Grand South America

Dining Summary

• 12 Dinner (D)
• 22 Breakfast (B)
• 13 Lunch (L)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
• Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
• Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.
• Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
• Machu Picchu: Seize the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu a second time on this Personalize Your Day option. After exploring the ancient Inca citadel with your Local Expert earlier in the day, you can personalize your experience and create and savor your own moment at this enigmatic fortress.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
• Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighborhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Santiago: Enjoy a Chilean seafood lunch with Wine. Mestizo Restaurante has incorporated aspects of international gastronomy to Chilean cuisine to create delicious ceviches, main dishes and desserts.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Buenos Aires: Meet the local gauchos and learn about the traditions of these South American Cowboys on a horseback ride.
• Buenos Aires: Explore the beautiful ranch on a leisurely walk, learning all about the gaucho lifestyle.

Additional Included Highlights

• Enjoy seamless personal assistance throughout your journey. From securing exclusive reservations, to organising transportation, your Travel Concierge ensures every aspect of your travel is tailored to your tastes and preferences.
• In select destinations, our network of Local Expert Guides will illuminate your journey on a deeper level.
• Included at all hotels.
• Hotel taxes, porterage and tips, as well as tips for included dining experiences, are included.
• Enjoy breakfast every morning, and an array of incredible dining options throughout your journey, infused with discovery and adventure.
• On days where a Relaxed Start (RS) is indicated, you can select to indulge in breakfast in bed.
• Enjoy complimentary hotel WiFi. And, on select coaches, onboard WiFi may also be available.
• Transfers are included on your journey start and end dates, and where additional accommodation has been booked in advance through Luxury Gold. Transfers to train stations or alternate hotels, in the same start or end city as the itinerary, may be requested.

Curated Experiences

• Lima: Visit the home of local artist Victor Delfin, known for his monumental El Beso sculpture at his workshop in the city's trendy Barranco district.
• Cusco: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you meet Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, a Quechua scholar, director of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. Learn about her mission to preserve traditional weaving techniques.
• Cusco: Savor a Pachamanca feast in the Sacred valley. This traditional way to slow cook local vegetables and meats using hot stones and clay pots underground is a communal rite in the Sacred Valley that dates back to pre-historic times. It is a way to celebrate and show gratitude to Pachamama, "Mother Earth".
• Lake Titicaca: Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience a you as you meet a local family on Amantani Island. Home to about 4,000 inhabitants, you'll discover how the traditions and language of the Inca culture are being kept alive on this remote location not commonly visited by tourists.
• Buenos Aires: Meet Alfredo Genovese at his Filetado workshop, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Learn about this traditional artwork that can be found throughout the city decorating trucks, murals, and signs.
• Ipanema: Meet Local Expert Cecelo, a local guitarist, music aficionado, and studio owner from Ipanema. Join him on a walking tour of Ipanema, the birthplace of Bossa Nova in the 1950s. Enjoy the sounds and sights of the place that inspired this new genre of samba music. After your tour, head back to your hotel where Cecelo will play you some Bossa Nova classics over a caipirinha cocktail.

