Scenic South America Tour - 12 days- Small Group Tour
Chile, Argentina, Brazil
Small Group tour max 16 /
Tuesday departures
from Santiago
Accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels
Santiago (2) - Mendoza (2) - Buenos Aires (3) -
Iguassu (2)- Rio De Janeiro (2)
Category:
Cultural group tour
Day 01: (Tuesday)
Santiago de Chile (B)
Arrival in
Santiago
meet your greeter and transfer to the hotel.
Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with
remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise
buildings of the financial centre; Chile’s capital
city will surprise you. You will visit the main highlights in
this half day city tour. Afterwards, you continue the tour by
driving up to the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s
view points, you will have the finest views of Santiago and the
Andes
Mountains.
To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern
residential areas of the city with their daring architecture
and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone.
Day 02: Santiago de Chile (B)
Day free for leisure – the following optional tour can be booked
through your guide,
Optional: Full day excursion to Valparaiso
and Viña del Mar
The tour leaves
Santiago
in western direction. Arriving in
Valparaiso, you pass by the main square
where you can view the monument honouring the Naval Battle
fought in 1879. Driving towards the southern side of the city
and seeing the old funiculars you will drive up a hillside for a
most spectacular view of the bay seeing
Valparaiso’s downtown district and its
adjoining hills. Then proceed to the lower level of the city
through the commercial heart of the port, where you’ll take the
coastal highway that links Valparaiso with the resort city of
Viña del Mar. Reaching the Concón beach, you can admire various
fish stands displaying a great variety of seafood. Summer homes
and restaurants are spread out along the coast. Afterwards,
visit the main square Plaza Vergara and the shopping avenue
before returning to
Santiago.
Day 3: Santiago de Chile - Mendoza (B)
Today you are going on a full day
panoramic bus journey
(public bus from Santiago to Mendoza without
local guide)
crossing the majestic Andes and the border
to Argentina.
After breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel and
transferred to the bus terminal in
Santiago
downtown. Board the comfortable public bus to Mendoza. Enjoy an impressive drive offering
spectacular mountain views. Passing the city of
Los Andes, your bus continues upwards on “Ruta 60”
along the hillside of the Andean
Mountains,
offering you panoramic views on the way. You drive past
Portillo, Chile’s
most important centre of winter sports. It is located at the
foot of the Aconcagua, the highest
mountain
of South America.
You are going to leave
Chile
crossing the Argentinean Border through a tunnel which was built
in 1980. Now, the road starts to lead downhill. You see the
“Puente del Inca” (“Inca
Bridge”), a strange rock formation resembling a
bridge crossing the
Mendoza
River.
Your bus passes Los Penitentes, Argentina’s best-known ski resort, before
reaching Mendoza,
your final destination for today. Arrival at the bus terminal in
Mendoza and transfer to your hotel.
Remark: It might occur that the
transfer by bus must be cancelled due to bad weather conditions
(spring/autumn). In this case passengers will need to take a
flight from Santiago to
Mendoza, which must be paid
on the spot by themselves.
Day 4: Mendoza (B)
Mendoza,
possessing the 70% of the vineyards of the country and same
percentage of wine production is the main oenological centre of
South America. Depart to
Mendoza's
agricultural oasis where you have the opportunity to visit a
vineyard to understand the complete wine making process and to
enjoy a wine tasting.
The afternoon is free at leisure.
Optional: Half day city Tour
Mendoza
You will visit the city sharing the culture and
history of its foundation by the Spanish colonizers four
centuries ago. It includes a visit to the oldest part of the
city with Pedro del Castillo Square, the sensual Alameda of
General San Martin (Popular Avenue), passing by the Museum of
“Area Fundacional” (entrance not included)
Ruins of San Francisco Church (last
testimony of Mendoza city before the terrible earthquake that
took place in 1861). Along tree lined streets, hosed down by the
well-known irrigation ditches, you will drive to the new city:
its squares (like Plaza Independencia), downtown Mendoza, the
main avenues and the Civic Centre, the old residential area
until getting to the General San Martin Park with its lake and
rose garden and the Hill of Glory, a popular spot for a
panoramic view.
Day 5: Mendoza - Buenos Aires (B)
Transfer from the hotel in
Mendoza to the airport for your flight to
Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in
Buenos Aires
transfer from the airport to the hotel.
Afternoon you will visit the most
important sites during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza
de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the
government, the Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan
Cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes
onto the district San Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city
was a river port, today San Telmo is one of the most modern and
desired places to live in Buenos Aires. The worker district La
Boca is famous for its colourful tin-houses and its history as
living district of Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th
century. The Barrio Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the
rich of Buenos Aires. On the
cemetery of Recoleta
one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita
Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the
Avenida 9 de Julio, to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court
of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and
gardens.
