Grand Tour of South America

This two-week journey with Riviera Travel begins in Lima, where colonial squares and a Baroque church illustrate Peru's layered history. After a day in the capital, the tour moves to the Sacred Valley near Cusco, lingering in Pisac's market of colourful textiles and on the stone terraces of Ollantaytambo. One of the tour's chapters is an approaching the famous Machu Picchu by train, winding through a rainforest gorge to a site still shrouded in mystery.

Then it's off to bustling Buenos Aires for a ranch visit: the Estancia Santa Susana still runs horses over a vast ranch where gauchos perform traditional riding displays, followed by Argentine beef on the grill and a tango show in the city. Iguazu Falls provides a change of pace, with views from both Brazil and Argentina, while the last days are spent in Rio de Janeiro. Here, the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer dominates, with visits to lush Botanical Gardens and a cable car ride up Sugarloaf Mountain providing broad views of the bays and beaches.

This is a classic escorted tour with a mix of archaeology, nature and urban life, moving steadily across some of South America's best-known places. Travel between countries is mostly by flights scheduled within the tour, allowing the kind of coverage that demands energy and stamina but delivers a range of experiences rarely found in just one trip.