These Americas Destinations Are On The Rise

Tourists on a beach in Tulum, Quintana Roo state of Mexico. (Xinhua/Francisco Galvez/NOTIMEX via Getty Images)

Compiled By NAN Lifestyle Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Dec. 23, 2015: The top 10 destinations on the rise globally are in and four nations in Latin America have made the coveted TripAdvisor list. They are:

1: Tulum, Mexico: This quiet town located along the Caribbean coast of the Riviera Maya in Mexico is home to one of today’s best preserved Maya sites and faces the Caribbean Sea. The 13th-century, Mayan ruins tower overlooks the sea in the Tulum National Park and was formerly a walled city that was one of the last to be built by the Mayan. Its archaeological sites are still incredibly well preserved.

You can lie out on the beach or take a break to visit El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes, and the Temple of the Descending God. Explore an underground river under a canopy of stalactites in the sacred caverns of LabnaHa Eco Park, or dive into Cenote Dos Ojos to snorkel inside of caves in the middle of a forest. For more see https://www.todotulum.com/. Getting there is not as easy though! From the Cancun International Airport  take the ADO bus to Playa del Carmen with departures every :30min to 1 hour for about $12 USD. Once in Playa del Carmen you can transfer to a second bus to Tulum for an additional $4.5o USD).

Souvenirs line the walls at Hernandez Gallery in downtown Tulum, Mexico. (Photographer: Cassi Alexandra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

2: Cartagena, Colombia: Cartagena is a gorgeous fishing village on Colombia’s northern coast with excellent beaches, a historic old town (that’s entirely walkable) and beautiful colonial buildings. With a tropical climate, the city is a popular beach destination for locals and tourists. IThe nearby shores of Isla de Barú and Islas del Rosario are known for their coral reefs and scuba diving. It gets extremely crowded in the December holidays when schools are out and most Colombians take their vacations. Getting there: fly into the Rafael Nuñez International Airport Fort Lauderdale (Spirit Airlines), Miami (Avianca), Atlanta (Delta), and New York (JetBlue). There are several seasonal flights from many cities in Canada as well as from Madrid, Quito and Helsinki. Cartagena is 1,000 km north of Bogotá – about an hour by air, or a 2.5 hour flight from Miami.

Coachmen wait for tourists at the ‘Plaza de los Coches’ in Cartagena. AFP PHOTO/Joaquin Sarmiento (Photo credit should read Joaquin SARMIENTO/AFP/Getty Images)

3: Lima, Peru: Lima’s history predates the colonial presence in the country. It  is the capital of Peru and is the largest city. It was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. The modern city is today a curious mix of a modern mega city with some ‘islands of modernity’ as well as orderly slum areas and colonial architecture in the city center.

Lima was the seat of the Spanish rule during 300 years, and as such it has wonderful churches, cloisters and monasteries that are worth a visit as is the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site, four tombs belonging to the Ychsma culture, who settled in the Central Coast between the years 1000-1450 AD.. Located on the west central coast of Peru, on the shores of the Pacific you can get there by flying to the Jorge Chavez International Airport  (also called Jorge Chavez Airport Lima-Callao) which is well connected with most cities in South America. There are also regular flights from Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas in the US and daily flights from Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, Miami, Bogotá, Medellín, Quito, Santiago de Chile and Toronto.

Tourists visit the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Sebastian Castaeda/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

4: Foz do Iguacu, Brazil: Foz do Iguac is a major city in the state of Paraná, Brazil and is home to the famous Iguaçu Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls. Together with the cities of Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), it forms part of one the largest cultural tourism poles in South America. Giant anteaters, howler monkeys, ocelots, endangered jaguars and clouds of butterflies are among the attractions at this World Heritage-designated park that marks the border between Brazil and Argentina. Foz do Iguaçu’s Cataratas International Airport is the closest to the city and there are frequent flights from Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Santiago de Chile.

Tourists visit the Iguazu Falls in Foz do Iguacu, Parana. (Photo: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)