Otavalo
Get an up-close view of Andean condors, as well as eagles, owls, falcons and hawks, at this Dutch-owned foundation, which rehabilitates these and other…
Otavalo
Get an up-close view of Andean condors, as well as eagles, owls, falcons and hawks, at this Dutch-owned foundation, which rehabilitates these and other…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Unusual for its inland location, Ahu Akivi, the first scientific restoration on the island (in 1960), sports seven restored moai. They are the only ones…
The Galápagos Islands
Just across Canal Bolívar, Punta Espinoza houses marine iguanas (too many to count), which can be seen sunning themselves on the black lava formations – a…
Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe
Norte Chico
This 45,000-hectare desert park north of Huasco is a great place to escape the crowds. Several well-marked trails take in a bit of the desert flora (and…
Elqui Valley
The town's landmark Museo Gabriela Mistral, between Riquelme and Baquedano, celebrates one of Chile's most famous literary figures. Gabriela Mistral was…
Sur Chico
The stone-domed Museo de Volcanes is Sur Chico's most impressive archeological museum, covering Chilean indigenous cultures, including one of the best…
Amazonas
About 105km by river from Leticia, eco-fierce Palmarí's rambling lodge and research center sits on the south (Brazilian) bank of the river, overlooking a…
Puerto Ayora
If you walk the length of Tortuga Bay, you'll reach this picturesque lagoon lined with mangroves. Here you can spot marine iguanas, brown pelicans and…
South Coast
Salinas' main, and most crowded, beach sits on the malecón opposite dozens of restaurants and hotels. It has volleyball courts, a pier (from which you can…
Salta
A former church built in French academia style between 1721 and 1732, in 1913 it became Salta’s most important social club until the government took it…
The Galápagos Islands
This coral beach can be reached by a wet landing. There is a 750m trail along the beach that passes through red-footed booby colonies and several tide…
Mendoza & the Central Andes
This monument tops a high altitude pass, once occupied by a rail line linking Argentina and Chile, offering spectacular Andean vistas. The dirt and gravel…
Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín
Medellín
Set around a refurbished industrial building in Ciudad del Río, 'El MAMM' showcases changing exhibitions of contemporary art. The large new wing houses…
Salta & the Andean Northwest
The ornate and unusual Museo de Pachamama combines a picturesque collection of indigenous art and artifacts with the sculpture and tapestries of the…
Lima
Housed in a pristine 19th-century mansion with Spanish tile floors, this worthwhile private museum showcases a vast collection of minerals, as well as…
The Galápagos Islands
Just south of Punta Tortuga is this cove where early sailors frequently anchored and scratched the names of their vessels into the cliffs. It’s a strange…
North Coast
This museum, once the regional archaeological showcase, is now overshadowed by the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipán, but it still houses an excellent…
The Oriente
Yasuní is Ecuador’s biggest mainland park at 9820 sq km, boasting all manner of terrain from marshes to rivers to tropical rainforest. A Unesco Biosphere…
Medellín
Rodrigo Arenas Betancur, Colombia's favorite designer of monuments, has a number of pieces around Medellín, but the most impressive work is this one in…
Bolivia
The major but near-forgotten ruins of Iskanwaya, on the western slopes of the Cordillera Real, sit in a cactus-filled canyon, perched 250m above the Río…
Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos
Norte Grande
The big draw of San Pedro is this magnificent reserve that covers some 74,000 hectares. It's divided into seven geographically distinct sectors south,…
South Coast
To the west of San Lorenzo Beach is Chipipe – equally well maintained, but with a fraction of its neighbor's crowds. If you're looking for a quieter beach…
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Maunga Terevaka is the island's highest point (507m) and the youngest of its three volcanoes. This barren hill is only accessible on foot or on horseback…
Norte Chico
The cold Humboldt Current flows up the desert coastline, bringing with it its peppy namesake penguin and abundant marine life. The worthwhile 44,000…
Huaraz & the Cordilleras
If you continue north from Caraz along the Callejón de Huaylas, you will wind your way through the outstanding Cañón del Pato. It’s here that the…
Cuzco
In Inca times, the plaza, called Huacaypata or Aucaypata, was the heart of the capital. Today it’s the nerve center of the modern city. Two flags usually…
Amazonas
Spanning nearly 23,000 sq km, Jaú is Brazil’s second-biggest national park, and one of the largest tracts of protected tropical rainforest on earth. It…
Otavalo
Plaza de Ponchos, the nucleus of the crafts market, is filled every day with vendors selling woolen goods, such as rugs, tapestries, blankets, ponchos,…
Bolivia
Three kilometers from Torotoro, the ground drops away into an immense and spectacularly beautiful canyon, more than 250m deep. From the mirador (lookout)…
North Coast
Located in Ferreñafe, this splendid museum displays replicas of the 12m-deep tombs found at the Sicán site at Batán Grande, among the largest tombs found…
Museo Arqueológico San Miguel de Azapa
Norte Grande
This museum, 12km east of Arica, is home to some of the world's oldest-known mummies. There are superb local archaeological and cultural-heritage displays…
Brazil
Praia de Tambaba, 10km south of Jacumã, is famed as the only official nudist beach in the region. It's a beautiful place that warrants a visit on its own…
Parque Nacional Radal Siete Tazas
Middle Chile
The upper basin of the Río Claro marks the beginning of the ecological transition between drought-tolerant Mediterranean vegetation to the north and moist…
Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús
Cuzco
Built upon the palace of Huayna Cápac, the last inca to rule an undivided, unconquered empire, the church was built by the Jesuits in 1571 and…
San Gil
Take a day trip to this spectacular 180m-high waterfall where you can swim in the natural pool at its base or relax on the rocks. Adventure junkies can…
South Coast
Learn how cocoa is produced at this pleasant, rustic 10-hectare farm, run by the friendly and welcoming Lara family. Day trips include a tour of the farm,…
Norte Chico
The subtriangular-shaped Isla Pan de Azúcar lies a tantalizingly short distance offshore, its base often shrouded by camanchaca (thick fog) at twilight…
Norte Chico
This catch-all museum provides an overview of the region's natural and human history, its mineral wealth, and key events that have shaped history over the…
Rio de Janeiro
Rio's formerly derelict port district has been reborn as a wide promenade lined with massive street art. A handful of renowned artists have painted…
Middle Chile
Exhibiting the impressive private collection of controversial entrepreneur and alleged arms dealer Carlos Cardoen, this is the largest private museum in…