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Second Half South America Gold Tour

30 days duration (32 days including travel days to and from South America).

The Gold Tour includes many, but not all, meals allowing you to do what you want and eat where you like in your free time.

55 superb meals are included in this tour: 28 Breakfasts, 11 Lunches & 16 Dinners, plus Meals Inflight.


This popular escorted tour takes in the best that Peru and Bolivia have to offer. At eighteen days in length (excl travel time to and from South America), it also allows people with limited leave to enjoy the luxury and pampering of our Inca Gold Tours of South America.


We will have the opportunity to see the historic and interesting cities of Lima, Cuzco and La Paz. The pre-Inca, Inca and Spanish transitions are very visible, especially in Cuzco where one culture has built upon that of the other. We stay in a luxury Amazon Jungle lodge and undertake a Canopy Walk in pristine jungle. From Cuzco we visit Pisac and the Sacred Valley before travelling by Vistadome Train to Machu Picchu Village, where we overnight and therefore have the opportunity to view the site when the least number of visitors are there. We then take the Orient Express Train to Puno. From here we have an overnight stay on the Sun Island as we cross Lake Titicaca enroute to La Paz.

This is a culturally exciting tour which takes in the very best sites and is conducted at a leisurely pace to give us time to enjoy the enchanting atmosphere of the areas visited. 

  
Day 1 Thursday
  Depart Home / Lima
 
Extremely this morning we will be transferred to Rio Airport for our flight to Lima, Peru. On arrival into Lima we will be met and taken to our well-appointed hotel where we have accommodation for two nights. Lima, “The City of the Kings” is a very beautiful city. It was the first seat of Government of Spain in 1535 and still has many perfectly preserved buildings from the Colonial Period. It is also famous for its fine gold and silver.

This evening enjoy a typical Peruvian dinner. (BD)
 
Day 15 Friday
  Lima
 
This morning we will be taken on a 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 Australian exclusive!) and the Franciscan Monastery. We will see the Government Palace and the Plaza de Armas. We drive by the flower market to the elegant residential tree-lined avenues of San Isidro and Miraflores to Parque del Amor, where we will enjoy spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.
 
This afternoon we will be taken to the world famous Lima Gold Museum, where there is also one of the world’s largest collections of armoury. (B)
 
Day 16 Saturday
  Lima / Cuzco / Puerto Maldonado / Amazon Jungle
 
Very early this morning we will be transferred to Lima Airport to board our flight via Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado, in the Amazon Basin near the border of Peru and Bolivia. On arrival we will be met and transferred from the airport to the river dock. A 45-minute journey down the Madre de Dios River by motor canoe brings us to Reserva Amazonica, a private ecological reserve and research centre and our home for three nights. (BLD) 
 
Day 17/18 Sunday / Monday
  Amazon Jungle
 
Your journey to Tambopata National Reserve offers a range of land and river excursions that introduce you to the magic of the Amazon rainforest. (BLD)
 
Day 19 Tuesday
  Amazon Jungle / Puerto Maldonado / Lima / Cuzco / Sacred Valley
 
This morning we will be transferred back to the airport for our flight to Cuzco, the Inca Capital. On arrival in Cuzco we will be met and driven to the lower altitude in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where we have accommodation in this stunning destination for two nights. (BD)
 
Day 20 Wednesday
  Sacred Valley - Pisac Markets / Ollantaytambo
 
This morning we take you to visit another famous site situated here: the Inca Fortress of Ollantaytambo. We will then continue to the famous and traditional Indian Market of Pisac where we will have time to bargain with the local Indians for their fabulous artefacts and weavings. After lunch at the Casa Orihuela (an Inca Tours Australian exclusive property), we will continue back to our hotel where the afternoon is at leisure. (BLD)
 
Day 21 Thursday
  Sacred Valley / Ollanta / Machu Picchu / Aguas Calientes
 
After breakfast we have an early morning transfer to the Ollanta Train Station for our two day excursion to Machu Picchu. We follow the Urubamba River on one of the world’s great train journeys. 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 to Peru.
 
Our lunch is provided at Machu Picchu and tonight we will be accommodated at the Machu Picchu El Pueblo Hotel, below the ruins in the village of Aguas Calientes, an absolute highlight in itself! (BLD)
 
Day 22 Friday
  Aguas Calientes / Machu Picchu / Ollanta / Cuzco
 
We have the morning free to further explore the ruins of Machu Picchu without the hassle of large crowds. Early this afternoon we make our own way back to the train station for our return journey to Ollanta where we will be met and driven to Cuzco. On arrival in Cuzco we will be taken to our hotel where we have accommodation for three nights. (B)
 
Day 23 Saturday
  Cuzco
 
Cuzco is the archaeological capital of the Americas and the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city. Massive Inca-built stone walls 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.
 
This morning we take you on 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. The tour then visits three of the other very important Inca Ruins in the area outside Cuzco: Sacsayhuaman, Kenko and Puca Pucara. This afternoon is at leisure. Tonight enjoy dinner in town. (BD) 
 
Day 24 Sunday
  Cuzco
 
Today is at leisure to further enjoy this wonderful destination. (B)

Day 25 Monday
  Cuzco / Puno
 
Early this morning we will be transferred to the train station for our Orient Express Train across the Andean Altiplano via the La Raya Pass (the highest rail pass in the world) and on to Puno. This journey takes about 10 hours and will provide a wonderful insight into Indian life as it has been for hundreds of years. We will experience some of the world’s most spectacular views and the only area in the world where the almost extinct Vicuna still exist in large numbers.
 
