Eco-aware travellers can find an excellent guide to protected areas through the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO (The United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization). These are areas of outstanding universal value in the areas of nature and/or history.

Here are some of the many UNESCO World Heritage sites in South America.

• Iguazu National Park, Argentina
• Noel Kempff National Park, Bolivia
• Central Amazon Conservaton Complex, Brazil
• Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia, Brazil
• Cape Horn Archipeligo and biosphere reserve, Chile
• Historic Cartagena, Colombia
• The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• The City of Quito, Ecuador
• The historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Peru
• The city of Cuzco, Peru
• Canaima National Park, Venezuela home to Angel Falls, the world's tallest waterfall