Destination: Latin-
Duration: 10 days
Highlights:
From soaking up the sun to taking in the views, exploring the various landscapes and wildlife, or experiencing new cultures and flavors, South America promises to deliver unforgettable memories.
Programme Overview
Rio de Janeiro, both sides of the Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires.
Duration: 10 Days
Highlights
Half day Sugar Loaf Mountains tour
Visit Christ the Redeemer statue in the mountain of Corcovado
A thrilling Helicopter journey above the Argentina Iguazu Falls
Visit the Devils Gorge, the Upper Trail and the Lower Trail
Macuco Safari
Evening Dinner and Tango Show in Buenos Aries
Travel onboard luxurious Hiram Bingham train to and fro Machu Picchu
A&K Advantage
Private arrival and departure airport transfers
The services of an A&K Representative
* On arrival in each country, you are welcomed by your A&K Representative who conducts a briefing on your time in the country. A A&K Representative is always at hand to provide unparalleled 24/7 support, be it local travel tips or reconfirming arrangement details, to providing recommendations for restaurants and shopping. Should you ever need help or advice, dial your A&K Representative’s mobile phone for prompt and courteous service at any time.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Upon arrival and after clearing immigrations and customs you will be met by your A&K Representative and transferred to your hotel.
Time is at leisure to unwind from the journey.
Overnight: Copacabana Palace
Day 2: RIO DE JANEIRO
Morning at leisure.
After lunch, enjoy a half day Sugar Loaf Mountains tour & be totally spoilt by the views!
This tour begins with a city panoramic view through downtown Rio, passing by the Sambodrome, the Metropolitan Cathedral. Get to see the traditional Cinelandia square with the historical buildings, the Municipal Theater, the National Library and the National Museum of Fine Arts. By taking the Aterro do Flamengo, you will be taken to the neighborhood of Urca where it is located one of the largest symbols of the city: the Sugar Loaf. This visit is made in two steps by cable car. The first cable car takes passengers to Urca Hill which is 215 meters high and from where one can have a beautiful view from the Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and Corcovado hill. From this stage, a second cable car will be taken up to the top with 395 meters to find a splendid view from Copacabana beach, the Santa Cruz fortress and some beaches of Niteroi.
Enjoy a sunset drink as you descend this evening and head for a romantic dinner on your own.
Overnight: Copacabana Palace
Meal Plan: B
Day 3: RIO DE JANEIRO
Morning after breakfast at the hotel, enjoy half day tour of Corcovado.
From any place of the city, the visitor can see the most beautiful postcard of Rio de Janeiro: Christ the Redeemer statue in the mountain of Corcovado located at 710 meters above the sea level and inaugurated in 1931. This tour begins in Cosme Velho’s neighborhood from where the cog train starts a trip through the Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest in the world, up to the statue. Once there, a panoramic and extraordinary view of Rio will include the Sugar Loaf, the Guanabara Bay, the beaches of Southern Zone and the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon.
After the visit of the Corcovado, the tour will continue to Sao Conrado area with a brief stop at the Pepino beach from where you can appreciate the flight of the hang gliding. Maybe you get tempted to give it a go yourself!
Rio has a musical soul & is synonymous with its night life and Samba. This evening you get an opportunity to be part of this. Meet your local guide this evening and depart for a private Rio by Night tour followed by Barbecue Restaurant dinner and an invigorating Samba Show.
Overnight: Copacabana Palace
Meal Plan: B, D
Day 4: RIO DE JANEIRO / IGUAZU FALLS
Morning after breakfast, check out from the hotel.
Your private chauffer will meet you & assist with the departure transfer to airport for your flight to Iguassu Falls. You will be met upon arrival and with guided assistance be taken to view the spectacular Iguassu Falls from the Brazilian side.
The falls are one of the most impressive sights in the world. Taller than Niagara Falls and twice as wide, Iguazu has 275 cascades spread across a two-mile left along the path of the River Iguazu, on the border between Brazil and Argentina. Viewpoints from both sides offer different perspectives on a unique geographic spectacle.
Enjoy the helicopter flight over the falls. The view from the air is truly dazzling and offers a new perspective on the vast river as it winds through a tropical setting and seems to go on forever. Stop at Isle do Sol for a private picnic and maybe spot the snub-nosed Calaveras – the world’s largest rodents – in their natural habitat. The area is also home to a wide array of rare birds such as the macaw, toucan, parrot, as well as monkeys, crocodiles, armadillos and jaguars and with some luck, you may get to witness some of this unique wildlife as well.
