The jumble of terrain in South America divides the eclipse track into many varieties of weather. Peruvian coastal plains that cling to the continental edge soar to the high mountain plateaus of Bolivia within a distance of only two hundred kilometers. From the height of the plateau the shadow path descends through winding mountain valleys into swampy foothills to cross the rolling hills and river valleys of Paraguay. Across southern Brazil, a vestigial mountain range challenges the Moon's shadow before the track splashes into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The eclipse observer can select his or her spot according to individual circumstances and willingness for adventuresome travel. Cool windy beaches, freezing plains, tropical forests, prairie grasslands or subtropical cities - this eclipse covers them all! And for those infected by a desire to travel to lost destinations, a tiny Atlantic island off the coast of South Africa offers a final land's end's view of the spectacle before the shadow heads back into space.