12 Days/ 11 Nights Departs Daily from the US Avanti Journeys - Culinary Highlights of South America: Lima, Santiago, Mendoza and Buenos Aires Year after year, South America is proving itself to be the next big culinary destination. With a huge diversity of flavors and influences, the food and wine of this huge continent are worth traveling for. Head to the culinary capitals of South America to experience the delicacies, traditions, and aromas of food and wine in Peru, Chile, and Argentina. Get to know the local culture and see the main sights, all with a delicious focus on gastronomy on this tasty trip. ACCOMMODATIONS 3 Nights Accommodations Lima 3 Nights Santiago 3 Nights Buenos Aires
2 Nights Mendoza INCLUSIONS L All Ground Transfers Lima Gastronomy Tour Lima's Huarique Peruvian Cuisine by Bike Tour VIP Dinner Chilean Wine Discovery Tour with Dinner Colchagua Valley Winery Tour with Lunch Enologist for a Day Tour with Lunch Maipu Valley Wine Tour with Cooking Class and Lunch Gastronomic San Telmo Tour with Dinner Gaucho Fiesta Tour Air JFK to Lima, Lima to Santiago, Santiago to Mendoza, Mendoza to Buenos Aires (separate ticket), and Buenos Aires to JFK* Daily Breakfast ARRIVE LIMA: Lima is the culinary heart of South America with it's fusion of indigenous, European and Asian cuisines. Peru's long history of intermingling cultures has produced a melding of diverse flavors, from Italy to Japan. Your transfer will take you from the airport to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day exploring on your own. (Accommodations, Lima) LIMA: Enjoy a tour savoring Lima with all your senses. Explore the Historic Center of the "City of Kings", the most important city in the Americas during colonial times. Visit the San Francisco Convent, built in 1535. Then, you will visit the Casa de Aliaga a former house of the conquistador Jeronimo de Aliaga y Ramirez, where you will feel the energy of colonial and republican Lima. This residence is still inhabited by Aliaga's direct descendants. Next, take a walk towards the Main Square, where you will find the Government's Palace, the Archbishops Palace, the City Hall and the Cathedral. Finally, stop at Casa de la Gastronomía, a museum that seeks to value the traditional elements that make up Peruvian culture today, which is why an atmosphere is also dedicated to the representation of food in the streets of Lima in the 18th century and the way of trade of the traditional foods that until today are consumed.
Enjoy a delicious lunch today at FIESTA GOURMET restaurant, one of the most representative for typical Peruvian cuisine. In the evening, enjoy a tasting tour across the city, stopping for sips and bites throughout the capital city. Begin with a demonstration of pisco sour making, given by a professional bartender with an incredible view of the pacific coast. Then, enjoy Peruvian jungle gourmet entrees and a pisco cocktail made with exotic fruits of the Amazon, while you can prepare your own Amazon ceviche with the best ingredients. Then, dinner will be served at one of the best restaurants in Lima, in front of pre- Inca ruins illuminated at night in the Huaca Pucllana. Finally, a typical Peruvian dessert will be served in the bohemian district of Barranco. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Accommodations, Lima) LIMA: Another day to explore Lima and its delicious cuisine. Start with a bike tour of the Barranco neighborhood, where you will visit a typical market area and three boutique restaurants known as "huariques" by locals where you can taste the best of each restaurant. A specialized guide and his assistant will guide you the entire route, telling the story of each huarique and the history of Peruvian cuisine in general. In the afternoon, leave the bikes behind and enjoy a hands on cooking class at the restaurant in Hotel B. Taste different fruits that add their flavor to Peruvian cuisine and learn to prepare a typical Peruvian lunch. (Breakfast, lunch, and Accommodations, Lima) LIMA TO SANTIAGO: Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to the next culinary capital Santiago, Chile. Santiago is home to traditional dishes perfected over centuries, modern international fare, and of course, phenomenal wine. After transferring to your Santiago hotel, you will start your introduction to Chilean cuisine with a Wine Discovery Tour with Dinner. Your guide will take you to Vinolia, a wine adventure venue, where you will have an experience based on aromas, sounds and flavors. After relaxing on their terrace, enter a special room where you will discover 48 aromas associated with wine. The tour continues with a virtual panoramic flight through a wine valley. As you watch the video, taste five superior quality wines, each from a different winery, accompanied by a selection of cheese and dried fruits. After the Vinolia experience, you will walk around the Bicentennial Park before heading for a local restaurant for your first Chilean dinner. (Breakfast, Lima; Dinner and Accommodations, Santiago)