After the tour you would be transferred back to hotel for the night.
Overnight: Das Cataratas
Meal Plan: B
Day 5: IGUAZU
Post breakfast at hotel, enjoy a full day visit to the Argentinean side of the falls.
This side of the park was created in 1934 and covers some 50,000 hectares, offering more “contact with nature”, since one can get within a few steps of the thundering cascades. In order to feel the proximity of the falls and observe the beauty of its vegetation, birds and butterflies, it is essential to walk along the footbridges and roads in the Argentinean side of the Park.
Visit the Devils Gorge, the Upper Trail and the Lower Trail and in the evening, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Das Cataratas
Meal Plan: B
Day 6: IGUACU FALLS / MACUCO SAFARI
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, an adventurous day on the river awaits, with a high-octane rafting excursion through the rapids on inflatable boats! Depart for the Macuco Safari commencing with a journey to the river through the Iguassu National Park which is followed by a speedboat ride through the rapids to The Three Musketeers or Three Marias Falls.
The Macuco Safari Tour combines a trail through the forest with a thrilling boat ride to within five metres of the base of the Falls. White water rafting is another adventure. Or have a real eco experience on the Poco Preto trail. Make your way through the forest and then continue by boat, to see the areas amazing wildlife!
For another level of extreme adventure and for an unrivalled bird’s-eye view of the falls, nothing beats a rappel. Attached to ropes, descend from a platform 55m above the riverbank, gazing in awe all the way. Complete the afternoon with a canopy walk, traversing the treetops via bridges and zip lines.
End the exhilarating day with a couple’s spa session at the hotel followed by dinner.
Overnight: Das Cataratas
Meal Plan: B
Day 7: IGUACU FALLS / BUENOS AIRES
Morning after breakfast, check out and you will be escorted for your departure transfer to airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival and after clearing immigrations and customs you will be met by an A&K Representative and transferred to the hotel privately.
Late afternoon, your private guide will meet you at your hotel & take you for a small orientation of Buenos Aires – Check out the graffiti art. Not only is the street art impressive, it is an important part of the city’s culture and history. You will easily find graffiti art in the barrios (neighborhoods) of San Telmo and Palermo Soho. If you’re really into it, we recommend a Graffitimundo Tour to learn more about the graffiti styles and artists.
Palermo Soho is one of the trendier neighborhoods known for its restaurants and boutique shops. It is also a pleasant and pretty place for a stroll. Maybe stop by one of the many bars in this area & head to your hotel and enjoy an in room dining experience.
Overnight: Four Seasons Buenos Aires
Meal Plan: B
Day 8: BUENOS AIRES
Morning after breakfast at hotel, enjoy a full day private city tour.
A different and original approach to discover the city’s most beautiful places, bars and avenues, to live her cultural life and to see her rich history come alive. A tour covering the outstanding points of interest: “9 de Julio” Avenue; Colon Theatre (Opera House); San Telmo neighbourhood, birthplace of the city; May Avenue and Square, historical and political centre; La Boca district, famous for “Caminito” street; Recoleta district, known for its cemetery and Palermo, wide and beautiful park located in the heart of one of the most elegant areas in the city.
No visit to Buenos Aires is complete without dinner and a tango show! We would recommend the one at Esquina Carlos Gardel.
Buenos Aires is the birthplace of Tango, born in the brothels of the city, just before the beginning of the 1880s century. The word “Tango” refers to both a musical style and the dance performed to it. Tango, a dance known as passionate, sensual and very elegant, was all the rage in the 1930’s in Buenos Aries and Paris. Tango is not only a dance but also an obsession. For the ´tanguero´, it is as much as a part of life as eating and sleeping. Erotic and passionate, haunting and melancholic, it involves not only the body but also the soul. Yes, it is just feeling – but in one dance, you can express sad, happy, and angry, relax, deep, shallow, cheerful, sorrow, painful, serious, intellectual or just playful feelings. Tango has captured the popular imagination for over one hundred years to become no less than an international cult.
Overnight: Four Seasons Buenos Aires
Meal Plan: B
Day 9: BUENOS AIRES DEPARTURE
This morning, your chauffer will privately transfer you to the airport for your onward flight.
Meal Plan: B
Extension options:
7days Machu Picchu
Day 1: BUENOS AIRES – LIMA
Morning after breakfast, check out from the hotel and transfer to the airport for your flight to Lima… On arrival at Lima International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Lima, the Capital of Peru was founded on 18th January 1535, by Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro, and quickly became known as the City of the Kings. Within 70 years it was the most important city in the Spanish-American Empire, and was the focal point for European trade and cultural activity in the region.
