Day 1 SANTIAGO
Arrival in Santiago and transfer to the hotel. City tour through Santiago. Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with its remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise buildings of the financial center; Chile’s capital city will surprise you. The city tour begins with the visit of the church San Francisco, which was build between 1572 and 1618. You will pass through the Barrio Paris & Londres which is characterized by its European architectural style and its’ narrow cobbled street.
Then you will pass by the sector of Club Hípico, one of the most beautiful horse racing tracks in South America, privileged by its architecture from the early 19th century. Continuing your tour to the Barrio Concha y Toro where you will immediately notice that the constructions of the buildings are very similar to those in the Barrio Paris y Londres. While walking through the main street you will recover vestiges of the aristocratic past of the capital. In 1989 this district was declared as “Zona Tipica”. You will be impressed by the gothic, neocolonial and Bauhaus constructions.
After that you will visit the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. Just around the corner, you will find the main post office, the National History museum, the Metropolitana and the town hall of Santiago. From here you head along the famous Alameda, Santiago’s colorful main avenue, to the heart of the city, seeing the “Palacio de la Moneda” (seat of government), various monuments and public buildings.
Afterwards, you continue the tour by driving up to San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s view points, you will have the finest views of Santiago and the Andes Mountains. To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern residential areas of the city with their daring architecture and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone.
Day 2 SANTIAGO – SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA (B)
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Calama (not included). Arrival and reception by our local tour guide, transfer of approx. 1 ½ hours to San Pedro de Atacama.
In the afternoon half day city walk of San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro de Atacama is the most important Archaeological center in Chile situated 2,438 metres above sea level and surrounded by a picturesque green fertile oasis, San Pedro was the centre of a Palaeolithic civilization. Its narrow streets that have been preserved of its old style dating back to the Spanish Conquerors and its beautiful colonial church that was built in 1577. The village is the centre for native Indian culture in the Atacama Desert.
Right on time for the beautiful sunset, you will drive to the Moon Valley in the late afternoon. It fascinates with silence, moonscape and the snow-capped volcanoes in the background. The last sun rays reaching the ground colour the valley in shining orange, red and purple hues. Don’t miss this unique experience!
Day 3 SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA (B – L)
Today you will start your tour visiting the huge Atacama Salt Lake, an inland sea dating back millions of years. Enjoy a unique experience viewing this doubtlessly driest desert in the world. The flatness, clearness and emptiness here are overwhelming. Following the road in direction to Argentina, you will get to know the Lagunas Miscanti & Meñiques, set at the base of two immense volcanoes. These alti-plane lakes are fringed with salt deposits and surrounded by brilliantly coloured clumps of “paja brava”, creating a singular visual experience. Afterwards you continue to the small Indian village of Toconao. The inhabitants of Toconao producing beautiful small sculptures out of a white volcanic stone that can be found in a quarry near the village. Lunch is included. Return to the hotel.
Day 4 SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA (B)
Full day at leisure. Optional tours can be booked at our local office.
Optional: Excursion to visit El Tatio. Early in the morning (4:00 AM) you will depart for a 125 km drive northeast to visit the impressive Tatio Geysers at an altitude of 4,321m! The steaming geysers are at their best between 6:30am and 8:30am .
Day 5 SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA – LIMA (B)
Transfer to Calama airport on seat-in basis without local guide for the flight to Lima via Santiago de Chile (flight is not included). Arrival in Lima and transfer to the hotel.
Day 6 LIMA – CUSCO – YUCAY (B)
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Cusco (not included). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel in the Urubamba Valley, known as Sacred Valley, where the Urubamba River, a headstream of the Amazon passes through.
On your way to the Urubamba Valley you will undertake a short visit to the Cochahuasi Wasi Animal Sanctuary. Here you will have the opportunity to see Pumas, Condors and Aras. Continue to the “Mercado de Urubamba”.
The “Mercado de Urubamba” is an authentic market where real bartering takes place. The rural people of the surroundings sell and barter agricultural products as well as animals. It is also the place where locals exchange gossip and news.
