Editors' Picks
A Look Into Brazil’s Makeover of Rio’s Slums
The Brazilian government’s bold efforts to clean up the city’s notoriously dangerous favelas is giving hope to people who live there
The Sistine Chapel of the Andes
Just miles from Peru’s Incan ruins lie artifacts from another era—beautiful Baroque churches that married Spanish design with indigenous culture
The Smithsonian Life List: 43 Places to See Before You Die
From wonders of the world to thrills for adventure seekers, we've compiled a list of sites that any true world traveler cannot miss
Bike, Bark, Bite, Blood: The Perils of Cycling in Rabies Country
An unfortunate run in with a mutt in Ecuador turned into a trip to the doctor's to be treated for rabies, a surprisingly fatal disease
February 07, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
America's Biggest Game brings excitement, curiosity and some boredom to Ecuador
February 04, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
Give a man a glass of water, and you may quench his thirst. But teach him to build a water filter, as Rod and Ingrid McCarroll are doing, and he'll have clean water for life
February 01, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
Listen closely around the public parks of Quito, Ecuador, and you just might hear that familiar sound: "Hut hut hike!"
February 06, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
Just north of Quito stands a grand and glowing tribute to one of Ecuador’s proudest features: the Equator. The problem is, it was built in the wrong place
January 30, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
The author leaves Peru behind and crosses into Ecuador, where he encounters his first sign of a mosquito
January 23, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
The roving ceviche carts and meat grills are colorful pieces of street scenery, but eating a creamy cherimoya or a sweet and starchy lucuma could be the truest taste of Peru
January 17, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
Along the roadway in Peru, hand-built memorials to accident victims occur almost as regularly as the kilometer markers themselves
January 15, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
As a film version of his Les Misérables hits theaters, consider traveling in the French writer’s footsteps
December 24, 2012
| By Nina Fedrizzi
From the lush, tropical mountains, we descended into a landscape of flailing-armed cacti, spiny succulents like giant artichokes and sand dunes as high as mountains
January 10, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
After unpacking and assembling his bicycle at the airport terminal, the author heads north on the Pan-American Highway toward the mountain town of Canta
January 07, 2013
| By Alastair Bland
The Brazilian government’s bold efforts to clean up the city’s notoriously dangerous favelas is giving hope to people who live there
January 2013
| By Joshua Hammer
Mitt Romney’s father was born in a small Mormon enclave where family members still live, surrounded by rugged beauty and violent drug cartels
May 2012
| By Héctor Tobar
Volcanic landscapes draw countless tourists to rumbling mountains, rivers of lava and boiling geysers. Here are a few of the hottest destinations
October 19, 2012
| By Alastair Bland
With so much time spent in cars, it’s inevitable that life events like meeting your future spouse occur there, too
September 25, 2012
| By Mary Beth Griggs
There are many great spots around the globe to observe the celestial phenomena, from Machu Picchu to the Yorkshire moors
September 21, 2012
| By Alastair Bland
Spurred by rising global demand for the metal, miners are destroying invaluable rainforest in Peru's Amazon basin
February 2012
| By Donovan Webster
Just miles from Peru’s Incan ruins lie artifacts from another era—beautiful Baroque churches that married Spanish design with indigenous culture
January 12, 2012
| By Rebecca Dalzell
A bold plan for wildlife corridors that connect populations from Mexico to Argentina could mean the big cat's salvation
October 2011
| By Sharon Guynup
Being Colombia’s most famous folk figure has its perks, even if you're an impersonator
September 02, 2011
| By Laura Kiniry
A huge dam on Peru's Inambari River will bring much-needed development to the region. But at what cost?
March 2011
| By Clay Risen
Within weeks of January's devastating earthquake, Haiti's surviving painters and sculptors were taking solace from their work
September 2010
| By Bill Brubaker
Brazil’s music scene may be known for beats such as bossa nova, but newer sounds are making waves on the streets of Rio
August 18, 2010
| By Jess Righthand
An ancient Mayan city, once hidden by overgrown jungle, evokes a childlike sense of wonder
January 2008
| By Mark Strauss
A riddle of engineering hasn't stopped archaeologists from debating how the giant carved stones were transported around the island
January 2008
| By Jess Blumberg
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