phansen's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Cartagena, Colombia

The Palace of the Inquisition

This elegant Colombian fortress was one of the torture headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition.
Guatape, Colombia

Guatapé

The Andean town where every single building is decorated with a brightly colored frieze.
Santa Catalina, Colombia

The Volcan de Lodo El Totumo

The caldera of this mini-volcano has been turned into a naturally heated mud bath.
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cementerio de la Recoleta

Buenos Aires' city of the dead contains some very famous remains, including Eva Perón.
Foz do Iguaçu, Argentina

Iguazu Falls

A series of waterfalls so massive they straddle the border of Argentina and Brazil.
Jodhpur, India

Sati Handprints

Fifteen Jodhpur queens left their handprints before going to their fiery death.
Deshnok, India

Karni Mata Temple

Deep in the Thar desert, a temple crawling with thousands of holy rats.
Jardín, Colombia

Cave of Splendor

Enchanting cave with a river crashing through the roof.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Tenerife, Spain

Mount Teide

According to the Guanches, the aboriginal people of the Canary Islands, the king of evil lives inside this volcano.
Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

Sigiriya

An ancient stone fortress considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world.
Merzouga, Morocco

Erg Chebbi

God's Saharan sandbox of wrath.
Province de Tinghir, Morocco

Todra Gorge

One of the most spectacular canyons in the world.
Las Vegas, Nevada

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.
El Paso, Texas

Hueco Tanks

Natural catch-basin rocks covered in thousands of drawings spanning many millennia.
Guatemala

Lago de Atitlán

Central America's deepest lake is actually a volcanic caldera, surrounded by three volcanoes.
Belize

The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

Sparkling, calcite-covered skeletons of children who may have been sacrificed to appease an angry god.
Belize

Great Blue Hole

A massive underwater sinkhole made famous by Jacques Cousteau.
El Peñol, Colombia

El Peñon de Guatape

A 10 million-ton rock once worshiped by the Tahamies Indians, accessed by an astounding staircase.
Lima, Peru

Pizarro's Tomb

Now containing the bones of the actual conquistador, instead of someone else.
Lima, Peru

Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.
Aguas Calientes, Peru

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of The Inca

The intricate stonework of Machu Picchu serves as a testament to Incan engineers.
Gran Sabana, Venezuela

Mount Roraima

This "floating island" plateau sits 7,671 feet above the forest floor.
Potosi, Bolivia

Potosí Silver Mines

Mountain of unimaginable riches that bankrolled the Spanish Empire, complete with its own underworld god.