Your first stop in South America is Cartagena, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. For centuries, Cartagena (or, more formally, Cartagena de Indias) was one of the major ports in the New World under the Spanish Empire. A series of unfortunate events—cholera epidemics, the silting up of a crucial canal, the loss of funds from Spain after independence—had an unexpected upside. Many of the historic buildings of the city’s historic core survived, albeit neglected. Today, the historic center has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site; as you admire its historic convents, churches, civic buildings, and mansions, it’s easy to imagine that you’ve been transported back to the 18th century.  

During your stay in Cartagena, you’ll stay in the Hotel Casa San Agustin, a property located in three attached colonial-era properties. Timber beams, marble floors, and tilework preserve the houses’ historic heritage, though the interiors have a light, contemporary flair. 

Get the lay of the land with a walking tour through Cartagena and a guide who will bring to life the histories of buildings like the Palace of the Inquisition and the Teatro Adolfo Mejia. On a tour to Cartagena’s trendy neighborhood of the moment, Getsemani, you can admire the street art and join a local muralist to help complete part of his work, leaving your small mark on the city. 

The cuisine of Cartagena combines the best of the Caribbean’s bounty with the varied produce of Colombia. Dinner at Carmen (one of the country’s best restaurants), a private dining experience, and a private cooking class offer opportunities to learn about Colombian cuisine, and you’ll master the art of making a perfect ceviche.

The challenges of exploring South America can feel especially evident when trying to travel from the coast of Colombia to the Peruvian portion of the Amazon. Even though the distance looks short on a map, it can take a full day to get there when flying commercial. On this trip, though, it’s a quick 2.5-hour hop aboard your private jet. 

Once you arrive in Iquitos, Peru, you’ll board the Aria Amazon for a river cruise like no other. The sleek and contemporary ship has only 16 suites, each with floor-to-ceiling windows. You’ll wake up every morning with postcard views of the Amazon.  

In addition to seeing the mighty river itself, excursions on smaller eight-person launches explore nearby tributaries. You’ll see the black waters of the Yanallpa; spot birds, monkeys, and turtles on the Pacaya; and look for nocturnal wildlife under a star-filled sky on a nighttime outing on the Dorado. It’s rare to see Amazon manatees in the wild, but on a visit to the Manatee Rescue Center, you’ll meet some of these unusual marine mammals and learn about efforts to protect their environments and rehabilitate injured manatees from the staff.  

The Aria Amazon itinerary also includes opportunities to meet some members of the indigenous populations in the area. On a visit to an Amazonian village, you’ll learn how residents catch paiche (one of the world’s largest freshwater fish) and can sample candies made of caterpillars (if you’re up for it!). On your way to the airport, you’ll stop at the Mercado Artesanal de San Juan, where you can pick up gifts like hammocks, woodcarvings, pottery, and textiles.

You’ll next fly to one of South America’s most intriguing, and little visited, capitals. While many of the continent’s major cities are located along its coast, La Paz, in landlocked Bolivia, sits on the country’s altiplano at an altitude of almost 12,000 feet.  

You’ll arrive by early afternoon, with time for a city tour, including the famous Witches’ Market (El Mercado de las Brujas and La Hechicería) where you can shop for all the ingredients you need to prepare potions at home. Or you can simply look at the items for sale and leave the sorcery to the pros. Only six miles outside the city, and included as an option on the tour, La Valle de la Luna’s name is inspired by its fantastic lunar-like landscape of tall spires, created by millennia of erosion. And some of the best views of La Paz are from the city’s cable cars, which you’ll ride on this tour.  

You’ll dine tonight at Mercat, enjoying a bountiful buffet of local specialties. It’s an ideal way to sample a variety of Bolivian dishes. Before you continue on to your next stop, you’ll visit some of the cholets of El Alto. These spectacular buildings are unique to Bolivia—exuberant colorful houses and businesses in candy and neon hues that draw their inspiration from Aymaraart and design.

A 40-minute flight from La Paz will bring you to Uyuni, the largest salt flat on earth, stretching for almost 4,000 square miles. Even if you’ve never visited Uyuni or the salt flat, you’ve likely seen images of it. Perhaps you’ve seen Instagram photos that take advantage of the odd perspectival tricks that are possible here, with the flat surface making it difficult to determine distances. A remarkable crust of salt stretches to the horizon in every direction and, after a rainfall, it can act like an enormous mirror reflecting the brilliant blue skies.  

