Experience The Cultural Wonder of Peru, Bolivia & Chile

From London you will fly to Lima and then on to Cusco, in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley and the Andes mountain range. Situated at 3,300 m (10,800 ft) above sea level, Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. It is a major tourist destination and receives almost a million visitors per year. Your guided tour around this Inca heartland will take in illustrious colonial churches and museums, lively markets and the temple fortress of Sacsayhuaman, an Inca walled complex at an altitude of 3,701 m. Spend a day in the Sacred Valley, which is fed by numerous rivers that descend through adjoining valleys and gorges, and contains many archaeological remains and villages. The valley was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities. It was one of the empire's main points for the extraction of natural wealth. You will also get the opportunity to visit tiny indigenous villages perched on the steep sides of the valley.

Travel by train along a dramatic gorge to Machu Picchu, the fabled Inca city that rises out of a sub-tropical jungle. Machu Picchu is one of the most famous symbols of the Inca Empire and was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu. Guided tours of the ruins are of course included.

Next is a scenic ride across the Andean highlands to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca which borders Bolivia and Peru. It sits at 3,812 m (12,500 ft) above sea level making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world. By volume of water, it is also the largest lake in South America. As you cross the lake by hydrofoil, there is time to stop off at Moon Island (Isla de la Luna) where Viracocha (the creator in civilisation in Inca Mythology) commanded the rising of the moon. A second stop at Sun Island will provide your resting place for the night where llamas escort you to your beautiful lakeside hotel.

The following day your cruise continues to its final destination of La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia. Here you will experience a walking tour of this fascinating city with its fusion of indigenous markets and colonial architecture and bustling street life.

The next destination on the tour, after a full day's drive, is Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest Salt flat in southwest Bolivia, which is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, and holds half of the world's reserves of lithium, a metal that is used in high energy density batteries. The landscapes and scenery here are truly breathtaking and to further add to the magic of this experience you spend the night in a hotel constructed from locally mined salt. For such am amazing location, one day is just not enough so three are spent here exploring and experiencing this remote desert region where the people scratch a living growing quinoa and raising llamas.

After a drive over the border into Chile, you will arrive at San Pedro de Atacama and visit a few of the cultural and physical attractions around this small oasis town, including the contorted rocks of the Moon Valley and archaeological museums.

The last leg of your journey takes you from Calama to your final destination of Santiago, the capital of Chile. There will still be time here for a trip to some local vineyards to sample the renowned New World wine, before an overnight flight back to the UK.

Whilst an extremely jam-packed 18 day tour, this certainly leaves no stone unturned in this spectacular part of the world.