Incredible National Parks To Visit In South America

Created in 1975 in the heart of Colombia's Amazon region, and enlarged just over a decade later, Amacayacu National Natural Park comprises tropical forests as well as woods that flood from time to time. Visitors to the park will delight in the possibility of spotting lion tamarins (a small primate whose face is surrounded by mane-like hair), turtles, grand butterflies, and many flowers, including the largest lotus in existence. Ornithologists might think they are in dreamland, with around 500 species of bird found at Amacayacu, and government literature posits that one-third of the country's entire bird population lives in the park. 

Part of the park is land that is the domain of the Tikuna indigenous tribe, an ethnic group that survives through agriculture, fishing, and increasingly, via the income provided by eco-tourism. Offshore, the waters support the pink dolphin and manatees, just a couple of the many species of marine creatures travelers will encounter here.

As the name suggests, Central Suriname Reserve is located in the middle of the country, an expanse of forest that extends across nearly 6,2000 square miles of Suriname's interior. The reserve plays an important role in safeguarding a key number of waterways, including the Coppename River. It's also a vital environment for local flora, with 5,000 species of plants found here. What might be the biggest draw to adventurers, though, is the rich animal life, with giant armadillo, tapir, jaguar, and 400 bird species living within the reserve's borders. 

And yet, the terrain isn't all flat jungle or rolling forest; visitors will also notice towering granite formations, including a table-top mountain, and the highest point in the country a little to the south, at Juliana Top, sitting 4,200 feet above sea level. Such is the importance of this reserve, which requires some effort to explore, that it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2000.

South of Bolivia's Uyuni Salt Flat, one of the country's most famous natural attractions, the Eduardo Avaroa National Park features an almost unworldly landscape. You'll find unique Andean fauna, ancient volcanos, turquoise lagoons, and wide expanses of deserts. The air is thin, since the reserve sits more than 13,700 feet above sea level, topping out at 19,700 feet. It's often also cold, and less than half an inch of rain falls annually, as the terrain is characterized by cold and arid deserts, salt lakes, and seasonal wetlands. And yet, in this testing terrain, a number of animals eke out an existence, including the vicuña (it's like a llama) and three types of flamingo. Snapping photos of colorful flamingos against the sparse terrain is quite something. 

While the national park offers plenty to see, the nearby Uyuni Salt Flat is arguably the region's largest draw. The seemingly endless plain of salt is the remnant of an ancient lake. When dry, the salt forms in strangely uniform hexagonal shapes, and when wet, the flat acts almost like a mirror. Due to its high altitude and expansive horizons, the area also offers some of the best stargazing opportunities in the world.

Iguazu National Park in Argentina is named for the breathtaking falls shared with neighboring Brazil, which also has a park with a similar name. It's a sight to delight, a UNESCO World Heritage location that is actually formed by an array of different falls that are all spectacular in their own right, but that make it hard to know where to look, such is the breadth of choice. The main lure, the one that most people come to see, is the semicircular section of waterfall that is more than 250 feet high, and just massive at nearly 1.7 miles across. 

It drops over a bed of basalt, some of it sitting in Argentina, some of it in Brazil. Beyond, on either side of the Iguazu River, a rainforest spreads out along the river banks, which is home to monkeys, caymans, and jaguars. The name of the cascades is fitting, as it translates to "great water" from the local indigenous language, though for visitors, that label might be a huge understatement.

Wander around this park, and you might think that you are in a dream, in a mirage of sorts, detached from reality. This is because the white sand dunes at this coastal Brazilian park are otherworldly, spellbinding, hypnotic, and almost alien in their size and appearance. This is the most expansive area of dunes anywhere in the country, and depending on the time of year that a traveler comes here, the experience can be wildly different. 

Adventurers can walk along the dunes, or travel over them on authorized vehicles, and while white might create the main hue, glimpses of clear blue can also come into view. During rainy periods, areas in the dunes flood to create lagoons with crystalline waters, clean and primed for a swim. The contrast between the shimmering blue lagoons, which peak in depth after the February-May rainy season, and the brilliant white sand, makes the scene feel eerily pre-historic.

In Brazil's northwest, and more than 500 square miles in size, Pantanal Matogrossense National Park was founded in 1981. While visitors can come here year-round, the conditions are markedly more pleasant during certain parts of the year. From May, for a few months, the rainfall is less prevalent, and the mosquitoes, which began to appear in droves in December, are less famished. Wildlife spotters should consider appearing a month early, in April, when the rainy season ends and the waterways begin to dry out a little, making the fauna easier to spot. 

The park is a huge wetland, with the word Pantanal a derivative of the Portuguese word "pantano," which translates to swamp, and its soggy terrain captures water from the Andes Mountains. During the rainy season, almost all of the park is damp, and the flowers and plants come to life. For fauna fans, look out for ocelots, giant anteaters, armadillos, and jaguars.

There is so much to excite visitors at this UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bolivia, from fascinating plants to abundant wildlife, from hot springs to ancient buildings that date to the era before colonization, and where the dead were buried. In Sajama National Park, there are even multiple examples of cave paintings, representing early expressionism from a distant era. An alpine forest, the park also features a local shrub called kheñua on its slopes. 

The main population here is the indigenous Aymara Indians, whose traditions and practices remain very much intact, having changed very little over the past five centuries. Many of the indigenous tribal people still find their livelihoods tied to herding and textiles. The land isn't wildly fertile here, and the cold and dry conditions make the growing of many crops impractical, but quinoa and some potatoes manage to survive the conditions. On a trip here, travelers will see huge, scrubby plains, and giant, snow-capped mountains that dominate the horizon.

Tierra del Fuego National Park is an unforgettable part of Argentina, where the Andes mountains, the Patagonian forest, and the chilly Atlantic all come together to create a sweeping, sumptuous tableau of peaks, greenery, coves, fjords, and even a vast lake. The hiking here is out of this world, and thankfully, for novice trekkers, many of the trails are easy. For those who like their walking a lot more challenging, longer trails test their limits, and their calves. 

Sporty types might like to try their hand at kayaking and canoeing on Acigami Lake, or on the rivers that weave through the park, though this activity requires pre-booking, as there are no on-site rentals. Some parts of the park feel like the end of the Earth — and in a sense, they are — such as vistas that look over the Beagle Channel, right at the southern end of the continent. Keep an eye out for foxes and soaring albatrosses.

Due west of Medellín, this Colombian destination promises travelers a healthy variety of flora and fauna. Utría comprises a range of geographical features — steeply sloping foothills blanketed in thick jungle, and topped by layers of mist, seem to almost tumble right into gorgeous turquoise seas. The waters here are generally tranquil, always warm, and while good for swimming, they also attract nesting turtles, migratory birds, dolphins, and even whales that birth young in Utría Cove during the months of August, September, and October. 

Coastal mangroves also act as training grounds for young fish, juveniles that later push out to the coral reefs that lie just offshore. Fish range from small to mammoth, with whale sharks swishing through the waters at certain times of the year. The interior waterways are just as resplendent, with rivers and streams starting right here in the park. Explorers of the jungles could see spider monkeys, cougars, sloths, giant anteaters, and delicately limbed rodents called agouti.