Challenge:

Adventure

Destination:

*Brazil, Peru

Departure Dates From:

04/01/2009

Duration:

13 weeks

Kitty:

£ 0

Brazil - Kingdoms and Carnivals, 88 days Rio to Lima

Rio to Lima or vice versa. Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. This extensive trip offers an overview of the most amazing and fascinating high-lights of the South American continent.

It is possible to finish this trip in Quito!!

These trips depart twice per year. The trip costs £1825, with a local payment of $1390usd, this should be paid on the first day of your trip locally.

This extensive trip offers an overview of the most amazing and fascinating highlights of the South American continent, combining adventure travel in Ecuador with the highlights youll experience on tours in Peru and Bolivia and ending on a high with the best sights you can see in Brazil. The lush Amazon jungles of Ecuador, the majestic kingdoms of the Incas in Peru, the remote Altiplano and Salt Flats of Bolivia, the great outdoors in Patagonia and the largest party in the world at Rio's Carnival or New Years Eve celebrations - these are just some of the things you will experience during this incredible journey

Our Kingdoms and Carnivals trip is a true Expedition by nature of its long duration and some of the remote places we visit. You must expect a degree of hardship digging your truck out of mud and sand, some long drives on rough and dusty dirt roads, camping and cooking in extremes of climate, from freezing in the Andes, to the heat of the Atacama Desert and thundering tropical downpours.BUT ITS ALL WORTH IT!You will discover South America in a way most travellers only dream of, meet people you would never otherwise encounter and gain a unique insight into Latin American culture.This tour can be joined in either Quito, Lima or Rio. All our Kingdoms and Carnivals tours coincide with either Carnival or the spectacular New Years Eve event in Rio at the end or beginning of each trip. For those beginning in Rio de Janeiro the daily itinerary should be followed in reverse. Should you wish to arrive a few days before the tour starts, we can help you arrange accommodation in Quito, Lima or Rio.

