Best natural wonder destinations in South America

Massif formations, salt flats, and major natural wonders in South America

South America holds natural wonders on a genuinely extraordinary scale, from waterfall systems among the most dramatic on earth to vast desert landscapes known for extraordinarily clear night skies. Both rank among the most visited natural sites on the continent.

The destinations on this list range from thunderous waterfall systems best viewed from multiple vantage points, even across neighbouring countries, to otherworldly desert landscapes that reward an overnight stay for proper stargazing. Both reward more than a single day.

Viewing major waterfall systems from more than one side, where borders allow, reveals genuinely different perspectives that neither side alone can match. Local guides on either side can point out viewpoints that are easy to miss independently. Visiting outside the busiest months of the year also tends to mean noticeably smaller crowds at the most popular sites.

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Worldwide (348) Africa (33) Asia (79) Europe (99) North America (67) Oceania (36) South America (27)
Island in Ecuador
Galapagos Islands
The Wildlife Paradise of Ecuador
Giant tortoises roam the Galapagos, some living more than 150 years in the wild. Marine iguanas, found nowhere else, dive into the sea to feed on algae. Blue-footed boobies perform their courtship dance on several of the islands. Darwin's studies here helped shape his theory of evolution.
Island in Brazil
Fernando de Noronha
World's Best Beaches and Dolphins
Dolphins gather each morning in Baia dos Golfinhos, an archipelago bay named for the species. Clear water surrounds Fernando de Noronha, ranked among Brazil's best diving destinations. Sea turtles nest on beaches protected within a marine national park. Volcanic peaks rise steeply above the islands' scattered beaches.
National Park in Peru
Manú National Park
Pristine Amazon biodiversity wonderland
Manu spans multiple ecosystems, from Andean cloud forest down to lowland Amazon rainforest. Macaw clay licks draw dozens of colourful parrots each morning to feed on mineral-rich soil. Jaguars and giant otters move through the park's remote, roadless wilderness. Researchers consider Manu among the most biodiverse protected areas on Earth.
City in Argentina
San Martin de los Andes
Patagonian Paradise by Lake Lácar
Lake Lacar stretches beside San Martin de los Andes, ringed by dense Andean forest. Lanin Volcano's snow-capped cone rises nearby, visible across much of the region. The Seven Lakes Route winds south from town past a chain of alpine lakes. Waterfalls and hiking trails wind through nearby Lanin National Park.
National Park in Guyana
Kaieteur National Park
World's Most Powerful Single-Drop Waterfall
Kaieteur Falls drops in a single sheer plunge nearly five times the height of Niagara. Dense rainforest surrounds the falls, reachable mostly by small aircraft. Golden frogs live only in the bromeliads growing near the falls' spray. Few visitors reach the site, keeping the surrounding jungle largely untouched.
City in Argentina
San Carlos de Bariloche
Argentina’s Alpine Wonderland
Lake Nahuel Huapi stretches beneath the Andes near Bariloche, framed by forested peaks. Chocolate shops line the town's alpine-style streets, a legacy of Swiss and German settlers. Cerro Catedral rises above town, among Argentina's largest ski resorts. Waterfalls and glacial lakes dot the surrounding national park's hiking trails.
Town in Chile
San Pedro de Atacama
Mars-like Landscapes and Starry Nights
Salt flats and geysers surround San Pedro, set within the driest nonpolar desert on Earth. Valle de la Luna's eroded terrain resembles a lunar landscape at sunset. El Tatio's geysers steam most actively at dawn, drawing early visitors each morning. Clear night skies here have made the region a hub for astronomy.
Town in Argentina
Puerto Pirámides
Whale Watching on Wild Patagonian Shores
Southern right whales gather each year in the bay near Puerto Piramides to breed. Orcas hunt sea lion pups along the beach using a rare intentional stranding technique. Penguins and elephant seals gather on nearby stretches of the Valdes Peninsula. Boat tours launch directly from the town's small beach.
Town in Chile
Pucon
Volcano Views and Adventure Bliss
Villarrica Volcano looms over Pucon, its crater occasionally glowing red at night. Hikers climb the volcano's slopes for views into the active crater above. Hot springs near town warm visitors after a day in the surrounding mountains. Lake Villarrica sits at the volcano's base, framed by forested hills.
City in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
The heartbeat of Brazil's coast
Sugarloaf Mountain rises from Rio's harbour, reached by cable car in two stages. Christ the Redeemer overlooks the city from Corcovado's forested peak. Tijuca Forest surrounds the statue, one of the largest urban rainforests in the world. Granite peaks and beaches line the coast along Rio's dramatic shoreline.
National Park in Venezuela
Canaima National Park
Tepui Peaks and Angel Falls Wonder
Angel Falls drops nearly a kilometre from a flat-topped tepui, the world's tallest waterfall. Mist rarely lets the water reach the ground as a single unbroken stream. Flat-topped mountains called tepuis rise across the park, isolated for millions of years. Dugout canoes carry visitors upriver through dense rainforest towards the falls.
Nature Reserve in Ecuador
Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
Amazon wilderness teeming with life
Flooded forest fills much of Cuyabeno during the rainy season, navigable only by canoe. Pink river dolphins surface near black-water lagoons scattered through the reserve. Caimans and anacondas move through the wetlands alongside the reserve's canoe routes. Indigenous communities guide visitors through the rainforest's dense, biodiverse terrain.
National Park in Brazil
Pantanal Matogrossense National Park
