Bolivia
Though the weirdly shaped set of caverns, once the refuge of isolated communities, are striking, they aren't the main reason to make the 21km, often white…
Must-see attractions in South America
Catamarca & La Rioja
A network of stunning, red and white sand dunes rises from the desert floor 15km north of Fiambalá. It's best to arrive in the early morning before the…
Buenos Aires
Train enthusiasts won't want to miss this museum dedicated to the history of Argentina's railway network. Exhibits include porcelain from the presidential…
Choquequirao
Discovered only in 2002 by archaeologist Percy Paz, these steep terraces on the backside of the ruins feature unique stonework resembling that found in…
Rio de Janeiro
The largest aquarium in South America is Rio's newest major downtown attraction. You can get an up-close look at some 350 different species (there are…
Ayacucho
Sprawling for several kilometers along a cactus-forested roadside are the extensive ruins of Wari, the capital of the eponymous empire, which predated the…
The Lakes District
Parque Nacional Puyehue protects 1070 sq km of stark landscape defined by sand dunes and lava rivers, the result of Volcán Puyehue's 1960 eruption that…
Museo Municipal Ernesto Bachmann
Bariloche & the Lake District
Some 79km southwest of Neuquén, off RN 237, the small town of El Chocón is the proud home of the virtually complete hundred-million-year-old skeleton of…
Middle Chile
Looming large within this national park are two of the highest mountains in the coastal range, Cerro El Roble (2200m) and Cerro La Campana (1890m), which…
Norte Chico
Tabalí is a great little winery that's making waves in the Limarí Valley. Located at 1600m and planted on a mix of soils (alluvial, transitional, granitic…
Parque Nacional de Anavilhanas
Amazonas
Stretching along the Rio Negro for almost 130km and with 400 islands, this national park, centered on the Anavilhanas Archipelago, is one of the most…
Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda
Santiago
Underground art takes on a new meaning in one of Santiago's newer cultural spaces: the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda beneath Plaza de la Ciudadanía. A…
Estação Biológica de Caratinga
Minas Gerais
This seriously off-the-beaten-track nature reserve offers the exceptional opportunity to observe the Americas' largest primate and one of its most…
Parque Nacional Campo de los Alisos
Salta & the Andean Northwest
To the south of Tucumán, Parque Nacional Campo de los Alisos is a tempting destination, particularly if you have your own transportation. A hilly park at…
Casa Museo Joaquín López Antay
Ayacucho
This captivating little museum is really part art gallery and part an explanation of the process of retablo making. Retablos, ornamental, originally…
São Paulo State
Embu's weekend arts-and-craft fair is the biggest draw in the São Paulo region for artisanal wares.
Cafayate
An atmospheric boutique winery set at the end of a dusty desert road with cacti on one side and vineyards on the other. It makes 250,000 bottles of wine…
Inland Patagonia
The incredible rock art of Cueva de las Manos was proclaimed a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999. Dating from about 7370 BC, these polychrome rock…
Arica
About 10km south of the center, the serene beaches give way to an area of jagged cliffs, rocky shorelines and caves that were used by the Chinchorro…
Parque Provincial Ischigualasto
Mendoza & the Central Andes
A spectacular, if desolate, landscape of otherworldly rock formations, dinosaur remains and sedimentary mountain ranges. Drivers join convoys on slow…
Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja
Middle Chile
Some 93km east of Los Angeles you'll find the 116-sq-km Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja. Within the park is the symmetrical cone of Volcán Antuco (2985m)…
Arica
This Gothic-style church has a threefold claim to fame. First, it was designed by celebrated Parisian engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, before his…
Museo Antropológico Sebastián Englert
Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
This well-organized museum makes a perfect introduction to the island's history and culture. It displays basalt fishhooks, obsidian spearheads and other…
Bogotá
The usual place to start discovering Bogotá is the giant concrete Plaza de Bolívar, the heart of the original town. What it lacks in green foliage it…
Bolivia
Along the eastern shores of the lagoons, the wind has heaped up large arenales (sand dunes). An interesting climb takes you to the symmetrical peak of…
Salvador
Picture-perfect Largo do Pelourinho is a sloping, triangle-shaped square, once the site of the pelourinho (whipping post) – one of several nearby…
Machu Picchu
This Quechua word loosely translates as the ‘Hitching Post of the Sun’ and refers to the carved rock pillar, often mistakenly called a sundial, at the top…
Around Medellín
A less visited cave and a great alternative to the Cueva El Esplendor excursion, Cueva de los Guácharos is reachable via a six-hour round trip from Jardín…
Providencia
Don't miss a trip to El Pico Natural Regional Park for outstanding 360-degree views of the Caribbean from El Pico mountain (360m). The most popular trail…
Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt
Norte Chico
This aquatic reserve, encompassing some 888 hectares and several islands is home to some 68 species of land vertebrates, including sea lions, with bottle…
San Gil
Located just outside the town of Curití, La Vaca is the most attractive and adventurous cave in the are,a with numerous caverns filled with stalagmites…
Puerto Maldonado
This bridge, since 2011 carrying the Carr Interocéanica across the Río Madre de Dios – connects Puerto Maldonado by paved road to the outside world for…
Bolivia
With expansive high-plains views, rare wildlife (including flamingos and graceful vicuña), geyser fields, hot springs, the world's highest forest, and…
Museo de las Culturas Aborígenes
Cuenca
This indigenous culture museum has more than 5000 archaeological pieces representing more than 20 pre-Columbian Ecuadorian cultures going back some 15,000…
Parque Nacional Marinho de Abrolhos
Bahia
Charter a trip to this 913 sq km park, located about 65km from mainland Brazil, to experience the natural splendors of the Atlantic ocean. Flocks of busy…
Amazon Basin
Tumichucuá is a small community about 25km south of town (B$30 by moto-taxi) toward ‘El Triángulo’ (the road junction to Cobija). There is a lake for…
Fernando de Noronha
The wildest of Noronha's big three, broad and rugged Praia do Leão is perhaps the one place that best encapsulates Noronha's impressive isolation. It's a…
Around Medellín
This is a spectacular cave, about 1km long, featuring numerous marble caverns, soaring high and hollow like great cathedrals, connected by a fresh stream…
Area Protegida Municipal Aquicuana
Amazon Basin
This lush jungle reserve 22km north of Riberalta (B$30 by moto-taxi) is a great spot for bird-watching, wildlife watching (particularly caimans and…
Cafayate
This well-run family bodega has recently been taken over by the 30-something daughter, who knows how to keep good torrontés from touching corrupting oak …
