Hamba Travel Magazine
Stories
From a detour close to home to a long road through East Africa. Pick a part of the world, or read them in order.
All stories
Stories about South America
22 stories from our editors. Filter by part of the world, or page back in time.
Brazil · India · Pantanal, Brazil
Top 5 wildlife encounters that keep animals wild
These five encounters differ in more than their headline animals: one unfolds from a riverboat, another from a jeep, snorkel, tundra vehicle or ranger-led walk. Each depends on a habitat that concentrates wildlife at certain times, but none offers a guaranteed sighting.
Ecuador · Peru · Mexico
Where Ecuador’s cacao changes form in Quito
At República del Cacao’s Quito factory, cacao arrives stripped of its tropical disguise. Growers have already harvested the pods, fermented the wet beans and dried them; the city’s work begins with sacks of dry cacao.
South America · Chile · Valparaíso
Ascensor Reina Victoria: Valparaíso in 40 Steep Metres
At the bend in Calle Elías, two rails run straight into the hillside at 52 degrees. Ascensor Reina Victoria covers only about 40 metres, but it links the lower *plan* of Valparaíso with the pedestrian streets of Cerro Alegre in one steep, compact movement.
South America · Argentina · Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires at the Kiosk Window
At Junín and Paraguay, coffee crosses the counter of a green newspaper kiosk while magazines still face the pavement. Canillita has broadened its trade without abandoning the compact, street-level exchange that put Buenos Aires kiosks on daily walking routes.
Recife · São José · Mercado de São José
From São José Market to Recife’s Tidal River
Inside Mercado de São José, a covered passage runs between iron columns, box stalls and two separate pavilions. Outside, a short walk to the Capibaribe shows why trade in central Recife has long relied on islands, quays and bridges.
Montevideo · Río de la Plata · Escollera Sarandí
Montevideo Carries Its Mate to the Water
Along Montevideo’s waterfront, mate appears with its working kit: a small cup, a metal *bombilla*, and a thermos under the arm. The thermos keeps hot water available away from home, so mate can stay with a walk, a fishing session, or an afternoon beside the Río de la Plata.
South America · Bolivia · La Paz
La Paz and El Alto, Joined by a Red Line
Mi Teleférico’s Red Line runs from La Paz’s former railway grounds to the commercial streets of El Alto in 11 minutes. Its three stations trace a sharp change in ground: from the built-up bowl of La Paz, across a steep rise, to the flatter Altiplano.
South America · Colombia · Bogotá
Before the Bouquet: Bogotá’s Flower Trade at Paloquemao
Each morning, flower sellers raise broad plastic covers over a parking area outside Mercado de Paloquemao. They trade there until early afternoon, when the stalls come down and the ground returns to cars.
South America · Argentina
When Lunch Takes the Counter at San Telmo Market
At Mercado de San Telmo, daylight falls through glass above iron arches and Carrara-marble floors. Fruit and vegetable stalls, butchers, bread sellers and lunch counters work under the same nineteenth-century roof; by midday, the open grill becomes one of the hall’s clearest signs of the day changing.
South America · Chile
From the port to Cerro Cordillera, one steep stair at a time
Calle Serrano begins in the working grain of Barrio Puerto. A few minutes uphill, the tiled Escalera Cienfuegos cuts beside Ascensor Cordillera, then releases walkers into the residential streets of Cerro Cordillera.