World's largest tropical wetland paradise
The Pantanal floods seasonally, forming the world's largest tropical wetland across central Brazil. Jaguars hunt along the region's rivers, easier to spot here than in dense rainforest. Caimans and capybaras gather in large numbers near the water's edge. Hyacinth macaws nest in palm trees scattered across the wetland.
National Park in Brazil
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
Otherworldly dunes with turquoise lagoons
White sand dunes stretch across Lencois Maranhenses, pooled with rainwater during the wet season. Turquoise lagoons form between the dunes, some deep enough for swimming. Fish appear in the pools despite the desert-like surroundings, arriving through underground channels. Dunes shift shape gradually as wind reshapes the landscape each year.
City in Peru
Cusco
Gateway to the Incan Empire's Heart
Sacsayhuaman's massive stone walls rise above Cusco, built without mortar by Inca engineers. Some interlocking blocks weigh more than one hundred tons apiece. Rainbow Mountain's mineral-striped slopes lie a steep hike from the city centre. Andean peaks ring the valley, visible along Cusco's narrow cobbled streets.
National Park in Colombia
Tayrona National Park
Where Jungle Meets Turquoise Caribbean
Rainforest meets the Caribbean along Tayrona National Park's rocky, palm-lined coastline. Boulders scatter across several beaches, remnants of the surrounding Sierra Nevada mountains. Howler monkeys call through the jungle behind the park's popular coves. Indigenous communities still consider parts of the park sacred ancestral land today.
National Park in Argentina
Los Glaciares National Park
Where glaciers meet towering peaks
Perito Moreno Glacier advances steadily, one of the few glaciers still growing worldwide. Massive chunks of ice periodically break free, crashing loudly into the lake below. Walkways offer close views of the glacier's blue-tinged, jagged face. Mount Fitz Roy rises nearby, its jagged spire drawing climbers from around the world.
National Park in Brazil
Chapada Diamantina National Park
Waterfalls, Caves and Diamond History
Waterfalls drop through canyons across Chapada Diamantina's high sandstone plateau. Poco Encantado's underground pool glows blue when sunlight strikes the clear water just right. Diamond mining once drove the region's economy, leaving old trails still used today. Caves and rock formations dot the park's rugged interior terrain.
Outer Territory in United Kingdom
Falkland Islands
Untouched wilderness with abundant wildlife
Penguins, including rockhoppers and king penguins, nest in large colonies across the Falkland Islands. Albatrosses breed on remote cliffs, rarely disturbed by passing visitors. Elephant seals haul out on beaches near several small coastal settlements. Windswept moorland covers much of the islands' open, treeless terrain.
Valley in Peru
Sacred Valley
Ancient terraces echoing timeless Andean rhythms
Inca terraces climb the hillsides of the Sacred Valley, still farmed using centuries-old techniques. The Urubamba River winds through the valley beneath snow-capped Andean peaks. Salt pans at Maras have been harvested by hand since Inca times. Pisac's ruins and market sit above the valley's patchwork farmland.
National Park in Chile
Torres del Paine National Park
Epic Landscapes and Untamed Wilderness
Three granite towers rise sharply above Torres del Paine, giving the park its name. Glaciers feed turquoise lakes scattered across the park's windswept Patagonian terrain. Guanacos and condors move freely across the open steppe below the peaks. The full circuit trek circles the towers over several days.
Town in Argentina
Villa la Angostura
Patagonia's Hidden Gem
Arrayanes Forest holds a rare grove of cinnamon-coloured trees found in few other places. A short boat ride or trail leads visitors into the grove's unusual reddish bark. Lake Nahuel Huapi laps the shore near town, framed by Andean peaks. Waterfalls and forest trails wind through nearby Los Arrayanes National Park.
Island in Chile
Easter Island
Mysterious Moai and Volcanic Landscapes
Nearly nine hundred moai statues stand across Easter Island, carved by the Rapa Nui centuries ago. Rano Raraku's quarry still holds unfinished statues abandoned mid-carving. Volcanic craters dot the island's remote Pacific landscape. Ahu Tongariki lines up fifteen moai in a single row facing inland.
Town in Peru
Machupicchu Pueblo
Gateway to the Inca wonder
Machu Picchu's stone terraces and temples sit perched on a ridge above the Urubamba River. Clouds often drift through the ruins, thinning to reveal the Inca citadel below. Huayna Picchu's steep peak rises behind the site, open to climbers with permits. The town below serves as the main gateway for visitors arriving by train.
City in Brazil
Foz do Iguaçu
Where three nations meet waterfalls
Nearly 275 individual waterfalls make up the Iguazu Falls system along the Brazil-Argentina border. Devil's Throat, the tallest section, sends spray high enough to form rainbows below. Walkways lead close to the falls, drenching visitors in mist from the roaring water. Rainforest surrounds the falls, home to toucans and coatis.
Ski Resort in Chile
Valle Nevado
Snow‑kissed peaks and alpine serenity
Andean peaks surround Valle Nevado, among the highest-elevation ski resorts in South America. Snow reliably covers the slopes through the Southern Hemisphere winter months. Views from the resort stretch across dozens of connected mountain peaks. A winding mountain road climbs from Santiago through switchbacks to reach the resort.
Salt Flat in Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni
World's largest surreal salt mirror
Salar de Uyuni stretches across more than 10,000 square kilometres, the world's largest salt flat. A thin layer of water after rain turns the flat into a giant mirror. Cacti-covered islands rise from the salt near the flat's centre. Pink flamingos wade in nearby lagoons tinted red by algae.
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