South American Explorer - 18 Days

Rio de Janeiro is also called the “Marvelous City”. Located by the Atlantic Ocean, golden beaches adorn its shores backed with lush mountains. Enjoy life like the “cariocas” whose charisma is contagious. Dance to the rhythms of samba and old-school “bossa nova”, sip on a caipirinha, and appreciate the incredibly diverse architecture. Visit iconic landmarks like Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain, sail around Guanabara Bay, or learn about history and art at one of city’s many museums.

You will be welcomed at the Rio de Janeiro airport and driven to your hotel in the south zone. Dinner at the hotel

Overnight at the Hotel Windsor Leme 4* (superior room)  

Meals: Dinner at hotel (set menu)

Transfer Airport to Hotel (45min)

Start your tour and drive through the Tijuca forest up the Corcovado Mountain. At the top of one of Rio de Janeiro’s most privileged belvederes, admire the well-known Christ the Redeemer statue and the stunning views of the “Marvelous City”. Afterwards, drive along the city’s beautiful beaches to the Urca district. From here, take two glass cable cars and appreciate the beautiful lush views surrounding the iconic Sugar Loaf Mountain. At the top, appreciate the spectacular views of Rio de Janeiro. 

**Remark: If the cogwheel train is unavailable, access Corcovado Mountain in a city-certified van that departs from “Largo do Machado. Due to traffic in Rio, the itinerary is subject to change.

Dinner at the hotel

Overnight at the Hotel Windsor Leme 4* (superior room)

Meals: Brazilian buffet breakfast, dinner at hotel (set menu)

Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Tour (8h) 

Leave your hotel in the South Zone and drive to the Rio de Janeiro airport for your flight.

Puerto Iguazú is a small, quiet town located at the confluence of the Iguazú and Paraná Rivers. With many hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, and transport facilities, everyone here is either traveling or working in the tourism industry: it is your gateway to the famous Iguazú Falls

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at Foz Do Iguaçu airport and taken to your hotel located on the Argentinean side. Drive through the National Park until you reach the Brazilian side of the falls. From here, walk along the paths and appreciate the lush vegetation, butterflies, and cascades. Take the 1,5km (1mi.) path that leads you to an amazing panoramic view of the Devil’s Throat. From here, appreciate the incredible scene that includes other iconic sites in Argentina like the Two Sisters and Bozzeti waterfalls, the Superior Circuit, and San Martin Island, where the movie “The Mission” was f ilmed. **Remark: The tour leaves from your hotel in Puerto Iguazu (Argentina). For the border crossing, travelers need their passports and visas (if necessary).

Tonight, enjoy dinner at the restaurant of the hotel (3 steps, no drinks included). The menú will be f ixed for the group, food restrictions, if any, will apply.

Overnight at the Hotel Mercure Iguazu 4-5* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Brazilian buffet breakfast, dinner

✓ Transfer South Zone Hotels > airport (45min)

✓ Flight Rio de Janeiro – Puerto Iguazu (not included)

✓ Transfer Foz do Iguazu Airport - Hotel

✓ Brazilian Side of the Falls (4h 30min)

✓ Dinner at hotel restaurant (no drinks included) 

Leave your hotel and drive to the Iguazú National Park in Argentina. From the visitor’s center, take the train and go to the Upper Circuit as you appreciate the panoramic views of the falls. Arrive at the Devil’s Throat, the park’s most impressive and immense waterfalls. Measuring 150m (492ft.) long and 80m (262ft.) high; its horseshoe shape creates a stunning waterfall you will remember forever. From here, walk along the Iguazú River canyon for about 3km (1,87mi.) to the lower circuit as you admire the regional fauna and flora and feel the constant presence of the waterfalls. **Remark: The tour leaves from your hotel in Puerto Iguazu (Argentina).

Tonight, enjoy dinner at the restaurant of the hotel (3 steps, no drinks included). The menu will be f ixed for the group, food restrictions, if any, will apply.

Overnight at the Hotel Mercure Iguazu 4-5* (standard room)  

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Dinner

✓ Argentine Side of the Falls (6h)

✓ Dinner at hotel restaurant (no drinks included) 

At the given time, you will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the airport for your flight to your next destination.

Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and taken to your hotel.  

