MYSTIQUE OF THE ANDES // THROUGH NORTHERN ARGENTINA & PERU This is for nature lovers who like to surround themselves with waterfalls, multicoloured mountains and high-altitude ruins (all of which the Andes do quite well). There's also a generous amount of feet-up time in colonial towns and cultural capitals. Day 1 - 2 // Buenos Aires
Day 7 - 8 // Salta - Lima
Begin your Andean adventure in the European-style cafés of Buenos Aires. Tour the colourful La Boca district, seek out Evita in La Recoleta and test your tango feet in an old taverna. If all the steak and wine gets a bit too much (yeah, right) then take a day trip into the peaceful Tigre Delta. There's an old fruit harbour, plenty of canoeable canals and a maté museum dedicated to the traditional love-it-or-hate-it drink.
Return to Salta, and stop at the UNESCO-listed valley of Quebrada de Humahuaca, defined by its colourful crags and rich red views. Fly to coastal Lima. Tour the galleries and café-lined plazas, making the most of one of South America's most palate-pleasing places.
Day 3 - 4 // Buenos Aires - Iguassu Fly out of the city and make for the thunderous falls of Iguassu. Spend a few days here touring both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides. Get a real sense of the scale of the cascades from various viewpoints and opt for a boat ride on the river.
Day 5 - 6 // Iguassu - Salta - Purmamarca Dry off those socks for your flight to sand-coloured Salta. This is a popular pit stop for travellers wanting to explore Argentina's wild northwest. Tour the town's candlelit cathedrals and find a hole-inthe-wall bar playing música folklórica. Then continue to Purmamarca to see the 'Hill of Seven Colours' and the vast salt flats of Puna.
Day 9 - 10 // Cuzco - Sacred Valley Hop on a flight to Cuzco and begin your journey into old-world Peru. Drive to the Sacred Valley, visit the traditional weavers of Awanakancha and explore the markets of spiritual Pisac. If you've ever fancied making chocolate or ceramic pots, then make friends in a Chichubamba community and get creative. Make time for the Incan fortress of Ollantaytambo and overnight in the Sacred Valley.
Day 11 - 14 // Machu Picchu - Cuzco Now for the icing on the Incan cake. Machu Picchu. Avoid the aches and pains of trekking by taking the train and spend more time around the citadel's agricultural terraces, houses and temples. If that gave you Incan-fever, there are plenty more ruins to explore in and around Cuzco. Visit the cathedral in Plaza de Armas before continuing your Andean adventure.
SUGGESTED ITINERARIES ONLY. TAILOR MAKE YOUR OWN INDI ADVENTURE.
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