Incredible S.America 21N-22D

Welcome to South America’s largest and most populous country. Transfer in Rio from airport to hotel. You will be met by our bilingual guides and escorted to the hotel at Copacabana Beach. In the evening, you will participate in a welcome dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
A full day dedicated to touring the sites of Rio. Begin with a visit to the statue of Christ the Redeemer crowning CORCOVADO MOUNTAIN, a rounded peak rising 2,300 feet from the bay below. Take the scenic cog railway ride to its top, where a 360-degree panorama affords sweeping views. Then drive along famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches to the base of 1,300-foot SUGAR LOAF MOUNTAIN. Ascend by cable car to its summit for a bird’s-eye view of the sprawling city. From here proceed to bustling downtown Rio.
View the Sambodromo and visit the CATHEDRAL. The rest of the afternoon is free for shopping and independent sightseeing. Tonight you might want to sample local cuisine in one of the excellent restaurants in nearby Leblon or Ipanem
A day of leisure in one of the most exciting cities in the world or perhaps you may wish to enjoy an optional trip to historic Petropolis, once the site of the former summer palace of Emperor Dom Pedro II and now a mountain resort. Tour Director will help you plan your day.
This morning why not participate in the optional jeep tour to visit the Botanical Gardens, with its splendid orchid exhibit, and Tijuca National Park to view native flora and fauna Later this afternoon enjoy a Guanabara Bay CRUISE offering you spectacular views of Rio and its beaches. Evening at leisure
A morning flight from Rio takes you to IGUASSU FALLS. Spend the afternoon enjoying the magnificent panorama of waterfalls from the Brazilian side. Your local guide introduces the spectacle of this two-mile-wide torrential downpour, with some cataracts as high as 250 feet, which is nothing short of hypnotic. The clouds of spray, the incessant roar, and the surrounding luxuriant tropical growth make this an unforgettable natural wonder.
Enjoy a closer perspective of this natural phenomenon this morning with a walking tour of the Argentine side of the falls. Then on to Iguazu International Airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. Reception and transfer to your central hotel. Evening at leisure.
Your included sightseeing this morning starts in La Boca, a colorful district and site of the city’s first port. A short walking tour of this unique neighborhood at the mouth of the river and then on to San Telmo—famous for its late colonial buildings and as a popular gathering spot for artists. At the Plaza de Mayo, see La Casa Rosada (the President’s Pink House) and the METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL, housing San Martin’s Mausoleum. Drive past the ornate Colon Opera House before reaching THE CEMETERY OF THE RECOLETA, the burial site of Eva Peron. As you enjoy your first look at this delightful capital city, your guide will provide you with historic facts along with entertaining and informative stories. You will hear about the immigrants who came from Europe and about Argentina’s intense and passionate political life which has inspired much of the country’s theatre and music. Dinner at a typical restaurant features succulent Argentine steaks and other specialties. The evening is topped off by a flawless PERFORMANCE of Latin America’s most sensuous dance—the tango!
Today a visit to another South American country, Uruguay. Travel by CATAMARAN to the World Heritage City of Colonia de Sacramento. Founded by Portuguese settlers from Brazil in 1680, this town held a strategic position as a smuggling outpost for transporting British goods across the Rio de la Plata into the Spanish colonies throughout the 17th century. Today its charm lies in its narrow streets and colonial buildings. Enjoy a guided tour and lunch before returning to Buenos Aires in the afternoon.
Breakfast at Hotel's Restaurant. Free day for you to explore Buenos Aires. Optional tours will be available
Today fly south to Bariloche on the shores of fjord-like Lago Nahuel Huapi in the heart of Argentina’s Lake District. Arrive in the early evening, with time to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the picturesque town center. See the city hall and the clock tower in Municipality Square, and admire the famous chocolate factories—each built like a Swiss chalet.
This chic alpine resort boasts some of the most glorious scenery in the country. Cameras ready for today’s chairlift ride to a lookout point at CERRO CAMPANARIO. You’ll want to capture the vistas of surrounding lakes and mountain peaks. The tour continues with a leisurely drive around the Llao Llao Peninsula, Lago Moreno, and Lopez Bay.
Board a boat for the CRUISE across Lago Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Blest, the first leg of a memorable journey to Chile. Then proceed by motorcoach through pristine wilderness adorned by emerald lakes, thick pine forests, and snow-capped peaks. Look out for soaring Osorno Volcano as you cross Lago Todos los Santos by FERRY. Then take pictures of the thundering PETROHUE RAPIDS and skirt the southern shore of Lago Llanquihue on the way to Puerto Varas. Drive to your hotel along the festive rosebushlined streets of this lakeside resort.
Your morning tour of the nearby seaport of Puerto Montt takes you to the harbor brimming with fishing vessels and along a busy waterfront lined with seafood stalls. Transfer to the airport for your flight north to Santiago. Perched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, Santiago has evolved as the country’s political, commercial, and cultural capital. Tonight dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast, you will do a half day city tour in Santiago. You will tour the main avenues in the city’s civic center. Highlights include La Moneda Palace, which was completed in 1805 (after more than 20 years of off-and-on construction). The neoclassical building was the home of Chilean presidents until 1958, and today is the seat of the government. Afterwards you continue exploring narrow streets, eventually arriving at the Plaza de Armas, a picturesque square surrounded by the 18th-century Cathedral Metropolitana, the National Historical Museum, and the central post office. Leaving downtown, you head toward Parque Forestal, which leads to the Fine Arts Museum, and Bellavista, the artsy, bohemian center of Santiago. You ascend Santa SanCristobal, a beautiful public park whose peak—the perfect place for a panoramic shot of the city —is crowned with a 118-foot statue of the Virgin Mary. Descend and travel the other direction to the neighborhoods of Pedro de Valdivia Norte, Las Condes and Vitacura, the modern commercial districts and great places for shopping. The afternoon and evening are at leisure.
The day is free for independent activities. You may want to take advantage of an optional excursion to the beautiful coastal region west of Santiago. Drive through the undulating hills of Chile’s wine country to the historic port of Valparaiso, and continue along the coast to nearby Vina del Mar. This chic seaside resort with palm tree-lined avenues and lovely villas truly deserves the sobriquet "Pearl of the Pacific."
Today fly to Lima for an overnight. Reception and transfer to the Hotel
Early in the morning our staff will meet and transfer you to the airport for your departing flight to the Capital of the Incas Cusco. Upon your Arrival in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas, we greet you at the airport and transfer you to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The scenery is unsurpassable, close and distant snow peaks glistening in the sun. Visit the Ancient Pisaq market, where many of the local s sell their hand made textiles. Lunch at the local hacienda restaurant and continue to Ollantaytambo the major Inca temple / fortress. Probably built by the great Inca ruler, Pachacuti in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaro’s defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. We have ample time to examine the complex and ponder its many mysteries before returning to the hotel at Sacred Valley. Dinner is at the hotel.
Early in the morning after breakfast we pick you up at your hotel and take you to the railway station for the tourist class train to Machu Pichu. Journey passes through picturesque Andean scenery, passing traditional villages, Inca ruins and rushing rivers. We'll descend 1300 meters through the Sacred Valley of the Incas and follow the Urubamba river until the final stop at Aguas Calientes. Reception and overnight at Aguas Calientes
Early risers may walk through Machu Picchu in the mist to explore the ruins without crowds , we'll take the 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu, perched 600 meters above the river. Our guide will explain you the history and the myths that surround this archeological wonder MACHU PICCHU! The famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Stand 2,430m above sea-level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. In an extraordinarily beautiful setting, it was probably most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, its giant walls, terraces and ramps seen as, if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial Sun. Afterwards we take the bus for your return to the Aguas Calientes for lunch and return to Cusco. Reception and Transfer to the hotel
Enjoy a free morning in Cusco to explore the city at your own pace. In the afternoon City tour of Cusco. This tour include: The Cathedral, Qoricancha, temple of the Sun, the most important of Inca ceremonial sites. Later you will continue to the most important site of Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Qenqo and Puca Pucara. We return to the hotel
Transfer to the Airport for your flight to Lima, reception and guided sightseeing tour to the most attractive and important sites in Lima, the "City of Kings". The tour includes Lima's Historical Centre, passing by Plaza San Martin, Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace, the City Hall. We will visit the Convent and Church of San Francisco, the greatest monumental complex of Colonial Art in America and Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The tour includes a visit to the Basilicaa of 21 altars, Convent of Cloisters, Capitulary and Clementine Rooms, Chorus and Library of the monks, a Museum showing 11 paintings of the Rubens School, the Sacristy with paintings of Surbaran and Ribera, its great patio decorated with Seville tiles of the XVIth Century, Moorish arches and underground Catacombs. Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors can also choose to enter the storage area with its 45,000 classified archaeological objects. Its masterpieces are considered worldwide icons of pre-Columbian art, after being exhibited in the world's leading museums. Return to the airport for your international flight. (optional extra night at Lima)

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