Volcán Wolf and Volcano Ecuador on Isla Isabela are two sites directly on the equator line.

When Tomás de Berlanga returned to Spain from the Galápagos, he brought with him a cayman (a crocodilian reptile). This cayman measured nearly 10 feet long. It is currently on display in the cathedral in Berlanga de Duero, Spain.

The marine iguanas on Española Island attract mates by turning their black skin to bright red.

The work, The Encantadas, by Herman Melville, the author of the famous Moby Dick, were inspired by the Galápagos Islands.

The waved albatross can spend months and years without touching land. They take off only after they have all formed a single-file line, one after the other.

Galápagos tortoises and finches display a classic example of a symbiotic relationship. The finch hops in front of the tortoise to show that it is ready. The tortoise then stretches out its neck so the bird can pick off the ticks that are hidden in the folds of their skin. The finch gets a meal and the tortoise rids itself of pesky parasites.

Consisting of 13 large and hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean off the western coast of South America, the Galapagos Islands are home to some of the world’s most fascinating animal life.  On a small-ship cruise of the Galapagos you are sure to take in some breathtaking sights.

On your way to cruise the Galapagos Islands you are sure to make a stop in Quito.  Here are some must-see sights while on your South America vacation:

ORTEGA P. & HIJOS
Owning a “toquilla hat” means owning a piece of myth and legend. Visit this local outlet for renowned Cuenca hat manufacturer, Ortega and Sons, for the best hats hand-woven in Ecuador since 1899.

PARQUE EL EJIDO ARTS & CRAFTS MARKET
Held every weekend, this market sells everything from handmade jewelry to carved wood. But it’s famous for its paintings depicting Quito’s city scenes. If you want a piece of art to remember your visit to Quito, this is the place to go.

MERCADO DE SANTA CLARA
For a true taste of Quito, visit the vegetable, herb, and flower stands of this colorful farmer’s market. You can even purchase a locally woven basket to carry home your loot.

LA QUERENCIA
Whether you sit inside by the fireplace or outside by the garden, you’ll enjoy panoramic views of Quito while savoring traditional Ecuadorian dishes like lamb stew and fried bananas.

LA RONDA
This quiet street in one of Quito’s best-preserved sections winds around 18th-century stucco houses with brightly colored balconies. It offers the perfect spot for a leisurely stroll.

PLAZA SANTO DOMINGO
Locals venture to this charming square on the weekends to listen to storytellers and delight in jugglers and mimes.

MUSEO FUNDACIÓN GUAYASAMIN
Tucked in a residential area of Quito, this museum features the works of Oswaldo Guayasamin, one of Ecuador’s most famous and prolific modern artists.

LA REINA VICTORIA
A British pub, La Reina Victoria, is practically the only place in Quito where you can get a draft beer. Enjoy a pint and a game of darts.

CAFÉ LIBRO
If you’d like to take home some Ecuadorian literature or photo books, this bookstore carries an extensive collection of books in both Spanish and English.

PLAZA FOSCH AND PLAZA EL QUINDE
Located in Av Fosch between Amazonas and Reina Victoria, you’ll discover lots of good restaurants and cocktail bars here. Sometimes concerts are held in the square.

Don’t forget that camera on this journey to the west coast of South America, where the most incredible wildlife in the world can be captured on film. It’s time to fly to the Galapagos Islands, where you’re most unforgettable adventures await you.

From the erupting volcanic islands to the amazing ancient ruins, the Galapagos Islands will fill your thrill for adventure. Whether you enjoy exploring on land or under the water, this getaway is just right for you. If you possess a strong passion for the theory of evolution, enjoy visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station. Take a break from the water and spend some time sightseeing with a local guide or exploring the Galapagos National Park.

It’s time to prepare for your favorite vacation or small-ship cruise where you will encounter your most amazing memories and will bring never before seen sites to life. Get ready to dive into the most unforgettable trip of your life.

A small bronze plaque at Iguazu Falls commemorates the wandering Spanish conquistador Cabeza de Vaca, who in 1541 became the first European to set eyes on one of South America’s most awe-inspiring natural wonders.

