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AFAR chose a destination at random—by literally spinning a globe—and sent writer Kevin Bleyer on a spontaneous journey to Guyana.

Young artists stake their claim to the city’s open spaces.

This stunning stretch of South Carolina coast is perfect for a multigenerational trip that the whole family will love.

Outside of Chattanooga’s downtown tourist district is the unexpectedly fantastic Chattanooga Zoo. The award-winning wildlife park has exhibits featuring some of the world’s most exotic animals. Chimpanzees, jaguars, snow leopards and sloths are among the exhibited creatures classified by habitat and part of the world they come from. If you and your family are on a budget, you can visit the zoo for less than $10 per person. The zoo is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.

The 165-acre Springs Resort & Spa sits 1,000 feet above the Arenal Valley, higher than any other resort in the area and affording each one of its 47 polished-wood guest rooms commanding views of the Arenal Volcano and surrounding countryside. Impressive as those vistas are, the luxury resort’s biggest draw is its 28 mineral thermal pools, which wind through four lush acres. The setting is undeniably romantic—the resort was featured in an episode of The Bachelor—but families are welcome, with activities for kids of all ages. Club Rio, on the resort’s half-mile of river frontage, offers tubing, kayaking, mountain biking, and horseback riding; there’s also a wildlife preserve for rescued native animals, including monkeys, ocelots, jaguarundis, sloths, and a puma. Five restaurants (and five bars) mean there are plenty of options, from casual poolside dining to tasting-menu elegance.

Presiding over Stanley Park, Canada’s largest aquarium houses more than 50,000 creatures, from penguins to sea otters to three-toed sloths. Don’t miss the star turns from the rescued Steller sea lions Izzy and Rogue, who swoop gracefully under the water and bask on sun-warmed rocks. Afterward, be sure to visit the theater, which goes beyond 3-D with mist, scents, wind, and even lightning. Adding substance to style, the aquarium is also the headquarters of Ocean Wise, a global conservation initiative dedicated to increasing the understanding, wonder, and appreciation of our seas.

At this bird-lover’s paradise, guests have reported seeing Blue Cotingas, Green Shrike-Vireos, and any number of native Panamanian bird species just outside their bedroom window. Their luck is in part due to Canopy Tower’s unorthodox location in a converted radar tower, right in the middle of the lowland rainforest of Soberanía National Park. Accommodations span two floors at either 18 feet (mid-canopy level) or 28 feet (canopy level), and range from basic yet adequate single rooms that share a bathroom, to a large suite with a private balcony. The lush rainforest setting also means there’s plenty more than birds on view—howler and tamarin monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, nine-banded armadillos, and white-tailed deer are frequently seen from the tower, plus the stargazing is phenomenal. Guests can choose from day rates or all-inclusive birding and nature packages, the most comprehensive of which is a 20-night exploration of the surrounding area.

With its pristine beaches, emerald lagoons, and wildlife-filled jungles, Manuel Antonio National Park is considered one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders. There’s no better place from which to explore it than the five-star Arenas del Mar, an 11-acre hotel and reserve that’s set atop rain-forested cliffs overlooking the Pacific and delivers just the right amount of luxury within walking distance of the park. (Just don’t be surprised to cross paths with the occasional monkey, sloth, crab, or iguana.) The rooms on the upper level have ocean views and feature hot tubs on large terraces; beachfront rooms are a particularly good choice for families with children thanks to easy access to the lower pool and the casual Playitas Restaurant. But the resort is also an unexpected culinary beacon, serving sustainable dock-to-dish seafood caught by local fisherman that morning and certified gluten-free options alongside traditional Costa Rican specialties.

A stunning national park on the Pacific coast, Manuel Antonio has it all: nonstop beautiful beaches, lush tropical rain forest, and oh, the wildlife and flowers, everywhere you look. Monkeys abound on these beaches, and they are not timid around people. This is the place (the only place, thankfully), where a monkey pooped on my head. Ah, the memories... The Viewpoint Trail hike is an uphill climb to this lookout (mirador) with outstanding views of the coastline.

