Chile, Argentina & Brazil

Typical of the hotels you will stay in are the Torremayor Hotel in Santiago, Huentala Hotel in Mendoza, Pulitzer Hotel in Buenos Aires, Hotel Amerian Portal in Iguaçú Falls and the Hotel Golden Tulip Continental in Rio de Janeiro. All rooms feature private facilities, air-conditioning, TV and telephone. Hotel facilities include a restaurant and bar and, in Iguaçú, a pool and gardens. All hotels will be confirmed in your final documents.

Day 1: UK/Santiago

Depart on your scheduled flight to Santiago, the capital of Chile, via Paris.

Day 2: Santiago

Arrival in Santiago. Transfer to your hotel where, for your comfort, we include early check in and a two night stay.

Chile occupies an extraordinary ribbon of land lying between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, 2,700 miles long, and never more than 110 miles wide. The central region is Chile’s heartland. Great farms and vineyards cover the exceptionally beautiful countryside. The bustling cosmopolitan city of Santiago lies in a lovely setting beneath the majestic Andes and is a city of wide boulevards and delightful parks and gardens.

This afternoon we have included a city tour. You will visit the Presidential Palace and the city museum where you can learn more about Chile’s history. You will see the residential districts of Las Condes and Providencia, famous for their lively streets and beautiful homes and gardens. You will then take a cable car ride up San Cristobal Hill where you will enjoy a spectacular view of the city and the foothills of the snowcapped Andes.

Day 3: Santiago

Enjoy a day at leisure to further explore the city. Alternatively, join our optional excursion.

Meals: Breakfast

Pre-bookable optional excursion

Full day tour of Valparaiso & Viña del Mar including lunch. You will journey through dramatic mountain ranges and the fertile farmlands of the region abundant with orchards and colourful citrus groves. A wine tasting is included at the Veramonte vineyard where award-winning, world class wines including Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose are produced.

After the tranquillity of this superb vineyard, travel to fashionable Viña del Mar, the ‘Garden City’. Your tour will introduce you to the unique Flower Clock, palm-fringed avenues, the Fine Arts Museum, the Municipal Casino and the beautiful Rioja Palace.

Your optional tour continues to the hilly, coastal city of Valparaíso. Enjoy a leisurely lunch before your tour of the city, known for its steep streets lined with quaint, colourful homes. In contrast, this city is Chile’s most significant port city. Then follow the only road, Alemania Avenue, to traverse the famous hills on which the city is built. From here you will experience panoramic views of this charming city and the impressive port. You will also visit La Sebastian, one of the former homes of the laureate Nobel Prize winner, Pablo Neruda, Fisherman’s Wharf, Plaza Sotomayor, and the Naval Academy.

Day 4: Mendoza

Morning departure by coach from Santiago for the drive to the border with Argentina. Our journey takes us over the Andes with views of Mount Aconcagua which, at 23,000ft, is the highest peak in the Americas. The foothills outreach the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Today you will retrace the steps of Native Indians, Incas and the first Spanish settlers, all of whom have left their mark on the ‘Spine of South America’.

After crossing the border into Argentina you will continue to Mendoza for a two night stay.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5: Mendoza

Argentina stretches from tropical jungle in the north to the polar ice of the far south. Mendoza lies at the foot of the Andes and is located in the very heart of the beautiful wine country. This morning we have included a city tour.

Mendoza is the wine capital of Argentina and produces more than 60% of the country’s wine. This afternoon we have the chance to enjoy an optional trip to visit one of the many vineyards where you can enjoy a tasting and tour of the winery. The high quality grapes from this region are used to produce the Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc white wines and the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranilla red wines. The country’s most successful wine is the delicious Malbec red wine which has an intense colour, velvety texture and soft flavour.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 6: Buenos Aires

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, which is situated on the estuary of the River Plate and is considered to be the most elegant city in South America. On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel for a three night stay.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: Buenos Aires

This morning you enjoy an included city tour of Buenos Aires, often referred to as ‘The Paris of the Americas.’ Your tour will include visits to Plaza de Mayo where the Casa Rosada (Government House) is situated. Also in the square is the Cathedral of Buenos Aires where the tomb of General San Martin, the hero and liberator of Argentina, is located. You will also visit the La Boca District. It is renowned for its brightly painted houses and has now become an artists’ colony. The ‘tango’ was born here. A visit will be made to the Recoleta cemetery, famous for its beautiful family tombs and the burial place of Eva Peron. This evening you can enjoy an optional dinner and exciting tango show.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 8: Buenos Aires

Today you can take an optional full day tour to the heart of Argentina’s Pampas. Here you will experience a day at a typical ‘estancia’ (ranch). You will see the gauchos displaying their horsemanship skills and enjoy a typical Argentine barbeque.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 9: Iguaçú Falls

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Iguaçu Falls. On arrival, transfer to your hotel on the Argentinean side for a two night stay. This afternoon, there is time to relax in the gardens and by the pool at our hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10: Iguaçú Falls

Today, we include a full day trip into the Iguaçú National Park as we take the small train that leads through the jungle to the Argentinean falls. Situated at the meeting point of three countries (Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina), the falls are one of the world’s largest natural wonders. Higher than Niagara, wider than Victoria, Iguaçu consists of 275 separate falls, pouring up to eight million gallons of water every second into the swirling river below. You will have plenty of time to enjoy the many walkways that offer breathtaking up-close views of this sight of stunning beauty and magnitude.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 11: Rio de Janeiro

The morning is free to relax at the hotel before your flight to Rio.

Meals: Breakfast

Pre-bookable morning optional excursion

The Brazilian side of the Falls. Crossing the border into Brazil, this is your chance to see the falls from a completely different perspective. From this side, it is possible to see the full panorama of the falls and also to walk across the famous platform virtually into the Devils Throat.

Early afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight to Rio de Janeiro, the most exciting city in Brazil. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel for a two night stay.

Day 12: Rio de Janeiro

This immense country (fifth largest in the world) is a land of warm sun, bright colours, irresistible rhythms, unsurpassed natural beauty and captivating contrasts. It is a country of carnival, coffee, soccer and samba. Rio de Janeiro is unique – simply bursting with energy, excitement and entertainment. It is beautifully situated beneath Sugar Loaf Mountain, and blessed with magnificent beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema. It has the world’s largest carnival, the largest football stadium, the beautiful parks and the most legendary nightlife. With its exciting rhythms, bustling shops and fashionable bars, it is an informal and intriguing city.

To introduce you to the excitement of Rio, we have included a visit to Corcovado, home to the famous statue of Christ. To reach the statue it is necessary to ascend in a small cog railway which winds up the mountain for superb views over Rio and Sugarloaf Mountain.

The afternoon is free to enjoy Rio. Alternatively, join our pre-bookable optional excursion to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain. Starting from our hotel, we follow the coast route along Copacabana to the foot of Sugar Loaf and its twin-station cable car. From here, you ascend first to the middle station with time to pause on the larger of the two rocks before completing the journey to the very top of this impressive landmark.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 13: Rio de Janeiro

Free in Rio until departure to the airport for your return flight to the UK via Paris.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 14: UK

Arrival in the UK.