Brazil   

São Paulo, Foz de Iguacu

Day 1: Arrive: São Paulo

• Transfer to hotel for dinner and rest.

Day 2: São Paulo

Enjoy a morning tour through dowtown São Paulo and the surrounding highlights. Venture through some of the best shopping in all of Brazil, through both tourist/craft markets and a major modern mall.

• Bairro Oriental
• Praca Da Se Cathedral
• Dead center of São Paulo: Tropic of Capricorn
• The Immortal Glory of the Founders Monument
• Itapecerica da Serra / Embu das Artes
• Ibirapuera Park / Shopping Morumbi

Argentina   

Buenos Aires & Patagonia

Day 3: São Paulo to Buenos Aires

The morning hours are filled with the Argentine spirit: colorful tin houses, painted streets, and historical landmarks. Visit the breath-taking, above-ground, Recoleta Cemetery.

• Plaza de Mayo
• Casa Rosada
• Cabilido
• Catedral de Buenos Aires
• San Telmo
• La Boca
• Barrio Norte
• Recoleta Cemetary
• Palermo

Day 4: Buenos Aires to El Calafate

Transfer to the airport for a flight to El Calafate, Patagonia. Get immersed in the wilderness of Patagonia.

• Tour El Calafate
• Lago Argentino

Day 5: El Calafate

Let the wilderness begin. Patagonia is one of the last frontiers left in the world. See the massive glaciers found in Perito Moreno National Park. Take a boat ride to see the glaciers up close and personal. Watch the massive chunks of ice calve off of the end of the glaciers. Photograph the icebergs as the float in the icy water.

• Perito Moreno National Park
• Hike near Lago Argentino

Day 6: El Calafate

• Puerto Bandera: cruise ship to Glacier Upsala

Day 7: El Calafate to Natales, Chile   

Take a ride through the Patagonian countryside. Along the way, you will cross the Chilean border and reach Natales, the hub for the Torres del Paine National Park. Before heading into the park itself, take an adventurous walk through the Mylodon Cave National Monument. 

• Patagonian countryside drive
• Mylodon Cave National Monument, Natales

Day 8: Natales, Chile

Enjoy a drive to the Torres del Paine National Park. Once there, there are many hikes to choose from. Photography opportunities will be abundant. The Torres del Paine are some of the most recognizable mountains in the world. Enjoy the back-country.

• Torres del Paine National Park

Day 9: Natales, Chile

There’s so much to see. Continue hiking, taking pictures, and enjoying the back-country.

• Torres del Paine National Park

 Day 10: Natales, Chile to El Chalten, Argentina   

Drive to El Chalten via the Patagonian countryside. Rest and reflect at the hotel with opportunities to hike near the city.

• Return drive to Calafate

Day 11: El Chalten

For the climbers and mountaineer aficionados, Cerro Torre and Montet Fitz Roy are directly out of the climbers’ history books. Some claim Cerro Torre to be the the hardest mountain in the world to climb because of the difficulty of the climbing and the extreme weather conditions that occur on the mountain that often change in a heartbeat. Take in the majesty.

• Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins
• Cerro Torre
• Monte Fitz Roy

Day 12: El Chalten

There are so many hiking trails and enjoyable sights to see in Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins. How can we possible turn back now? Take another day to imbibe the beauty.

• Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins
• Cerro Torre
• Monte Fitz Roy

Day 13: El Chalten to El Calafate to Buenos Aires

Return drive through the Patagonian countryside to El Calafate. Transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Buenos Aires.

• Parque Nacional Bernardo O’Higgins
• Patagonian countryside drive

Day 14: Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu to Obligado   

Transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Puerto Iguazu. After a morning visit to the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls, drive across the Brazilian border and the Paraguayan border to the UNESCO site, Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue. This off-the-beaten-path location is a wonder that many travelers completely miss.

• Iguazu Falls: Argentine side
• Excursion to the markets of Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
• UNESCO site: Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue

Day 15: Foz de Igaucu to Rio de Janeiro   

Travel back to Ciudad del Este to cross the Paraguayan border once more to enter Foz de Iguacu. Take the after noon to explore a Buddhist temple site and explore the magnificent and tremendous waterfalls of Iguacu from the Brazilian side. Eat lunch overlooking the falls. Transfer to the airport for a flight to Rio de Janeiro.

