Hostels in South America

Benji Lanyado reviews 10 of the finest hostels in South America.

1. Mellow Yellow, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Alongside Milhouse in Buenos Aires (see below), Mellow Yellow is South America's most famous party hostel. The dorms are standard fare, including two huge "bunk-bed city" dorms with eight triple-decker bunks, but the emphasis here isn't on sleep — this is one- star accommodation, five-star atmosphere. The top floor bar descends into boozy bedlam on a nightly basis thanks to R$5 (£1.38) caipirinhas and mojitos, often followed by mass trips to the trendy zone, Lapa, where the party continues into the little hours. The hot tub on the veranda is a surprising added extra, and there's a rather large beach a few minutes walk away. Goes by the name of Copacabana. Heard of it?

2. Tucano House, Florianópolis, Brazil
Opened this November, Tucano House is a charming little number on a residential backstreet in Lagoa de Conceição, Florianópolis' second biggest town. The hostel is run by the lovely Caio and Marilia Capela, twenty-something siblings who have grown up on the island. Be sure to follow any of their tips, whether wandering along the banks of the lagoon, trekking through Atlantic forest to find secluded beaches on the southern coast of the island, or gorging on açaí (thick fruit smoothies) while watching the beautiful people on Praia Mole, the island's most famous beach and surfing spot.

3. Cabo Polonio Hostel, Cabo Polonio, Uruguay
Cabo Polonio Hostel, Cabo Polonio, Uruguay Photograph: Benji Lanyado A wooden shack with three stucco rooms for visitors, the Cabo Polonio hostel is something of a Robinson Crusoe experience. The community of hippies and fishermen isn't accessed by any roads, necessitating a half-an-hour truck ride from the coastal road to the peninsular, and be sure to take a torch - there isn't any electricity once you get there. By night, Alfredo, the hostel's Argentinean owner, cooks up dinner by candlelight, usually involving fresh-caught fish served on the wooden front porch. Once a trained chef, Alfredo's nosh is worth the journey alone.

4. Milhouse, Buenos Aires, Argentina
The ground floor bar at Milhouse usually gets going around midnight. By 2am, people will be talking about heading out for the evening, and by 3am they may or may not make it - few party hostels go as hard as Milhouse. But beyond the debauchery lies an architectural surprise. The hostel is in a three-storey colonial building in the heart of Buenos Aires' downtown, with each room set under high ceilings surrounding a gorgeous open-air atrium in the middle of the block. BA's political and religious centre, the Plaza de Mayo, is at the end of the road, and the restaurants and antique stores of San Telmo are a few minutes' walk away.

5. Che Legarto, Ilha Grande, Brazil
Che Legarto hostel, Ilha Grande, Brazil Photograph: Benji Lanyado The best budget option on Ilha Grande, two hours south of Rio, lies at the northern edge of the long cove at Abraão, the biggest town on the island. And the best seat in the house is on the balcony on the six-bed room above the wooden deck that reaches out over the water, where you can watch fishing boats zipping in and out of the bay, and see over to the mountains on the opposite shore. Che Lagarto is run by a gaggle of friendly young locals who cook up a mean barbecue every other night, and frequently invite their musical friends to play gigs in the hostel bar.

6. 41 Below, Bariloche, Argentina
41 Below is run by a bunch of friendly Kiwis who help guests arrange ski, board and clothing rental, lessons and transport to Cerro Catedral, one of South America's prime ski centres that looms over the town. Thousands of skiers and boarders descend on Bariloche, on the foothills of the Andes, over the winter months, but savvy backpackers turn up all year round … sunbathing and fishing on the banks of Huapi Lake during the summer, or trekking through the Lake District during the spring.

7. America del Sur Hostel, El Calafate, Patagonia
A hugely popular hostel in El Calafate, a small village on the banks of Lake Argentino in Patagonia. Frederico and his staff are famed for their hospitality and assistance in organising trips to the Perito Moreno Glacier and the surrounding towns and treks. The chillout area is the star of the show, with cosy sofas, a wood-burning fireplace and some of the finest views in Patagonia - taking in the town of Calafate (a seven-minute walk down the hill) and the lake beyond. The entire property has underfloor heating, and the newer doubles have their own private baths.

8. Hosteria Kamala, Montañita, Ecuador
In between the coastal villages of Montañita and Manglaralto on Ecuador's Pacific coast, the Kamala Hosteria is a collection of wooden cabañas on the beach. Passion fruit grows wild on the property, are mashed into smoothies and served up to local surfers at the beachfront bar and restaurant. The owners (who arrived in Montañita on holiday four years ago and never left) arrange dive and surf courses, and have a habit of getting guests hideously drunk. Nightly bonfires are lit on the beach, also the site of the Kamala's monthly full moon party.

9. La Nona B&B, Valparaiso, Chile
A small B&B on Cerro Alegre, the historic heart of the UNESCO-protected city of Valparaiso. The building is one of a number of corrugated tin houses doused in pastel shades on the street, walking distance from plenty of cosmopolitan restaurants and bars, most of which are owned by friends of La Nona's owner. The amiable Renee runs the property as a "home away from home", serving up fresh local coffee and a bumper breakfast each morning, lighting candles in the evening, and running a variety of tours of the city spliced with his own anecdotes.

10. The Adventure Brew Hostel, La Paz, Bolivia
A joint venture under Kiwi and Bolivian management, the Adventure Brew Hostel is the most popular hostel in La Paz. Which might have something to do with the microbrewery on the ground floor, and the noisy bar on the rooftop. And maybe something to do with the communal areas on each floor, glass walls letting the light shine through all five levels, unlimited free pancakes for breakfast and a barbecue every night. It's so popular they've had to build an overflow in a grand 1880s residence a few minutes up the road.

Yucatan - Mexico

Christine Delsol on Yucatán's Sacred Wells.

The Maya called them dzonots (sacred wells). The Spanish — mangling the Mayan name — called them cenotes. We call them unsurpassable swimming holes.

The Yucatán peninsula, where most of Mexico's cenotes are found, is a geological oddity: a flat limestone slab too porous to hold water on the surface. Rainwater seeps through the stone and carves subterranean channels in the peninsula's foundation. When sinkholes create breaches in the tunnel ceilings, subterranean waters are revealed to the world above.

Divers began surveying these wells and caves in the 1980s, bestowing names that range from the grandiose (Tajmajal) to the whimsical (Carwash, describing its popular use in past years). Thousands of cenotes have been discovered in the Caribbean coastal state of Quintana Roo alone, many linked to the world's three longest underground cave systems. Countless others remain hidden by jungle. Unearthed bones, precious stones and ancient ceramics suggest the ancient Maya used cenotes, regarded as gateways to the underworld, as ceremonial sites.