Day 6: Buenos Aires (B)
Day at leisure or you can book the below optional tours directly
with your guide.
Optional: Full day visit of a typical Estancia incl. lunch
We leave the city and after a 2 hours
drive to Los Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana,
where the guests will be welcomed by Gauchos with a drink. There
is time to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos
will be explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm
of Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable
wild aroma. After a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat
and sausages a folklore show will present regional music and
dances. During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these
men's agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the
afternoon coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires.
Day 7: Buenos Aires (B)
Today you will enjoy a half day Tigre
Tour. Drive along the Northern residential districts of the
city, until getting to
San Isidro, a colonial and aristocratic
area. You will see the mansions and houses in front of the River
Plate. You will continue the driving to
Tigre, a charming area near Buenos Aires city where a
great number of summer residences, yacht clubs and rowing clubs
attract the week-end activity of many “porteños”. The Tigre
Delta with its rivers, streams and numerous green islands is one
of the most attractive areas for visitors. The continuous
sediment of the Paraná River,
which gives the river and estuary their particular brownish-red
color, forms the Delta islands. Enjoy a boat excursion (1 hour)
along the innumerable channels of the Paraná-Delta to see some
of the hundreds of islands covered with luxuriant vegetation.
Drive back to the city via the Panamericana
highway.
In the evening the following optional tour can be booked
with your guide:
Optional: visit of a Tango Show incl. dinner at the
Restaurant Viejo Almacen.
Day 8: Buenos Aires - Iguassu
(B)
In the morning leave
Buenos Aires and take a flight to
Iguassu. Upon arrival in Iguassu transfer to the
Argentinean National Park towards the
Argentinean
Falls.
You will make a short stop at the Visitor’s Center and proceed
from there along the Inferior Circuit, the down-river falls, to
the Superior Circuit, the up-river cascades. The Ecological
Jungle Train leads you to the most impressive observation point
of the falls – The Devil´s Throat.
After visit transfer to the hotel
on the Brazilian side of the falls.
Day 9: Iguassu (B)
In the morning visit of the Brazilian side of the falls. Walking
along the paths following cascades and then along the catwalk
that leads very close to the bottom of the Devil’s Throat to
enjoy magnificent views. Take an elevator to go up to the road
in order to board the coach which will bring back to the hotel.
Day 10: Iguassu - Rio de Janeiro
(B)
Transfer from the hotel to the airport for
the flight to Rio de Janeiro.
Arrival in Rio and transfer to the hotel,
Check In and time for a first stroll along
Copacabana
Beach.
This afternoon continues with
a half day city tour including visit of Sugarloaf.
Downtown is the business heart of
Rio. It is a part of the city where colonial
Rio
meets modern skyscrapers. Passing through Rio Branco Avenue, you will see the Candelaria
Church,
which was started being built in the late 18th century and was
completed in 1898. The headquarter of major Brazilian banks and
commercial enterprises is located on this avenue. You will also
see the Opera House (Teatro Municipal) and the Carioca Square, the
church of Santo Antonio
built in the 17th century as well as the contrast of the modern
buildings such as Petrobras and the Cathedral. Moreover you will
get to know Rio's aqueduct
built in the 18th century which is nowadays connecting downtown
to Santa Teresa district, an old residential area. Afterwards
you will drive through one of the highlights of this tour: the
Flamengo
Park
from where you have the chance to see already the top highlight
of this tour, the Sugar Loaf. This famous mountain reached by a
cable car 1,200 feet high, will give you an experience you will
never forget: looking down at Rio from top of the Sugar Loaf is one of the most
spectacular views in the world.
Day 11: Rio de Janeiro (B)
Day at leisure or you can book the below optional tours directly
with your guide.
Optional Corcovado tour:
Half day beach tour including a visit to
the Corcovado statue. Leaving
the hotel you proceed as far as Cosme Velho Station to board a
cog-train for the ride through Tijuca
Forest up to
Corcovado
Mountain.
The train ride takes 20 minutes and is a wonderful opportunity
for a closer look at the forest’s lush tropical vegetation and
to enjoy scenic landscapes of the beaches and the city.
Disembarking at the top of Corcovado
and then proceeding up the steps will lead to the top lookout
where the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer stands. After
appreciating the breathtaking view unfolding below descend by
train and continue passing by some of Rio’s
beaches
Optional Rio
by night – Show in the evening
Visit a folklore and Carnival show featuring skilled dancers,
entertainers, samba bands and wonderful costumes in a wonderful
display of Brazilian folklore and Carnival.
Day 12: Departure (B)
Transfer to airport for flight back home.
Thank you for visiting Chile, Argentina & Brazil.
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