South America Highlights - 19 Days

Arrive in Lima, Peru's bustling capital city, to start your holiday. Upon arrival we will meet you and escort you to your hotel, help you check-in, and answer any questions you may have. The remainder of the day will be free time for you to relax following your flight and to give you time to explore Miraflores, the modern district in Lima where you are staying. Miraflores is home to a fantastic selection of modern restaurants serving fabulous Peruvian cuisine (Peru was voted World Culinary Travel Destination of the Year an astonishing 6 years in a row from 2012 to 2017 at the World Travel Awards) so this is an excellent place to enjoy your first meal in Peru. Ask us about restaurant recommendations or reservations.

Meals: None

Overnight: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

Today you will enjoy a tour to visit the historic city centre of Lima, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. You will visit the main central plaza to see the Presidential Palace and Cathedral, and the highlight of the tour is a visit to the San Francisco Monastery with its collection of religious art, a fascinating library and the subterranean catacombs underneath the monastery.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Miraflores, Lima

Option: If you wish to add more time in Lima we have a selection of excursions to consider. Our Lima Gastronomy Tour follows the journey of food from a market to a kitchen for a cookery lesson followed by a meal in a fine restaurant. If you are more interested in history our UNESCO Caral Tour visits this 4000 year old ancient pyramid ruin, and our Pachacamac Tour visits this important ruin on the outskirts of Lima. Also worth a visit is Larco Herrera Museum.

Today we will escort you back to Lima airport for a short flight to Cusco as you arrive in the heartland of the Inca Empire. In Cusco we will escort you to your hotel where the remainder of the day is free for you to explore this incredible city.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Option: Choose from a morning flight to have more time in Cusco, or an afternoon or evening flight to enjoy more time in Lima.

Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most historic, beautiful and interesting cities to explore in South America. We include free time in Cusco to allow you to acclimatise, but also to provide time for you to enjoy this wonderful destination. Cusco is full of cobbled Inca streets, colonial architecture, churches and chapels, markets, art galleries, museums and much more and is a fabulous place to explore.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Today enjoy an escorted tour to visit some of the most iconic sights within the city. Begin in the heart of the city with visits to Cusco Cathedral with its beautiful interior and the Inca temple of Korikancha which was converted into a church by the Spanish colonists. The tour then continues to the valleys surrounding Cusco to visit the Inca sites of Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman, the latter of which is famous for its monolithic stones and as the location of the annual Inti Raymi festivities.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Option: If you wish you can swap the Cusco city tour and free day around (days 4 and 5).

Embark on a fantastic journey through of the Sacred Valley following in the footsteps of the Inca. Visit the traditional village of Chinchero famous for its traditional crafts and with a network of Inca streets and small Inca ruins. After enjoying a demonstration of the crafts techniques used by the villagers since the time of the Inca you will visit the ancient colonial church in the village which features a beautifully painted interior. Next stop is the unique circular terraces at the Inca site of Moray and the nearby village of Maras where a valley has been converted into countless salt pans over many hundreds of years - it is a wonderful sight to behold. Finally you will arrive at the traditional Inca town of Ollantaytambo to visit the large Inca fortress that overlooks the town. As the day concludes you will return to the Sacred Valley to enjoy a night in the tranquil and beautiful surroundings of this scenic part of Peru.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Hotel in the Sacred Valley

Option: The Sacred Valley is a popular destination to add a free day before continuing to provide more time to relax and enjoy the tranquil surroundings of the valley or the spa services of your hotel. Alternatively after visiting Ollantaytambo travel directly to Machu Picchu and sleep in Machu Picchu Pueblo instead of the Sacred Valley for earlier access to Machu Picchu the following day. Please enquire for more information.

This morning you will enjoy the early-morning train transporting you through the last stretch of the Sacred Valley towards Machu Picchu. The train is a wonderful journey passing Inca terraced landscapes with views of snowy Andes mountain peaks and traditional farmland as well as the raging Urubamba river in the valley below. The trainline ends at Machu Picchu Pueblo, the gateway to Machu Picchu itself, and on arrival you will meet your Machu Picchu guide and travel to the ruin for a full tour of this iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will enjoy the unforgettable "postcard" view of the site as well as visiting all of the important areas including the Temple of the Sun and Intihuatana Sundial and will learn about the fascinating history of Machu Picchu and the Inca Empire. After the tour has concluded we will escort you back to Machu Picchu Pueblo where you will have some lunch and free time to explore the town and pick up some souvenirs before returning to Cusco by train later in the afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Option: Upgrade your Machu Picchu entry to a two-day ticket and add a night in Machu Picchu Pueblo if you would like to return to Machu Picchu the following day for more time to explore the ruin at your leisure.

Today you will enjoy another free day in Cusco which provides time to relax following your visit to Machu Picchu and a break in the holiday before you continue your journey through South America.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Cusco

Today you will journey from Cusco to the Peruvian city of Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca on a full day tour to visit the most interesting destinations along the way. The road you will follow is called the “Ruta del Sol” or the Sun Road and you will enjoy visits to an ancient Andean colonial church built in 1626, a visit to Raqchi Inca archaeological complex, and of course some incredible views of snow-capped Andean mountains and landscapes.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight: Hotel in Puno, Lake Titicaca

Option: Replace the Ruta del Sol tour with an upgraded overnight trip on the Belmond Andean Explorer Train, or on the one-day Titicaca Train. Please enquire for more information.

