Quadruple the sights, sounds, and sizzle on this South American vacation through four of the continent’s most scintillating countries. As you samba through Brazil, tango through Argentina, cueca through Chile, and dance the marinera through Peru, your toes will meet the liveliest of dance floors, the sandiest of beaches, and the most storied of streets. Guided visits to the vibrant cities of Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Lima are perfectly balanced with quieter excursions to lush rainforests, chic waterfront resorts in Patagonia, and even a rural Argentine ranch where you can saddle a horse and be a beret-wearing gaucho for the day. Traditional open-fire barbecues and crispy empanadas are sure to satisfy your appetite for the cowboy life throughout this South American journey, while getting your fill of scenic wonder by witnessing both sides of thundering Iguassu Falls and cruising Patagonian fjords beneath the soaring peaks. Your South American vacation wouldn’t be complete without sipping a Pisco sour and drinking in the wonder of Machu Picchu. See the ruins of the Lost City and the Sacred Valley, and the cultural uprising of "it" cities Lima and Cusco. Looking for the perfect introduction to sensational South America? How about the "Meeting of the Waters" where the chocolate-hued Rio Negro flows alongside the yellowish Rio Solimões without ever mixing. You’ll also meet monkeys, catch piranhas, and explore a native caboclo village when you begin your tour of South America in Brazil’s Amazon.
Lima
Lima
Lima, "the City of the Kings," became the effective capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, established 1560. Today, a visit to Lima may serve as a unique Peruvian experience that offers a glimpse into the Andean world, Spanish tradition and the country's modern aspect. Visit handsome old buildings and baroque churches that testify to the city's religious background and the Plaza de Armas, shared by the realms of the Catholic church, municipality and national government. The pre-Inca ruins of Pachacamac lie a short distance south of the city. Once a ceremonial site, Pachacamac has been the most important religious center of the Andean world since before the age of Christ. Stop and admire The Temple of the Sun and the Moon, Lima's outstanding museums, and Machu Picchu - a "Jewel in the Mist."
|
Destination Guide
|
Santiago
Santiago
Santiago is a huge city of nearly five million inhabitants surrounded by immense Andean peaks creating a spectacular backdrop. The city centre is quite manageable with a collection of wide avenues, squares and parks all laid out in a grid pattern.
Chile has a distinctly European flavour and Santiago will bring this home to you as you visit the churches, monuments and museums all designed in a certain familiar style.
|
Destination Guide
|
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Dynamic and bustling, a city which seems never to sleep, Buenos Aires is one of the most exciting cities in Latin America. Tango was born here, restaurants serve an all manner of world cuisine, bars play the latest music, cafés spill on to the streets and nightclubs allow dancing throughout the night. Cultural hub of a society which traces its roots to European immigration, it is famous throughout South America for its theatres, museums and galleries. Gucci, Armani, Prada, to name a few, line the boulevards catering for the fashion conscious porteños, their offerings as stylish as anything found in the cities in Europe or North America.
|
Destination Guide
|
Manaus (Amazon River)
Manaus (Amazon River)
The capital of the State of Amazonas, the belle époque splendor of Manaus is still evident in the graceful mansions and the Teatro Amazonas opera house. This city, resting on the Rio Negro, was created by the rubber boom of the mid-19th-century, when steam navigation opened up the Amazon to entrepreneurs and the social elite. Today, stroll down the Parisian-styled boulevards and Italian piazzas, or watch the fisherman at Municipal Market unload their catch of the day on the river’s edge.
|
Destination Guide
|
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Brazilians say that God made the rest of the world in six days, and devoted the seventh to Rio. The jagged Sugarloaf rises from dark blue Guanabara Bay, with legendary beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema in the foreground, forested mountains behind. This great city has an enticing atmosphere of samba and fun, and its locals are as joyous as they are beautiful.
|
Destination Guide
|
Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas
Puerto Varas, Chile is a charming city on the shores of Lake Llanquihue and is one of most popular tourist destinations in the country. Spectacular views across the lake at majestic snow-capped volcanoes surrounded in native forest abound as well as countless options for exploring the surrounding countryside with picture-perfect German-settled farms. Only 15 minutes from Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas is popular because it is quieter than the busy port city to the south. It has fantastic adventure opportunities nearby including: several national parks, Class II to IV white water rafting, horseback day trips and multi-day horse treks, volcano ascents, countless fly fishing rivers, sea kayaking, boat trips to Argentina.
|
Destination Guide
|
Bariloche
Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche is situated on the southern shore of lake Nahuel Huapi, within the Nahuel Huapi National Park. It is the second most populated city of Río Negro province and is one of the most important tourist centers of Argentina. Bariloche has a wide variety of activities to offer, for relaxation or recreation. The traditional tourist circuits of Circuito Chico, Isla Victoria and the Arrayán Forest, Puerto Blest, Cerro Catedral and Otto have a variety of new interesting circuits, sporting events and other annual events as well as an active night life. Bariloche is known as the "capital of the lakes".
|
Destination Guide
|
Cuzco
Cuzco
The Cuzco (Cusco) region of Peru combines Inca legacy with Spanish colonial architecture in an atmosphere at once provincial and sublime. The chaotic marketplaces where campesinos barter grain or potatoes for multi-colored fabric belie the mute spirituality of the Lost Cities, where Inca stonework conveys order and balance. Such diversity enhances this inspiring nine-day adventure. The blue sky radiates with an intensity achieved only at high altitudes (the city of Cuzco lies 11,150 feet above sea level), while the landscape offers its unique pattern of exacting agricultural grids and tangled jungle masses.
|
Destination Guide
|
Sacred Valley
Sacred Valley
The Urubamba valley is also named the Sacred Valley. It begins in the Urubamba's village and continues to Macchu Picchu.
|
|
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a fortress city of the ancient Incas, in a high saddle between two peaks 50 miles NW of Cuzco, Peru. The extraordinary pre-Columbian ruin consists of five sq. miles of terraced stonework link by 3,000 steps; it was virtually intact when discovered by Hiram Bibghan in 1911.
|
Destination Guide
|
Iguassu Falls (Brazilian Side)
Iguassu Falls (Brazilian Side)
The Iguassu Falls borders the Argentine Province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Parana. The falls divides the river into the upper and lower Iguassu. The thunderous beauty of the falls meaning “big water” has 275 individual drops and was discovered by Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.
|
Destination Guide
|
Amazon Jungle
Amazon Jungle
Nature lovers may enjoy a walk “on the high side” along this 656 feet-long walkway, 30 meters above the ground, which links the six tallest treetops of the area; this is the first and largest canopy walkway in America. Also in this area is the Biosphere Reserve of the Amazon, and the Amazonian Center for Environmental Education and Research laboratory. The Reserve protects 818,910 acres of pristine vegetation. Covering 8,106 sq miles Pacaya-Samiria is the largest reserve in Peru. The Reserve was created to preserve the wonderful flora and fauna of the lower jungle. The basin of the Pacaya and Samiria rivers includes eight big lakes and several lagoons. Among the uncommon water species, there are two kinds of cetaceans and a unique sirenid -the large marine cow or manati (thichechus inungis)- not found elsewhere in Peru.
|
|
