|
15 days
- 14 nights
Day 1. Welcome to Buenos Aires
On your arrival to Buenos Aires you will be met by an
English speaking driver & transferred to your city
hotel in a private vehicle. The remainder of the day
is yours to relax, unpack & take time out to get acquainted
to your surroundings. Buenos Aires is laid out in a
grid style with many one way streets. For those who
are inclined, Calle Florida is one of the main pedestrian
only shopping thoroughfares & is adorned with shops
specializing in leather wear, shoes, clothing etc.,
& always good for bargain hunting.
Day 2. City Sightseeing
( B) After breakfast, you will be picked up from your
hotel & taken on a half day city
sightseeing tour to include the many
Parks, past the Botanical Gardens, the historical buildings
that house branches of Government; many monuments &
fountains that adorn the city & the mansions of Palermo
& Belgrano.
You will pause at San Telmo, with its collection famous
antique shops specializing in everything from the finest
of baroque, to exquisite European furniture, crockery
& glass, before heading to the Boca district where
the brightly colored corregated-iron homes make for
wonderful photos.
Onto the Recoleta, where both the historic chapel 'Basilica
del Pilar ' & the many family crypts for Presidents,
Military heroes & gentry from bygone Argentine eras,
lie at rest.
Perhaps the most sought after crypt to be found in the
Recoleta, is that of the family Duarte. It is in a quiet
unassuming corner you will come across the final resting
place for the one & only 'Evita, worshipped by the
populace in both her life & in death.
'Evita' remains not only legendary to the Argentine
people, but her storybook romance with the late President
Juan Peron is the subject of worldwide screen & theatre.
After you are returned to your hotel, the afternoon
is yours to enjoy at your leisure.
Day 3 Buenos Aires at leisure & an evening of Tango
(B D) Today is yours to explore Buenos Aires at your
own pace. After breakfast in the hotel, if it's shopping
you desire, we suggest you head from Calle Florida or
Avenida Santa Fe in the central city.
Whatever you decide, be sure to be back at your hotel
in time to be picked up shortly before 8.00pm for an
evening of charm, romance & the exotic. Tango is the
trademark dance & rhythm of Argentina & there is
no better place to be exposed to this sensational pulse
that at Seņor
Tango.
The performance takes place in an old converted warehouse
now remodeled & resplendent as a balconied theatre,
where you will be transformed to become in tune to the
atmosphere as are the musicians & the dancers.
Dinner is served in small & intimate booths & includes
appetizers, main course, deserts, tea & coffee all
topped off with fine local wines, beers & soft drinks
as you wish to order.
This is an evening that will captivate & live on with
you as the essence of not only Tango, but Buenos Aires
itself. After the performance & dinner, you will be
transferred back to your hotel.
Day 4 Buenos Aires - Lima
(B*) You will picked up & transferred to Buenos Aires
airport for your flight to Lima, Peru.
On arrival & after clearing Customs & Immigration
formalities, you will be met & transferred to your
hotel. The remainder of this day is yours to acquaint
yourself with your surroundings at your leisure.
Day 5 Lima city sightseeing
(B) After breakfast you are off on a Lima city tour.
You'll visit the Convent San Francisco to view the unique
cloisters & artistic jewels it contains, then to
the Place de Armes where the Government Palace is located.
You will be taken to Casa Aliaga, one of the best examples
of preserved colonial mansions & finally, through
the districts of Miraflores & San Isidro before returning
to your hotel. This afternoon you have at leisure.
Day 6 Lima - Nazca
(B) After breakfast you are off on a Lima city tour.
You'll visit the Convent San Francisco to view the unique
cloisters & artistic jewels it contains, then to
the Place de Armes where the Government Palace is located.
You will be taken to Casa Aliaga, one of the best examples
of preserved colonial mansions & finally, through
the districts of Miraflores & San Isidro before returning
to your hotel. This afternoon you have at leisure
Travel from Lima by coach to Ica where you will be treated
to a light aircraft flight over the Nazca Lines. From
the air it is very easy to see the monkey, birds, spider
& fish etchings & you will be able to take photos
for latter reference as to what the Lines represent.
Tonight , your hotel accommodation is at the Las Dunas.
Day 7 Nazca - Ballestas Islands
- Arequipa
(B) Travel on to Paracas, stopping for a short cruise
to the Ballestas Islands known for their abundance of
marine mammals & birds. Late afternoon return to Ica,
where you will board an overnight coach bound for Aerquipa.
Day 8 Arequipa city
An early morning arrival into Arequipa - the 'White
City' - & transfer to your hotel. The remainder of
the morning is at your leisure. This afternoon join
a city sightseeing tour that will take in the main Square,
Cathedral, Church & Cloisters of Jesus, colonial mansions,
the Santa Catalina Convent, San Francisco complex &
the Yanahuara Belvedere.
Day 9 Arequipa - Cuzco & City
tour
On arrival Cuzco you will be met & transferred to
your hotel accommodation. ( see 'tips for altitude acclimatization'
- below) Cuzco is situated 11151 feet above sea level
& at this altitude the air is much thinner thereby
necessitating your taking things easily rather than
attempting to do things at the same pace you would at
sea level.
Latter in the afternoon, you will be taken on a city
tour to acquaint you with this ancient citadel of an
amazing Inca civilization.
Highlights include Plaza Del Regocijo, Plaza de Armas,
Santo Domingo Monastery, the Cathedral, legendry Korikancha
& the ancient town with extremely narrow streets .
Then you will be taken outside of the city to archeological
sites to view the Inca remains of Tembomachay, Kinko,
Pica Pucara & the fortress of Sacsayhuaman which casts
an ever watchful presence over Cuzco.
Day 10 Cuzco at leisure
(B) It is not unusual for travellers to feel tired or
just 'slow' at these rarified altitudes as there just
isn't the same amount of oxygen you would have at sea
level & it takes a while for your body to acclimatize.
So in recognition of your likely needing some time to
take things easy. Today is a day at leisure.
Cuzco is a wonderful town to wander. There are lots
of small craft places, neat little cafes & certainly
if you wish to catch up with world news or friends by
e.mail, internet cafes provide an easy method to send
off some 'greetings'.
Day 11 Machu Picchu - 'The lost
city of the Incas'
(B, L ) Today you are in for a cultural, historical
& archeological highlight unsurpassed in the world
- a full day & guided excursion of Machu Picchu.
You will transfer to the railway station for the first
part of the journey, continuing on by coach to the Lost
city of the Incas. Machu Picchu is actually lower in
altitude, being located 2300 metres or 7546 feet above
sea level & some 112kms from Cuzco.
You will have many hours to explore & wander this
unique testimony of the Inca civilization that was way
advanced of its time.
It the afternoon, you return to Cuzco by coach & then,
by rail.
Day 12 Cuzco - Lima - Rio de Janeiro
(B D*) Departing Cuzco, the short flight to Lima takes
you back down to sea-level. Here, you will check in
to a hotel where there is a day room provided as the
flight to Rio de Janeiro is not until this evening.
Take the opportunity for any last minute Peruvian craft
shopping, or simply relax.
On arrival in Rio de Janeiro & after clearing Brasil's
Immigration & Customs formalities, you will be transferred
to your hotel.
Day 13 Rio de Janeiro
(B D) Following a long day & relatively late evening
arrival yesterday, we think you will need to have a
leisurely start to the day.
After breakfast at your hotel you have today to acquaint
yourself with your surroundings & do some exploring
of Rio on your own. The beach areas are the main attraction
for walking & the pedestrian walkways make for some
fascinating 'people 'watching.
It was along here that a musician & songwriter, friends
who sat & took coffee at a small beachside Kiosk,
watched a lithe young woman on her way each morning
to University. She inspired them to write what has become
a world recognized signature song of Rio, 'The Girl
from Ipanema '.
This evening be prepared to soak up the cultural rhythm
of Brasil through the pulse of Samba.
First, you will have dinner at a typical Brasilian BBQ
restaurant offering a wide range of meats, fish, fresh
vegetables & salads followed by a superb desert menu.
Then, the show begins as the ladies of Rio in traditional
finery & costume, dance to the pulsing beat of the
Samba. All the glitz, glamour, colour & a touch of
Carnaval are on show for your pleasure.
Day 14 Rio de Janeiro
( B) After breakfast you will be picked up from your
hotel to commence with a half day sightseeing excursion
culminating in the birds eye views from high above the
city.
You'll visit Tijuca Forest, past the Lagoon district,
to where the cog wheeled train that takes visitors the
2200 feet up to the top of Corcovado Mountain where
the dominant statue of Christ the Redeemer stands at
the pinnacle. On a clear day from here the 360 degree
panoramic views of mountains, the city, the beaches
& the azure ocean is spectacular.
The afternoon is yours at leisure.
Day 15 Rio de Janeiro
(B) After breakfast at your hotel, the morning is yours
until your transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Included Features
· All airport to city hotel & v.v transfers
· Meals as specified in the itinerary ( B - breakfast;
L - lunch; D - dinner;
note : B* + D* in-flight meals )
· 14 nights hotel accommodation - rooms with
private facilities
· 1 day room for use transiting Lima ( on day
12 )
· City tours of Buenos Aires, Lima, Cuzco &
Rio de Janeiro
· Dinner & an evening of culture at Seņor Tango
including beverages & transfers
· Flightseeing over the Nazca Lines
· Excursion to Ballestas Islands
· Full day guided excursion to Machu Picchu including
rail & coach transport
· Brasilian BBQ dinner & Samba cultural performance
|
