Peru & Argentine Patagonia Combined (12 Days)

Introduction

Colors of Pisac Market, Luxury Peru Vacations

Caminito Street, La Boca Neighborhood, Buenos Aires

Argentine National Congress, Buenos Aires

Temple of the Three Windows, Machu Picchu

Tango Dancers, Buenos Aires

Recoleta Cemetery, Luxury Argentina Vacations

Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina Vacations

Ollantaytambo Ruin, Sacred Valley

Inca Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu

Entrance to the Royal Sector, Machu Picchu

Cusco Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, Peru

Colors of Pisac Market, Luxury Peru Vacations

Caminito Street, La Boca Neighborhood, Buenos Aires

Argentine National Congress, Buenos Aires

Temple of the Three Windows, Machu Picchu

Tango Dancers, Buenos Aires

Recoleta Cemetery, Luxury Argentina Vacations

Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina Vacations

Ollantaytambo Ruin, Sacred Valley

Inca Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu

Entrance to the Royal Sector, Machu Picchu

Cusco Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, Peru

• 1

  Day 1

  Arrive Lima

  Arrival to Lima airport and overnight at Lima airport Hotel.

• 2

  Day 2

  Flight to Cusco, Visit Pisac Market & Pisac Ruins

  Today begins with a short flight from Lima to Cusco city. High in the Andes highlands, Cusco was the center of the Inca Empire and today is a still the gateway to the Sacred Valley. Our guide will take you on a tour of the large market at Pisac, a great staging post to stop off to buy Andean silver and artefacts. Following on you will visit the mysterious ruins of Pisac. This ruin contains the rare intihuatana (solar clock) which the Inca’s used to worship the sun. The purpose of Pisac remains unknown with some putting forth the idea of a palatial home for Inca Pachacutec and others arguing of it being a strategic military fort to guard the Sacred Valley. Whatever the truth you are sure to be impressed and intrigued by your expertly guided tour of this unique and inviting destination.

• 3

  Day 3

  Morning Tour of Ollantaytambo, Afternoon Train and Overnight near Machu Picchu

  You will begin with a visit to the fortress of Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. At the Northern extremity of the valley Ollantaytambo was a former Inca administrative center and gateway to the Amazon rainforest. The site is large and contains six 50-ton monolithic stones as just one of a selection of features at the unfinished Temple of the Sun. Across the valley you can see the face of the deity of Wiracocha carved into the mountainside and Inca storehouses clinging to the cliff side. In the afternoon we will board the train for Machu Picchu village and overnight in Aguas Calientes for your big adventure next day.

• 4

  Day 4

  Private Tour of Machu Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain Trek, Return to Cusco

  Today your private guide will take you to the citadel of Machu Picchu a short 30-minuites drive from Aguas Calientes. You will embark on an expertly guided tour of the complex and gain knowledge of the thinking of how Machu Picchu came to be, its purpose and influence upon the Inca empire and its inhabitants. Following on you will have an opportunity to take the hike up Machu Picchu Mountain. This trek offers some wonderful panoramic views of not just Machu Picchu but the neighboring valleys too and wonderful mountain landscapes. In the evening following an exhilarating day you board the train Cusco bound and overnight at the heart of the Inca empire.

• 5

  Day 5

  Free Morning, Afternoon Walking Tour of Colonial Cusco

  A free morning is a welcome break after a busy day yesterday. In the afternoon you will have a privately guided walking tour of the Inca City of Cusco. This includes the main Plaza de Armas, Hatun Rumiyoc Street, the revered 12-Angled Stone, the artisan San Blas District and culminates with a trip to the local San Pedro Market. The city is a wonderful mélange of cobble lined colonial and narrow Incan alleyways, impressive architecture and yet maintaining the hustle and bustle of a living Peruvian city. A perfect place to spend an evening and sample some of the wonderful Peruvian food at one of the city’s top restaurants. Ask our luxury Peru travel experts for our insider’s tips on where to dine.

• 6

  Day 6

  Flight to Buenos Aires, Transfer to Buenos Aires Hotel

  From Cusco you will fly via Lima to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is a city bearing heavy European influences, vibrant Tango passions and an insatiable Latin love of life. Immigrants from Italy, Spain, Wales, England and Germany all contributed to the creation of a high culture and love of the arts. The city has an unusual history in that it was founded twice by Spanish colonialist forces, once by Pedro de Mendoza in 1736 and subsequently by Juan de Garay in 1580. Much of the beautiful architecture and tree lined boulevards of the prosperous 1880’s remains today. A perfect backdrop to relax and enjoy a coffee or glass of wine as the Porteño world goes by.

• 7

  Day 7

  Panoramic Private Buenos Aires Tour, Free Afternoon

  On an unforgettable route, we will live all the porteño magic. This morning features all the charm of Argentina’s capital city. Today you will visit Recoleta and its most famous cemetery, Palermo, Plaza de Mayo and the Pink House, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the newest and trendiest Puerto Madero area. No visit to the Paris of the South would be complete without experiencing San Telmo where the renowned antiques market is held every Sunday in addition to the mélange of colors bedecking Caminito Street, in the Italian immigrant neighborhood of La Boca.

• 8

  Day 8

  Transfer to Buenos Aires Airport, Flight to El Calafate Patagonia

  You will be collected at your hotel by our guide and transferred to the national airport for a flight southbound to El Calafate. This town is the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park home of the famed Perito Moreno Glacier, the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water.

• 9

  Day 9

  Full Day Tour of Perito Moreno Glacier and Safari Navigation

  The Perito Moreno Glacier rises majestically, some 80 km (50 miles) and two hours’ drive away from El Calafate. This is one of the largest and the only advancing glacier in the world surrounded by a 600,000-hectare protected reserve. We begin by navigating the Patagonian Andean forest and make a first breathtaking stop at “Curva de los Suspiros” (Curve of Sighs), where we will enjoy a first view of this incredible natural wonder. Here you can descend the catwalks to witness at proximity the enormous expanse of ice. You can witness mother nature’s spectacle of ice blocks cascading down their final plunge into the meltwaters of the Lago Argentino. We will then sail out of Bajo de las Sombras Bay, 30-minuites away from the glacier’s catwalks, down to the southern side of the glacier. On our way, we shall continue to witness ice blocks falling off until Los Témpanos canal. Here we enjoy the viewing point along the southern wall of the glacier, where we shall stop to admire its majestic splendor.

• 10

  Day 10

  Tour of Cristina Ranch and Spegazzini Glacier Walk

  In an almost magical atmosphere, ice blocks floating adrift and big brooding landscapes complete this unforgettable experience of full contact with mother nature. Sailing out of Puerto Bandera, 50 km (30 miles) from El Calafate we experience the best views of the Spegazzini glacier. We will then sail the Cristina Canal to disembark at the ranch and enjoy a relaxing walk culminating at the Caterina River. Surrounded by a picture postcard landscape we will visit the old shearing house, now a museum, the Chapel, and the heart of the old Patagonian Cristina Ranch.

• 11

  Day 11

  Flight El Calafate to Buenos Aires, Transfer to Buenos Aires Hotel

  Flight El Calafate to Buenos Aires and private transfer to Buenos Aires hotel.

• 12

  Day 12

  Transfer to Buenos Aires Airport. Depart

  Private transfer to Buenos Aires Airport and depart. This wonderous tour began way back in Lima Peru, brought you over the Sacred Valley of the Incan Andes and Machu Picchu and to the ends of the earth at Patagonia. You find yourself back in Buenos Aires to contemplate on all you have experienced, and it is a befitting place to say goodbye.