• Templo Budista
• Iguazu Falls: Brazilian side
• Depart for Rio de Janeiro

Day 16: Rio de Janeiro

Travel to the symbol of Rio: The statue of Christ the Redeemer. This 120 ft statue stands high above the city. Take photos and enjoy the view from the top. Transfer to Praia Vermelha, the launching point for the Sugarloaf Mountain cable car ride. Photography opportunities are abundant both during the ride and once you get to the top.

• Corcovado Mountain: The statue of Christ the Redeemer
• Praia Vermelha
• Sugarloaf Mountain: cable cars through the misty mountains to the summit
• Rest and play on Copacabana beach

Day  17: Rio de Janeiro to Recife

Transfer to the airport for a flight to Recife. After getting settled in to the hotel, enjoy great shopping opportunities in a huge, modern mall. Take in the local culture by going out to experience the full night scene.

• Rest and play on Ipanema beach
• Shopping at local markets

Day 18: Recife

Sample some of the top rated beaches in the world. The Porto de Galinhas and the Praia dos Carneiros are often found on top worldwide beaches. Enjoy the countryside as we take a tour of the rural areas of this vast coastline. Take in the sun and sand.

• Porto de Galinhas
• Praia dos Carneiros 

Day 19: Recife to Natal

Transfer to the airport for a quick flight to Natal from Recife. Visit some of the wildest sand dunes Brazil has to offer.

• Ponta Negra
• Parque das Dunas
• Dunes of Genipabu

Day 20: Natal

Take a short drive south to some of the top-rated beaches in the world. Rest and enjoy the sun and sand.

• Praia da Pipa
• Barra de Tabatinga beach

Day 21: Natal to Manaus

Transfer to the airport to catch a flight to Manaus. Explore the city of Manaus and the Amazon River.

• Enjoy the markets of Manaus
• Downtown Manaus

Day 22: Manaus

Float up the Amazon River to see the wildness and remoteness of the Amazon Basin. Pass many national reserves. Keep your eyes open for wildlife; the trees are thick and give great cover to the reclusive animals and birds.

• Tour the Amazon River

Day 23: Manaus to Panama to Lima

This leg of the journey is a transfer to Peru. Take the time to reflect on the many travels thus far experienced and to review the photographs you’ve taken.

• Fly to Lima

Peru   

Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, & Lake Titikaka

Day 24: Lima

Transfer to hotel. After a good rest, explore the tourist street markets of Miraflores. Enjoy the night air and the ocean breeze.

Day 25: Lima

Explore the exciting historical museums and religious sites around Lima. Visit nearby archaeological sites (Panchacamac, Huaca Pucallana).

• Larco Museum
• Museo Del Oro
• Catedral de Lima
• Convento de San Francisco
• Parque del Amor
• Panchacamac
• Huaca Pucallana

Day 26: Lima to Cusco

Fly to Cusco. Walk through ancient, cobbled streets and enter 16th century churches. Enjoy the open streets and welcoming atmosphere of a high mountain, Andean town.

• Plaza de Armas
• Catedral de Cusco
• Coricancho
• Santo Domingo

Day 27: Cusco to Sacred Valley to Ollyantaytambo 

Explore more of Cusco and all it’s environs, then descend into the Sacred Valley to learn about the ancient Inca Empire and their rock solid fortifications and their spiritual beliefs.

• Saksaywaman
• Quenco
• Puca Pucara
• Tambomachay
• Qurikancha
• Pisaq
• Chinchero
• Maras
• Moray
• Urubamba

Day 28: Ollyantaytambo to Aguas Calientes

Explore the Inca ruins at Ollyantaytambo before catching a Peruvian train to Aguas Calientes.

• Temple of the Sun, Ollyantaytambo
• Swim in the natural waters at Aguas Calientes
• Shopping at the exceptional tourist markets in Aguas Calientes

Day 29: Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu to Cusco

Take a short bus ride to Machu Pichu ruins. Explore the ruins. Hike Machu Picchu Mountain. Bus ride back to Cusco.

• Machu Picchu historical site
• Machu Picchu mountain

Day 30: Cusco to Puno

Transfer to Puno. Enjoy the center of town with its historic buildings, then enjoy the shores of Lake Titicaca.

• Plaza de Armas
• Shores of Lake Titicaca

Day 31: Puno to Lake Titicaca to Lima

After a short transfer to Lake Titicaca proper, enjoy a boat ride to the Floating Islands of Uros. The man-made islands are a wonder of engineering and humankind’s ingenuity. After a day on the lake, transfer to the airport for a flight back to Lima.

• Lake Titicaca
• Floating Islands of Uros
• Island of Taquile

Day 32: Depart: Lima   

Depart Lima, Peru