South America tour 21 days grand circle

Start your South America tour 21 days journey in Argentina’s majestic capital, Buenos Aires, before flying to the spectacular Iguazu Falls. Continue your journey to Rio de Janeiro, one of the most attractive cities in the world before flying to Peru. Spend some time in Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, before experiencing the wonders of Machu Picchu. Cap things off with an unforgettable amazon lodge stay before returning to Buenos Aires.

Please note this tour can be easily modified to start and/or end in Santiago, Chile. This tour is a suggested itinerary or alter it to design your own Journey.

South America tour: Day 1: South America tour 21 days arrival in Buenos Aires
Meals: None
You are transferred to your hotel and have the rest of the day free to explore or relax. Why not sample some of Buenos Aires’ famous nightlife?

South America tour: Day 2: Buenos Aires: City Tour:
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Today we take a tour of Buenos Aires, to serve as an introduction to the city’s features, history, architecture, culture, inhabitants, anecdotes, and secrets.
The tour explores the busy centre, including the Plaza de Mayo, where the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace is located; the aristocratic North, including Recoleta Cemetery, best-known for holding Eva Peron’s grave; and the working-class South, such as the famous La Boca and San Telmo districts, heartland of the Tango.
The evening is spent admiring the mighty Tango and Argentinean folk music as we have dinner at one of Buenos Aires’ most well-regarded shows.

South America tour: Day 3: Buenos Aires – Puerto Iguazu:
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport after breakfast for your onward flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina for the next part of the journey, where you will be picked up from the airport.
Upon arrival, we visit the Brazilian side of the Falls. At certain points, we are surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfall, all within a spectacular jungle setting.
We return to Argentina to our hotel overnight.

South America tour: Day 4: Iguazu Falls:
Meals: Breakfast
We spend the day on a tour of the Argentinean side of the Falls. Here you can ride the Rainforest Ecological Train, then wander the many walkways that get you right up close to the deafening roar of the awe-inspiring Garganta del Diablo – Devil’s Throat!
We return to the hotel where we spend the night.

South America tour: Day 5: Foz do Iguazu – Rio De Janeiro:
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer and return to Foz do Iguazu, Brazil, for your onward flight to Rio de Janeiro.
Arrive at Rio de Janeiro airport and transfer to your hotel. Famed for its breathtaking beauty, Rio is undoubtedly one of the most attractive cities in the world. Rio’s temperate climate makes it even more enticing, attracting people to perennial favourites such as: Corcovado mountain, where the statue of Christ the Redeemer stands proudly, arms outstretched and watching over the city; Sugar Loaf mountain offering stunning views of Rio; and the characteristic beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and São Conrado.

South America tour: Day 6: Rio: Full day Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado Tour:
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Today we visit the city’s most famous attraction, the Christ the Redeemer Statue, picked as the 7th wonder of the modern world. The statue is some 710 metres above sea level on the Corcovado Mountain. The panoramic views of the city from the base of the statue are absolutely incredible. The ascent is by vehicle through the Floresta de Tijuca National Park – the largest urban flower park in the world. The tour includes a panoramic trip through Rio de Janeiro, visiting the Sambodrome, the Metroploitan Cathedral and the Museum of Fine Art, as well as the Cinelandia Square and the Municipal Theatre.
After lunch at a typical churrasquería the tour continues with a great trip along the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, and Leme (with a chance to stop and take photos) before arriving at the Sugar Loaf Mountain in the middle of the Guanabara Bay. The ascent of this 395 metre mountain is done in two stages, and the views are amazing.

South America tour: Day 7: Rio: Free Day
Meals: Breakfast
Free day to relax at the beach or explore on your own.

South America tour: Day 8: Rio – Lima:
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport for flight to Lima.
Upon arrival in Lima we transfer you to your well-located hotel.

South America tour: Day 9: City Tour:
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning we take you on a sightseeing tour of the “City of Kings”, once the capital of the Spanish American Empire and a vital port for the conquistadors to ship their bounty back to the motherland. You will marvel at the Plaza Mayor and its Colonial style, as well as the beautiful government palace, home to the President of the Republic.
The afternoon is free for further exploration of Lima’s many museums, parks, shops, restaurants and bars.

South America tour: Day 10: Lima – Puno:
Meals: Breakfast
Today we transfer you to Lima Airport for your flight to Juliaca. From here we drive across the stark altiplano to Puno. Along the way, we visit the ancient burial ground of Sillustani. The tombs are built above the ground and the inside of the tombs are shaped like a womb: the ancient Peruvians believed that Mother Earth created and regulated life.
Upon arrival in Puno we check into the hotel and acclimatize to life at nearly 4,000m/13,000ft.

South America tour: Day 11: Lake Titicaca:
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Today we spend the day on the world’s highest navigable lake, Titicaca. First, we get the opportunity to visit the unique, man-made, floating reed islands of Uros to get an impression of how the Aymara-speaking locals have lived for centuries.
Then we make our way to Taquile Island, where time appears to have stood still. The views of the snow-capped Cordillera Real mountains in Bolivia overlooking the lake are the icing on the cake!
Upon return to Puno, the evening is free for the brave to sample some local cuisine: guinea pig (known locally as cuy) perhaps? Or maybe an alpaca steak?

South America tour: Day 12: Puno – Cusco:
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast, today is spent on the jaw dropping ride across the altiplano to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. This drive will take us through sleepy Andean villages, past spectacular snow capped mountains, sheer cliffs and rampaging rivers. Stops along the way include the atmospheric towns of Pucara and Andahuaylillas, and the pre-Inca ruin of Raqchi.
We arrive in the famous city of Cusco in the early evening.
Please note that on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday it is possible to upgrade to the Andean Explorer first-class train service.

South America tour: Day 13: Cusco: Sacred Valley:
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Today, we explore the “Sacred Valley of the Incas”. This fertile river valley was home to many important sites for the Incas, both strategic and religious.
Our first stop is the village of Pisac, with its famous market, where you can pick up a bargain! You have free time to wander the colourful market stalls before we have a typical Andean lunch at a local restaurant. We then continue our journey along the River Urubamba, to Ollantaytambo, the best surviving example of Inca town planning and dominated by a giant Inca fortress, which was the scene of a famous victory for the Incas against the invading Spanish Conquistadors.
We return to our Cusco hotel in the late afternoon.

South America tour: Day 14: Cusco: Machu Picchu:
Meals: Breakfast
After an early breakfast, we leave the hotel to take the train to Machu Picchu. After an impressive train ride of 4 hours through mountain valleys, cloud forest, and high rainforest, we reach this wonder of the world. Here the ’Lost City of the Incas’ occupies a ridge spur high above the raging Vilcanota River.
We have a guided tour of the site, as well as some free time to appreciate this amazing place. For the energetic, there is the chance to climb the emblematic Huayna Picchu (Little Mountain).
At the end of the day you descend by bus to the small town of Aguas Calientes to take the train back to Cusco.
Optional: Overnight in Machu Picchu.

South America tour: Day 15: Cusco: City Tour:
Meals: Breakfast
A gentle wander through the cobbled stoned streets is recommended during the morning, to appreciate fully the magnificent blend of Colonial and Inca influence on the city.
During the afternoon, we have a guided tour of the city, visiting the Cathedral, the Rock of the 12 Angles, and Inca ruins such as Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo and Koricancha.
The evening is free to sample some of Cusco’s famous nightlife first hand!

South America tour: Day 16: Cusco – Puerto Maldonado – Refugio Amazonas
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
This morning, we transfer you to Cusco airport for your flight over the Andes and into the Amazon jungle.
Upon arrival at Puerto Maldonado, we welcome you and transfer you by bus and then river launch to Refugio Amazonas.
During our river journey into the Tambopata National Reserve, we will see bird species typical of the river or forest edge, and enjoy a box lunch along the way.
When we arrive at Refugio Amazonas, we will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing of the lodge and its Ecotourism Project, in conjunction with the local community of Infierno.
After dinner in the lodge, we will take you on a caiman search along the banks of the river, using headlamps to spot the red reflection from the caimans’ eyes!

South America tour: Day 17: Refugio Amazonas: Condenado Lake
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
We will up at dawn in order to make the short hike to Condenado oxbow lake. Once there, we take a long, gentle canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, macaws and a variety of wading birds.
Later, we make the short boat ride across the Tambopata River to a farm owned by the charismatic Don Manuel, who grows a variety of popular and lesser known Amazon crops – just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose, and we learn about these medicinal uses from our guide. There is plenty of wildlife living amongst the flora.
This afternoon, after lunch in the lodge, we take a short hike to a patch of Brazil Nut trees that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries), where we learn of the process involved in harvesting, transporting and drying the rainforest’s only sustainable crop, and of the people who make a living from it.
After dinner, you have the option of taking a night hike. Most of the jungle’s mammals are most active after dark, although they are difficult to find; frogs are easier to locate, owing to the remarkably loud sounds many species make!

South America tour: Day 18: Refugio Amazonas: Clay Lick & Canopy Tower
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
A short walk from Refugio Amazonas is a peccary clay lick. These wild rainforest pigs often show up in the late morning, in herds of five to twenty, to eat clay, which aids with their digestion. Even if the peccaries do not appear, it is still well worth the short hike as plenty of other wildlife, including deer, guan and parakeets, make use of the lick.
After lunch at the lodge, we make the thirty minute walk to the 25-meter scaffolding canopy tower, which offers wonderful panoramic views of the Tambopata River and National Reserve, as well as a bird’s-eye view of … other birds, such as toucans, macaws and raptors! The tower is a great place to watch the sun setting over the jungle canopy, before we return to Refugio Amazonas for dinner.
There will be a presentation about Tambopata and its ecological issues after dinner, to put all you have seen into a wider context.

South America tour: Day 19: Refugio Amazonas – Puerto Maldonado – Lima
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner.
After an early breakfast, we depart by boat back to the city of Puerto Maldonado, directly to the airport, in time for our flight back to Lima, via Cuzco.
Transfer from the airport to the hotel.

South America tour: Day 20: Lima – Buenos Aires:
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport for morning flight to Buenos Aires. Arrival and transfer to the hotel for one last night in the Paris of South America!

South America tour: Day 21: Buenos Aires: End of Services:
Meals: Breakfast
Your South America tour 21 days comes to an end today, after breakfast with a transfer to the airport.

Itineraries may change if unforeseen circumstances beyond our control make changes necessary, we reserve the right to vary itineraries and to substitute hotels, hotels may also vary from those stated on the itinerary pages due to availability or seasonal blackouts