South America boasts so many marvels of landscape, wildlife, geographic formations and natural wonders that it is hard to narrow the list to which are the most important, but among the most popular are: the Amazon River and Rainforest, home to more wildlife species than anywhere else on earth; the Angel Falls, the highest uninterrupted falls in the world; Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world; Machu Picchu, the ruins of an old Inca city that stand atop a steep mountain overlooking the Urubamba river far below; the Galapagos Islands that support a fantastic array of unique wildlife; the Nazca Lines in Peru that raises more questions than archaeologists and scientists can answer; The Easter Island, the most isolated inhabited island in the world with its great monoliths; Rio de Janeiro and its carnival in February; Patagonia; Tierra del Fuego; and Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.
Central America is amazingly bio diverse with many National Natural Parks, especially in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua. There are Volcanoes in Guatemala such as those framing the southern shores of Lake Atitlán considered to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Central America is also home to some of the most impressive ancient Mayan ruins in Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, and to Colonial Towns, such as Antigua Guatemala, Quetzaltenango, (Guatemala), Juayua, Suchitoto in El Salvador, Gracias and Comayagua (Honduras), and León and Granada in Nicaragua (the oldest colonial city in the Western Hemisphere).
The Caribbean has a rich and varied history--from pre-colonial settlements by Carib, Arawak and Taino Indians, to European exploration--that is strongly influenced by the African slave culture. On the islands, you can learn about pirates, missionaries and slave revolts through museums and local folklore exhibits. You can also observe many historic structures such as French provincial architecture in Guadeloupe, Dutch-influences buildings in Aruba, historic churches and cemeteries on the Virgin Islands, and ancient ruins throughout the region. Visiting an archaeological dig can be a great way to really participate in discovering Caribbean history, and a stroll down the oldest street or a visit to first shrine in the new world can make you feel as though you've been transported back in time.
