Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Patrocinio
Chiloé
The magnificent Unesco-listed church (1837), for which the town is named (Tenaún means 'three mounts') has been meticulously restored down to the last…
Must-see attractions in South America
Curitiba
Designed by and named for the architect responsible for much of Brasília, this striking museum features an iconic eye-shaped tower painted with whimsical…
The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast
Construction began on La Plata's spectacular neo-Gothic cathedral in 1885, but the building wasn't inaugurated until 1932, and the twin steeples were only…
Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
Santa Marta
This hacienda is where Simón Bolívar spent his last days in 1830 before succumbing to either tuberculosis or arsenic poisoning, depending on whom you…
Manaus
Spanning over 100 sq km, this 'garden' is actually the world’s largest urban forest. There's a network of five short trails (guides and closed shoes…
Amazonas
Although this state park was established in 1990 to preserve the unique canyons carved out by the Rio Aracá, it wasn't until recently that the massive…
Pará
The floodplains east and southeast of Santarém are among the Amazon's most rewarding excursions. Flooded for much of the year, the plains are home to…
Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales
Montevideo
Uruguay’s largest collection of paintings is housed here in Parque Rodó. The spacious rooms are graced with works by Blanes, Cúneo, Figari, Gurvich,…
Parque Nacional da Serra da Capivara
Piauí
One of Brazil's most important national parks, this 1300-sq-km reserve contains more than 40,000 rock paintings among spectacular panoramas of immense…
Parque Nacional de Aparados da Serra
Rio Grande do Sul
Located 18km southeast of Cambará do Sul, this magnificent park occupies 102.5 sq km on the border between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. It's here…
Rio de Janeiro State
Brazil’s oldest national park, Itatiaia shelters a stunning variety of landscapes, from dense rainforests to spare and rugged upland peaks. Most visitors…
Rosario
Rosario’s most attractive feature is its waterfront, where the area that was once derelict warehouses and train tracks has been reclaimed for the fun of…
Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo
Guayaquil
Marking the end of the riverfront is the modern MAAC, a museum of anthropology and archaeology that hosts a superb permanent collection of pre-Colombian…
Mendoza & the Central Andes
Just over 200km south of Malargüe on the RN 40, the spectacular Parque Provincial Payunia is a 4500-sq-km reserve with a higher concentration of volcanic…
Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Valle
Catamarca & La Rioja
This 19th-century cathedral shelters the Virgen del Valle, patron saint of Catamarca and one of northern Argentina’s most venerated images. Her back is to…
Punta del Este
Gleaming white in the sun and cascading nine stories down a cliffside, Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró’s exuberantly whimsical villa and art gallery…
Rio de Janeiro
Looming large over Praça Mauá, the MAR is an icon for the rebirth of Rio's once derelict port. The huge museum hosts wide-ranging exhibitions that focus…
Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
Cabo San Juan del Guía is a beautiful cape with a knockout beach. It's also by far the most crowded area of the park, although lack of road access deters…
Córdoba
Córdoba’s beautiful Manzana Jesuítica (Jesuit Block), like its counterpart in Buenos Aires, is also known as the Manzana de las Luces (Block of…
Lima
This indulgent series of illuminated fountains is so over the top it can’t help but induce stupefaction among even the most hardened travel cynic. A dozen…
Punta Arenas
Among South America’s most fascinating cemeteries, with both humble immigrant graves and flashy tombs, like that of wool baron José Menéndez, a scale…
Chiloé
Achao's 18th-century Jesuit church, on the south side of the Plaza de Armas, is Chiloé's oldest (1740). Crowned by a 25m tower, the World Heritage site…
Foz do Iguaçu
With a capacity of 14 million kilowatts, this binational dam is the world's second-largest hydroelectric power station, and the one that produces the most…
Manaus
This gorgeous theater was built at the height of the rubber boom, using European designers, decorators and even raw materials. The original driveway was…
Belém
The name of this waterfront market, with its iconic four-turreted structure at its southwestern end, comes from colonial times, when the Portuguese would…
Loja
With perhaps more pomp and circumstance than you'll encounter anywhere else in Loja, the City Gate greets you into downtown from the northern corner. It's…
Brasília
This square is a focal point of the city design, a synthesis of the ideas of architects Niemeyer and Costa, combining various monuments, museums and…
Basílica Nuestra Señora de Luján
The Pampas & the Atlantic Coast
Luján's undisputed focal point is this imposing neo-Gothic basilica, built from 1887 to 1935 and made from a lovely rose-colored stone that glows in the…
Manaus
Just beyond Manaus, the warm dark Rio Negro pours into the cool creamy Rio Solimões, but because of differences in temperature, speed and density, their…
Cañón Del Colca
This famed viewpoint is for many the highlight of their trip to the Cañón del Colca. A large family of Andean condors nests by the rocky outcrop and, with…
Cali & Southwest Colombia
This massive neo-gothic stone church is built directly against the rocky wall of the gorge where the miraculous image appeared. A gilded painting of the…
Valparaíso
This cultural center built from the bones of a prison has a little bit of everything the thinking traveler could ask for. There are excellent murals in…
Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña
Salta
One of northern Argentina's premier museums, MAAM has a serious and informative exhibition focusing on Inca culture and, in particular, the child…
Zona Cafetera
This hacienda has won numerous awards for its coffee. It offers a tour in English that includes an informative presentation about Colombian coffee, an…
Parque Nacional Serra dos Órgãos
Rio de Janeiro State
Created in 1939, this high country park straddling the Serra dos Órgãos (Organ Pipe Range) just north of Rio is best known for its spectacular mountain…
Museo de Etnografía y Folklore
La Paz
Anthropology buffs should check out this museum, one of the city's best. The building, itself a real treasure, was constructed in 1720 and was once the…
Tigre & the Delta
Tigre’s grandest museum is located in a magnificent 1912 social club. Inside, it showcases the work of famous Argentine artists from the 19th and 20th…
Middle Chile
This little village has good ocean views and a few restaurants and cabins. Head to the bridge for a 30-minute boat tour of the Laguna de Cahuil (CH$5000…
Lima
The well-designed Fundación Museo Amano features a fine private collection of ceramics, with a strong representation of wares from the Chimú and Nazca…
Bogotá
Built between 1557 and 1621, the Church of San Francisco is Bogotá's oldest surviving church. In the atmospherically dark interior, with its extravagant…
