Founded in the early 16th century, Buenos Aires was transformed from a colonial port into a cosmopolitan metropolis – the “Paris of the South” – by the cattle boom of the 1880s. As in the American West, boom was followed by bust. But that did not stop Buenos Aires from becoming the city it is today. With its air of haunted grandeur, Buenos Aires is a place of icy intellect and smoldering passion. It is a city where the elegant Colon Theater, one of the worlds great opera houses, stands in counterpoint to the working class barrios that gave birth to the tango. Perhaps the citys enigmas and contradictions are best embodied by its two most famous citizens – the reclusive librarian and literary genius Jorge Luis Borges and the showgirl turned First Lady, Evita Peron. The “Paris of the South” flaunts its European heritage. One of the pleasures of Buenos Aires is simply absorbing its charm and flavor, from Parisian-style confiterias – cafés – to the citys popular tango clubs.

Founded in the early 16th century, Buenos Aires was transformed from a colonial port into a cosmopolitan metropolis – the “Paris of the South” – by the cattle boom of the 1880s. As in the American West, boom was followed by bust. But that did not stop Buenos Aires from becoming the city it is today. With its air of haunted grandeur, Buenos Aires is a place of icy intellect and smoldering passion. It is a city where the elegant Colon Theater, one of the worlds great opera houses, stands in counterpoint to the working class barrios that gave birth to the tango. Perhaps the citys enigmas and contradictions are best embodied by its two most famous citizens – the reclusive librarian and literary genius Jorge Luis Borges and the showgirl turned First Lady, Evita Peron. The “Paris of the South” flaunts its European heritage. One of the pleasures of Buenos Aires is simply absorbing its charm and flavor, from Parisian-style confiterias – cafés – to the citys popular tango clubs.

Punta Arenas lies atop rolling hills, looking out over the Strait of Magellan. In the days before the Panama Canal, this was a major port as ships plied the waters of Cape Horn. Punta Arenas remains a prosperous town, today, thanks to its rich natural resources. The city is also the gateway to Chilean Patagonia, a maze of fjords, rivers, steppes and mountains to the north. To the south lies the great frozen mass of Antarctica. Adventure awaits at this port near the end of the earth.

Magellan called it Tierra del Fuego, “the Land of Fire,” having seen flames rising from the darkened islands. For over three centuries, the name struck fear in the hearts of mariners. Howling headwinds, mountainous seas and rocky coastlines spelled a sudden end to many voyages. Today, Ushuaia, a former Argentine penal colony, serves as your gateway to this wilderness where snow-capped mountains plummet to the icy waters of the Beagle Channel. In the late 19th century, Reverend Thomas Bridges spent years working with local tribes, compiling a dictionary of their Yaghan tongue. The work outlived the Yaghan: by the beginning of the 20th century, they had succumbed to disease.

The most isolated continent on Earth, Antarctica is home to massive icebergs, majestic mountain ranges and diverse wildlife in a wilderness setting that has a purity as inspiring as it is remote. Its an amazing and precious sight, as the Antarctic Peninsulas ice shelf is shrinking at an alarming rate, noted by the many research bases set up here.

The most isolated continent on Earth, Antarctica is home to massive icebergs, majestic mountain ranges and diverse wildlife in a wilderness setting that has a purity as inspiring as it is remote. Its an amazing and precious sight, as the Antarctic Peninsulas ice shelf is shrinking at an alarming rate, noted by the many research bases set up here.

The most isolated continent on Earth, Antarctica is home to massive icebergs, majestic mountain ranges and diverse wildlife in a wilderness setting that has a purity as inspiring as it is remote. Its an amazing and precious sight, as the Antarctic Peninsulas ice shelf is shrinking at an alarming rate, noted by the many research bases set up here.

The most isolated continent on Earth, Antarctica is home to massive icebergs, majestic mountain ranges and diverse wildlife in a wilderness setting that has a purity as inspiring as it is remote. Its an amazing and precious sight, as the Antarctic Peninsulas ice shelf is shrinking at an alarming rate, noted by the many research bases set up here.

Stanley, capital of the Falklands, is a tiny British outpost where the absence of traffic lights and abundance of pubs in comparison to its size makes this a unique place. Indeed, armed only with hospitality, this rural community at the end of the world has no shortage of friendly locals. Situated near Cape Horn in South America, the harbor at Stanley is one of the worlds largest shipping graveyards of the 19th century. Many of the ships that set out for faraway ports met their destiny here, battered by Cape Horns treacherous waters. The Falklands is also a bird-watchers haven, with an amazing diversity of seabirds and mammals that breed in the Falklands — black-browed albatross, giant petrels, five types of penguin, elephant seals, sea lions, striated caracara, crested caracara, night heron to name a few.

Uruguay is nestled between the continents two giants, Brazil and Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguays capital city, is located at Uruguays southernmost point on the Rio de la Plata. A charming city made up of 19th century Beaux Arts buildings, parks, and historic monuments, Montevideo is home to more than half of the nations three million citizens. Small in size, but large in status, Montevideo is an example of stability and democracy envied by her larger neighbors, and she is one of the most literate nations in the world, with a tradition of humanism and social justice

Founded in the early 16th century, Buenos Aires was transformed from a colonial port into a cosmopolitan metropolis – the “Paris of the South” – by the cattle boom of the 1880s. As in the American West, boom was followed by bust. But that did not stop Buenos Aires from becoming the city it is today. With its air of haunted grandeur, Buenos Aires is a place of icy intellect and smoldering passion. It is a city where the elegant Colon Theater, one of the worlds great opera houses, stands in counterpoint to the working class barrios that gave birth to the tango. Perhaps the citys enigmas and contradictions are best embodied by its two most famous citizens – the reclusive librarian and literary genius Jorge Luis Borges and the showgirl turned First Lady, Evita Peron. The “Paris of the South” flaunts its European heritage. One of the pleasures of Buenos Aires is simply absorbing its charm and flavor, from Parisian-style confiterias – cafés – to the citys popular tango clubs.