Natural and cultural landscapesYou will be seeing many of the natural and cultural highlights of the countries through which you will be passing on your Journey, but it is not possible to include everything. Some extensions are obvious and logical?for example, a visit to Easter Island is a popular choice for those visiting Chile. Others are rather less well-known, or more specialised, including estancia stays (wine, gastronomy, horse-riding) in Argentina. You may add on just a couple of days to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal or the Nasca Lines of Peru; or a week or more to cruise to the white continent, Antarctica. The next four pages feature a few ideas to whet your appetite.SALLY DODGE74 Escorted Small Group Holidays 2012For more information, client reviews, trip dossiers, detailed extensions and to book online visit journeylatinamerica.?co.ukSKORPIOSAbove: The Skorpios fleet travel to the San Rafael glacier, Chilean fjords and rainforest.THE FJORDS OF CHILE AND ARGENTINAPatagonia, the wilderness of steppes, jagged mountains and glaciers, still offers an experience of a landscape which feels truly remote. Nowadays however it can be visited in comfort: there are first class estancias in stunning countryside and state-of-the-art hotels. Luxurious motor-vessels offer cruises exploring the innermost secrets of the ice. The fjords of southern Chile configure a fairy-tale land of deep, forested valleys, hanging glaciers and tiny maritime settlements. Further south, cruises explore the Beagle channel and Tierra del Fuego, and even take you up to rugged Cape Horn. Connects with journeys that pass through Ushuaia, Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas. Cruises last from 4-7 days. ANTARCTICAA century after the first expeditions, the only realistic access to this vast continent is still by sea. Cruise there, and you will witness yawning ice fields, mountains of staggering beauty and fathomless waters, all reflecting the ever-changing moods of the southern sky.Here huge conglomerations of penguins, and sea-lions, albatrosses and other seabirds lay on a spectacular display.Some of our Journeys have Ushuaia, the gateway to the White Continent or Punta Arenas on the Chilean side of the border, as the last port of call. You may leave the group here to take a cruise, or travel south by air at the end of your Journey. There is a wide choice of ships?from small expeditionary vessels to larger cruise ships with comprehensive facilities. Cruises last from one to three weeks. ISTOCKPHOTO.COMTHE GLACIERS OF ARGENTINE PATAGONIACross the border from Chilean Patagonia to the Argentine side of the jagged, ice-capped Andes range and stay at El Calafate, a little resort town on wilderness plains close to the edge of milky-turquoise Lago Argentino. From here, visit the towering ice-walls of the Perito Moreno and the traditional ranch at Estancia Cristina. Choose between tourist and first class options. Round off your holiday with a couple of days in Argentina's elegant capital, Buenos Aires.Connects with journeys nearing the end in Torres del Paine.Recommended stay: 7 days, includes 2 nights in Buenos Aires. NICOLA GUDEAbove: The Perito Moreno glacier in the Argentine Patagonia.FITZROYSpend a bit longer in Argentine Patagonia before your holiday itinerary travels to Buenos Aires. From El Calafate take the bus along a recently paved road (3-4 hours) to the small mountain resort of El Chaltén. From here you'll enjoy splendid scenic walks in the rugged countryside at the foot of the towering slabs of rock and icy pinnacles forming the Fitz Roy massif. Lakes sparkle like gemstones and the views are of Cinemascope proportions. Round off your holiday with two nights in Buenos Aires.Connects with journeys nearing the end in El Calafate.Recommended stay: 6 days.Above: Mount Fitz Roy in Los Glaciares National Park, access from El Chaltén.Extensions

Above: The Copper Canyon in Northern Mexico offers a dramatic alternative to the better known sights in the south.MEXICAN TOURIST BOARDDAVID NICHOLSAbove: The Moon Valley in the Atacama-an unforgettable panorama of sand dunes, salt desert and parched canyons.SARAH BEARDCall 020 8747 8315 to speak to one of our expert consultants for advice, additional information or to book your holiday 75 Escorted Small Group Holidays 2012THE IGUAZÚ FALLSPerhaps the most stunning sight in Latin America is the Iguazú Falls. This 2km chain of 275 cataracts, which tumble and roar over a 60m precipice, is in protected, bird-filled sub-tropical rainforest. On either side of the border of Brazil and Argentina, which the cataracts straddle, there is a range of accommodation - much of which is situated in extensive gardens with outside pool?from spacious tourist class hotels to first class traditional or contemporary establishments.Connects with journeys starting/ending in Buenos Aires. Recommended stay: 5 days, includes2 nights in Rio de Janeiro, or 3 days, flying home from Buenos Aires.COPPER CANYON, MEXICOThe Copper Canyon has some of the continent's most awe-inspiring mountain scenery, and one of the world's most famous rail journeys. There are a score of gorges and ravines, some deeper than the Grand Canyon. Travel by train from El Fuerte (where you stay in a historic mansion) and climb into the Sierra Madre, over-nighting on the canyon rim before descending to Chihuahua. Access is from Los Mochis close to Mexico's Pacific coast. Connects with journeys starting/ending in Mexico City.Recommended stay 4-5 days.ATACAMA DESERTThe fringe of the Atacama Desert, close to the Bolivian frontier, is a high-altitude volcanic and salt lake landscape of supreme, rugged beauty. The Moon Valley, the geysers at El Tatio and pretty mountain villages such as Toconao are among a host of attractions here. Stay in comfortable accommodation in San Pedro, the hub for visits to the region, or at the luxurious explora hotel, where top-quality meals and excursions are included. Connects with journeys starting/ending Santiago. Recommended stay: 5-6 days, includes 1 night in Santiago. Above: Ushuaia, the southernmost town of the world on Tierra del Fuego.USHUAIA, TIERRA DEL FUEGOWhile still in Patagonia towards the end of your group holiday, take a short flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia, the world's most southerly city and busy little port at the tip of the Andes range. It is your base for explorations to the bays, lakes, rivers and peaks of the Tierra del Fuego National Park. Cruise down the Beagle Channel spotting penguins and pay a visit to the historic Harberton Ranch, before you fly north for a final night in Argentina's cosmopolitan capital Buenos Aires.Connects with journeys nearing the end in El Calafate.Recommended stay: 5 daysSHUTTERSTOCK.COMAbove: The Iguazú Falls are a short flight from Buenos Aires.