Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Natives call it a cidade maravilhosa—the marvelous city—for its stunning setting and unabashed lust for life. Our overnight stay lets you revel in Brazilian paradise: beaches beauty, samba. And if Rio isn't wild enough for you, there's always a trip to the Amazonian river outpost of Manaus, once the richest city in the world.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Seductive and profoundly nostalgic, only Buenos Aires could have given birth to the tango. An overnight stay gives you time to savor the city's fading, beloved European heritage, its creative intensity, the elegance of its citizens, and its famous night-owl social life.

Montevideo, Uruguay
Friendly and genteel, Montevideo honors colonial customs: long lunches, siestas, high tea. Clean white beaches beckon. Perhaps you'll visit evocative Colonia del Sacramento, almost unchanged since the Portuguese founded it in 1680.

Stanley, Falkland Islands
Wide moorlands and metal-clad houses with brightly painted roofs welcome you at Stanley, population 2,000. The fragrance of peat smoke from home fireplaces scents the air and life is simpler by far—no television and no daily newspaper. Put on your hiking boots and visit a penguin colony that distinctly resembles organized chaos. After, raise a pint in a British-style pub.

Scenic cruising Cape Horn
Few natural landmarks have been as feared and revered as Cape Horn. Ancient mariners dreaded rounding the Cape with its reputation for foul weather and untenable seas. Corneliszoon Schouten, who discovered this landmark in his ship, Unitie, named the 1,400-foot-high sea cliff "Hoorn," after his birthplace in the Netherlands. Schouten did not realize that the this was the southernmost tip of an island, not connected to the South American continent.

Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Dramatic Ushuaia is the southernmost town in the world. Domineering peaks loom on three sides; the fourth opens to the Beagle Channel, where sea lions bellow and mountains drop straight into the sea. From here it's on to Cape Horn, and new respect for ancient mariners.

Punta Arenas, Chile
Punta Arenas, set on rolling, wind-scoured hills, is Chilean big sky country. It's also the takeoff point for Patagonia's Torres del Paine National Park and a flightseeing tour over Antarctica. From here, we follow in Darwin's wake, sailing the Cockburn and Beagle channels past several mighty glaciers.

Puerto Montt, Chile
Puerto Montt, in the style of its Bavarian settlers, features homes with steeply pitched roofs and elaborate balconies. A trip inland through the Lake District, former stronghold of the Auraucanian Indians, leads to fragrant eucalyptus and pine forests, pristine lakes and snow-capped volcanoes.

Valparaiso, Chile
An inviting maze of cobblestone streets and 17 tram-equipped hills make Valparaiso a joy to wander. From here, fly to lively Santiago or to Easter Island, where the massive, enigmatic stone moai stand guard.