It is a city of rare fascination and unexpected pleasures. Lima has decaying colonial splendor and the teeming vitality of an oriental bazaar; melancholy cloudy winters and warm breezy summers; impoverished urban sprawl and quiet elegant corners among ancient buildings where the night air is scented with jasmine.
Overnight: Miraflores Park Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Day 2: LIMA
After breakfast at the hotel, this morning is at your leisure.
This afternoon you will embark on a city tour beginning with a visit to the Plaza Mayor, official center of the city and the original site upon which Lima was founded. You will visit the historic Cathedral an architectural masterpiece. From the Cathedral, you will walk past the Presidential Palace where the soldiers guarding the palace offer an excellent photo opportunity, and on to the Church of San Francisco and its library with a collection of fine paintings and frescoes.
After your trip to the historic center, you will be driven through modern Lima to visit the residential districts of Miraflores and San Isidro.
Overnight: Miraflores Park Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Day 3: LIMA – CUSCO
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be transferred to Lima Airport for your flight to Cusco.
Upon arrival in Cusco, Andean community and former ancient capital of the Inca Empire, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
This afternoon enjoy a city tour which includes the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and Santo Domingo, a Dominican church and convent built upon the foundations of the Koricancha, or the “place of gold‟, the Incas‟ principal religious building, dedicated to the worship of the sun.
Just outside of Cusco your visit this afternoon takes you to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a testimonial to Incan architectural skills. Compiled of massive stones (one weighs 125 tons!) you are challenged to try to slip a piece of paper between the cracks of these blocks, cut and fitted together with incredible precision without a single drop of mortar to hold them in place. This ancient fortress, where the greatest battle between the Spanish and Incas took place, overlooks the red-tiled roofs of Cusco and the spectacular lush countryside. Also visit Qenqo (“The Labyrinth”), an Incan shrine dedicated to the Earth Mother; the small fortress of Puka Pukara.
Overnight: Hotel Monasterio
Meal Plan: B
Day 4: CUSCO / SACRED VALLEY / CUSCO
Breakfast at your hotel
This morning depart to the Urubamba Valley; visit the local village of Pisac, known for its famous colorful market. This bustling market attracts tourist from all over the world to try their bartering for local sweaters, ponchos, wall hangings, jewelry and goods.
Continue next to the Hacienda Huayoccari, the most exclusive and beautiful country manor in the Sacred Valley. You will learn about Pre-Columbian and Colonial Art as you walk through rooms’ ornate with a fantastic private collection. Lunch will be served at this hacienda.
After lunch continue to the massive fortress of Ollantaytambo. The fortress, a formidable stone structure that climbs massive terraces reaching the top of a high peak, was the valley’s main defence against the Antis and was the site of the Incas’ greatest victory against the Spanish during the wars of conquest. Constructed of rose-colored granite, this huge installation was once a thriving complex of baths, temples and military barracks. Below the fortress lies a complete Incan town, also called Ollantaytambo, still inhabited and with its original architecture and layout preserved.
Overnight: Hotel Monasterio
Meal Plan: B
Day 5: CUSCO / POROY/ MACHU PICCHU
Breakfast at your hotel
This morning you are transferred to the train station to board the luxurious Hiram Bingham train, begin a picturesque journey bound for Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. During your journey the guide explains points of interest as you settle down to a delicious brunch.
Your motor coach awaits you at Aguas Calientes station. From here you ascend to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Spend the afternoon exploring the city’s ruins and feel its pulse as you visualize the lives of the priests, craftsmen and servants who inhabited this awe-inspiring citadel.
Overnight: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
Meal Plan: B
Day 6: MACHU PICCHU /POROY / CUSCO
Breakfast at your hotel
Today you have the chance to visit the ruins with your private guide again.
You will then have free time to walk around, climb up the Huaynapicchu Mountain, where one can experience spectacular views of all of Machu Picchu, the valleys and mountains that surround it (please note that there are only 400 visitors allowed per day), or visit the Temple of the Moon or the impressive Inca Bridge.
Lunch at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.
Once back on board the Hiram Bingham, pre-dinner cocktails accompanied by live entertainment, set the mood for your sumptuous 4-course a la carte dinner. Arrive back at Poroy station around 10pm where your private vehicle transfers you back to the hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Monasterio
Meal Plan: B, L
Day 7: CUSCO/ BACK HOME
Breakfast at your hotel
This morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Lima and be assisted at the airport to connect with your international flight.
Meal Plan: B