# 21-day South America Tour of Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Galápagos: Cusco, Iguazú Falls and Quito | 4 Countries and 14 Cities | 20 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches, 9 Dinners

Tour in SO — Rio de Janeiro → Quito.
Listed and booked on Yatra For Fun (yatraforfun.com) — our Kathmandu concierge confirms availability, prices it in NPR, and sends a payment link within 2 business hours.

## Key facts

- Type: multiday
- Country: SO
- Route: Rio de Janeiro → Quito
- Duration: 21.00 day
- Price from: $0
- Rating: 5.00 / 5 (5 reviews)
- Operator: Tours4Fun Provider 10327

## Summary

• Explore Both the Brazilian and Argentinean side of Iguazú Falls, Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, Larco Museum • Visit Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, Ollantaytambo Ruins, Sacsayhuaman, San Antonio de Areco • See the Teatro Colon, Copacabana Beach and the Casa Rosada • Scenic Drive through the Sacred Valley • Scenic Train Ride to Machu Picchu aboard the Vistadome train

## Categories

Daily breakfast, Select Meals Included, Local Specialty Meal

## Itinerary

### Day 1: Home - Rio de Janeiro

Launch your leisurely exploration of South America to the sultry beats of the Bossa Nova and Samba. A local host will take you to your hotel where you'll enjoy superb views of Copacabana beach and its beautiful people, just minutes from downtown Rio. This evening, we enjoy a festive dinner with our Travel Director and fellow travelers.

### Day 2: Rio de Janeiro

Meet your Local Specialist and ride the historic cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain, pausing at Urca Hill before reaching the summit for sweeping views over Guanabara Bay and Copacabana. Hear how this iconic peak got its name during Brazil's sugar trade era. After a drive past Ipanema and the Copacabana beaches, your afternoon is at leisure. Perhaps choose an Optional Experience to the Selarón Steps, a colorful mosaic staircase and local landmark. This evening, you could choose an Optional Experience if you wish: enjoy Brazilian flavors and a performance at the city's famous Roxy Dinner Show.

### Day 3: Rio de Janeiro

The iconic Christ the Redeemer beckons this morning as we journey by cogwheel train to the summit of Corcovado for impressive panoramic views. Returning to the city, we visit the shores of Copacabana and Ipanema, spending the rest of the day at leisure to watch Rio's beautiful people living life to the fullest. This evening, learn how to mix the perfect caipirinha, then indulge in a sizzling barbecue dinner at a local churrascaria.

### Day 4: Rio de Janeiro - Iguazú Falls

Journey into some of South America's most beautiful natural landscapes taking a flight from Rio to Iguazú Falls, the UNESCO-listed magnificent falls that straddle the borders of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. Explore the Brazilian side of Iguassu Falls, 'Big Waters', in Iguaçu National Park with a Local Specialist. Hike to the cascading falls through giant clouds and sprays of water feeling refreshed in the humidity. You'll learn that while hot and humid, this lush micro-climate supports diverse fauna in its subtropical rainforest of over 2,000 species of vascular plants. Conclude your day crossing the border to Argentina to your hotel.

### Day 5: Iguazú Falls

Get a different perspective of grandeur on the Argentinian side of the falls at the Devil's Throat. Your MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience finds you paying a visit to the Guarani community of Fortín M'bororé who open their doors to reveal the secrets of the jungle, their natural medicine, culture, songs, dances, crafts, philosophy and beliefs. Discover with the Guarani the "Spirit of the Trees", a walk where you learn to walk through the interior of the Jungle guided by aboriginal experts. This afternoon, join an optional experience on Gran Aventura boat tour or an Argentinean experience learning about Argentine culture, tasting local dishes in a five-course dinner, sampling four Argentinian wines and mingling with travelers from around the world.

### Day 6: Iguazú Falls - Buenos Aires

Take a flight from Iguazú Falls to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Check into your hotel located in the heart of the cultural center at the historic Plaza San Martin and, with the rest of the day free, perhaps take a stroll around this upscale part of the city. Or venture on a wine tasting trip to "El Querandi," a big house located in the historical district and considered a living testimony of the city originally founded as a bar in 1920.

### Day 7: Buenos Aires - San Antonio de Areco - Buenos Aires

Leave Buenos Aires for San Antonio de Areco, the heart of the gaucho traditions in the pampas region, for a tour along its quaint streets lined with silversmiths. Take part in a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience visiting a local project of the Local Association for disabled people who are keeping up the tradition of making the alpargatas shoes. Appreciate more artisans paying a visit to a local artist's studio observing how masterpieces are created. Cap off your day with a Be My Guest experience, complete with sizzling asado steak, at a family-owned gaucho ranch where your watch cowboys show off the horsemanship accompanied by music and dance.

### Day 8: Buenos Aires

Take in the sights of Buenos Aires on a City Tour to the pink palace, cathedral and La Boca neighborhood. The rest of the day is free for you to relax and explore this exciting city on your own or join one of our tempting optionals. Head to the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires to the lush countryside of the Tigre Delta, a popular weekend getaway of scenery, summer residences, yachting and a chance to see another way of Argentine life. This evening enjoy the passionate fiery and precise steps of some of Buenos Aires most talented tango dancers.