We have no record of what the crusty fortune-hunter thought when first encountering the 275 cataracts that cover a distance of over a mile and a half, including the great arc known today as The Devil’s Throat, where water surges so violently over the rim that visitors today feel the need to wear raincoats on the walkways.  But we do know that when Eleanor Roosevelt visited Iguazu Falls, now shared by Brazil and Argentina, she exclaimed: “Poor Niagara!”  Oddly, this South American powerhouse remained largely off the world radar until the 1986 film The Mission, starring Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons, which shed some light on the area’s unique colonial history.

It was around Iguazu that teams of Jesuit priests began setting up their mission stations in the 1600s to convert the local Guarani Indians to Christianity.  Compared to other evangelical attempts of the time, it was a noble and humane experiment.  Instead of putting the Indians to work on brutal plantations, the Jesuits created an enlightened system that allowed the Guarani to study, grow grain and carve musical instruments that became famous in the courts of Europe.  At their height, the missions housed 100,000 Guarani, with a standing Indian army to keep out marauding slave traders.  And this system survived for over 150 years.  But when the Spanish king expelled Jesuits from South America in 1767, the missions began to collapse, slave traders pounced and the Guarani fled back into the jungle.

Today the ancient missions remain as poetic ruins on both side of the Brazil-Argentine border, their walls decorated with elegant Indian carvings of angels and stars.  In one, San Ignacio, the gravestones of the priests bear simple but clear messages: “Here lies Father Juan, a good man.”

The last thing you might expect to find in the middle of the world’s densest rainforest is a Italian opera house.  But in the city of Manaus, the Renaissance-style Teatro Amazonas, Amazon Theater, looms above the fast-flowing river like an apparition from a distant world.  Its improbable saga began in the 1880s rubber boom, when the pneumatic tire was invented and Amazon rubber suddenly became a valuable substance.  Pioneers flooded into the jungle by riverboat, and the remote camp of Manaus, thousands of miles from civilization, became a boom town overnight.

In this Brazilian El Dorado, millionaire rubber barons outdid one another to prove their sophistication, ordering the latest fashions from Paris, building art nouveau mansions and lighting their cigars with $100 bills.  In 1881, the local governor decided that Manaus should become the southern hemisphere’s cultural hub by building an opera house along the lines of Milan and Naples, then pumped a fortune into the project.  It took a decade and a half to ship the luxury materials from Europe, including swathes of Carrara marble, 198 chandeliers and 36,000 ceramic tiles, but on New Year’s Eve, 1896, the marvelous house was inaugurated with a  performance of La Giaconda.

The audience sweated through the show in tuxedos and evening dresses, swatting malarial mosquitoes with their theater programs.  But the evening was a huge success: patrons were dazzled by the sumptuous interior, which boasted four levels of Corinthian pillared balconies and Louis XV-style red velvet chairs.  The house curtain was painted with Grecian nymphs lolling at the meeting-place of the Amazon and the River Solimoes, which occurs at Manaus.

In 1982, the theater enjoyed a renewed fame when it was featured in the Werner Herzog film Fitzcarraldo as a monument to human obsession.  Today, operas are still performed here, although the musicians are mostly immigrants from Eastern Europe, lured to the jungle from their chilly homelands.

Monograms provides traveler’s access to a Local Host, so you will have someone on hand to answer those vacation questions pertaining to Iguassu Falls.  Your Local Host is also about to share local Iguassu Falls insights and suggestions for getting off the beaten path, leaving you more time to create lasting vacation memories that are yours alone.  Here are some of the sights a Local Host would recommend exploring while in Brazil:

Bird Park
Located near the entrance of Iguassu National Park, the Bird Park has more than 300 species of birds and was constructed with the intention of offering ideal breeding conditions for birds. Rare and colorful birds fly in the huge aviaries, which have been built to blend in with the humid subtropical forest. Visitors are able to enter these aviaries and view the birds at close quarters. They will also see alligators, anacondas, pythons, marmosets, and butterflies. At present, the Bird Park is the largest in Latin America and is internationally recognized. It is open daily from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Itaipu Dam
A joint venture between Brazil and Paraguay, the Itaipu Dam is responsible for 20% of the energy consumed in Brazil and 90% in Paraguay. Located approximately 30 minutes from Iguassu, the Dam is five miles wide and 600 feet high. It is considered second in generating capacity behind the Three Gorges Dam in China. Since it was opened for visitation in 1977, the Itaipu Dam has been visited by 10 million people from over 165 countries.

