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The Real South America
Departure Dates:
Rates:
| AUD $18990 | Per Person Twin Share | departing from SYD, BNE, MEL |
| AUD $4890 | Single room Supplement | for solo travellers not wishing to share rooms |
| AUD $6895 | Business-class Upgrade | for long-haul international sectors |
| AUD $18290 | Per Person Twin-Share | for tours starting and ending in Santiago* |
Inclusions:
• Services of a Senior Tour Conductor throughout the tour.
• Accommodation in Superior and Deluxe-class hotels, lodges and trains
with private bathroom facilities.
• All airport transfers as described with English speaking guides.
• All private city and sightseeing tours as described with local English
speaking specialist guides.
• All admission fees on such tours.
• Meals throughout the tour as indicated: (B = breakfast L = lunch
D = dinner + = alcoholic drinks).
• All ground transportation as described in itineraries.
• All touring vessels.
• Reconfirmation of all onward flights.
• Porterage of 1 suitcase per person.
Not included:
• Items of a personal nature.
• Passport & visa costs.
• Travel insurance.
• Excess baggage.
• Tipping.
Flights/hotels subject to change. Prior to a deposit being received, all prices are subject to currency fluctuations, additional airline charges and changes in costs from ground suppliers. We reserve the right to vary any part of the tour at our sole discretion as circumstances may require.
Itinerary:
Arrive Santiago
Today we depart from home on our flight to South America. On arrival into Santiago you will be met and taken to our luxury hotel for two nights. (Meals Inflight)
Santiago
This morning we will host a very informative Tour Orientation Meeting in which we get to know each other and outline the important aspects of the day-to-day operation of the tour.
In the afternoon we will undertake a city tour of Santiago. We will visit the Plaza de Armas (Main Square), the 16th Century Cathedral, City Hall and National Congress buildings and Moneda Presidential Palace. We also see the National University and Santa Lucia Hill, where the foundation of Santiago took place in 1542. We then cross over the Mapocho River for a panoramic view of the city from the Santiago Mirador (lookout). This evening we will enjoy a Tour Welcome Dinner. (BD)
Santiago / Puerto Varas
This morning we will be transferred to the airport for our flight to Puerto Montt in the Southern Lakes District of Patagonia. This area contains a series of magnificent lakes cutting through and strung along the foothills of the Andes. On arrival we will be met and taken to our hotel in nearby Puerto Varas, a beautiful alpine type village on Lake Llanquihue. (B)
Puerto Varas / Bariloche
From Puerto Varas our Southern Lakes Crossing is a combination of bus and boat travel traversing this spectacular area. We will travel by coach around the shores of Lake Llanquihue. After entering the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park we will visit the famous Petrohue Falls and then cross Lake Todos los Santos (also known as Esmeralda) seeing Osorno Volcano and the peaks of Tronador mountain to Peulla, where we stop for Chilean Immigration and Customs procedures.
After lunch we cross the Vicente Perez Rosales Pass and enter Argentina. We then travel by catamaran across Lake Frias, by bus to Puerto Blest and finally, by boat to Puerto Panuelo, this time on the famous Lake Nahuel Huapi. On arrival we will be met and taken to the luxurious Llao Llao Hotel for two nights. (BL)
Day 5 Tuesday
Bariloche – Andes Tour
Bariloche, situated on the shore of beautiful Lake Nahuel Huapi, is an internationally recognised Swiss-style ski resort and the best centre for exploring the Nahuel Huapi National Park and its surrounding areas.
This morning’s pleasant tour follows the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi and Lake Moreno. On a good day we should catch sight of the highest mountain of the area, El Tronador (The Thunderer), whose snow capped peaks rise to 3,478 metres. We will visit a spectacular panoramic point for a breathtaking view of the Andes as well as the lakes and our hotel. (BL)
Bariloche / Buenos Aires
We have the morning at leisure to absorb this truly magical location before being transferred to Bariloche Airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival we will be met and taken to our downtown hotel for four nights. (BD+)
Buenos Aires
This morning we will be taken on a city tour taking in the Government House (Casa Rosada), City Hall, House of Congress, Metropolitan Cathedral, Colon Theatre, Avenue 9th July (the widest street in the world) and the Italian La Boca District. We will also visit the Recoleta Cemetery, the city’s oldest and the final resting place of Eva Peron. This evening we will have dinner at one of the finest Argentine-style restaurants, where we will also enjoy the city’s very best Tango Show. (BD+)
Buenos Aires – Colonia
This morning we will board our ferry for the one-hour trip across the River Plate to Colonia, Uruguay. On arrival we will be taken on a city tour of Old Colonia, which will include the Main Wall, the cobbled “Streets of Sigh" and the Entrance Gate to San Miguel’s Bastion, with its incredible lighthouse rising amid Colonial buildings. After lunch at a local restaurant we will return to Buenos Aires and our downtown hotel. (BL)
Buenos Aires
Today is at leisure in Buenos Aires to visit more of the city’s wonderful attractions. (B)
Buenos Aires / Iguassu Falls
This morning we will be transferred to the Airport for our flight to the Iguassu Falls, considered by many as the most impressive in the world. Some 275 separate cascades fall in a wild array of spray over a winding 3 kilometre cliff frontage into a gorge 60 metres deep! One of the most spectacular of the falls is aptly named “The Devil’s Throat". We will be met from our flight and taken on a walking tour of the Argentine side before being transferred to the Brazilian side and to the famous Das Cataratas Hotel. Here we will spend two nights. (BLD)
Iguassu Falls
This morning we drive through the rainforest the Iguassu River, where we board our powerful inflated boat for an incredible ride up the river to the base of the falls. This afternoon we visit the most photogenic side of the fall, the Brazilian side, before going into the city of Foz do Iguassu this evening. Here we will enjoy a traditional Brazilian dinner before experiencing a spectacular Rio-style Carnival and Samba Show. (BD)
Iguassu Falls / Rio de Janeiro
This morning we will visit a local bird sanctuary, with its wide variety of South American species.
Later we will be transferred to Iguassu Airport to board our flight to Rio de Janeiro. On arrival in Rio we will be met and taken to our hotel located on Copacabana Beach for three nights. Rio de Janeiro sweeps 20 kilometres along the narrow alluvial strip between the mountains and the sea. The combination of a dark blue sea, studded with rocky islands, tumbling wooded mountains and expanses of bare grey rock, is impressive. Brazilians say: “God made the world in six days, the seventh He devoted to Rio". (B)
Rio de Janeiro
This morning we will be taken on a city tour of Rio taking in the old and the new city. We will see the Main Cathedral, Rio’s original aqueduct, the Opera House, the area of Cinelandia, as well as some of the city’s most original Colonial streets.
Our afternoon is at leisure. Early this evening we will be taken to the Sugar Loaf Mountain, located uniquely above the entrance to Guanabara Bay. It is reached by a spectacular 2-stage cable car ride that offers a beautiful look at the city and its beaches from a vantage point high above Rio. On arrival we will enjoy a cool drink as the sun sets over the emerging lights of Rio. We will then be taken to one of Rio’s most traditional restaurants for a relaxing and most enjoyable Brazilian dinner. (BD)
Rio de Janeiro
This morning we will be taken on a tour to Corcovado and the Statue of Christ. The tour passes by Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon to Cosme Velho. Here we board the modern funicular train for our 20 minute ride to the top of the 770 metre high Corcovado Mountain. The Christ the Redeemer Statue is one of Rio’s most famous landmarks. The statue is 37 metres high, weighs 1,100 tons and has a 360 degrees view of the entire Rio area below, encompassing the city, the bay, the mountains and the sea within a circle of up to 160 kilometres.
The Tijuca Rain Forest and the famous suburbs of Barra and Sao Conrado and Ipanema are visited on our way back to the hotel.
Our afternoon is at leisure to further enjoy Copacabana. (BL)
Rio de Janeiro / Lima
This morning is at leisure. Later today we will be transferred to the airport for our flight to Lima, Peru. On arrival into Lima we will be met and taken to our ‘Raffles Hotel’, where we will have accommodation for three nights. (B)
Lima
Lima, “The City of the Kings" is a very beautiful city. It was the first seat of Spanish Government in 1535 and still has many perfectly preserved buildings from the Colonial Period. It is also famous for its fine gold and silver work. This morning is at leisure in Lima.
This afternoon we will be taken on a very comprehensive tour of Greater Colonial Lima. The tour visits the Casa Aliaga, one of South America’s oldest Spanish homes and still inhabited by the original family _ an Inca Tours’ exclusive!. We will see the Government Palace and the Plaza de Armas before visiting the Main Cathedral and Franciscan Monastery. We then drive through the tree-lined avenues of San Isidro and Miraflores to Parque Salazar, where we will enjoy views of the Pacific. (BD)
Lima
Late this morning we will be taken to the world famous Lima Gold Museum, where there is also one of the world’s largest collections of armoury.
This afternoon is at leisure to further enjoy your surroundings.(B)
Lima / Amazon Jungle
Early this morning we will be transferred back to the airport for our flight to Iquitos, deep in the Amazon Basin. On arrival we will be met and transferred to the river, where we will board our boat bound for the remote Ceiba Tops Jungle Lodge, located 40 kilometres down the Amazon River in the jungle. Our relaxing stay here is for three nights.
This afternoon our expert jungle guide will take us for a walk into the primary rainforest with its canopy of vegetation, festooned with epiphytes, orchids and bromeliads. He will highlight the plants’ medicinal uses for us. We may also see monkeys, marmosets and birds. (BLD)
Amazon Jungle
This morning we will travel by boat to a small village to observe the lifestyle of the “River People". Here we may have the chance to visit a local primary school. Later we will go to the neighbouring town of Indiana, where we will visit the town centre and the local markets. Originally a Franciscan Mission, Indiana has grown into a large river community with its own rice mill, high school and a small clinic.
This afternoon we will set out by boat in search of the Amazon’s rare pink dolphins, which can be found in this area. After this we sail further down the river to where the giant Queen Victoria Water Lilies sometimes grow. Before returning to the lodge we will stop to try our hand at piranha fishing! (BLD)
Amazon Jungle
This morning we will travel by boat down the Amazon River, then up the Napo River until we reach ExplorNapo Lodge. From here we will undertake a spectacular Canopy Walkway excursion high into the tree tops.
We also visit the Re Nu Pe Ru Ethnobotanical Gardens. Here over 240 medicinal plants are cultivated by a local shaman, who will explain the nature of Amazonian natural healing and the uses of the plants. Later we return to Ceiba Tops. (BLD)
Amazon Jungle / Sacred Valley
Early this morning we will travel back to Iquitos, where we connect with our flight to Cuzco: the Inca Capital, via Lima. On arrival in Cuzco we will be met and driven to our hotel at a much lower altitude in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Here we will stay for two relaxing nights.
This afternoon is at leisure to enjoy this stunning destination. (BD)
Day 22 Friday
Sacred Valley – Pisac
This morning we will visit the famous Inca Fortress of Ollantaytambo. From here we are taken to the traditional Indian Market of Pisac, where we will have ample time to bargain with the local Indians for their fabulous weavings and ceramics.
After lunch at the Casa Orihuela (another Inca Tours exclusive!), we are returned to our Sacred Valley hotel, with a stop to visit a local community enroute. (BLD)
Day 23 Saturday
Sacred Valley / Machu Picchu
After breakfast we will be transferred to the Ollanta Train Station for our two-day excursion to Machu Picchu. Our journey will follow the Urubamba River on one of the great train journeys of the world.
Machu Picchu, known as the “Lost City of the Incas" is undoubtedly the best known and most spectacular archaeological site on the continent and is considered a must for all visitors. Our lunch is provided at Machu Picchu and tonight we will stay at the Machu Picchu El Pueblo Hotel, below the ruins in the village of Aguas Calientes _ an absolute highlight in itself! (BLD)
Machu Picchu / Cuzco
We have the morning free to further explore the ruins of Machu Picchu without the hassle of large crowds.
After lunch we make our way back to the station for our return journey to Cuzco where on arrival, we will be met and taken to our luxury ‘Orient Express Hotel’ for three fabulous nights.
Cuzco is the archaeological capital of the Americas and the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Massive Inca-built stonewalls line most of Cuzco’s central streets to form the foundations of Colonial and modern buildings. The streets are often stepped and narrow and thronged with Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas. (B)
Cuzco
This morning we take a very comprehensive tour of Cuzco that includes the Main Cathedral, the Plaza de Armas, the Temple of the Sun (Koricancha) as well as other city highlights. We will then visit three of the other very important Inca sites in the area outside Cuzco: Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay and Kenko.
This afternoon is at leisure. (BD)
Cuzco
Today is at leisure to further explore Cuzco. (B)
Cuzco / Puno
Today we will travel by Orient Express Train across the Andean Altiplano, via the La Raya Pass (the world’s highest rail pass) and on to Puno on the shore of Lake Titicaca. This rail journey takes 10 hours and will provide an insight into Indian life as it has been for hundreds of years.
We will experience some of the world’s most spectacular views and one of the only areas in the world where the once threatened vicuna (a member of the cameloid family) now exist in large numbers. On arrival in Puno we will be met and taken to our hotel for tonight. (BL)
Puno / Lake Titicaca
This morning we travel by road through the town of Juli and on to Copacabana, where we visit the Church of the Virgin of the Lake. Here we board our catamaran for the crossing of Lake Titicaca. We sail past the Island of the Moon and travel to the Island of the Sun.
Here we stop to visit the Yumani Sacred Site, water springs which are claimed to be a source of eternal youth. Because we spend the night onboard, we are able to visit the village of Challapampa and observe the daily life of the natives _ unchanged for 500 years!
Tonight we will enjoy a folkloric show onboard. (BLD)
Lake Titicaca / La Paz
In the morning we will depart Challapampa and sail through the narrow Straits of Tiquina, where the landlocked Bolivian Navy is based. We travel on to Chua Port and then board our coach to the famous pre-Inca ruins of Tiahuanacu.
Later we continue to La Paz, the world’s highest capital. On arrival we will be taken to our hotel for two nights. (BL)
La Paz
This morning includes a tour of La Paz and the spectacular Moon Valley. We will visit the Indian and Pagan sacrificial markets, Calle Jaen with its museums, San Francisco Church, Plaza Murillo, the National Congress, the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the areas of Obrajes, Calacoto and finally, the unusual eroded formations of the Moon Valley. (BD)
La Paz / Santiago
This morning we are transferred to La Paz Airport for our flight to Santiago. On arrival we will be met and taken to our luxury hotel. Tonight we host an End of Tour Dinner. (BD)
Depart Santiago
Today is at leisure.
This evening we will be transferred to the airport for our flights home. We will have full use of our hotel rooms until our time of transfer. (B)
Santiago / Auckland
Today is spent inflight as we re-cross the International Date Line and lose one day. (Meals Inflight)
Auckland / Home
This morning we will arrive back in Australia. Welcome Home!
