All Destinations

Arequipa is Peru's second-largest city (~1.1 million) sitting at 2,335m (7,660 ft) in a high-desert basin under the perfect cone of El Misti volcano (5,822m). The colonial old town is built almost entirely from sillar — pearly-white volcanic ash blocks quarried from nearby Chachani — earning the nickname La Ciudad Blanca. The standout sight is the Santa Catalina Monastery: a walled 'city within a city' (20,000 m², founded 1579) that operated as a closed convent for almost 400 years and still has 20 Dominican nuns in residence. Arequipa is also the staging post for the two-day descent into the Colca Canyon (3,400m deep, twice the Grand Canyon) to see the morning thermals carry condors out of the gorge.

The driest non-polar desert on Earth — a high-altitude moonscape of volcanoes, geysers, salt flats, and altiplano lagoons centered on the adobe village of San Pedro de Atacama (2,400m). El Tatio's dawn geysers, Valle de la Luna's sunset, the Salar de Atacama's flamingos, and the Miscanti & Miñiques lakes round out the standard week. ALMA observatory tours and the world's clearest night skies make it a stargazer's pilgrimage. Connects overland to Uyuni.

Ecuador's adventure-sports capital sits at 1,820m where the Andean highlands transition to the Amazon basin — perpetual spring climate (15-25°C year-round) beneath the active 5,023m Tungurahua volcano. The Pailón del Diablo waterfall (100m thundering cascade reached via suspension bridges and behind-the-falls rock tunnels), the Casa del Árbol cliff-edge swing famously photographed 'swinging into the void' with Tungurahua as backdrop, the Termas de la Virgen mineral hot springs, and the 60km Ruta de las Cascadas with 60+ waterfalls. Bungee jumping, canyoning, ziplining, white-water rafting, mountain biking — all at one-third the cost of equivalent in the West. Population ~20,000.

Argentina's Patagonian lake district capital — a Swiss-chocolate town on the shore of Nahuel Huapi Lake beneath the Andes. Cerro Catedral is South America's largest ski resort; the Circuito Chico drive is one of the hemisphere's most scenic road loops. The "chocolate capital of Argentina" hosts artisan chocolatiers on every corner of Mitre street.

Bogota is a high-altitude capital undergoing a cultural renaissance. La Candelaria's colonial streets are alive with street art, the Gold Museum is dazzling, and Monserrate offers sweeping views from 3,150m. The food scene is booming, the coffee is (unsurprisingly) excellent, and the Ciclovia turns major roads into a car-free playground every Sunday.

Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America — grand Haussmann-style avenues, sidewalk cafes, and a fierce cultural identity built on tango, steak, and Malbec. The city's barrios each have a distinct personality, from the colorful houses of La Boca to the tree-lined elegance of Palermo. Incredible value for visitors right now.

Cartagena's UNESCO-listed walled city is one of the most beautiful colonial centers in the Americas — bougainvillea-draped balconies, pastel-colored buildings, and cobblestone streets alive with music and street food. The Caribbean warmth extends to the people, the nearby Rosario Islands, and the ceviche.

A sun-bleached pilgrimage town on the Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca, three and a half hours by road from La Paz across the Tiquina ferry crossing. The whitewashed Moorish-style Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Copacabana houses the Dark Virgin, Bolivia's patron saint, and on weekends drivers line up the length of Avenida 6 de Agosto to have new vehicles blessed with flower garlands and beer. The harbour launches small wooden boats for the two-hour crossing to Isla del Sol, the Inca creation-myth island where Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo emerged. Trout pulled fresh from Titicaca arrives whole and grilled at lakefront comedores, and the Yunguyo border crossing puts Peru's Puno just three hours further on.

Cusco is the ancient capital of the Inca Empire and the gateway to Machu Picchu. Colonial churches built on Inca foundations, the vibrant San Pedro market, and the Sacred Valley are all within reach. At 3,400m elevation, take it slow your first day. The city rewards those who explore beyond the main plaza — every street tells a story.

Rapa Nui — one of the most remote inhabited islands on Earth, 3,500 km from continental Chile. Home to nearly 1,000 moai stone statues including the 15-moai row at Ahu Tongariki, the quarry at Rano Raraku, the sea-facing Ahu Akivi, and the Birdman cult ceremonial village at Orongo. UNESCO Rapa Nui National Park covers 40% of the island. Sole air link is LATAM from Santiago (5.5 hr); the island's only town is Hanga Roa (~8,000 people). National park pass ~$80 USD.

Argentina's trekking capital, founded in 1985 in a border-claim race with Chile and now a ribbon of hostels, microbreweries, and outfitter shops at the foot of Cerro Chaltén — better known abroad as Mount Fitz Roy, the jagged silhouette on the Patagonia clothing logo. Trails leave directly from the village, no entry fee, no shuttle bus required. The 22-kilometre Laguna de los Tres day hike to the base of Fitz Roy is Argentina's most famous walk, climbing 1,100 metres on the final hour to a glacial lake under the granite. Cerro Torre and the Glaciar Grande complete the skyline. El Calafate's FTE airport is three hours south by Ruta 40.

A 21-island UNESCO archipelago of volcanic origin lying 350 km off the northeast coast of Brazil, reached only by a one-hour flight from Recife or Natal. The federal government caps the population on the main island at 470 visitors at any one time and charges a daily environmental preservation fee plus a national park entry, which keeps the place close to pristine. Praia do Sancho, accessed by a steep ladder down a cliff face, is consistently rated the world's best beach. Baia dos Golfinhos hosts the largest known resident colony of spinner dolphins on Earth, who arrive every dawn to rest after night feeding.

