25-Nights South American Odyssey With Amazon & Peru

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

Manaus (Amazon River)

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 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.

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.

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.