There are many options to spend New Year’s Eve: New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro… all very interesting, but I will tell you a little about the New Year’s Eve I spent in Aconcagua.
The summit of Mount Roraima hides fascinating rock formations that look like someone spying on us all the time. They awake our imagination in the attempt to identify something familiar like people’s faces, objects and animals – like the game of seeing pictures in the clouds.
The paradise with clear blue water and white sand on the pictures is Los Roques, Venezuela.
Torres del Paine National Park, in the province of Ultima Esperanza, is one of the most beautiful places in South America. And unanimity among travelers as one of the most beautiful in the world; 245 thousand declared World Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1978, the year I was born. Maybe that is why I am so fascinated about this place. The paradise for walkers has 200 km of trails, mountains impressively sculpted in the glacial period, 8 lakes with different shades of blue and green that look like paintings and a typical fauna. A place where everyone helps preserving, there is no litter and the only human traces are the footprints.
Every child born within Brazil is raised understanding the following truth: the Amazon is the planets largest forest, and also the “lungs of the earth.” This magnificent ecosystem inhabits 40% of our country and influences temperature worldwide.
There is not much infrastructure in Fernando de Noronha, everything is kind of rustic, but who cares about comfort when you are in a paradise-like beach? The island is rather small, and the city is crossed by a 7 km-road. Vegetation pretty dry most of the time, due to high temperatures and little rain.
I was already expecting paradise like beaches in Ilha Grande, and it all came true when I saw that emerald green sea, exquisite vegetation and pleasant temperature. The best is to go trekking heading for fantastic hidden beaches, or full of tourists who came by boat. This is not a big problem, for whoever comes by boat does not stay long and it will be a desert beach again.
Tierra Del Fuego is an archipelago in the southernmost tip of South America, formed by the main island an several small islands. It is separated from the continent by the Strait of Magellan and Cape Horn at the end. That is also the name of the park, because when the ships sailed they saw spots of light from the fire made by the Yámanas, the local residents in the 19thcentury.
In the hottest months of the year, Isla Martillo is the home of 2 species of penguins, Papúa and Magallánico. They come to reproduce, and the youngest ones to change their plumage. These young penguins are rather ugly and have missing feathers. The island is full of nests, which are holes in the sand surrounded by plants. I had never thought I could see so many penguins on a landscape like this.
The famous circuit, which attracts adventurers from all over the world, consists of tracks that when plotted on a map, resemble the letter W. It was 76 km in four days – of all the trekking I have done in Patagonia, this one had the most beautiful view. You should pay attention to everything: flowers, lakes, rocks, mountains, ground and people who always run into you with a friendly ¡Hola! Most hikers are not young (aged between 30 and 60) and are able to carry the heavy backpack, besides walking for hours with a smile on their faces.