Some cenotes have become famous, most notably Cenote Segrado ("Sacred Well") at anointed world wonder Chichén Itzá. Popular parks have been created around them, such as Hidden Worlds Cenotes Park near Akumal, where the thriller "The Cave" and the IMAX movie "Amazing Caves" were filmed.

If visits to crowded Xcaret Hidden Worlds or Aktun Chen have ever made you wonder what it felt like to discover a secret cenote, here are a half-dozen where you won't fight throngs and you don't have to be a cave diver. All are accessible from the Riviera Maya's Highway 307. Most charge a few dollars' entrance fee and have bathrooms.

Cristalino: Though it's close to the hugely popular Cenote Azul, not many tourists find their way to this local favorite, which has a great jump-off point and a cave to explore. It overflows on Sundays with people beating the heat on their only day off, but the rest of the week you might have it to yourself. Take a cue from the locals: Bring a cooler and a blanket and while away the afternoon. Just south of Puerto Aventuras, east of the highway across from Barceló Maya Resort.

El Jardín del Edén (Ponderosa): "El Edén" looks like a big swimming pool in the middle of the jungle, tempting snorkelers with a wide variety of freshwater tropical fish and eels. In addition to a high jump-off point, a conveniently placed tree provides daredevils with a launch point. As a main entrance point into the underground cave system, it also attracts divers. Just south of Cenote Azul.

Xunaan Ha: Perhaps the least-known of the region's accessible cenotes, this one is reached by winding through a small Mayan village that is home to locals who work in and around Akumal. Signs point to the small cenote nearly hidden in the jungle, where you can swim, float or snorkel with schools of fish and the occasional freshwater turtle. Be prepared: no bathrooms here. Outside of Chemuyil, 7.5 miles south of Akumal.

Casa Cenote (Manatee): This large, open lagoon is the last cenote in one of the world's longest underwater cave systems before it empties into the sea. Fresh water bubbling up into ocean waters creates significant but not dangerous currents that make for a great variety of saltwater and freshwater fish. Swim upstream toward the caves, then wind your way back down through the mangroves toward the beach. Tankha, east of the highway and 6 miles north of Tulum.

Cenote Escondido (Mayan Blue): This beauty — a crisp, cool pool fringed with fan palms on a rocky bluff — requires a short jungle trek and draws fewer visitors than Cristal, its roadside neighbor. Swimmers can see hundreds of fish in the clear water; snorkelers will be better equipped to make out the stunning stone formations less than 20 feet below. 2.5 miles south of Tulum (highway signs mark the dirt road to the east).

Cenote Azul: Not to be confused with the well-known small cenote near Tulum, this is the world's deepest known cenote (nearly 300 feet) and well worth the drive. Though it's hardly a secret spot, not many tourists venture this far south. The cold, clear water is surrounded by dense forest at the southern end of the vast, multihued "Lagoon of Seven Colors." The site has changing rooms and a restaurant serving regional cuisine. South end of Laguna Bacalar, 9 miles north of Escárgega turnoff.

Top 10 Havana hotels

Charlie Thompson reviews 10 of the best Havana Hotels.

1. Santa Isabel

This grand 18th-century palace overlooks Havana's oldest and most beautiful colonial square, the Plaza de Armas. The pretty central courtyard has a fountain which is often filled with fresh tuberoses. Some of the beds are pretty squeaky so it's perhaps not the best place for nuits passionelles, but the cocktails are among the city's best and we defy you to get up from the mahogany and leather armchairs in the courtyard after more than two mojitos. Stay in the Santovenia Suite for a serious aesthetic treat.

2. Conde de Villanueva

Delightfully small and intimate establishment in what was once the mansion of Claudio Martínez de Pinillos, Count of Villanueva, the leader of Cuban Creole society in the 19th century. A favourite with cigar aficionados, it houses one of Old Havana's best cigar shops. The suite overlooking the junction of Lamparilla and Mercaderes Streets is probably the most inviting hotel room in Havana.

3. Saratoga

The Saratoga is the coolest hotel in Havana. Its elegant facade overlooks all the other 19th-century architectural splendours along the Paseo del Prado, including Havana's exquisite opera house. It's got a Mudejar-inspired restaurant, a Maugham-ish courtyard bar, the city's best rooftop pool and fabulous rooms, many of which have long cushioned window seats from which to watch the frenetic local street life. The mountain murals behind the bar with their multicoloured light display are the last word in urban kitsch.

4. Hotel Florida

A fabulous place with only 25 well furnished and spacious rooms flush with Italian marble. It was restored to its original 19th-century charm in 1999 and has bags of style. The entrance on to the bustling Calle Obispo is through a hugely impressive and imposing restored wooden door. The club downstairs (mostly salsa) can get quite lively but fortunately is well insulated so the sounds do not disturb and offer a good late night option. You are also very close to many Old Havana bars for an evening stroll or drink.

5. Hostal Valencia

Fantastic value, this beautiful place has only 12 rooms and often gets booked up early. Simple, yet very charming rooms set around a central courtyard garden with lush tropical plants make this a great option if you can get a reservation. The best rooms overlook the bay and are real Alice in Wonderland territory with low ceilings, beautiful furniture and no shortage of ambience. The Spanish restaurant is not bad either.

6. Mesón de la Flota

As close to a real Spanish tavern as you are likely to find, there are five rooms in this restored 19th-century inn. Comfortable clean rooms make this a good option as long as you like flamenco which plays nightly until 11pm and is extremely loud, but well done and well worth staying up for over a sangria. Food is mixed with good tapas but uninspiring main courses.

7. Hotel St John's

One of the relatively few budget hotels in Havana, St John's is clean, if a little threadbare. The seventh- floor swimming pool is tiny but after a few drinks offers the perfect place to cool off. The café-bar, becomes the Pico Blanco nightclub at 10.30pm, which is extremely popular with locals. It's also in a good location, at the bottom of La Rampa is the hub of Vedado.

8. Hotel Nacional

The Nacional is a magnificent hotel, fully deserving its ranking among the world's best, having hosted the likes of Churchill, Hemingway and Sinatra down the years. Unfortunately, the shabby rooms, patchy service and unexceptional food do not do justice to the general ambience. Savour the beautiful gardens, enjoy the history and relax by the pool, but don't try and get a dry martini with a rocket and walnut salad delivered to your room in the early hours of the morning.

9. Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz

The restored 19th-century building, which was converted into Hotel Beltrán in 2002, simply oozes charm. This is a small boutique place on the corner of Plaza Vieja, a few metres away from the popular Austrian brewery. The rooms are light and airy and are set around a lovely courtyard. The neighbouring buildings are somewhat run down but this should not put you off.

10. Bellavista

This is a marvellous casa partcicular offering a large master-bedroom, and one of the best private terraces in Havana, looking out across Havana Bay, which makes up for being out of Old Havana. The owner Mauricio speaks great English and is a charming "hablador" (talker) who will give you some interesting insights into Cuba.

South America

Terry Ward has some tropical suggestions.

South America
For a beach experience so stylish and sexy it puts South Beach to shame, set your sights on Uruguay. Punta del Este (less than an hour by plane from Buenos Aires in nearby Argentina) has been called many things: the St. Tropez, the Hamptons and the Monte Carlo of South America. There are Brazilian and Argentinean supermodels galore during the peak summer months (December to February).

And from this place, the money does ooze—not only in the flashy casino at the uber-luxe Conrad Hotel, but in the beautiful harbor, too, where you can tap your toes to the rhythm of bobbing yachts while enjoying fresh seafood washed down with medio y medio, Uruguay’s national drink.

“Punta is very seasonal. In the summer you have three times the people than in the off season, it’s like everything explodes,” said Montevideo resident Franco Vidiella. “Everything you see here is over-produced—from the women, with their beautiful clothes and tans, to the cars and the clubs.”

For more beauty on the beach, head a few hundred miles north of Punta del Este to the beaches of Florianopolis on the island of Santa Catarina in Southern Brazil.

Floripa, as Brazilians call this California-esque coastal enclave, is as renowned throughout Latin America for its golden beaches as it is for the golden-haired bombshells that abound—Germans, Polish and Italians colonized the South of Brazil, explaining the Giselle Bündchen look-a-like phenomenon that’s unmissable on the beaches here.

“Floripa is recognized as a top-end beach place in Brazil,” says Sao Paolo tourism executive Francisco Costa Neto. “They have some great seafood there, too, so it’s really the best of both worlds.”

The eastern beaches, particularly Praia Mole, draw international surfers and gorgeous groupies for good waves in a strut-your-stuff atmosphere, while the southern beaches, popular with Santa Catarina locals, are emptier due to the colder water, rocky shoreline and more remote access (many require hiking in).

Ponta dos Ganchos, an hour north of Santa Catarina, features 20 oceanfront bungalows on an isolated peninsula. With private saunas and plunge pools, it's Floripa’s most indulgent place to stay.

For a Brazilian island experience even farther removed from the mainland masses, set your sights on otherworldly Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago of 21 volcanic islands located roughly 215 miles off the northeast coast of Brazil and accessed by flights from Recife.

“It’s very Turks and Caicos. It’s unbelievable,” said Costa Neto about the area, “It’s probably one of the most amazing places in Brazil.”

Some 70 percent of the archipelago is designated national marine park, and the diving in Fernando de Noronha is considered the best in Brazil. Eight luxury bungalows at Pousada Maravilha were built to blend with the natural surroundings, but submerged mountain ridges jutting from the cerulean sea make this place seem from another planet.

Back on the South American mainland in Chile, the famed Lakes District has serpentine rivers, hauntingly beautiful waterfalls and twelve major lakes, all bound by snowy peaks and dormant volcanoes. Fairy-tale villages conjure Switzerland in South America, and the dry season—November to April—is an idyllic time to visit. Surrounded by acres of gardens, the sublime Hotel Atumalal near the town of Pucón overlooks LagoVillarica and claims to be a ‘Bauhaus Palace in the wilderness’ designed by famed Chilean architect Jorge Elton.

If anything can match the thrill of watching millions of gallons of water cascade from a precipice that looms 300 feet high on the border of two far-flung African countries, it would be partaking in the myriad activities around Victoria Falls. Bungee jumping and body boarding along the Zambezi River are a few of the intrepid offerings, as well as wildlife safaris.
And the last stop in South America is Los Llanos, the rugged prairie lands of Venezuela’s wild west. Dubbed one of the world’s richest tropical grasslands by the Nature Conservancy, the Llanos’ ecosystem revolves around the mighty Orinoco River, which nurtures abundant bird, fish, reptile and mammal life, including crocodiles, pythons, pumas and capybaras (semi-aquatic mammals that look like overgrown guinea pigs). This region is veritable cowboy country, and whether you’re making a river crossing or bumping down the road in a 4x4, your path is likely to be interrupted by herding cattle.

“The sunsets and sunrises in the Llanos are absolutely gorgeous because there are no mountains,” said Zulay Stempel, owner of Tiempo Libre Tours in Caracas, “The skies are all bright oranges and pinks. You feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“Especially when you come from a big city with so many problems and congestion ... you think ‘how did anyone ever get here?’” said Stempel. (These days, the answer to this logistics question is frequent flights and buses from Caracas to the main Llanos villages of Apure and Barinas.)

In keeping with the region’s rugged allure, most lodging in the Llanos is rustic, with several family-run pousadas along the Orinoco. Hato el Cedral has air-conditioned cabins on a working cattle ranch, and runs excursions into the grasslands.

San Juan - Puerto Rico

Travel Channel has a new Destination Guide to San Juan.

Top 10 hotels in Buenos Aires

Vicky Baker reviews 10 of the best hotels in Buenos Aires.

1. The Cocker

The Cocker has to be one of the best deals in town. Back in 1994, this place was barely a shell, with death-trap gas lighting and crumbling ceilings. The ambitious transformation, by British owners Aidan and Ian, is nothing less than stunning. Features such as the grand piano and antique cash register will have you drooling, while the manicured garden terrace – where they project films on hot evenings — offers views over the ramshackle neighbourhood of San Telmo. In case you´re wondering, the place is named after their beloved spaniel, Rocco.

2. Posada de la Luna

When you open the heavy wooden door on to a twisting colonial staircase with marble steps and elegant iron banisters, there's no doubting that you´ve stumbled on yet another prize conversion. Formerly home to a prominent 19th-century family, the Saavedras, the property had fallen into disrepair until two Franco Argentinians came to the rescue, retaining its character, and even some of the original furniture. Expect high ceilings, terracotta-tiled floors and refreshing splashes of greenery throughout, with quadruple rooms that are great value for families or groups of friends.

