One of the most amazing continents on earth is South America especially areas like Quito, the Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. There are many ways to experience these great places and below is a basic itinerary that you may wish to follow to really explore these wonderful places.

In Quito you can enjoy guided sightseeing with a local guide of the Legislative Palace and the 16th-century San Francisco Monastery, La Cempania Church, the workshop and Museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin and the Equatorial Monument. You can also take an extra excursion to Cotopaxi National Park via the Chiva Express coach train.

After this you can fly from Quito to Coca, which is part of the Ecuadorian Amazon, to experience the abundance of wildlife. Do this  through guided walks and dugout canoe excursions by naturalists; visit a parrot clay lick; canopy walk and butterfly house.

Next, fly over the Pacific to Baltra Island to embark on a four or seven night cruise. During your cruise you will visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and visit amazing sites throughout the Galapagos Islands escorted by a local naturalist.

This is just a glimpse and there are of course many other options for you to explore.

Embark on a safari to Brazil’s spectacular Pantanal and two of the finest wildlife lodges in the Amazon. The Pantanal Wildlife Center offers mobile observation towers for amazing bird and primate viewing, guided walks and riverboat cruises to view giant otters.

The new Jaguar Research Center is owned and operated by two international wildlife biologists in an area where abundant Capybaras and Caimans support the world’s densest and tamest population of Jaguars.

Departs daily ex Cuiaba and following is a suggested itinerary.

Day 1.  Pantanal Wildlife Center.

Depart for the Pantanal Wildlife Center (3 hrs) by road, observing and photographing wildlife en route. This comfortable eco-lodge is situated on the Pixaim River in the heart of the Pantanal. The lodge has 10 double rooms with airconditioning and private hot shower bathrooms, as well as a large, central, screened dining room and lounge/bar.

Day 2.  Pantanal Wildlife Center.
Enjoy a variety of guided activities. View birds and monkeys from the lodge’s unique mobile canopy towers placed near flowering and fruiting trees. Hike trails in search of beautiful and rare birds, such as Hyacinth Macaws, as well as Brown Capuchin Monkeys, Black and Gold Howler Monkeys, Silvery Marmosets and the elusive 250 kg Brazilian Tapir, the largest land animal in South America.
Take a boat tour on the Pixaim River to view wild Giant Otters from a distance of only 1 to 5 metres away. The Center has electric catamarans which silently cruise the rivers as mobile blinds, perfect for long-lens wildlife photography. Go spotlighting at night in raised open cars to look for nocturnal animals.

Days 3 to5.  Jaguar Research Center.
Drive to the end of the famous Transpantaneira Road, looking out for wildlife on the way. Reaching the Cuiaba River you board a boat and travel 1.5 hours upstream to the wild and remote Meeting of the Waters Park where you will finally  reach the Jaguar Research Center, situated on the riverbank in an area with the highest density of jaguars and jaguar sightings in the entire Pantanal.
No permanent structure is allowed in this pristine area, so accommodation is in 8 sealed 4 metres-by-5 metres walk-in tents with wooden floors and private, hot-shower bathrooms. There is also a 5 metres-by-16 metres houseboat with twin-decks and two air-conditioned cabins with private facilities. The houseboat also houses the kitchen, dining room, and a roofed, open-sided observation deck. Over the next few days you can take a full day boat trip and other excursions by boat and on foot to observe the park’s diverse wildlife, including jaguars, tapirs, ant-eaters, giant otters and numerous birds.

Day 6. Pantanal Wildlife Center.
After breakfast set out on a 1-hour boat ride and a 2-hour drive back to Pantanal Wildlife Center.
Day 7. Back To Cuiabá.
Sunrise walk before our return drive down the Transpantaneira Highway and back to Cuiabá.

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The Andean Explorer - Cuzco to Puno, Peru

Do you love the adventure of travelling by rail? There are many great train journeys and this one is no exception.

If you are visiting Peru you can escape on this  spectacular rail journey between historic Cuzco and the beautiful city of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

It is a wonderful experience of 9.1/2 hours and begins in historic Cuzco and travels south to the beautiful city of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. As you relax in first class comfort the train makes a gentle climb to higher and cooler altitudes with the glass-walled observation car providing the perfect opportunity to view the beautiful scenery. You will also enjoy a complimentary three course lunch.

Is train travel your passion? Have you travelled between Cuzco and Puno? please let us know about your journey below!