Top 10 South America Wonders

Top 10
South America
wonders

rankings you can trust

Galapagos Islands
Machu Picchu
Iguazu Falls
Amazon Rain Forest
Easter Island
Rio panoramic views
Carnival in Rio
Angel Falls
Cuzco
Torres del Paine

Brief decriptions

Galapagos Islands

These are the remote Pacific Islands that helped Charles Darwin develop his now famous evolution theory in the early 1800s. The unique Galapagos Islands wildlife species that he observed are still there, waiting for vacationers on cruise boats to rediscover.

Pacific off Ecuador mainland.

Galapagos

Machu Picchu

The ruins sit picturesquely on an isolated mountain saddle (see photo in left column). Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian stronghold, was abandoned and forgotten for centuries until 1911 when it was discovered buried under dense greenery.

Peru.

Machu Picchu

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls plummets over a 3 kilometer (nearly 2 mile) rim into a deep gorge. The Devil's Throat section is particularly breathtaking.

Argentina & Brazil.

Iguazu Falls

Amazon Rain Forest

The Amazon Rain Forest is a vast jungle networked by mighty rivers and small tributaries - and the home of exotic vegetation and wildlife.

Mainly Brazil & Peru.

Amazon Rain Forest

Easter Island

Easter Island is famous for it numerous head statues chiseled from volcanic rock. Why the ancient islanders of this remote location carved them is an enigma.

Pacific off Chile mainland.

Easter Island

Rio panoramic views

The Rio de Janeiro city and bay collectively provide two of the world's most splendid vistas, one from Corcovado Mountain and the other from the Sugar Loaf pinnacle.

Brazil.

Rio panoramic views

Carnival in Rio

A million tourists and cariocas (Rio de Janeiro citizens) participate in the merrymaking in lively street parades and masquerade balls at carnival time.

Brazil.

Carnival in Rio

Angel Falls

It is by far the world's highest waterfall. The isolated location of Angel Falls helped keep this wonder a secret from the outside world until the 1930s.

Venezuela.

Angel Falls

Nazca Lines

The Nazca Lines are geometric shapes and animal figures etched into a huge expanse of a desert floor by an ancient civilization. These artworks are so large that they can be recognized from the air, but not on ground level.

Peru.

Nazca Lines

Torres del Paine

The Torres del Paine National Park near the southern tip of South America is blessed with wondrous mountains, among other natural beauties.

Chile.

Torres del Paine