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If you are you planning a vacation to Central or South America (and you should!), we want to help you. Here is a short list to help you discover the best Latin American travel destinations to include on your trip.

Latin America houses plenty of jaw-dropping destinations that will leave you mesmerized. The region boasts beautiful beaches, colonial sights, and impressive architecture. Here are our highlights:

1. Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena, a gorgeous fishing village on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, has excellent beaches, a historic old town (that’s entirely walkable) with lots of squares and cobblestone streets and beautiful colonial architecture. It is also one of the safest and most romantic places in the country, so it’s no wonder it is so popular.

Need a break? Stop at an outdoor cafe for excellent pastries and people-watching. With a tropical climate, the city is also a popular beach destination. Reachable by boat are the islands of Isla de Barú, with its white-sand beaches and palm trees, and the Islas del Rosario, known for their coral reefs.

In Cartagena, you can visit a Spanish fort, relax on the beach and dance the night away – all in one amazing day! The region will surely convert your travel experience into something magical.

2. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

The world’s largest salt flat is located amid the Andes in southwest Bolivia and is the world’s largest salt flat.

It is the legacy of a prehistoric lake that went dry, leaving behind a desert-like, nearly 4,3000-square miles landscape of bright-white salt, rock formations, and cacti-studded islands.

Check out the remarkable landscape, and then spend the night at Luna Salada Hotel — a property built entirely out of salt harvested from the land. Though wildlife is rare in this unique ecosystem, it harbors many pink flamingos

3. Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

Salvador, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia, is known for its Portuguese colonial architecture, Afro-Brazilian culture and a tropical coastline. As the first capital of Brazil, from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures.

The Pelourinho neighborhood is its historic heart, with cobblestone alleys opening onto large squares, restored pastel-colored buildings and baroque churches such as São Francisco, featuring gilt woodwork. Salvador is the home of soul and rhythm and famous for its colorful nightlife. Make sure you put this exciting city on your bucket list of the best Latin American travel destinations!

4. Panama City, Panama

Panama City, the capital of Panama, is a modern city framed by the Pacific Ocean and the man-made Panama Canal. Casco Viejo, its cobblestoned historic center, is famed for colonial-era landmarks like the neoclassical Presidential Palace and bougainvillea-filled plazas lined with cafes and rooftop bars.

The Miraflores Locks offer views of ships traversing the canal, an essential shipping route linking the Atlantic and Pacific.

Panama City is also a great location for day trips to the indigenous tribes (as seen in the picture which shows the Embera tribe), various national parks, or as a gateway to the Caribbean islands of San Blas (Guna Yala) or Bocas del Toro. All are well worth a visit!

5. The Great Blue Hole, Belize

When talking about Latin American travel, how can you not include the Great Blue Hole in Belize? This submarine sinkhole is believed to be one of the best scuba diving sites on earth. It lies near the center of Lighthouse Reef, a small atoll about 60 miles from the mainland of Belize City.

The Great Blue Hole gained popularity through Jacques Cousteau who probably knows a thing or two about diving. Also, you can experience the nearby second-largest reef system after the Great Barrier.

6. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

The archipelago became Ecuador’s first national park in 1959, and the Galápagos was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Today, more than 200,000 people visit the Galápagos Islands every year to see the animals and landscapes that are unique to this region.

There is really just no wildlife experience like it — from encounters with blue-footed boobies to snorkeling with cheeky sea lions and penguins, or paddling alongside turtles and marine iguanas. You can see and do it all – best aboard one of the many smaller cruise ships. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – guaranteed!!! We are speaking from experience.