22-Nights Ultimate South America With Arequipa & Colca Canyon

22 nights from: $6,725

Discover some of South America's greatest cities-Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Lima-and some of its most fascinating sites and spectacular scenery on this South America tour. You'll overnight in Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls, Buenos Aires, Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa, and Colca Canyon. Guided sightseeing in each of the cities features the must-see sites. In Rio, take the cog railway to the summit of Corcovado to view the famous Christ the Redeemer statue. Your time in Buenos Aires includes a visit to Recoleta Cemetery, burial place for Eva Peron. In Lima, your sightseeing focuses on the city's colonial heritage. Highlights of this South America tour include time at Iguassu Falls on both the Brazilian and Argentine sides. Experience the falls, hear the thundering roar, be amazed at the brilliant rainbows created by the clouds of spray, and stand in awe as you witness these 275 falls spanning nearly two miles! You’ll also be amazed at Machu Picchu, set in a majestic mountainside with ruins dating back to the 15th century. Glimpse the ancient history and culture as you enjoy this stunning and mystical place. Other tour highlights include a visit to the Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo and the Temple of Sacsayhuaman, with stones weighing up to 350 tons. Time in Peru's Lake Titicaca, a lake of floating islands maintained over centuries by the indigenous people, gives you a chance to experience the world's highest navigable lake and to learn about local practices. At Colca Canyon, an impressive geological formation more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, you’ll witness condors soaring majestically above the canyon walls, marvel at the canyon, and relax at La Calera hot springs before time in Arequipa, known as the "White City" for its buildings made of volcanic rock. This South America tour designed for the value-minded traveler is a dream vacation!

Sparkling in the sun, Arequipa is called the White City because of the sillar, a white volcanic stone that makes up its buildings, modern ones as well as Spanish colonial. Peru's second-largest city sits surrounded by towering mountains—including the 19,000-ft/5,800-m volcano El Misti. Free Arequipa Travel
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Laura Schultz

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Alexis Cole

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The city itself is the home of the monastery of La Recoleta (with a museum and library) and several interesting churches, but its highlight is the Santa Catalina Convent. Built in the late 16th century (but closed to the public until 1970), it was a self-contained community, a place where nuns could worship and live without leaving the convent. Walk through the well-preserved structure, soak up the peaceful atmosphere and discover the tiny, secluded plazas and lovely courtyards within.

From Arequipa, take a guided tour of Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world (10,500 ft/3,191 m deep). (Day trips are possible, but they require many hours in a bus and are not recommended; two- or three-day trips are preferable.) Several local agencies arrange two-day trips with pleasant overnights in rural hotels. A journey to the canyon offers a view of extensive pre-Incan and Incan agricultural terracing, some of which is still farmed today, as well as a chance to see Andean condors at Cruz del Condor, a lookout point.

Adventurous travelers can follow in the footsteps of the chasqui, the Incan foot messengers, and trek the canyon. The Cotahuasi Canyon is more remote than the Colca, but it is the deepest in the world, with stretches as low as 10,857 ft/3,300 m. It is located 125 mi/200 km northwest of Arequipa. Or visit the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca, a nature reserve with stunning lakes and salt flats, located high in the surrounding mountains. The area is about 465 mi/750 km southeast of Lima by air. By road, the distances are closer to 625 mi/1,000 km.