Lost World Destinations

Antarctica is Earth’s southernmost continent, containing the geographic South Pole. It is situated in the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.

South America’s top European country: such is Argentina. Paradoxical? Undoubtedly. But so Argentines style themselves. And shockingly, once you visit hot spots like Buenos Aires (“The Paris of South America”) and Bariloche (a ski resort dotted with Alpine chateaus), this local loopiness becomes eerily convincing.

Tucked away on Central America’s Caribbean coast, Belize is one of the last unspoiled places on Earth. Here’s a tiny nation that punches well above its weight. Composed of tropical rainforest in the interior and shimmering beaches along shore, Belize is a friendly, welcoming place, full of pre-Hispanic ruins, laid-back beach villages, and slender cays—coral islands—floating in sky-blue waters.

It starts with the dream-like, swirlingly colored expanses of the Bolivian Altiplano, and extends to the chaotic capital city of La Paz (flanked by not one, but four snow-capped mountain ranges). Along the way, Bolivia’s terrain spans everything from grassy plains to steamy jungles and colonial cities frozen in time—as well as some of the most remote and inhospitable terrain on earth.

Brazil isn’t just huge territorially, bordering on every South American nation except two. It’s also astonishingly big on personality and heart. You’ll see it when you go: everything in this Portuguese-speaking paradise seems super-sized. That means the beaches, the gargantuan tracts of Amazon rainforest, and most of all, the soccer-stoked passion of the amazingly warm and friendly locals.

Start in the north. There the world’s driest desert offers roaring geysers and the clearest skies for stargazing on the planet. Further south, in the wilds of Patagonia, the jagged peaks of Torres del Paine national park soar above one of the Americas’ prime trekking destinations. And on Easter Island, mysterious moai heads look out over a remote island paradise.

In Colombia, you’ll experience firsthand the life-affirming exuberance of a culture rated the world’s happiest in a Gallup International survey—a place where the magic realism of Gabriel García Márquez comes to life.

Costa Rica packs tremendous eco-diversity into a very small space. When you go, the naturalist in you will thrill to see lush jungle and sandy coast just a short bus ride from each other. Jaguars, poison dart frogs, and scarlet macaws skitter through the brush, and each step takes you deeper into a biosphere estimated to hold some 6 percent of the world’s plant and animal species.

Ecuador means “Equator,” and in this Andean wonderland, you can snap selfies as you straddle the Big Line itself, with one foot in each hemisphere. Ecuador has had a reputation for enchantment since pre-Colombian times, when it was home to the second capital of the Inca empire. Today, this compact nation offers an array of adventures that’s staggeringly broad.

The Americas’ tiniest country, El Salvador is huge on natural beauty—and hospitality. El Salvador is proof that great things come in small packages. In the space of two or three hours, travelers can get to anywhere in this enchanting country. You can be at the top of a volcano one minute, and swimming and surfing in the ocean 45 minutes later. With so many attractions on offer, El Salvador starts looking not so chiquito after all.

When Charles Darwin first came to the Galápagos in 1835, he discovered animal species so untouched by humans, they came right up to him, fearlessly. Today Darwin is long gone, but the Galápagos’ astonishment persists, as the iguanas, tortoises, flightless cormorants, and Sally Lightfoot crabs that inhabit this enchanted biosphere blithely strut past their appreciative human visitors.

Stand awestruck amidst the silent ruins of ancient Mayan kings. With smoking volcanoes, windswept mountain lakes, and cobblestone colonial streets, Guatemala is one of the most gorgeous spots on the planet. Its crowning glory, however, is its incredible Mayan cities, whose silent jungle setting only deepens their timeless mystery.

With its massive barrier reef and pristine jungle, Honduras is a land just waiting to be explored. Central America’s least-visited destination has a case of bad PR. For a decade, nasty crime stats scared away visitors to this stunning tropical nation—even though gang violence never came close to touching the tourist areas.

Mexico is a land of staggering contrasts, where desert landscapes give way to lush jungles, and snowcapped volcanoes rise above palm-fringed beaches. It is both ancient and cutting-edge, a place where pre-Hispanic traditions and world-class modern art coexist in everyday life. For travelers, it offers not just destinations, but whole worlds contained within a single country.

A land of lakes and volcanoes, with a proud, fiery culture, Nicaragua is pure passion. Poets and revolutionaries: Nicaragua has spawned both in abundance. Yet apart from its sumptuous colonial cities and stormy history, what most characterizes this Central American gem is the sheer gorgeousness of its tropical landscapes.

With its potent cocktail of a stunning skyline and colonial charm, Panama City is by far Central America's most sophisticated capital. But to truly experience Panama's soul, you need to venture beyond the glittering metropolis and the world-famous canal. A whole tropical paradise awaits, offering a universe of experiences tucked into Central America's slender waist.

Paraguay is a land of mystery—and, for the adventurous traveler, unrivalled opportunity. Long closed off to the world by a string of absolute dictators, Paraguay was for centuries South America’s biggest question mark. Now its marvels are open to those curious about its folkways, which are surely among the most offbeat in Latin America.

Patagonia—the windswept, sparsely populated tract of wilderness shared by Argentina and Chile—is an outdoorsperson’s dream. Its stark outback encompasses grassy steppes, expanding glaciers, Andean peaks, and some of the wildest lake country on the planet. But Patagonia is a place of beauty as well as ruggedness.

Crossing into Peru means crossing into a world of wonders. Its magic includes both the sublime stonework of Machu Picchu and the infinite biodiversity of the Amazon, the glittering waters of Lake Titicaca and mysterious pyramids crumbling in the desert.

Nature in its original form - Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana are South America undiscovered. The northwest corner of South America is the continent’s least-explored territory. The good news for the adventurous and curious traveler is that the “Wild Coast” is actually hiding – in plain sight – a treasure trove of cultural gems and vast tracts of unspoiled nature, all of which are readily accessible with a minimum of risk or hassle.

“The Switzerland of South America”. Charming Uruguay fully lives up to its nickname. Socially progressive and politically stable, this tiny nation has long drawn sun-worshippers with its spectacular riviera. But Uruguay offers much more than sparkling sands and trendy nightlife.