Itinerary
- Day 1
Lima
You'll be picked up from Lima airport and taken to your hotel. After a 2pm welcome meeting with your group and leader, there's a walking tour of downtown Lima. You'll see the colonial Plaza Mayor and Saint Francis Monastery with its catacombs, then head to Alameda de Chabuca Granda where you can try local street food like Peruvian donuts and purple corn porridge. Dinner happens at one of Lima's top restaurants with views over ancient ruins.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome Dinner at a top restaurant with stunning views surrounded by ancient ruins, featuring creative traditional Peruvian dishes with modern twists)
Included Activities
- Downtown Lima walking tour
- Plaza Mayor visit
- Saint Francis Monastery and Catacombs visit
- Alameda de Chabuca Granda tour with street food tastings
- Welcome Dinner at restaurant with ancient ruins views
Landmarks/POIs Plaza Mayor Saint Francis Monastery (Convento de San Francisco) Alameda de Chabuca Granda - Day 2
Amazon Rainforest
You'll fly to Puerto Maldonado, then take a bus to the port and board motorised canoes into the Amazon rainforest. Keep watch for macaws, herons, alligators, and capybaras along the way. You're staying at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion for the next two nights, a 380-hectare private reserve with 25 cabanas and local guides. After lunch at the lodge, you'll walk the Concepcion Trails with a guide, then take a guided twilight boat ride spotting caimans. Dinner features local Amazon ingredients.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch at the lodge), Dinner (A la carte dinner drawing on local Amazon ingredients)
Included Activities
- Motorised canoe transfer into Amazon rainforest
- Concepcion Trails exploration with expert guide
- Guided Twilight River boat ride
Landmarks/POIs Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion - Day 3
Amazon Rainforest
After breakfast, you'll paddle across Lake Sandoval in a dug-out wooden canoe, looking for red howler monkeys, giant river otters, and colourful macaws. Following lunch, there's an option to walk the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway, a 344-metre network of suspension bridges high above the forest floor where you might spot toucans, woodpeckers, monkeys, and three-toed sloths. Later you can join a night walk to see nocturnal activity or book the lodge spa at your own cost. You'll meet your group for dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Lake Sandoval dug-out canoe excursion
Optional Activities
- Inkaterra Canopy Walkway (344 metre suspension bridge walk)
- Night jungle walk
- Lodge spa (own expense)
Landmarks/POIs Lake Sandoval Inkaterra Canopy Walkway - Day 4
Puerto Maldonado to Cusco
You'll travel back to Puerto Maldonado, then fly to Cusco, the former centre of the Incan Empire. Arriving early afternoon, you'll settle into your hotel and head out on an orientation walk with your leader to adjust to the high altitude. You'll visit Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral, a World Heritage site built on top of an Incan palace. A local historian guide explains the colonial art, architecture, and history. The evening is free to check out Cusco's restaurants and live music scene.
Included Activities
- Leader-led orientation walk
- Plaza de Armas visit
- Cusco Cathedral tour with specialist historian guide
Landmarks/POIs Plaza de Armas Cusco Cathedral - Day 5
Cusco
You'll explore more of Cusco on a walking tour with your leader. The Coricancha Temple is key, once the most important temple in the Incan Empire, formerly covered in thick gold before the Spanish built a Dominican church on top. A local guide shares secrets of the ancient civilization. Then you'll head to San Pedro market to practice bargaining and take photos, swinging back by Plaza de Armas. The afternoon is free to explore or arrange optional activities like a cooking class or the half-day Inkilltambo trek.
Included Activities
- Walking tour of Cusco
- Coricancha Temple visit with local guide
Optional Activities
- Cooking class at local restaurant using fair trade products
- Half-day Inkilltambo trek exploring archaeological site
Landmarks/POIs Coricancha Temple San Pedro Market - Day 6
Cusco to Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo
You'll travel through the Sacred Valley toward Ollantaytambo, passing maize crops and terraces carved into valley walls. You'll stop at Sacsayhuaman fortress to see impressive stone blocks showing Inca engineering. Next, visit the Willoq community to learn traditional textile techniques and make a bracelet with local women. A festive pachamanca lunch follows. You'll visit AMA restaurant learning about their support for single mothers while enjoying snacks and drinks. Then continue to Ollantaytambo and explore its archaeological site with an expert guide discussing ancient aqueducts and irrigation canals.
