3-Week Peru & Brazil Holiday Itinerary - Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu, Foz do Iguazu & Rio de Janeiro

A proud Latino city, often cloaked in mist from the Pacific Ocean and with a famed food scene, Lima fizzes with energy and is more than just a handy starting point for your holiday. You’ll spend 2 nights in a cosy hotel in a pleasant part of town, and you’ll be shown around the lively Miraflores food market and the charming colonial centre by your local Limeño guide, before setting off to explore the city independently.

Arequipa is an understated highlight of Peru – an attractive city with a distinct personality and a striking volcanic backdrop. Wander along cobbled streets to the local market and enter an explosion of colour, sounds and smells, before exploring the nooks and crannies of the fascinating Monasterio de Santa Catalina. During your time here you’ll also step inside a local home and learn the secrets of how to cook perfect quinoa, chicha or caldo verde from your Arequipeño host.

You’ll spend the next 2 nights in the youthful town of Puno, from where you’ll set off on a boat trip to the islands and communities of Lake Titicaca. Meet the locals who call this place home, visit a floating reed island, help prepare your lunch using underground ovens, and sit back as you glide across the still waters. Titicaca was a sacred place for the Incas, believed to be the birthplace of the sun, and the lake remains one of the most peaceful and beautiful spots on the continent.

Explore Cusco, the Inca heartland and a city of colourful contrasts. During this trip, you’ll spend two nights in Cusco, the gateway to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Travellers from all over the world meet here before heading into the mountains, making it a lively hub of restaurants, bars and museums. Scattered with Inca ruins and colonial churches, it’s a brilliant place for an atmospheric wander.

High on beauty, low on crowds – the Salkantay Trek is the ‘other’ Inca Trail. Trekking for three days through remote landscape, you’ll see the lesser explored. Unlike the classic Inca Trail, you won’t reach Machu Picchu on foot. Instead, you’ll make the final journey by bus well before the day trippers arrive, feeling rested and ready to explore.

Rio offers sweeping beaches, great food and a lively atmosphere. When you arrive you will be met by a guide who will take you through your itinerary and answer any questions. It’s about an hours transfer journey to your comfortable hotel right next to Copacabana beach, the perfect place for a stroll to watch the sunset behind the mountains. You’ll also spend a morning with a private guide and driver, so you can tick off some of those iconic sights.