South America Tour: Ancient Civilizations & Unsolved Mysteries

After breakfast, accompanied by a guide, you will be offered a city tour. The capital of Peru, Lima, was founded by the Spaniard Francisco Pizarro in 1535 on the Pacific coast. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, Lima was considered the most beautiful city in colonial America, for which it received the name “City of Kings.” Around the main square of the city there were beautiful houses with baroque facades, where the Spanish nobility lived - life was in full swing and trade flourished here. The oldest university on the continent, the University of San Marcos, was founded in Lima in 1551. However, many buildings were completely destroyed by the terrible earthquake of 1746. Around the Plaza Mayor - the main square of the city - the most interesting sights of Lima are concentrated: preserved colonial buildings of the 16th century, the Archbishop's Palace with magnificent carved balconies, the Cathedral, the Government Palace. In the complex of St. Francis there is a painting by the artist Diego de la Puente “The Last Supper”, in which Christ and the apostles take their last meal. On your way there are beautiful parks, elegant buildings, excellent Peruvian restaurants, museums, churches, markets and galleries. Return to the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer to the airport for flight to Cusco. Meeting and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, a city tour. Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and translated means “center of the world” - “the very middle.” In the 12th century, the Inca civilization achieved great greatness on the territory of modern Peru. Inca culture reflects the important influence of the sun and its worship. You will visit Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun) - it was here that the Incas held their main ritual festival - the winter solstice. Then visit the nearby ruins: the Quenko Temple, the red Fortress of Puca Pucara, Tambomachay (the center of Incan water worship) and the architectural complex of Sacsayhuaman, consisting of religious buildings, fortresses, towers, canals built from huge boulders. Return to the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer from the hotel to the railway station. After arriving in the small town of Aguas Calientas, you travel by bus to Machu Picchu - the “lost city of the Incas”. Machu Picchu was built from huge limestone blocks without the use of mortar, on top of a mountain surrounded by impenetrable jungle. Although the famous walled city was built in XV century Incom Pachacutec, but was never mentioned in the chronicles. The inhabitants abandoned it suddenly for an unknown reason. It was discovered by the American archaeologist Iram Bingham only in 1911. But even after that it remained inaccessible until the 40s of the 20th century, when an archaeological expedition working at the site discovered the paved Inca Trail, laid to the citadel through the Sacred Valley. There are legends about the energy of these places - you breathe the local air, touch or put your hands on huge boulders, and energy flows into you! Incomprehensible! Lunch. Return to Cusco by train. Arrival, transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer by comfortable bus to the city of Puno. Stops along the way: Andaguailillas - the Sistine Chapel of South America, Rakchi - the administrative building of the Incas. Lunch in the town of Sikuani. The next stop is La Raya (4200 meters above sea level). There is a roadside market set against the backdrop of beautiful mountains. Then Pukara is the center of the pre-Inca culture of the same name. Arrival in Puno, hotel accommodation. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, you go by boat to the highest navigable lake in the world - Titicaca, to the Uros Islands, built of reeds. The Aymara Indians live here. They preserved the traditional way of life, customs, beliefs and national costumes. The islanders also use totora reeds to make boats and use the reeds for food. Although fishing is the main industry on the islands, the islanders also make a living by selling souvenirs to tourists. Return to Puno, transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast. Transfer by bus from Puno to Copacabana and then to La Paz. Arrival, meeting and transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. 4-hour sightseeing tour of the city of La Paz. Right on the streets you will be offered traditional festival costumes for sale, you will visit the Witches Market and see a lot of mystical rituals for all occasions, then the Church of San Francisco and the Government Palace, Murillo Square, the Cathedral. Admire La Paz from the Killi Killi observation deck. In the Miraflores area you will see an open-air museum about the Tiwanaku culture. And at the end of the tour you will walk through the prestigious neighborhoods of Obrajes, Calocoto and La Florida, which are located near the Valley of the Moon - a stunningly beautiful place in the mountains not far from the city. Return to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flight to Uyuni. The city of Uyuni is located near the largest dry salt lake on Earth, Solar de Uyuni, at an altitude of 3650 m. During the rainy season, from November to March, the salt lake of Uyuni turns into a huge mirror: the salt honeycomb is covered with a thin layer of transparent water, in which it is reflected the sky, and it becomes completely unclear where the horizon actually is. Later, the salt crust dries out, and the water from below bursts out - thanks to this “salt eruption”, small cone-shaped volcanoes are formed. The world's largest dry salt lake glitters and shimmers so much in the sun that it hurts the eyes, so you can't do without sunglasses. Sudden temperature changes are common in the Salar de Uyuni. In the morning it can be below zero, and during the day the desert heats up to +70 C. By jeep you get to Fisherman's Island (Isla de Pescadores), where giant cacti grow from 8 meters high and up to 1200 years old. Along the way, you will visit the train “graveyard” - in the 1930s, the production of rock salt fell sharply and the need for rail transport also decreased. The locomotive depot was not updated or repaired as unnecessary and gradually fell into complete disrepair - now these outdated locomotives and carriages have turned into “gravestones”. Another attraction of the Uyuni salt marsh is the “Forest of Stones”. This is an unusual landscape with stone statues and sculptures, but the architects are not people, but natural architects - wind and water. In Kochani you will visit a local salt factory and get acquainted with the process of extracting salt from the bowels of the earth. Then you drive to the Palacio de Sal, the first hotel in the world built entirely from salt. By the way, even now there is an opinion that being in a room built of rock salt cures some respiratory diseases. From the hotel you will go to Incahuasi Island, which is also known as the Island of Fishes, where a giant cactus will attract your attention. Lunch on the salt marsh. Further along the route are the 800-year-old mummies of Coques and the small town of Tahoua. Local residents who extract and process salt from Uyuni use it not only as a seasoning for food. Local merchants offer tourists souvenirs made from this natural mineral. Night in Uyuni.