Day 7 YUCAY (B – L)
Morning at leisure. Optional tours can be booked through our office.
Lunch at a typical local restaurant. In the afternoon, a visit to Ollantaytambo, a typical Inca community, is included. Towering above the town of Ollantaytambo we will find the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo. Steep stone terraces rising from the edge of town lead up to the fortress ruins at the top of the hill. A stone stairway leads up through the terrace walls, allowing visitors to step out on them. One of the best-preserved areas lies north of the Hanan Huacaypata square: an area of 15 blocks of houses built on top of carved stone walls.
Day 8 YUCAY – MACHU PICCHU – CUSCO (B)
Transfer by bus to Ollantaytambo train station from where the tour starts by train travelling through the fertile plain of the Urubamba valley and on to Aguas Calientes. From there, small buses drive up the steep mountain to the ruin town.
Enjoy a guided visit of the ruins for approximately 2 hours and return by bus and train to Ollantaytambo station. Transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
Day 9 CUSCO (B)
Today you will enjoy a half day city tour. You will be shown the exact centre of the Incan Empire, the Plaza de Armas. There one can find the cathedral built on the ruins of the ancient Inca Palace. The cathedral borders on other churches on both sides. Next stop will be the old town with its magnificent renovated colonial buildings; some of which are currently used as hotels. Proceed to Sacsayhuaman, a ruin site located approx. 3 km above Cusco. Sacsayhuaman also offers a fabulous view over the city. Afterwards visit the surrounding ruins.
The afternoon is free at leisure.
Day 10 CUSCO – PUNO (B – L)
A full day bus tour from Cusco to Puno leads through the Peruvian highland along the snow-covered peaks of the Andes, small villages and reaches its highest point in La Raya at 4,300 m above sea level. En route you will visit the town of Andahuaylillas, the ruins of Racchi and the small town of Pucara. Lunch in a typical restaurant en route is included.
Upon arrival in Puno transfer to your hotel.
Day 11 PUNO – LIMA (B – L)
Full day excursion on Lake Titicaca to visit the Uros floating islands. The Aymara Indians build their houses over floating artificial islands that float on the waters of Lake Titicaca where they live in groups and continue with their ancestral customs.
Continue to Taquile Island where you find numerous pre-Inca and Inca ruins and Inca terracing. The island is narrow, only about 1km wide, but 6-7km long. The people here still wear their traditional clothes and there is a co-operative shop on the Plaza where one can buy wool goods of very fine quality. A typical lunch at Taquile Island is included.
Transfer from the hotel to the airport of Juliaca. Flight to Lima (not included) and transfer to the hotel.
Day 12 LIMA (B)
In the afternoon you will explore the city on a sightseeing tour through Lima. The Plaza de Armas with the beautiful buildings of the government Palace, the town hall, the Palace of the archbishop and the cathedral are still the most important places in town. After that you will visit the beautiful San Francisco monastery which displays the largest collection of religious art in America. The highlight of this convent is the visit of the underground vaults known as “catacumbas” or catacombs. Proceed through the modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores continuing to the coastline to enjoy the view over the beaches of Lima and the Pacific Ocean.
Afterwards enjoy a guided visit of one of the Lima’s most noted museums, the Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum which houses the world’s largest private collection of Peruvian pre-Columbian Art. Mr. Rafael Larco Hoyle founded the museum on July 28, 1926, in the Chiclin sugar estate of Trujillo, naming it after his father as an expression of filial homage. In 1958 he moved the collection to Lima, installing the Museum in a Colonial house in the district of Pueblo Libre, where it currently operates. This locale was adapted in the characteristic style of the 18th century Colonial houses in Trujillo. The approximately 45,000 objects in the collection have been exhibited to the public in the Permanent Hall, Jewellery Vault and the Classified Storage Area ever since. The Halls of the Larco Museum are organized by subjects. The Metals, Ceramics, Stones, Culture, Great Jewellery Vault and Textile Halls emphasize the technological aspects of the Pre-Columbian cultures. Finally the World’s unique Erotic Hall gives us a glimpse of the fascinating sexual life of ancient Peruvians.
Day 13 LIMA – IGUASSU (B)
Transfer from the hotel to Lima Airport. Flights to Iguazu (not included). Transfer from Iguazu Airport to the Hotel
Day 14 IGUASSU (B)
You will leave your hotel on the Brazilian side by motor coach and cross the Iguassu National Park towards the Brazilian Falls. You walk along the paths following the cascades and then along the catwalk which leads you very close to the bottom of the Devil’s Throat. You will enjoy magnificent views. Afterwards you take an elevator to go up back to the road, and there you will board the motor coach which will take you to the Argentinean side of the falls.
You will make a short stop at the Visitor’s Centre and proceed from there along the Inferior Circuit, the down-river falls, to the Superior Circuit, the up-river cascades. The Ecological Jungle Train leads you to the most impressive observation point of the falls – The Devil’s Throat. After visit transfer to the hotel on the Brazilian side of the falls.
Day 15 IGUASSU – BUENOS AIRES (B)
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for the flight to Buenos Aires (Not included). Arrival in Buenos Aires and transfer to the hotel.
Day 16 BUENOS AIRES (B)
After breakfast you will visit the most important sites during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the government, the Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour continues into the district of San Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city was a river port, today San Telmo is one of the most modern and desired places to live in Buenos Aires. The worker district La Boca is famous for its colourful tin-houses and its history as a living district of the Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th century. The Barrio Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the rich of Buenos Aires. In the cemetery of Recoleta one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita Perón.
Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the Avenida 9 de Julio, and continue to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and gardens. Return to the hotel.
In the evening, an optional dinner can be booked.
Optional:Enjoy a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant Viejo Almacen.
Day 17 BUENOS AIRES (B)
Day at leisure – the following optional tour can be booked with our office:
Optional: Full day visit of a typical Argentinean Estancia inclusive of lunch. Enjoy a complete day out in the pampas! After a 2 hour drive to Los Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana, where the guests will be welcomed by Gauchos along with a drink. There is time to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos will be explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm of Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable wild aroma. Then follows a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat and sausages. After lunch, a folklore show will present regional music and dances. During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these men’s agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the afternoon coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires.
Optional: Visit San Telmo market. San Telmo is no doubt the best kept historical neighbourhood and oldest district in Buenos Aires. Here one has time to stroll around Plaza Dorrego, where each Sunday an antique market takes place. Tango couples are dancing on the street. Cafes invite you to sit on their terrace and to relax by enjoying the lovely scenery. Another attraction are the numerous antique shops, where one might find the right souvenir. Optional: Tango Show with Dinner. The various Tango Houses, located in San Telmo, offer the possibility of admiring all the qualities of the tango in its different expressions. World class tango dancers and singers as well as tango orchestras, will allow you to enjoy and feel this particular Buenos Aires music at its utmost while having a drink or a wonderful dinner. Andean music, as well as typical Argentine folk music, will also be performed to fulfil your expectations. Born around 1880, the tango was the vulgar dance and music of the capital’s “arrabales” or lower class neighbourhoods, blending gaucho verse with Spanish and Italian music.
Day 18 BUENOS AIRES – COLONIA – MONTEVIDEO (B)
Transfer to the ferry station and Buquebus journey to Colonia (approx 1 hour). Upon arrival in Colonia transfer from the pier to the hotel. Afterwards a comprehensive city tour will commence.
Colonia del Sacramento is a small colonial city founded by the Portuguese in 1680, at a time when Spain and Portugal were in the midst of confrontations. For over a hundred years both empires fought over it, until finally the Treaty of Saint Ildefonso awarded it to Spain. Today the Old City has a lot to say about its Colonial past. Visit the picturesque streets of Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in the country, recently declared a World Heritage by UNESCO.
