Argentina

Recoleta Cemetery

A 14-acre necropolis of 4;800 ornate marble vaults and Art Deco mausoleums housing the nation’s elite since 1822; the narrow passageways resemble a miniature stone city; walk the central avenue toward the Duarte vault at dusk; the long shadows stretch across the sun-bleached limestone while the clink of the caretaker’s keys signals the end of the day.

San Ignacio Miní

The most complete ruins of a 17th-century Jesuit mission built from laterite-red sandstone in the Guaraní Baroque style; the site was abandoned in 1767 and reclaimed by the jungle; explore the central plaza at 4 pm; the western sun saturates the red stone reliefs of indigenous flora while the humid air carries the scent of damp moss and red earth.

Tierra del Fuego National Park

The southern terminus of the Pan-American Highway where the Andes meet the Beagle Channel at the end of the world; the landscape is a mix of peat bogs and wind-sheared beech forests; kayak across Lapataia Bay at dawn; the slate-grey water reflects the snow-capped Darwin Range while the silence is broken only by the sharp cry of an albatross.

MALBA

A minimalist limestone and glass structure housing the definitive collection of 20th-century Latin American art; including masterworks by Frida Kahlo and Antonio Berni; the building is a sharp contrast to the surrounding Neoclassical mansions; visit the upper gallery at midday; the natural light floods the white walls; highlighting the saturated pigments of Tarsila do Amaral’s paintings.

Museum of High Altitude Archaeology

A high-tech repository for the 500-year-old Inca 'Children of Llullaillaco'; preserved by volcanic ice at 6;739 metres; the museum is housed in a restored 19th-century facade; enter the darkened ritual chamber; the clinical; nitrogen-cooled cases illuminate the perfectly preserved textiles and skin of the mummies while the absolute silence emphasizes the gravity of the ancient sacrifice.

Quebrada de Humahuaca

A 155-kilometre tectonic valley of multi-coloured sedimentary rock formations that served as a major Inca trade route for 10;000 years; the mountainside at Purmamarca displays seven distinct mineral layers; walk the Paseo de los Colorados at sunset; the light ignites the iron-rich cliffs into a fiery terracotta while the wind whistles through the dusty cactus groves.

Mount Fitz Roy

A jagged granite monolith rising 3;405 metres above the Patagonian ice field; characterized by its vertical walls and perpetual cloud cover; the rock face is a magnet for the world elite climbers; reach Laguna de los Tres at 6 am; the first light turns the grey granite a brilliant; incandescent orange against the cobalt sky while the glacial wind bites at exposed skin.

La Boca

A maritime district defined by the corrugated iron houses of El Caminito; painted in mismatched primary colours by 19th-century Genoese immigrants; the scent of grilled choripán and industrial salt air is pervasive; walk the cobblestones at 11 am; the sound of a lone bandoneon echoes off the vibrant metal walls while tango dancers move with a sharp; practiced aggression in the street.

Basilica of Our Lady of Luján

A twin-towered Neo-Gothic colossus built in 1937 to house the nation patron saint; the copper-clad spires rise 106 metres above the pampas; it is the most significant pilgrimage site in the Southern Cone; enter during the Sunday mass; the interior turns amber when the western clerestory windows catch the sun; the air is heavy with incense and the murmur of thousands of devotees.

Manzana Jesuítica

A 17th-century block of colonial buildings including the National University of Córdoba and the Church of the Society of Jesus; featuring the oldest library in the country; the architecture is a sober; thick-walled Spanish Baroque; visit the library at opening; the smell of 400-year-old parchment and leather bindings fills the vaulted stone rooms while the morning light filters through the small; high windows.

Ischigualasto Provincial Park

A triassic-period basin of grey-white clay and wind-sculpted sedimentary towers known as the 'Valley of the Moon'; containing some of the world oldest dinosaur remains; the landscape is a scoured; vegetation-free expanse; traverse the park at dusk; the setting sun creates long; distorted shadows from the 'Sphinx' and 'Submarine' rock formations while the earth turns a ghostly silver.

Valle de Uco

A high-altitude viticultural region at 1;100 metres where modernist wineries are framed by the permanent snow of the Tupungato volcano; the vineyards are irrigated by glacial meltwater; stand on the terrace of a winery at 3 pm; the intense Andean sun saturates the malbec vines while the sound of the wind through the poplars provides a constant; low-frequency hum.

Nahuel Huapi National Park

The nation oldest national park; centered around a 550-square-kilometre glacial lake surrounded by Valdivian rainforest and basalt peaks; the architecture of the city is a blend of alpine timber and stone; take the chairlift to Cerro Campanario at 10 am; the view reveals seven blue lakes nested in the Andean spine; the air is cold and smells of cypress and woodsmoke.

Palermo Soho

A creative district of low-rise brick warehouses and cobblestone streets repurposed into independent design boutiques and open-air cafés; the neighbourhood is a canvas for world-class street art; walk the Soria passage at 7 pm; the golden hour light catches the murals while the clinking of glasses and the buzz of conversation spills onto the sidewalk from the hidden interior courtyards.

Campo de Piedra Pómez

A surreal labyrinth of white volcanic pumice towers carved by high-altitude winds at 3;000 metres elevation; the formations resemble a petrified sea of waves frozen in mid-motion; arrive at midday; the blinding white stone reflects the sun with surgical intensity against a black volcanic sand floor; the silence is absolute in this remote; oxygen-thin high desert.

Iberá Wetlands

A 1.3-million-hectare mosaic of swamps; lagoons; and floating islands that form one of the world largest freshwater ecosystems; the area is a stronghold for the reintroduced giant anteater and jaguar; board a narrow skiff at dawn; the mist rises from the marsh grass while the prehistoric roar of a black howler monkey echoes across the water.

Península Valdés

A scalloped coastline of sun-bleached limestone cliffs that serves as a breeding ground for the Southern Right Whale; the protected bays of Golfo Nuevo offer some of the world best shore-based sightings; stand on El Doradillo beach in August; the whales surface just metres from the shore; the sound of their massive blows echoing against the cliff face while the salt spray hangs in the cold air.