Footprint Expeditions in South America

The climate in South America varies greatly depending on proximity to the Equator, altitude, and distance to the sea. It is possible to find 95% of the 104 climates of the world, from the snow capped mountains of the Andes to paradisiacal warm beaches on the shores of the Caribbean. Closer to the Equator the weather does not vary much. There are only two seasons, rainy season and dry season. South of the Equator there are four seasons, occurring opposite from the seasons in the Northern Hemisphere. Or, when it is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the Amazon Basin it rains nearly every day. The difference between the seasons is that in rainy season it rains most of the day and the humidity and temperature is higher while in. The section of the Andes closer to the Equator has two seasons, dry and rainy. During dry season is winter with mostly sunny days and cold nights. The severity of the cold depends on the altitude. During rainy season the days themselves are warmer while the nights are still cold, but when it rains the temperature drops. The southern section of the Andes is cold in winter with snow for a few months, usually around Patagonia.

The weather in the northern part of the continent does not vary much. It is warm and humid most of the year. The best beaches are located on the shores of Atlantic Ocean, most specifically along Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia with extremely warm summers.