Day 3
Begin your South American adventure with a half-day included tour that, as well as introducing downtown Rio, features a walk along Olympic Boulevard, with its colourful murals, then head up Sugarloaf Mountain by cable car. The spectacular 360-degree views from atop the mountain are unforgettable. This evening, enjoy an included drink at a local carioca bar close to your hotel before the chance to take in an optional Ginga Tropical Show in town. This show combines Brazil’s diversity and cultures through different styles of dance, music and live performances and concludes with a carnival-inspired finale. Dinner is at leisure tonight.
Day 4
Continue your exploration of Rio today with an excursion to a wonder of the world – the Christ the Redeemer statue atop Corcovado Mountain. This evening, enjoy your final evening in Rio with an included dinner at the nearby Martinez Restaurant.Â
Day 5
Early this morning transfer to the airport, for your flight to Iguazú Falls, the world-famous cascades at the meeting point of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Travel by coach through the lush foliage, and enjoy a two-night stay at your resort hotel on the Brazilian side of the Falls. Dinner is included tonight.
Day 6
You’ll start your exploration of Iguazú on the Brazilan side of the Falls, where a series of pathways leads through the lush foliage of the UNESCO-listed Iguazú National Park, which is nurtured by the constant moisture from the astonishing waterfalls. Still within the boundaries of the Iguazú National Park, the Argentinian side is a stunning jungle refuge for big cats, monkeys, tapirs and countless colourful bird species. Dinner is at leisure tonight.Â
Day 7
Transfer to the airport for the short flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival, meet your Argentinian tour manager and transfer to your hotel. Dinner is at leisure tonight.Â
Day 8
Today you'll enjoy a guided introduction to Buenos Aires. See Plaza de Mayo’s parliament buildings, the tango district of San Telmo, the famously colourful La Boca district, the chic Puerto Madero riverside area and La Recoleta – the Argentinian capital's most elegant neighbourhood.
Return to the hotel at the end of a wonderful day, perhaps joining in the optional dinner at the nearby Revire Restaurant.
Day 9
Discover more of enthralling Buenos Aires under your own steam, today, or join an exciting optional excursion into the pampas grassland, to a typical estancia ranch, learning about the gaucho culture of the plains ranchers and enjoying a traditional asado barbecue.
This evening, crown the Argentinian leg of your South American adventure with a farewell dinner and a tango show at Tango Porteño – one of the city's renowned centres of traditional music and dance.
Day 10
Enjoy a day at leisure in Buenos Aires, perhaps revisiting some attractions or places of interest from the city tour, before transferring to the airport for your evening flight to Lima, which will arrive after 11pm.Â
Meet your guide and transfer to your hotel in Lima for a good night’s rest.
Day 11
A guided sightseeing tour brings to life the Peruvian capital. Founded by conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima is a thriving city of some nine million inhabitants that boasts a number of UNESCO-listed historic treasures, legacies of Spanish colonialism.Â
This evening, choose from a vast selection of dining opportunities: Lima is renowned as one of South America's liveliest culinary centres.
Day 12
Today you'll fly east from Lima to the Inca stronghold of Cusco. From here you'll travel by coach into the fabled Sacred Valley of the Incas, where highlights will include a visit to the tiny Andean town of Ccaccaccollo, where the ancient Inca techniques of weaving and fabric-dyeing live on.
Day 13
Continue your exploration of the Sacred Valley, today. Visit Pisac, with its substantial Inca ruins and colourful market, and Ollantaytambo, home to the remains of a monumental Inca fortress from which the Inca organised resistance against Hernando Pizarro (conquistador brother of Lima’s Francisco). Highlights of your day will be a visit to an indigenous community ‘Potato Park’ and a traditional lunch. You’ll then spend a second night in the Valley, in preparation for tomorrow’s extraordinary day.
Day 14
Today is sure to be a highlight of your holiday as you travel by narrow-gauge railway to the spa town of Aguas Calientes. Take in the panoramic views of the astonishing Andean scenery through the enormous windows of your comfortable, modern Vistadome carriage, and then transfer to the bus for the final leg of your journey, zig-zagging up through the jungle to Machu Picchu, the breath-taking Lost City of the Incas.
This extraordinary mountaintop citadel in the heart of the Andean jungle is an absolutely unforgettable place, part military outpost, part secret retreat of Inca rulers or estate built in honour of Inca chief Pachacuti.Â
At the end of the day, you’ll travel back to Cusco via Aguas Calientes for a two-night stay in the ‘archaeological capital of South America’.
Day 15
The Incas called Cusco the 'Navel of the World', and its citadel (reputedly shaped like a puma) was an intricate maze of palaces and gilded temples upon which the conquering Spanish built their colonial city. It remains one of the world’s most enthralling settlements, and today's guided tour will bring to life the city’s fascinating history and most important landmarks.
Day 16
You'll have a very early start, this morning, as you board your well-appointed coach for the 10.5-hour journey through the high Andean plains to Puno. Alternatively, you may choose to take the PeruRail Titicaca Train (supplement applies). As you travel through the startling landscape, you'll make plenty of stops, including for a gourmet lunch, and arrive in lakeside Puno late this afternoon to spend the first of two evenings in the colourful capital of Peruvian folklore.
Day 17
civilisation and a wonderful refuge for Andean wildlife and many species of resident and migratory birds. Cruise to Taquile Island, where a fairly strenuous walk will be rewarded time to explore some local craft shops, enjoy a traditional Taquile lunch and the opportunity to learn more about the peoples and cultures of the lake.
At the end of the day, you'll cruise back to Puno to spend a second evening here.
Day 18
Board the coach early this morning and journey west from Titicaca, heading towards the startling, scenic landscape of the Aguada Blanca National Reserve, past herds of vicunas and alpaca, and the Inca farming terraces that are still worked today.Â
Day 19
We'll have an early start today, as we drive to the spectacular viewpoint at Cruz del Condor. Here, with luck, you'll catch sight of the enormous, majestic condors that make the Colca Canyon their home gliding on the swirling winds and thermals.
This afternoon, you’ll arrive in the beautiful city of Arequipa, in its dramatic setting beside the Chile River beneath three snow-capped volcanoes.
Day 20
Today you’ll enjoy a tour of White City, Arequipa, with its elegant main square Plaza de Armas, lined on one side by the great cathedral, and surrounded by 19th-buildings constructed of white volcanic stone. You’ll also visit the extraordinary ‘town within a city’, the narrow streets, cloisters and hidden quarters of the Monasterio Santa Catalina, to discover the convent's fascinating religious art and architecture..
This afternoon, you'll head to Arequipa airport to catch your flight to Lima for a last night in the capital.
Day 21
Enjoy a final few hours at leisure in Lima, perhaps enjoying a spot of lunch, before transferring to the airport for your overnight return flight.
Day 22
Early morning arrival.