Machu Picchu - Peru

Place of the pre-Columbian Inca ruins, about 80 km northwest of Cuzco, in Peru. In 1983, Machu Picchu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Machu Picchu was discovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, also professor of the University of Yale. Bingham believed that these 18 square Km of terraced stonework might have been the last refuge of the Incas, fleeing from the Spanish conquerors, in the 16th century.

Machu Picchu stands on an altitude of 2,350 meters, in the Andes Mountains. It's the principal tourist attraction in Peru.

To know more: Machu Picchu Tourist and Travel information, and map of Peru.

Machu Picchu ruins, in Peru.

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Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos is a group of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean. Some volcanoes in the islands are still active. They constitute a province of Ecuador and are protected as a wildlife sanctuary, since 1935, where birds coexist with iguanas, sea lions and several other animals. The principal islands are Isabela, San Cristóbal, San Salvador, Santa María and Santa Cruz. The islands population is about 15,000. Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, on San Cristóbal, is the administrative center. In 1978, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Isolation of the Galapagos in the Pacific Ocean allowed the development of a peculiar ecosystem. Many varieties of wildlife are not found anywhere else, including six species of giant tortoises that give the islands their Spanish name. The observation of the wildlife in Galapagos produced important inferences to the development of the Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The English naturalist arrived at the archipelago in the expedition of the Beagle, between 1831 and 1836.

The Galapagos Islands was discovered in 1535, by the bishop of Panama Tomás de Berlanga, when its ship drifted in a trip to Peru. He named the islands of "Las Encantadas". In his writings, the bishop emphasized the great number of giant tortoises (galapagos in Spanish) there were in the islands.

Galapagos attracts more than 60 thousand tourists annually and is considered the second biggest wildlife marine reserve of the world, only behind the Great Barrier Reef, in Australia.

The Bartolome Island, in Galapagos.

Map of Galapagos►

Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Punta del Este - Uruguay

Punta del Este is a resort in the Atlantic coast of Uruguay. This cosmopolitan city has casinos, beaches and excellent structure for tourism.

The main beaches are Playa Mansa, on the Río de la Plata, and Playa Brava, on the Atlantic coast. La Barra del Maldonado, 5km east of Punta del Este, has also clean and beautiful beaches.

To know more: Visit Punta del Este and map of Uruguay.

Buenos Aires - Argentina

Buenos Aires, located on the western bank of the Rio de la Plata, is the economic, political and cultural center of Argentina. It is a great metropolis with twelve million people with high cultural standard.

It is Frequently described as the most European city of the Latin America. The majority of the population descends from Spanish, Italian and German immigrants. They are responsible for a city with intense cultural activity.

The Plaza de Mayo is the principal urban center of Buenos Aires. Around this square, important buildings can be found, like the Casa Rosada (the presidential palace), the metropolitan cathedral, and the Cabildo (the colonial town council, now a museum). Map of Argentina►

The main avenue in Buenos Aires.