The Sunday Times - Travel July 06, 2003 South America — the great 21-day adventure Plan well, and you can feast on the finest of Latin delights in just three weeks. Peter Hutchison charts a route from the Peruvian Andes to Rio South America is enormous — so it’s only gap-year backpackers and the idle rich who have enough time to see it, right? Wrong. True, the continent’s sheer vastness and variety can soak up months, but you can take in the top sights and get an authentic flavour in far less time. With careful planning, it’s quite accessible to those of us who have to work for a living. In fact, 21 days is ideal: if you can manage three weeks of holiday back to back, you can cream off the best the continent has to offer, from the Andes and Machu Picchu to the dramatic Iguaçu Falls and riotous Rio. You’ll be in Peru for a large chunk of the trip, because it has been kind enough to keep its considerable attractions within relatively easy reach of each other. Then you’ll shoot off east into Bolivia, take a brief stroll in Argentina and round things off in Brazil. Here’s the ideal itinerary for your Latin American tour of discovery. LIMA, Days 1-2 If first impressions of Peru were all that counted, you’d get straight back on the plane at Lima. It is without question a challenge: from the airport to the central Plaza de Armas, traffic crawls under a blanket of smog, as 8m Limeños create a colourful chaos among the market traders, food vendors and boot boys. Some people end up loving the place, others can’t wait to get out. But there’s no disputing the cultural riches on offer here — there are more than 50 museums, though you have time for only two. First, head for the Museo de la Nacion (National Museum: Javier Prado Este 2465, £1) for a whistle-stop tour through precolonial Peru. Then visit the Museo de Oro del Peru (Gold Museum: Molina 1110, £5) to gaze on Inca treasures — the pride of the nation until a quarter were revealed to be fake. Torre Tagle Palace, on Jiron Ucayali, is the best illustration of colonial architecture in Lima, and it’s just a short walk from there to the churches of La Merced, Santo Domingo and the catacombs of San Francisco. At the end of the day, wind down in the splendour of the Rosa Nautica restaurant (00 51-1 447 0057). On the pier in the trendy suburb of Miraflores, it boasts a fine sunset view and the best seafood in Lima. For a more frenetic finale, head for the bars and clubs in hip Barranco’s main square. PISCO AND NAZCA, Days 3-4 On day three, head south by first-class bus on the 150-mile journey to Pisco (three hours, £7). It’s a spectacular trip through barren desert, along a cliff-fringed coast road. Pisco is famed for its eponymous grape brandy and associated zesty cocktail, the pisco sour. What makes it worth a visit, though, is the nearby Paracas National Reserve. Find time to fit in a boat trip to the nearby Ballestas Islands, for a wildlife wander in the company of blue-footed boobies, flamingos and penguins. Day trips leave from Pisco (£15; book-able through most hotels). Regular public-transport links continue inland to Nazca (£15 by “collectivo”, or shared taxi; £1.20 by bus), your next spectacular stop. The Nazca Lines are monumental doodles etched mysteriously into the dark desert crust hundreds of years ago. Some are nine miles in length; from the air, you can make out a spider, a monkey and a hummingbird. Explanatory theories range from astronomical calendars through to landing strips for interplanetary travellers — make up your own mind. Take a morning flight riding the thermals (one hour, £25) or the economy option — a taxi to the roadside “mirador” lookout. AREQUIPA AND THE COLCA CANYON, Days 5-7 You’ve got two ways to get to the next stop: either continue south on the overnight bus to Arequipa with Ormeño (the “Royal” service leaves Nazca at 10pm, arriving 6.30am; £17); or (preferably) double back to Lima and catch a 75-minute flight (£55 with Aero Continente; 020 7801 6234, www.aerocontinente.com). At almost 7,900ft, Arequipa — founded in 1540 as a trading post between the highlands of Cuzco and the Bolivian mining outpost of Potosi — is your first big step into the Andes. The pale sillar rock of the White City’s colonnaded main plaza glistens in the sunlight, and the distant peak of El Misti towers 19,100ft out of the heat haze. Take