Ecosystems of South America
Rony recently returned from an amazing trip to South America. Here she shares some of her travel diaries from three main destinations – Ecuador, Galapagos and Peru.
Ecuador Highlands
Ecuador is home to the Andes mountain range, which includes some of the tallest active volcanoes in the world.
Quilotoa Volcano lake
Cotopaxi Volcano
Ecuador interiors
What to wear
Horseback riding gear while riding horses through the mountains: traditional poncho and chaps.
Amazon rainforest
Comprising more than half of the world’s remaining rainforest, the Amazon rainforest is home to an incredible variety of animals, trees and plants that seemingly only exist in fairy tales.
Canoe ride through the Napo river into the heart of the rainforest
Lodge in the heart of the jungle
What to wear
Wear your jungle pants and lots of insect repellent to keep from getting bitten by the hundreds of species of insects!
Canopy walk above the forest
Quito
Being a city girl at heart, Rony was of course drawn to Ecuador’s capital, Quito, and its rich culture, history and architecture.
Galapagos
Made famous by Charles Darwin’s studies and consequent theory of evolution, this archipelago is well known for its diversity of endemic species and how well preserved the wildlife is.
Landing on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos
The most famous of Galapagos’ creatures, the giant tortoise
What to wear
Always have your wetsuit at the ready in order to explore the incredible wildlife under the sea, such as dolphins, penguins and the world’s biggest sea tortoises who just swim by you as if you were another fish!
Swimming with the penguins sea tortoises and sea lions
Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru
The sacred valley of the Incas in Peru spans from mountaintops to beautiful valleys in rural Peru and includes some of the most important sites in the history of the ancient Inca Empire.
Enjoying the view at Ollantaytambo
The Incan archeological sites are absolutely awe-inspiring in their locations and in how architecturally advanced the Incans were in such ancient times. 
Machu Picchu – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
What to wear
Explore the valley and the mountains in your most comfortable clothes and get ready to do some serious hiking! Don’t forget to bring your sunglasses and apply lots of sunscreen, at +3000 km altitude radiation can get pretty intense!
Cusco
To young Israelis travelling in South America, Cusco is Peru’s Tel Aviv. The city is rich with history, culture, explorers from around the world and a vivacious scene.
At times the city seems very modern, but it’s never a surprise to run into a llama walking down the street.
From a fashion and textile design standpoint, it was intriguing to see the indigenous women’s traditional clothing and how they hand dye and weave their clothes using different natural materials.
We highly recommend visiting, and very much look forward to exploring the rest of South America’s countries in the future!
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xx
V&R
Your pictures are amazing !
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
That picture with the underwater seal is beautiful.
You’re machu picchu pictures are crazy, I would have been so scared going up there.
It seems like the trip was great and enriching
Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful!
Lovely pictures.
Thank you!
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Great photos and ideas for what to pack! Looks like an amazing trip!!
thanks hun!
xx
What an amazing time you must have had, I’m very envious! Your photos are stunning!
thank you! It was an absolutely incredible trip, can’t wait to get back there!
xx
We would love to post the picture of her standing on the beach at toemail if you do not mind? Was that on San Cristobal Island? http://toemail.wordpress.com
Sure, go ahead! Just don’t forget to give us credit
The picture was taken at Espanola Island
It’s posted now. Thanks so much, we really appreciate it!
Great, we’ll check it out! Our pleasure!
Just WOW! Amazing it is
Your Machu Picchu pictures are amazing. I’m always dreaming to go there. How many days do you spend there?
Thanks!! I was in Machu Picchu only for a couple days but overall in south america for over a month – one of the best months of my life, I highly reccomend visiting!