Signature Peru and Brazil: Machu Picchu and Rio de Janeiro

Day 1

Arrive in Lima and transfer to your hotel in Miraflores on the Pacific coast.

You will be met at the airport and escorted to your hotel in the cliff-side Pacific residential and commercial district of Miraflores. The journey encapsulates the invigorating buzz of a modern-day Latin American capital. Lima is a vast, complex metropolis, with a history dating from the era of its wealth and importance to Imperial Spain to its current status as a dynamic, growing city of trade, industry and tourism.

Stay at - Pullman Lima Miraflores

Day 2

Colonial Lima and Larco Museum

Tour the principal republican sites of Lima: including the Museum of Art, the monument to Miguel Grau, the Palace of Justice and the Plaza San Martín. From here you will continue to a selection of the colonial churches, promenades and palaces which showcase some of the Spanish architecture that forms part of Peru’s heritage. Other stops include the church of Santo Domingo and the ornate cathedral or San Francisco Church.

The final port of call is the private Larco Museum with its collection of beautifully modelled pottery, unique gold and silver work, mummies, and ceramics from pre-Inca civilisations.

Stay at - Pullman Lima Miraflores

Day 3

Fly to Cusco, transfer to Urubamba.

Transfer to the airport and fly to Cusco in the Andes (1hr). Continue by road as you climb out of the bowl in which Cusco is set and descend into the fertile Sacred Valley of the Incas. Once the bread-basket of the empire, it was heavily populated in imperial times and many remaining ruins bear witness to the highly developed society that the Incas created.

Stay at - Hotel Sol y Luna

Day 4

Full day excursion to Pisaq ruins and the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Take a guided tour exploring the valley. The drive takes in several of the villages and temple fortresses that pepper the region. The Pisac complex, set high above and visible from the eponymous colonial village you will visit, is built on terraces carved into the steep hillsides. The engineering and preservation are unrivaled. From the flat valley floor this intricate hillside rises up like a green staircase to the heavens.

Continue along this patchwork valley. The snow-capped Andean cordillera forms a stunning backdrop to Ollantaytambo, sitting strategically at the gateway to the Amazon basin, was never captured by the Spanish conquistadors, but was abandoned. The fortress, the colonial grid plan and the Inca foundations are still intact and there are wonderful views down over the sloping hillsides and into the fertile valley.

Stay at - Hotel Sol y Luna

Day 5

By road to Ollantaytambo, then train to Machu Picchu with guided tour of ruins

Transfer to Ollantaytambo and travel for 90 minutes by train to the town of Machu Picchu. As the river Urubamba enters its narrow gorge between thickly-forested granite hills, there is room only for a single track, which hugs the right bank and passes through hamlets that are no more than a collection of shacks beside the railway. Close to the foot of the mountain on a saddle of which the citadel was built is the town of Machu Picchu, dedicated to serving the many visitors with artisan markets, bars and restaurants.

The majestic ruined city, reclaimed from tropical cloud forest, is reached by minibus up a sinuous road, or on foot up a near vertical rocky path. The American explorer Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911, by which time it was completely buried beneath jungle vegetation. The ruins’ location is on a ridge spur amid forested peaks and above a roaring river canyon.

Upon arrival, you will have a guided tour of the ruins, learning all about the majestic site, its history and the many stories and myths that surround it, before retiring to the nearby Sanctuary Lodge for lunch and retreating to the town for an overnight stay.

Stay at - Casa Del Sol Machu Picchu

Day 6

By rail and road back to Cusco.

Return to Cusco by rail and road. The name Cusco derives from the Quechua word for navel, indicating its location at the centre of the Inca Empire, which reached its zenith at the same time as England was fighting the War of the Roses. Today its many impressive original Inca walls display extraordinary craftsmanship, while the bustling squares are dotted with ornate baroque colonial churches. It’s a vivacious city, where shoeshine boys and postcard sellers jostle for your attention in cobbled streets lined with handicraft shops and cafés. In the evening, the town centre fills with people flocking to the many restaurants, bars and cafés.

Stay at - Antigua Casona San Blas

Day 7

Half-day guided tour of the city and surrounding Inca ruins.

Today you have a fascinating tour of the city. Among the feast of cultural; and historic delights you’ll savour Q’oricancha, once the principal Inca Sun Temple, with extraordinarily intricate stonework, and then explore the colossal zigzag walls of Sacsayhuamán, brooding on a hillside above Cusco. In 1536 a desperate and defining three-day battle was fought between the Spaniards and the Incas around this fortress. The first conquistadors to see it were awestruck and centuries later it is still an extraordinary and imposing sight.

Stay at - Antigua Casona San Blas

Day 8

At leisure in Cusco.

At leisure in Cusco. It’s a compact city, easy to explore on foot independently. You are at leisure to discover the street markets, the many baroque churches and museums, and to wander the attractive narrow streets. There are a number of optional excursions in the surrounding region, including a trip to Maras and Moray, about an hour’s drive from Cusco. Moray is a system of ancient agricultural irrigation paths which now form circular depressions in the earth, with wonderful views into the Sacred Valley and in the shadow of the snowy peak of Mount Veronica. From here it is a short walk to the salt pans at Maras, circular pans of glistening white carved into the mountainside. Feeling you’d like to be active? White-water rafting, cycling and horse riding are on offer.

Stay at - Antigua Casona San Blas

Day 9

Fly to Rio de Janeiro, transfer to hotel in Copacabana.

Fly to Rio de Janeiro (via Lima) and transfer to your hotel on the beachfront in Copacabana. Rio is arguably the most romantic, intriguing and beautiful city on the continent. Sumptuous apartments overlook the sparkling bays against the backdrop of half-built slum dwellings, favelas, which cling precariously to the hillsides.

Rio has an awesome bay-side location among near-vertical granite mountains. Here, tropical foliage swoops down to white-to-toffee coloured sandy beaches in turn battered by the huge waves of Atlantic surf. Rest of the day at leisure.

Stay at - Porto Bay Rio de Janeiro

Day 10

Jeep tour to Corcovado and the statue of Christ, and arty Santa Teresa quarter.

Take an exhilarating trip by open-topped jeep through tropical fruit-laden vegetation up the sheer-sided Corcovado Mountain to drink in the views from beside the famous Christ the Redeemer statue on the peak.

Continue to Santa Teresa, the colonial heart of the city which sits on a hill close to the Cathedral in the busy centre. This is a popular residential area for artists and TV personalities who occupy the stately shaded houses lining its cobbled streets. There are plenty of old-fashioned bars, or bodegas, and an ancient rickety tram still climbs around impossibly steep lanes lined by high walls sheltering museums, parks, art centres, smart restaurants and one or two luxury hotels.

Stay at - Porto Bay Rio de Janeiro

Day 11

Day at leisure in Rio

Relax, explore independently or join an optional excursion of your choice. Popular sites to visit include Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Olympic Park from the 2016 games, and the Iconic Maracana football stadium.

Stay at - Porto Bay Rio de Janeiro

Day 12

At leisure in Rio; transfer to airport for international flight home.

If your flight is departing in the late evening, you have most of the day at leisure in Rio. The chic boutiques of Ipanema are a stroll away along the beachfront. The quarters of Leblon, the smartest part of town, and Lagoa – the shores of this attractive urban lagoon – have excellent restaurants and night clubs with world class performers.  Close by are the recently refurbished Botanical Gardens, an oasis of calm in this sometimes frenetic city.

If you wish to extend your adventure, why not fly to the thundering Iguacu Falls, immerse yourself in the wildlife havens of the Amazon rainforest or Pantanal, or relax in one of the numerous coastal resort towns near Rio.