### Day 9: Buenos Aires - Lima

The capital of the New World extends a warm welcome on your epic voyage through the iconic and unexpected highlights of Peru. Meet your local host on arrival and transfer to your hotel in the upscale shopping district of Miraflores. This evening, you'll join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner.

### Day 10: Lima

Francisco Pizarro's 'City of Kings' is ours to explore this morning as we discover the colonial heritage of Lima's UNESCO-listed Historic Center with our Local Specialist. Admire the ornate baroque façades of the Church of San Francisco and discover its hidden catacombs. Celebrate Lima's status as the culinary capital of South America next, and meet Ignacio Barrios who has worked alongside many of Peru's most award-winning chefs. Visit a local market where Ignacio will explain how Peruvian fruits, vegetables, seafood and meats are the basis of Peruvian cooking. Then continue to his cooking school where you'll Connect With Locals and enjoy a demonstration on how to prepare some of Peru's most popular dishes. You'll have an opportunity to sample some of these at a Be My Guest experience lunch before spending the rest of the day at leisure.

### Day 11: Lima - Cusco - Sacred Valley

Board a morning flight to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® when you visit Manos de la Comunidad, a Weaving Center where you'll uncover the traditions of the Sacred Valley, called "lindaje". Then continue to a former 18th-century colonial-style monastery, our hotel for the night. MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® and learn more about the artisan traditions meeting Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, a master Quechua weaver and the first person from her village to attend university. She has been an ambassador for Andean traditions since she began learning ancient pre-Columbian weaving techniques as a young girl in the 1960s. MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as your visit helps to preserve and promote traditional pre-Columbian weaving techniques in the 21st century.

### Day 12: Sacred Valley - Machu Picchu

The Sacred Valley reveals its mysteries today as we encounter the remains of the mighty Inca empire. Our first stop this morning is the famous Inca hilltop fortress, Ollantaytambo, built from massive blocks of stone. We board the Vistadome train (light snack included) for our epic journey to the UNESCO-listed Machu Picchu, where a Local Specialist will lead us through the ruins of this once-great fortress. Explore the iconic great Temple of the Sun, the House of the Priest, the Sacred Plaza and the Intihuatana, an intricately carved rock most likely used as a sundial centuries ago. Tonight, we'll dine at our hotel.

### Day 13: Machu Picchu - Cusco

We return to Machu Picchu this morning with an opportunity to explore this mythical fortress on our own terms. Then it's off to Cusco, stopping en route at a local chichería for a taste of chicha. Dive Into Culture and learn how this Peruvian corn beer is made by local women.

### Day 14: Cusco

Embark on a sightseeing tour of the sacred city of Cusco this morning with your Local Specialist, admiring the 16th-century Spanish colonial buildings that stand on the foundations of former Inca temples and palaces. See the baroque Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas and 17th-century Church of Santo Domingo. Visit the ruins of the Sacsayhuaman fortress and see nearby warehouses where the Incas once stored their grain. The afternoon is free to explore on your terms.

### Day 15: Cusco - Lima

A leisurely start to our day sees us return to Lima late this morning. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure, join your Local Specialist at the Larco Museum for an evening exploration of its collection of pre-Columbian art. We'll indulge in a memorable Farewell Dinner in the museum's garden.

### Day 16: Lima - Quito

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight to Ecuador (flight not included in holiday price). Enjoy a warm welcome in Quito where you will be greeted at the airport and taken to your hotel.

### Day 17: Quito

Visit the historical center of Quito, which was the first place in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and travel to the 'Middle of the World' to stand on the Equator. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

### Day 18: Quito - North Seymour Island

Discover a land that inspired Darwin to form his Theory of Natural Selection. On arrival at Baltra airport, transfer to the M/V Galápagos Legend. Set sail to North Seymour Island, an important spot to see magnificent frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies and sea lions.

### Day 19: Bartolomé Island - Santiago Island

Travel to Bartolomé Island with your Local Specialist, where a short hike takes you to a lookout with views across the volcanic landscape and the iconic Pinnacle Rock, with Santiago Island in the distance. There's time for a snorkel where you might spot Galápagos penguins, white-tipped reef sharks and sea lions. In the afternoon, visit Sullivan Bay for a walk across its distinctive pahoehoe lava flows. This solidified lava landscape shows clear patterns of past eruptions, making it one of the most geologically interesting sites in the Galápagos. After the hike, enjoy some time on the beach for a swim or snorkel before returning to your cruise for dinner.

### Day 20: San Cristobal Island

We journey to Pitt Point this morning, ascending to a high point on the steep volcanic tuff hill to see if we can spot all three of the booby species simultaneously. Cerro Brujo's coral sand beach is our next destination, where we can connect with the resident sea lions or snorkel in the shadow of Witch's Hill.

### Day 21: San Cristobal Island - Quito

Enjoy a first-hand encounter with the giant tortoises of La Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado, a tortoise reserve that protects the island's tortoise population. Your Galápagos exhibition at its end, transfer to San Cristobal Airport for your return flight to Quito. Airport arrival time in Quito will be at 7 p.m.; please be aware when booking your flights.

## Guide languages

English Live

## Links

- Yatra page: https://yatraforfun.com/tour/105265104-south-america-tour-of-argentina-brazil-peru-and-galapagos-21-day
- WhatsApp concierge: https://wa.me/9779708072951