Casino Iguazu Argentina
Venture to Casino Iguazu to play some roulette, black jack, poker, baccarat, or slot machines. Or maybe just enjoy its beautiful restaurant serving international dishes. Don’t forget to bring your passport, as you will need it to enter.

Iguassu Falls, one of the most spectacular sights on earth is located between Brazil and Argentina. Meaning “Big Water” in the local dialect, there are 275 falls that cover a distance of over a mile and a half. A photograph cannot accurately portray this breathtaking sight—you must experience it for yourself on a vacation to South America.

Rounding out our must-see sights of Rio de Janeiro, here are some additional places to visit on your vacation in Brazil:

Barra Da Tijuca
Rio’s longest beach, it stretches over 18km along Av. Sernambetiba. A hot spot on the beach is the area around the Barraca do Pepê, a bar named for a famous Brazilian hang glider who died competing outside Brazil.

Recreio Dos Bandeirantes
This is a charming 2km long inlet at the end of Sernambetiba Ave. Sheltered by a large rock, Recreio is safe for swimming.

Prainha
A secluded sandy strip 700 meters long, Prainha is a surfer’s beach. It is an Environmental Protected Area.

Grumari
Enjoy the reddish sand in an unspoiled setting. The sea is often rough here. It is also an Environmental Protected Area.

Burle Marx
Out beyond Barra, the vegetation is almost virgin. If you have time, visit Prainha and Grumari beaches—much loved by the surfers. The vegetation is protected, and building is not permitted. Nearby is the estate where the famous landscape artist, Burle Marx, lived. This is open to visitors and is perfect for an ecological/photographic safari. It contains plants from all over the world, though the emphasis is on wonderful examples of Brazilian flora.

Open Fairs
There are open fairs, such as the Hippie Fair in Praça and General Osório in Ipanema, where all sorts of handcrafts, art, and leather goods can be found. At the Babilônia Feira Hype (in the Jockey Club in Gávea), every fortnight the booths are loaded with clothes—mainly for the young. A typically Brazilian event is the open street market—selling fruit and vegetables—which moves around from borough to borough, so a little local knowledge is needed to know when one is operating near your hotel. The show of fruit and greens is spectacular, and prices are reasonable.

Continuing our post from Friday, September 3, here are some more must-see sights when traveling to Brazil:

Tijuca National Park
For a break from the city, take a walk through this lush rainforest with 30 waterfalls and over 300 plant species.

São Conrado Beach
While the tourists flock to Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, head to this secluded beach for a little more space and beautiful mountain scenery. It’s also fun to watch the hang gliders descend to the landing strip here.

Old Rio
Admire the colonial architecture and baroque churches before hitting the Uruguaiana Shopping District for local treasures. The soft Brazilian cotton is extremely popular.

Santa Teresa
For a break from the glitzy and hedonistic side of Rio de Janeiro, take the streetcar to this charming, authentic village. Colonial houses have been converted to small inns and art studios, and the women are more likely to be in peasant skirts than halter tops.

Misiones Province Jesuit ruins
Most people stop at breathtaking Iguassu Falls on their way from Rio to Buenos Aires, but don’t just visit the amazing waterfall. The Misiones Province area has much to offer, including the 17th-century Jesuit ruins.

Colombo Tea House
If you want to travel back through time and eat in the past, then Colombo is the place for you. This magnificent Continental café has changed little since opening on September 17th, 1894, and it retains an air of restful elegance on its upstairs restaurant balcony.

Botanical Garden
Enjoy a paradise of plants and trees from the four corners of the earth. Founded in 1808, it spreads over an area of approximately 340 acres. It has over 5,000 species of plants, including the impressive Imperial Palms planted in 1842.