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South America Gold Tour30 days duration (32 days including travel days to and from South America).
This morning please make your own way to the airport for your flight to Auckland. On arrival in Auckland you will connect on your flight to South America. As you cross the International Date Line you ‘gain’ a day so you will arrive in South America later on today. On arrival into Santiago de Chile we will be met and taken to our luxury hotel for three nights. (Meals Inflight)
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 your Inca Gold Tour of South America.
This afternoon we will take you on 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 the Moneda Presidential Palace. We also see O’Higgins Park, featuring the former Chilean Military Academy, the Santa Lucia Hill where the foundation of Santiago took place in 1542 and the National University. We then cross the Rio Nono Bridge over the Mapocho River for a panoramic view of the city from the Santiago mirador (lookout). Tonight enjoy a welcome dinner. (BD)
Early this morning we will be transferred back to Santiago Airport to connect with 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 taken on a brief city tour including the local fish market. Later we will be transferred to our hotel in nearby Puerto Varas, a beautiful alpine type town on the shores of Llanquihue Lake. (B)
From Puerto Varas our Southern Lakes Crossing is a combination of bus and boat travel traversing this spectacular area. We will be collected from our hotel and travel by coach around the shores of Llanquihue Lake. After entering the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park we will visit the famous Petrohue Falls and then cross Todos los Santos Lake (also known as Esmeralda, Emerald in English), seeing Margarita Island, Osorno Volcano, and the peaks of Puntiagudo and Tronador Mountains to Peulla, where we will stop to complete Chilean Immigration and Customs procedures and to have lunch.
After lunch we will cross the Vicente Perez Rosales Pass to the Argentine Immigration and Customs point. We will then travel by catamaran across Frias Lake to Puerto Alegre where we will again board a bus to take us to Puerto Blest. From Puerto Blest to Puerto Panuelo is again by boat, this time on the famous Nahuel Huapi Lake. On disembarkation at Puerto Panuelo we will be met and taken to the luxurious Llao Llao Hotel for two nights. (BL)
Bariloche, situated on the shore of the beautiful Lake Nahuel Huapi is an internationally recognised ski resort with steep streets, wooden chalets perched Swiss style upon a glacial moraine at the foot of Cerro Otto, and without a doubt, it is the best centre for exploring the Nahuel Huapi National Park and surrounding areas.
Today’s pleasant tour follows the southern shore of the Lake Nahuel Huapi. On a clear day, we might catch sight of the highest mountain of the area, El Tronador (The Thunderer), whose snow capped peaks rise to 3,554 metres. The road then winds through the coyhue forest, an indigenous evergreen of the beech family. We will follow the southern edge of Lake Moreno under the steep cliffs of Mount Lopez to the spectacular Panoramic Point for a magnificent view looking back towards the Andes that we’ve just traversed. The breathtaking view includes Lake Moreno, the Llao-Llao Hotel, and the northern arm of Lake Nahuel Huapi with Victoria Island in its centre. The peaks of the Andean Chain, including Mount Lopez, Capilla and Millaqueo rise to the west of the lakes. We will enjoy lunch after the tour at a local restaurant. (BL)
We have the morning at leisure to absorb this truly wonderful location. Around midday we will be transferred to Bariloche Airport to connect with our flight to Buenos Aires.
On arrival into the Argentine Capital we will be met and transferred to our downtown hotel for three fabulous nights. Tonight enjoy dinner at a traditional Argentine steak house! (BD)
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and is the most fashionable city in South America, with many beautiful parks and plazas. Portenos, as the locals call themselves, are fun loving people who enjoy their city and music. 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 famous Italian La Boca District. This afternoon is at leisure.
This evening we will be taken out to dinner to one of the finest Argentine-style restaurants where we will also attend the city’s very best Tango Show. (BD)
Today is at leisure in Buenos Aires to take advantage of the wonderful shopping, the National Art Galley, the Zoo or the Botanical Gardens. (B)
Early this morning we will be collected from our hotel and transferred out to Buenos Aires’ Domestic Airport to join our flight to Iguazu Falls, considered by many as the most impressive in the world and surpassing in grandeur both Niagara and Victoria Falls.
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 of the falls before being transferred to the Brazil side and to the famous old Das Cataratas Hotel, where you have accommodation for two nights. Tonight enjoy dinner at the hotel. (BLD)
This morning we take you through the rain forest by 4-wheel drive jeep to the Iguassu River where we board our powerful inflated boat for an incredibly spectacular ride up the river to the base of the falls. This afternoon we visit the most spectacular side of the falls from a photographic point of view—the Brazil side! There will also be time for us to visit a local bird sanctuary, where we will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of South American species.
This evening we will visit the city of Foz do Iguassu. Here we will enjoy a traditional Brazilian dinner before experiencing a spectacular Rio-style Carnival and Samba Show. (BD)
Early this morning we will be transferred to Iguassu Falls Airport to connect with our flight to Rio de Janeiro. On arrival in Rio we will be met and transferred to our hotel located right on Copacabana Beach for three nights.
Rio sweeps twenty kilometres along the narrow alluvial strip between the mountains and the sea. The combination of dark blue sea, studded with rocky islands, with the tumbling wooded mountains and expanses of bare grey rock which surround the city is very impressive. Brazilians say: “God made the world in six days, the seventh He devoted to Rio”. (B)
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, where the modern funicular train is boarded for the 20 minute ride high up 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 degree 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 beach suburbs of Barra and Sao Conrado are seen on our way back to the hotel.
Our afternoon is at leisure to further enjoy Copacabana. You may wish to go shopping for some of Brazil’s excellent bargains, such as coffee and Brazilian music. This evening we will be taken to one of Rio’s well known restaurants for a relaxing and enjoyable Brazilian dinner. (BD)
Our morning is at leisure. This afternoon 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 de Janeiro. On arrival we will enjoy a cool drink as the sun sets over the emerging lights of Rio.
This evening is at leisure. As we have an early departure tomorrow morning an early night may be your preference. (BL)
Extremely early 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 such as the local markets. The tour then visits one of the other very important Inca Ruins in the area outside Cuzco: Sacsayhuaman. This afternoon is at leisure. Tonight enjoy dinner in town. (BD)
Today is at leisure to further enjoy this wonderful destination. (B)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Today is spent inflight as we recross the International Date Line and ‘lose’ one day. (Meals Inflight)
This morning we will arrive into Auckland before continuing on to Sydney. (Meals Inflight)
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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