On a continent endowed with magnificent pre-Columbian archaeological sites, this is the supreme showpiece. Machu Picchu’s strategic and isolated high-altitude setting coupled with its mysterious significance in the ancient Inca universe make this “lost city” one of the world’s most beautiful and haunting destinations. Abandoned by the Inca and reclaimed by the jungle, the 100-acre complex of temples, warehouses, houses, irrigation terraces, and stairs remained hidden from outsiders until American explorer Hiram Bingham was led to it in 1911 by a ten-year-old local boy. It somehow had been entirely overlooked and unaccounted for in the Spanish conquistadores’ otherwise meticulous records. Speculation about the age and significance of Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) continues, although current thinking suggests it was a retreat for Inca nobility most likely built in the 15th century.

On a clear day, the very fit should consider the hike to Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain), where the near-vertical scramble to the summit is breathtaking in more ways than one. The truly athletic can arrive at Machu Picchu’s 500-year-old Gate of the Sun after a three- to five-day trek along the Inca Trail. The Inca built many mountain trails, but this was their “royal highway” through the 100-mile-long Urubamba (or Sacred) Valley, the cradle of the Incan civilization.