Galapagos cruises on catamarans were introduced a number of years ago as a way to offer a more stable ride on the small yachts that average about 16 passengers, since one of the common fears was that some people would get seasick otherwise.

Recently, some new catamarans were introduced with next generation technology to make sailings even smoother and they also offer some other enhanced amenities to improve the visitor experience.

Mamirauá was the first Brazilian Sustainable Development Reserve created by Amazonas state by governmental decree. These type of Reserves aim to reconcile biodiversity conservation with sustainable development in areas inhabited by traditional peoples. 

Mamirauá is a unique place: a complex ecosystem of lakes, lagoons, islands, levees, channels and many other formations, which forms when river waters rise from 7 to 15 meters for up to six months in the year.  The reserve itself becomes almost an island, bounded by the Solimoes and the  Japura Rivers. This causes many animals to be "trapped" in the reserve and to create unusual characteristics - like the tree-climbing jaguars.

Many people never consider buying any form of travel insurance and many just figure it is an unjustified expense. Young people subconsciously feel they are invulnerable, but a lot of older people realize that they or their close relatives are living a more fragile existence and that the chances of some health crisis popping up are greatly increased, so they do consider getting insurance, in case they need to cancel their trip.

But there is one type of travel insurance that is increasingly becoming more important in this day and age....

It is summer in Chile, and with it, a number of regional festivals take place throughout the country, highlighting rich traditions, local food, music and dancing. Here we highlight a few, to make the best experience while exploring Chile.

An adventure tour can mean different things to different people, depending on what their experience is. For some people that might just be leaving their city or state, while for others it might be just venturing to another country for typical tourist type of group bus tour. But other might have bigger dreams...

According to Neill Drake, who leads photo workshops on voyages to the Antarctic, the value of your experience in Antarctica doesn't hinge on the quality or quantity of your photos when you get home, and ten good photos will always be better than one hundred mediocre ones. It is better to come to a balance of taking photos and enjoying the experience of the trip.

He said "I also found I had come home with much better photos. Each photo was carefully thought out before-hand. I was studying the light, the lines, and the behaviors of the wildlife to get the right shot. It showed both in the quality of my photos and the quality of my experience. 

Below you will find his 10 suggestions for a photography packing list.

Some people have problems with altitude sickness when traveling at high altitude destinations in South America such as Cusco, Lake Titicaca, Uyuni Salt Flats and the altiplano areas in Chile and Argentina - and sometimes even when in Quito, which is at about 9,000 feet. Cusco is at about 11,000 feet and other areas mentioned can be up around 14,000. The best viewpoint at Rainbow Mountain, which is becoming more popular, is at about 17,000 feet. You can get up to 13,000 feet and higher on treks from Cusco.

I've never had a problem in Cusco, but my wife did. I did have a headache at Lake Titicaca though after too much walking on my arrival day. Luckily my guide gave me a pill that helped.

Rapid ascent to heights exceeding about 8,000 above sea level can cause oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the body to decrease.  Breathing and heart rate increase immediately, and the heart beats faster. For most people, that's the worst of it since their bodies adapt and the concentration of red blood cells increase. For others, that feeling of breathlessness soon leads to a pounding headache, nausea and vertigo.

What can you do to try to prevent this, or at least make it more tolerable?

Keeping tourism revenues in the destinations in which they’re generated is one of the fundamental goals of sustainable tourism. When tourism is well managed, it enables locals the opportunity to maintain or elevate their quality of life without jeopardizing the natural and cultural treasures that draw visitors there in the first place.  The money that comes into a community-owned and operated tourism enterprise stays within that indigenous village, providing economic benefits to the entire community. From the guides and the cooks to the drivers and support staff, all employees are members of the local community. Best of all, your hosts want to share their culture and show off the iconic wildlife that live in - the ecosystems they’ve been stewards of for millennia. Your visit provides an incentive to protect wildlife habitat and preserve traditional culture. It provides travellers with the chance to enhance their experience and knowledge by connecting with and learning from the locals. This is just one of the many ways tourism is a force for good in the world today.

Lately, every day people are hearing about fires in the Amazon, which is quite alarming. Naturally, since we send lots of people to the Amazon, we get people asking if the fires are going to affect their trip.

More and more I've been reading about problems with overcrowding at tourist destinations. While it's great that more people have the means and desires to travel, they don't all have to go to the same places. There are plenty of other magical places to visit in the world, and plenty of them are in South America. Instead of following friends to places they have been, why not go to some great places first and have the others follow you?