World Trip 2009-2010: Southern Cross Tour Review

*Iguassu Falls, Argentina (Taken 12 December 2009)*

Tour Title: Southern Cross
Tour Company: G Adventures
Tour Leaders: David (05/12-19/12/2009), Jose Valdivia (20/12-30/12/2009) and Edgar (31/12/2009-17/01/2010)
Cities Visited: Rio De Janeiro, Ilha Grande, Paraty, Iguassu Falls, Itaipu, Bonito, Pantanal, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Potosi, Uyuni, Salt Flats, Uyuni Desert, La Paz, Puno, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Taguile Island, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Colca Valley, Nazca, Pisco, Lima
Countries Visited: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru
Dates: Saturday 05 December 2009 to Sunday 17 January 2010
Duration: 45 days
Tour Type: Classic
Tour Itinerary (PDF) and Journal Entries

Tour Type – Classic

G Adventures Classic Description: All of the highlights, culture, access, and I-can’t-believe-we-did-that moments, all at a great price.

This tour was sold as one tour but could also be purchased as three tour:

Brazil, from Rio De Janeiro (05 December 2009) to Santa Cruz (19 December 2009).
Bolivia from Sucre (20 December 2009) to Puno (30 December 2009)
Peru, from Lake Titicaca (31 December 2009) to Lima (17 January 2010)

Chief Experience Officer (CEO)

The CEO, more commonly known as a Tour Leader, can assist you with almost everything you could need.

Our CEO for the first leg of the tour, from Rio De Janeiro (05 December 2009) to Santa Cruz (19 December 2009), was David.

Our CEO for the second leg of the tour, from Sucre (20 December 2009) to Puno (30 December 2009) was Jose Valdivia.

Our CEO for the third and last leg of the tour, from Lake Titicaca (31 December 2009) to Lima (17 January 2010) was Edgar.

Tour Members

Tour members for first leg of the tour, from Rio De Janeiro (05 December 2009) to Santa Cruz (19 December 2009), where Andrew, me, Karen Logan, Kelly Brooks, Shrina Arya, Gareth Williams, Emma Soden and Martin Mathis.

*Our tour group at Iguassu Falls (Taken 12 December 2009)*

Tour members for second leg of the tour, from Sucre (20 December 2009) to Puno (30 December 2009), where the original group; Andrew, me, Karen Logan, Kelly Brooks, Shrina Arya, Gareth Williams, Emma Soden (without Martin Mathis) plus eight new members; Marianna Lopert, Monica Haydock, Nick Emmel, Renato Dariol, Titch Dharamsi, Indu Sambandam, Lance Eder, Cindy Liu.

Tour members for third and last leg of the tour, from Lake Titicaca (31 December 2009) to Lima (17 January 2010) where Andrew, me, Karen Logan, Kelly Brooks, Shrina Arya, Gareth Williams, Emma Soden, Marianna Lopert, Monica Haydock, Nick Emmel, Renato Dariol, Indu Sambandam, Lance Eder, Cindy Liu.

Included Activities

Day tour Nazca Cemetery and potter’s workshop,
Guided tour of Colca Canyon (overnight),
Guided tour of the Sacred Valley,
Four-day hike on the Inca Trail with local guide, cook and porters,
Guided tour of Machu Picchu,
Guided tour of Taquile and Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca,
Three-day 4-wheel drive excursion to the Salar de Uyuni,
Two-day wildlife excursion to the Pantanal,
Visit to Iguassu Falls.

Optional Activities (USD)

Rio de Janeiro

Corcovado $20
Sugar loaf $20
Football game $10-$25
Hang gliding $120
Samba show $50+
City tour Rio de Janeiro $60
Favela Tour Rio $30

Iguassu Falls

Bird Park $10
Jungle & Falls excursion $40
Boat ride, various tours $50

Bonito

Snorkelling – Rio da Prata $50-65
Blue Lagoon Cave entrance fee $12-15
Waterfalls tour $25-30
Rafting $40
Abismo (rappel and snorkel) $150-170

Sucre

Dinosaur Footprints tour $5
Hiking $25-35
Mountain biking $18-35

Potosí

Silver Mine Tour $10
Casa de la Moneda $3

La Paz

Chacaltaya tour $18
City tour $20
Mountain biking $60-100
Tiwanaku ruins $17.5

Puno

Sillustani archaeological site $12

Cuzco

Boleto Turistico (tourist ticket) $25 (half ticket) $46 (full ticket)
City tour $15-20
Horseback riding around ruins (with guide) $40
Horseback riding around ruins (without guide) $15
Whitewater rafting $55
Mountain biking $55
Museo Inka $3.5 entrance
Museo de Historia Regional entrance with Boleto Turistico

Arequipa

Convento Santa Catalina entrance $10.5
Juanita Museum $5.4

Nazca

Flight over the Nazca Lines $150

Pisco

Ballestas Island tour $12.5

Lima

City tour $25
San Francisco Church and catacombs $1.80

Accommodations

Hotels (34 nights), Night buses (4 nights), Camping (5 nights), Homestay (1 night)

Laundry

Roughly half the hotels we stayed at offered a laundry service either paid or do it yourself.