3. Che Lulu

Hidden on a side street in Palermo Viejo, Che Lulu is distinguishable by its scarlet exterior — a nod to its early years, when it was in the heart of the red-light district. That was back in 2003, when it was only the third B&B in the area. Since then, the prostitutes and transvestites have been moved on and the chi-chi boutiques and hip bars have moved in. Part hotel, part hostel, Che Lulu was established by an ex-flight attendant who called on various local artists to give each room an individual twist. Admittedly some are now looking a little tired, but this is still a great place for those on a budget, with a friendly ambience and welcoming communal areas (lounge, bar and patio). In the attic, there´s also a five-bed, brightly coloured dorm room, complete with air con.

4. La Otra Orilla

After the country´s economic crisis in 2001, mother and daughter team, Cecilia and Agustina, decided to trust in bricks and mortar. They invested in refurbishing their own home as a B&B, and haven´t looked back. Even though the pair have now moved out, it still retains the feel of a family home. The six rooms and one suite are simple but stylish, while outside there´s a back garden encased with pot plants and scented candles.

5. 1555 Malabia House

If there was such a thing a grand dame of Argentinian design hotels, this would be it. Racking up 10 years of business, and a string of devotees, Malabia House was the first on the scene, defining a new era of tourism in the capital. Housed in a former convent, with little pockets of garden dotted between the spacious rooms, its classic style means it hasn't dated (think queen-sized beds, air-conditioning, huge shutters on the windows ... ). Aiming to treat guests like family, the homely breakfast room has just one shared table and no cut-off time. There´s also an incredibly cosy lounge, where you´d be tempted to curl up all day. If there wasn't so much going on right outside ...

6. Bo Bo

Housed in a converted 1920s mansion, this super-stylish hotel offers just seven rooms, with a beautifully restored caged lift running between its two storeys. Bo Bo stands for bohemian bourgeois, and the rooms are themed on art movements (pop, minimalist, art deco etc). The Argentina suite is the one to splash out on — and in, as it contains its own Jacuzzi. The in-house restaurant is also popular with chic locals and is currently embracing two new Buenos Aires trends: pre-dinner drinks and afternoon cream teas.

7. Krista

If you find many of the new breed of Buenos Aires hotels intimidatingly showy, this is a more down-to-earth option. The early 1900s house was transformed into a B&B just last year and retains period features, including original wood panels and stain-glass windows. There´s an indoor and outdoor patio, plus a quiet ambience that contrasts nicely with the lively restaurant and café culture lying on its doorstep in Palermo Hollywood. After a busy day pounding the surrounding cobbled streets, you´d be wise to upgrade to one of the superior rooms with a claw-foot bath.

8. Axel Hotel

Buenos Aires´ first luxury gay hotel has been much hyped since it opened in October. In a city that this year has hosted the first Gay World Cup soccer tournament and the first gay tango festival, there´s certainly a market for it. Costing £3.5m, it bills itself as heterofriendly and, like its sister property in Barcelona, rooms are as style conscious as the clientele. If you can take your eyes off the beautiful people while waiting in the lobby, look up. The ripples of water on the ceiling belong to the impressive, glass-bottomed swimming pool upstairs.

9. Panamericano

Smartly dressed doormen? Check. Marble-floored lobby? Check. Five-star service? Check. The Panamericano is in every respect a stereotypical luxury hotel. To find out what makes it special, and roots you firmly in Buenos Aires, you need to head to the 23rd floor. Here, within a glass conservatory surrounded by muslin drapes, lies what could be the best pool in the city. You swim above the insanity of the world´s widest street, Avenida 9 de Julio, right in front of the majestic Teatro Colon, and with the tip of the Obelisco at eyelevel. If that isn´t enough, the hotel is also home to one of the Buenos Aires´ most highly-regarded restaurants, Tomo 1.

10. Faena Hotel and Universe

This is a place that not only thinks that the whole world revolves around it, but the entirety of time and space as well. Pretensions abound at this self-defined "hotel and universe" situated in a converted silo in the city's revamped docklands. For those who are flash with their cash, looking for the ultimate BA blow-out, this is a place to be seen. There´s nothing subtle about Philippe Starck´s interior design: the dramatic red drapes, the infinity pool, the silver faucets designed to look like swan heads, the restaurant decorated with the heads of white unicorns … The hall-of-fame portraits tell you all you need to know: almost every A-lister who has been to town in recent years has stayed here.

Panama City - Panama

Rory Carroll on Panama City.

Even if you have not faked your own death, there is reason to consider a visit to Panama City. It has charms to which a week of publicity about the Darwins' escapades has not done justice.

There is the nightlife of bars, restaurants and clubs, which is probably the most vibrant in central America. There is the restored old quarter redolent of Havana. There is the canal, a feat of engineering still gawk-worthy after all these decades. And not too far away, there are the beaches.

Add that up and it still falls short of a must-see destination. Panama City lacks the glamour of Buenos Aires, the exoticness of La Paz and the rediscovered brio of Bogota.

Foreigners may continue to view it principally as a discrete place to park money away from the gaze of tax authorities. But park yourself here for a week and you would not be bored.

The city curves along the Pacific ocean for 20km and sweeps into a brash skyline of new skyscrapers and cranes, a tropical Manhatten in the midst of a building boom.

It is invariably hot, often a clammy, sticky hot. Except when the clouds blacken and empty themselves over you with impressively short notice. Then it's clammy and sticky again.

The traffic is clogged, belchy and horn-happy, as is obligatory for Latin American capitals. When not behind the wheel of a vehicle people light up with dazzling smiles.

This is Latin America-light. A smattering of "dos-cervezas-por-favor" type Spanish goes a long way in a city that speaks more English than most in the region. Billboards and menus are often bilingual and dollars are accepted.

Hundreds of restaurants offer everything from the ubiquitous beans and rice to fancy Latin, European and Asian dishes. This is cocktail heaven. Pina Coladas, Mojitos and Cuba Libres the way God intended.

Stroll past the bars with young, busty Colombian women and you realise it's also a sex tourism destination. The industry operates with a brazenness which belies the fact that much of it is illegal.

The colonial quarter, Casco Antiguo, mixes dilapidated decay with gleaming restorations. Walking tours will evoke the Spanish hedyay but watch out for those parts that are as dodgy now as when pirates rollicked into town.

The canal museum is so-so but the waterway itself is a sight to behold when a monster tanker passes from lock to lock, dwarfing everything.

Spivs and charlatans with things to hide will continue flocking here but that is no reason for Panama City's modest but real charms to remain a secret.

