An Overland Holiday From Rio To Lima

Arrive Rio and check-in at hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel

The spectacular setting of Rio de Janeiro presents us with one of the most instantly recognisable cityscapes on the planet, with 120 miles of golden beaches and a mountain backdrop that makes it an ideal starting point to this incredible journey. This morning we take a tour of the city, travelling via the impressive Maracana Stadium, once the largest of its kind in the world and capable of holding up to 200,000 people. From here we continue to the slopes of Sugar Loaf Mountain, rising out of the waters of Guanabara Bay. Cable cars take us to the summit, from where the views across the city are simply spectacular, with the famed beaches of Copacabana and Botafogo laid out below us, and the peaks of the Tijuca National Park to our rear. This afternoon is free to explore further at your leisure. You may chose to to visit a Brazilian football match at the Engenhao Stadium or, this evening, there is the option of taking a trip to a samba show, to see a little something of Latin rhythm in action.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today has been left free for you to continue exploring this bustling metropolis. You may like to spend the time discovering more of Rio’s historic centre, where a rich collection of churches and museums attest to the city’s colonial heritage or you might chose to rise above it all and visit the peak of Corcovado for one of the best known panoramas on earth. Then of course there are the renowned beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, great swathes of seemingly endless sand that are a magnet for the citizens of Rio, making them ideal places for watching the life of this vibrant city unfold before you.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Fly to Campo Grande, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Drive north, to the expansive swamps of the Pantanal, an area of incredible natural diversity and certainly one of the best places in Brazil to view its abundant wildlife. We arrive in the Pantanal later this afternoon after a 4wd takes us through the savanna like landscape to our lodge - just in time fo rthe afternoon wildlife reconnaissance tour. Lying to the east of the mighty Andes and to the south of the Amazon, this magnificent region is one of the most spectacular wetland areas on the planet, reputedlyboasting the most comprehensive concentration of fauna on the continent.  There are over 600 bird species including waders, toucan, heron, stork, duck and coot and 350 varieties of fish, including the remorseless piranha. Animals include deer, armadillo, tapir, boar, the unusual capibara and thousands of jacaré (alligator). It is also famous for its farming which ensures that the Pantanal is preserved. Few visitors discover the remote Pantanal, so there islittle infrastructure for tourists, but the simplicity of our surroundings gives us the chance to soak up the true rural majesty of this important ecological wonderland. Tonight we stay in a lodge which is part of a working farm and will have the chance to see how our hosts live and work.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

We plan to explore more of the planet’s largest wetland area today. Covering an area in excess of 140,000 sq km the Pantanal is larger than either France or Greece, stretching across the borders of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. Its landscapes feature forests and grassy savannahs, pristine lakes and saltwater lagoons, all providing an incredibly rich setting for the abundant populations of birds and animals that live within its expansive boundaries. We plan to explore the area around our lodge on foot, utilising the prime times of early morning and dusk to best appreciate the magnificent wildlife.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Setting out after the morning tour we return by 4WD to our bus and continue to Corumba on the bOlivian border. After having a short lunch and our passports stamped we head  for the nearby town of Puerto Quijaro, where we board our overnight train to Santa Cruz. The train is called the Expresso Oriental and we travel Super Pullman class. It has reasonable comfort levels but certainly not luxurious (similar to taking an overnight flight). The seats recline and food and drinks are available. Journey time approx 15-16 hrs.

Overnight Basic Train Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 Arriving in Santa Cruz this morning we will transfer to our centrally located hotel.  Your tour leader will take you on an orientation tour of the city.  Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the most populated city in Bolivia, outnumbering La Paz, and also the wealthiest as it is here that most of the economic and financial power is situated.

Afternoon free to relax and explore further

Overnight Standard Hotel

This morning we transfer to Santa Cruz airport for our

short flight to Sucre wheer we will take a morning orientation tour of

this attractive city. A UNESCO Heritage site, the Bolivian capital is a

spectacular surviving example of colonial grandeur, with a number of beautifully

preserved churches that reflect a distinctive mix of local and European influences.

Unofficially known as ‘the city of four names’, Sucre was originally known as La

Plata, until new territorial divisions in 1776 saw it changed to Chuquisaca. In the mid-

1800s its name was changed once more, this time to its present incarnation, in honour

of the first president of the country, Antonio Jose de Sucre. Its final moniker has more to

do with the whitewashed walls of its central buildings, which, repainted every year have

earned the city the name of La Ciudad Blanca - the white city. Our orientation tour of

its cultural heart affords a taster of its colonial charm

This afternoon will be left free to explore Sucre further. Its large plazas and elegant facades offer an enchanting

backdrop, and a wander through its tree lined streets and rich heritage affords a unique

insight into its rich history. The 17th century cathedral in the centre of town contains the

stunning jewel encrusted ‘Virgen do Guadalupe’ by Bernardo Britti, an artist who

studied under Raphael and became the first great painter of the new world. Nearby is the