After breakfast, departure to “Ojo de Perdiz”. Ojo de Perdiz is a simple guesthouse located in a remote and very beautiful part of Bolivia. This quaint village of thatched houses is located on the edge of the Xilou Desert. The decor is rustic in style, with adobe walls and local textiles in rich earthy tones. Next, visit the lagoons: Cache lagoons; Chiarcota Lagoon Hedionda Lagoon, Cañapa Lagoon, Honda and Ramaditas. agoon Colorado"! These are salty shallow (average depth - no more than 35 centimeters) reservoirs located in the Eduardo Avaroa National Park on the Altiplano plateau, near the border with Chile. In general, the color of the water of all lagoons is not constant - it all depends on the time of year, mineral salts in the water and their concentration. The name of each lagoon already historically provides information on the concentration of which minerals the color of the lagoon depends on. Lunch (lunch box) will be served on the way. Arrival and accommodation at an expedition-style hotel. Dinner. Overnight in Uyuni.

In the morning after breakfast, drive to Laguna Verde (Green Lagoon), on the way you will visit “Laguna Colorada” (Red Lagoon) and see the famous James flamingos, a rare species for these places. The pink flamingo is one of the most attractive exotic bird species. Its feathers shimmer in various shades of pink: from pale to bright, from cool pink to bright red. By the way, flamingo chicks are born grayish-white and remain that way until they begin to eat algae and seafood rich in carotenoids. This substance is found in some seafood, which gives them a reddish, pink or orange tint. The amazingly beautiful “Laguna Colorada” is a salty shallow (average depth - no more than 35 centimeters) reservoir located in the Eduardo Avaroa National Park on the Altiplano plateau, not far from the border with Chile. It attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the world with its unusual shade of water, which, depending on the time of day and temperature, can change from rich red to deep burgundy. Therefore, Laguna Colorada is also known as Red Lake. Not only the fantastic views, but also the fact that thousands of beautiful flamingos live here make this lake unique. The flamingo nesting grounds in these places number more than 30 thousand birds. In addition to them, the surroundings of the lake are inhabited by other rare species of birds (about 200 species of birds in total). Llamas, chinchillas and other rodents also live near the lakes. And at the geysers of Sol de Manana or at Lake Chalviri with thermal waters, you will give in to the temptation to swim in them and you will not regret it! On the surface of the geysers, bubbles constantly gurgle and fountains of different heights rise. Continuation of the journey towards the San Pedro de Atacama desert. Upon arrival, check into a hotel.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Calama airport and flight to Santiago. Meeting the guide at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Accommodation and rest at the hotel. Free time.

Breakfast in the hotel. You will have a sightseeing tour with a Russian-speaking guide around the city. The tour begins in the city center with a visit to the La Moneda government building, a designated historical monument, erected in 1799, during the last years of Spanish rule, to house the royal mint, and designed in the traditional neoclassical style. In the mid-19th century, the building was allocated to the government of Chile, and since then the Palacio de la Moneda has been the seat of the country's government. And further to Plaza de Armas - the central square of Santiago. It was from here that the history of the city began. The square houses the buildings of the House of Governors of Chile, the Municipality of Santiago, the General Post Office, the building of the Royal Audience and the Cathedral. Then you will climb the Santa Lucia hill, from where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the entire city. Then - a visit to the modern quarters of Santiago: Vitacura, Las Condes and Providencia, driving along the Mapocho River and getting to know the majestic architecture of the main avenues of Santiago. For an additional fee, you can go to wineries in the Maipo Valley with tastings. Cost per person 230 USD (minimum 2 pax)

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport, check-in for your international flight and have a safe flight!