Lucretia

I've never been to South America before would like to visit in the Spring of 2002. I am interested in great scenery, cool animals, rich culture, friendly people. Which country is safest to travel WITHOUT a tour? I really need a clue.

Richard

I am vacationing for the 3rd time in S.A.I suggest Rio(de Janeiro breath-taking),Buenos Aires(Paris with palm trees)&Iguazzu Falls(one of the great naturalwonders of the world)Travel in their summer. 2 weeks sufficient.Next trip, travel up the Amazon to Manaus for the experience of a lifetime.

Surlok

Lucretia,<BR><BR>Your Spring (our Fall) is the perfect season for visiting Brazil. Less tourists, a milder climate, since it can be unbearably hot in Summer, and plenty of places to go and things to do.<BR><BR>Check Rio info at:<BR><BR>http://www.ipanema.com<BR><BR>Check Brazil info at:<BR><BR>http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil.html<BR><BR>Some links might be out dated, but still, is my favorite web site with information about Brazil.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>S<BR><BR>

Surlok

Forget about Sergio and his www.darkwing.uoregon.edu/~sergiok/brasil.html, since it's totally out dated.<BR><BR>Go look for info on Brazil at:<BR><BR>http://www.brazil.org.uk/page.php?ty...1&bid=6&cat=16

Jo

Definitely, definitely Ecuador - much smaller than everywhere else in South America (though it certainly doesn't feel it when you're there!), so you can visit the jungle, the coast (or the Galapagos though this is expensive), the Andean highlands and some great towns and cities without feeling you're running out of time. I spent 3 months there this year, 2 months on my own, and I found everything very accessible, people were helpful, the political situation is pretty stable, the food was okay (as a veggie I didn't really get the full perspective!), and I have never seen anything as wonderful as the cloudforests in the northern sierra. Apart perhaps from the volcanoes, the central paramo, the rainforest, the deserted beaches...