Early the next day, we set off to visit the statue, first boarding a train to take us to the top of the mountain. Looking with anticipation out of the window of the train, it was only on rare occasions that we caught a glimpse of our destination. After leaving the train and climbing several steps we arrived at the foot of the statue, and had the obligatory photograph taken. An impressive place although rather crowded and  it did seem that some of the tourists just came with their partners dressed especially for the Facebook/Instagram photographs and at times you even had to walk around photographers lying down trying to get that special view. 
The views from the top were equally as impressive. A super way to spend a morning, although it wasn't safe to eat food in the open, as a few people found out, with the local wildlife around!

Our next stop was to get the cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. The queues weren't too bad although there were a lot of dignitaries also going to the top. We later found out that they were there to meet Prince William, who was there as part of the 2025 Earthshot Awards. 
I must say the mountain was more impressive on the way up rather than at the top. The views from it were stunning but the station was otherwise just food outlets and souvenir shops.  
We missed seeing the prince as he had left by the time we were coming down, but it did delay our descent as the dignitaries were let out of the carriages first.

We managed to walk along the beach a couple of times but the beach was quiet until the last morning when the weather improved and the crowds arrived. This was the Copacabana beach of the movies  and had the vibe we had expected. Aa shame we were flying home later that day.

A stunning tour although very exhausting, especially on the first few days. The sites we saw and experiences we had will stay with us for ever.

Iguazú Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.

That statement says it all really. 
Arriving on the Argentina side, we were met by the guide and started walking along the footpath, stopping at intervals to admire this spectacle. It's hard to explain the sight or sounds or even capture the experience with a camera as the views are so special. We were lucky on this first visit because it was a hot sunny day and we could enjoy a leisurely walk taking in the views.

Having travelled to the Brazilian side, we set off on a much duller day with an overcast sky.
This side was completely different because you see the full extent of the falls rather than different sections as we did on the first day. Expecting rain we had waterproof clothing but we only needed it when we wet out onto the exposed walkway.
At the end of the trail was a small dining area with limited facilities, but fortunately, provided shelter when a sudden heavy thunderstorm arrived. 
After  waiting for the  the rest of the group to arrive at the meeting point, we queued for the lift up to the top floor to meet our coach for the return to our hotel.

Our reason for going on this Titan tour was to visit Machu Picchu which was as previously stated  was awesome, but we both have to say that having seen the falls, they exceeded our expectation and were equally as impressive.

Finally arriving in Buenos Aires, the pace started to slow down even more. The first morning was spent touring the town on a coach with the local guide. This was an effective way to get a feel for the area, but it started with a long drive past several of the international embassies which wasn't interesting as many were behind large walls.
Next, was a walking tour of the famous tombs of famous people with the main one being Eva Peron, with interesting information about her life. Moving on, we visited the town square where we looked across to the Casa Rosada, the seat of the president of Argentina. You could also see the balcony where Madonna sang the iconic song' Don't Cry for me Argentina'.
Our final stop was for a walk around the La Boca area where the famous Boca Juniors are based, an interesting area, but unfortunately, this was only a statue not the real person.

Having a free afternoon, we set off to explore. The city is huge so after a long walk, we decided to visit the 'Museo Nacional Bellas Artes,' where we spent a couple of hours enjoying the vast range of works from national and international artists.

On leaving the museum, we arrived at the two main gardens, eventually deciding to visit the Japanese gardens. This proved to be a relaxing area for a pleasant walk, although smaller than we expected. We even saw a man propose to his girlfriend on one of the bridges, hopefully, as it was in public view, she accepted!

It was a long walk back to the hotel, so we decided to treat ourselves in the evening to an Argentina steak.
Arriving at a recommended restaurant, we bumped into the tour guide Alex. This proved to be a good omen as he visited the area quite often, so knew all the best places to eat. It was also helpful as he recommended which steak to have. This meal proved to be the highlight of our day. Although a little pinker that we normally eat, the meat just melted and when we paid the bill at the end it proved to be about a quarter of what it would have cost in the UK. We had also timed our arrival correctly, as when we came to leave, the queue outside stretched down the street,
An enjoyable first day in Argentina.

Travelling forever onwards, our next visit was to the pretty port of Puerto Montt, a small fishing town.  Here, we had a short stop to visit the fish market and it was a shame that it was raining! Although, it didn't bother it's star attractions, the resting Sea Lions.
We stayed here for one night, but couldn't really appreciate the quaint town because of the rain.

The next day we started off on our epic journey from Chile into Argentina. We had a brief stop at the Saltos Del Petrohue, a series of fast flowing waterfalls, which were very impressive. 

We then went to board the first of three boats that would ferry us across different lakes towards out next country, Argentina 
The first lake was the most impressive as the light was perfect. We looked out across the lake, and stared in delight at the stunning cloud formations and mountain ranges. We were lucky that that we had left the rain behind. Later that evening, I even had a chance to do a quick watercolour as my impression of the scene. 

After stopping for lunch, we set off on an old-style bus to traverse a bumpy road across the border. Unfortunately, because of the waiter coming for payment to us last, we had to sit at the back of the bus, which was not a good place on a bumpy road! I was sat on a raised seat at the back and felt like shouting 'Yee Ha' all the time, whilst holding on for dear life. How Sue, who sat next to me, managed to fall asleep, I'll never know!
 Leaving Chile meant a short queue at customs, where one suitcase was selected  to be opened and inspected. Fortunately, not ours, and we were soon on our way. We briefly stopped at the border to photograph the two countries' signs before moving on, eventually arriving at the passport control for Argentina late at night, 
Joining the queue wasn't too bad compared with the one going the other way towards Chile. Unfortunately, a student stopped Sue to fill in a questionnaire. It took so long we thought we might have to leave her behind!
Finally arriving at the hotel, after a long but interesting day, we settled down for a well-deserved rest.