A fourteen-day journey linking three South American countries by domestic flight.
It opens with three nights in Rio de Janeiro, with half-day tours to Corcovado and its Christ the Redeemer statue and to Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) by cable car. It continues with two nights at the Iguaçu Falls, visited from both the Brazilian and the Argentine sides, including the Devil's Throat. Two nights in Buenos Aires follow, with a city tour and a tango show with dinner. It closes in Peru: Lima with its colonial centre, Cusco and Sacsayhuamán, Machu Picchu by train, and Lake Titicaca with the Uros floating islands and Taquile Island. Accommodation is offered in the 4-star category and domestic flights are not included.
Highlights
Corcovado and the Christ the Redeemer statue by cog train
Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) by cable car
Iguaçu Falls from the Brazilian and Argentine sides, with the Devil's Throat
Buenos Aires city tour and a tango show with dinner
Machu Picchu by train and Cusco with Sacsayhuamán
Lake Titicaca: the Uros floating islands and Taquile Island
Day-by-day itinerary
Day1
Day 1: Arrival in Rio de Janeiro
Arrival at Rio de Janeiro international airport, where a driver meets you and transfers you to the hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure to discover the city or enjoy the beaches.
Day2
Day 2: Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer
After breakfast, half-day excursion to Corcovado. A cog train climbs through the Tijuca forest to the summit at 700 m, where the Christ the Redeemer statue (38 m, erected in 1931) stands. From there, panoramic views of the Rio–Niterói Bridge, Guanabara Bay, the Botanical Garden, the Maracanã stadium and Sugarloaf.
Day3
Day 3: Sugarloaf
After breakfast, half-day excursion to Sugarloaf. First stop at Urca Mountain, with a viewing area and restaurant; then by cable car to the summit of Sugarloaf, with views of Rio, Copacabana beach, the bay, the islands, the Rio–Niterói Bridge and Christ on Corcovado. After the descent, a tour through the city.
Day4
Day 4: Rio de Janeiro – Foz do Iguaçu
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport with driver and flight to Foz do Iguaçu. On arrival a driver meets you and transfers you to the hotel. The Iguaçu Falls lie at the triple border of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina; formed by the Iguaçu River, they comprise 275 falls within the Iguaçu National Park, with the Devil's Throat reaching 70 m.
Day5
Day 5: Iguaçu Falls — Brazilian side
After breakfast, visit to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu Falls. Following the walkways along the canyon of the Iguaçu River, the trail leads to the Devil's Throat, the most powerful of the falls. At the end of the tour, the guide drops you at the hotel.
Day6
Day 6: Iguaçu Falls — Argentine side and flight to Buenos Aires
After breakfast, a full day on the Argentine side of Iguazú National Park, with its three trails: the Lower Circuit (1,700 m), the Upper Circuit (1,300 m) and the Devil's Throat, reached by the Ecological Train and a 1,000 m walkway. Afterwards, transfer to the airport and flight to Buenos Aires, where a driver meets you and transfers you to the hotel.
Day7
Day 7: Buenos Aires city tour and tango show
After breakfast, half-day city tour: 9 de Julio Avenue with the Colón Theatre and the Obelisk, Plaza de Mayo with the Casa Rosada, the Cathedral and the City Hall, Plaza San Martín and Plaza del Congreso, Avenida de Mayo and Avenida Corrientes, and the neighbourhoods of La Boca, San Telmo, Palermo, Recoleta and Puerto Madero. In the evening, a tango show with dinner.
Day8
Day 8: Buenos Aires – Lima
After breakfast, transfer to the international airport and flight to Lima. On arrival, transfer to the hotel.
Day9
Day 9: Lima
After breakfast, guided tour of the colonial centre: the Main Square with the Cathedral, the San Francisco Convent and buildings with their traditional wooden balconies. Then the residential areas of San Isidro, with the Olive Grove, the Country Club and the golf course, and Miraflores, with the Central Park, the City Hall and Larco Avenue. Return to the hotel.
Day10
Day 10: Lima – Cusco and Sacsayhuamán
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and flight to Cusco, reception and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, a climb to the archaeological park of Sacsayhuamán: first stop at Tambomachay, a spring-water source; then the remains of Qenqo, the fortress of Sacsayhuamán with views of Cusco, and the tower of Puca Pucara, before returning to the hotel.
Day11
Day 11: Machu Picchu
After breakfast, train to Machu Picchu through the Sacred Valley, following the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes, then a 30-minute bus up to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, with its stone temples, houses and fountains set on a ridge between two peaks. Guided tour. In the afternoon, lunch and return to Cusco by train; transfer to the hotel.
Day12
Day 12: Cusco – Puno
Breakfast. Transfer to the bus station and bus from Cusco to Puno, with stops at cultural sites such as Pikillaqta, the baroque church at Andahuaylillas and the Temple of Viracocha at Raqchi. Lunch at Sicuani. The bus climbs to the high pass of La Raya, at 4,200 m. Arrival in Puno, reception and transfer to the hotel.
Day13
Day 13: Puno – Lake Titicaca – Lima
In the morning, a short boat ride to visit the Uros floating islands, made entirely of totora reeds, and then Taquile Island, known for its weavers and its pre-Columbian constructions. After the tour, transfer to Juliaca airport and flight to Lima. On arrival, transfer to the hotel.
Day14
Day 14: Lima – Departure
Transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
Suggested hotels
Arena Leme
Superior
Rio de Janeiro
4-star option in Rio de Janeiro (3 nights).
Vivaz Cataratas
Superior
Foz do Iguaçu
4-star option in Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights).
474 Buenos Aires
Superior
Buenos Aires
4-star option in Buenos Aires (2 nights).
Casa Andina Premium Miraflores
Superior
Lima
4-star option in Lima (3 nights).
Casa Andina Premium Cusco
Superior
Cusco
4-star option in Cusco (2 nights).
Casa Andina Premium Puno
Superior
Puno
4-star option in Puno (1 night).
Essential, Premium and Luxury categories available. Final accommodation is confirmed by date and availability.
What's included
Included: Accommodation at the listed hotels, with breakfast (13 nights: 3 in Rio de Janeiro, 2 in Foz do Iguaçu, 2 in Buenos Aires, 3 in Lima, 2 in Cusco and 1 in Puno)
Included: Airport transfers with driver
Included: Tours as per the programme, private, with an English-speaking guide
Included: Bus to Cusco, tango show, Uros islands and Machu Picchu on a seat-in-bus (SIB) basis, with an English-speaking guide
Included: Train to Machu Picchu
Included: Entrance tickets to the sites in the programme
What's not included
Not included: International airfare
Not included: Domestic flights within the programme (Rio de Janeiro – Foz do Iguaçu, Buenos Aires – Lima, Lima – Cusco, Juliaca – Lima)
Not included: Airport and tourism taxes and visa fees
Not included: Meals and beverages not mentioned in the programme, and food and drinks during transfers
Not included: Drinks unless explicitly stated
Not included: Tips and gratuities
Not included: Personal expenses and optional excursions
Not included: Travel insurance
Not included: Anything not expressly mentioned as included
Optional services
Optional, at extra cost:
Great Adventure (boat trip) — A drive along the Yacaratiá trail through Iguazú National Park to Puerto Macuco and, from there, a boat ride passing Isla Martín and running into the falls, close to the Devil's Throat.
Optional, at extra cost:
Helicopter flight over the falls — Scenic helicopter flight over the Iguaçu Falls.