South America West to East
15 days
5300.00
A journey of epic proportions across the South American Continent, Machete Tours Guided South American Tour journey takes in 5 beautiful Countries in a smorgasbord of South American wonders, from the Andean Mountains to Rio de Janeiro. Beginning in the Lima, Peru’s bustling colonial capital, the ‘city of kings’ we leave the Pacific Ocean behind and take a step back in time, flying high into the Mighty Andes to visit Cusco, once the capital of the great Inca Empire. We travel by train to the magnificent ‘lost city of the Incas’, Machu Picchu only rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911 – surely one of most magnificent sights of the Americas.
Travelling across the stark high altitude plains of the Andes we reach the world’s highest navigable lake, Titicaca. Home to unique Uros people who inhabit ‘floating’ reed islands on its waters. Bolivia, and the world’s highest capital city, La Paz. At nearly 4000m above sea level, views from the strange and fascinating city take in vistas of vast snow clad Andean peaks.
From Patagonia we fly to spectacular waterfalls, the vast and beautiful cascades of Iguazu, wrapped in lush sub-tropical forests on the Brazil-Argentina Frontier. Exploring both sides of this magnificent sight we conclude our journey in that most legendary of South American Tour cities, home of the carnival and Ipenema beach, Rio de Janeiro. A spectacular end to an epic journey!
Day 1 - Arrival in Lima.
Day 2 - Lima tour and to Cusco.
Day 3 - Inca’s Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes.
Day 4 - Machu Picchu, the Lost City of Incas.
Day 5 - Cusco.
Day 6 - Flight from Cusco to Lake Titicaca.
Day 7 - Puno to La Paz.
Day 8 - La Paz to Buenos Aires.
Day 9 - Buenos Aires to El Calafate.
Day 10 - El Calafate and Upsala Glacier.
Day 11 - El Calafate to Iguazú.
Day 12 - Iguazú Falls.
Day 13 - Iguazú Falls and Rio de Janeiro.
Day 14 - Rio de Janeiro tour.
Day 15 - Rio de Janeiro and your flight home.
Arriving in Lima’s International Airport we are met by Machete Tours representatives and transferred to the Hotel in Lima’s ocean front district of Miraflores. Only a couple of blocks from the Pacific Ocean, you will be served breakfast (if apply) before having the rest of your day to spend at your leisure. Miraflores is a relaxing and practical location to start to journey across your South American Tour, with easy access to shops, banks, restaurants and transport.
After breakfast you will picked up from your Hotel and taken to the colonial heart of Peru’s huge sprawling port capital, once known as the City of Kings. Our guide will take us to the Plaza’s of San Martin and Plaza Major, both surrounded by imposing and spectacular examples of Latin American Colonial architecture including Lima’s great Cathedral, the Government Palace and City Hall. After this we will be taken to the airport for your short 1 hour 20 minute flight to Cusco. We leave Peru’s harsh desert coast behind, flying into the folded landscapes of the Andes, landing in the beautiful formerly capital of the Inca Empire more than 3300m above sea level. The afternoon is free to explore this meeting point of colonial and indigenous cultures. (B)
Transferred from the Hotel to Ollantaytambo (at late morning - 2 hours ride) we board the train for the beautiful winding journey to Machu Picchu following the Urubamba River, the towering walls of the Vilcabamba Mountains rising on either side. Upon arriving at Aguas Calientes town (hot waters), we are then transferred to the hotel and conclude the day’s journeys. (B,D)
Starting early we take a 25 minute ride above Aguas Calientes to the truly awesome Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, a site straddling a mountain top at more than 2380 m above sea level and surrounded by misty cloud forest covered peaks and incredible views on all sides. This site lay undiscovered and engulfed the jungle until Yale University Professor Hiram Bingham chanced upon the ruins during an archaeological expedition. Since then much of purpose and nature of this site has remained a mystery. After a guided tour of the site you will have time to explore the ruins on your own. Returning to Aguas Calientes we board the train for Cusco at around late afternoon, arriving in the evening. From the train station you will transported back to the hotel Garcilaso. Evening free to explore Cusco, a city famous for its buzzing nightlife and diverse restaurants. (B,L)
