I’m just a little bit excited that in just over two weeks from now I’ll be back in South America, a fantastic end to a packed year of travel. Our original idea was to split our two-week stay between Brazil and Argentina, but fate (and outrageously high costs in Argentina) had other plans. So now we’re spending a couple of days in Rio, before a brief overnight stop in Paraguay and then flying to a new country for us, Chile!

We have three days in Rio, which we visited really briefly back in 2009, so there’s a long list of things I’d like to see and do – take the cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, visit the Botanical garden (where they have sloths!), take a picture on the famous mosaic steps, the Escalderia Selaron. I’d also like to spend some times just wandering around Santa Teresa (taking the tram over the viaduct) and maybe spot some street art if there’s time.

Big thanks to Now in Rio who provided me with an e-guide to their favourite neighbourhoods, places to visit and best spots to eat and drink. I can’t wait to check them out next month!

(I’ll also be making a beeline for the nearest Pão de queijo stall or bakery to get my fix of these delicious Brazilian cheese snacks. And if anyone has a recommendations for the best bolinhos de bacalhau in Rio, let me know!)

After a brief stopover in Paraguay we’ll be off to Iquique to explore Northern Chile and the Atacama Desert. I’m hoping that the scenery will be a bit similar to Northern Argentina.  We’ve a few different things planned but I can’t wait to discover the ghost towns of Humberstone and Santa Laura, former nitrate-mining towns – the photos look fascinating! We’ll also be spending some time in the Lauca national park, home to some typical altiplano scenery, small salt flats and alpacas!

Photo credits: Flickr creative commons