Holidays with Downtown

This one-of-a-kind tour will take you from Buenos Aires, Argentina up through Bolivia, and on to Lima, Peru, in a 18-day, once-in-a-lifetime adventure! You’ll experience thrilling train rides, majestic mountain landscapes, the largest salt lake in the world (Uyuni), the highest freshwater lake in the world (Lake Titicaca), and one of the most important archaeological sites of all time–Machu Picchu.

 

Day 1 – Sun: Buenos Aires

Arrival in Buenos Aires. Our driver will welcome you to Buenos Aires at Ezeiza International Airport and drive you to your hotel in the city. After check-in, the entire tour group will meet for a short coordination meeting to receive the latest updates for our tour program. The rest of the day is free time.

 

Day 2 – Mon: Buenos Aires (Tigre Cruise)

We will board the boat at Puerto Madero and cruise to Tigre along the “Costanera Navigation Canal,” parallel to the Buenos Aires shoreline. Along the way we’ll pass River Plate Stadium and the University of Buenos Aires. Then, our vessel will traverse the canals of the Rio de la Plata Delta, one of the largest in the world. After exploring Puerto de Tigre, a favorite spot for taking photos, we’ll have lunch in a local restaurant accessible only by boat In the afternoon, discover the most famous neighborhoods and landmarks in Buenos Aires during a half-day city tour. [B/L]

 

Day 3 – Tue: Buenos Aires, Tucuman, Cafayate

This day we’ll take a flight from Buenos Aires to Tucuman in Northwestern Argentina. From Tucuman, we’ll journey through the scenic Calaqui Valley to Colalao del Valle. In the late afternoon, we will check in to our hotel for an overnight stay in Cafayate. [B/L/D]

 

Day 4 – Wed: Cafayate, Salta

We’ll leave Cafayate in the morning and follow the breathtaking “Rio de las Conchas Valley” towards Salta, stopping several times to take photos at scenic spots along the way. We’ll also stop for lunch before reaching Salta. Once we’ve checked in to our hotel, we will visit the main attractions of the city of Salta, including the “Plaza 9 de Julio” the famous cathedral, the municipality, the Convent of San Francisco, and San Bernardo Hill. We’ll stay overnight in Salta. [B/L]

 

Day 5 – Thu: Salta, Quebrada de Umahuaca, Purmamarca

North of Salta lies the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a UNESCO-listed valley which features steep rock faces that change their color depending on the hour of day and angle of view. Ancient traders used this route through the canyon over 10,000 years ago. There we’ll enjoy an easy hike beneath the colored rocks in the picturesque village of Purmamarca, which you’ll have the opportunity to explore on your own in the afternoon. We’ll stay overnight in Purmamarca. [B/L]

 

Day 6 – Fri: Purmamarca, Villazon, Wara Wara Express, Uyuni

Early in the morning, we’ll begin traveling northward on Route 9. Along the way you’ll see many dusty, authentic indigenous villages. We’ll reach the Bolivian border before midday and have lunch in Villazon. Mid-afternoon we’ll board the “Wara Wara Express” to Uyuni, viewing many fascinating landscapes along the way, especially before we reach the railway station of Tupiza. The train will make an early morning arrival in Uyuni, where a local guide will welcome us at the railway station and take us to the Hotel Palacio de Sal, where we’ll spend the rest of the night. [B/L/D]

 

Day 7 – Sat: Uyuni

We begin our first day in Uyuni by visiting the Uyuni Salt Flat in Colchani, where we’ll tour an artisanal salt processing plant and witness traditional salt extraction methods. At the Incahuasi Island in the middle of the world’s largest salt flat, we’ll discover incredible giant cacti, and those who are able may hike to the highest point of the island for fantastic views out over the salt flat and of the surrounding mountains. For lunch, we’ll picnic in the middle of the salt flat. That night, we’ll stay at the Hotel Palacio de Sal. [B/L/D]

 

Day 8 – Sun: Uyuni, La Paz

In the morning, we will drive out to a spot to witness how salt is excavated and how locals produce salt bricks for construction. Then we’ll visit an outlook above Coquesa Village from which we’ll have fantastic views over the salt flat. Lunch will be a picnic near Coquesa, after which we’ll drive across the salt flat to the small city of Uyuni, where we’ll take time to explore the famous train cemetery. Numerous oxidized steam engines and wagons are found at this spectacular site, which is surrounded by extraordinary salt desert scenery. We’ll enjoy an early dinner in town and take the evening flight from Uyuni to La Paz, where we’ll stay overnight. [B/L]

