Petrified Forest National Park stretches across the colorful high desert of northeastern Arizona, where grasslands, mesas, badlands, and ancient fossil deposits form an unusual landscape. The park is best known for its extensive petrified wood, much of it preserved from trees that lived in a river environment more than 200 million years ago.
Mist, research stations, and penguins are just a few of the things that define the South Shetland Islands, an archipelago off the coast of Antarctica. These 11 Antarctic islands, most notably King George Island, have served as a base for researchers from Chile, Argentina, and a variety of other countries. The archipelago has also become a popular cruise destination for tourists to the Antarctic region.
Coa Valley lies in northeastern Portugal near the Douro River, in a landscape shaped by steep hills, schist cliffs, vineyards, olive groves, and almond trees. The area is best known for its open-air prehistoric rock engravings, spread across the banks of the Coa River and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Trinidad and Tobago is a nation of contrasts, where vibrant cultural traditions meet diverse natural landscapes. Together, the two islands balance energy and relaxation, heritage and nature.
Located in the Gulf of Honduras, this area of the Mayan offers jungle tours along the Rio San Carlos or walking through the Mayan ruina at Quirigua. In ancient Mayan culture, priests used to drive sting ray spines through their tongues to appease their gods.
Other Popular Destinations in Guatemala
Antigua
Antigua is a city shaped by centuries of artistry, tradition, and natural forces. Set in a highland valley and surrounded by volcanoes, its streets are lined with colorful buildings, hidden courtyards, and open-air plazas. The Santa Catalina Arch is one of Antigua’s most recognizable features, originally built as a passage between two sections of a convent. Today, it frames a dramatic view of Volcán de Agua and is a popular gathering spot for both locals and visitors.
Tikal National Park
Tikal is one of the most extraordinary ancient cities in Guatemala, hidden deep in the Petén region’s tropical forests. Once called Yax Mutal by its Maya builders, these ruins reveal thousands of years of history in carved stone stelae and towering limestone structures, some of which rise more than 60 meters above the jungle floor. Today, visitors can walk among the Great Plaza and gaze up at the Temple of the Great Jaguar and the Temple of the Masks, reminders of the city’s long legacy.