While visiting Buenos Aires, watching a tango show should be on your bucket list. The transition started at the end of the 19th century and combines various rhythms. Originally from the poorer districts and only danced by men, the music included flutes, violins, and guitars. Later on, the flutes were replaced by the "bandoneón" (a type of accordion), which gave tango its distinctive flair and brought great musicians such as Astor Piazzolla and Anibal Troilo. Leave your hotel and head to one of the city’s tango houses, indulge in exquisite food, and enjoy a live tango show. After the show, return to your hotel around midnight. El Viejo Almacen www.viejoalmacen.com Enjoy dinner at the restaurant of Viejo Almacen. After dinner cross the street in order to see the show. El Viejo Almacen became a unique spot thanks to its surroundings and to an authentic style nourished by a popularity built through the years. Enjoy the city's best show performed by prominent interpreters of the tango's excitement. **Remark: dinner, drinks, and the tango show are included. The maximum capacity is of 220 people for groups. Dinner includes a starter, main course, dessert, and drinks (soft drink & wine). You return to your hotel around midnight. At the given time, you will be picked up from the hotel and taken to the tango house to enjoy a dinner and show. 

Overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel Buenos Aires 5* (Classic Room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Dinner

✓ Transfer hotel – airport

✓ Flight Puerto Iguazu / Buenos Aires (not included)

✓ Transfer domestic airport - hotel

✓ Dinner and Tango Show (5h)

✓ Transfer Hotel - Show house - Hotel

Leave your hotel and drive along “9 de Julio”, the widest avenue in the world, and pass by the Colón Theatre, a stunning opera house. Visit Plaza de Mayo, where the Government House and the first City Hall are located. Here, step inside the Metropolitan Cathedral to appreciate its towering ceilings, striking stained glass, marble columns, and paintings. Afterwards, in La Boca district, enjoy a short stroll along “Caminito” and admire the colorful streets filled with souvenir shops and Tango dancers. Pass by the Boca Juniors soccer stadium before driving to the Puerto Madero area, a district made with recycled docks where some of the city’s best restaurants are located. Then, drive by the beautiful parks and green spaces in Palermo as you head to Recoleta, one of the city’s most glamorous spots. End your tour with a visit to the Recoleta cemetery. Founded in 1822, the cemetery is one of the most prominent in the world; many national heroes, presidents, well-known writers, scientists, and artists are buried here. Appreciate its ornate mausoleums, sculptures, and vaults made by local and international artists and visit Eva Perón’s grave. 

**Remark: The itinerary is subject to change depending on traffic and your hotel’s location. Lunch is not included.

Recoleta Cemetery entrance fee included 

Tonight, enjoy dinner at the restaurant of the hotel (3 steps, no drinks included). The menú will be f ixed for the group, food restrictions, if any, will apply.

Overnight at the Intercontinental Hotel Buenos Aires 5* (classic room) 

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Dinner

✓ Buenos Aires City Tour (4h)

✓ Dinner at hotel restaurant (no drinks included) 

At the given time, you will be picked up and taken to the international airport

You will be welcomed at the airport and driven to your hotel in Lima. check-in time: 15:00 hrs

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Lima 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast Dinner

✓ Transfer hotel - international Airport

✓ Flight Buenos Aires – Lima (not included)

✓ Transfer Airport to Hotel (1h, 25km/15.5mi.)

In the historical center, admire the colorful colonial architecture around the “Plaza San Martín” and the main square “Plaza de Armas”, where you can also see the Government Palace, the Cathedral, and the Municipality. From here, visit the San Francisco Monastery and discover its underground maze of tunnels and catacombs. Finally, head to Lima’s contemporary districts, Miraflores and San Isidro, that combine beautiful parks, such as “El Olivar” and “Parque del Amor”, shopping centers, and modern architecture. End your tour at the Larco Museum and appreciate over 45.000 objects including pre-Columbian ceramics, textiles, gold and silver pieces. Don’t miss the museum’s famous and unique erotic ceramics collection from the Mochica culture.

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Lima 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Dinner

✓ Colonial & Contemporary City Tour with San Francisco Monastery and Larco Museum (5h) 

You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport.

Arriving to Puerto Maldonado, coined the capital of biodiversity, the staff of the lodge will welcome you and provide the necessary information for your stay. Begin your Amazon adventure with a 25 minute boat ride navigating the clay-coloured Madre de Dios River to reach Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción lodge. Settle into your stylish stilted wooden cabaña or room and then head to the palm-thatched dining room for a buffet lunch.

After lunch, take a walk along the Concepcion Trails, winding through the property’s nature trails for an immersive introduction to the ecosystems of the Amazon basin. Backed by the protected Tambopata National Reserve and built on the grounds of a former cacao and rubber plantation, Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion harbours primary and secondary rainforest, inhabited with exotic wildlife and tropical plants.

At dusk witness the enchanting transformation of the rainforest on a guided Twilight River boat ride, as animals and birds of the daytime give way to species specially adapted to the shadows of the night. See if you can spot caimans lurking on the riverbanks and stars of the southern hemisphere. In the evening enjoy à-la-carte dining, drawing on local Amazon ingredients for inspiration.

Overnight at the Hacienda Concepcion 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

✓ Transfer Hotel to Airport (1h, 25km/15.5mi.)

✓ Flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado (not included)

✓ 4-day-program Hacienda Concepción Lodge - Day 1 (shared) 

New experiences are ahead and after taking an early buffet breakfast (from 5:30h), get ready to explore Lake Sandoval, a mirror-like ox-bow lake located inside the protected Tambopata National Reserve, reached via a sun-dappled rainforest trail. Board a dug-out wooden canoe to quietly paddle through a stream and glide onto Lake Sandoval. This lake is home to many species of birds, the endangered giant river otter, red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anacondas, side-neck turtles, black caimans amongst others. Return to Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion in time for lunch. In the afternoon we recommend climbing the exhilarating Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. The Canopy Walkway is a sophisticated and safe 344 metre (1,135 feet) network of seven hanging suspension bridges, strung between eight treetop observation platforms. This is an unforgettable opportunity to observe the rainforest from the rooftop and gain a sense of its size. Ascend the first vertiginous tower 38 metres (124 feet) above ground, keeping an eye out for bright toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, monkeys and the three-toed sloth. Back at the lodge, you can venture out on the Hidden Forest excursion. Armed with flashlights, as your senses heighten to the movements and sounds in the undergrowth of the forest, keep an eye for species that only emerge during night time. If you prefer to rest, book yourself an indulgent therapy at our Nua spa, built in the middle of the rainforest (additional cost). À-la-carte dinner is served from 19:00.

Overnight at the Hacienda Concepcion 3-4* (standard room)  

✓ Meals: Fullboard

✓ 4-day-program Hacienda Concepción Lodge - Day 2 (shared)

After breakfast in the lodge, visit the organic bio-orchard to discover the immense variety of medicinal plants considered part of the “natural pharmacy” used by the habitants of the Amazon region. Later, continue to the 30-hectare Palmetum, a collection of Amazonian palms in a plot reserved for rainforest restoration and conservation. After lunch at the lodge, enjoy a relaxing paddle boat ride in a dugout canoe on Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion’s oxbow shaped lagoon, or cocha. Row out onto the clay-coloured water to enjoy the scenery and spot hoatzins, flyy catchers and graynecked woodrails. Get close to the remains of a semi-submerged steamboat in waters that also hide caimans and piranhas. Using the practice of catch-and-release, you can put your piranha fishing skills to the test like the local indigenous communities do by using a simple wooden rod. During the evening, you can visit one of the lodge’s inland collpas, meaning ‘salty area’ in Quechua. Though wildlife watching is tricky in practice, learn how these clay walls hidden right beside the lodge attract different species of animals in search for salt and minerals.

Overnight at the Hacienda Concepcion 3-4* (standard room)  

✓ Meals: Fullboard

✓ 4-day-program Hacienda Concepción Lodge - Day 3 (shared) 

Cusco, located at 3,400m (11,150ft.) in the Andes Mountains, was the heartland of the Incan Empire. The city blends ancient Andean cultures with Spanish colonial splendor. Visit nearby Inca citadels and temples like “Qorikancha” or “Sacsayhuaman”, or admire the colonial mansions, balconies, and churches throughout the city. As you stroll along the cobblestone streets, you can appreciate the colorful textiles, handicrafts, and art galleries. From Cusco, deepen your experience and adventure out to the Sacred Valley and to Machu Picchu.

Enjoy your last morning waking to the sounds of the rainforest as parakeets chatter away in the trees and monkeys swing through the treetops. After breakfast, embark the motorized wooden boat for the 25-minute return trip along the Madre de Dios River. Transfer to the airport. **Remark: Excursions are shared with international travelers and accompanied by an English speaking guide. Excursions depend on weather and seasonal circumstances and might be modified by the guide. Check out time is at 10:00. Depending on the time of your departure flight, lunch can be arranged at the lodge (additional cost applies).

You will be welcomed at the airport and driven to your hotel in Cusco. **Remark: Regular check-in time: 12.00 hrs

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Cusco 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

✓ 4-day-program Hacienda Concepción Lodge - Day 4 (shared)

✓ Flight from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco (not included)

✓ Transfer Airport to Hotel

Start your tour at Moray, a site with unique circular agricultural terraces. The pre-Inca platforms have underground irrigation channels, different soils, and changing temperatures, which made it ideal for a plant nursery and research center. Walk down 30m (98ft) and appreciate its ingenuity and splendor. Then, visit Maras and admire over 3,000 salt ponds with a stunning view of the Andes Mountains in the background. To this day, a network of water channels fills the ponds, the water evaporates, and the salt is harvested by hand. Finally, explore the impressive ruins of Ollantaytambo, one of the few places where the Incas won a battle against the Spaniards. Climb up the platforms and enjoy the view above the village and onto the valley. Near the ruins, visit a typical home and learn about the unique way their family has lived for generations in the Sacred Valley. **Remark: Entering the salt terraces is not permitted.

Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Cusco 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Lunch

✓ Maras, Moray, and Ollantaytambo (8h)

✓ Visit of a typical house (30min)

You will be picked up at given time from your hotel in Cusco and brought to Ollantaytambo. At the train station, board the panoramic train and enjoy the stunning Andean views filled with small communities and snow-capped mountains in the Sacred Valley. When you arrive to Aguas Calientes, the small village nestled at the bottom of Machu Picchu, take the shuttle bus up to the ancient citadel. Learn about the Inca civilization, the site’s discovery, and the different theories on this mysterious and spectacular archeological site.

After this matchless day, take the bus back down to Aguas Calientes and then continue with the train.

Lunch at a local restaurant

You will be picked up at given time at Ollantaytambo and brought to Cusco.

Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Cusco 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Lunch

✓ Transfer Cusco to Ollantaytambo (2h 15min, 80km/50mi., no guide)

✓ Expedition Train Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (1h 30min, 43km/27mi.)

✓ Machu Picchu Guided Tour (2h 30min) ✓ Shuttle bus to/from Machu Picchu (30min, shared)

✓ Expedition Train Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo (1h 30min, 43km/27mi.)

✓ Transfer Ollantaytambo to Cusco (2h 15min, 80km/50mi., no guide) 

On your bus ride from Cusco to Puno, you will stop at several interesting sights, reaching the highest point at “La Raya”, (4,319m/14,170ft.). Visit the Andahuaylillas Church, considered the Sistine Chapel of the Americas because of the artworks that were found inside. Explore the Raqchi ruins; the best preserved and only adobe ruins that rest on an Inca rock base. Stop in the town of Pucará that is renowned for its pottery and the “Toritos de Pucará”: colorful hand-painted bulls. Visit the "Museo Lítico de Pucará" (Pucará Stone Museum), and appreciate objects from this pre-Inca civilization. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant (included) and end your journey at your hotel in Puno. 

Lunch at a local restaurant. 

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Puno 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

✓ Transfer Cusco to Puno (10h, 387km/240mi.) 

Depart from Puno’s dock towards the unique Uros islands that literally float on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. Meet resident families dressed in traditional and colorful outfits that will welcome you and show you their homes, boats, and islands made of reed. Every year, they replenish the islands with a new layer of reed and continue to maintain the Aymara language and other traditional ways of living. Continue your journey towards the island of Taquile. Be amazed by the elaborate pre-Inca terraces, unpaved roads where there are no cars, no electricity nor pollution. Learn about the people’s unchanged lifestyles for thousands of years and their unique traditions based on community collectivism. On the island, men are taught to knit and women weave and yarn, blending these crafts into their unique social arrangements. A typical lunch at Taquile Island included.

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Puno 3-4* (standard room)

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

✓ Uros Floating Islands and Taquile Island Excursion (8h)

On your way to the Juliaca airport, drive to the archaeological site of Sillustani, located 35km (21mi.) from Puno. The impressive necropolis offers fantastic views on the shores of lake Umayo. Sillustani is a pre-Inca cemetery with chullpas. These aboveground burial towers can reach up to 12m (39ft.) and are distinguished by a base that is narrower than the top. The Colla culture and following cultures like the Incas mummified and buried diseased noble families inside.

You will be welcomed at the airport and driven to your hotel in Lima. **Remark: Regular check-in time: 15.00 hrs

Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel Jose Antonio Lima 3-4* (standard room)  

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast, Dinner

✓ Airport Dropoff with Sillustani Tour (3h, 70km/43mi.)

✓ Flight from Juliaca to Lima (not included)

✓ Transfer Airport to Hotel (1h, 25km/15.5mi.)

You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport. **Remark: Regular check-out time: 12.00 hrs

✓ Meals: Buffet breakfast

✓ Transfer Hotel to Airport (1h, 25km/15.5mi.)