Earth As We Know It

The Inca's precise stonework is often depicted as shrouded in mystery.

Since the 1500s, the Legend of El Dorado has described a Lost of City of Gold, a myth that drove hordes of conquistadors into South American jungles in pursuit of riches.

In terms of its historical significance, Cartagena de Indias was the most important city to emerge in the expansion of the Spanish Empire, playing a central role in the unfolding of South America's colonial period.

Peru’s Cerro Sechín is the creepiest place I’ve been.

Although largely unknown to most travelers, one of the most influential ancient cultures of South America is that of Chavín.

Within the coastal desert of north-central Peru, a series of river valleys flow down from the towering Andes into the sea.

600 miles from the Ecuadorian coast, the Galapagos archipelago rises from the Pacific.

Within Southeast Colombia's Orinoco River basin, a series of massive rocky sandstone mesas, called tepuis, rise up from the dense humid jungle.

The Patagonia region comprises the southern tip of South America, of both Argentina and Chile.

Corcovado is unlike any other park I've visited within Costa Rica, massive in size and far wilder, with just a few trails piercing into its depths.

Within Colombia's mountainous southwest, high in the Alto Magdalena river basin, are the ancient remains of a network of tribal chiefdoms.

Not until I started exploring central California though did I get the chance to get to know the Elephant Seal, another relative of harbor seals and sea lions, commonly known as Sea Elephants.

At the end of Monterey's undersea canyon, Elkhorn Slough drains into the ocean.