Must-see attractions in South America

  • The stone ruins of the Fortaleza de Kuelap.

    Kuélap

    Kuélap

    Travelers have their heads literally in the clouds when visiting the walled jungle fortress Kuélap in the northern highlands of Peru – the gateway to the…

  • Wooden boats anchored on Paron lake in Cordillera Blanca.

    Laguna Parón

    Cordillera Blanca

    The largest lake in the Cordillera Blanca — a snowcapped range of the Andes in west central Peru — and a gorgeous natural reservoir, Laguna Paron is a…

  • Stone mask on the ancient temple at Chavin de Huantar in Peru

    Chavín de Huántar

    Huaraz & the Cordilleras

    In most people's minds, Chavín is less a town and more a set of ruins – not any old ruins, but the erstwhile ceremonial center of one of Peru's most…

  • The Sacred City of Caral-Supe reflects the rise of civilisation in the Americas. As a fully developed socio-political state, it is remarkable for its complexity and its impact on developing settlements throughout the Supe Valley and beyond. Its early use of the quipu as a recording device is considered of great significance. The design of both the architectural and spatial components of the city is masterful, and the monumental platform mounds and recessed circular courts are powerful and influential expressions of a consolidated state.

    Caral

    North Coast

    Before metal or ceramic was invented and well before the Maya and Inca cultures ruled, there was Caral, the oldest civilization in the Americas. Having…

  • nScenery when walking around Amantaní­ Island on Lake Titicaca on the border between Peru and Bolivia in South America.

    Isla Amantaní

    Lake Titicaca

    Of the small remote islands dotted around Lake Titicaca, Isla Amantaní is the least visited. Its population is just 4000, is a few kilometers north of the…

  • The sunset with Christ The Redeemer on the Corcovado Hill viewed from Paineiras Road at Tijuca Forest with the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

    Parque Nacional da Tijuca

    Rio de Janeiro

    The Tijuca is all that's left of the Atlantic rainforest that once surrounded Rio de Janeiro. This 39-sq-km tropical-jungle preserve is an exuberant green…

  • Sugar Loaf cable car

    Pão de Açúcar

    Rio de Janeiro

    Seen from the peak of Pão de Açúcar, Rio is undoubtedly a Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvelous City). There are many good times to make the ascent, but sunset on…

  • Man looking at the Perito Moreno glacier from the bottom.

    Glaciar Perito Moreno

    Inland Patagonia

    Among the Earth's most dynamic and accessible ice fields, Glaciar Perito Moreno is the stunning centerpiece of the southern sector of Parque Nacional Los…

  • Los Seismiles

    Catamarca & La Rioja

    West of Fiambalá, the paved road winds through the high desert, past picturesque red rock escarpments known as the Quebrada Angosturas, and into some…

  • "Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, View of Copacabana beach at sunset"

    Copacabana Beach

    Rio de Janeiro

    A magnificent confluence of land and sea, the long, scalloped beach of Copacabana extends for some 4km, with a flurry of activity along its length: over…

  • Bogota , Colombia  - February 24, 2017 : Museo del Oro gold museum in Bogota capital city of Colombia South America; Shutterstock ID 650281423

    Museo del Oro

    Bogotá

    Bogotá's most famous museum and one of the most fascinating in South America, the Gold Museum contains more than 55,000 pieces of gold and other materials…

  • Iguazu falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentina province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River rises near the city of Curitiba. The river flows through Brazil for most of its course, although most of the falls are on the Argentine side. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Argentina and Brazil.

    Parque Nacional do Iguaçu

    Paraná

    Brazil's second-oldest national park, created in 1939, protects one of South America's most magical and majestic sights, Iguaçu Falls, part of the largest…

  • Lpanema beach

    Ipanema Beach

    Ipanema & Leblon

    One long stretch of sun-drenched sand, Ipanema Beach is demarcated by postos (posts), which mark off subcultures as diverse as the city itself. Posto 9,…

  • Palacio Barolo is a landmark office building, located at Avenida de Mayo in the  Monserrat neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Shutterstock ID 444490156; your: Barbara Di Castro; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: hub
444490156

    Palacio Barolo

    Buenos Aires

    One of Buenos Aires' most beautiful monuments, this 22-story building has a unique design inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Its structure is divided into…

  • Parque Nacional Lanín

    Bariloche & the Lake District

    Dominating the view in all directions along the Chilean border, the snowcapped cone of 3776m Volcán Lanín is the centerpiece of this national park, which…

  • An aerial view of Rio de Janeiro and.the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

    Cristo Redentor

    Flamengo & Around

    Standing atop Corcovado (which means ‘hunchback’), Cristo Redentor gazes out over Rio, a placid expression on his well-crafted face. The mountain rises…

  • The guanaco (Lama guanicoe), a camelid native to South America, stands between 1.0 and 1.2 m at the shoulder and weighs 90 to 140 kg. Its color varies very little (unlike the domestic llama), ranging from a light brown to dark cinnamon and shading to white underneath. Guanacos have grey faces and small, straight ears. The name guanaco comes from the South American Quechua word huanaco (modern spelling: wanaku). Young guanacos are called chulengos.

