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On this 15 days adventure through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil, you'll experience the South American continent with its diverse contrasts. The trip offers an unforgettable experience with a colorful array of cultures, peoples, and unique landscapes! Explore the historic cities of Lima and Cusco, visit the world-famous ruins of Machu Picchu, and marvel at the breathtaking Iguazu Falls. In Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, you’ll immerse yourself in vibrant culture. Optional excursions offer additional exciting activities! An unforgettable adventure tour that brings you closer to the beauty and diversity of South America!
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South America is a gigantic continent with the most diverse contrasts. This tour through Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil will be an unforgettable experience for you. South America is home to a colorful array of cultures, peoples, and unique landscapes. Each country has its own characteristics that will captivate you.
Arrival at Lima airport, where you will be greeted by a German-speaking guide and transferred to your hotel. The Peruvian capital, Lima, was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Here, you’ll encounter both decaying colonial splendor and the bustling vitality of an oriental bazaar. Lima has melancholic, overcast winters and light, warm summers, with old, dignified buildings in quiet, upscale areas where the evening air smells of jasmine, right next to sprawling slums.
Mid-range Accommodation: Overnight at Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Lima Miraflores 3* or similar (Standard room)
Today, you'll enjoy a city tour of Lima. First, you’ll visit the colonial downtown with the Plaza de Armas, where you’ll see the Government Palace, City Hall, the Archbishop’s Palace, and the Cathedral – some of the most magnificent buildings in this historic square. Next, you’ll visit the San Francisco Monastery, which holds the largest collection of religious art in the Americas. The highlight of this visit is the catacombs. Afterward, you’ll head to Plaza San Martín, which has been lovingly restored after several earthquakes. The tour continues through the modern residential areas of San Isidro and Miraflores, ending at the Pacific coast, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the sea.
Mid-range Accommodation: Overnight at Hotel Hilton Garden Inn Lima Miraflores 3* or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
In the morning, you'll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Cusco. After arrival, you'll be taken to your hotel. Cusco – just as the tourist paths lead there today, in ancient times, all roads led to Cusco when it was the capital of the Inca Empire. Situated at an altitude of 3500 meters in the fertile Vilcanota Valley, Cusco is still the indigenous center of the Andes and the capital of a people who, over thousands of years, have physically adapted perfectly to life in the oxygen-poor heights.
Today, you’ll explore Cusco on a city tour that takes you to the most important sights from the Inca Empire and the colonial era. On your tour, you'll visit Koricancha, the Temple of the Sun. The Catholic convent of Santo Domingo was built on the same site, and some of the Inca walls from the temple were reused for the convent. You’ll continue on to the cathedral, built on the ruins of the palace of Inca Wiracocha, which is known for its collection of colonial artworks from the Cusqueña School. You’ll stroll through Loreto Street, where many old buildings and remarkably preserved Inca walls can be found.
Afterward, you’ll leave the city center to visit the outskirts of Cusco, where important ruins from the Inca Empire can be found. Among other things, you’ll visit the archaeological site of the Sacsayhuaman fortress, whose massive zigzag walls, built from huge stones, have withstood the centuries remarkably well.
Note: To protect the historic city center of Cusco, vehicles are no longer allowed to drive through the main square.
Overnight at Hotel Jose Antonio 3* or similar (Standard room)
Flight from Lima to Cusco not included
Transfer from hotel to Lima airport
Transfer from Cusco airport to hotel
Meals: Breakfast
The day is yours to spend as you wish. The following excursions can be optionally booked through our local office:
Overnight at Hotel Jose Antonio 3 or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
The ancient city of Machu Picchu was only discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, who was actually searching for the ruins of Vilcabamba, the lost stronghold of the last Inca. Machu Picchu is usually seen as a refuge known only to a select few and hidden from the Spanish. Other theories suggest that Machu Picchu served as a research and training site as well as an observatory, which is supported by recent findings.
After breakfast, the full-day excursion to Machu Picchu begins. First, you’ll take a bus to the train station in Ollantaytambo, where you’ll board the train to Machu Picchu. The beautiful train ride on the Vistadome train takes you through the fertile plains of the Urubamba Valley to Aguas Calientes. The landscape constantly changes along the way. Upon arrival in Aguas Calientes, the train station at the base of Machu Picchu, the final leg of the journey is a shuttle bus ride up the winding road to the ancient city. This is followed by a roughly two-hour guided tour of the world-famous ruins.