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and a highlight of a holiday to this part of the world is a visit to the unique and iconic floating Uros Islands. This morning you will enjoy a cruise tour over the lake to visit the floating islands and discover their history and meet the indigenous people that will host your visit. Afterwards you will return to Puno to enjoy a tour to visit the impressive ruined funerary towers at Sillustani which are situated on the shores of Lake Umayo amidst spectacular settings.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Puno, Lake Titicaca

Option: Replace the afternoon trip to Sillustani with an afternoon boat cruise to Isla Taquile on Lake Titicaca, please enquire for further details.

Today we will meet you early to embark on a journey along the shore of Lake Titicaca to cross the border into Bolivia. Your destination is the beautiful lakeside town of Copacobana and here you will board a catamaran to cruise across this iconic lake to visit the island of Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the Inca Sun God. On the island you will visit the Inca garden and Inca steps as well as the Inti Wata complex to learn more about the traditional societies that live in this region of Bolivia. In the afternoon you will return to Copacobana by catamaran and then travel onwards to the city of La Paz for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (on catamaran)

Overnight: Central hotel in La Paz

Today is a free day to enjoy La Paz, a frenetic and fascinating Andean city and a great place to explore. Worth a visit is the bizarre "witches market" where you can observe (or buy if you dare!) some of the many good-luck charms sold to superstitious locals.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in La Paz

Option: If you prefer to include a tour of La Paz just let us know.

Today we will escort you to La Paz airport for an international flight to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. On arrival in Buenos Aires we will escort you to your hotel where you can enjoy your first night in Argentina. Buenos Aires is an exciting, vibrant and eclectic city with a fantastic cuisine, if you need restaurant recommendations please just let us know.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Central hotel in Buenos Aires

This morning you will discover the sights, architecture, and culture of Buenos Aires on a fabulous tour through to the key sights in the city. From the famous obelisk on 9 de Julio street continue to visit Plaza de Mayo to see the Cathedral and Casa Rosada (and its famous "Evita balcony") before continuing to the antiques shops of San Telmo famous for its market (Sunday only) before touring La Boca, home to the colourful Caminito Street with its tango dancers, souvenir shops and Boca Juniors football stadium. The tour concludes with visits to the port district of Puerto Madero, the residential district of Palermo with its large parks and monuments, and Recoleta with its famous cemetery. In the evening experience a night of iconic entertainment at a tango show. Choose from La Ventana in the heart of San Telmo or Tango Porteño near Buenos Aires' famous obelisk. During the show you will enjoy a delicious traditional Argentinian dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Evening Meal

Overnight: Central hotel in Buenos Aires

Option: Buenos Aires is a popular destination to add a free day to spend more time in this exciting city. Alternatively add a day to allow time to include a full day Pampas Estancia Tour to visit the traditional pampas estancia of El Ombu de Areco including a gaucho lunch and visit to San Antonio de Areco, please enquire for more information.

This morning we will meet you at your hotel and escort you to Buenos Aires airport from where you will fly to Puerto Iguazu, the Argentine city that is the gateway to the Iguazu Falls. We will escort you from the airport through the sub-tropical jungle to your hotel where the remainder of the day is free for you to enjoy the services in your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Iguazu

The Iguazu Falls are one of the most beautiful natural wonders on the planet and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around 275 individual falls cascade down in the largest waterfall system in the world, truly a remarkable sight to behold. Today you will enjoy an excursion to the Iguazu National Park to experience the falls in all their glory following the trail of walkways around the park that are built over the falls providing fabulous views. Later you will take the small train within the national park to visit the spectacular Devil's Throat, the most furious and powerful part of the falls. In the afternoon you get the chance to get up close and personal with the falls on an exhilarating boat safari up river to the base of the falls! Just bring some waterproofs as you may get wet!

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Iguazu

This morning we will escort you over the border to Brazil to enjoy a guided visit of the Brazilian side of the falls which has fewer walkways than the Argentine side but more impressive panoramic views particularly from a 1.2 kilometre walkway through jungle that you will stroll along. After visiting the Brazilian side of the falls we will escort you to Foz do Iguacu airport for a domestic flight to Rio de Janeiro where we will escort you to your hotel for the evening.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous and iconic cities in the world and the most famous and iconic sight in this fantastic city is the Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain which dominates the skyline of Rio. Today you will enjoy an excursion to visit the UNESCO World Heritage region of Rio, enjoying the short journey up the Corcovado mountain to visit the Christ the Redeemer statue for the most incredible views of Rio and the surrounding landscape - a truly remarkable and memorable landscape.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: Hotel in Rio de Janeiro

At the appropriate time we will meet you at your hotel and escort you to Rio de Janeiro international airport where you will be able to check-in for your international flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

Overnight: N/A