Gran Aventura

47 days - from $6485

This is without doubt our most adventurous holiday in South America. It contains all the ingredients for a fantastic holiday and by the time we arrive at the sandy beaches of Rio, we can be sure that we will have experienced all the major highlights of this vast continent. Our adventure starts in Quito, Ecuador, and we travel across to the Amazon jungle, before turning southwards to the dry Sechura Desert of Peru that lies sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountain range. Further south we explore Lima then head eastwards to Cusco, the heart of the Inca Empire. We hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and stay with an Indian family on Lake Titicaca, before arriving in the Bolivian capital of La Paz. Next on the list are the colonial towns of Potosi, Sucre and Santa Cruz, before we reach the Brazilian frontier at Corumba. After visiting the Pantanal, one of South America’s most famous wildlife areas, we turn south to the Iguazu Falls and the Atlantic rainforests of the eastern seaboard. Finally we arrive at the spectacular beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in fabled Rio de Janeiro.

Highlights

• Choose your adventure in Bonito
• Christ the Redeemer
• Honey Island's ecological paradise
• Rio de Janeiro
• Spot jaguars in the Pantanal
• Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca
• Eat llama in La Paz
• La Paz - the world's highest 'unofficial' capital city
• The potions of 'Witches’ Market'
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed colonial city of Sucre
• The Serra Verde Express
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Iguaçu Falls
• Andean town of Banos
• Cotopaxi - the highest active snow-capped volcano in the world
• Devil’s Nose Railway
• The Amazon Basin
• Zorritos
• Puno - a town four kilometres above sea-level
• Warminwanusca - 'Dead Woman’s Pass' on the Inca Trail
• The 'Lost City of the Incas' - UNESCO World Heritage-listed Machu Picchu
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Colonial Quito
• Swig Inca Kola
• Surf’s up in Huanchaco
• Eat Cuy in Cusco
• The floating reed islands of the Uros people on the highest navigable lake in the world - Lake Titicaca
• The perfect pisco sour?
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed ancient Inca capital of Cusco
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre of the Peruvian capital Lima
• UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cuenca
• The panorama from Basilica del Voto Naciona

Itinerary:

Day 1: Quito2: Quito3: Amazon Jungle4: Amazon Jungle5-6: Banos7: Riobamba8: Devil's Nose Railway - Cuenca9: Cuenca10-12: Sechura Desert - Trujillo13-14: Chan Chan - Lima15-16: Lima17-18: Cusco19-22: Important Note19: Inca Trail to Yuncachimpa (13km)20: Inca Trail to Pacaymayo (11km)21: Inca Trail to Winaywayna (15km)22: Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (5km) - Cusco23: Cusco24: Cusco - Puno25: Lake Titicaca (Amantani Island Homestay)26: Puno27: Puno - Copacabana - La Paz28-29: La Paz - overnight bus30: Potosi31-32: Sucre33-34: Santa Cruz - overnight train35-36: Corumba - The Pantanal37-38: Bonito - Dourados39-40: Iguazu Falls - overnight bus41: Curitiba - Atlantic Rainforest42-43: Paranagua - Honey Island44: Honey Island - Curitiba - overnight bus45-46: Rio de Janeiro47: Rio de Janeiro

What's It Like?

Gecko's adventures offer authentic experiences and a genuine alternative to backpacking. Our trips are designed for younger travelers on a budget but do include the entrance fees to the ‘must see’ sights while not wasting your money on unnecessary frills. Itineraries utilize public transport and basic twin share accommodations in small locally owned hotels, the occasional multi-share, or simply floor space in a jungle or village hut. Many trips involve some physical activity, the occasional long traveling day and you will need to carry your own bags. On camping trips, meals are freshly prepared by our camp cook, but expect to put up and take down your tent, and assist with camp chores. On all trips we only use local tour leaders who are passionate about their homeland. This is travel, grassroots style - basic but rewarding.

Included:

An experienced tour guide in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and in Brazil, and there will be the services of local guides at some sites. All transportation, sightseeing, accommodation and meals as indicated.

International flights, arrival and departure transfers, departure and airport taxes, visas, all other meals, all optional tours or activities during free time, transfers outside of the tour program, travel insurance, tips and items of a personal nature.