Santiago de Chile - Chile

Snow capped mountains and stretches of vineyards encircle the vibrantly modern metropolis of Santiago, Chile. The sky is pierced by soaring skyscrapers in the financial district while off in the distance the peaks of the Andes ascend toward the same blue ceiling.

Airfare to Santiago is extremely convenient if you wish to continue your travels to other destinations within South America. The long north-south coastal strip of land that is Chile is essentially divided in half by the central capital of Santiago, providing an ideal home base for easy access to all parts of the country from the Atacama Desert to Cape Horn. A short drive to the west lands you at the beaches of the South Pacific Ocean while an even shorter jaunt to the east reveals Andes ski resorts and neighboring Argentina. Chile is also bordered by Peru and Bolivia to the north.
Sun, Snow and Sophistication in Santiago

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Puntarenas - Costa Rica

"Why is the ocean so loud?"

That's about the only complaint Terry Conroy says he has ever heard in the years he's been running the eight-room Lookout Inn. The tough customer (a New Yorker) was staying in one of the inn's tiki huts, the tented tree houses exposed to eye-level views of the abundant wildlife and sparkling Pacific below.

The pounding surf does come in loud and clear, but giant waves are a main attraction for most visitors. "People do their homework, so they know what to expect," Conroy says. Or rather what not to expect -- TVs, telephones, air conditioning or private bathrooms. But with hardwood floors, tasteful furnishings and fresh flowers, the "tents" are hardly roughing it, and private cabins are available for the less adventurous.

What savvy travelers do expect is the perfect jump-off point to Corcovado National Park, which National Geographic describes as "the most biologically intense place on Earth."

The peninsula is the last undeveloped frontier in a country increasingly overrun with condominiums, hotel chains and fast-food joints. Preservation efforts have made the area home to many endangered species -- and the country's largest population of the threatened scarlet macaw, a bright red bird. A sign offers a free night at the inn if you don't see one during your stay (a deal Conroy's never had to make good on), and bananas are set out for the monkeys' breakfasts to ensure their regular appearances, too. The area is also crawling with crocodiles, jaguars, tapirs and those red-eyed, green tree frogs that are practically a national symbol.

It wasn't as mosquito-infested as I'd expected, but the insects are just as plentiful and impressive as the rest of the critters. The beds are sufficiently netted, but while the outdoor bathrooms are a fun idea -- and the toilet view is spectacular -- expect to get swarmed when you flick on the lights at night and to find some little bodies stuck in your toothbrush in the morning. As squeamish as I am, I couldn't help but marvel at how big and bizarre some of the insects were. The giant moths, in particular, are stunning.

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Mayan Mexico

In its heyday, the Mayan empire covered the whole of south-eastern Mexico – an area that extends west almost as far as Oaxaca – plus northern Guatemala, parts of Honduras, Belize and north-western El Salvador. The Mayan civilisation flourished for some 700 years, until the middle of the 10th century, although Mayan communities had settled in these regions hundreds of years before.

The greatest of the achievements of the Mayans – such as Chichén Itzá, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World – date from the 7th to the 10th centuries; towards the end of this time frame, many of the great city-states that made up what we loosely call the Mayan empire began to self-destruct. The people, their traditions and their language survived, however.

The Spanish conquistadors, who first arrived in Mexico in 1517, did not conquer all the Mayan territories until the mid-16th century (and the Lacandó* communities in the Mexican jungle assert that the invaders never successfully subjugated them). Some Mayan sites, such as those in Mérida and Izamal in the north-east Yucatan peninsula, were taken apart, stone by stone, to build Catholic churches.

Other Mayan creations, such as Palenque, Yaxchilá* and Bonampak, were reclaimed by the jungle. Even though these sites have been partially cleared, you can still sense the excitement that the first non-Mayan explorers must have felt when tracking down these "lost" cities.

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Peru

As I edged across the log bridge, the Peruvian jungle stood silently waiting across the river. Rotten timbers shifted beneath me and crumbs of the turf topping fell into the torrent below. Reaching the other side, I worked my way up river along a stony shore. The cliff above me became green and slimy and a sulphurous smell began to fill the air. A few metres further on I found the hot springs of Banos de Collpampa pouring out of the limestone into a large rocky pool. As night fell I pulled off my clothes and climbed gratefully into the hot water. All the sweat and aches of the last few days dissolved away as I floated on my back and gazed up at the sky.

Summer lightning flickered beyond the hills and, as darkness flowed out of the jungle, the fireflies started flashing. Bats darted across the sky, snapping them up. And as I concentrated to remember this moment, so too I felt a distance from reality, as if looking through a pane of glass. That moment summed up Peru for me; so magical that it doesn't quite feel real.

People used to get rather cross when they booked a package holiday and arrived to find their hotel was a building site. I was visiting four lodges with a friend and not one of them was built. We were in South America researching a new route being developed across the Andes to Machu Picchu, the iconic Inca site. The classic Inca Trail is becoming overcrowded and we were looking for an interesting alternative. The trail we were trying pre-dates the Inca era. It is an ancient trade route that crosses a pass between two snow-covered Andean peaks.

The starting point for just about every expedition in these parts is Cusco, around 3,400 metres above sea level. This Spanish colonial city is built on the stone foundations of the old Inca capital, and many of the intricately fitted dry-stone Inca walls have survived. They generally come up to about waist height, above which Spanish mortared masonry takes over. Cusco is a good place to acclimatise to the altitude, not least because it has lots of good restaurants, an Irish pub or two and a strong feeling of history that has resisted the earthquakes.

We hopped on to a minibus going to the high plateau beyond the city and took a walk through the Inca site of Moray, a series of extraordinary internally terraced craters. It's thought they were used as high-altitude plant nurseries.

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Cuba

The Audaz, small and sleek, hung on the edge of an 8ft wave then plummeted. From the top of the bridge the movement was so revoltingly vertiginous that I worried about whimpering, but at least I could see it coming, cling to the nearest handhold and watch the bow bury itself in the hollow below. From the back, beside the fighting chair, they could see nothing and there were cries.

It was the first day of the 57th Ernest Hemingway International Billfishing Competition and I was trying to keep down the previous evening's dinner. The Havana skyline lay hot, weary and distant across the angry sea. Hemingway would not have approved if I had thrown up. No, he would have written: 'Nicoll was a Jock. Nicoll puked. Some Jock.' A few pages later, I would have been killed.

He offers a hard path, old Papa, even if you plan to veer away before that moment with the shotgun. By the end of two weeks, I would have scarred hands, molten sunburn and enough mosquito bites to frighten those beside the pool into thinking I had the pox. Of course, it doesn't have to be like that. In Cuba, there is also Hemingworld, the genteel, literary trail, and many follow it. You can't escape the writer in Havana.

