This 16th-century monastery was founded to cloister the daughters of wealthy local families.

With nearly double the depth of the Grand Canyon, this Peruvian canyon is one of the deepest in the world.

This high-Andean reserve protects the graceful vicuña that was nearly hunted to extinction for its precious wool.

A remarkable geological formation resembling a forest made of stone.

Art school in the Amazon: Drugs, nature and sustainable agriculture.

This scalding hot river was thought to be a myth until one geoscientist made it his quest to study the mystical waters.

The highest tropical mountain range in the world is in Central Peru, home to a vast array of exotic and quirky plants and animals.

The world's fifth tallest waterfall is a spectacular silver chute of water that cuts through the cloud forest in northern Peru.

One of the world's tallest waterfalls wasn't revealed to the world at large until 2006.

An Archaeological Wonder of Peru, and the largest stone ruin site in the New World.

A dangling church built over a Colombian gorge.

An explosion of natural color known as "the river that ran away from paradise."

Unparalleled stargazing, one of Colombia's best observatories, and a swimming pool can all be found in the middle of this ancient tropical forest.

A self-taught astronomer fell in love with the stars and built his own observatory in Colombia.

The world's largest ecosystem of its kind is home to South America's only native species of bear.