South America is a continent of superlatives and surprises. It contains the world’s largest river system (the Amazon), the world’s highest navigable lake (Titicaca), the world’s driest desert (the Atacama) and the world’s largest wetland (the Pantanal) — alongside some of the most biodiverse ecosystems and most culturally rich cities on earth. Brazil is the continent’s largest country and one of its most compelling. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s great cities of spectacle — Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado mountain, the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, the Carnival that transforms the city each February into the world’s greatest party, and the vibrant cultural life of Santa Teresa and Lapa. The Amazon, accessible from Manaus, is the world’s greatest tropical wilderness — river cruises through the rainforest canopy, pink river dolphin sightings and jungle lodge stays offer an experience of nature on the grandest possible scale. Peru draws visitors to Machu Picchu — the 15th-century Inca citadel hidden in the clouds above the Urubamba Valley is simply one of the world’s great travel experiences. The Inca Trail approach, the train from Cusco and the Sun Gate arrival at dawn are all extraordinary ways to encounter this legendary site. Cusco itself is a city of remarkable Inca and colonial history. Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian-Bolivian border, and the floating reed islands of the Uros people, is equally unforgettable. Chile runs 4,300 kilometres down the Pacific coast — from the Atacama Desert in the north (with its geysers, flamingo-filled salt lakes and stargazing) through the vibrant capital Santiago to the spectacular lake district and Patagonia in the south. Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, Colombia’s Cartagena and the Bolivian salt flats each add further chapters to a continent of inexhaustible richness.