you can find local craftsmanship’s and other products related to the arts field. Also, during the week –preferably on Sundays- you can see people doing some exhibition Tango –the typical dance of Argentina and Uruguay- that brings to the experience a novel and attractive South American charm. The neighborhood  is also known for housing La Bombonera Stadium, of the football Club, Boca Juniors, one of the most popular teams in Argentina. This last venue is almost mandatory for football fans and enthusiasts, just to get a sense of the passion that the people in this country have for this sport.

Buenos Aires also has a musically and culturally rich night life with many bars and wonderful restaurants where you can taste fabulous meat barbecues and the best selection Argentinean and South American wines. Some of the most interesting bars in the city are the El Federal, located in the San Telmo neighborhood with its characteristic traditional and antique decoration. This locale, -that has been in operation since 1864-, includes a massive collection of books in an environment surrounded by paintings, classic furniture and old machinery. Then there is the preferred site by Argentinean celebrities and socialites, the Milion, located in an elegant mansion on the Recoleta district with marble staircases and seductive terraces.

Enjoying Buenos Aires necessarily involves eating refined and tasty dishes of great quality. After visiting the Casa Gardel Museum for a look at the life and work of the this famous Tango composer, or the Evita Museum, you can stop by the Casa Cruz restaurant, located in Uriarte street for a specialized cuisine from the zone, known as Porteña. There is also the Chila, a restaurant of author cuisine with french inspiration that has garnered multiple awards, making of this place located on Puerto Madero a safe bet for excellent dishes. Other options of great quality include the exclusive Piegari Ristorante in the Recoleta –italian cuisine and seafood- or the Guerrin pizzeria located in Avenida Corrientes.

The Charms of Beautiful South America

If you are looking for a quality and conveniently priced vacation, then South America just might be the perfect place to go. Destinations like Chile and Peru have a great variety of quality accommodations and breathtaking natural vistas like the ones found in Peru’s Machu Picchu and Chile’s Atacama Desert.

The contrasting and diverse geography of the continent and the complex, yet interesting culture are just some of the things that makes traveling to South America an unforgettable experience for any casual or adventurous traveler.

If you choose to travel to South America, Peru’s Machu Picchu is perhaps one of the most interesting and incredible locations to visit in this magnificent continent. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1983 and one of the 9 wonders of the world in 2007, Machu Picchu has became an excellent place for tourists around the world that come looking for extraordinary photographic shots and historical and cultural information about the Incas, rulers of Machu Picchu, a city -considered by many- an archeological and engineering master piece.

The Lake Titicaca is another destination of interest in beautiful Peru. One of the biggest in the region, this huge body of water offers great sailing opportunities, with amazing sights like the floating islands of Uros in Chucuito bay on the Peruvian side of the lake. Also, the surroundings are the perfect backdrop for hiking excursions that let you contemplate the entire site as colorful painting canvas.

Chile is a country that also has a great variety of quality options for any kind of traveler -experienced or amateur-. The destinations can be the north, central or south of this large, yet thin nation. Some of the hotels located in the Atacama region, for example, offer a luxurious and relaxed stay that let you contemplate and explore the driest desert in the world with the help of guides, or simply look at the incredible and vast skies, -world known for their favored astronomical qualities- in search for stars.

In the central part of the country is located the main city and also the capital of Chile, Santiago. Modern and hip, Santiago has a wide range of excellent hotels that can make your stay an incredible and satisfactory experience. If you get tired of the urban jungle, you can always go the Andes Mountains where you can find great ski tracks and different kind of attractions at the exclusive ski resorts.

The south of this unique country also has it’s fair amount of charm. A city like Puerto Natales is the point of entry to the fabulous Parque Nacional Torres del Paine. The south is also known for their ice fields, glaciers, fjords, and great cruise routes, all part of the great experience of knowing Chile’s deep and marvelous south.

If this three zones -north, central and south of Chile- are not enough, then there is always the chance to visit the incomparable Easter Island. This natural and archeological beauty is the home of ancient volcanoes, subtropical climate and the mysterious but fascinating Moais –human figures carved in stone by the early Polynesian settlers-. The island also offers -to the ever-growing tourism population- a nice variety of top quality hotels that certifies a pleasant and relaxing vacation.