This amazing circuit commences with your arrival in Santiago de Chile. After seeing the sights of this city you fly to experience the Atacama desert before flying to Lima, capital of Peru and enter the Land of the Inca to see the incredible ruins of Machu Picchu and experience the beauty of the Colca Canyon. Fly south to the magnificent Iguassu Falls. Follow the viewing trails on both sides of the border before continuing to Buenos Aires, known as the “Paris of South America”. This circuit then stops in Montevideo before finishing with leisure time in exotic Rio de Janeiro

Includes: Airport-hotel transfers on days 1 and 22, touring as itinerary, 21 nights’ hotel accommodation, meals as shown, entry fees, local tour manager, English speaking guides, regional airfares with taxes, transport in a/c vehicles.
Not included: Airfare from/to Australia, exit taxes if applicable, visas, personal expenses, other meals, travel insurance, tips, optional activities.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Santiago de Chile
You are met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your hotel

Day 2:  Santiago de Chile   [B]
You will be met for a city tour of Santiago.  The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Day 3:  Santiago de Chile – Calama – San Pedro de Atacama   [B]
 Morning flight to Calama in the Atacama Desert
An afternoon walking tour of San Pedro de Atacama; established as a colonial town in 1577, maintaining Indian traditions with artifacts to be viewed in the museum.  Your tour then takes you to the incredible landscape and silence of the Moon Valley in time for sunset.

Day 4:  San Pedro de Atacama   [BL]
Full day excursion to Salar de Atacama, the driest desert in the world, the lagoons of Miscanti & Meniques and the Indian village of Toconao.

Day 5: San Pedro de Atacama   [B]
Full day at leisure. Optional tour to visit the geysers at El Tatio.

Day 6: San Pedro de Atacama – Calama – Santiago – Lima   [B]
Transfer for flight to Lima
Transfer to hotel for overnight.

Day 7: Lima – Cuzco – Yucay   [B]
Transfer for flight to Cuzco
En-route to your hotel in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, visit the Pisac Indian market for traditional handicrafts and the ruins of Ollantaytambo, the town with its fortifications and stairs to the sky.

Day 8: Yucay – Machu Picchu – Cuzco  [B]
A full day excursion by bus and train which takes you through the fertile plain of the Urubamba valley and on to Aguas Calientes. From there, small busses drive up the steep mountain to the ruin town of Machu Picchu where you will have an extensive guided visit of the ruins.  Return to Cuzco for check-in to your hotel.

Day 9: Cuzco   [B]
The morning is at leisure.  In the afternoon you will have a half-day tour of the Centre of the Incan Empire; the Plaza de Armas, the town with its colonial buildings, Sacsayhuaman, Tambo Machay, Kenko and Pua Pucara.

Day 10: Cuzco – Puno  [BL]
A full day bus journey from Cuzco to Puno leads through the Peruvian highland along snow-covered peaks, passes up to 4.300 m above sea level and then descends to Puno on the edge of Lake Titicaca. En- route visit the town of Andahuaylillas and the ruins of Racchi, Pucara.

Day 11:  Puno [B]
Full day excursion on Lake Titicaca to visit the Uros floating islands inhabited by the Aymara Indians.
Continue to Taquile Island where you find numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins and terracing. The people here still wear their traditional clothes and there is a co-operative shop on the Plaza where one can buy woollen goods of very fine quality.
 

Day 12: Puno – Lima  [B]
Transfer to Juliaca for your flight to Lima and check-in to your hotel.
In the afternoon there is a 4 hr sightseeing tour through colonial Lima, visiting Plaza de Armas, the Government Palace, town hall, Palace of the Archbishop and the cathedral. Proceed through the modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores and to the Coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
 

Day 13: Lima – Iguassu   [B]
Transfer to Lima airport for your flight to Iguassu.
Transfer to your hotel.
 

Day 14: Iguassu   [B]
Depart from your hotel on the Brazilian side by coach crossing the Iguassu National Park towards the Brazilian Falls. You will walk along the cascade paths and the catwalk which leads you very close to the bottom of the Devil’s Throat.  An elevator takes you up to the road where you will take the coach to the Argentinean side of the falls for the Inferior and Superior Circuits where the Ecological Jungle Train leads you to the Devil´s Throat.  Transfer to your hotel on the Brazilian side of the falls.

Day 15: Iguassu – Buenos Aires   [B]
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Buenos Aires. Arrival and transfer to the hotel.
 

Day 16: Buenos Aires   [B]
The morning is at leisure. An afternoon City Tour includes the Plaza de Mayo, Avienda 9 de Julio, the magnificent Cathedral and Casa Rosada and casual walks through the quaint suburbs of San Telmo and La Boca where you’ll probably find tango dancers busking in the squares.
Optional: Visit to a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant Viejo Almacen.
 

Day 17: Buenos Aires   [B]
Day at leisure.
Option: visit typical Argentinean Estancia inclusive of lunch.
Option: visit to the San Telmo markets.
 

Day 18: Buenos Aires – Colonia del Sacramento   [B]
Transfer for a ferry to Colonia del Sacramento and your hotel.
You will then have a 2.5hr city tour of this picturesque UNESCO listed Portuguese city, founded in 1680 with its cobbled streets and stone walls and natural setting.
 

Day 19: Colonia del Sacramento – Montevideo
Transfer by coach to Montevideo for a half day tour around the buildings, monuments and gardens of the old city and the main commercial district where you will find shops and cafes.
 

Day 20: Montevideo – Rio de Janeiro [B]
Flight to Rio de Janeiro and check-in to your hotel after a stroll along Copacabana Beach.
In the afternoon take a half day city tour to the heart of Rio where colonial 17th and 18th century Rio meets modern skyscrapers. Visit the Flamengo Park and ride the cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf.
 

Day 21: Rio de Janeiro  [B]
Full day at leisure in exciting Rio. Optional tours are available.
 

Day 22: Rio de Janeiro  [B]
Transfer to the airport for your international flight home.