A 54-km-long island off the southern Brazilian coast with 42 distinct beaches — broad surf beaches at Mole and Joaquina, calm family bay waters at Jurerê, the bohemian Lagoa da Conceição lagoon at the centre, and the wild undeveloped south where Lagoinha do Leste requires a 2.5-hour rainforest hike. Florianópolis (locally "Floripa") is consistently ranked the highest quality-of-life Brazilian capital, settled by Azorean Portuguese in 1748 with fishing villages still preserving Azorean lacework, oyster farms (90% of Brazilian oysters come from this bay), and the lilting "Manezinho" accent. The 1898 Mercado Público's upstairs Box 32 oyster bar is the most beloved local institution. Public transit is genuinely mediocre — rent a car or rely on Uber. Beach scene is world-class; peak summer (December-February) is crowded and expensive.

Foz do Iguaçu is the Brazilian launchpad for one of the planet's great spectacles — 275 individual waterfalls thundering across a 2.7 km horseshoe of basalt cliffs on the Paraná-Argentina border. The Brazilian side gives you the panoramic, postcard view of the falls (Argentina's side puts you on top of them, and most travellers do both). Beyond the cataratas, the city is the Tríplice Fronteira where Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay meet, home to the Itaipu hydroelectric dam (the second-largest in the world) and a surprisingly diverse Lebanese-Brazilian-Paraguayan food scene built around shawarma, churrasco, and Paraguayan chipa.

Darwin's living laboratory — volcanic islands where giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and sea lions exist without fear of humans. A bucket-list wildlife destination.

One of the New 7 Natural Wonders — 275 individual cascades stretched 2.7km along the Argentina-Brazil border, dwarfing Niagara. The Argentine side's Devil's Throat catwalk puts you above the roaring central plunge; the Brazilian side delivers the panoramic postcard. Subtropical rainforest with toucans, coatis, and capuchin monkeys. Puerto Iguazú is the Argentine base; Foz do Iguaçu sits across the bridge.

The world's highest administrative capital sits in a dramatic canyon surrounded by snow-capped Andean peaks. The teleférico cable car system offers stunning aerial views, witches' markets sell llama fetuses for offerings, and the Moon Valley landscape is otherworldly.

Lima is South America's gastronomic capital — ceviche, causa, and anticuchos are just the start. The city's food scene has earned multiple spots on the World's 50 Best list. Beyond the restaurants, colonial Miraflores overlooks the Pacific, the historic center is a UNESCO site, and the Larco Museum's pre-Columbian collection is extraordinary.

Machu Picchu is the 15th-century Inca citadel perched on a mountain saddle 2,430m (7,970 ft) above sea level — built in stone so precise no mortar was used, abandoned around 1572 during the Spanish conquest, and forgotten by the outside world until Hiram Bingham re-introduced it in 1911. Today it draws roughly 4,500 visitors per day on capped-entry tickets, accessed via the PeruRail or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (the cloud-forest valley town below) and then a 25-minute switchback bus ride up to the gate. Sunrise from the Sun Gate (Inti Punku) and the vertiginous Huayna Picchu hike behind the citadel are the iconic experiences.

Manaus is the unlikely metropolis dropped into the middle of the Amazon — a city of 2.2 million people 1,400 km up the river from the Atlantic, reachable by air or by multi-day boat and absolutely not by road from anywhere most travellers come from. The fortunes of the rubber boom (1879-1912) built the pink Teatro Amazonas opera house — Italian marble, French chandeliers, all hauled up the river in pieces — and you visit Manaus today for two reasons: the city itself (the opera house, the Adolpho Lisboa market, the Meeting of the Waters where the black Rio Negro and sandy Solimões flow side by side without mixing for 6 km) and as the launchpad for jungle lodges and riverboat trips into the Amazon proper.

Medellin's transformation from notorious to innovative is one of the great urban comeback stories. The City of Eternal Spring (year-round 22°C) is now known for cable car transit connecting hillside barrios, a thriving startup scene, and a nightlife that rivals anywhere in Latin America. The Botero sculptures in Plaza Botero are a must-see.

Argentina's wine capital sits in the Andean foothills at 750m — Malbec country. Three regions deliver: Maipú's classic vineyards close to the city, Luján de Cuyo's premium Malbecs, and Uco Valley's high-altitude trendy bodegas. Tree-lined streets after the 1861 earthquake rebuild, the huge Parque San Martín, and Aconcagua (the Americas' highest peak at 6,961m) within striking distance. Vendimia harvest festival in early March is the year's headline event.

Uruguay's laid-back capital stretches along the Río de la Plata with beautiful rambla boardwalks, Art Deco architecture, and the legendary Mercado del Puerto for grilled meats. A relaxed, walkable city with mate culture on every corner.

Paraty is the perfectly preserved 18th-century colonial port halfway between Rio and São Paulo — whitewashed houses with bright shutters, churches at every corner, and cobblestone streets so uneven you stop pretending shoes will help. UNESCO inscribed the historic centre in 2019 (alongside the surrounding Atlantic Forest reserves) for its colonial architecture and the cultural landscape that grew around the gold-mining caminho do ouro. Today the harbour fills with traditional schooners (saveiros) running day trips to dozens of green islands and turquoise coves; the back lanes hide some of Brazil's best cachaça stills, and the surrounding Serra da Bocaina forest hides 100m waterfalls reachable on foot.