Take the Ambos Mundos, a corner hotel in the old town. Havana life spills across its tiled ground floor. Hemingway lived here from 1932 to 1939, finishing For Whom the Bell Tolls. His room, 511, is now a shrine, the thin bed unslept in, windows theatrically thrown open to reveal the view across the fingered bay to the statue of Christ on the opposite shore.

Or there is El Floridita, with Hemingway's signature under the signs that read, 'Mi daiquiri en el Floridita'. Or La Bodeguita del Medio, where the barman claims the writer invented the mojito, Cuba's infamous mix of white rum, sugar and mint. Or the house in San Francisco de Paula, the Finca Vigia, or the sunworn town of Cojimar, where he kept his fighting boat, the Pilar.

That's the easy way to follow the writer's Cuban journey. People enjoy this, and why not? It should be reassuring when a writer creates destinations. I love the glade dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson in my home town of Edinburgh; I even have a fondness for the gothic spike put up for Sir Walter Scott. Yet there's not much of Cuba in the dining room of Cojimar's La Terraza, only the happy chat of the Saga crowd.

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Argentina

You may already be familiar with the reputations of Argentine beef, soccer and tango. You may even consider Argentinean wine, particularly Malbec, to be top flight. But what about Argentina as a destination for wine tourism? Does South America’s second largest country, with its rich history of grape production aided by immigrants from Italy and Spain, rank as a must-see place for anyone wanting wine to be at the heart of their vacation? Sí Señor(a), we say. And we’re excited to tell you why.

For starters, Argentina qualifies as one of the world’s few truly affordable wine regions to visit. Since a harsh devaluation of the peso occurred in late 2001, Argentina’s currency has hovered at three pesos to the dollar. What that means is a steak dinner for two with a bottle of good wine will set you back about $45; a chauffeur-driven car to a winery and then back again may run $25; and a local beer, always the best barometer for gauging relative costs, goes for under two dollars. An empanada for a buck? You bet.

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Cruising in South America

South America is the up-and-coming hot spot for cruise-lovers according to the 2007 Travel Trends Survey, from Cruise Holidays, the largest cruise retailer in North America.

While the top three destinations are still the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexico, South America piques the curiosity of experienced passengers because the continent is considered exotic, Samba-sexy, mysterious and steeped in ancient history.

There are the sensuous rhythms of Rio, the unspoiled wilderness of Patagonia, the ancient streets of Cartagena and enough passionate culture to quicken the pulse of even the most experienced traveller.

South America has about 15 countries and many have claims to fame. Angel Falls (in Venezuela) is the world's highest waterfall. The Amazon is the largest river and rainforest. The Andes is the longest mountain range. The Atacama (in Chile) is the driest desert.

Cruise excursions range from cold to hot – such as flightseeing to Antarctica to see penguins and sea lions, floating down the Amazon River in a native canoe, visiting Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, Sugarloaf Mountain and the city's dazzling downtown district.

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Elqui Valley - Chile

Elqui Valley, Chile's New Age tourist Mecca (think Taos, Tibet, Machu Pichu, Ayres Rock, the Pyramids), is 370 miles north of Santiago and 40 - 80 miles east of the beach city of La Serena. It begins in the little town of El Molle and runs along the Elqui River--which, like most rivers, is the result of several rivers coming together. The valley is known for its rugged mountains and clear desert air, both of which have prompted international astronomical organizations to set up telescopes here and to the north. In Chile, the valley is famous both as the home of Nobel Prize winning poet Gabriel Mistral, who is buried in Montegrande and memorialized in a museum in the valley's only city, Vicuña, where she was born, and as the home of pisco, a brandy distilled from grapes and flavored in many different ways. Read More

Sally Ogle Davis and Ivor Davis insite on Argentina.

When we first visited Argentina three years ago two stark and contrasting facts were immediately apparent: the pitiful state of the local economy and the absolute bonanza of travel bargains.

Friends had told us of making hotel reservations in Buenos Aires for $200 a night which, when they arrived, were now $80 — same hotel, same room, different exchange rate.

Fast forward to 2007, and while this fabulous and vibrant country is still feeling the aftereffects of an economic perfect storm, Argentina is slowly and inexorably climbing back onto its feet.

The peso — before the fall in December 200l — was once pegged 1-to-1 to the US dollar. It is now 3.10 pesos to the greenback, which means that, even today, prices are half what they were before the collapse.

If you fancy a change of pace from our own Ventura County backyard by heading to the land of the gaucho, don’t feel guilty about taking advantage of their hard times. They want you there. Your dollars help their recovery, so take your next vacation in the Big Apple (Buenos Aires that is, not New York). And enjoy.

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Forbes.com's Best Summer Ski Spots including some South American destinations.

Those heading south might visit Las Lenas in Argentina, the biggest ski resort in the country. It's got 16 ski lifts and 40 miles of trails from 11,250 feet above sea level. Novices or those looking to brush up their skills can take advantage of the internationally famous ski school's 150 instructors.

Thrill seekers and advanced skiers can go on guided expeditions to ski on virgin snow and unmarked trails. An example is El Soldado, a full day trip that has four downhill rides on untouched snow.

The Andes Trail

"The Andes Trail" is a bike race/expedition of 11.000 fascinating kilometres along, through and over the longest mountain range in the world. The tour starts August 9th, 2008 at the equator near Quito and finishes December 14th, 2008 in Ushuaia in Argentina, the most southern town in the world and for that reason nicknamed the "End-of-the-World". A bicycle tour from the middle to the end of the world.

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Patagonia - Argentina

It is time to call Patagonia's bluff. Ever since Magellan reported a race of giants striding the shores of Argentina—perhaps pata gones, or "big feet," is the origin of the name—the hyperbolic rhetoric has poured forth. For centuries, the vast spaces of this unknown region were filled with demon winds, terrible loneliness, ferocious natives, killer thirst, desperate shipwrecks and air crashes, tales of cannibalism and evil spirits. Jorge Luis Borges sent his characters south to die. Bruce Chatwin pursued phantom dinosaurs and lost colonies. The urbane Argentine writer Ezequiel Martínez Estrada turned his back on Patagonia, insisting that "entire towns live in a somnambulant state of free love and of drunkenness. Such are the ravages of solitude."
Like New Zealand, Tasmania, and South Africa, Patagonia is a shard of the earth's most southern and ancient geology, a flinty arrow reaching deep into the Antarctic currents, an outpost in the globe's harshest sphere of ocean and ice. But this is no land of demons, nor of murder, somnambulism, or even shipwrecks. It is simply far removed and barely populated, making it a repository for humanity's collective imagination, for various and assorted extremes. I declare an end to such nightmares. The wind does not always blow at sixty miles an hour. I have even seen completely windless days in Patagonia—once or twice. There be no dragons here.

