CIRCLE THE AMERICAS

27 Days/24 Nights

Tour operates Wednesday

Day 1. Wed: Sydney - Rio de Janeiro

Join an Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, a fascinating city set along a narrow alluvial strip between the mountains and the sea. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (L*,D*)

Day 2. Thu: Rio de Janeiro

Morning tour to the top of Corcovado Mountain to see the 40 metre high statue of Christ the Redeemer. Continue through the Tijuca Forest and the famous beaches of Leblon and Ipanema to your hotel. (B)

Day 3. Fri: Rio de Janeiro

Free day to discover the many attractions, including the Carnival atmosphere, of this cosmopolitan city. Go shopping, relax on Copacabana Beach or visit Sugar Loaf Mountain. (B)

Day 4. Sat: Rio de Janeiro

Morning tour to Petropolis, founded in 1843 as a summer refuge by Dom Pedro II and until 1962 the "summer capital" of Brazil. It now combines manufacturing industry, floral beauty and hill scenery. Visit the Imperial Palace, a modest but elegant building, containing the Crown Jewels and other imperial possessions. (B,L)

Day 5. Sun: Rio de Janeiro - Iguazu Falls

This morning transfer for your flight to the world's most spectacular waterfalls, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil. (B)

Day 6. Mon: Iguazu Falls

From the numerous walkways on the Argentine side, revel in the spectacular views of the Falls, as the Iguazu River hurtles over a cataract several kilometres wide into a churning cauldron 60 metres below. (B)

Day 7. Tue: Iguazu Falls - Buenos Aires

Morning tour to the Brazilian side and optional helicopter ride. Afternoon flight to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. (B)

Day 8. Wed: Buenos Aires

Morning sightseeing tour includes the President's Palace, Plaza Mayo, Avenida 9 de Julio, Colon Theatre, Cathedral and picturesque Boca waterfront. (B)

Day 9. Thu: Buenos Aires - La Paz

Morning flight to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world, located in a cauldron 300 metres below the surrounding Altiplano. Afternoon tour of the colonial sector, witchcraft market, residential zones and the weird landscape of Moon Valley. (B)

Day 10. Fri: La Paz

Free day to explore on your own and take optional tours. (B)

Day 11. Sat: La Paz - Puno

This morning your coach takes you to Huatajata and Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake. Here join your cruiser to Sun Island, the legendary birth place of the Incas, continuing onto Copacabana. After lunch, travel by coach through Pomata and Juli to reach Puno late in the afternoon. (B,L)

Day 12. Sun: Puno

Three hour boat ride to the floating islands of the Uros indians. (B)

Day 13. Mon: Puno - Cuzco

Full day train ride across the Altiplano to Cuzco, ancient Inca capital. At each stop you can buy handicrafts, llama and alpaca wool rugs and ponchos. (B)

Day 14. Tue: Cuzco

Visit the Main square, Cathedral Temple of the Sun and the ruins of the fortress of Saqsaywaman, Kenko and the Tambo Machay baths. (B,L)

Day 15. Wed: Cuzco - Machu Picchu

A three hour rail trip through scenic country parallel to the Inca Trail, beside the swift flowing Urubamba River. Join a mini-bus on a switch-back road to arrive at the spectacular ruins of this ancient city. Known as the 'Lost City', Machu Picchu remained hidden until 1911. Take a walk around the ruins, a maze of empty plazas, chambers and palaces connected by stairways carved out of solid rock, and marvel at the ingenuity of the Incas. Mid- afternoon return. (B,L)

Day 16. Thu: Cuzco - Puerto Maldonado

Morning flight to Puerto Maldonado offers the visitor an insight into jungle life and is an area with an abundance of bird and wildlife. It is located on the confluence of the Madre De Dios and Tambopata Rivers,arrival, you will be met and transferred to the port, from where you will be taken to your lodge by motorised canoe on a four hour trip during which you see changes from colonised deforested land to primary rainforest. Afternoon jungle hike to observe wildlife. (B,L,D)

Day 17. Fri: Lodge

Full day exploration of the surrounding rainforest including a jungle walk to an old Oxbow lake, rich in wildlife and lush forest. This afternoon bathe in a clear rainforest stream or take additional walks in the forest. (B,L,D)

Day 18. Sat: Lodge - Lima

Watch the sunrise on the river before returning to Puerto Maldonado for your flight to Lima, the capital of Peru and the centre of Spanish South America from its founding in 1535. After lunch at a famous seaside restaurant enjoy a city tour of Lima, often called the City of Kings, including Plaza De Armas with its imposing Cathedral, the Torre Tagle Palace, the Museum of Inquisition, the fascinating catacombs at the San Francisco Church and the modern districts of Miraflores and San Isidro. (B,L)

Day 19. Sun: Lima - Ica

Travel by coach some 300 kilometres south, through a torrid land of contrasts and long extensions of arid desert crossed by irrigated river valleys, to Ica, the wine region of Peru. (B)

Day 20. Mon: Ica

Today's optional tour is to the famous Nazca Lines, one of the world's great mysteries, where an unforgettable overflight is a must. Appreciate the enormous figures of animals, birds and people etched in the desert sands.

Day 21. Tue: Ica - Mexico City

Morning Ballestas Islands cruise to view sea lions, cormorants, pelicans, gannets and other abundant sea birds. Return by road to Lima for your flight to Mexico City (D*)

Day 22. Wed: Mexico City

On arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Day 23. Thu: Mexico City

Sightseeing tour of this ancient capital of the Aztecs. Visit Chapultepec Park, the National Palace, the Cathedral and drive along the famous Reforma Boulevarde.

Day 24. Fri: Mexico City

A fantastic morning will be spent visiting the fabled Shrine of Guadalupe, the Plaza of the Three Cultures, followed by the fabulous Pyramids of the Sun and Moon at Teotihuacan and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl.