GRAND TOUR OF SOUTH AMERICA

Day 1 Fly from London Heathrow, via Madrid, to Lima, and transfer to the 4-star Innside Lima Miraflores Hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 2 Peru’s vast capital is, at once, sophisticated and chaotic, colonial and contemporary, arid and oceanfront. A tour of the city shows you the stately buildings of the Plaza des Armas; the Larco Museum of pre-Columbian art, housed in a hacienda; and, in the UNESCO listed Historic Centre, the monumental 17th-century San Francisco Convent; and includes a tasting of the local Pisco Sour cocktail. Fly to Cuzco and journey to the Sacred Valley (at an altitude of 2,400m), for two nights at the 4-star Hotel Taypikala Sacred Valley. (B)

Day 3 Enjoy the different aspects of this special place, where picturesque colonial towns and little crafting villages enjoy a peaceful co-existence with significant Inca sites. We tour to the town of Pisac, known for its Indian Market, and overlooked by the ruins of an ancient citadel; and to Ollantaytambo, boasting a beautiful Inca village and a fortress; and visit a local family home. (B, L)

Day 4 Travel by train and bus (2hrs) to Machu Picchu (at 2,500m), covering a spectacularly scenic saddle of land with some 200, dry-stone-walled, religious and residential buildings. Among the most recognised ancient sites on earth, its cosmic alignment is acknowledged, but the Inca’s reason for it remains an enigma. Spend the afternoon exploring the site, before travelling by road and rail to Cuzco, for two nights at the 4-star Costa del Sol Ramada. (B)

Day 5 Once the Inca capital, awash with royal and religious buildings; then a 16^th century Spanish colonial town, when monasteries and manor houses were built on the archaeological Incan remains, Cuzco and its surrounds offer revealing glimpses of centuries past. A tour today shows you the city’s cathedral and colonial buildings; nearby Inca ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Tambo Machay; the Cultural Heritage archaeological complex of Kenko; and the Puca Pucara relics of a small fortress. (B)

Day 6 Drive over the Andes(at 4,300m), visiting Andahuaylillas, a small town with a big reputation in the form of St. Peter’s church, it’s incredibly ornate interior nicknamed ‘America’s Sistine Chapel’; and continue to the temple ruins of Racchi; enroute to Lake Titicaca, at 3,800m, the world’s highest navigable waterway, mirror-still, mountain edged, sprinkled with islands, and steeped in folklore. Divided between Peru (to the north and west) and Bolivia (south and east), this unique place is a world apart in more ways than just geographical. The 17^th century Peruvian port of Puno is the lake’s main city; where we overnight at the lakeside 3-star hotel, Sonesta Posadas del Inca. (B, L)

Day 7 Travel (3hrs) to the Bolivian town of Copacabana, known for its red-roofed houses, religious festivals, domed cathedral, and access to the Isla del Sol, the island of the Sun God. We cruise by catamaran to the lake island, visit the Pilko Kaina ruins of an Inca palace-temple, and participate in a traditional Aymara ceremony. Return to the shore and travel (reaching 4,000m) to La Paz, on the Altiplano of the Andes, for a two-night stay at the 4-star Atix Hotel. (B, L)

Day 8 Explore the colonial heritage and colourful markets of La Paz, the world’s highest seat of government, founded in 1548. Travel to see the other-worldly forest of rock spires in the aptly named Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley); enjoy a special visit to an artist’s studio; and ride on the longest urban cable car in the world, ‘Mi Teleferico’, which links La Paz to El Alto, spread across the cliffs at 4,150m. (B)

Day 9 Fly, via Santa Cruz, to Argentina’s confident, cosmopolitan capital, Buenos Aires, a blend of elegant buildings, Spanish churches, and omnipresent ‘milonga’ tango shows. Two nights at the 5-star Sofitel Recoleta. (B)

Day 10 A tour of Buenos Aires takes in the principal sights of the city and its outlying districts, seeing the stately architecture of the Plaza de Mayo, antique shops in San Telmo’s lantern-lit lanes; arts and crafts in colourful La Boca; Recoleta, with former palaces, Parisian-style townhouses, and the tomb of Eva Perón; and boutiques and bars in up-tempo Palermo. (B, L)

Day 11 Take the hydrofoil across the Rio de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay’s oldest city, founded in 1600. Retaining its old-world charm with Portuguese/Spanish colonial architecture lining the streets of its UNESCO listed Old Town, the Calle de los Suspiros (Street of Sighs) runs from the river to the Plaza Mayor; the Holy Sacrament Basilica is one of the country’s oldest; and pathways lead to the lighthouse through the ruins of the San Francisco Convent. Continue to Montevideo (3 hrs), the country’s capital and largest city for two nights at the 4-star Hilton Garden Inn. (B)

Day 12 A tour of the city includes the Ciudad Vieja (Old Town) with the Metropolitan Cathedral in Montevideo’s oldest plaza, Constitution Square; the neoclassical elegance of the 1856 Solis Theatre, at the edge of the magnificent Plaza Independencia; and the Mercado del Puerto, old port market, famed for its feast of steakhouses. Taste the traditional ‘mate’ green tea, a herbal pick-me-up, made from the leaves of the Yerba Mate plant. Afternoon drive to a winery close to Montevideo for a visit and a tasting. Dinner at the fine-dining Restaurant Primuseum (B, D)

Day 13 Re-cross the river to return to Buenos Aires and the Sofitel Recoleta, for an overnight stay. (B)

Day 14 Fly to Iguassu Falls, the largest waterfall system in the world, forming the border of Brazil and Argentina, in an 80m vertical drop over the edge of the Paraná Plateau. Transfer to the modern 4-star Hotel Mercure Iguazu, in the Iryapu jungle, on the Argentina side of the Falls, for a two-night stay. (B) 

Day 15 Iguassu is the heart of UNESCO listed National Parks in each country. The cataracts divide the Iguazu River’s upper (‘superior’) and lower (‘inferior’) flows in a spectacular surge through the Devil’s Throat chasm, a horseshoe bend with a 2.7km span of crashing water and rainbow spray, which soaks the river islands. We view it from the Argentinian perspective today. (B)

Day 16 Walkways on both sides cross the subtropical rainforest, the habitat for jaguars, tapirs and giant anteaters, and include a path along the gorge in Brazil. Explore the Brazilian side of the falls; before flying to Rio de Janeiro, revelling in its reputation for flamboyant festivals, football, and famous beaches. Transfer to the 4-star Hilton Copacabana Rio de Janeiro, for a two-night stay. (B)

Day 17 A morning tour visits the city’s iconic, much-photographed, Christ the Redeemer statue, soaring 38metres high on the summit of Mount Corcovado; and tours along the crescent-shaped Copacabana promenade, including a stop for a Caipirinha cocktail. This afternoon’s excursion takes the cable-car to spectacular views from Sugarloaf Mountain. (B)

Day 18 Transfer to the airport for the overnight return flight. (B)

Day 19 Morning arrival at London Heathrow.

• Key
• B - Breakfast
• L - Lunch
• D - Dinner