After the tour, you’ll take the shuttle bus back to Aguas Calientes, where the train will return to Ollantaytambo. From there, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight at Hotel Jose Antonio 3 or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
Today, you’ll take a full-day bus ride from Cusco to Puno. The journey takes you through the Peruvian highlands, passing snow-capped mountain peaks as you climb to over 4,300 meters and then descend into Puno, which sits right on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Along the way, you’ll visit the town of Andahuaylillas, the ruins of Racchi, and the small town of Pucara. Lunch is included.
Note: The bus ride is shared with international travelers and includes a guide who speaks either German or English.
Overnight at Hotel Jose Antonio Puno 3-4 or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
You’ll cross the border into Bolivia and continue to Copacabana, perhaps the most important pilgrimage site in Latin America, after which the famous beach in Rio de Janeiro is named. You’ll visit the pilgrimage church. A catamaran ride will take you across Lake Titicaca to the Island of the Sun, where, according to legend, the Inca Sun God once lived. You’ll visit a local museum on the island, and lunch will be served on board. From the Island of the Sun, you’ll continue across the lake to Cocotoni, and from there, a bus will take you to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world. La Paz sits 4,000 meters above sea level, in a canyon where there’s hardly a green spot to be found. Even oxygen is scarce. But the liveliness and vibrancy that the landscape lacks can be found in abundance in the people and their culture.
Note: The catamaran ride and bus transfer from Cocotoni to La Paz are shared with international travelers, with a private guide.
Overnight at Hotel Presidente 3 or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast, the program begins with a city tour through the city, founded in 1548 by Captain Alonzo de Mendoza, whose center is at an altitude of about 3600m. The city still has many well-preserved buildings from the colonial era and the picturesque Indian market still takes place in the narrow streets of the old town. A nice little detour to a geological oddity of Mother Nature leads through the chic suburbs of La Paz to the Valley of the Moon, Valle de la Luna, in the valley of the La Paz River. Over millions of years, wind and rain have carved a tectonic nightmare out of reddish and gray rock: a desolate lunar landscape that is a must-see.
Overnight stay at the Hotel Presidente 3* or similar (standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
City tour in La Paz (4h)
In the morning, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival, you’ll be taken to your hotel. Buenos Aires is not only the capital of Argentina but also one of the top ten most important cities in the world and the center of the country’s political, economic, and intellectual life. Buenos Aires is also considered the most elegant and lively city in South America, shining with an excellent culinary scene and exquisite taste in fashion – visible in the many boutiques and the streets of this cosmopolitan metropolis.
Despite its modernity and dynamic energy, Buenos Aires has managed to preserve old traditions and charming, typical corners. The atmosphere and unique character of the various “barrios” (neighborhoods), the warmth of the people, and the diverse cultural and commercial offerings fascinate every visitor.
The evening is free for you to spend as you wish. Optionally, you can book the following excursion through our local partner office:
At the Viejo Almacen restaurant, you’ll first be served dinner, and afterward, you’ll cross the street to the showhouse, where a tango show is on the program. The performers at Viejo Almacen will showcase various styles of tango and milonga.
Overnight at Cyan Hotel De Las Americas 3 or similar (Standard room)
Included meals: Breakfast
Transfer: Hotel – La Paz Airport
Flight: La Paz – Buenos Aires (with layover, not included)
Transfer: Buenos Aires Airport – Hotel
During the city tour you will drive to the main square Plaza de Mayo, where the government palace, the Casa Rosada (pink house) as well as the Cabildo (city hall) and the metropolitan cathedral are located, which you can visit. Then you will drive to San Telmo, which was a river port until 1888. The old little houses and cobbled streets give the district a special flair. A very nice flea market is held here every Sunday. The journey continues to the port district of La Boca, which has become a famous tourist attraction because of its brightly painted tin houses. The famous street El Caminito will also be visited. This is followed by a visit to the sophisticated district of Recoleta, where the famous cemetery of the same name with Evita's grave is located. At 140m, Avenida 9 de Julio is said to be the widest boulevard in the world. The famous obelisk and the opera house, the Teatro Colón, are located here. Finally, there is a drive through the Palermo district with its extensive parks and gardens, a world-class polo field and a race track from the turn of the century. Return to the hotel.