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Gocta Waterfall - Peru

Called Gocta, the 2,532-foot Peruvian waterfall instantly climbed up on the podium with Venezuela's Angel Falls (3,212 feet) and South Africa's Tugela Falls ( 3,110 feet). How did that avoid the unblinking eye of satellite cartographers?

Who cares? If it was that big and that remote, I just wanted to get there before they bulldozed a road, built the hotels and generally tarted up the place.

And so in the fall I set off on the most harrowing waterfall side trip of all: an overnight flight to Lima, a dawn hop to the northern coastal city of Chiclayo and a 12-hour drive over dicey mountain roads to Peru's impossibly secluded upper Amazon basin. This high, dry tropical Shangri-La was the domain of the Chachapoyas, a mysterious Andean race that predated the Incas. The new waterfall, named Gocta after an ancient Chachapoyan village, is deep in one of the many blind valleys they inhabited between 800 and 1400 A.D. You can still see their carved tombs, some with intact mummies, in the surrounding cliff walls.

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Easter Island - Chile

Even in the murk of a sullen, gray afternoon, the massive stone sentinels of Ahu Tongariki seem imperious, an uncompromising guard against the gluttonous sea crashing at its flank.

The shimmer of late afternoon darts through the cloudy drape in a last heady dash before the earth edges darkward. A herd of tawny horses, branded but untamed, gallops into the valley for a late-day graze. For this golden instant, the glory days of the earth's most remote island return.

How bizarre and otherworldly this rocky outcrop must have seemed to Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived here on Easter day 1722. Many of the massive stone statues -- called moai -- might have been strewn on their backs and bellies across the rugged surface. Treeless and barren, the plot he dubbed Easter Island was -- by some accounts -- a ruin, more than halfway to dead.

Today, dozens of 12-ton moai have been resurrected with the help

of modern technology. But the romance remains, drawing explorers, scientists and tourists to ponder the mysteries of the gargantuan statues and the sophisticated civilization that built them -- and all but disappeared.

Even if you've read the books and seen the films, visiting Easter Island is stepping into a new dimension.

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São Paulo - Brazil

Just to walk around Rome or Rio de Janeiro is to know what makes those cities great. By contrast, the genius of Sao Paulo lies not in public vistas but private oases: art-house cinemas hidden in lackluster malls, dazzling nightclubs behind unmarked black doors, windowless restaurants that produce their own aesthetic microclimate.

Long Brazil's undisputed economic capital, Sampa, as Sao Paulo is known, has now eclipsed Rio as the cultural capital as well. Art follows money, of course, but perhaps Sao Paulo's blank concrete canvas has had its own attractions. In Rio, you can encounter beauty just by walking outside. In Sao Paulo, one must turn inward and create it oneself.

I come by my love of Sao Paulo honestly. That is to say, I first fell for Rio, where because of the rabid rivalry between the cities, I was systematically taught to scorn all things paulistano.

Nor were my prejudices instantly dispelled when work took me to Sao Paulo for a month this spring. Even the most partisan paulistano rails about the smog, the traffic, the crumbling sidewalks, the gaping chasm between poor and rich. To these complaints, the traveler must add the city's disorienting size, which, combined with hodgepodge urban planning, makes it exceedingly easy to become lost amid a forbidding forest of identikit high-rises.

Quickly, though, I came to understand that Sampa isn't just a place to suffer through a layover. It's also a place to train the eye and ear, expand the mind, educate the palate — and have a rollicking good time.

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Cartagena - Colombia

You’re probably still a bit gun-shy about visiting Colombia, put off by the country’s long history of cocaine-fueled mayhem. Travel qualms diminish or subside entirely, however, when you’re the guest of a trusted local who assures you that Pablo Escobar is dead and buried. Which may explain why a class of well-connected travelers has recently been alighting in the Caribbean port city of Cartagena and raving about the place upon their return.

Call them “sophistonauts” — those wide-roaming urban nomads, often third-culture kids, expats or grown-up diplo-brats who tend to live outside their countries (plural!) of citizenship and bounce around a social web connecting them to equally geographically flexible, curious confreres. The sophistonauts have not been visiting Colombia because they are braver than you and me. Nor have they been going for Cartagena’s balmy climate or the city’s peculiar colonial architecture or its rowdy history of pirates and plunder. The sophistonauts are flocking to Cartagena because they’ve been invited, in this case by proud Colombian friends eager to show off their favorite national beauty spot in full flower after decades of abandonment.

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Buenos Aires - Argentina

There is a rumor going around that Buenos Aires either is, or is about to become, the new Prague. By this its boosters mean a city that is rapidly being discovered by a certain segment of the world's young, and not only those backpacking youth interested in finding love and adventure in a context of faded, old world opulence.
Well, nothing is quite like Prague, and similarly nothing is quite like Buenos Aires. But there are points of useful similarity between the two cities. Just as Prague was reborn after being brutalized for almost half a century by communist occupation, so the entire economy of Argentina collapsed in late 2001, after an inflation of nearly five years — a fall so devastating it has been compared to the Great Depression.
After coming out on the other side of their respective cataclysms, both cities, giddy with a sense of liberation, have burst into life as centers of culture and commerce. Moreover, just as Prague was delightfully cheap 15 years ago, so now Buenos Aires is consistently ranked as one of the least expensive cities in the world.

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Panama

Nonetheless, there I was, binoculars in hand, on the observation deck of Canopy Tower, an old U.S. radar installation in the former Panama Canal Zone. This place is legendary among serious bird-watchers. I'm definitely not one of those, but I'm married to a man who has owned a Peterson field guide since he was 6 years old.

After the United States transferred the radar tower and surrounding land to Panama as part of the handover of the canal, local businessman and bird-watcher Raul Arias leased it and converted it into an eco-lodge. It's one of the ways Panama is reaching for some of the nature travel business that has been such a gold mine for neighboring Costa Rica.

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The 10-Point Caribbean Escapes Plan

With more than 30 major islands to choose from — from the lush wilderness of Dominica to the desertlike terrain of Curaçao — the Caribbean can be almost all things to all people. Want a back-to-nature hiking experience? You got it. Want to be pampered in a five-star resort where the staff-to-guest ratio runs at two to one and the toughest decision you will make each day is whether to have a hot stone or an ayurvedic massage? No problem. Or do you just want to chill at a place where there’s no TV, no cellphone service and where dinner is no more elaborate than the catch of the day? Consider it done.

But choosing the right Caribbean vacation is not as simple as blocking out the dates and going online to find the best airfares — for the infinite possibilities of the Caribbean can cut both ways.

You can end up with the trip of a lifetime or a vacation from hell. Just ask a newly married couple who have planned a romantic getaway only to find themselves sharing the pool with dozens of screaming children, or the adventure-seeking windsurfer who has ended up on the windless side of the island, or the party animals who didn’t realize that the hot spot they had heard so much about is already so last year.

That’s where this guide comes in — a 10-point primer on some of the best island getaways, geared to the kind of vacation you might want to take this winter, whether it’s a week filled with nonstop golf or an escape to a remote island that feels all your own. Just one thing: Don’t forget your passport. Americans are now required to carry one for air travel within the Western Hemisphere including the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean (except for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). You don’t want your trip to end even before it starts.

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Guide to Tobago

So much more than simply another Caribbean island in the sun, Tobago offers a wealth of reasons to escape winter in Britain. Little sister to Trinidad and, thankfully, still relatively untouched by developers' claws, the island is home to picture postcard-perfect beaches (complete with obligatory palm trees), pristine coral reefs, and an abundance of flora and fauna - as well as the oldest protected rainforest in the western hemisphere.

Tobago, which takes its name from the Carib word tavaco (originally meaning a pipe, then tobacco) also has shack-loads of charm. The ease and pace of Tobagonian life hits you the minute you step off the plane and snake slowly towards immigration - a tiny, scruffy two-roomed affair, utterly unprepared for the arrival of a jumbo jet. Yet, sedately, officials rubber-stamp 400 passports, endearingly greeting each traveller with a grin.

The dimensions of Tobago, 41km long and 12km wide, are uncannily close to those of the Isle of Wight. But Tobago has the advantage of lying just 11 degrees north of the Equator. The island has the Caribbean Sea on its leeward (western) side and the Atlantic Ocean on its windward (eastern) shores. And very different they are, too.

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Buenos Aires - Argentina

Tour-guides like to give Buenos Aires the nickname "Paris of the South". It is, they claim, a smouldering city of tango, barrios and avenidas; a rambling metropolis with sufficient elegance and sophistication to (almost) be European.

On the face of it, the tour guides have a point. Argentina's capital boasts a colourful history; it's got magnificent architecture and culture, together with first-rate shopping, and a lively night-time "scene" to rival any destination on the cosmopolitan traveller's hit-list.

Yet scratch below the surface, and BA offers a very different insight into the land of the gaucho. Every now and then, amid the steak and Merlot and hazy afternoons, the porteños, as locals are known, will provide adventurous travellers with a glimpse into the dirty, chaotic heart of Latin America.

That, at least, was the theory that persuaded my brother and me to hop on to a 14-hour flight across the Atlantic to witness the twice-yearly football match they call El Superclasico. This magisterial name - not just "super," but "classic" too - denotes one of the legendary meetings between the city's biggest clubs, Boca Juniors and River Plate.

Each Superclasico provides an occasion for Buenos Aires to celebrate one of the greatest club rivalries in world football, a fixture that has showcased the exquisite talents of such sporting legends as Batistuta, Palermo, and the maestro himself, Diego Maradona.

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Espiritu Santo Island - Mexico

The wind is getting stronger and the waves higher. As a sailor I can recognise the brisk little squalls charging across the surface of the sea; if I was in a boat, this would be fun. But I'm in a sea kayak. As it's only 14 inches deep, I'm not so much on the water as in it.

This is the first day of a four-day trip up the west coast of Espiritu Santo Island, just off Mexico's Baja California in the Sea of Cortez, and only my second day of sea kayaking ever. Thankfully we have already practised "wet exits", the art of banging on the hull of an upturned kayak before pulling off the sprayskirt to swim out of the cockpit.

The technique is a useful one; beginners can find an eskimo roll, a common method of righting kayaks, tricky in sea-going models. All the same, I'm relieved when we eventually make it to the beach where we will camp for the night.

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Choquequirao - Peru

Peru. Say the name and your imagination will no doubt conjure up the country's geographical wonders, perhaps its recent history of political turbulence and its lost cities. It has long attracted travellers, explorers and treasure hunters, united in their search to uncover the secrets and wealth of ancient civilisations. Indeed, only last year the German explorer Stefan Ziemendorff discovered the third tallest free-falling waterfall in the world in the Amazonas region of Peru; the Gocta Waterfall measured a dizzying 771m high.

What seems remarkable is that in this age of satellite imagery such a vast waterfall had lain undiscovered. But then this is what has attracted thrill-seekers to deepest Peru since the Spanish Conquistadores first set foot here. It was a spell under which I fell 15 years ago.

The early 1990s were not a good time for Peru. The country was plagued by guerrilla warfare waged by the Sendero Luminoso. The aim of this Maoist group, whose name translates as Shining Path, was to replace the Peruvian bourgeoisie with a revolutionary peasant regime. The Sendero Luminoso also engaged in armed conflict with Peru's other major guerrilla group, Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). Peru was a war zone: for a wide-eyed gap-year student with an unhealthy interest in Kate Adie and Don McCullin and a thirst for excitement and adventure, it was the perfect place to explore.

For four memorable weeks, I travelled with friends the length and breadth of the country, from the high Andes to the low Amazon. Fresh from six months in tourist-friendly Ecuador we felt like pioneers exploring a new land.

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Cycling in Costa Rica

The compact Central American nation, sandwiched between Nicaragua and Panama, is already well known as a magnet for backpackers and nature lovers.

As well as being wealthier and more politically stable than its neighbours - the military was constitutionally abolished in 1949 - Costa Rica packs an amazing variety of natural beauty into an area little bigger than Switzerland, around one-quarter of which is national parkland.

The country's tourist trade is heavily geared towards outdoors pursuits, whether jungle trekking and bird watching or more vigourous activities such as surfing and white-water rafting.

But every year, one intrepid group - this time including me - goes a step further. They get to see the entire breadth of the country from the saddle of a bicycle.

La Ruta de los Conquistadores (The Route of the Conquerors) has, over the past 14 years, grown from an informal ride organised by an intrepid group of friends into one of Costa Rica's most famous events.

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