- Meals
- Lunch (Festive pachamanca lunch)
Included Activities
- Sacsayhuaman fortress visit
- Willoq community textile workshop and bracelet-making
- Pachamanca lunch
- AMA restaurant visit with snack and drink
- Ollantaytambo archaeological site tour with expert guide
Landmarks/POIs Sacsayhuaman Ollantaytambo - Day 7
Machu Picchu
You'll travel from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes aboard the scenic 360 Machu Picchu Train with high domed windows and an open-air observation carriage. After dropping belongings at your hotel, you'll take a short bus ride up winding roads to Machu Picchu. A guide shares its history and stories of ancestral people, explaining it was likely the 15th-century headquarters of Emperor Pachacuti. Your leader advises how to make the most of your visit. You'll bus back to Aguas Calientes and spend the night, returning early tomorrow for a second visit.
Included Activities
- 360 Machu Picchu Train journey Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes
- Machu Picchu entrance and guided visit
Landmarks/POIs Machu Picchu - Day 8
Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo to Cusco
You'll head back up to Machu Picchu before sunrise for your second visit. You'll explore more of the temples, palaces, and living quarters against a backdrop of forested mountains. You can see the mortar-free design so precisely cut that a knife doesn't fit between the stones, making it earthquake resistant. There's time to capture any missed photos. You'll bus back to Aguas Calientes, then catch the standard train back to Ollantaytambo and drive back to Cusco for the evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Machu Picchu second visit
Landmarks/POIs Machu Picchu - Day 9
Cusco to Lima
In the afternoon, you'll fly from Cusco back to Lima where you'll spend the night. In the morning, you'll depart Peru and head to Chile.
- Day 10
Lima to Santiago, Chile
You'll fly unescorted to Santiago, Chile, a vibrant, artistic city set within snow-capped mountains. You'll get your included transfer to Altiplanico Bellas Artes, an impressive historic 1909 house converted into a hotel with Art Nouveau charm. Its location near Parque Forestal is perfect for first explorations. A welcome meeting happens at 6pm. If you arrive early, you might explore Parque Forestal. After the meeting, you'll have a welcome dinner with your leader and group celebrating Santiago's food scene.
- Meals
- Dinner (Welcome dinner celebrating Santiago's fantastic food scene—features hearty, fresh Chilean food including baked casserole and razor clams cooked in parmesan cheese)
Included Activities
- Complimentary airport arrival transfer
- Welcome Dinner with group
Optional Activities
- Parque Forestal exploration (if arriving early)
Landmarks/POIs Parque Forestal - Day 11
Santiago
You'll get to know Santiago on a tour with a local expert guide revealing the city's many layers of history. Starting at Plaza de Armas, you'll hear tales of Santiago's foundation and past. You'll continue to La Moneda Palace, learning about Chile's political history. Next, Parque Bicentenario created in 2011 to commemorate 200 years of independence. A celebratory lunch at a local eatery features excellent cheese, ham, and wine, a true taste of Chilean culture. The rest of the day is free for your own explorations.
- Meals
- Lunch (Gourmet bodega lunch at local eatery featuring excellent cheese, ham, and wine)
Included Activities
- Santiago city tour with local guide
- Plaza de Armas visit
- La Moneda Palace visit
- Parque Bicentenario walk and discussion
- Gourmet bodega lunch featuring local cheese, ham, and wine
Landmarks/POIs Plaza de Armas La Moneda Palace Parque Bicentenario - Day 12
Santiago to Casablanca Valley to Valparaiso
You have a free morning in Santiago. Perhaps you'll visit Mercado Central, the celebrated fish market. Later you'll journey to Valparaiso, stopping for a wine tasting in Casablanca Valley, Chile's fastest growing wine region. You'll visit a vineyard focused on sustainable and organic viticulture, producing outstanding chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Then you'll reach colourful Valparaiso, notable for brightly hued houses across hills overlooking the ocean. Your hotel has been welcoming guests since 1885 and sits in the historic city heart. An introduction to pisco on its rooftop offers unbeatable views.
Included Activities
- Casablanca Valley winery tour and tasting
- Valparaiso rooftop pisco sours introduction
Optional Activities
- Mercado Central visit (free morning activity)
Landmarks/POIs Mercado Central Casablanca Valley - Day 13
Valparaiso
You'll explore Valparaiso, a World Heritage site listed in 2003 and once South America's busiest port. It's transformed into Chile's most creative city. Walking with a local guide through ramshackle streets long home to artists, writers, and musicians, you'll wander the hills of Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre with kaleidoscopically coloured houses and cobbled streets concealing galleries, restaurants, and shops. You'll visit the Museum of Fine Arts, housed in a beautiful art nouveau chalet. Dinner is on your own, perhaps at an iconic local restaurant credited with inventing chorrillana.