Overnight stay at the Cyan Hotel De Las Americas 3* or similar (standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
Half-day city tour (4h)
After breakfast, transfer to the national airport and flight to Iguassu, from there on to visit the Argentinian side of the falls. Iguassu is without doubt the greatest natural wonder in southern Brazil: a gigantic series of waterfalls that plunge through a gorge onto the Iguassu River on the border with Paraguay and Argentina. A total of 275 waterfalls thunder down a 3km wide abyss, creating a perpetual spray decorated with an eternal rainbow. All of this in the middle of a subtropical forest, whose green splendor surrounds this untamed natural spectacle with an aura of the primal. Due to their size and untouched location in the tropical jungle at the border triangle of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, the falls are among the most impressive natural sights in South America. While on the Brazilian side you can mainly enjoy the panorama of the falls, on the Argentinian side you can hike very close to the individual waterfalls on the lower and upper circular trails. The Ecological Jungle train takes you to the Devil's Gorge station, from where a short walk leads to the spectacular viewpoint of the Devil's Gorge. Then drive over the Tancredo Neves Bridge over the Iguassú River, which forms the natural border between Brazil and Argentina, and enter Brazil. Transfer to the hotel.
Overnight at Hotel Viale Cataratas 3* or similar (standard room)
Meals included: Breakfast
Transfer hotel - Buenos Aires airport
Flight Buenos Aires - Iguazu (not included)
Visit to the Argentine side of the falls
Transfer to the hotel
On the Brazilian side of the falls, you’ll have a truly panoramic view – from a viewing platform near the Devil’s Throat, you’ll experience the falls up close. A narrow walkway leads to the lower level of the waterfalls, where you’ll be surrounded by roaring water, mist, and spray, the lush green of the jungle, uprooted trees, and a semi-circular rainbow.
The afternoon is free for you to spend as you wish.
Overnight at Hotel Viale Cataratas 3 or similar (Standard room)
Meals: Breakfast
Once in Brazil: Transfer to the airport and flight to Rio de Janeiro, followed by a transfer from the airport to your hotel.
Rio de Janeiro offers an incredible setting with its lush vegetation, deep blue sea, and white sandy beaches. It’s a city between mountains and the sea, with friendly locals known as Cariocas, a wealth of cultural and entertainment options, and numerous shopping experiences. The streets and sidewalks of Rio accommodate about eight million people and a million cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and scooters every day, all vying for space in a city where only a third of the room is available. This spectacular chaos, however, does not dampen the enthusiasm of a Carioca. For a Carioca, everything is relative except one thing – the wonder and beauty of Rio de Janeiro.
The rest of the day is free for you to explore on your own.
Overnight at Hotel Mirador Rio Copacabana 3-4 or similar (Superior room)
Included meals: Breakfast
Transfer: Hotel – Iguazu Airport
Flight: Iguazu – Rio de Janeiro (not included)
Transfer: Rio de Janeiro Airport – Hotel
You’ll be picked up at the hotel and driven to the Cosme Velho Station, where you’ll board the cogwheel train that takes you through the Tijuca Rainforest up to the Corcovado Mountain. The train ride lasts 20 minutes and offers a great chance to get a closer look at the dense tropical vegetation and enjoy the stunning views over the beaches and city. You’ll get off at the Corcovado Mountain and take a few steps up to the summit, where the towering Christ the Redeemer statue stands. After taking in the breathtaking view, you’ll return by train.
The tour continues along some of Rio’s world-famous beaches to Urca Beach. There, you’ll board the cable car, which takes you in two stages to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. On the way back, you’ll pass through Flamengo Park along the Guanabara Bay to the city center. You’ll explore the city center, including the business and financial district, the Candelaria Church (Cathedral), St. Sebastian Cathedral, the Lapa Arches, the Municipal Theater, the National Library, the Fine Arts Museum, and the Sambadrome, where the famous parades take place annually.
Overnight at Hotel Mirador Rio Copacabana 3-4 or similar (Superior room)
Meals: Breakfast
Excursion: City tour, Sugarloaf & Corcovado
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for your individual flight back to Europe or your next destination.
Meals: Breakfast
14 nights including breakfast
All transfers
Excursions as described
Meals as described
Local German-speaking tour guide (except transfer in Cusco-Puno with English-speaking tour guide)
Entry and baggage fees, tax and service charge in the hotels
Travel insurance certificate (insolvency insurance according to BGB §651r) is mandatory for all OVERCROSS trips.
Flights & airport fees (international & national, can be booked separately)
Optionals: can be easily booked with our local partners, your guide will inform you in advance
Foreign health insurance (mandatory!)
Everything that is NOT listed under included services
Der Reiseveranstalter OVERCROSS® ist seit über zwei Jahrzehnten mit der Insolvenzabsicherung nach §651r und §651w für den Reisenden abgesichert!
Der Reiseveranstalter OVERCROSS® ist seit über zwei Jahrzehnten mit der Insolvenzabsicherung nach §651r und §651w für den Reisenden abgesichert!