Arica
See the 32 excavated Chinchorro mummies in situ at this tiny museum below El Morro. They were discovered when an architect bought this former private home…
Must-see attractions in South America
Parque Nacional da Serra Geral
Rio Grande do Sul
Parque Nacional da Serra Geral, 23km east of Cambará do Sul, contains canyons that rival Itaimbezinho. The Cânion da Fortaleza is an 8km stretch of…
Recife
This strikingly red museum is a small and modern house of worship for frevo, the quintessential dance of the Recife Carnaval that is easily identified by…
The Sacred Valley
This wonderful new museum takes visitors into the world of the fascinating pre-Colombian civilizations that came before the Inca. It acknowledges the…
Ayacucho
Ayacucho’s most haunting museum, remembers the impact the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) had on Peru in the city that was most deeply affected by the…
São Paulo
For one of Sampa’s best panoramas, head to the top of this 161m-high skyscraper, Brazil’s version of the Empire State Building – completed in 1939 and…
São Paulo
This elegant neoclassical museum, formerly known as Pinacoteca do Estado but modernly rebranded 'Pina_Luz' (with the underline!) in 2017, houses an…
Convento y Museo de San Francisco
Along the Río Paraná
Santa Fe's principal historical landmark is this Franciscan monastery and museum, built in 1680. While the museum is mediocre, the church is beautiful,…
Sucre
This superb museum of indigenous arts is a must for anyone interested in the indigenous groups of the Sucre area, focusing particularly on the woven…
Rio de Janeiro
Housed in the colonial arsenal, which dates from 1764, the impressive Museu Histórico Nacional contains relics relating to the history of Brazil from its…
Parque Estadual Serra do Intendente
Minas Gerais
This remote state park, 19km west of Conceição do Mato Dentro at the end of a rugged dirt road, preserves a 13,500-hectare chunk of backcountry within…
Ayacucho
Displays popular art covering the ayacucheño (natives of Ayacucho) spectrum – silverwork, rug- and tapestry-weaving, stone and woodcarvings, ceramics …
Iglesia San Francisco de Castro
Chiloé
Italian Eduardo Provasoli chose a marriage of neo-Gothic and classical architecture in his design for the elaborate Iglesia San Francisco, one of Chiloé's…
Brazil
The most beautiful beach in the region, Coqueirinho is a lovely curving bay lined with swathes of coconut palms and backed by high red cliffs covered in…
São Paulo
Relatively unknown and blissfully uncrowded, the unassuming Casa Amarela is part NGO handicraft shop, part two-table romantic cafe and part tiny Museu…
Cuzco
This newish museum exhibits 360 pieces from Machu Picchu taken by Hiram Bingham's expeditions and recently returned by Yale University, including stone…
Reserva de Producción de Fauna Chimborazo
Central Highlands
Volcán Chimborazo and Volcán Carihuairazo are both within the Reserva de Producción de Fauna Chimborazo. It is called a ‘fauna-production reserve’ because…
Recoleta & Barrio Norte
Part of the original Franciscan convent and alongside its namesake church and cemetery, this excellent cultural center houses a variety of facilities,…
Brazil
This is one of Brazil's most beautiful monasteries. São Francisco's construction was interrupted by battles with the Dutch and French, resulting in an…
Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão
Facing the Atlantic, this seemingly endless beach with good surfing waves (shortboard/longboard rentals available on-site) is considered by some the most…
Medellín
In the grand art deco Palacio Municipal, Colombia's second-oldest museum (Museo Nacional in Bogotá is the oldest) houses one of the country's most…
Santa Catarina
To get a stupendous 360-degree panorama of Joinville and the Baía da Babitonga, head to the city's 250m-high viewpoint. The lookout, at the top of Morro…
Parque Arqueológico Choquequirao
Cuzco & the Sacred Valley
Translating as 'Cradle of Gold,' this remote Incan site (3050m) in the Vilcabamba mountain range over the Apurimac canyon bears a strong resemblance to…
Cuzco
An excellent way to explore the fascinating Inca cosmovision. They defined constellations of darkness as well as light, used astronomy to predict weather…
Bariloche & the Lake District
Local craftspeople sell their wares at this market, along the eastern edge of Plaza Pagano, which boasts over 300 artists, who make and sell everything…
The Quilotoa Loop
About 14km north of Zumbahua, the famous volcanic-crater lake of Laguna Quilotoa is a gasp-inducing sight. A lookout on the precipitous crater rim offers…
Foz do Iguaçu
This 5-hectare bird park, located 300m from the entrance to Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, is home to 800-plus species of birds, including red ibis, bare…
Rio de Janeiro State
For spectacular views all the way to Rio and the Baía de Guanabara, climb Pico da Caledônia (2310m), a popular local launching site for hang gliders. It’s…
Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
Santa Marta & Around
This dazzling slice of mountainous jungle, vast boulders and golden-white sand makes up one of Colombia's most stunning national parks and is a popular…
Lima
Superstar graffiti artists are helping to revive the rough neighborhood surrounding Casa Ronald, a 1920 architectural masterpiece. Now a center for…
Brasília
Palácio do Itamaraty is home to the Foreign Ministry and one of Brasília's most impressive buildings – a series of concrete arches towering over Burle…
Villa de Leyva
At 120m by 120m, Plaza Mayor is one of the largest town squares in the Americas. It's paved with massive cobblestones and surrounded by magnificent…
Around Medellín
You'll spot this lookout point with its white Christ statue from the center of Jardín. Take the modern cable car (round trip COP$5000) up for fantastic…
Lake Titicaca
Miniscule Taquile may be only 7-sq-km, with a population of merely 2000 people, but this island has a distinct culture famous for its colorful textiles…
Brasília
The Palácio do Planalto, where Brazil's president works, is another Niemeyer design that's worth seeing inside and out. From the curved lines of the…
Puerto Nariño
Lago Tarapoto, 10km west of Puerto Nariño, is a beautiful jungle lake fed by the Río Amazonas, and is home to pink dolphins, a tiny population of manatees…
Parque Arqueológico Colomichicó
Bariloche & the Lake District
This small archaeological site features one of the most important collections of Pehuenche rock art in Patagonia. There are over 600 examples here, carved…
São Paulo
Across the street from the Parque da Luz sits one of São Paulo's most stunning structures, a classic late-Victorian train station constructed with…
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos
Santiago
Opened in 2010, this striking museum isn't for the faint of heart: the exhibits expose the terrifying human rights violations and large-scale …
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil
Belo Horizonte
Inaugurated in late 2013, this magnificent palace on Praça da LIberdade is one of Belo Horizonte's cultural gems. The vast 3rd-floor gallery hosts special…
