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        SOUTH AMERICA
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First time visitors generally
have no idea of the great size
of the continent, and
therefore the great distances
and varied geography they will
encounter.
The continent of South America
ranges from north of the
equator to the Antarctic
Circle. Besides the great
changes in latitude which
affect its climate, South
America is also a rich mixture
of races and cultures.

March, April and May are good
months just about everywhere
in South America and are the
off-season for tourism.

Many of the countries of South
America feature in a limited
way in UK travel brochures,
but the area remains volatile
and attracts only a small
percentage of the British
travelling public. Exceptions
to this in recent times has
been a concerted effort by
Venezuela to develop the
island of Margarite on the
northern coast as a luxury
holiday destination though
first reports from UK
travellers seem to indicate
that it has a long way to go
to reach this status. Peru
receives a small number of
tourists often on Andean
walking holidays visiting such
old Inca sights as Macchu
Picchu. The capital, Lima has
also some good museums which
attract a steady trickle of
visitors.

In Brazil, the coastal city of
Rio with its famous carnival
and Copacabana and Ipanema
beach have a sophisticated
following and are also a
popular stop for cruise ships.
However, here as is many other
parts of South America urban
crime remains a problem for
tourists.

Generally speaking, despite
some improvements in recent
times, the countries of South
America remain a fairly exotic
destination.