    Parque Nacional Patagonia

    Northern Patagonia

    Dubbed as the Serengeti of the Southern Cone, the 690-sq-km Parque Nacional Patagonia features Patagonian steppe, forests, mountains, lakes and lagoons…

  • Parque Nacional Talampaya

    Catamarca & La Rioja

    The spectacular rock formations and canyons of this dusty desert national park are evidence of the erosive creativity of water. The sandstone cliffs are…

  • It takes a while to get there ! It's the most incredible natural place in Easter Island. The force and the beauty of the nature here is incredible.

    Orongo Ceremonial Village

    Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

    Nearly covered in a bog of floating totora reeds, the crater lake of Rano Kau resembles a giant witch's cauldron and is a wild greenhouse of endemic…

  • Piedra del Peñol

    Guatapé

    Also known as El Peñon de Guatapé, thanks to the fierce rivalry between the towns it straddles, this 200m-high granite monolith rises from near the edge…

  • Parque Nacional Iguazú

    Iguazú Falls

    On the Argentine side of the marvelous falls, this park has loads to offer, and involves a fair amount of walking. The spread-out entrance complex ends at…

  • Parque Provincial Aconcagua

    Mendoza & the Central Andes

    The region's most famous park is Parque Provincial Aconcagua, home of 6962m (22,841ft) Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak outside the Himalayas and a…

  • Garganta del Diablo

    Iguazú Falls

    A 1.1km walkway across the placid Río Iguazú leads to one of the planet’s most spectacular sights, the 'Devil’s Throat.' The lookout platform is perched…

  • Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina

    Lençóis

    Spanning over 1520 sq km and containing within it innumerable species of plants and animals, deafening waterfalls and vast, rugged plains, Parque Nacional…

  • 500px Photo ID: 238053353 - Vista over Lago Nahuel Huapi in Bariloche, Argentina.

    Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi

    Bariloche & the Lake District

    One of Argentina's most-visited national parks, Nahuel Huapi occupies 7500 sq km in the mountainous southwestern Neuquén and western Río Negro provinces…

  • Parque Arqueológico

    Cauca & Huila

    This 78-hectare archaeological park is 2.5km west of the town of San Agustín. There are over 130 statues in the park in total, either found in situ or…

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Polynesian Stone Carving at Rano Raraku Quarry in Easter Island, Chile

    Rano Raraku

    Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

    Known as 'the nursery,' the volcano of Rano Raraku, about 18km from Hanga Roa, is the quarry for the hard tuff from which the moai were cut. You'll feel…

  • Giant Tank Bromeliad (Brocchinia micrantha) with Kaieteur Falls in the background, Kaieteur National Park, Guyana, South America

    Kaieteur Falls

    Guyana

    You may have been to Salto Ángel or Iguazú Falls, seen Niagara or not even be particularly interested in waterfalls, but it doesn't matter: go to Kaieteur…

  • 'Quebrada de las Flechas' (Broken Arrows) is a rocky formation located at National Route 40 in Salta Province, Argentina; Shutterstock ID 1401521444; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Angastaco Natural Monument

    Salta & Jujuy Provinces

    Just south of Angastaco, the rutted earthen highway that is RN 40 weaves through surrealist rock formations that are unofficially called the Angastaco…

  • León Dormido

    Isla San Cristóbal (Chatham)

    About an hour’s boat ride northeast of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is León Dormido (Kicker Rock), so named because of its resemblance to a sleeping lion. León…

  • Moais of Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island.
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    Ahu Tongariki

    Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

    The monumental Ahu Tongariki has plenty to set your camera's flash popping. With 15 imposing statues, it is the largest ahu ever built. The statues gaze…

  • Old Town

    Cartagena

    Cartagena's old city is its principal attraction, particularly the inner walled town, consisting of the historical districts of El Centro and San Diego…

  • High angle view of "Teatro Col?n" (Spanish for Columbus Theatre) at twilight.Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Teatro Colón

    Buenos Aires

    Occupying an entire city block, this impressive seven-story theater is one of BA’s most prominent landmarks. It’s the city’s main performing arts venue,…

  • Vitral en el techo del Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral (GAM)

    Centro Gabriela Mistral

    Santiago

    This striking cultural and performing-arts center – named for Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American woman to win the Nobel Prize in…

  • El Chato Tortoise Reserve

    Isla Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)

    South of Santa Rosa is El Chato Tortoise Reserve, where you can observe giant tortoises in the wild. When these virtually catatonic, prehistoric-looking…

  • Ahu Tongariki - the largest ahu on Easter Island.
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    Anakena

    Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

    Beach bums in search of a place to wallow will love this postcard-perfect, white-sand beach. It also forms a lovely backdrop for Ahu Nau Nau, which…

  • Belén Mercado

    Iquitos

    At the southeast end of town is the floating shantytown of Belén, consisting of scores of huts, built on rafts, which rise and fall with the river. During…

  • Serranias del Hornocal, wide colored mountains, Argentina; Shutterstock ID 670687489; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Serranía de Hornocal

    Quebrada de Humahuaca

    Located 25km east of Humahuaca, this jagged row of rock 'teeth' offers utterly spectacular colors. Tours run here but it's drivable in a normal car with…

  • A view from the lower circuit of water falls; Shutterstock ID 2302403923; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Circuito Inferior

    Iguazú Falls

    This circuit (1400m) descends to the river, passing delightfully close to falls on the way. At the end of the path prepare for a drenching at the hands of…

Not South America... but still worth the visit