Highlights of Gringo Trail

The mountain town of Otavalo north of Quito is famed for its colourful craft market which is an excellent place to shop for traditional souvenirs, especially textiles. The Indian villages around Otavalo are famed for their particular craft works, including Cotachi village which is well known for its leather, San Antonio famous for its woodcarvings and Peguche which is renowned for its traditional Andean music and hand-made panpipes. Otavalo is surrounded by a dramatic and beautiful mountainous landscape which is worth exploring. In particular, the Cuicocha crater lake at 3,100 metres has excellent walking trails and the chance to spot condors, the largest bird in the Andes.

The eastern part of Ecuador is covered by the western edges of the Amazon rainforest, which stretches over 4000km from here through Brazil to the Atlantic coast, the largest and most bio-diverse tropical rainforest on Earth. Staying in jungle lodges here allows you to explore the rainforest on foot or by boat and learn about the animal and bird species present here and the wide variety of plant life and their traditional medicinal uses.

Huascarán National Park is located in the Cordillera Blanca Range of the Peruvian Andes, the highest tropical mountain range in the world. There are 27 peaks over 6,000 metres within the park, with Mount Huascarán at 6,768 metres being the highest. The snow-capped mountains, deep ravines, glacial lakes and variety of vegetation make it a region of spectacular beauty. Important wildlife found in the park include the Andean condor, spectacled bear, puma, mountain cat and white-tailed deer.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Huascarán National Park

The Peruvian Amazon is part of the vast area of rainforest which covers 5.5 million km² across nine countries. Flying into the small town of Puerto Maldonado in eastern Peru, a boat trip up the Tambopata River will take you to a jungle lodge from where you can explore the rainforest. Home to more than a third of the world’s plant and animal species, the Amazon is probably the most bio-diverse areas on earth. Walks along jungle trails and boat trips offer the chance to view and explore some of these, including the plants used for food and medicine. Animals that may be spotted include monkeys, boars and a myriad of bird species, as well as giant otters and black caiman on the waters. It's also possible to visit some indigenous Indian communities who live in and off the Amazon rainforest.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Manú National Park

The Colca Canyon in southern Peru is one of the largest and deepest in the world, twice as deep as Arizona's Grand Canyon with depths averaging about 3,400 metres. There are several villages in and around the canyon, as well as terraced fields that date back to pre-Columbian times. The village of Chivay is a good base from which to explore Colca with excellent trails to appreciate the stunning views. The viewpoint at Cruz del Condor is one of the best lookouts, particularly in the early morning when you can spot the huge Andean condors soaring on the thermal draughts rising from the canyon.

Lake Titicaca is the world's highest navigable lake at 3815 metres and the second largest lake in South America, covering an area of 8,400 km². There are several islands on the lake home to Aymara and Quechua-speaking Indian people who have adapted to living at high altitude and on the lake and still practice many of their traditional customs. A boat trip on Lake Titicaca from the port of Puno allows you to visit several of these islands and experience the culture of the people living there, as well as appreciating the beautiful natural scenery of the lake itself, ringed by Andean peaks. The floating reed islands are home to the Uros people, their islands are made from totura, a reed-like papyrus that grows in the shallows which is also used to build their boats and homes. On Amantani Island, there are six small villages where you can stay with a local family and learn about their customs. The island's peaks of Pachatata (Father Earth) and Pachamama (Mother Earth) are worth climbing for sunset with some spectacular views over the lake. Taquile Island also offers the chance to explore the locals traditions of music, dance and weaving - the style of dress has changed little since colonial times and items of embroidery are available to buy from the crafts co-operative.

Amazon Rainforest (Bolivia)

The rainforest of the Amazon Basin extends over vast areas of the north-east of Bolivia. This is a region of enormous biodiversity of flora and fauna, with hundreds of species of birds and butterflies in addition to animals such as shy tapir, jaguar, howler monkey, deer and sloth. The region includes the protected areas of the Madidi National Park and the Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, the latter a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Staying in jungle lodges, you can explore the Amazon with walks through the rainforest and canoe rides along the rivers, spotting wildlife and learning about the importance and uses of the jungle plants.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Noel Kempff Mercado National Park

Salar de Uyuni

The Salar de Uyuni, or Great Salt Desert, in south-western Bolivia is the world's largest and highest salt flats and one of Bolivia's most spectacular natural features. The salt lake covers some 12,000 km² at an altitude of 1,650 metres and the contrast between the bright blue skies and the blindingly white salt crust is spectacular. Three to four day tours of the region can be taken in 4x4s to explore the remarkable landscape and various sites of interest. In addition to taking the compulsory perspective defying photos, you can visit the village of Jirira at the foot of the Tunupa Volcano and explore the natural caves on the volcano, the volcanic Fish Island home to some enormous cacti and a salt works to learn of the extraction process. Other natural features of interest include Laguna Colorado, a bright red lake and Laguna Verde, a striking blue-green lake, which are coloured by algae and rich minerals and the geysers and thermal baths of Sol de Manana.

San Pedro de Atacama

The oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama is a base for exploring the dramatic natural features of the Atacama Desert in the north of Chile. San Pedro itself is a charming little town of white-washed buildings, dusty streets, some great restaurants and bars and countless travel companies offering tours of the surrounding region. The Valley of the Moon is a bizarre, lunar-like landscape with strange rock formations. Even amongst the crowds, watching the sunset here is a magical experience. Elsewhere the Salar de Atacama is the world's largest salt lake, its rich mineral deposits attracting many flamingos and other birds. The Geysers of El Tatio, located at 4,500 metres and surrounded by volcanoes, are best visited in the morning to see the water and steam hurling up from the geysers, thermal wells and fumaroles, with the morning light producing a magical effect. Other options in the area include scaling up and sand boarding down the sand dunes of Death Valley, visiting the Puritama hot springs and hiking some of the nearby volcanoes.

Quebrada de Humahuaca

The Quebrada de Humahuaca (Humahuaca Gorge) is located in northern Argentina along the valley of the Rio Grande from its source in the High Andes to its confluence with the Rio Leone 150km to the south. It has been a major cultural and trade route for thousands of years, known as the Camino Inca, and was used for 200 years to transport the silver mined at Potosi back to Spain. The valley features traces of several historical periods, from prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, to the Inca Empire of the 15th and 16th centuries and the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th centuries. The scenery is this region is spectacular and the villages of Purmamarca, Humahuaca and Uquia are picturesque settlements in beautiful mountainous settings.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Quebrada de Humahuaca

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls can lay reasonable claim to being the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. Certainly, the sheer breadth of them, 275 distinct waterfalls across 2.5km, is without parallel while they are higher than Niagara Falls with heights of up to 80 metres. Located at the confluence of the Rio Iguazu and the Rio Alto Parana, the Falls can be viewed from both the Argentine and Brazilian side of the border - the Brazilian side gives great panoramic views, especially of the Devil's Throat area, with the Argentine side allowing you to get closer to the waters from above and below. The single most impressive waterfall is the Devil's Throat, reached on the Green Train or by a hike through the park. After walking across several bridges, you reach a platform right beside the spectacular and deafening cascade of water. Back towards the centre of the park, there are two circuits (Upper and Lower) that allow you to get very close to some of the other falls (Salto Bossetti is a particularly impressive and dampening experience) as well as giving some fantastic panoramic views. Depending on water levels, you can take a boat to Isla San Martin for a different perspective or a speedboat ride right up to the Falls themselves to get properly soaked. Iguazu is truly one of the must-see sights in the world and warrants extensive exploration of the National Park.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Iguazu National Park

Iguazu Falls can lay reasonable claim to being the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. Certainly, the sheer breadth of them, 275 distinct waterfalls across 2.5km, is without parallel while they are higher than Niagara Falls with heights of up to 80 metres. Located at the confluence of the Rio Iguazu and the Rio Alto Parana, the Falls can be viewed from both the Argentine and Brazilian side of the border - the Brazilian side gives great panoramic views, especially of the Devil's Throat area, with the Argentine side allowing you to get closer to the waters from above and below. A short helicopter ride over the waterfalls offers a different and spectacular vista. Close to the national park is the Parque das Aves which contains many examples of Brazil's subtropical birds as well as mammals and reptiles. There is also the option to visit the Itaipu Dam, one of the engineering wonders of the world and second only in size to the Three Gorges Dam in China. With a dam 8km long and 65 storeys high and a reservoir that covers 1400 km², Itaipu supplies 80& of Paraguay's electricity and 25% of Brazil's.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Iguaçu National Park

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful and vibrant cities in the world. Known as the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City), its setting is almost unparalleled - crammed between stunning white beaches and soaring mountains with the peaks of Sugarloaf Mountain and the Corcovado guarding its bay. The 1,300-metre long cable car ride to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain gives you spectacular views across the city and Guanabara Bay, which are matched by those on Corcovado on top of which lies the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Back in the city, Rio's famous beaches (Ipanema, Copacabana and Leblon) are filled with sun worshippers, the colonial part of the city has many historic buildings and museums and the picturesque barrio of Santa Teresa is known as 'The Montmartre of Rio'. Its at night when Rio really comes alive though, with the samba bars of Lapa and the bars and restaurants of Ipanema and Copacabana filled with live music, energy and people having fun. The whole city goes wild with parades and parties in the week leading up to the Mardi Gras Carnival every year in February. The contrast between the opulent downtown and the poverty in the hillside favelas can be seen on a tour of Rocinha (the largest in South America). Another must-see attraction is a football game at the world famous 95,000 seat Maracena Stadium to experience the unique Brazilian football atmosphere. For quiet time away from the city's bustle, the beautiful Botanical Gardens or tropical rainforest of Tijuca National Park provides a welcome break from the concrete jungle.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea