South America Tour 21 Days
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Best of South America — Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru — TOUR DETAILS South America Tour Highlights • Price: $9,695 • Machu Picchu, Peru • Duration: 21 days • Vistadome Train Ride, Andes Mountains, Peru • Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru • Date: • Cusco, Peru • March 11-31, 2018 • Lima, Peru • Difficulty: Easy • Iguaçu Falls, Brazil / Argentina • Buenos Aires, Argentina • Tango Show & Dinner, Buenos Aires • Train Ride, Corcovado Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Inclusions • Cable Car Ride, Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, • All internal flights (while on tour) Brazil • All accommodations (2-3 star) • San Cristobal Hill • All meals • Patagonia, Argentina / Chile • Transportation throughout tour • Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina • Airport transfers • Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile • Machu Picchu entrance fee • 2 Patagonian cruises to glaciers • All National Park entrance fees Exclusions • Corcovado Mountain entrance fee • Sugarloaf Mountain entrance fee • International airfare (to Lima, Peru & from Rio de • Tango show & dinner Janeiro, Brazil) • Personal guide • Entrance fees to museums and other attractions • Personal items: Laundry, shopping, etc. ITINERARY South America Tour - 21 Days / 20 Nights Itinerary - DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS • Arrive: Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), Lima, Peru Lima, Peru 1 • Transfer to hotel • Miraflores and Pacific coast Dinner Lima, Peru • Tour Lima’s Historic District 2 • San Francisco Monastery & Catacombs, Plaza Mayor, Lima Cathedral, Government Palace Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Ollyantaytambo, Sacred Valley • Morning flight to Cusco, The Sacred Valley of the Incas 3 • Inca ruins: Saqsaywaman, Rodadero, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay, Pisac • Overnight: Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Visit the Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley • Board the Vistadome train for a ride through the Andes to Aguas Calientes 4 • Optional: take a dip in the natural hot springs • Overnight: Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Take an early morning bus ride to Machu Picchu Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley • Explore the mystical Inca ruins of the Machu Picchu Citadel 5 • Optional: hike to either Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain • Overnight: Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Cusco • Board the Vistadome train, return to Ollantaytambo 6 • Get picked up for a private tour of the Sacred Valley: Maras, Moray, and Chincheros • Overnight: Cusco Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Walking tour of Cusco’s most iconic sites: Cusco • Bascilica, Convent, and Catacombs of San Francisco; Cusco Cathedral 7 • Step back into the 15th century while visiting Qorikancha, The Temple of the Sun, known as the most important temple in the Inca Empire Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Cusco • Flight to Santiago, Chile (6 hrs) Santiago, Chile 8 • Transfer to hotel • Overnight: Santiago, Chile Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Familiarize yourself with Chilean culture on a city tour of Santiago: La Moneda Presidential Santiago, Chile Palace; Paseo Ahumada pedestrian avenue; Museum of Human Rights 9 • Take a ride on the adventurous funicular to the beautiful Cerro San Cristobal with its sweeping views of the city below Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Santiago Puerto Natales • Flight to Punta Arenas, built along the Straight of Magellan (3hrs 25m) 10 • Transfer to Puerto Natales (3hrs) Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Board a day-long cruise through the Chilean fjords Puerto Natales • Enjoy a short hike to the Serrano glacier 11 • Visit a traditional gaucho ranch deep in the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park • Overnight: Puerto Natales Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ITINERARY DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS • Tour the UNESCO biosphere reserve: Torres Del Paine National Park Puerto Natales • Board an evening cruise to reach one of the most spectacular, close-up views of the massive 12 Grey Glacier • Overnight: Puerto Natales Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner El Calafate, Argentina • Transfer to El Calafate, Argentina (3hrs 30mins) 13 • Take in the sunset over Argentina’s most scenic glacier: Perito Moreno • Overnight: El Calafate, Argentina Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • A free day for you to rest and recover El Calafate • Enjoy the small town of El Calafate 14 • Optional: take a cruise to the spectacular Upsala Glacier • Overnight: El Calafate Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Board a morning flight to Buenos Aires (3hrs 15m) Buenos Aires • Experience the essence of South America at a tango show with a traditional Latin American 15 dinner • Overnight: Buenos Aires Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Experience the “Paris of South America” Buenos Aires • Take a city tour of the cosmopolitan city center mixed with 19th century European-styled 16 architecture • Teatro Colon Opera House; Avenida 9 de Julio; Metropolitan Cathedral; Recoleta Cemetery; etc. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Buenos Aires • Flight to Iguazu Falls (1h 55m) Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil • Explore the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls 17 • Take in the magnificence and power of the “Devil’s Throat” • Overnight: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Explore the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil • Eat lunch overlooking the massive falls 18 • Optional: boat or helicopter tour of the falls • Overnight: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Flight to Rio de Janeiro (2h 10m) • Brief city tour: Maracanã stadium (2016 Summer Olympics); Sambadrome (Carnival parade Rio de Janeiro route); Metropolitan Cathedral 19 • Ride the cable car to enjoy the sunset, mountaintop views at Sugarloaf Mountain • Dinner in the famous Lapa District of music and dance near the Carioca Aqueduct Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Rio de Janeiro • Board a train to ride to the top of Corcovado Mountain and take in the vast, overlooking views of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro • Take a picture with one of the most famous Art Deco statues in the world: Christ the Redeemer 20 • Optional: Open-air market • Optional: Copacabana Beach or Ipanema Beach Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Rio de Janeiro Galeão International Airport • Our adventurous tour ends in Rio. 21 • International Flights out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Breakfast TOUR MAP CARIBBEAN SEA NORTH PACIFIC NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN Equator PERU Machu Picchu Cusco BRAZIL Lima Rio de Janeiro ARGENTINA São Paulo Santiago Iguazu Falls Buenos Aires CHILE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN El Calafate Punta Arenas Cape Horn V V O L A N T ITINERARY DAY 1: HOLA! WELCOME TO DAY 2: LIMA LIMA, PERU We will spend our day in the historic city A Volant representative will pick you up center of the "City of Kings." At the heart of at the airport and transfer you to your it all, Plaza de Armas contains many hotel. We will spend the remainder of the different roman catholic cathedrals as well day exploring Lima. Larcomar is a modern as colonial architecture. We will visit the shopping center in the Miraflores District Government Center, San Fransisco located right on the coast. After a long day Monastery, enter the catacombs, and of travel we can grab a bite to eat and walk perhaps even stop by the Archbishop's along the Pacific Ocean. Make sure to stop Palace of Lima to witness the changing of by Parque del Amor, the home to a giant the guard. Take advantage of the modern sculpture of a couple kissing as well as comforts of Lima as we dive deeper into beautiful mosaic walls. the cultures and history of South America. DAY 3: LIMA - CUSCO - SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS After our short flight to Cusco we will explore many different archeological sites in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Some of which are called Saqsaywaman, Rodadero, Humedal Wayllarqocha, Tambomachay and Pisac. We will also see spectacular views of the Urumbamba River. Tonight we will settle down in Ollantaytambo, the only Inca settlement that has been inhabited since its inception. ITINERARY DAY 4: SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS - OLLANTAYTAMBO Waking up among the gods, we will spend our morning visiting the archeological sites of Ollantaytambo. We will witness the massive Incan Fortress that includes large stone terraces. Next, a 90 minute ride aboard the Vistadome train will take us to Aguas Calientes. Along the way peer outside for incredible views of the Sacred Valley. In the afternoon we will have time for an optional dip in the hot springs. Our evening will be spent in Aguas Calientes. DAY 5: AGUAS CALIENTES - MACHU PICCHU For our fifth day of adventure we will catch an early bus ride (20 minutes) to Machu Picchu. The morning sun will magnify the beauty of the citadel. Our day in the "Lost City of the Incas" will be spiritually awakening as the history here is immeasurable. The majority of our day will be spent hiking around the ruins. For those willing and able we will have the option to hike the Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain later in the day. In the evening we will return to Aguas Calientes. ITINERARY DAY 6: MORAY - MARAS - CHINCHEROS - CUSCO Our morning will consist of riding the Vistadome train ride back to Ollantaytambo. From there we will take a private car to Maras. The hour drive follows the Urumbaba River and passes even more ruins. Once in Maras we will visit the ruins of Moray. These Incan sites consist of concentric depressions measuring 30 m at their deepest. From Maras we will drive to the Chincheros District. Known to the Incas as the "Birthplace of the Rainbow," the old town of Chincheros is a small Andean Indian Village. Before our drive back into Cusco we will see a demonstration of cultural and historical agricultural practices. Be sure to soak up the our final views of the Sacred Valley. DAY 7: CUSCO Our first time in Cusco was spent witnessing ancient Incan ruins, this time we will be able to immerse ourselves into more recent architecture. In the heart of the former capital of the Incas we will tour the Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, Iglesia De La Santo Domingo and the Iglesia De La Compania De Jesus. We will also check out sites that date back to the 15th century including the Temple of the Sun and Qorikancha.