South America Cruise - from Callao - Lima - 121112

Callao is a suburb of Lima, the capital of Peru. Callao is the main transportation hub of South America, with one of the largest ports in this Southern Hemisphere. Lima is also the largest city in the country, in western Peru on the Pacific coast. Lima's old town, with its streets laid out like a chessboard, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The city is a mixture of Colonial-style buildings and modern architecture. The "Plaza de Armas" is the real highlight. This is where the cathedral, the presidential palace and many important churches, such as the Iglesia San Francisco, the Iglesia la Merced and the Iglesia Santo Domingo. At the corner of the Plaza is an equestrian monument honouring the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who founded Lima in January 1535, in order to focus the reign over the conquered kingdom of the Incas here. The San Francisco monastery with its catacombs, which is close to the Plazuela San Francisco, is also worth seeing. A trip to the Plaza de Mayo, throbbing with hundreds of traders and the shopping street Calle Union are also well worth a visit. Other sights include: the Museo de la Nacion, the "Museo de Oro" and the Miraflores and Barranco districts.

The most northerly town in Chile is located by the sea and serves as the starting point for tours of the Andes uplands to Putre and the National Parks "Las Vicuñas" and "Lauca" and to the sites of ancient Incan settlements. In 1883, following the "Salpeter war" (1879-1883), the city was ceded by Bolivia to Chile, causing Bolivia to lose its access to the Pacific.

Antofagasta is an idyllic harbour town with around 250,000 inhabitants. The town is located in Chile's mining region, at the edge of the Atacama desert. It is known as a trading place for desert minerals. Antofagasta town centre features many Victorian and Gregorian-style buildings at at the "Plaza Colon" there is a clock tower meant to be a smaller replica of Big Ben. The town has two beaches, but the water is icy cold on account of the Humboldt current.

Valparaíso is one of the first cities founded by the Spanish in Chile. What is today Chile's largest sea port lies in a picturesque bay around which the city centre is built. This is where you can see historic buildings in the Victorian and neoclassical styles, huge squares and a modern port facility. The residential areas are for the most part situated on the hills surrounding the city to which the many stairways and a unique cable-car system with 16 carriages lead. It is well worth the journey uphill - the view of the harbour and the city centre is simply breathtaking. Probably the most unusual city in Chile, it is known for its interlinked houses with their traditional inner courtyards.

Puerto Montt, the capital of the Chilean region of Los Lagos, is situated around 1,000 km South of Santiago at a wide Pacific bay. Despite having a population of 130,000, the port, which is the last stop on the North-South railway, has retained a small town atmosphere and charm. With its splendid rooftops and balconies, Puerto Montt is reminiscent of a small Bavarian village and was indeed inhabited for a time by Bavarian settlers. The city is famous for its eucalyptus and pine forests as well as the many lakes and snow-covered volcanoes.

Castro is the capital of Chiloe, a small island off the Chilean coast in the Pacific Ocean. The people here are known for their cordiality and hospitality. All of Chiloe's towns are by the sea. The colourful houses built on stilts and small log cabins on the Fjord coast are typical of Castro. The houses, built on stilts, which are called "Palafitos", are situated in the tidal area at the coast; their wooden stilts are flooded daily by the rising sea water. The city is also known for its folk music and its woollen handicrafts.

Puerto Chacabuco and the Chilean archipelago impress visitors with their stunning beauty - jagged fjords, imposing glaciers and snow-covered Andes mountains. The beauty of the bay of Puerto Chacabuco becomes apparent as soon as one enters the harbour. Waterfalls rush down the steep sides of the canyon, while hundreds of species of birds gather to search for food on the small islands shrouded in mist just off the coast.

Punta Arenas is said to be the most southerly city on the planet. Prior to the opening of the Panama canal, the city on the Strait of Magellan was an important port shaped by a colourful mix of European immigrants. Luxurious villas owned by the sheep farming barons around the plaza line the city. The view over the colourful rooftops stretches across the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego. In the Summer people meet at the plaza, where large trees provide some much-welcomed shade.