Perched above Oaxaca’s sunbaked valley, Hierve el Agua feels like nature’s infinity pool — calcified waterfalls that spill into mineral-rich rock pools with panoramic views of terraced hills and distant mountains. Bathe in warm, shimmering waters forged over millennia, hike along surreal stone ridges and watch cloudy skies cast shadows over the limestone cascades — an otherworldly escape that blends geology, culture and quiet wonder.

At almost 8,000 feet above sea level, Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel high in the Andes Mountains in Peru. Set above the Urubamba River valley, the site was built in the 15th century and later abandoned. Even today, it carries an air of mystery with its exact purpose still debated.

Colca Canyon is a river canyon in southern Peru famed as one of the deepest in the world. It’s a trekking and rafting destination with canyons, valleys and remote traditional villages honring terraced agriculture that predates the Incas. The giant Andean condor can often be spotted from viewpoints like Cruz del Condor.