Please note: This itinerary applies in reverse for those passengers travelling from Rio to Quito

• Day 1 - 5 Heading south from Santiago, passing through Chile's wine growing region, we reach Pucon in the Chilean Lake District. Here we can climb the Villarrica Volcano which threatens to obliterate the town below with its next major eruption. An exhausting steep climb to the top allows you to peer down into the core and see the mass of activity of the bubbling hot lava below. The hike back down is fun filled with the use of 'snow slides' for a quicker journey to the bottom. In Pucon, there is also the opportunity to go white water rafting, cycling or horse riding.
• Day 6 - 8 From Pucon we go further south through the Chilean lakes district stopping either at Lake Puyahue or some hot springs nearer to the border of Argentina. We then cross into Argentina and drive on to our destination Bariloche. This is South America's premier ski resort reminiscent of Switzerland with prices to match! Among the temptations on offer include succulent steaks and luxury chocolates.
• Day 9 - 12 Reluctantly leaving Bariloche we continue through the Lake District Region with its spectacular National Parks, until we arrive in Esquel, which is the last major town before isolated Patagonia. Some long drives are required to cross the vastness of Patagonia, sparsely populated, and home to the tough Goucho cowboys. Our reward is the parque nacional los glaciares with the incredible Moreno Glacier, one of the few advancing glaciers left in the world. This breathtaking site stands 60 metres high and six kilometers wide, creaking and groaning as it moves forward, huge slabs of ice tear away to crash into the water below. This massive wall of ice divides an arm of the Lago Argentino effectively damming it. Every few years the ice dam can no longer support the rising water, explodes under the pressure and collapses.
• Day 13 - 17 A short drive takes us back into Chile where our next destination is the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park. We have 4 or 5 days to take some treks around the park, visit the grey Glacier, or try some Horse-riding.
• Day.18 -26 A ferry ride is needed to take us to the furthest point south on the continent to Tierra Del Fuego, or the land of fire. There is a boat ride in the Beagle Channel we can take and a visit to the nearby Ushuaia national park
• Day 27 - 35 We have now traversed Patagonia to the South Atlantic coast where we visit some marine wildlife reserves including the Valdes Peninsula. These are breeding grounds for sea mammals including Killer-whales, sea lions and Elephant seals.
  Heading north we continue to Buenos Airies the lively cosmopolitan capital of Argentina. We have some free time here where you could possibly take a boat across to Uruguay, or just sit back and enjoy a drink with live tango dancing and street performers to entertain you.
• Day 36 - 42 continuing across the Pampas, Argentina's vast agricultural heartland, we take a detour to Carlos Pelegrine, a protected wetland area. A boat trip enables us to spot Cappiburras, giant guinea pigs, Caiman, a small alligator and numerous species of birds. Continuing north we enter Paraguay, once notorious for harbouring some less salubrious immigrants after World War II. Hundreds of years earlier this was home to Jesuit missionaries whose buildings remain for us to visit, most notably in Trinidad. The pace of life is more laid back and takes the pressure off the budget after high living Argentina.
• Day 43 - 49 Crossing the Friendship Bridge to Brazil to the awesome Iguaza Falls, shared between Brazil and Argentina we can spend a few days here perhaps taking a helicopter flight over the worlds biggest waterfall. You can also return to Argentina for an alternative view of the falls.
  Continuing through Brazil to the tropical coast we have time to relax on some beaches including Parati, an old pirate haunt and take a yacht cruise around the bay before our ultimate destination, the frenetic Rio for 'Carnaval' and its hedonistic delights.
  Or for those on trips ending in New Year you can now enjoy the frenetic Rio for New Year celebrations and its hedonistic delights.