Itinerary
- Day 1
Lima
Your flight lands in Lima and you'll head straight to your hotel. This is your entry point to South America, so take the evening to settle in and get your bearings after travel.
Landmarks Lima - Day 2
Lima
Start with Lima's main sights, walking through the Plaza de Armas to see the government palace and cathedral. Later, head to San Isidro market where you'll meet a fruit seller named Pedro who shows you around the exotic produce. After that comes a Peruvian cooking class where you'll learn about local products and spices before having lunch with other travelers. If you want to add more, the Larco Herrera Museum is optional and holds over 50,000 pieces about Inca culture.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Peruvian lunch following cooking class)
Included Activities
- City tour of Lima including Plaza de Armas, government palace, and cathedral
- San Isidro market visit and meeting with fruit seller Pedro
- Peruvian cooking class with lunch
Optional Activities
- Larco Herrera Museum - €70 per person
Landmarks Plaza de Armas San Isidro Market Larco Herrera Museum - Day 3
Lima to Urubamba Valley
You'll fly to Cuzco then drive into the Urubamba Valley. Stop at a local market where people trade for food and clothing, then move on to a weaving community to watch how llama wool becomes garments. End the day at a chicheria where locals make and drink corn beer. You'll get to try this regional specialty and learn how it's produced.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Flight to Cuzco
- Visit to local market in Urubamba Valley
- Weaving community visit
- Chicheria visit with corn beer tasting
Landmarks Cuzco Urubamba Valley - Day 4
Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu
After breakfast, you'll see the remarkable Inca stone buildings at Ollantaytambo. From there, catch a train to Aguas Calientes, then switch to buses for the climb up the mountain. When you reach Machu Picchu, you're looking at a 15th-century Inca site that lives up to the hype with its remote mountain setting and intricate stonework.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit to Ollantaytambo Inca buildings
- Train journey to Aguas Calientes
- Machu Picchu visit
Landmarks Ollantaytambo Machu Picchu 
- Day 5
Cuzco
Head back to Cuzco and walk through the historic alleyways that made up the former Inca empire capital. You'll visit the cathedral in the Plaza de Armas, then climb up to Sacsayhuamán, an Inca city sitting above the city with massive stone blocks weighing over 100 tons that once provided protection. The views back over Cuzco from up there are really something.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Cuzco city exploration
- Cathedral visit in Plaza de Armas
- Sacsayhuamán visit
Landmarks Plaza de Armas Cuzco Cathedral Sacsayhuamán - Day 6
Cuzco to Santiago
Your flight from Cuzco to Santiago brings you over the snow-capped Andes, and once you land, you'll head into the historic center around Plaza de Armas. The cathedral and colonial buildings here give you a real sense of the city's past. After getting oriented in that older section, you'll move on to Providencia, where modern glass towers and trendy shops show you Santiago's contemporary side. It's quite a shift between the two neighborhoods, but that contrast is part of what makes the city interesting.
Landmarks Plaza de Armas Santiago Cathedral - Day 7
Santiago
This day is yours to spend however you like in Santiago, or you can join the optional trip to Valparaíso if you're interested. If you go, you'll head to this historic port city built across more than forty hills, which makes for an interesting layout to navigate. You'll see the government building, Plaza Victoria, the cathedral, and Plaza Sotomayor before getting down to the port area. The day typically wraps up with wine tasting at a local winery, so you get a feel for what the region produces.
Optional Activities
- Excursion to Valparaíso with government building, Plaza Victoria, cathedral, Plaza Sotomayor and port area visit
- Wine tasting at a winery
Landmarks Valparaíso Plaza Victoria Plaza Sotomayor - Day 8
Santiago to Punta Arenas
You'll drive to the airport and fly to Punta Arenas in Patagonia, a significant shift in landscape and atmosphere. Once there, a city tour takes you through the area following routes the ancient seafarers would have known. From Punta Arenas, you'll continue on to Puerto Natales, which serves as your base for what comes next. Puerto Natales is really the jumping-off point for Torres del Paine National Park, so you'll settle in there knowing what's ahead.
Included Activities
- City tour of Punta Arenas
- Visit to Puerto Natales
Landmarks Torres del Paine National Park - Day 9
Torres del Paine National Park
Torres del Paine National Park shows you a completely different landscape with blue glaciers, ice floes, and turquoise lakes backed by snow-capped mountains. You might spot guanacos, condors, or if you're lucky, a puma across the golden steppe. The three famous granite Torres del Paine cliffs are the main draw. Weather in Patagonia shifts constantly, so you could see all four seasons in a single day.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Torres del Paine National Park visit including glacier views, lakes, lagoons, mountains, and wildlife viewing
Landmarks Torres del Paine National Park - Day 10
Puerto Natales to Argentina
You'll cross the border into Argentina from Puerto Natales. If you take the optional excursion, you'll head out to a Patagonian ranch where an Argentinian cowboy shares what gaucho life actually involves and what the traditions mean. The day finishes with dinner and a folklore show, so you get both the ranch experience and evening entertainment all in one.