On arrival in Juliaca we will be met and transferred to our hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where we have accommodation tonight. (BL)
 
Day 26 Tuesday
  Puno / Lake Titicaca / Sun Island
 
Early this morning we will be met and transferred to Copacabana and on the way we will visit the churches of Pomata & Juli. On arrival at Copacabana we will have a short tour of the shrine and local market. We will then board the hydrofoil and travel to the Moon Island. On arrival we will enjoy a breathtaking view of Lake Titicaca and will also visit the Sun Virgins Temple, Inak Uyu. We then continue to the Sun Island where we visit the Sun Temple and take a panoramic trek to our accommodation for tonight, the Posada del Inca Eco Lodge. On arrival we will enjoy lunch.

Our afternoon is at leisure to explore our surrounding and to visit a local community. This evening we will enjoy dinner at our lodge
. (BLD)
 
Day 27 Wednesday
  Sun Island / Lake Titicaca / La Paz
 
Early this morning we will visit the Inca stair case & sacred fountain to touch the water that is believed to give eternal youth and happiness. We have lunch at Uma Kollu Restaurant. Afterwards we will visit a small handicraft market. We will then take the Hydrofoil to Huatajata.

We will enjoy a visit to the Andean Roots Eco Village in Huatajata, including the Altiplano Museum, where a state of the art audio system will explain the cultural heritage of the Aymaras and the Incas, their traditions and wisdom, Colonial life and even the Jacques Cousteau expedition to the lake. After more sightseeing we will continue to La Paz by road where we will be taken to our hotel for two nights. (BL
)
  
Day 28 Thursday
  La Paz
 
This morning we will be taken on a comprehensive city tour of La Paz and the spectacular Moon Valley, on the outskirts of the city. We visit the Indian and Pagan sacrificial markets, Calle Jaen with its museums, San Francisco Church, Plaza Murillo, National Congress, Cathedral, Presidential Palace, the areas of Obrajes, Calacoto and finally the very unusual eroded formations of the Moon Valley. Our afternoon is at leisure. (BD)
 
Day 29 Friday
  La Paz / Iquique / Santiago
 
This morning we will be transferred to La Paz Airport to connect with our flight back to Santiago, via Iquique. On arrival into Santiago we will be met and transferred to our luxury hotel for tonight and tomorrow. Tonight we host a farewell dinner. (BD)
 
Day 30 Saturday
  Santiago
 
Today is at leisure in the Chilean Capital. This evening we will be transferred to Santiago Airport for our flight to Auckland, departing soon before midnight. You will have full use of your hotel room until our transfer this evening. (B)
 
Day 31 Sunday
  Santiago / Auckland
 
Today is spent inflight as we recross the International Date Line and ‘lose’ one day. (Meals Inflight)
 
Day 32 Monday
  Auckland / Arrive Home 
 
This morning we will arrive into Auckland before continuing on to Sydney. (Meals Inflight) 
 
Welcome Home!
 
 
 
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.

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Map - hover to enlarge

  • MapMap
 

 

TOUR DATES
9 April - 8 May 2010
(returns to Australia 10 May)
1 October - 30 October 2010
(returns to Australia 1 Nov)

 

COUNTRIES VISITED
  • Peru
  • Bolivia 

  

COMFORT LEVEL
  • Luxury

  

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
  • Senior Tour Conductor throughout
  • Expert local tour guides in each location
  • Gold Museum of Peru, Lima
  • Amazon Jungle, Peru
  • Canopy Walkway, Amazon Jungle
  • The Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo & Pisac Market, Peru
  • Vistadome Train, Cuzco to Machu Picchu
  • Overnight and two Machu Picchu visits
  • Cuzco, the original Inca Capital, Peru
  • Orient Express Train from Cuzco to Puno
  • Overnight on Sun Island, Lake Titicaca

  

ITINERARY IN BRIEF
  • Lima (2 nights)
  • Amazon Jungle (3 nights)
  • Sacred Valley (2 nights)
  • Aguas Caliente, Machu Picchu (1 night)
  • Cuzco (3 nights)
  • Puno (1 night)
  • Sun Island, Lake Titicaca (1 night)
  • La Paz (2 nights)
  • Santiago (1 night)

  

GOLD TOUR INCLUSIONS
  • Economy-class group airfares throughout the entire tour.
  • Services of a Senior Tour Conductor throughout the tour.
  • Services of expert local guides throughout the tour.
  • Accommodation in Superior or Deluxe-class hotels 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).
  • All ground transportation as described in itineraries.
  • All touring vessels.
  • Reconfirmation of all onward flights.
  • Porterage of 1 suitcase per person.

  

NOT INCLUDED
  • Departure/entry taxes in South America.
  • Items of a personal nature.
  • Passport and visa costs.
  • Travel insurance.
  • Excess baggage.
  • Tipping.