Lima to Rio or vice versa. Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. This extensive trip offers an overview of the most amazing and fascinating high-lights of the South American continent. The majestic kingdoms of the Incas in Peru, the remote salt flats of Bolivia, the great outdoors of Patagonia and the largest party in the world at Rio's Carnival are just some of the sights you will experience during this incredible journey. This tour can be joined in either Lima or Rio. All our Kingdoms and Carnivals tours coincide with the Carnival in Rio at either the end or beginning of the trip. Peru Chile Argentina Chile Argentina Paraguay Brazil PERU Week 1- After days filled with outdoor activities the free time to enjoy Cuenca will be welcome! A days drive brings us to the border with Peru, you will notice an amazing transition, from the good farming country of the tropical highland to the dry barren desert. We visit the imperial citadel of Chan Chan. Built by the pre-Inca Chimu kings, it's the largest mud brick city in the world. Week 2 - Lima, the capital of Peru is a busy place, however, watching life go by on one of the many Plazas or visiting one of the Museums can be a relaxing and rewarding experience. Not far south is the marine reserve of Ballestas, a boat trip takes us close up to the Islands which are bursting with marine wildlife. A great contrast are the Nazca Lines, these huge figures and shapes, carved into the stony desert are best viewed from the air and are a great mystery to archaeologists. From here we start our ascent of the Andes and spend two days in the magnificent colonial city of Arequipa. Week 3 - Our next nights camp is at 4000m on the edge of Colca Canyon. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, Colca Canyon is an awesome place. Here too, Condors can be seen circling lazily on the thermals rising from the canyon floor. Ahead lie some of the most arduous and punishing roads on the tour, although we soon arrive at Cuzco. This outdoors capital of Peru is our base for the next 6 days, allowing enough time to explore this ancient city, the surrounding sacred valley and give the energetic amongst us enough time to hike the Inca Trail. The 2 or 4 day hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime experience and anyone with a reasonable level of fitness can master it. <> CHILE Week 5 - From La Paz we cross the Altiplano. Here the Aymara and Quechua Indians scrape a living from their small plots of land in the harsh climate. The women still wear their traditional bright clothes and bowler hats. A long and dusty drive takes us to Potosi where vast amounts of silver were extracted from mines and shipped to Spain in years gone by. The adventurous will appreciate the option to go down one of these mines where mining techniques have remained unchanged. A tour of the National Money House, also provides a good look into Potosi's and Bolivia's past. Leaving the bleak Altiplano we reach the shimmering white Uyuni Salt Lake. It is possible to venture out into the salt lakes on a 1 or 2 day excursion and the vastness of these salt flats is an unforgettable experience. <> ARGENTINA Weeks 6& 7 - Following the steps of Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid we reach Tupiza, the dusty border town to Argentina. The colourful Humahuaca Canyon leads us to the attractive city of Salta, a great place to relax before crossing the mighty Andes again towards the Atacama Desert in Chile! The oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama is our next destination, surrounded by the Valley of the Moon, salt lake volcanoes, as well as stone age dwellings, it's a good place to spend a few days exploring. <> CHILE Continuing South we rejoin the Pacific Ocean and the Pan American Highway, camping at La Serena beach before our drive to Chile's capital, Santiago. Week 8 - Santiago is a very modern, well-run city and quite a change to what we have been used to. Ahead of us lie the southern areas with deep blue lakes with snow-capped mountains. Pucon, in the heart of the Lake District, is our base camp for the next few days from where it is possible to organise white water rafting, skiing, horse riding and one and two-day hikes up nearby Villarrica Volcano. <> ARGENTINA We ascend the Andes via some spectacular mountain passes before entering Argentina and arriving in Bariloche. This is a very popular holiday destination for Argentineans and the top ski resort on the continent with great hiking trails and nightlife. Week 9 - Heading into the deep south on a good dirt road we enter the vast wilderness of Patagonia. Spectacular National Parks make this region a paradise for hiking enthusiasts and outdoor lovers. Fitzroy National Park provides stupendous views and the unique phenomenon known as the 'sunrise of fire'. Los Glaciares National Park has the largest Glacier in the world, here we have the option to take a boat ride close to Moreno Glacier almost 200 ft high. Torres del Paine National Park is another area of outstanding beauty where huge granite cliffs dominate the landscape and hiking is a great way to explore the area. Week 10 - We now cross to the Atlantic coast of Patagonia and visit one of the marine sanctuaries. Penguins, Sea Lions, Sea Elephants, Birds and sometimes Whales can be seen. Following the excellent paved roads north along the coast we pass through some quite affluent towns. One, Puerto Madryn, was the landing place over a century ago for the first group of Welsh settlers that subsequently colonised and now farm the surrounding area. In Bahia Blanca we camp for a couple of days at one of the many fine beaches that stretch for miles along the shoreline, before arriving in Buenos Aires. Week 11 - A couple of days in this smart cosmopolitan city and you could be forgiven for thinking you were back in Europe. There is plenty to do, museums, horse racing, football matches, shopping, tango dancing for the brave and restaurants that serve the best steak in the world. After the bustle of the city we praise the tranquillity of El Palmar National Park, the grasslands and palm tree forests are home to a wide variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. <> PARAGUAY Week 12 - The region between Argentina and Paraguay was the home to many 16th century Jesuit Missions. We visit the ruins of San Igancio before crossing the border into Brazil, where we also change from Spanish to Portuguese. Iguazu Falls are the natural border between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, higher than Niagara and wider than Victoria Falls they are an awe-inspiring place to spend the next three days. The forest surrounding the falls has many walking trails abounding with parrots, toucans, woodpeckers and colourful plants. Here you can also undertake a number of optional activities such as boat trips, helicopter flights and mountain bike riding. <> BRAZIL Week 12/13 - On our last week we head to the coastal village of Parati. This unspoilt and picturesque town has remained fundamentally unaltered for three centuries. Cars have been banned from its cobbled streets, instead mountain bikes are used and are a great way to explore the surrounding secluded beaches. Our final drive takes us to the hedonistic playground of Rio de Janeiro, where the folk are raring to party out of their minds and live purely for the moment. Carnival is always chaotic, crowded and fun! Carnival week in Rio comprises an enormous range of official contests and events as well as many unofficial ones. The Sambadrome, 600m long and seating 60,000 is the place where the elite samba schools, after months of preparation, perform their parades. Most hotels and clubs host their own balls and parties in the weeks around carnival and public bandstands are erected in streets throughout the city where street dancing takes place to the sound of local carnival groups. <> Spending Money on the Kingdoms & Carnivals Adventure About US$150-200 a week is a reasonable budget. However, if you wish to budget on optional side trips separately then we recommend about US $15 - 20 per day for personal spending. For Argentina and Brazil budget on about US$20 - 25 per day as these countries are usually more expensive. If you plan on buying a lot of crafts and souvenirs along the way you will need a bit more. As a guide to help you budget, below are some approximate prices of most of the side activities you can do. (Approximate guide only as prices, local taxes and exchange rates can and do change). Most activities have to be paid in cash or TC's. h2. Suggested projects you can do after this adventure: Madventurer projects in Peru