The Amazon crowns the top of most world travelers’ bucket lists, and for good reason. The colossal river and its surrounding jungle are home to a thriving wonderland of plants and animals, not to mention a rainforest that serves as the oxygen-producing lifeblood of our planet. While the Amazon will always be a must-see, there are four less-traveled destinations in this region of South America that teem with their own unique natural wonders.
These rare sights from South America and beyond take some effort to visit, but you’ll be wholly rewarded when you arrive. Here are five wonders to be discovered—if you’re willing to go the distance.
It’s a foggy morning with fairly calm seas. Antarctica waits for us, shrouded, mysterious, and might I say magical! We enter English Strait, a narrow passage that bisects the South Shetland Islands. Shortly we can see land, Barrientos Island, our proposed landing site after breakfast. There are penguins here and so much more to come. This is just the beginning of the adventure.
Today we continued to make our way southeast through the Scotia Sea, on our way from South Georgia towards the Antarctic Peninsula. With our navigation sights set on Elephant Island, the reverse route experienced by Shackleton’s expedition, we are certainly grateful to be on board a vessel so warm and comfortable as National Geographic Explorer. As we ventured further south through the “furious 50s” and “screaming 60s”, our day at sea included an exciting pass by killer whales before breakfast and views of brash ice and seabirds cruising by. We enjoyed presentations from the expedition team on scientific research and life on South Georgia, learning about the ice features that make Antarctica special, and expedition stories from National Geographic photo expert Tommy Heinrich.
Today we visited the Northwestern realm of Santa Cruz Island. The outing on Cerro Dragon allowed us to visit the home of one of the most emblematic creatures of the archipelago, the golden Galapagos land iguanas. After our hike, we went for a remarkable snorkel with plenty of colorful fish, playful sea lions, and lots of sea stars. Later, we arrived at Bahia Borrero where we explored the bay kayaking. The highlight of the afternoon outing was the number of baby sharks and rays that our guests found in the mangrove forest. We ended the day on the top deck with a wine tasting event at sunset, a perfect ending to a perfect day.
The last full day of our expedition brought us all the way to the most eastern region of the Galapagos, San Cristobal Island. Two of the highlights of the day were the stunning red-footed boobies and of course, the infinite landscapes that San Cristobal offers. We started our morning with an early hike at Punta Pitt and enjoyed the sea lions that were everywhere. During lunch, we navigated to Cerro Brujo, categorized as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. We had a spectacular day to end our expedition. We created so many memories filled with wonderful moments we had in this unique place!
During the day we visited Santa Cruz Island, and in the first part of the morning we went to the Galapagos Giant Tortoise Breeding Center to learn about the efforts done to rescue these reptiles from extinction. Throughout the morning, we were able to see baby turtles as well as the adults. During a short stop, we walked into the building that houses the remains of the famous Lonesome George, the last tortoise of the Pinta Island species. At the end of the morning, we went to the upper part of the island and had the opportunity to visit two different farms as well as a local school where we enjoyed interacting with the students. After lunch we had the opportunity to observe the giant tortoises in their natural habitat, walking among them as they grazed, unphased by our presence.