SANTIAGO: Today, see the sights of Santiago like a local, while focusing on local flavors. Begin by visiting La Vega, Santiago's local market, to see and perhaps taste the locally produced fruits and vegetables. From here head to the "Mercado Central," a wrought iron and brick building opened in 1872. It is known as the best place to buy fish in the city. Next, head to downtown Santiago and make your way to Cerro Santa Lucia, an important landmark in the city's history, dating back to the 1540s. After walking around here, make your way tot the Plaza de Armas, the impressive main square of the city, where the National Historical Museum and the City Hall are located. Nearby you will find La Moneda, the presidential palace. After this busy morning you will be ready for lunch! Find it at a restaurant in the neighborhood of Providencia. Start with a Pisco Sour, a glass of wine or a soft drink, then enjoy a traditional menu. After lunch, continue to the nearby district of Barrio Italia, a gentrified area where you will find lots of boutique shops, antiques and art galleries. Have dessert at a traditional Dulceria, serving fresh Chilean pastries a sweet ending to this cultural tour. (Breakfast, Lunch, and Accommodations, Santiago) CENTRAL VALLEY WINES: Today enjoy a tour of one of Chile's famous wine valleys. Stop by several wineries for tours and tastings, and enjoy lunch at one of the vineyards. (Breakfast, Lunch, and Accommodations, Santiago) SANTIAGO TO MENDOZA: Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Mendoza, renowned as the home of Malbec wine. On the way from the airport to your bucolic wine lodge, enjoy a cellar tour through the Lujan valley. The agro-ecological conditions are almost perfect, therefore this place has been chosen by dozens of wineries that produce the most exquisite and finest Argentinean wines. After learning about the process of making wine, become an enologist for a day, and craft your own blend. Enjoy a traditional lunch at the winery, perfectly paired with regional wines. (Breakfast, Santiago; Lunch and Accommodations, Mendoza Wine Lodge) MENDOZA:
Enjoy a tasting tour through the Maipu valley, stopping by different wineries. Each winemaker has its own seal that differentiates one from another and demonstrate the diversity of Mendoza wines. Good food goes hand in hand with good wine: try your hand at a cooking class to learn the customs and traditions of Mendoza's regional cuisine. Enjoy a glass of wine and begin a cooking class supervised by a team of experts. Different options include making bread, empanadas, traditional humitas, roasted vegetables, and traditional Argentine Asado. Get to know different cooking techniques such as Horno de Barro (clay oven), Parrilaa (grill), or Disco de Arado (plow disk). Enjoy the lunch you prepared alongside an expert pairing of wines. (Breakfast, Lunch and Accommodations, Mendoza) MENDOZA TO BUENOS AIRES: Check out of your hotel and head back to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, and another magnificent capital of South American cuisine. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. (Breakfast, Mendoza; Accommodations, Buenos Aires) BUENOS AIRES: Spend the morning sightseeing on your own. In the afternoon head towards the bohemian San Telmo neighborhood, known for its colonial facades, pop-up art galleries, and delicious cafes. Your tour of this district starts with a stop at the only house in Argentina dedicated to Dulce de Leche, and which also offers a variety of artisanal products. Then enjoy a historical visit to the traditional San Telmo Market. Have a wine tasting at Tierra Mendocina and end the day at Desnivel Restaurant, an old Bodegón (tavern) with a three-course dinner, including traditional Argentine specialties. After this fantastic meal, return to your hotel. Alternative excursion: Enjoy a Tango Show with Dinner. Tango is the music of Buenos Aires par excellence. Its origin can be traced back to 1880 to the slums inhabited by Italian and Spanish immigrants, Africans, and gauchos. Their music appears as a mix of Cuban and Spanish rhythms, some polka, and, a little bit of African music. Their lyrics, difficult to be understood and impossible to be translated, are deeply poetic and have a story to tell about the city, its history and its people. Despite its humble origins, in the 1920s, tango left the brothels and the underworld districts, and moved into the high-class ballrooms. Tango then became firmly entrenched in the culture, values and traditions. Tango is still very much alive. To feel its spirit, visit one of the restaurants that offer a high-quality tango show, and
enjoy the sensual magnetism of tango performed by some of the best dancers, singers and musicians in Buenos Aires. (Breakfast, Dinner, and Accommodations, Buenos Aires) COUNTRYSIDE EXCURSION: Spend a lovely day in the immense Pampas, a vast region of fertile flat land suitable for agriculture and cattle raising, core economic and cultural industries in Argentina. This unique excursion transports you to a real estancia (ranch), approximately an hour from Buenos Aires, to experience traditional culture and food. (Breakfast, Lunch, and Accommodations, Buenos Aires) DEPART BUENOS AIRES: Your South American food and wine adventure has come to an end. With new knowledge of the culinary and enological aspects of South America, and a full stomach, head to airport for your flight back to New York (or other selected city). *Flights from other U.S. departure cities also available. (Breakfast, Buenos Aires)