A Unique Peru / Argentina Itinerary - Lima, Cusco Cuzco, Buenos Aires, Pumamarca, Jujuy, Cordoba

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This safari is for the month of June. At this time it is too cold to go down to Patagonia

Day 1 - Arrive in Lima, Peru at 10:15pm.

Day 2 - Orient Express Monasterio de Cusco Hotel - Cusco Cuzco, Peru

Depart Lima on Lan Peru LP 131 at 9:40am to Cusco, arriving 10:50am. Met upon arrival by your guide and taken to The Hotel Monasterio. Built in 1592 as a Monastery, it retains a Spanish colonial aura with its charmed colonnaded courtyards and barrel arched public rooms. It is only a ten-minute drive from the airport and just two blocks from the Plaza de Armas, Cuzco's central square, where the cathedral and most important museums are located. Cusco is an amazing and magical city where you can enjoy the charming mixture of old Inca, Spanish and Colonial culture.

This unique hotel museum is an architectural treasure built on Inca foundations with a beautiful chapel adorned with extraordinary gold ornaments. It combines the solemnity of a colonial monastery with the luxury, elegance, comfort and excellent quality of a modern five-star hotel. The original architecture and design of the Monasterio has not been significantly altered, and thus the rooms do reflect their origins as a home for Jesuit seminarians. There are no 2 rooms alike and they all vary in size and format.

Cusco's 11,300-foot altitude demands acclimatization. We strongly recommend you lie down and rest for at least two hours in order to adjust to the high altitude. Drink a lot of water and NO alcohol the first two days, and eat light. Drink coca-tea (you will find a tea-pot at the hotel lobby, it's the best antidote against altitude sickness) and reduce physical efforts as climbing stairs, etc. The Hotel Monasterio has counteracted the sickness altitude problem introducing the oxygen supplementation system in most of their rooms. A light lunch is recommended at the hotel. (Not included).

Your guide will meet you in the afternoon for a walking tour of this unique and picturesque city.

Cuzco is surrounded by the wonders of nature and impressive architectural ruins. Visit the Main Square, where you can purchase colorful crafts and appreciate the curious and charming design of the stone walkways and streets, as well as the beautiful arcades where shops and craft boutiques offer varied souvenirs, designed by local craftsmen.

Other options available to more adventurous visitors include a canoe ride on the Urumbamba River or trekking along the Inca Trail. Hot springs in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes give weary tourists the chance of a relaxing bath.

Dine independently. The hotel's restaurant is excellent, or Kusikuy (348 Plateros street) features local cuisine, soups with quinacs, hearty soups, stuffed chilly peppers, roast guinea pig. Also, the charming glass enclosed second story cafes and restaurants such as Tumupa, around the beautifully lit main Square, have great views while you eat.

Days 3 and 4 - Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge - Peru

You will be collected from the Monasterio at 6:15am and transfer to the Poroy train station to take the Orient Express Train departing at 6:45am toward the mysterious Machu Picchu, known as the last refuge of the Incas.

Descend at kilometer 104 and walk with your guide along the Inca Trail for 6 hours, including a special picnic lunch. During the walk you will see wonderful landscapes and ruins. It is a thrilling and unforgettable experience to arrive to Machu Picchu by the Inkti Puntu (Sun Gate), the royal entrance of the Incas and view the breathtaking citadel below. This evening you will be taken on a special visit to the Citadel.

Day 4 - Day at leisure exploring Machu Picchu.

Spend two nights at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, located within the very sanctuary of the Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, one of the most famed examples of Inca architecture.

Day 5 - K'uychy Rumi Hotel

After breakfast at the hotel, at 8:30am transfer by bus (25 minutes) to the station of Aguas Calientes. Take the Orient Express Train at 10:30am arriving at Ollantaytambo station.

Visit the archaeological remains and stop for buffet lunch at Estancia de Huayocari. This afternoon you will visit Pisac and other substantial Inca ruins in the Sacred Valley.

Day 6 - Monasterio de Cusco Hotel

After breakfast, visit the village of Maras and Chinchero with its lovely church built on an Inca Temple. Chinchero was once the country estate of one of the last emperors, Tupa Inca. Palace walls were constructed of large stones put together like giant jigsaw puzzles. Inside, the palace would have been light and bright with windows to allow the sun's rays to shine on gold and silver objects and fine weavings.

Visit its handicraft and food market and see a demonstration of traditional weaving. Typical lunch on the way is included.

Days 7 and 8 - Lima, Peru

In the morning visit to the amazing fortress of Sacsahuaman, and witness a special ceremony by Shaman Nazario by the ruins before returning to the hotel. Transfer from the hotel to Cusco airport for departure to Lima on Lan Perú 38 at 4:30pm, arriving 5:50pm. Met and transfer to Country Club Lima, the finest hotel in Lima, and spend the next day exploring this famous city.