Visit the picturesque streets of Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in the country, recently declared a World Heritage by UNESCO. The streets of Santa Rita, San Gabriel, the Matriz Church, San Pedro road, the Bastion del Carmen, the famous “ Calle de los Suspiros “ (Street of Sighs) used so often as scenery for historical films, Puerta del Campo, Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo. The past can still be felt, in the city’s cobblestone streets and stone walls. Colonia complements its archaeological values with natural beauty, the permanent company of the Uruguay River and the emblematic monuments that stand out on the horizon, such as the cathedral and the lighthouse, and very close by, the Real de San Carlos bullring.
The city tour ends at the bus terminal where you will board a very comfortable regular bus with air-conditioning to Montevideo (without local guide). The journey to Montevideo will take approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival your tour guide will pick you up at the bus terminal.
Day 19 MONTEVIDEO (B)
Montevideo is a modern city with European flair along with historical buildings and a mix of architectural influences. You will be picked up at your hotel for a comprehensive tour around the city. The main points of interest are the Old City with its famous Mercado del Puerto, Constitution Square, Cathedral and Colonial Town Hall, Solis Theatre, Independence Square at the centre of which stands a monument dedicated to the national hero, José Gervasio Artigas and his Mausoleum. Facing the square is the Government House (museum of the Presidents). The main commercial street 18 de Julio is lined with shops, cafés and office buildings. Congress Building: This huge building is the pride of Uruguay. It was constructed between 1908 and 1925 with local marble consisting of 52 colours and 12 types of wood.
Inside visits are only possible on week days (weekends and public holidays closed), depending on Parliament activities. Drive through the Prado neighbourhood where one of the oldest parks and a beautiful rose garden is located. You continue to Batlle & Ordoñez Park, passing by the Obelisk, the Soccer Stadium and the residential area of Carrasco. Then you will stop at Plaza Virgilio from which you can enjoy an excellent view of the city. A great spot for photographers! Return along the coast and its beaches back to your hotel.
Day 20 MONTEVIDEO – RIO DE JANEIRO (B)
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for the flight to Rio de Janeiro (not included). Arrival in Rio and transfer to the hotel, check-in and time at leisure for a first stroll along Copacabana Beach. An optional tour can be offered in the evening.
Optional: Rio by night – Show in the evening – Visit a folklore and Carnival show featuring skilled dancers, entertainers, samba bands and wonderful costumes in a wonderful display of Brazilian folklore and Carnival.
Day 21 RIO DE JANEIRO (B)
Leave the hotel and proceed as far as Cosme Velho Station to board a cog-train(*) for the ride through Tijuca Forest up Corcovado Mountain at 748 m (2,454 ft.) high. The train ride takes 20 minutes and is a wonderful opportunity for a closer look at the forest’s lush tropical vegetation and to enjoy scenic landscapes of the beaches and city. Disembarking at the top of Corcovado and then proceeding up the steps that lead to the top lookout where the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer stands. After appreciating the breathtaking view unfolding below, passengers will descend by train. The tour proceeds passing by Rio’s world-famous beaches as far as Urca District to board a cable car for a two-stage ascent up Sugar Loaf Mountain at 390 m (1,280 ft.) high. Then coming down and proceeding along Guanabara Bay and Flamengo Park as far as downtown.
Visit downtown area, passing by the financial and business centre and by other attractions such as the Candelaria Church, Saint Sebastian Cathedral, Lapa Arches, Municipal Theatre, National Library, Fine Arts Museum, and by the Sambadrome, site of Rio’s famous Carnival parade.
*Note: or Vans certificated by the city´s administration departure from Largo do Machado where the van stop is located and go to top of Corcovado.
Day 22 RIO DE JANEIRO (B)
Transfer to the airport for your international flight back home.
End of our services
Food Code = (B) – Breakfast, (L) – Lunch, (D) – Dinner
LHSTSCL009 *Please note, prices based on twin share, per person, low season, 3 star rates. Optional tours not included and are at extra cost. The itinerary & pricing can change at any time due to availability & of activities. Please check our website for full terms and conditions*
