Things to Do in Central And South America

The vast tropical basin that covers Petén, the northern third of Guatemala, remains largely wild, its jungle-carpeted Mayan cities and traditional indigenous villages left largely unmolested within the protected 2.1 million-hectare (almost 8000 square-mile) Maya Biosphere Reserve, created by UNESCO in 1990.

Home to only 3% of Guatemala’s population, it has become an adventurous ecotourism destination. The reserve comprises Tikal National Park, El Zotz and Naachtún-Dos Lagunas Biotopes (Uaxatún), Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, and Mirador Basin National Monument, along with at least 200 other Mayan ruins, mountains, rivers, cenotes, hiking trails, and 14 lakes, including Lake Petén Itza, gateway to the reserve.

The reserve is part of a protected area stretching from central Mexico, through northern Guatemala and Belize. The Mayan city-studded forests are home to thousands of rare and beautiful species, including jaguar, puma, ocelot, margay, spider monkeys, tapirs, deer, scarlet macaws, and much more. There are dozen of ways to explore the wilderness, most of which are easily arranged from Flores.

Nestled in the Sacred Valley of the Incas is the remote town of Maras, known throughout Peru for its thousands of worked salt pans.

Salt has been collected here since before the time of the Inca, rising to the surface from a subterranean stream and evaporating in the Andean sunshine.

You can gather your own handful of salt or buy some packaged to take home from Maras’ gift store.

The terraced saltwork pools dotting the Andean hillsides look quite stunning, glittering like bright white snow in the sunshine, so bring your camera.

The town of Maras was quite important in colonial times, and you’ll see some out-of-place ornate Spanish homes and the mud-brick colonial church.

La Mariscal is the epicenter of Quito’s tourist scene, so much so the neighborhood has become known as ‘Gringolandia.’

What Mariscal lacks in tourist attractions it makes up for in bars, restaurants, and clubs. Many visitors opt to stay in Mariscal for its wide range of accommodations and shopping and its reputation as the place to be when the sun goes down.

You’ll find a whole range of useful amenities in Mariscal, including internet cafes, banks and tour operators.

Mercado Modelo is a lively place stocked full of arts, crafts and touristy trinkets.

Located across the street from the restored art deco elevador lacerda (elevator) in a replica of the city’s old customs house, the market is a fun way to spend an hour or two and maybe pick up a bit of tourist tack for the folks back home.

Take a deep breath as you enter to prepare for the onslaught of vendors that’ll attempt to coax you towards their stall. It’s all pretty light-hearted so with a smile and a bit of friendly bartering, you’ll enjoy your visit here.

  

Medellin’s main Cathedral, along with thickly shaded Parque Bolivar—once Medellin’s most important plaza—now seem suffocated by the claustrophobic urban chaos that is downtown. The narrow streets and gritty scene make it a bit difficult to appreciate this amazing structure from up close.

Officially called the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Contraception of Mary, this is the largest brick building in the world, and largest cathedral in South America. Designed by French architect Emile Charles Carre and completed in 1931, the tawny towers took 56 years, all total, to build. Look for it as you zip past on rapid transit, with a vantage that allows you to appreciate the enormity of its construction.

The cavernous interior is a bit spare and spooky, but the epic interior arches are well worth a look. This area gets seedy after dark (Bolivar Park, out front, isn’t exactly wholesome even at noon), so stay alert if you’re here for evening Mass.

Guides like to say that Tikal was the New York City of its time, while Copan was its Paris. Full of artists and intellectuals for hundreds of years, Copan was a city where what was on the pyramids was more important than how high they rose. So you don’t come here to be wowed by the scale, rather to take in the beauty and skill of the Mayan people.

This site offers the best chance in the Maya world to go back in time to an age when the buildings were covered with stucco and painted with lively scenes: you can still see the original pigments.

Also unusual for Mayan sites, this one has an attractive colonial town near enough for walking, Copan Ruinas, full of good-value hotels and restaurants.

The Main Site
Several grassy plazas and a ball court are surrounded by pyramids and other temples, many decorated with lively carved stone symbolic figures and former kings. Nearly every surface is covered by some relief or carving. Stone stelae illustrate the various rulers over the centuries and tell stories spanning more than 600 years.

The Tunnels
Two tunnels under one pyramid provide a view into how one pyramid was built on top another, as well as how the civilization evolved over time and became more sophisticated. The tunnels are only open to a few people at a time.

Sculpture Museum
To understand what the temples looked like in their heyday, enter here to so a reconstructed pyramid that is brightly colored and covered with painted figures. Original sculptures and painted sections are on display showing what is often missing from visits to ruins now.

Las Sepulturas
This site a little more than a kilometer from the main archeological park, included in the admission, is where the elite lived and buried their dead. It contains tombs—some elaborate, some simple depending on rank—for the city’s royalty and spiritual leaders.

Santiago's Cathedral - or Catedral Metropolitana - is considered one of the finest pieces of religious architecture in South America. This is the Catedral Metropolitana's fourth incarnation (as well as numerous touchups) since a church was first dedicated on this spot in 1561, and must be one of its loveliest.