South America Treasure Hunt Quiz – Find the Inca Gold!
Written by Jessica Holom
Last updated · 6 min play time
Do you know enough about South America to map out the treasure? Follow the clues to build the map to the Inca gold.
Quiz written by
Jessica HolomJessica Holom is a freelance writer and digital nomad with a background in literature, art, and writing. She believes curiosity never killed a single cat and enjoys learning, world-exploring, and writing about both.
South America Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 101 Plays · No comments
Question 1
At the top of Sugarloaf, you uncover a clue. It reads: "You're almost there. Now, you must journey through the depths of the world's largest rainforest." Where to?
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AHawaiian Rainforest
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BDaintree Rainforest
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CCongolian Rainforest
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DAmazon Rainforest
Amazon Rainforest
Stretching 2.3 million square miles, the Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest rainforest and one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Wildlife includes red howler monkeys, tyrant flycatchers, toucans, black skimmers, tarantulas, and even jaguars. So, watch your back!
Question 2
In the depths of the Amazon, you find another clue. It reads only: "Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl. With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there." You know this as Barry Manilow's famous song, inspired by what beach?
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AMiami
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BMargaritaville
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CCopacabana
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DKokomo
Copacabana
Copacabana is a beach famous for more than just Barry Manilow's song, "Copacabana". The stunning white sand beach with its renowned wavy black-and-white tile paths is one of the most recognizable beaches on the planet.
Question 3
You found an Inca treasure map at this monumental site in Peru, where the civilization's elite once lived. Name that sacred site.
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AChichen Itza
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BMachu Picchu
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COllantaytambo
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DThe Great Pyramid
Machu Picchu
On your visit to the iconic Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, you located a map for which you must chart out your path to the lost Inca gold. Using clues along the way, follow in the footsteps of the Incas and find what treasures this lost civilization has in store for you.
Question 4
The clue in the Nazca Lines reads: "Travel to where the Incas were born." Time to head into Bolivian territory to what highest navigable lake on Earth?
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ALake Titicaca
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BGeneral Carrera Lake
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CLake Poopo
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DVictoria Lake
Lake Titicaca
The Incas were born at Isla del Sol, an island on Lake Titicaca. In fact, according to legend, it was on the Roca Sagrada (sacred rock) that the first Incas came to be.
Question 5
"Time for something sweet," your next clue reads. "You'll find it in this Brazilian mountain."
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AMountain Dew
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BCupcake Mountain
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CLollipop Mountain
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DSugarloaf Mountain
Sugarloaf Mountain
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, so what does a whole loaf of it do for you? Sugar Loaf may be able to tell you. Located at the mouth of Guanabara Bay, the iconic peak of Rio de Janeiro is reached by cable car from Urca Hill.
Question 6
Follow the Inca Trail east and take a turn south. Soon you will arrive at this Peruvian canyon, nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.
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AColca Canyon
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BHells Canyon
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CMarble Canyon
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DCopper Canyon
Colca Canyon
It's hard to imagine a canyon twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, but that's what you get in Colca Canyon. At 11,100 feet (to the Grand Canyon's 6,093 feet), standing on the edge of Colca Canyon might make you forget your mission. But the gold awaits!
Question 7
You're about to reach the highest mountain in South America, where you'll find your next clue. Where are you?
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AMount Everest
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BMount Aconcagua
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CMount Kilimanjaro
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DMount Pissis
Mount Aconcagua
Located in the Andes on the border between Chile and Argentina lies the highest mountain in South America – and in the entire Western Hemisphere. Mount Aconcagua stands 22,841 feet tall, and its name likely means "Sentinel of Stone" in Quechua Ackon Cahuak.
Question 8
You don't find a pot of gold on the Caño Cristales. But you do find your next clue: "Meet me in the middle." You know that the middle of the Earth is near this equatorial capital of Ecuador.
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ABuenos Aires
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BBangkok
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CQuito
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DSanto Domingo
Quito
Ecuador, named for the equator, promotes its proximity to the equator with the monument, Mitad del Mundo, literally "half of the world." What clue will you find at the center of the universe?
Question 9
On the beach, you find in the tile waves the clue: "Take to the skies and find it on the ground." Back in Peru, you read your next clue in these geoglyphs of the desert sands. They're known as what?
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ANazca Lines
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BHieroglyphics
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CCuneiform
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DCalligraphy
Nazca Lines
The mysterious Nazca Lines carved into the desert sands of southern Peru are geoglyphs of around 300 figures that cover almost 170 square miles. Visible from the hilltops and the air, it's long been unclear what message these lines hold. Until now.
Question 10
Arriving in the Atacama Desert, you find an X in the sand. Excited that it's the treasure, you dig. Instead, you find your next clue: "Go to the moon." Don't take this literally; name that nearby lunar landscape.