Exceptional Dining

• Lima: You can relax before meeting your Travel Concierge at 18.00 for a Welcome Dinner where local flavors and contemporary culinary techniques highlight the pillars of Peruvian cuisine.
• Lima: Enjoy a fantastic seafood restaurant in the trendy neighborhood of Barranco in Lima. This restaurant offers Peruvian classics in a great outdoor ambiance underneath the lush trees.
• Sacred Valley: Your personalized Exceptional Dining experience finds you taking a short walk from the hotel to the gardens of Tambo del Inka. Refreshing welcome drink in-hand, follow the hotel gardener for a tour of expansive garden from which the hotel and its sister property source most of their ingredients. Sit down at a lovely wooden table with views of the garden and the surrounding mountains to dine on a decadent meal which may feature fish or chicken and a host of colorful, fresh vegetables.
• Sacred Valley: Experience a caja china lunch, a popular way to create a delicious meal in Peru, cooked in a wooden box.
• Machu Picchu: Enjoy lunch at Café Inkaterra, located between the Machu Picchu train tracks and surrounded by lush forest.
• Machu Picchu: Savor traditional Andean cuisine at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary.
• Cusco: Dine at MAP restaurant, one of the city's most prominent restaurants, situated on the lively, modern patio of the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art.
• Lake Titicaca: Sit down with community members for a farm-to-table lunch featuring ingredients grown on the island before exploring the terraced hillsides and viewing the skillfully made crafts the inhabitants are known for.
• Lima: Savor a creative array of seasonal dishes created by chef Arlette Eulert at Matria. This Peruvian restaurant boasts organic ingredients that change according to the season.
• Santiago: Enjoy a Chilean seafood lunch with Wine. Mestizo Restaurante has incorporated aspects of international gastronomy to Chilean cuisine to create delicious ceviches, main dishes and desserts.
• Head to Fogón Asado, opening exclusively for Luxury Gold this evening. Indulge at a restaurant that presents a new way of living the traditional Argentine 'asado'. During this experience, see, feel and taste the unique grilling techniques. Sip on a welcome cocktail and meet the chef. Start an exquisite 6-course tasting menu that includes the best cuts of meat, fire-roasted seasonal vegetables, traditional recipes, and much more that brings 'asado' to new heights.
• Buenos Aires: Savor a delicious meal, and enjoy fabulous live music, solo singers and a breathtaking display of authentic tango at Rojo Tango.
• Get a taste of gaucho life with a delicious asado Highlight Lunch.
• Iguassu Falls: Enjoy dinner with wine surrounded by a subtropical forest at Ipe Grill where you'll choose from a selection of traditional Brazilian barbecue or international cuisine.
• Rio de Janeiro: Enjoy an authentic lunch at a local churrascaria, a traditional Brazilian steakhouse. Here, servers come to your table with knives and skewers of delectable cuts of meat. A quintessential Brazilian experience.
• Rio de Janeiro: Your Farewell Celebration Dinner is served at the French-Brazilian E'toile Restaurant. Enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean from the 26th floor as you toast to your journey.

Founder's Collection

• Lima: If you are traveling on a Founder's Collection departure you will meet Dr. Canseco – a local politician who comes from a long lineage of Peruvian politicians and has started his own party in Peru. Visit his beautiful home for lunch and hear about his family's history and his own successful career.

Magnificent Stays

• Machu Picchu: This enchanting Andean village hotel is located within 12.3 acres of pristine cloud forest. The spectacular grounds are laced with paths that wind past waterfalls and trails, and organic gardens that wander through the misty forest. A place to relax, while exploring nature and encountering the wonders of the Incan civilization, experiencing authentic travel.
• Dating back nearly five centuries, the storied mansion of the Palacio del Inka stands in the historic center of Cusco. Directly across from the Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun), it is a five-minute walk from the main square and less than a mile from an array of museums, markets and restaurants. Uniting the past and present, Andes Spirit Spa presents indigenous treatments and an indoor therapy pool. Meanwhile, Inti Raymi Restaurant offers authentic Peruvian dishes.
• Iguassu Falls: Step through the doors into a world of understated luxury. The luxurious Belmond das Cataratas is the only hotel inside the National Park and sits alongside the falls. Soak up the jungle chorus while you float in the pool, stroll gardens bejewelled with orchids and sip caipirinhas as the sun goes down. Embark on the ultimate adventure at South America's first and only Forbes Five Star hotel, and you’ll never want to leave.

