Astonishing landscapes of South America

The diversity of South America’s landscapes is perhaps the greatest of any continent. It’s hard to fathom that both the driest hot desert in the world, the Atacama in Chile, and our planet’s most biodiverse region, the Amazon rainforest, can be found within the same landmass.

There's also the bright-white salt flats of the Salar de Uyuni in southwest Bolivia and the colourful ‘Rainbow Mountain’ in Peru, two very different landscapes with almost otherworldly beauty.

The latter forms part of the Andes, the world's longest continuous mountain range, which winds its way through seven countries and has a mythical appeal for many. (Daily Mail)