Optional Activities
- Excursion to a Patagonian ranch with gaucho experience and dinner accompanied by folklore show
- Day 11
El Calafate
Perito Moreno Glacier is the highlight here, a massive 60-metre-high ice front that really is something to see in person. There's an optional boat trip you can take on the glacier itself, but you need to book that in advance since it's not available on the spot. Later in the afternoon, you'll fly from El Calafate to Buenos Aires. The drive from the airport to your hotel gives you your first real look at this vibrant capital.
Included Activities
- Perito Moreno Glacier visit
Optional Activities
- Boat trip on the Perito Moreno Glacier
Landmarks Perito Moreno Glacier - Day 12
Buenos Aires
A city tour takes you to Plaza de Mayo with the government palace, then into the colorful La Boca port district, and you'll also see the La Recoleta cemetery, which is famous for its architecture and history. After the tour, the afternoon is free for you to wander on your own. Many people check out El Ateneo, a bookshop set inside a historic theater that's really worth the time. If you want, there's an optional tango show with dinner later in the evening.
Included Activities
- City tour of Buenos Aires including Plaza de Mayo, government palace, La Boca port district, and La Recoleta cemetery
Optional Activities
- Visit to El Ateneo bookshop
- Tango show with dinner
Landmarks Plaza de Mayo La Boca La Recoleta Cemetery El Ateneo - Day 13
Puerto Iguazú to Foz do Iguaçu
You'll fly to Puerto Iguazú with possible aerial views of the waterfalls on the way down. Then you visit the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls where 275 cascades drop into subtropical landscape. Later in the day, drive to your hotel in Foz do Iguaçu across the border in Brazil.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Iguazu Falls visit (Argentine side)
Landmarks Iguazu Falls - Day 14
Iguassu Waterfalls
You'll see the Iguassu Waterfalls from the Brazilian side, which gives you a panoramic view of all that water coming down. The rest of the day is open, or you can join an optional boat safari where you go through the jungle in the national park and then get into rubber dinghies for a really close view from below. There's also an optional samba show if you want evening entertainment.
Included Activities
- Iguassu Waterfalls visit
Optional Activities
- Macuco boat safari through national park jungle
- Samba show
Landmarks Iguassu Waterfalls - Day 15
Rio de Janeiro
Your flight gets into Rio and you transfer to your hotel in the Copacabana district. The evening is yours to explore or relax, and if you're feeling it, try a caipirinha at a local bar to start settling into the Rio vibe.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks Copacabana 
- Day 16
Rio de Janeiro
A city tour covers Rio's main sights, starting with a cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain where you get views of the Rio skyline and the open sea. You'll also see historic buildings like the Brazilian National Library and the Palace of Justice, check out the modern cathedral, and head down the famous Selarón staircase with its 215 colorful steps in the artistic Santa Teresa district.
Included Activities
- City tour of Rio de Janeiro
- Cable car ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain
- Visit to Brazilian National Library
- Visit to Palace of Justice
- Visit to modern cathedral
- Selarón staircase descent in Santa Teresa
Landmarks Sugar Loaf Mountain Brazilian National Library Palace of Justice Selarón Staircase - Day 17
Rio de Janeiro
A traditional cog railroad, built by a Swiss company, takes you up to Corcovado mountain where a 38-metre-high Christ statue overlooks the city and Guanabara Bay. In the afternoon, you'll learn about carnival secrets in the samba city and get to try on a costume. Later, you'll gather with the group for a farewell dinner.
- Meals
- Dinner (Farewell dinner)
Included Activities
- Cog railroad journey to Corcovado
- Visit to Christ statue at Corcovado
Optional Activities
- Carnival experience with costume try-on
Landmarks Corcovado Christ the Redeemer Statue - Day 18
Rio de Janeiro
Your last morning here starts with a walk along Copacabana beach, or you could visit the Museo do Amanhã to see art focused on sustainability. An optional favela tour lets you see Rio from a different perspective if that interests you. Then you'll transfer to the airport in time for your return flight, or if you're staying longer, you can start an individual program with beach relaxation or Amazon jungle adventures.
Included Activities
- Walk along Copacabana
Optional Activities
- Visit to Museo do Amanhã
- Favela tour
- Individual follow-up program - beach relaxation
- Individual follow-up program - Amazon jungle adventures
Landmarks Copacabana Museo do Amanhã - Day 19
Departure
You arrive at your departure airport. From here, your individual journey home begins and your South America trip wraps up.