Passport Moments

• Sacred Valley: Learn from locals about the process of salt mining.The cascading salt terraces along this scenic canyon have been harvested using an evaporation technique since the times of the Incas and has been passed down by local families, who still harvest salt from it today to sell to the local market.
• Sacred Valley: A local shaman will perform a welcoming ceremony to the Sacred Valley and the mystical Andes Mountains that surround it.
• Ollantaytambo: Join a local expert and visit the ruins of Ollantaytambo. See the magnificent views of the ruins on the side of the cliffs above the Urubamba river.
• Machu Picchu: Experience Machu Picchu with a Local Expert. You’ll learn about Machu Picchu’s history and the use of each section of including ceremonial, storage, agriculture, temples, astronomical, and observatory as well as the possible reasons why the Incas left Machu Picchu.
• Sacred Valley: Travel back to the Sacred Valley by train, offering you great views with panoramic windows and an outdoor observation carriage.
• Visit the village of Lamay for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ® Experience with the locals. First stop at the guinea pig sheds to learn more about the animals and how this traditional activity evolved into a business opportunity in Lamay. Your immersive visit is organized by “La Base Lamay,” an initiative that involves locals from the village and nearby communities in tourism activities to generate fair and higher income. At a traditional chichería bar frequented by locals, learn about making “chicha de jora” (a traditional corn beer) and taste a healthy snack, called “picante”.
• Cusco: Join your Local Expert for a visit to the ruins of Sacsayhuman, on of the most important Incan sites and a UNESCO Cultural Heritage Site. You'll also visit Korikancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun, and the beautiful colonial neighborhood of San Blas and the magnificent Cathedral at Plaza de Armas which took 100 years to complete.
• Puno: Enjoy a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Umayo before visiting the archeological site of Sillustani. Explore the stone burial towers 'chullpas' that have dotted the shores since pre-Inca times.
• Lake Titicaca: Visit the Uros Floating Islands to learn about the lifestyle and customs of the local people and enjoy lunch with this community that bundles reeds from the lake to build floating platforms, houses and canoes.
• Santiago: Meet a Local Expert for an in-depth city exploration. Start out at the heart of the city, seeing the Chilean University, San Francisco Church and the Santa Lucia Hill. Then visit the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. Cross the Mapocho river to the bohemian Bellavista district on the way to San Cristobal Hill, where you will have the best views of Santiago and the Andes Mountains.
• Santiago: Visit Kingston Family Winery, a small boutique winery located in Casablanca Valley for an introduction to and tasting of their exquisite wines.
• Valparaiso: From Santiago, head west towards Valparaíso. Pass by the main square where you can see the monument honoring the 1879 Naval Battle of Iquique. Declared a World Heritage by UNESCO, Valparaíso offers unique ocean landscapes with colorful neighborhoods, picturesque cobblestone streets, and old cable cars.
• Buenos Aires: Take a tour of this historical and prestigious opera house and explore the Main Hall, Foyer, Bustos Gallery and the Golden Hall.
• Iguassu Falls: Head to the Argentinean side of Iguassu Falls and view the unfathomable Devil's Throat.
• Iguassu Falls: Join a local expert for a spectacular walk past thundering curtains of water and misty rainbows on the Brazilian side of the falls. Explore the base of the falls and see the impressive panoramic view of San Martin Island.
• Iguassu Falls: See several native birds in their natural habitat. One of the largest bird parks in Latin America, the Bird Park is an integrated conservation center for birds of the Atlantic Forest and is home to 120 species of birds.
• Rio de Janeiro: Experience sightseeing with a Local Expert and a cable car journey to the lofty heights of Sugarloaf Mountain.
• Rio de Janeiro: Visit this beautiful library that was built in the heart of Rio by the Portuguese monarchy.
• Rio de Janeiro: Visit the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, one of the most important cultural centers in the country. Admire the Art Deco design by Francisco Joaquim Bethencourt da Silva.
• Rio de Janeiro: Take a train ride up Corcovado Hill through the Tijuca National Forest to the open arms of Christ the Redeemer and magnificent views over the legendary bay.

Personalise your day

• Lima: Take a guided visit of the Monastery and its catacombs.
• Lima: Visit the historic Torre de Tagle Palace and the Central Reserve Bank museum.
• Machu Picchu: Visit a working tea plantation.
• Machu Picchu: View the world's largest private collection of indigenous orchids around your hotel surrounded by the Cloud Forest.
• Machu Picchu: Embark on a twilight nature walk where your guide will point out medicinal plants, sacred Pre-Inca pictographs, and an enchanting waterfall in the Cloud Forest.
• Machu Picchu: Seize the opportunity to return to Machu Picchu a second time on this Personalize Your Day option. After exploring the ancient Inca citadel with your Local Expert earlier in the day, you can personalize your experience and create and savor your own moment at this enigmatic fortress.
• Cusco: Visit the ruins of Tambo Machay and enjoy a leisurely 3.7 mile (6 km) downhill walk back to Cusco as you pass the ruins of Puca Pucara and Quenguo.
• Cusco: Return to Cusco by vehicle and visit San Blas church and the surroundings of this fascinating artsy neighborhood of Cusco. After San Blas, continue to San Pedro market for some local shopping and insight into Peruvian produce.
• Buenos Aires: Meet the local gauchos and learn about the traditions of these South American Cowboys on a horseback ride.
• Buenos Aires: Explore the beautiful ranch on a leisurely walk, learning all about the gaucho lifestyle.