On your day on the salt flat, you’ll visit some of its more unusual features, like Isla Incahuasi, the Island of Giant Cacti. The remnant of an ancient volcano, this island rises above the sea of salt below, while the cacti growing there reach heights of up to 30 feet. At the village of Colchani, you can see how the salt is gathered and processed. 

You’ll sleep this night at the Hotel de Sal Luna Salada, built entirely of salt blocks. Many rooms have views of the salt flat stretching towards the horizon (others have mountain views). One benefit of spending the night is that you can enjoy the salt flat after daytime visitors have continued on to their next stop. With its high altitude and far from major light sources, it’s an ideal place to gaze at the stars of the southern night sky.

Like Bolivia’s salt flat, Chile’s Atacama Desert, in the north of the country, is another popular destination for stargazing. Your base here will be the Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa, a luxury lodge sitting at the base of a vermillion peak just a mile from San Pedro, the principal gateway to the Atacama. The lodge has a total of six pools, a gourmet restaurant with an impressive list of Chilean wines, and an excellent spa (a treatment is included with your stay). As tempting as it may be to be to enjoy the resort’s amenities, you can, and should, take advantage of the many activities they organize each day. 

A four-mile trail here makes for an easy hike, with views of the cliffs of the Cordillera de la Sal mountain range. You’ll pass through a tunnel connecting the towns of San Pedro and Calama and walk atop the high dunes of the Valley of Mars. Another area with an otherworldly landscape, the Valley of the Moon, is best visited late in the day when, at dusk, the barren peaks take on a dazzling array of shades of orange, red, and yellow. Your visit will conclude with a sunset aperitif. Seeing the El Tatio Geysers requires a full day, but it’s worth the journey to see the springs, fumaroles, and boiling mud pools. On your way back to the lodge, you’ll also stop at Machuca, a small town of adobe houses where you can try a llama skewer.

The Iguazú Falls, located along the Argentinian-Brazilian border, are some 70 feet higher than Niagara Falls. The name comes from the Guarani language and translates as “big water.” Here the Iguazú River descends from the Paraná Plateau through a series of some 275 interlinking falls before joining downstream with the Paraná River. It’s an impressive spectacle and, at least by some measures, the largest waterfall system in the world based on volume.  

The main attraction here is, of course, the waterfalls. You’ll see one of the most spectacular of them, the Garganta del Diablo (or Devil’s Throat), as it plunges some 250 feet. A catwalk that runs for roughly 1.5 miles offers a variety of vantage points on the natural wonder. A second tour includes a mile-long walk by some of the falls in the lower circuit, with walks through the rain forest.  

While you are in Iguazú, you’ll stay at a new 14-room boutique lodge, the Awasi Iguazú. Each private village is surrounded by jungle and has a private plunge pool, while a main lodge includes the property’s restaurant and bar. Staffers will want to introduce you to some of the highlights beyond the falls themselves, so share with them your interests—botany, bird-watching, geology, or something else—and they’ll plan a customized outing for you, complete with a knowledgeable guide.

A 90-minute flight will bring you to the final stop of your South American adventure if you follow this exact itinerary—Argentina’s captivating and intoxicating capital, Buenos Aires. Generations of Italian, Spanish, and other immigrants have given the city a famously European feel. It’s a city of grand boulevards and neighborhoods that look like they could have been lifted directly from Madrid.  

You’ll stay in the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, housed in a beautiful 1930s neo-classical mansion (some rooms are in an attached contemporary tower). It’s located in one of Buenos Aires’s most elegant neighborhoods, Recoleta, and features an art gallery, spa, and lap pool—perfect for winding down after your days exploring the city.  

A city tour will give you a helpful overview of Buenos Aires, its neighborhoods, and its landmarks. The Plaza de Mayo is the main square and where you’ll find the cathedral and the Casa Rosada—the presidential palace where Juan and Evita Perón would wave to their supporters from its balcony. San Telmo is the city’s oldest barrio, or neighborhood; its streets are lined with historic buildings and new trendy restaurants and boutiques sitting next to decades-old bars and grocers. In La Boca, the birthplace of tango, buildings in bright candy colors create a picturesque scene. And when you visit sprawling Palermo, your guide can point out the streets with lively cafes, restaurants, and bars. 

Other excursions that TCS World Travel will arrange include the El Zanjón de Granados, a tenement that has been turned into a museum that provides a fascinating perspective on the history of the city and, of course, a tango gala. You’ll visit the city’s most glamorous venue for dinner and a performance of one of Argentina’s most famous cultural exports.  

It makes for the perfect ending to an unforgettable vacation around the continent—just one of the many unique travel opportunities you’ll find with TCS World Travel.