1. Rock sliding at Cachoeira do Tobogã, Brazil
Just outside the pretty village of Paraty, Brazil, is Cachoeira do Tobogã – a wide, flat, incredibly smooth rock face covered in shallow water. It forms a natural slide, allowing brave souls to slide across the rock face, gaining speed as they descend, then plunge down a waterfall into a deep blue pool. Even if you’re not up for the challenge, watching the local kids slide down the rock face and perform daring stunts is entertaining enough.
2. Cross the last Inca rope bridge in Peru
Maintaining and preserving the Q'iswa Chaka, a rope bridge near Cusco in Peru, is a long-standing tradition among the inhabitants of the Apurímac Canyon. Every June, the bridge is repaired and rewoven using ancient Inca techniques and has become part ofmit'a(a compulsory community activity in the Inca Empire). 46 m long, spanning the riverbed at a height of 18 m, crossing this masterpiece of braided grass is a thrill you will never forget.
3. Stay in Montaña Mágica, Chile
Montaña Mágica in southern Chile was designed to blend seamlessly into its natural surroundings – a reserve called Huilo Huilo. Shaped like a volcano, the hotel has water erupting from its peak and flowing down to the rainforest floor below. Montaña Mágica is at least a two-hour drive from the airport, but the experience of staying in a cozy, wood-paneled room reminiscent of a hobbit hole is well worth it.
4. Explore the salt flats in Bolivia
Located at an altitude of 3,000 m above sea level is Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat. Covering 11,000 km2These white salt flats were once a prehistoric lake, now dried up, leaving behind a surreal and empty desert landscape. Visit Salar de Uyuni during the rainy season from January to April each year, when the steam creates a mirror-like effect, reflecting the endless blue sky and fluffy white clouds above.
5. Swimming in the rainbow river in Colombia
Between June and November, the Caño Cristales River in Meta, Colombia, undergoes a kaleidoscopic transformation. When the water level is just right and sunlight can reach the riverbed, an aquatic plant called macarenia clavigera blooms in crimson and yellow, earning the river its nickname, “rainbow river.” Visitors must fly into the small airport in La Macarena, travel to Serranía de la Macarena National Park, and then ride horseback to the river. If you want to swim, skip the sunscreen, as any foreign chemicals can harm the delicate, vibrant plants.
6. Sandboarding in Peru
In the middle of the Peruvian desert lies Huacachina, a small oasis built around a lagoon that locals say has therapeutic properties. But the main reason tourists come to Huacachina is to experience sandboarding. You can drive a pickup truck out to a scenic spot and slide down the apricot-colored sand. Then you can order a pisco sour, Peru’s national drink, at a bar by the lagoon and watch the sun set.
