Forty-five days down the spine of the Americas — from the Pacific desert of Peru to the white silence of Antarctica. Inca citadels, the world’s largest mirror, Patagonian granite, and the seventh continent.
12°03′S 77°02′W → 64°49′S 63°29′W
Andes to Antarctica is the journey our founders built first, and the one they still call the truest. It follows a single, stubborn line south — from the fog-grey Pacific coast of Lima, up into thin Andean air, across an inland sea of salt, and down through Patagonia until the map simply runs out of land.
You travel the way the continent is actually shaped: slowly, and with altitude. Nine days are spent acclimatising before you ever see Machu Picchu. Two weeks later you are on the salt flats of Bolivia at 3,656 metres, watching the sky double itself in a sheet of water. The journey ends where almost no journey does — crossing the Drake Passage by expedition ship to stand on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Every night is booked into a hotel we have personally slept in. Every border is handled for you. You carry a daypack; we carry everything else.
Lima, Peru → The Antarctic Peninsula
Scroll east through every leg of the route — drag, swipe or use the arrows. Each chapter is a place, a story, and where you sleep.
Days 1–3You begin at sea level, in a city that faces the cold Humboldt Current. Three unhurried days in Barranco and Miraflores let the journey find its rhythm — and let you eat, because Lima is one of the great food cities on Earth.
Days 4–8Fly inland and up to 3,400 metres — the former capital of the Inca world. You acclimatise gently among Andean markets and terraced ruins, sleeping low in the Sacred Valley where the air is kinder.
Days 9–11The citadel at dawn, before the day train arrives — mist lifting off the terraces, Huayna Picchu sharpening overhead. You have two visits: one to feel it, one to understand it, with an archaeologist alongside.
Days 12–14The highest large navigable lake on the planet, shared by Peru and Bolivia. You cross it by boat to the floating reed islands of the Uros and the weaving communities of Taquile before continuing south into Bolivia.
Days 15–18The largest salt flat on Earth — 10,582 square kilometres of blinding white. In the wet months a film of water turns the whole salar into a mirror that erases the horizon. You sleep in a hotel built of salt.
Days 19–22Over the altiplano lagoons and into the driest non-polar desert on Earth. Geysers at dawn, salt lagoons, and some of the clearest night skies anywhere — a fitting place to look up before the long flight south.
Days 23–29Patagonia proper. Three granite towers, the Cuernos, glaciers calving into milk-blue lakes, and the famous wind. You walk sections of the W route by day and return each evening to a warm lodge.
Days 30–34Cross into Argentina for the Perito Moreno glacier, then continue to Ushuaia — the southernmost city in the world, the place every road finally stops and the sea takes over.
Days 35–45Two days across the Drake Passage by ice-strengthened ship, and then the seventh continent: tabular icebergs, gentoo colonies, humpbacks, and a silence with no equivalent. Zodiac landings every day weather allows.
| Begins | Lima, Peru — arrive any day; we meet you at the airport |
|---|---|
| Ends | Ushuaia, Argentina, after the Antarctic voyage |
| Duration | 45 days, fully escorted |
| Best season | November to March, when Antarctica is open |
| Fitness | Moderate. Daily walks of 2–6 hours; high altitude in weeks 1–3 |
| Group size | Private, or small group of up to 12 |
| Included | All hotels, the Antarctic voyage, internal flights, guides, most meals, all permits |
Moderate — high altitude + cold-water expedition
November to March (austral summer)
From €28,500 per person
Comprehensive — hotels, internal travel, guiding, permits. International flights quoted separately.
You need to be comfortable walking for two to six hours over uneven ground and managing altitude up to 3,800 metres. There is no technical climbing. The Antarctic landings involve stepping into Zodiac boats and walking on snow. Most reasonably active travellers in their 30s to 70s complete the journey comfortably.
The itinerary is deliberately paced for acclimatisation: you spend the first eight days ascending gradually and sleep at lower elevations in the Sacred Valley. Our guides carry oximeters and oxygen, and a doctor reviews your medical form before departure. Travellers prone to altitude issues can pre-arrange medication with their physician.
It can be. The Drake Passage is open ocean and conditions vary from glassy calm to genuinely big seas. Our expedition vessels are modern, stabilised and ice-strengthened, and the crew adjusts timing around weather windows. Travellers concerned about seasickness can opt for a fly-the-Drake upgrade on selected departures.
Between November and March. The Antarctic Peninsula is only accessible in the austral summer, and this window also gives the best weather in Patagonia. November brings pristine snow and courting penguins; February and March offer whale activity and the warmest Patagonian hiking.
Yes. The journey is built in modules. You can travel Lima to the Atacama as a 22-day Andean journey, or join only the Patagonia-and-Antarctica segment as a 16-day trip. Tell us your dates and we will build the version that fits.
PeruFull guideA complete guide to Machu Picchu, Peru — the 15th-century Inca citadel at 2,430 metres. When to go, how to arrive, and the finest places to stay, eat and explore.
BoliviaFull guideA guide to the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia — the largest salt flat on Earth. When to catch the mirror effect, how to visit, and where to sleep in a hotel made of salt.
Chile & ArgentinaFull guideA guide to Patagonia and Torres del Paine National Park — granite towers, glaciers and the famous wind. When to go, the W and O treks, and the best lodges and tables.
Take the full arc, or a single chapter of it. Either way, the conversation is the first step.