 

Day 9 – Mon: La Paz

On our tour of this fascinating city, we’ll visit the Witches Market (which showcases the mystical rituals of the indigenous people), the Cathedral, and the historic district around the “Plaza Murillo” containing the legislative buildings and the Government Palace. In addition to breathtaking views of La Paz from the Killi Killi outlook, this afternoon we’ll take in equally lush views of the city and the surrounding mountains while on an extensive cable car tour of La Paz, where this type of transportation (Telefericos) makes up the primary mode of public transport. We’ll return to the hotel later in the afternoon. [B/L]

 

Day 10 – Tue: La Paz, Sun Island, Copacabana

On this day we will travel from La Paz to Copacabana, a small town with a delightful name on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. We’ll board a boat in Copacabana and cruise over to nearby Sun Island, where we’ll have an “Aptapi,” a typical lunch featuring a variety of potatoes. After lunch we’ll cruise around Sun Island and visit the ruins of the Pilkokaina Incan temple before we return to Copacabana. We’ll stay overnight in Copacabana. [B/L]

 

Day 11– Wed: Copacabana, Puno

In the morning you will have free time in Copacabana. You’ll have the option of participating in a tour with our guide, where we’ll visit the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Copacabana, one of the most important religious figures in South America (the most famous beach in Rio de Janeiro was named after her, and pilgrims from all over South America come to the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca to worship her). We’ll have lunch at the hotel and, in the afternoon, we’ll cross the border to Peru. After a two-hour journey, we’ll arrive at the city of Puno, and the rest of the day will be free time. We will stay overnight in a hotel on the outskirts of Puno. [B/L]

 

Day 12 – Thu: Puno, Cusco (Titicaca Train)

Early in the morning, we’ll head to the Puno Railway station and board the “Perurail Titicaca Train” that will carry us to Cusco through 390 km (242 miles) of dramatic high-Andean scenery in approximately 11 hours. At La Raya, the train reaches its highest point of 4,321 meters (15,177 ft.) above sea level. The descent to Cusco from that point follows the Urubamba River and passes at various remote villages, reaching Cusco in the evening. Our driver will await us at the railway station and take us to the hotel in Cusco for our overnight stay. [B/L]

 

Day 13 – Fri: Cusco

In the morning, we’ll tour Cusco, one of the highlights of which is the Santo Domingo Convent, which the Spanish built over an ancient Incan Palace. Outside of Cusco, we’ll visit the Inca military fortress Sacsayhuaman and have a look at a textile factory, where we’ll learn about the different qualities of wool and various weaving technics. You’ll have the afternoon free for shopping and relaxing. We will stay overnight again at our hotel in Cusco. [B/L]

 

Day 14 – Sat: Cusco, Sacred Valley

This day, we’ll visit the picturesque small town of Pisaq. There you can walk on cobblestone streets and buy souvenirs before having lunch in the valley. In the afternoon, we’ll visit the fascinating Incan sites of Moray and Maras. We stay overnight at the Sacred Valley. [B/L]

 

Day 15 – Sun: Sacred Valley (Machu Picchu – Vistadome Train)

This morning we’ll take the two hours trip on the Vistadome Train from Ollantaytambo to the historic Incan site of Machu Picchu. We have lunch in Machu Picchu, we’ll explore the famous Lost City of the Incas with an expert guide in the afternoon when the site is much less crowded. In the evening, we’ll return to our Hotel in the Sacred Velley where we stay overnight. [B/L]

 

Day 16 – Mon: Sacred Valley, Lima

Transfer to the Airport in Cusco from where we’ll board a flight to Lima, then transfer to our Hotel in Lima’s Miraflores district. We’ll stay overnight in Lima. [B]

 

Day 17 – Tue: Lima

We’ll go on an exciting tour of Lima’s colonial past and discover the Plaza San Martin, the Plaza Mayor (containing the Government Palace), the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Cathedral. We’ll also drive through the modern district of San Isidro and Miraflores on our way back to the hotel, followed by a “Farewell Lunch” in one of Lima’s famous restaurants. We’ll stay overnight in Lima. [B/L]

 

Day 18 – Wed: Lima, USA

At the agreed time, our driver will take you to the international airport in Lima to board your international flight. [B]

 

[B] = Breakfast | [B/L] = Breakfast and Lunch | [B/D] = Breakfast and Dinner | [B/L/D] = Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner