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Stories about South America

27 stories from our editors. Filter by part of the world, or page back in time.

Eight deltas shaped by water and work

Europe · Asia · North America

Eight deltas shaped by water and work

From Botswana’s inland floodplains to Argentina’s tidal islands, eight deltas show rivers at work in very different ways: feeding fields, carrying boats, building marshes and supporting communities at the water’s edge.

4 Sep 2026 5 min read

The world’s 10 best accessible waterfalls, ranked

Europe · North America · Rhine Falls

The world’s 10 best accessible waterfalls, ranked

A great waterfall needs more than height or brute force. It needs a public route that lets people grasp its scale, whether from the bank, a platform, behind the water or across a gorge. This ranking weighs practical access alongside the force of the river and the landscape around it.

4 Sep 2026 7 min read

Eight cultivated landscapes, from Douro vines to Kericho tea

Europe · Asia · Central America

Eight cultivated landscapes, from Douro vines to Kericho tea

A dry-stone wall in Portugal holds vines to a schist slope. On Bali, water runs from mountain channels through temples and down a chain of rice fields. Below the Andes, old irrigation ditches carry meltwater to Malbec vines. These eight regions show farming not as a backdrop but in the walls, canals, food and daily work that give each landscape its form.

4 Sep 2026 5 min read

Eight archipelagos where the boat still matters

South America · Ecuador · Azores

Eight archipelagos where the boat still matters

A ferry from Bodø reaches Lofoten beneath granite ridges that rise almost straight from the Norwegian Sea. Across these eight archipelagos, ferries, island flights, small launches and expedition ships make arrival part of the place.

4 Sep 2026 6 min read

The world’s 10 most remarkable deserts, ranked

Asia · Thar Desert · Gobi, Mongolia

The world’s 10 most remarkable deserts, ranked

In Egypt’s White Desert, wind-blown sand has carved snow-white chalk into mushrooms, cones and solitary towers. This deliberately subjective ranking weighs access alongside landscape and distinctive character, so a spectacular place can fall when reaching it requires a serious expedition.

4 Sep 2026 7 min read

Top 5 wildlife encounters that keep animals wild

Brazil · India · Pantanal, Brazil

Top 5 wildlife encounters that keep animals wild

These five encounters differ in more than their headline animals: one unfolds from a riverboat, another from a jeep, snorkel, tundra vehicle or ranger-led walk. Each depends on a habitat that concentrates wildlife at certain times, but none offers a guaranteed sighting.

4 Sep 2026 6 min read

Where Ecuador’s cacao changes form in Quito

Ecuador · Peru · Mexico

Where Ecuador’s cacao changes form in Quito

At República del Cacao’s Quito factory, cacao arrives stripped of its tropical disguise. Growers have already harvested the pods, fermented the wet beans and dried them; the city’s work begins with sacks of dry cacao.

4 Sep 2026 5 min read

Ascensor Reina Victoria: Valparaíso in 40 Steep Metres

South America · Chile · Valparaíso

Ascensor Reina Victoria: Valparaíso in 40 Steep Metres

At the bend in Calle Elías, two rails run straight into the hillside at 52 degrees. Ascensor Reina Victoria covers only about 40 metres, but it links the lower *plan* of Valparaíso with the pedestrian streets of Cerro Alegre in one steep, compact movement.

1 Sep 2026 5 min read

Buenos Aires at the Kiosk Window

South America · Argentina · Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires at the Kiosk Window

At Junín and Paraguay, coffee crosses the counter of a green newspaper kiosk while magazines still face the pavement. Canillita has broadened its trade without abandoning the compact, street-level exchange that put Buenos Aires kiosks on daily walking routes.

1 Sep 2026 6 min read

From São José Market to Recife’s Tidal River

Recife · São José · Mercado de São José

From São José Market to Recife’s Tidal River

Inside Mercado de São José, a covered passage runs between iron columns, box stalls and two separate pavilions. Outside, a short walk to the Capibaribe shows why trade in central Recife has long relied on islands, quays and bridges.

31 Aug 2026 6 min read

Montevideo Carries Its Mate to the Water

Montevideo · Río de la Plata · Escollera Sarandí

Montevideo Carries Its Mate to the Water

Along Montevideo’s waterfront, mate appears with its working kit: a small cup, a metal *bombilla*, and a thermos under the arm. The thermos keeps hot water available away from home, so mate can stay with a walk, a fishing session, or an afternoon beside the Río de la Plata.

31 Aug 2026 6 min read

La Paz and El Alto, Joined by a Red Line

South America · Bolivia · La Paz

La Paz and El Alto, Joined by a Red Line

Mi Teleférico’s Red Line runs from La Paz’s former railway grounds to the commercial streets of El Alto in 11 minutes. Its three stations trace a sharp change in ground: from the built-up bowl of La Paz, across a steep rise, to the flatter Altiplano.

31 Aug 2026 6 min read