Not only does this museum give you a peek at local prehistoric flora and fauna long before Hollywood CGI could create them, its deliciously corny and retro exhibits are reason enough to visit. Beginning at the still-oozing and sulphur-stinky tar pits on the grounds outside the building—with fake mastodons caught in the muck and on the solid ground beside it—the mood is old-school museum, but the science is real. Fossil excavation is ongoing and one of the galleries inside has an illuminated wall display of the skulls of hundreds of dire wolves pulled from the tar. (The ever-hungry wolves would be unable to resist the delicious sight of helpless animals stuck in the tar, and would venture in for the kill, only to get trapped themselves). The museum has not abandoned some of its old-fashioned showmanship, including a couple of animatronic displays, one of of saber-toothed tiger mechanically attacking a giant sloth. In a city full of modern sophistication and invention, the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum are able to educate about the city’s distant and not-so-distant past.

In the 17th century, the pirate Henry Morgan traveled the Chagres River to attack Panama City. In the early 20th century, the Chagres River was dammed to create the 53-kilometer-long (33-mile-long) Gatún Lake, at the time the largest manmade lake in the world. One salubrious effect of this was the establishment of wildlife pockets around the lake where crocodiles, sloths and various monkey species thrive; some of these creatures can be seen as your boat traverses the lake.

Head north of Valpoi to reconnect with nature in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The 80-square-mile preserve, nestled in the Western Ghats, is considered an area of high biodiversity, with wildlife ranging from black panthers and leopards to sloth bears and Bengal tigers. In fact, it was recently proposed that Mhadei become a part of Project Tiger, a government initiative to conserve a viable tiger population. Look high! The sanctuary is also an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (an official designation by BirdLife International and the Audubon Society), with 255 recorded species. Besides wildlife, the preserve is dotted with dozens of waterfalls, most notably the dual Vazra Sakla and Virdi Falls. There are no public tourist facilities; allow yourself three hours for a self-guided exploration of the sanctuary.

As you sail through the narrow Culebra Cut, the 220-square-kilometer (85-square-mile) Soberanía National Park stretches past you to your east. In the 16th century, the Las Cruces Trail in this park was used to transport gold. Today, a 40-meter-tall (130-foot-tall) observation tower here affords visitors views of the forest canopy under which more than 1,300 plants such as orchids and bromeliads thrive—alongside howler monkeys, sloths, anteaters and toucans, some of which you might be lucky enough to glimpse.

Founded in 1838, Amsterdam’s zoo, just east of the Canal Ring, is one of the oldest in Europe, with a parklike setting that also houses an aquarium and planetarium (entrance to both is included in the price of admission). The grounds, while not large, are home to around 700 species, including giraffes, gorillas, penguins, pelicans, sloths, and reindeer. A highlight is Lemur Island, where the freely roaming long-tailed creatures scurry and hop all around you. The zoo also recently updated its Asian elephant and jaguar enclosures. The aquarium, which dates from 1882, was fully renovated in 1997 and counts tropical fish, sharks, and sea horses among its residents; it also boasts an underwater scene of a typical Amsterdam canal, complete with a sunken bicycle.

Set on a private nature reserve where the tropical canopy forest meets the sea outside Nicaragua’s rollicking surf town of San Juan del Sur, Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge is one of the most unique hotel’s we’ve ever experienced.

Home to just 15 casitas, which are massive and enclosed entirely with screens only, so you fall asleep listening to the roar of the waves and the noise of the jungle, it’s a unique sleeping experience The vibe is somewhere between African safari and American National Park lodge, and completely relaxing. We loved the extra touches like the canopy over the bed that is actually a whisper soft air-con system delivering a cool breeze at night should you desire one. There is WiFi, but rooms don’t have TVs, as the concept here is on sustainability and digital detox.