Museo de la Cathedral, which holds a remarkable collection of religious artefacts and at the Casa de la Libertad you can find the house where Bolivia’s declaration of independence was signed in 1825. As well as its rich past, Sucre has also embraced the future of the country and is renowned as being the country’s student capital, investing it with a young and relaxed atmosphere that makes it such a pleasure to explore.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

A morning bus takes us through the mineral rich highlands of the south, towards the UNESCO Heritage site of Potosi. The highest city of its size in the world, Potosi is situated at a lofty 4090m above sea level. The Spanish were attracted to these high terrains by the

promise of abundant deposits of silver and zinc and during the early years of the 17th

century the town itself was the largest in the region, producing over half the silver found in

the Americas. Considered one of Bolivia’s finest historical monuments, the city is littered

with ornate mansions and glorious churches, filled with a glittering array of baroque

interiors.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we visit the area of the silver mines that pepper the pink, conical Cerro Rico Mountain. Towering 700m above the city, it was described by one Spanish writer as ‘the mouth of hell’. Due to safety precautions we can not enter into the mine, but conditions inside are not for the faint-hearted, as miners are often bent double in the narrow, steep and muddy passageways. Conditions even today are very basic, with all the work being done by hand and with the most primitive of tools. However, as it is a cooperative the miners can work what hours they want and sell what they extract to the cooperative at the market price. This afternoon we continue towards Uyuni, into a desolate wilderness of scrubby wasteland. Salt deserts add to the barrenness, but pockets of cultivation and settlements within this seemingly inhospitable land stand out like oases. Uyuni is the largest town in southwest of Bolivia and has been described as ‘a diamond encrusted in the shores of the Great Salar’. Today it serves mainly as a base from which to explore the saltpans of the largest and highest salt flats on the planet.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

We spend the day exploring the flats, driving across the Salt Desert to visit a salt works,

where villagers have sent piles of salt to be ground and iodised before being sold. The

landscape is surreal in the extreme, the bright blue of the skies contrasting sharply with the blinding white salt crust. Flamingos inhabit the shoreline and subterranean rivers flowing underneath the Salar form breathing holes, whilst the peak of Volcan Tunupa (5400m) looms far in the distance. Later we visit Fish Island, so called because of its definitive piscine shape. Here we see how nature has adapted to this harsh environment, with strangely shaped cacti growing defiantly amongst the barren landscape, living beside a stranded colony of vizcachas, long-tailed rabbit-like rodents related to chinchillas. We will spend the day amidst this bizarre setting, before boarding an overnight public bus to La Paz.

Overnight Basic Public Bus Included meals: Breakfast

Standing at 3636m above sea level (higher even than Lhasa in Tibet), La Paz is cupped

in the palm of two magnificent mountains and surrounded by the high Altiplano. Its

poetic title of “the city that touches the sky” is well earned. Located on the La Paz River,

the city was founded by the Spanish in 1548 and its strategic location along the trade

routes between the Bolivian silver mines and the ocean helped it to flourish and grow. On

arrival we enjoy an city tour of the colonial architecture and the colourful street markets. There is also the opportunity to take an optional excursion out to the nearby ruins of Tiahuanaco, believed to be the capital of the pre-Inca civilisation. Bolivia's largest archaeological site, Tiahuanaco’s origins have been dated from some time around 500AD and by 1000AD its cultural influences had spread as far as northern Chile, Peru and into north-western Argentina. The site bears testament to a powerful civilisation and the remarkable stonework indicates that the local masons may have passed their skills onto the later Inca civilisation. The huge monolithic structures fit together perfectly, without the need for mortar and many of the blocks, such as the magnificent Gateway of the Sun, are covered with finely detailed carvings of condors, elephants and the sun god, Viracocha, who Aymara legend believes rose from the deep waters of Lake Titicaca to create the earth, stars, sky and mankind (the legendary Children of the Sun).

Overnight Standard Hotel

Another day in La Paz presents the opportunity to visit the lush vistas of the Yungas, the Andean foothills to the north of the city. Occupying the eastern slopes of the Andean Cordillera Real this is a diverse and rugged landscape of forested hills and deep gorges, whose Aymara name translates as warm land, offering a pleasant contrast to the cold climate of the higher slopes. This is an area of rich cultivation, with coffee, coca and fruit plantations dotting the landscape. Blessed with a staggering array of flora, the Yungas present us with some of Bolivia’s most spectacular scenery and the journey from La Paz takes you through a 4,600m high pass, affording views of some of the most breathtaking panoramas in the country.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

From La Paz we head towards the deep blue waters of Lake Titicaca, at 3810m the highest navigable lake in the world and the second largest in South America. An immense body of water it covers over 8,000 sq km, plummeting to depths of 300m and its shoreline has been the home to the Aymara and Quechua for millennia. We travel to Puno on the Peruvian side of the border. Puno is known as the ‘Capital folklorica del Peru’ (folkloric capital of Peru) due to its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance. There is time for an optional boat trip to the Uros islands, the famous floating "Reed Islands" on Lake Titicaca before we transfer to the hotel in Puno.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we follow the legendary route taken by the first Inca ruler - Manco Capac - on his way to find Cusco. En route to Cusco we stop at the beautifully scenic site of Sillustani – a fitting home for the chullpas (funeral towers), which probably date from the 14th century. Driving up to the northern limit of the Altiplano we cross La Raya pass (4335m) and descend to Cusco visiting the Inca temple ruins at Raqchi en route. (entrance fees not included) Depending on time, those who wish may visit the colonial church at Andahuaylillas. The scenery is desolate but magnificent and we

may spot flocks of llamas and alpacas grazing on the windswept pastures. There is

also the opportunity to take the classic train journey from Puno to Cusco (optional, additional charge, must be prebooked at time of booking) – one of the great railway journeys of the world, the full day journey covers some spectacular scenery over the high

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning there is the chance to take an excursion to the town of Pisac set in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (optional). Strategically located at the head of the Urubamba Valley, Pisac once controlled the road connecting the Inca Empire with Paucartambo on its eastern borders and the magnificent Inca ruins that once so dominated this valley still occupy the mountainside above the town, A quiet colonial village most of the time, Pisac shakes off its

somnolent feel with the arrival of the Sunday market, when locals (and tourists) from miles

around come to buy, sell and barter in the main square. On market days the square is

awash with noise and colour as vendors trade local produce for medicines and tools and

there are bargains to be had amongst the weavers and potters. The ruins occupy a rocky spur, its citadel strategically located at the head of the gorge, overlooking the patchwork of fields and terraces that dot the valley floor.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we take the bus to Ollantaytambo before travelling on by train to Aguas Calientes. There is a free afternoon to wander around the small town and we recommend a relaxing dip in the thermal springs.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we visit one of the greatest of all archaeological sites, the mountain complex of Machu Picchu, the fabled ‘lost city’ of the Incas, probably the most spectacular feat of engineering in ancient America. The existence of this exquisite masterpiece of ancient civilisation remained unknown to the outside world until it was ‘discovered’ by the American archaeologist Hiram Bingham in 1911. Not without reason is this site probably the most revered tourist attraction in the Americas; its location alone is dramatic in the extreme, teetering on the saddle of a high mountain peak that towers above the valley below. Built in the mid 15th century by Pachacuti, the city was thought to have been a major agricultural centre for the Incan Empire and its inaccessibility seems to have reserved it from the looters of the intervening years, resulting in the remarkably well-preserved ruins that we see today. We will view its many temples, stairways, palaces and gabled stone dwellings that lie scattered everywhere, testifying to the energy and ingenuity of the builders. Our exploration sees us visiting the main temple sites, including the ingenious Temple of the Condor, carved from the very rock of the mountain and containing a rock representative of a condor’s head. You can choose to walk up to Wayna Picchu climbing the steep peak to look down on the Temple of the Sun or a walk up to the Gate of the Sun (Inti-Punku), affords some spectacular views back towards Machu Picchu itself, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes. This afternoon we return to Aguas Calientes to catch our train and bus to Cusco.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Cusco was the old capital of the Inca Empire and is the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent. Imbued with an atmosphere of mystery and grandeur, the Spanish-style

city of today, with its attractive pink tiled roofs, arcaded plazas and steep winding alleyways, stands upon tremendous Inca foundation stones. The archaeological capital of the Americas, Cusco’s links with the Inca Empire are everywhere to be seen, from the stone walls that line the city streets, to the museums filled with artefacts and relics of a long dead people. A free day allows you the chance to take full advantage of Cusco’s unique attractions. There is an option to visit the magnificent fortress-citadel of Sacsayhuaman. Built to defend the Inca

capital, Sacsayhuaman broods high above the town, its huge, zigzagging stone walls broken into 66 sharply projecting angles to catch attackers in a withering crossfire. Meant to represent the head of a puma, 20,000 conscripted workers toiled for 90 years to finish it and it was the site of one of the most fiercely fought battles of the Spanish conquest, when the Incas made one last ditch attempt to drive out the Spanish, an attempt that ended in defeat and death for thousands of them. Another possibility is to go white-water rafting on the Urubamba River (no previous experience is necessary and all safety equipment is provided). Of

course you may just prefer to wander the atmospheric streets and soak up the ambience of this most engaging of cities, reflecting on the end of a quite unique adventure through some of Latin America’s most incredible landscapes.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we fly back to Lima where the tour ends. Founded in 1535 the ‘City of Kings’, is an eclectic mix of the ancient and modern and the rest of your day here is free to explore as you wish. This afternoon there is the option to perhaps visit the Gold Museum, featuring one

of South America’s best collections of historical costumes and weaponry. Alternatively you may just prefer to stroll through Plaza San Martin and Bolivar and enter the fascinating Catacombs of the convent of San Francisco, or pass through the colonial squares and under the intricate modern balconies of old Lima, seeing some of the city’s best surviving examples of colonial architecture.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast