Duration: 17 days and 16 nights

Description: What this tour has to offer you is the best of nature-based sights – from hot springs and waterfalls to the Amazon and a range of Cuzcos, this circuit of countries is like a dream come true.

Day 01
Rio de Janeiro
Welcome to South America’s largest and most populous city. The city is best known for its beaches, carnivals, football, music and its well preserved tropical forests. On arrival at Rio de Janeiro Airport, you will be transferred to the hotel. Day free to explore the bustling city on your own. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 02
Rio de Janeiro
After breakfast, visit the city’s landmark, the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which crowns Corcovado Mountain, a rounded peak, rising 2,300 feet from the bay below. A scenic ride by cog railway leads to the top, where a breathtaking 360-degree panorama affords sweeping views. From here proceed to bustling downtown Rio, where modern office towers stand next to relics of the Portuguese colonial past. View the Sambodromo and visit the Cathedral. The afternoon and evening are at leisure for you to experience this vibrant city on your own. Tonight you may opt to join in a fun outing to a Churrascaria for a feast of barbecued meats marinated and roasted over charcoal in true Brazilian style, followed by a samba show where the sheer vitality of this country explodes in a colorful extravaganza. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 03
Rio de Janeiro
After breakfast, drive along the famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches to the base of 1,300-foot Sugar Loaf Mountain. Ascend by cable car to its summit from where you can savor spectacular vistas of the city, while toasting a memorable vacation with Caipirinhas, a favorite Brazilian cocktail. In the afternoon, you may choose to join the optional jeep tour to visit the Botanical Gardens, with its splendid orchid exhibit, and the bird sanctuary in Tijuca National Park. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 04
Rio de Janeiro – Manaus – Amazon
Breakfast at the hotel after which you fly to Manaus- the gateway to the Amazon Jungle. Upon arrival, you will be met by a local guide and transferred to the Amazon Ecopark. Day is at leisure. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 05
Amazon
Breakfast at the hotel followed by nature hike. After lunch and some rest, visit the home of local Amazonian residents with a fishing tour. Dinner and evening tour by canoe with an opportunity to spot alligators. Dinner and overnight stay at the lodge.

Day 06
Manaus – Cuzco
Breakfast at the lodge and depart for Manaus Airport for your flight to Cuzco. Arrive at Cuzco Airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 07
Cuzco
Breakfast at the hotel before boarding a train for a short journey through the lush Urubamba Valley. Then transfer to a motor coach for the ascent to legendary Machu Picchu, ‘The Lost City of the Incas’, high above the steep valley overlaid with dense tropical jungle. Your local guide will bring you closer to the lives and mysteries still hidden in these amazing structures, built by the pre-Columbian masters of this sacred land. You will have some free time to wander the ruins at your own pace and inhale the magic that is Machu Picchu. After lunch, return to the Sacred Valley by train and continue on to Cuzco. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 08
Cuzco – La Paz
After Breakfast check out from hotel and transfer to Cuzco airport to board your flight to La Paz. Arrive at La Paz airport and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 09
La Paz
After breakfast transfer to Airport to board your flight to Uyuni. Arrive at Uyuni and transfer to hotel. You will head to the REA (National Reserve Eduardo Abaroa), visiting Laguna Colorada (2 hours), with over 30,000 flamingos at 4,278 m. Then up to geysers “Sol de Mañana”, pass alongside Challviri lagoon, with its hot spring in the shores of Polques.  Cross through the Pampas of Dali, with amazing views, to finally reach Laguna Verde (3 hours), in the foothills of the Licancabur Mountain. Trip back to Laguna Colorada, enter the high deserts of Siloli, visiting Arbol de Piedra to finally reach Ojos de Perdiz (4 hours – 4,531m).

Overnight in Ojo de Perdiz.

Day 10
Uyuni
Laguna Colorada and Laguna Verde Tour
Private tour to the Laguna Colorada and the Laguna Verde Departure to Ojo de Perdiz, across the Siloli desert where you will see an interesting rock formation known as the Stone Tree, and observe the famous llamas, vicunas and a particular species of rodent called viscacha. Join the National Reserve of Andean Fauna Eduardo Abaroa and visit the Laguna Colorada, place of particular interest for the color of its waters, which is due to the accumulation of fine sediments of the same color on the surface, as well as pigmentation of certain types of algae. The lagoon is the most important in the region to observe flamingos, populated by three species (including the famous James). Continue the tour by visiting Sol de Mañana, place where smokers can be seen, geysers and volcanic pits. This landscape goes back in time to the origins of the formation of the Earth. The endpoint of the decline is the Laguna Verde, a stunning water mirror that resembles a giant emerald which is particularly bright in the mornings and evenings. Its color is due to the high magnesium content in the water. In the vicinity of the lagoon is the Volcano Licancahur (5,868 m.). Refreshments en route. Return to Ojo de Perdiz.

Day 11
Uyuni
Uyuni Salt & Galaxies Grotto
Departure to the village of Colchani, located on the shores of the Salar de Uyuni, en route visit lagoons of Cañapa, Hedionda, Honda, and Ramaditas Chiarkhota, the viewpoint of Ollague, the Grotto of the Galaxies known for its geological formations. Continue to the Salt and Incahuasi Island, which is located in the heart of the salt and is the largest of a group of islands representing an isolated ecosystem. The island is inhabited by a species of cactus that can grow to 12 meters in height. Lunch and transfer to Colchani.

Day 12
Uyuni – La Paz – Santiago
Check out from hotel and transfer to Uyuni airport to board your flight to La Paz and from there, flight to Santiago. Arrive at Santiago international airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight stay at hotel.

Day 13
Santiago
Meet your local guide and embark on a tour of this vibrant city, travelling past the Club Hipico – the regal racetrack – and sprawling Parque O’Higgins. Cruise along Alameda Avenue, past the church of San Francisco and the University of Chile, on your way to the vibrant Plaza de Armas with its fountains and sculptures. View the Palacio de la Moneda and stop at the bustling Central Market. Visit San Francisco Church and Monastery, reputed to be one of the oldest in Chile. Continue your tour with a drive up San Cristobal Hill for panoramic views of the city and the snow-capped Andes. Then head for the Maipo Valley, the most traditional wine-producing valley in Chile with the best conditions for premium wines. Enjoy a private visit at an exclusive winery where you meet the Winemaker, who escorts you on a personal wine experience, from the vineyards to the bottling process. Enjoy wine tasting, celebrating Chile’s proud wine-making traditions, followed by a gourmet Highlight Lunch served on the beautiful grounds of the winery. Return to Santiago later in the afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 14
Santiago
After breakfast, check out from hotel and transfer to Airport to board your flight to Iguassu.

Day 15
Iguassu Falls
Enter Iguassu National Park and spend the morning exploring the Brazilian side of the cascades with a local guide, including a scenic walk through the rainforest at the base of the falls. After enjoying a Highlight Lunch at a local restaurant with a view of the falls, return to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Perhaps enjoy the hotel’s thermal pools fed by the planet’s biggest thermal water spring; visit the Parque das Aves – a tropical bird preserve that’s home to more than 500 species of Brazilian birds; or if you prefer, embark upon an optional excursion into the lush Macuco rainforest where you get acquainted with the flora and fauna of the jungle and then cruise the river to see the falls from below.

Day 16
Iguassu Falls
After Breakfast, check out from hotel and transfer to Airport to board your flight to Rio de Janeiro.

Day 17
Rio de Janeiro
After breakfast, spend the day at leisure. Proceed to airport to board your flight back home.