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Back in the 1600s, during the Spanish colonial period, a number of Jesuit missions were founded in the northern province of Misiones, near the border with Brazil. At one point, over 3,000 Indigenous people lived in the mission, but as the Jesuits left the country, the buildings fell into ruins. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the San Ignacio Mini are the largest and still best-preserved mission ruins in the country. The original mission – built in red-brown stone in a style known as Guaraní Baroque -– was massive and included a monastery, a cabildo (administrative office), a cemetery, and a number of living spaces. The mission’s church, which measured 74 meters long by 24 meters wide, is the best-preserved part of the ruins. A small on-site museum tells the story of the mission, and there’s a scale model of the original San Ignacio Mini.
Caño Cristales was off limits for decades while in the grip of guerrilla fighters but is officially back in business and welcoming more tourists than ever before. Most visitors come to this remote river canyon in the Orinoquía region to hike between its waterfalls and bathe in its natural swimming holes. While worth the trip in any season, the canyon is particularly prismatic between July and November, when an algae bloom turns the riverbed into a rainbow of colors. The isolated outpost of La Macarena is your base for trips to Caño Cristales, and it’s only reachable by air from Bogotá or Villavicencio. There is also a Jurassic zone filled with the life-size dinosaur replicas he purchased for his son and a wild hippo herd that, after years of heavy procreation, has grown from four to 40 and now represents the largest herd outside of Africa.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Castillo del Morro is one of the best-preserved Spanish fortresses of the 17th century. It stands at the entrance to the Bay of Santiago, about 10 kilometers southwest of Santiago de Cuba, the country’s second largest city. Perched high atop a cliff, the structure was designed in 1587, but took decades to build and was finally completed at the end of the 17th century. It was originally intended to protect against pirate attacks, but also served as a prison in the late 1700s before being once again converted into a fortress. Today, you can explore the many different levels of the fort, learn about pirates and the fort history in the small museum, and enjoy impressive views over the bay. Other cultural highlights of Santiago de Cuba include the Diego Velazquez Museum and Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia, home to the remains of some of Cuba’s most famous military figures. Less than an hour from the city by car, Parque Baconao is a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve where you can tour coffee plantations, wander through beautiful botanical gardens, and enjoy stunning 360-degree views over the mountains and sea from the 1,234-meter summit of Gran Piedra, a large volcanic rock.
The world’s third-largest producer of coffee beans, Colombia is a fantastic country for tastings and tours. The vast majority of production takes place in the subtropical Andean hills west of Bogota between the small cities of Armenia, Pereira, and Manizales. This region, known as the Eje Cafetero (or Coffee Axis), is home to a growing number of coffee plantations that have opened up their operations to the public in recent years for tours, tastings, and lavish farm stays. These small (and often organic) plantations are the kind of places where the farmer-owner might take an hour out of his day to explain the process of how a humble “cherry” turns into a coffee bean that will one day be roasted and ground into a latte back home. The small resort town of Salento is easily the most attractive place to base yourself, with numerous farm tours nearby and plenty of things to do. You’ll also have easy access to attractions like Cocora Valley, home to the tallest palm trees in the world. You can rent bicycles from Salento to explore the region under your own steam or ride on one of the old-fashioned Willy jeeps that serve as the town’s de facto taxis.
It was the following day that I moved into an apartment in the more upscale neighbourhood of Vedado. And it would be the casa owned by the woman I’d eventually go back to Cuba to see. You’d know her as Che Guevara’s granddaughter. I’d come to know her as Fanny, my gorgeous beagle loving Airbnb hostess. Who was both the most frustrating woman alive and yet so gorgeous. I booked the first available flight to Buenos Aires Argentina. My favourite city in South America and where I’d spent quite a bit of time in my youth. I booked the first available flight and was on my way three days later. Arriving in Buenos Aires and being thrust back into the civilised world was a shock after about 4 months in closed off Cuba. Read additional details at https://inlovelyblue.com/.
Argentina’s diverse geography is one of the country’s main attractions. It encompasses everything from harsh deserts to humid jungles, and long ocean beaches to the soaring Andes. Stretching from the subtropical north to the subantarctic regions of beautiful Patagonia in the south, Argentina’s cultural, artistic, and architectural heritage is just as diverse, drawing upon influences from around the world. With its wonderful barrios, including colorful arts neighborhoods such as La Boca, old-world Recoleta, and trendy districts like Palermo, Buenos Aires sometimes feels more like Europe than Latin America. This lively capital city is the best place to begin sightseeing (it’s also the best place to learn to tango, the most iconic of Argentinian dances). In addition to its many cultural attractions, the other big draws – and for some tourists, its greatest appeal – are the country’s natural wonders, including the breathtaking Iguazú Falls, the world’s largest group of waterfalls. To make sure you find all the best places to visit and things to do, use this handy list of the top tourist attractions in Argentina.
Cuba, the Caribbean’s largest island, drips with history, culture, and a captivating mystique. Live music wafts through the cobbled squares in Havana’s World Heritage-listed Old Town, vintage cars still cruise the streets, and the beautiful old buildings in Cuba’s colonial cities evoke the feel of a country frozen in time. Cuba also abounds in natural beauty. This vast island has more than 5,000 kilometers of coastline, much of it rimmed by dazzling beaches. Coral reefs glimmer in the turquoise waters, and Cuba’s lush countryside and sublime islands have played host to presidents; provided refuge to revolutionaries; and inspired writers from around the world, Hemingway among them.