Day 9 and 10 - Alvear Palace Hotel - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Transfer to Lima airport. Depart on Lan Peru LP 441 at 1:40am to Buenos Aires, arriving 7:55am. (Lan Peru flight - own arrangements) Met on arrival, and transferred from Ezeiza International airport to Sofitel Hotel, a 45 minute drive. As check in time is at 3:00 pm, leave bags at the hotel and go out for a walk and find some lunch. Day at leisure in Buenos Aires.

Day 10 - Breakfast at the hotel. Met by your guide for a half-day city tour of Buenos Aires, finishing up at the famous antiques street fair at San Telmo. In the afternoon there will you will be escorted to your seats for a Division One Soccer Match. A Latin American soccer game is an experience not to be missed!

The vibrancy of this city catches you by surprise at every corner, from the Parisian style squares to the art galleries.

You will be collected this evening at 8:30 pm and transfer to El Viejo Alamacen for dinner and tango show. You will be transferred back to the Sofitel around midnight.

Day 11 and Day 12 - Estancia La Alegria Lodge

Early breakfast at the hotel before transferring from the Sofitel to the Domestic Airport (15 minutes) for your departure on Aerolineas Argentinas AR 1750 at 6:22am to Posadas, arriving 7:50am. Met at Posadas Airport and drive to visit the fascinating 300-year-old San Ignacio Mini Jesuit Ruins, before continuing on to Estancia La Alegria Lodge, Misiones Province, Mesopotamia. (Approximately a 3.5-hour drive.) Marcelo and Patricia Geier, the owners of La Alegria, will host you here.

Day 12 - Spend the full day at La Alegria enjoying the tropical forest and all the many activities offered at the estancia: ATV, horse riding through the rain forest, 4-wheel drives, hiking or mountain biking in the jungle to discover hidden waterfalls, exploring local villages.

Estancia La Alegria Lodge - Full board.

Days 13, 14, 15, 16 - Sheraton International Iguazu Hotel

Morning at La Alegria to enjoy the countryside and activities offered. After lunch you will be driven from La Alegria to the Sheraton International Iguazu Hotel (1 ½ hour). This is an unattractive yet very comfortable hotel in easy walking distance of the Falls. Use the rest of afternoon to walk the Upper Trail for a close-up view of the Falls. Dinner at the hotel is suggested for tonight.

Day 14 - 10:00 a.m. Take the Great Adventure Ride - a one hour excursion which consists of a 4x4 open Jeep drive through the jungle sighting flora & fauna, and an exciting boat ride upstream along Devil's Throat Canyon to approach the main falls "Three Musketeers", "San Martin" and "Bosetti", a thrilling experience. Be prepared to get wet!

Cross to San Martin Island and after viewing the Falls from many different vantage points, return by the Lower Circuit Trail, a walk up the path across the rainforest admiring the falls from below. Lunch at leisure. Suggested at the Sheraton Iguazú Hotel or the National Park Kiosks. (Lunch not included)

This afternoon you will take a guided visit to the Falls across the National Park by small train and catwalks to Devil's Throat, the largest and most spectacular fall. Return by boat floating the Upper Iguazu River to sight toucans, caymans and other flora and fauna.

Day 16 - Morning at leisure or if you feel comfortable, take a taxi and drive across the Argentine border to Brazil (45 minutes) and visit Parque Das Aves, a wonderful Bird Park with many local species free to fly in huge cages, often the only way you will see many of them. There are also lovely butterflies too. Continue to visit the Brazilian Falls taking a nature walk to enjoy the amazing panoramic views, which are very different from the Argentine side.

Lunch independently.

You will be collected at 1:30 pm from the hotel for your Iguazu Forest Adventure where you will trek in the Iguassu Forest, rappel from a tree and through the falls, and Tyrolese between two trees in the jungle! Be prepared to get wet and muddy. You will return to the Sheraton at approximately 6pm.

Day 17 - Alvear Palace Hotel - Buenos Aires - Argentina

Breakfast at the hotel, take an early morning guided bird walk through the forest, or spend it at leisure to relax or walk the Macuco trail. Check out at 11:30 a.m. You will be collected at 12:00pm and transfer from Sheraton Iguazu Hotel to Iguazu Airport (15 min) for Aerolineas Argentinas AR 1725 departing at 1:10pm to Buenos Aires domestic airport AEP, arriving 3:00pm. Met upon arrival and transferred from Domestic Airport to the Alvear Palace Hotel (15 minutes).

Day 18 - El Manantial del Silencio Hotel - Pumamarca - Jujuy - Argentina

After breakfast you will be collected at 9:40am and transfer from the Sofitel to Aeroparque Domestic airport for departure at 10:55am on Aerolíneas Argentinas AR 1494 to Jujuy, arriving at 2:10 pm. Pick up your rental car at airport and drive north from Jujuy, through the Quebrada de Humahuaca to El Manantial del Silencio Hotel (one hr 15 mins drive) in Purmamarca, Detailed directions and a map will be provided. Quebrada de Humahuaca follows the line of a major cultural route, the Camino Inca, along the spectacular valley of the Rio Grande, from its source in the cold high desert plateau of the High Andean lands, to its confluence with the Rio Leone some 150 km to the south. The valley shows substantial evidence of its use as a major trade route over the past 10,000 years. It features visible traces of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, of the Inca Empire (15th to 16th centuries) and of the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Afternoon at leisure to visit Purmamarca and the surroundings on your own.

El Manantial del Silencio - Double rooms with breakfast.

Rental car - VW Polo full w/4doors w/air conditioning includes taxes & insurance, drop off at Salta airport.

Day 19 & 20 - Estancia El Bordo de las Lanzas

Breakfast at the hotel. Self drive to El Bordo de las Lanzas through the Humahuaca Gorge where you will see the picturesque colonial and Indian villages and beautiful scenery. (Approx 2 hour drive depending on stops to visit the quaint villages along the way.) Rest of the day to enjoy activities at El Bordo.

Day 20 - Full day to enjoy the activities at the estancia: trekking, horse-ride on dainty Peruvian Paso horses, visit of the working ranch, tobacco and sugar cane plantations, the lagoon with alligators.

Days 21, 22 & 23 - Estancia Dos Lunas - Cordoba - Argentina

Enjoy your morning at El Bordo before departing at 1:00pm to self-drive to Salta airport, a 45-minute drive. Drop off your rental car. Depart on Aerolineas Argentinas AR 1497 at 2:55pm to Cordoba, arriving 4:05pm. Met upon arrival and transfer from Cordoba airport to Estancia Dos Lunas (1.5 hour drive).

Dos Lunas is a beautiful 7,000-acre estancia in the heart of the imposing geography of the Cordoba sierras. Your hosts Juan and Teresa Fernandez Ocampo will make you feel completely at home, with all the pampering of a small hotel!

The culinary experience at Dos Lunas is unforgettable. An authentic refined country-style fare in an ambience that fosters lingering after-meals. Breakfast and tea with home baked bread, fried pastries, croissants, the homemade marmalades of Doña Irene, fresh fruit juices and local honey. Lunches and dinners are all with produce from the region; traditional Argentine open fire barbecues of fine beef are served by the pool, with the option of delicious picnic lunches when you go on a ride.

Days 22 and 23 - Enjoy the fabulous outdoors at Dos Lunas. The idea here is not to be idle but rather to go out hiking at leisure or on horseback into the surrounding mountains on well organized pony-treks (which need no previous experience). You eat off crisp tablecloths and (should you wish) sleep in wonderful tents, each one with its own dainty little basket of necessities. Bird watching. The countryside is spectacular. You will walk the lovely terrain surrounding the house, rolling hills or climb to the top of a hill, to view the breathtaking scenery of Alto Ongamira. Even if you have never been on a horse before, or feel uneasy about this new experience, you should not miss a horseback ride. Your adventure will start at the corral, where the farm hands saddle the horses to start you on your way.

There are many sightseeing opportunities here. Drive along red earth roads, amongst palm trees and to the sound of water tumbling among the rocks. The wilderness softens and a more tranquil landscape appears, the scenery captured by the artist, Fernando Fader. You can visit his house museum in Loza Corral, built by Fader in 1920 with bricks made by himself. Only a stone's throw away is Ischillín Viejo, a mirage comprising an attractive church (1706), a dozen or so colored houses and a 400-year-old carob tree.

Then begins the descent in the direction of Cañada de Río Pinto, south bound to Santa Catalina and Ascochinga. Santa Catalina appears suddenly, solitary, majestic and proudly challenging the passage of time. It has not been restored - and therein lies its magic. A mysterious halo envelopes this, the most important Jesuit Estancia of the 17th and 18th centuries. When the Jesuits were expelled, Don Francisco Antonio Diaz, the Mayor of Cordoba, bought the estancia. His descendants are the current owners and they have preserved it well through the centuries. The cemetery, with its baroque gate and church can be visited.

The architectural beauty of the exterior is overwhelming and contrasts with the simplicity of the nave -sadly stripped bare. The beautiful main altar made of golden carob wood; the carved door, the two side altars and some Potosi paintings are the only relics of a splendid past. Luckily, La Ranchería has been reborn among the ruins. It is a pleasure to stop for a drink in this cross between a bar and an antique shop.

Candonga, a true icon of Cordoba religious architecture, was the oratory of the Santa Gertrudis estancia, and important mule station on the ancient Camino Real (Royal road) to Alto Peru. Although not of Jesuit origins, it is my favorite and absolutely unforgettable. In May 1999 three people from Cordoba opened and inn that literary encloses the wall of the old estancia, they rebuilt the water mill that still works with the original millstone, and are now working on the chapel, which dates from 1730. It is slightly smaller that the original but still has vaulted arches and is beautifully presented.

A journey along the Camino Viejo (Old road) from Ascochinga to La Cumbre, the mule road that took the mule trains past Candonga, is a full day's trip and is unforgettable. For climbers, it is possible to organize a full-day excursion to climb the Uritorco hill, famously known for its magical and energetic sources. Paragliding is also offered at Capilla del Monte, located only 30 km from Dos Lunas. (There is an additional charge for the climbing and paragliding) Estancia Dos Lunas.

Day 24 - Departure to the U.S.