The morning is left free to relax and explore Cusco at your own pace. At 14.00 a local guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a tour of the Cuzco and its surrounds, taking in the city’s most impressive monuments and putting these in the context of the truly cataclysmic events that played out here in the 16th Century, when two of the world’s great cultures collided. We visit the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Koricancha, and the magnificent Inca Temple of the Sun, home to probably the finest Inca stonework – precisely carved stones that fit perfectly, without the need for mortar. We continue to the great ceremonial centre of Sacsayhuaman located in a beautiful position overlooking Cusco in the valley below. Sacsayhuaman’s scale is quite awe-inspiring, vast walls built with individual carved stones, the largest of which weigh more than 125 tons. The Quechua festival of Inti Raymi concludes within these walls every year in June – a truly spectacular demonstration of Indigenous culture, and well worth seeing! On leaving Sacsayhuaman we visit the well preserved Inca sites of Quenco, Puka Pukara and the Temple of Tambo Machay. After a tour of approximately 4 ½ to 5 hours we return to our hotel. Evening free. (B).
Morning flight from Cusco to Juliaca (a city at 40 min by car from Puno). Upon arriving in Juliaca you are then transferred to Puno city. The landscape transforms to the vast high plains of the Altiplano, before arriving at Puno on the shores of the World’s highest high navigable Lake Titicaca, a vast azure expanse at 3810m above sea level and covering more than 8000km². We check into hotel before setting out by boat in the afternoon. Our destination is the fascinating floating islands of the indigenous Uros people, who have constructed these unique islands from reeds for Centuries. Returning from the Islands you will be taken back to your hotel. Evening free. (B,L)
Starting early we begin our journey towards Bolivia, travelling along the Southern shores of Lake Titicaca. Bolivia is a sparsely inhabited but vast and fascinating state where more than 60% of its inhabitants claim pure decent from indigenous origins. Passing the vast ice clad mountains of the Cordillera Real we are confronted with the huge vista of La Paz, the World’s highest capital city, it’s buildings clinging to the sides of a steep gorge and the mighty snow capped peak of Huayna Potosi rising ominously above the capital to well over 6 km into the thin atmosphere. In the afternoon we take a guided tour of this fascinating Andean metropolis, visiting the bizarre Indian Witch market, the Murillo Square, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the colonial church of San Francisco, Government Palace and the Parliament Buildings themselves. We have lunch at a local restaurant before driving to the amazing scenery of the Valley of the Moon before returning to our hotel La Paz. (B,L)
After breakfast in the hotel we transfer to La Paz International Airport for a flight across the continent to Buenos Aires. Leaving Bolivia behind we cross the Mighty ice clad peaks of the Andes before flying onwards across the vast open expanse of Argentinean Pampas. Met at the Airport by a Machete Tours representative, you will transferred to your hotel before taking a tour of central Buenos Aires, the National Congress, the Cathedral and the Government House surrounding the Plaza de Mayo, the cities centre. We continue to the colourful and cosmopolitan La Boca district before returning to our Hotel. Buenos Aires is the home of Tango and in the evening we’re taken to dinner combined with a Tango show, a Buenos Aires classic. (B,D)
We have breakfast at the hotel before being picked up and transported to the Domestic Airport. We fly far to the south, to the hearth of Patagonia, a remote and extreme landscape of vast open plains and Glaciars. Upon arriving at El Calafate airport you are then meet by a tour representative and get transferred to the hotel. Dinner and free time. (B,D)
Departure for Rios de Hielo navigation. The boarding time, in the Punta Bandera Private Port (47 kilometers from the city of El Calafate), will be at 8:30 AM and the departure will be at 9 AM, after the passengers are informed about the safety and sailing conditions. Once on board we will sail through the North Arm of the Argentino Lake to reach the Upsala Canal, where we’ll find a spectacular Icebergs Barrier. From there we will have a panoramic view of the Upsala Glacier. Afterwards we will navigate the Spegazzini Canal, where we will observe the Seco Glacier to reach the front of Spegazzini Glacier, the highest in the National Park. Return to Punta Bandera Private Port and then we continuing to the hotel in El Calafate. Evening free. (B,L)
Following breakfast we leave the plains of Patagonia and head north for a complete contrast, the subtropical rainforests and warmth of Argentina’s Missions district. Flying via Buenos Aires to continue to Puerto Iguazú and our lovely hotel set in the dense rainforest surrounding the falls. The Paraguay River forms a border between Argentina and Brazil, South America’s largest nations. (B)
Today we have a full day guided tour of Argentinean side of the Iguazú Falls. An awesome spectacle, the Paraguay River, one of South America’s greatest, plunges into a 74m deep chasm more than 2 ½ km wide. Divided by many small rainforest cloaked islands, separated channels create 275 individual falls. Winding through lush subtropical forest trails on the Argentinean side allow us close up access to many of the individual falls getting close enough to feel their increwdible power. It’s a spectacular experience – and nowhere is this more apparent than at the La Garganta del Diablo, ‘The Devils Throat’, the largest of the falls. The forest itself is a source of beauty and wonder, and many birds and animals can be seen, including the dramatic Toco Toucan and the families of Racoon like Coati’s. We return to La Cantera in the late afternoon. (B)
This morning we embark on a Half Day tour on Brazilian Falls giving a much wider Panoramic view of what many consider to be the World’s most spectacular cascades. Be prepared to get a little damp from the vast clouds of mist rising from the Garganta de Diablo. Visiting Puerto Canoas for a much more relaxing view of the upper river, a snack and a little relaxation time we transfer to Foz de Iguaçu Airport on the Brazilian side of the Falls for you inland flight to Rio de Janeiro. You will be met and transferred to your hotel in the legendary beachside district of Copacabana. (B,D)
Today we have a tour of Rio’s most famous sites, the Maracaná Stadium, centre of Brazil’s football culture and passion, the Sambodromo, the Municipal Theatre and Fine Arts Museum and the Cathedral. We ride up to the famous sugarloaf mountain to enjoy sweeping views of the city and the Atlantic below. Enjoying a barbecue lunch we continue to the 710m high peak Corcovado by Train, finally arriving at the summit and Rio’s most famous monument, the 38m statue of Christ the Redeemer. Enjoying more South American Tour magnificent views from the top we then descend after another full day and return to our hotel for a relaxing evening. (B,L)
Breakfast in the hotel before transferring you to the international airport for your flight home. (B) End of Service.
Day 1 - Arrival in Lima.
Arriving in Lima’s International Airport we are met by Machete Tours representatives and transferred to the Hotel in Lima’s ocean front district of Miraflores. Only a couple of blocks from the Pacific Ocean, you will be served breakfast (if apply) before having the rest of your day to spend at your leisure. Miraflores is a relaxing and practical location to start to journey across your South American Tour, with easy access to shops, banks, restaurants and transport.
Day 2 - Lima tour and to Cusco.
After breakfast you will picked up from your Hotel and taken to the colonial heart of Peru’s huge sprawling port capital, once known as the City of Kings. Our guide will take us to the Plaza’s of San Martin and Plaza Major, both surrounded by imposing and spectacular examples of Latin American Colonial architecture including Lima’s great Cathedral, the Government Palace and City Hall. After this we will be taken to the airport for your short 1 hour 20 minute flight to Cusco. We leave Peru’s harsh desert coast behind, flying into the folded landscapes of the Andes, landing in the beautiful formerly capital of the Inca Empire more than 3300m above sea level. The afternoon is free to explore this meeting point of colonial and indigenous cultures. (B)
Day 3 - Inca’s Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes.
Transferred from the Hotel to Ollantaytambo (at late morning - 2 hours ride) we board the train for the beautiful winding journey to Machu Picchu following the Urubamba River, the towering walls of the Vilcabamba Mountains rising on either side. Upon arriving at Aguas Calientes town (hot waters), we are then transferred to the hotel and conclude the day’s journeys. (B,D)
Day 4 - Machu Picchu, the Lost City of Incas.
Starting early we take a 25 minute ride above Aguas Calientes to the truly awesome Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, a site straddling a mountain top at more than 2380 m above sea level and surrounded by misty cloud forest covered peaks and incredible views on all sides. This site lay undiscovered and engulfed the jungle until Yale University Professor Hiram Bingham chanced upon the ruins during an archaeological expedition. Since then much of purpose and nature of this site has remained a mystery. After a guided tour of the site you will have time to explore the ruins on your own. Returning to Aguas Calientes we board the train for Cusco at around late afternoon, arriving in the evening. From the train station you will transported back to the hotel Garcilaso. Evening free to explore Cusco, a city famous for its buzzing nightlife and diverse restaurants. (B,L)
Day 5 - Cusco.
The morning is left free to relax and explore Cusco at your own pace. At 14.00 a local guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a tour of the Cuzco and its surrounds, taking in the city’s most impressive monuments and putting these in the context of the truly cataclysmic events that played out here in the 16th Century, when two of the world’s great cultures collided. We visit the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, Koricancha, and the magnificent Inca Temple of the Sun, home to probably the finest Inca stonework – precisely carved stones that fit perfectly, without the need for mortar. We continue to the great ceremonial centre of Sacsayhuaman located in a beautiful position overlooking Cusco in the valley below. Sacsayhuaman’s scale is quite awe-inspiring, vast walls built with individual carved stones, the largest of which weigh more than 125 tons. The Quechua festival of Inti Raymi concludes within these walls every year in June – a truly spectacular demonstration of Indigenous culture, and well worth seeing! On leaving Sacsayhuaman we visit the well preserved Inca sites of Quenco, Puka Pukara and the Temple of Tambo Machay. After a tour of approximately 4 ½ to 5 hours we return to our hotel. Evening free. (B).
Day 6 - Flight from Cusco to Lake Titicaca.
Morning flight from Cusco to Juliaca (a city at 40 min by car from Puno). Upon arriving in Juliaca you are then transferred to Puno city. The landscape transforms to the vast high plains of the Altiplano, before arriving at Puno on the shores of the World’s highest high navigable Lake Titicaca, a vast azure expanse at 3810m above sea level and covering more than 8000km². We check into hotel before setting out by boat in the afternoon. Our destination is the fascinating floating islands of the indigenous Uros people, who have constructed these unique islands from reeds for Centuries. Returning from the Islands you will be taken back to your hotel. Evening free. (B,L)
Day 7 - Puno to La Paz.
Starting early we begin our journey towards Bolivia, travelling along the Southern shores of Lake Titicaca. Bolivia is a sparsely inhabited but vast and fascinating state where more than 60% of its inhabitants claim pure decent from indigenous origins. Passing the vast ice clad mountains of the Cordillera Real we are confronted with the huge vista of La Paz, the World’s highest capital city, it’s buildings clinging to the sides of a steep gorge and the mighty snow capped peak of Huayna Potosi rising ominously above the capital to well over 6 km into the thin atmosphere. In the afternoon we take a guided tour of this fascinating Andean metropolis, visiting the bizarre Indian Witch market, the Murillo Square, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the colonial church of San Francisco, Government Palace and the Parliament Buildings themselves. We have lunch at a local restaurant before driving to the amazing scenery of the Valley of the Moon before returning to our hotel La Paz. (B,L)
Day 8 - La Paz to Buenos Aires.
After breakfast in the hotel we transfer to La Paz International Airport for a flight across the continent to Buenos Aires. Leaving Bolivia behind we cross the Mighty ice clad peaks of the Andes before flying onwards across the vast open expanse of Argentinean Pampas. Met at the Airport by a Machete Tours representative, you will transferred to your hotel before taking a tour of central Buenos Aires, the National Congress, the Cathedral and the Government House surrounding the Plaza de Mayo, the cities centre. We continue to the colourful and cosmopolitan La Boca district before returning to our Hotel. Buenos Aires is the home of Tango and in the evening we’re taken to dinner combined with a Tango show, a Buenos Aires classic. (B,D)
Day 9 - Buenos Aires to El Calafate.
We have breakfast at the hotel before being picked up and transported to the Domestic Airport. We fly far to the south, to the hearth of Patagonia, a remote and extreme landscape of vast open plains and Glaciars. Upon arriving at El Calafate airport you are then meet by a tour representative and get transferred to the hotel. Dinner and free time. (B,D)
Day 10 - El Calafate and Upsala Glacier.
Departure for Rios de Hielo navigation. The boarding time, in the Punta Bandera Private Port (47 kilometers from the city of El Calafate), will be at 8:30 AM and the departure will be at 9 AM, after the passengers are informed about the safety and sailing conditions. Once on board we will sail through the North Arm of the Argentino Lake to reach the Upsala Canal, where we’ll find a spectacular Icebergs Barrier. From there we will have a panoramic view of the Upsala Glacier. Afterwards we will navigate the Spegazzini Canal, where we will observe the Seco Glacier to reach the front of Spegazzini Glacier, the highest in the National Park. Return to Punta Bandera Private Port and then we continuing to the hotel in El Calafate. Evening free. (B,L)
Day 11 - El Calafate to Iguazú.
Following breakfast we leave the plains of Patagonia and head north for a complete contrast, the subtropical rainforests and warmth of Argentina’s Missions district. Flying via Buenos Aires to continue to Puerto Iguazú and our lovely hotel set in the dense rainforest surrounding the falls. The Paraguay River forms a border between Argentina and Brazil, South America’s largest nations. (B)
Day 12 - Iguazú Falls.
Today we have a full day guided tour of Argentinean side of the Iguazú Falls. An awesome spectacle, the Paraguay River, one of South America’s greatest, plunges into a 74m deep chasm more than 2 ½ km wide. Divided by many small rainforest cloaked islands, separated channels create 275 individual falls. Winding through lush subtropical forest trails on the Argentinean side allow us close up access to many of the individual falls getting close enough to feel their increwdible power. It’s a spectacular experience – and nowhere is this more apparent than at the La Garganta del Diablo, ‘The Devils Throat’, the largest of the falls. The forest itself is a source of beauty and wonder, and many birds and animals can be seen, including the dramatic Toco Toucan and the families of Racoon like Coati’s. We return to La Cantera in the late afternoon. (B)
Day 13 - Iguazú Falls and Rio de Janeiro.
This morning we embark on a Half Day tour on Brazilian Falls giving a much wider Panoramic view of what many consider to be the World’s most spectacular cascades. Be prepared to get a little damp from the vast clouds of mist rising from the Garganta de Diablo. Visiting Puerto Canoas for a much more relaxing view of the upper river, a snack and a little relaxation time we transfer to Foz de Iguaçu Airport on the Brazilian side of the Falls for you inland flight to Rio de Janeiro. You will be met and transferred to your hotel in the legendary beachside district of Copacabana. (B,D)
Day 14 - Rio de Janeiro tour.
Today we have a tour of Rio’s most famous sites, the Maracaná Stadium, centre of Brazil’s football culture and passion, the Sambodromo, the Municipal Theatre and Fine Arts Museum and the Cathedral. We ride up to the famous sugarloaf mountain to enjoy sweeping views of the city and the Atlantic below. Enjoying a barbecue lunch we continue to the 710m high peak Corcovado by Train, finally arriving at the summit and Rio’s most famous monument, the 38m statue of Christ the Redeemer. Enjoying more South American Tour magnificent views from the top we then descend after another full day and return to our hotel for a relaxing evening. (B,L)
Day 15 - Rio de Janeiro and your flight home.
Breakfast in the hotel before transferring you to the international airport for your flight home. (B) End of Service.