A South American Journey Exploring Iguazu Falls and the Ancient Inca Cities
"South America Highlights 11-Day Tour (September 6th - 16th, 2014)"
Day 1
Departure from Itami Airport at 19:00.
Flight from Haneda Airport at 00:05, flying to Los Angeles (Flight time: 10 hours 20 minutes).
Time difference (Japan/Los Angeles): -16 hours.
Arrival in Los Angeles at 18:25.
Flight with ANA to Los Angeles. The in-flight meals were served twice. The layover in Los Angeles was about 5 hours.
Day 2
Departure from Los Angeles at 00:15.
Flight to Lima (Flight time: 8 hours 40 minutes).
Time difference (Japan/Lima): -14 hours.
Arrival in Lima at 10:55.
Flight with LAN Airlines, with two in-flight meals provided.
Departure from Lima at 12:10.
Flight to Foz do Iguaçu Airport (Flight time: 4 hours).
Arrival at Foz do Iguaçu International Airport at 18:05.
Both Day 1 and Day 2 were spent on flights or layovers. South America is quite far, so it was indeed tiring. We transferred to the hotel by bus for the night.
Day 3
Today we visited the Iguaçu Falls (Argentina side).
The Iguaçu Falls, spanning both Argentina and Brazil, along with Niagara Falls between Canada and the US, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, are renowned as the "Three Great Waterfalls" in the world.
We took a bus from the hotel to the entrance gate, purchased tickets, then boarded a trolley train to the walking trail that leads to the falls, and explored on foot. The highlight was the "Devil's Throat" (Garganta do Diabo), where you can view the waterfall from above. Unfortunately, due to flooding during the rainy season, the walking trail was washed away, and we couldn't access it.
Another experience involved taking a thrilling boat ride into the base of the falls, where we got drenched by the powerful spray.
We returned to the same hotel as last night.
Day 4
Today we visited the Iguaçu Falls from the Brazilian side.
To enter Brazil, a visa is required. Although there is a consulate in Osaka, I had to apply through a travel agency, as the nearest consulate is in Nagoya.
On the Brazilian side, there are several observation points, and plenty of photo opportunities. If the Argentina side is dynamic, the Brazilian side feels more peaceful.
In the afternoon, we took a helicopter tour to enjoy the falls from the air. It was exhilarating.
In the evening, we left the falls and returned to Lima. Our accommodation for the night was the Sheraton Lima.
Day 5
Today, we headed for Machu Picchu.
We departed Lima at 11:15.
Flight time to Cusco was 1 hour 20 minutes.
We arrived in Cusco at 12:35.
After arrival, we took a bus to Ollantaytambo Station, where we boarded the PeruRail train for a 1.5-hour journey to Machu Picchu.
The train departed Ollantaytambo at 16:36, and we arrived at Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Village Station) at 18:09.
The hotel was basic, but the water pressure in the toilet was low, so we were advised by the guide not to flush toilet paper but to dispose of it in a nearby trash bin. I felt thankful for Japan’s well-equipped toilets.
Day 6
From Machu Picchu Village, we took a bus to the site, but there was a long line at the bus station. After an hour-long winding road, we finally arrived at the Machu Picchu ruins.
Some people chose to hike instead of taking the bus.
Machu Picchu, built in the 15th century during the Inca Empire, is located at 2,400 meters, while Cusco is at 3,400 meters. It is believed to have served as a royal retreat or an observatory for scholars.
We paid the entrance fee and had a 3-hour guided tour with a local guide. At key points, there were guards with whistles to ensure that visitors did not step on restricted areas. I thought that Japan should learn from the strong conservation practices here.
I highly recommend visiting Machu Picchu – it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime view.
After the tour, we returned to Cusco by train and bus, and in the evening, we enjoyed a dinner show where I was moved by the performance of "El Condor Pasa" (The Condor Flies), which was famously covered by Simon & Garfunkel.
Day 7
In the morning, we took a city tour of Cusco, visiting Plaza de Armas, the Cathedral, and the Twelve-Angled Stone, before flying back to Lima.
We departed Cusco at 14:45 (flight time: 1 hour 20 minutes) and arrived in Lima at 16:10.
Afterwards, we visited Plaza de Armas, the San Francisco Church, the Presidential Palace, and Parque de la Muralla, before returning to the Sheraton Lima.
Day 8
Today, we drove about 300 km south from Lima to Ica, then took a short break before continuing on to Nazca.
The area surrounding Nazca is a vast desert, and the flight from the small Cessna airport involved weighing passengers to balance the aircraft. We flew in a figure-eight pattern to ensure we could all see the famous Nazca Lines.
The main figures observed were:
Whale, 2) Trapezoid, 3) Astronaut, 4) Monkey, 5) Dog, 6) Hummingbird, 7) Spider, 8) Condor, 9) Alcatraz, 10) Parrot, 11) Hand, 12) Tree.
There might be additional figures discovered since then.
Tomorrow, we will begin our journey back to Japan.
Day 9 & 10
We departed Lima at 12:40.
Arrived in Los Angeles at 19:20.
Flight departure from Los Angeles at 01:20.