120* days - 23,000 miles traveled (17,000 driven) - 14 countries

Perú
Perú can be divided into three separate areas: the Atacama desert, home of the famous Nazca line drawings; the Andean highlands, home to the Inca capital of Cuzco and the lost city of Machupicchu; and colonial Arequipa with its 16th century Santa Catalina convent lying beneath El Misti volcano. Lima, the colonial heart of Spanish power in the New World, is the focal point that draws the country into one land. This is also the departure point for several side tours.

Chile
Chile, a 3,000-mile-long, pencil-thin strip of land running along South Americas southern Pacific coast. This varied land contains a succession of high Andean peaks, eternally snow-covered volcanoes, great deserts, fjords, glaciers, sparkling lakes and a beautiful 2,650-mile Pacific coastline.

Northern Chile is desert-bound. Its stark landscape is dotted with ghost towns and copper mines, including the San Pedro de Atacama, with a museum that contains a collection of mummies, preserved in desert graves where it never rains.

South from the capital city of Santiago is the famous Lake District. A highlight is Lake Puyehue, teeming with record-size trout. This crystal-clear lake stands in the shadow of towering snow-capped volcanoes, hot springs and virgin forests.

Argentina
The eighth largest country in the world, Argentina’s sights and sounds are spread over an area of 2300 miles from the tropical jungle of the north to the wilderness of Patagonia.

We enter this country through the Bariloché region. Compared to Switzerland, it is located high in the mountainous Lake District with crystal rivers, lakes and snow-capped peaks. After touring this area we will start our venture into Argentina’s wildest and most remote region; Patagonia. As we approach Antarctica, the days will start getting colder and longer. Tierra Del Fuego, "Fire land" is the southernmost tip of the world in the city of Ushuaia. This is the expeditions halfway point.

Penguins, sea elephants, sea lions and killer whales frolic in the wildlife sanctuaries of the Valdez Peninsula. You will see the colossal icebergs of Glaciers National Park, pristine Lake Argentino and the desolate Petrified Forest National Park.

Uruguay
Although it is the second smallest country on the continent, Uruguay’s appeal lies in over 200 miles of fine-sand beaches, enormous Gaucho ranches that welcome guests, a charming riverside capital, and one of the warmest visitor receptions in South America. Montevideo, sprawls along the wide Rio de la Plata estuary. It has a resort-like quality, with its faded Victorian buildings, wide avenues, sidewalk cafes and rose-filled gardens. One of the most popular excursions is touring an Estancia, (ranch) where you’ll see real gauchos at work and enjoy a hearty steak luncheon.

Brazil
Brazil conjures up a myriad of images, from the last great escape, tropical paradise, the passion of carnival, to the dark mysterious Amazon. Roughly the size of the United States, this massive country dominates over one-half of South America’s total land mass. We visit Foz do Iguaçu Falls where, in a jungle of brilliant birds, butterflies and flowers, water cascades down more than 200 waterfalls. Located on the Argentina/Paraguay border this magnificent spectacle culminates in a 250 foot drop off the cliffs of a gorge in this pristine jungle.

Rio de Janeiro is world-famous; its beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, rowdy Carnavál celebration and the celebrated mountain peaks of Corcovado and Pâo de Açucar. Visitors shouldn't miss the two-stage cable car ride up Sugarloaf, a drive to Tijuca Forest, a shopping spree and a Samba-show.