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ACraters of the Moon
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BThe Bardenas Reale
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CValle de la Luna
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DSaturn
Valle de la Luna
Located within the Atacama Desert is the Valle de la Luna. With rugged mountains, lunar rock formations, and dunes galore, you don't have to leave Earth to be Neil Armstrong.
Question 11
In a crater at the Valle de la Luna, you find your next clue: "Travel southwest to this still-growing glacier, the jewel of Patagonia." Name that icecap.
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AGreenland Ice Sheet
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BPerito Moreno Glacier
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CBiafo Glacier
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DVatnajokull
Perito Moreno Glacier
This famous glacier is famous for a reason. The Perito Moreno is a shade of white unseen on this Earth with bold blues throughout. Mounted on Patagonia's teal glacial waters, you won't find a more beautiful or breathtaking landscape anywhere.
Question 12
Upon the Roca Sagrada, the birthplace of the first Incas, you find this symbol etched in the stone. A cornerstone of many cultures, what is it to the Incas?
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APeace
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BTree of Life
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CYin and Yang
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DStairstepper
Tree of Life
The Inca Chakana is a three-stepped cross believed to symbolize the Inca "tree of life." A shaman could journey to the higher plane through the central axis, which is where the gods resided, or to the lower plane of the Underworld, in order to understand the Earth plane's suffering.
Question 13
On a sign along Yungas Road, you find a clue that reads: "Head to Colombia's 'Lost City'." Where are you going?
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ACiudad Perdida
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BAtlantis
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CLos Angeles
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DMachu Picchu
Ciudad Perdida
As Machu Picchu is often called the "lost city," Ciudad Perdida is Colombia's version. Hidden in the depths of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, it will take you a four-day, 27-mile journey to reach the Tayrona Indians site, which was only uncovered in the 1970s. What will you discover there?
Question 14
An ice chunk falls off of the glacier to reveal your next clue. It reads: "Climb to the top of the world's longest continental mountain range." Where's that?
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AAndes
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BAlps
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CHimalayas
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DBlue Ridge Mountains
Andes
South America's largest mountain range – and the world's largest continental range – stretches along the continent's western edge. The Andes are not only the setting for Machu Picchu in Peru; they cross through seven countries.
Question 15
You climb the 206 steps to the Tree of Life. It stands above this sacred spring, which is what?
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AWaterfountain
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BBaptism
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CFountain of Youth
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DPool of Knowledge
Fountain of Youth
206 steps lead up to the Fountain of Youth below the Tree of Life. The fountain is built of stone with three nozzled springs. There's an arrow pointing to the water, so you dig. Beneath the water is the Inca gold. Now, not only are you young forever, but you have all the riches in the world. It's time to go explore and live your best life!
Question 16
At the Laguna Colorada, under the foot of a flamingo, you read: "Travel along the 'world's most dangerous road'." This leads you where?
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ARoute 66
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BKolyma Highway
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CYungas Road
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D99-Bend Road
Yungas Road
North Yungas Road is not for the faint of heart. Often named the "world's most dangerous road," around 200 to 300 people are killed traversing this cliffhanging route each year, according to estimates. Better be careful on the way to your next clue!
Question 17
At the Mitad del Mundo, you find yet another clue. It reads: "The driest non-polar desert on Earth holds secrets. Find them." What desert will you travel to?
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AGobi Desert
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BAtacama Desert
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CPatagonian Desert
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DSahara Desert
Atacama Desert
The secrets you may find in the world's driest desert will bring you great bounty. Apart from polar deserts, the Atacama Desert in Chile receives less precipitation than any desert on Earth. And it's got these dry, arid sands to show for it.
Question 18
"Drift down this Liquid Rainbow," reads the clue at the Lost City. In Colombia, you know that could only mean what river?
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AAmazon
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BBetsiboka River
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CCaño Cristales
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DNile
Caño Cristales
Colombia's Caño Cristales – or "River of Five Colors" – is a piece of natural magic. The water's purples, reds, greens, and yellows make for a rainbow (again, created by algae). Will you find your pot of gold at the end of this rainbow? Not yet.
Question 19
At the bottom of Colca Canyon, you find your first clue. It reads: "Travel to the Lake of Red." Where are you headed?
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ALaguna Colorada
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BRust Lake
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CLago Roja
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DLake Erie
Laguna Colorada
The Laguna Colorado stands some 14,000 feet above sea level. The red waters are a natural wonder, largely due to red algae and microorganisms in the water, while dotted with white borax deposit pools. Known for its flocks of flamingos, the lake is a sight to behold. Now, onto your next destination.
Question 20
At the summit of Mount Aconcagua reads the clue: "Search behind the droplets of the world's largest waterfall system." Where should you go?
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AAngel Falls
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BIguazú Falls
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CVictoria Falls
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DNiagara Falls
Iguazú Falls
Although Angel Falls in Venezuela may be the world's highest waterfall, Iguazú Falls earns the title of the world's largest waterfall system. Made up of 275 falls, you'll definitely need to switch your phone to a panoramic view to capture them all.
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