This extensive trip offers an overview of some of the most amazing highlights of the South American continent; combining adventure travel in Peru and Bolivia and ending on a high with the best sights you can see in Brazil. The majestic kingdoms of the Incas in Peru, the remote Altiplano and Salt Flats of Bolivia, the great outdoors in Patagonia and the largest party in the world at Rio's Carnival or New Years Eve celebrations - these are just some of the things you will experience during this incredible journey.
This trip is a true expedition by nature of its long duration and some of the remote places we visit. You must expect a degree of hardship ie some long drives on rough and dusty dirt roads, camping and cooking in extremes of climate, from freezing in the Andes, to the heat of the Atacama Desert and thundering tropical downpours. BUT ITS ALL WORTH IT! You will discover South America in a way most travellers only dream of, meet people you would never otherwise encounter and gain a unique insight into Latin American culture. This tour can be joined in either Lima or Rio. All our tours coincide with either Carnival or the spectacular New Years Eve event in Rio at the end or beginning of each trip. For those beginning in Rio de Janeiro the daily itinerary should be followed in reverse. Should you wish to arrive a few days before the tour starts, we can help you arrange accommodation in Lima or Rio. For trips departing from Rio we can organise pre-tour accommodation for you during Carnival and New Years Eve.
For further details please request our Pre-Departure dossier.
New Years Eve in Rio
The celebration of New Year in Brazil and especially on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro is a unique spectacle. Our Brazil travel leg ends on a amazing high as we stay in Rio to experience this carnival. In Brazil, December 31 is the feast of Lemanja, the Goddess of the Sea, and one of the most important of the Macumba and Candomble deities. Devotees of Lamanja start arriving on the beaches of Brazil in their thousands early on December 31. By early afternoon Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro will be a living sea of people as the Macumba rituals are played out. As the evening wears on, more and more people arrive to join in the celebrations and by midnight hundreds of thousands will be present on Copacabana.The faithful offer gifts to Lemanja and at a few seconds to midnight they lay their offerings on the seashore and, if all goes to plan, the waves will pluck their gifts up and drag them into the depths.The New Year is greeted by a spectacular fireworks display after which the city goes back to partying and the years first samba strikes up. New Year parties are held in the road, in oceanfront apartments, in all the beachfront hotels and on boats off Copacabana. By dawn many of the partygoers will still be on the beach to see the sun rise.