time to see the carved treasures at Arequipa’s 17th-century cathedral. You should also explore the Monasterio de Santa Catalina (£5), a walled city of cobbled walkways and soothing patios, where for more than 400 years nuns have lived in comfortable seclusion. And the very “newest” old thing to see in Arequipa is Juanita, a young Inca maiden dressed in ceremonial robes: she was discovered in her icy sacrificial grave on the high slopes of nearby Ampato in 1995. Now she lies in the Museo Santuarios Andinos (Sanctuary Museum: £3). Next, you have two days to enjoy the Colca Canyon, double the depth of the Grand. It’s four hours from Arequipa on a wonderful bus journey past smouldering volcanoes, Andean villages and neatly terraced slopes. On the second day, get up early to watch the condors wheeling in and out of its depths on the morning thermals. Santa Catalina Tours (00 51-54 216994) will arrange the journey and accommodation. CUZCO AND MACHU PICCHU, Days 8-10 Week two starts with a £45 flight from Arequipa to Cuzco with Aero Continente (see above) or LanPeru (01293 596607, www.lanperu.com). Cuzco was the centre of the Inca world, and is as jaw-dropping today as it must have been then. Take in the highlights on a day tour, being sure to include the 17th-century cathedral, the remarkable Stone of 12 Angles and the Temple of the Sun, with its Inca foundations. Heading uphill, clamber over the stepped stonework of Sacsay-huaman (pronounced “Saxy Woman”) — admission to the ruins costs £6, or £9-£44 with a shared or private guide (00 51 84 247836, www.qente.com). For food, try La Retama, on Plaza de Armas, with live music and the best in traditional Andean dishes, including cuy (guinea pig). Also on the plaza is the Cross Keys pub, an old favourite; from there, crawl to Ukukus, then the Fallen Angels, where the party continues into the small hours. If you can squeeze in a few more days here, it’s worth it, because Cuzco is the launch point for one of the world’s classic treks. The Inca Trail is vertiginous, tough on the knees and breathtaking — literally, thanks to the thin Andean air — but it is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. In four days, you’ll cover 30 miles and three passes, the highest and most disturbingly named of which is Dead Woman’s Pass (13,770ft). Book at least a week in advance. SAS Travel (84 237292, www.sastravelperu.com) can arrange treks; from £190, including equipment, camping fees, food and porterage. The reward, apart from consistently stunning mountain views, is Machu Picchu, the great Inca city perched on the side of a staggering precipice. If you’re sticking with the 21-day itinerary, you’ll get the reward without the legwork by taking the train straight out of Cuzco to Aguas Calientes, just below Machu Picchu — a first-class return on the tourist train costs £37 (84 238722, www.perurail.com). From there, it’s a winding bus ride up the mountain (£5.60 return). Explore the magnificent ruins alone for a while (the earlier you get there, the better) before hooking up with a local guide to buff up on your Inca history. Then rediscover Machu Picchu at your own pace — hide away in quiet spots, climb the perilous slopes of Huayna Picchu or sneak off to the Inca Drawbridge, carved into a vertical cliff face.Entrance to Machu Picchu costs £12.50; two-hour group tours are £6.50pp, private guides £25. THE AMAZON, Days 11-13 The pristine wilderness reserves of Tambopata and Manu protect some of the most diverse rainforest in the Amazon. Manu is tricky to reach, but Tambopata can be done in two or three days. Brave the bone-shaking 12-hour bus trip from Cuzco (£10) or (better idea) take the daily flight with Aero Continente (£45; see above). You’re in luck if you see a jaguar, but on night walks you are sure to spot the orange-red eyeshine of caymans. Tramping along rainforest trails, ducking under vines and lianas, you’ll surprise or be surprised by monkeys swinging through the canopy. Take to a launch to look for giant otters or visit a clay lick, where hundreds of scarlet macaws and parrots squabble over rich mineral supplements. TRAIN TO LAKE TITICACA, Day 14 The next two days involve intensive overland travel, but the landscape you’re travelling through makes it all worthwhile. The 10-hour, 200-mile train journey from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca passes between immense, snowcapped mountains, skirting through Andean valleys dotted with thatched adobe huts and grazing llamas. The service runs four days a week, leaving at 8am and arriving at 6.10pm; £50 in the extremely comfortable first class or £9 in budget (00 51-84 238722, www.perurail.com). OVERLAND TO LA PAZ, Days 15 One night in Puno, on the shores of Titicaca, is enough — it’s cold, at almost 13,100ft, and not very pretty. Regular buses and private transfers run from here across the Bolivian border and on to La Paz. For example, with All Ways Travel (51 355552, www.titicacaperu.com), the eight-hour journey costs from £10, including a lunch stop in Copacabana, on the eastern shores of the lake. You’ll have time for a peek inside the Moorish cathedral before you continue across the Tiquina Straits and the jaw-dropping expanse of the plateau (altiplano) in the shadow of the snowcapped Cordillera Real. Illimani’s icy peaks reel you in gradually — then you’re confronted with a precipitous drop into the deep canyon that harbours Bolivia’s lofty capital, La Paz. IGUAÇU FALLS, Days 16-17 Time to cross the continent. Take a morning flight with Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (£112, one-way: 020 7565 9606, www.labairlines.com) to the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion, then skip straight out again on a six-hour bus journey to the Brazilian town of Foz do Iguaçu (£12; www.unesul.com.br) and the Iguaçu Falls — with almost 300 cascades crashing over the craggy, rocky ledges, the most impressive in the world. Exploring the Brazilian side is easily done on foot inside the Iguaçu National Park. You’ll need a guide to do the six-hour tour of the Argentine side, which includes a walk into the Devil’s Throat, right in the midst of all the thundering water.The well-organised tours cost about £15. End with a flight to Rio: from £125, one-way, with Varig (0845 603 7601, www.varig.co.uk) RIO DE JANEIRO, Days 18-20 With just a couple of days before your flight home, you’re in Rio, party capital of the continent and home to South America’s most beautiful people. It’s worth making two stops on the tourist trail: take a trip up to Christ the Redeemer, the mountaintop statue that dominates the Rio landscape; and ride the cable car up Sugar Loaf Mountain for a helicopter ride over the city (from £26 for a seven-minute flight; 00 55 21-2511 2141, www.helisight.com.br). Then spend the rest of your time downing cocktails at the city’s bars or chilling out and people-watching on Ipanema beach (so much cooler than Copacabana). HOMEWARD, Day 21 You’ve got much of the day free before the afternoon flight via Madrid, so pop on your skimpiest swimwear, hit the beach and soak up that last bit of Latin sun. TRAVEL BRIEF Getting there: your best bet is an open-jaw ticket, flying into Lima and out of Rio. Iberia (0845 601 2854, www.iberia.com) flies from Heathrow via Madrid, with fares starting from £953 in high season (July to mid-September) and £584 in low season. KLM (0870 507 4074, www.klm.com) flies to both cities from 14 UK airports via Amsterdam; from £654/ £542. North American carriers provide more flight options, but prices are usually higher. Using a consolidator, prices are about £700/£600. Try Journey Latin America (020 8747 3108, www.journeylatinamerica.com), Trips Worldwide (0117 311 4400, www.tripsworldwide.co.uk), South American Experience (020 7976 5511, www.southamericanexperience.co.uk) or Last Frontiers (01296 653000, www.lastfrontiers.com). In Dublin, Trailfinders (01 677 7888) has flights from Dublin to Lima and back from Rio with KLM, via Amsterdam; from €915 in August and September, then €802 after that. Internal flights: prices are pretty reasonable, and tickets with the larger carriers in South America can be bought through their UK offices. But it’s worth discussing your whole itinerary with a consolidator when booking your flights from the UK, as many can arrange air passes — often more economical. Tour operators: all the consolidators mentioned above can tailor-make itineraries. You could also try Abercrombie & Kent (0845 070 0610, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk) or Tucan Travel (Adventure Bound), (0800 316 2717, www.adventurebound.co.uk). Best guidebook: South American Handbook 2003 (Footprint £21.99).