Currencies

Brazilian Real, Bolivian Boliviano, Peruvian Sol.

USA Dollar was also accepted everywhere so for short visits to Paraguay and Argentina I used USD and didn’t get any local currency.

Highlights

Brazil

Rio De Janeiro – Christ the Redeemer, Copacabana beach, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas

Ilha Grande – Prison ruins, National Park hike, enjoying Caipirinhas (very strong alcoholic drinks), drinking beers under the stars

*Ilha Grande, Brazil (Taken 7 December 2009)*

Paraty – Jeep Tour, Capoeira martial arts demonstration, boat experience catching fish and swimming

*Paraty, Brazil – Capoeira martial arts (Taken 9 December 2009)*

Iguassu Falls (Brazil) – Natural Wonder of the World, awes inspiring

*Iguassu Falls, Brazil (Taken 11 December 2009)*

Bonito – Beach fun, Snake handling, Snorkelling with topical fish

*Bonito, Brazil (Taken 15 December 2009)*

Pantanal – Night safari, Day Safari and Horse riding

Paraguay

Itaipu – Dam Water release

Argentina

Iguassu Falls (Argentina) – Speed boat ride under the Falls, Devil’s Throat

Bolivia

Santa Cruz – Night club dancing and fun

Sucre – City tour, High altitude hike, Children’s Charity night

*Sucre, Bolivia – Hiking fun (Taken 22 December 2009)*

Potosi – Exploring a Potosi mine, Buying dynamite, a Christmas party

*Potosi, Bolivia – Silver Mine worker (Taken 23 December 2009)*

Uyuni – Exploring the Train Cemetery, Exploring the Salt Flats, Christmas in Bolivia, Staying in a Salt Hotel, Exploring Uyuni Desert, Flamingos, Geysers, thermal baths, Laguna Colorada (red lagoon), Laguna Verde (blue/green lake)

*Uyuni, Bolivia – Salt Flats (Taken 25 December 2009)*

La Paz – Witches Market, San Francisco Church, La Paz Cathedral, Presidential Palace, Moon valley

Peru

Puno – feeding baby llamas

Lake Titicaca – Exploring Taguile Island, Capachica Peninsula Home Stay, Community Dancing and New Year’s Celebration, Floating islands of Lake Titicaca

*Lake Titicaca, Peru – Floating Island (Taken 1 January 2010)*

Cusco – The beautiful Plaza de Armas, Paragliding over the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Sun Temple, Exploring Inca Ruins

*Cusco, Peru – Paragliding fun (Taken 4 January 2010)*

Ollantaytambo – Planeterra project Ccaccacollo, Pisc Ruins, Inca Pub visit, Hiking the ruins of Ollantaytambo

Inca Trail (3.5 days) – The stunning Inca Trail landscape including visits/stops at Piskaccuchu, Llactapata, Wayllabamba, Warmiwanusca (aka Dead Woman’s Pass), Paqaymayo, Runnkuraqay Pass, Sayacmarca, Phuyupatamarca, Winaywayna, and a surprise Birthday cake.

*Inca Trail, Peru – Day 2 rest (Taken 8 January 2010)*

Machu Picchu – The Sun Gate, Exploring the Machu Picchu Ruins

*Machu Picchu, Peru (Taken 10 January 2010)*

Colca Valley – Snow fights at high altitude, Hiking the Colca Canyon, Condors, BBQ dinner

*Colca Valley, Peru (Taken 12 January 2010)*

Nazca – 1,500-year-old mummies, Viewing Nazca lines from small plane, bumpy flight

Pisco – Extreme driving in a Buggy motor, Sand boarding, Pisco Sour & Wine distillery

Lima – A visit to Ballestas Islands (penguins & sea lions)

Summary

This five-country epic journey has cemented my love of travel. The fun I had during this epic trip was enhanced by traveling with my nephew Andrew. I expected the cultural experiences, I expected the beautiful landscapes and the wildlife encounters, I looked forward to learning the history of this region. I haven’t expected just how much fun I would have. I fell in love with caipirinhas, a traditional Brazilian drink distilled directly from fermented sugarcane juice, add to that having beers with great tour members, sometimes under the stars or on piers, or in pubs added to a very friendly environment. After 3 days hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, I fondly remember having a few beers at our last stop as we recalled looking down at clouds from the high altitude.

I never thought I’d go horse riding again, but this trip saw me enjoy a gallop in Pantanal. Swimming with topical fish in Bonito was a life affirming experience. The small plane adventure over the Nazca lines would have been memorable for the flight alone but add in seeing the Nazca lines and having no idea how they could have been created hundreds of years ago blew my mind.

This trip has two of the best experiences of my life, the Inca Trial hike followed by exploring Machu Picchu and Iguassu Falls. I had Machu Picchu firmly in my mind before coming to South America but Iguassu Falls was unexpected. Nature at its awesome best, powerful, beautiful, awesome inspiring nature. An experience I expected to keep for the rest of my life.

South America is chaotic, it is fun, it is the unexpected, it is occasionally hair raising but it is always memorable. GAP Adventures tour members were outstanding. A group who wanted to explore and have fun. Welcoming, friendly, supportive and many times extremely funny group. One of the best decisions of my life was to undertake this trip.