A few years ago, I discovered the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his 1914 odyssey through the Antarctic ice aboard the HMS Endurance. The British explorer was trapped in Vashel Bay, his boat caught between two bodies of ice in the heart of this frozen continent. The ship finally sank, and Shackleton and his crew had to overcome countless difficulties in order to survive and return to civilization.

I found the story truly exciting: men pitting themselves against the full force of nature, undaunted by its power and eventually winning out. It’s the kind of story that inspires dreams of being explorers and discoverers, wherever the adventure might be.

We dedicate this issue of in to life in the open air. After all, every departure from the familiar – our home, our city, our native country – towards the unknown requires courage and a thirst for adventure. We all long to get closer to nature, even though our relationship with the outdoors is mediated today by the most sophisticated technology: devices, clothing and tools that let us enjoy (in some cases, more than ever before) the rediscovery of our connection to the Earth (see this issue’s Cover Story).

To help you on your way to adventure, we offer 39 destinations in Latin America where you can enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities, taking full advantage of the region’s abundance of spectacular landscapes.

Come explore these pages. We’ll take you on a trip to Iquitos, a Peruvian city in the middle of the Amazon jungle; a tour of the New York neighborhood of Harlem; and a five-star camping experience in Chile’s Atacama Desert. You’ll find even more in this month’s issue, if you dare to voyage through its pages, like a true 21st-century explorer. In

My Favorites

• Sir Ernest Shackleton, of course, handsome, brave and daring.
• The folding boat from Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies, presented at the recent London Design Festival.
• The 1968 safari jacket designed by Yves Saint Laurent (and modeled by Veruschka).

María Soledad Ramírez