South America Explorer Escorted Vacation

You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel. A local representative will assist with your luggage and present you with a detailed kit and explanation of your program.

Enjoy a buffet breakfast at your hotel before being picked-up for your panoramic tour of downtown Rio, stopping at the Metropolitan Cathedral. Taking the Aterro do Flamengo, you will be transferred to the neighborhood of Urca where one of the largest symbols of the city is located: Sugar Loaf. Travel to the top in two stages via cable car, first to Urca Hill around 215 meters high, giving spectacular views of Guanabara Bay and its surrounding islands, the Rio-Niteroi Bridge and Corcovado Mountain. Next, board your second cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf, 395 meters high, and take in the breathtaking views of Copacabana beach, the Santa Cruz fortress and several beaches of Niteroi. Take the cable car back down the mountain and return to your hotel. Tonight, enjoy an optional Samba show known as Ginga Tropical, a multicultural Brazilian show that gathers various cultures of this tropical country. (B)

After breakfast, enjoy the city of Rio at your leisure to explore this amazing city on your own. We recommend an optional half-day tour of Rio’s world renowned beaches and the Olympic Park. This tour will give you a better understanding of the geography and topography of the city with its marvelous landscape – the city built between the sea and the mountains! Drive along the scenic road with beach views to Sao Conrado beach. Continue to Barra da Tijuca Beach – the longest beach in Rio at 18 km. Finally, enjoy a panoramic view of the Olympic Park, home of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. (B)

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before being transferred to the airport for your flight to Iguassu (ticket not included). You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel for check-in before departing on your half-day tour of the Brazilian side of the magnificent Iguassu Falls. Head to the National Park of the Brazilian Falls (entrance included) and start your visit with the Main Center of the park. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the local ecosystem of the Falls before continuing on foot through the most important track of the park where you will enjoy an astonishing view of the waterfalls. From the local belvedere, you will have a privileged sight of both sides of the waterfalls before returning to the Main Center via the panoramic elevator. Perhaps join an optional tour of the local Bird Park to witness the 150 different species of exotic birds. Once you have finished your tours, you will be transferred to the Argentina side of the Falls. (B)

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before traveling across the Tancredo Neves Bridge over the Iguassu River, separating the border between Argentina and Brazil. Once in Argentina, you will take a scenic highway to the Argentinean Iguassu Park (entrance included) where you will visit the Argentinean Falls, which take you to the very edge of the awe-inspiring Devil’s Throat, the largest of the Argentinean Falls. On your way back, stop at the “Three Borders” of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. (B)

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport to board your flight to Buenos Aires (ticket not included). You will be met upon arrival and transferred to your hotel. (B)

After breakfast you will join your guided city tour of Buenos Aires. You will discover the history of May Square, the site of the most important historical events and their protagonists since its foundation. Next, enjoy May Avenue and wonder in awe at the oldest residential neighborhood in Buenos Aires: San Telmo. Walk along its cobblestoned streets and discover the antique shops and picturesque buildings. Later, feel the passion of the original Tango in the neighborhood of La Boca; walk along Caminito Street and enjoy the dancers and shops along the way, as well as the famed Boca Juniors soccer stadium. Continue to the modernized city travelling along Madero Port and its exclusive docks, full of excellent restaurants and businesses. You will pass through the Retiro neighborhood and move on to see Palermo and its most exclusive residential area before finally arriving in Recoleta. Once there, discover the final resting place of Eva Peron, “Evita,” in the Recoleta Cemetery. Later in the day, experience the famed Buenos Aires nightlife and enjoy an unforgettable evening at Aljibe Tango for dinner and a show. Surrender to the magic of this city that never sleeps and to the charm of the overwhelming and sanguine music while enjoying the best of its varied epicurean options. (B,D)

Enjoy today at your leisure and consider an optional full-day experience of traditional gaucho culture at Santa Susana Ranch. Home to the gaucho, or Argentinian cowboy, the humid pampa is one of the most fertile natural prairies in the world and is famous for its production of beef and grains. Only a few kilometers away from the city of Buenos Aires, the natural environment and beautiful landscapes will welcome you as warmly as the gauchos. You will be honored with the typical national asado, empanadas and excellent Argentine wines. The wild smell of the countryside will invite you to discover a charming hundred-year-old rural tradition in the midst of the 21st century. Folk song and dances, equestrian activities and unbeatable shows of traditional gaucho skills allow you to live the traditional lifestyle of the Argentinean ranch through the gaucho, the greatest symbol of these lands. (B)

After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. (B)