Included Activities
- Valparaiso walking tour with local guide
- Cerro Concepcion and Cerro Alegre exploration
- Museum of Fine Arts visit
Optional Activities
- Iconic local restaurant dinner featuring chorrillana
Landmarks/POIs Cerro Concepcion Cerro Alegre Museum of Fine Arts (Museo de Bellas Artes) - Day 14
Valparaiso to Santiago to Mendoza, Argentina
You'll depart Valparaiso and head back to Santiago to catch a flight to Mendoza. As your plane crosses the Andes, you might catch a glimpse of Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas at 6,962 metres. In Mendoza, you'll get to know this lively city on a gentle stroll around its wide, tree-lined streets with your local leader. Though technically a desert city, extensive irrigation makes Mendoza remarkably green. You'll check out spaces from sprawling Parque San Martin to petite Plaza Espana, and taste local life along bustling Peatonal Sarmiento.
- Meals
- Dinner
Included Activities
- Mendoza leader-led orientation walk
- Included Dinner
Landmarks/POIs Mount Aconcagua Parque San Martin Plaza Espana Peatonal Sarmiento - Day 15
Mendoza Wine Region
Mendoza produces nearly three-quarters of Argentina's wine. Today you'll experience world-class wines at their source during tours and tastings at three innovative wineries, each with distinct style and flavour. A local wine expert explains grape varieties and production methods. You'll sample award-winning bottles surrounded by Andes mountain landscapes. A special closed-door gourmet lunch at one winery features several courses paired with carefully selected wines. In the evening, perhaps you'll pair wines with authentic Argentine asado.
- Meals
- Lunch (Special closed-door gourmet lunch at one of the wineries featuring several courses paired with wines carefully selected to bring out flavours in the food)
Included Activities
- Tour of three wineries
- Wine tastings at three wineries
- Gourmet winery lunch with wine pairings
Optional Activities
- Pairing wines with authentic Argentine asado (barbecue-style food) dinner
- Day 16
Mendoza to Buenos Aires
You'll fly from Mendoza to Buenos Aires and transfer to your impressive boutique accommodation built in 1913. In the afternoon, you'll soak up the Argentinean capital's mix of European and Latin culture on an orientation walk with your leader. You'll visit Florida Street, National Congress, and the presidential palace Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo. If there is time, your group may visit the Obelisk as well. The evening is free to explore, be it a tango bar, a football match, or the city's sophisticated culture and food.
Included Activities
- Buenos Aires leader-led orientation walk
- Florida Street visit
- National Congress visit
- Casa Rosada (Pink House) visit
- Obelisk visit (if time permits)
Optional Activities
- Tango bar evening
- Football match
- Restaurants and cultural venues
Landmarks/POIs Florida Street National Congress (Palacio del Congreso de la Nación) Casa Rosada Plaza de Mayo Obelisk (Obelisco de Buenos Aires) - Day 17
Tigre Delta Day Trip
You'll head north of Buenos Aires to explore the city of Tigre and its surrounding delta region. You'll catch the subway to San Martin square, then set off on a bicycle tour around Puerto Maldero and the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve. You'll hop on a train to Tigre and walk the city discovering the local fruit market, riverside Paseo Victorica street, and Tigre Art Museum. Next, a private boat takes you through the third-largest river delta in the world, watching local life on the water. You'll stop on an island for a homemade lunch and have time to swim, kayak, or soak in the surroundings.
- Meals
- Lunch (Home-cooked lunch on island)
Included Activities
- Subway to San Martin square
- Bicycle tour around Puerto Maldero and Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve
- Train to Tigre
- Tigre walking tour
- Local fruit market visit
- Paseo Victorica street walk
- Tigre Art Museum visit
- Private boat through Tigre Delta
- Home-cooked island lunch
Optional Activities
- Swimming
- Kayaking
Landmarks/POIs Puerto Maldero Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve Tigre Tigre Art Museum Tigre Delta - Day 18
Buenos Aires Departure
Your trip ends after breakfast this morning. If you're planning to stay on in Buenos Aires, tour operators can help you book extra accommodation ahead of time, subject to availability.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Post-tour accommodation booking assistance in Buenos Aires
