Argentina & Brazil
To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.
Day One: Welcome to Buenos Aires
Upon arrival at the airport, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel in Buenos Aires, the sprawling, captivating capital of Argentina. The rest of the day is yours to settle in: you can soak up the city’s atmosphere at many cafes vending strong coffee and medialuna (Argentinian croissants), or treat yourself to the world’s best steak – the neighbourhood of Recoleta is littered with parillas serving up perfect cuts.
Overnight in Buenos Aires
We only offer Deluxe accommodation on this luxury trip. Click hotel name below for more details.
Deluxe - Melia Buenos Aires
Meals included: None
Day Two: Electric Dreams
After breakfast, your guide will take you to join a special exploration of the city – by electric bike. On this five-hour group adventure, you’ll start in the leafy, monument-packed barrio of Recoleta, cycling onwards to the grand park of Plaza San Martin, to hear about the history of the city. Following dedicated bike paths, you’ll enter frenetic downtown and head towards the Plaza de Mayo, where Evita Peron made her famous speech. You’ll learn more about the culture and customs of this city before cycling on to the colourful, working class neighbourhood of La Boca, where street performers dance the tango, lively bars line the streets, and the world’s most famous football team, Boca Juniors, has its home. Then you’ll head back to Recoleta, to visit its enchanting cemetery full of delicately carved mini mausoleums. En route, you’ll stop in the sleek waterside barrio of Puerto Maderas, forged from revitalised docks on the Rio de la Plata riverbank. The guide will provide cycling helmets, water and a healthy snack. In the evening, you’ll get to experience a different form of exercise, as you head for a tango show and dinner in the bohemian barrio of San Telmo. You’ll be picked up at your hotel for a group transfer to La Ventana Barrio del Tango, a converted conventillo (tenement block) that now puts on evening spectacles showcasing the beauty of the tango – complete with 32 artists, two orchestras, a folk music group and a plethora of singers and dancers. Over the course of the evening, you’ll also have the chance to learn the tango yourself during a lesson, before sitting down to a three-course dinner and enjoying the entertainment. You’ll then be transferred back to your hotel for the night.
Overnight in Buenos Aires
Deluxe - Melia Buenos Aires
Meals included: Breakfast; dinner
Day Three: First View of Iguazu
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport by private car, ready for your onward flight to Iguazu. After checking in to your hotel and a little time to freshen up, you’ll head to the Brazilian side of the falls with your private guide. Seeing the world’s largest waterfall system for the first time is a truly incredible sight: there are 270 waterfalls here, stretching across 1.5 miles and thundering downwards with all-encompassing force. After making your way to the protected rainforest of the Iguazu Park, you’ll take an elevator to wander beside them on a 1,000m-long footbridge. There’s also the opportunity to see them from the highest viewpoint in the park, Salto Floreano, which you must take another elevator to reach. For an even more spectacular view, there’s the optional chance to take a helicopter ride above the falls – a ten-minute flight that’s a once in a lifetime way to see one of the world’s natural wonders, witnessing the immense scale of the water from a truly privileged position. For costs and to book, please see the Extras tab.* Later, you’ll be transferred back to your hotel in Iguazu for the night.
*As the helicopter trip requires a minimum of three people, groups may be combined.
Overnight in Iguazu
Deluxe - Loi Suites Iguazu
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Four: Water World
Today you’ll get up close and personal with the falls, traversing footbridges that spider web beside the Argentinian side of the water. On the lower circuit, you’ll get to the base of the falls, from where you’ll feel their mist and immerse yourself in their thunder. After that, you’ll explore the upper circuit, with its breathtaking views over the top. Finally, you’ll reach the balcony overlooking the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) to witness a jaw-dropping fall of more than 80m. Now that you’ve seen the falls, it’s time to traverse their river rapids, on an exciting adventure. You’ll join a group to drive by truck through the wild, butterfly and bird packed vegetation of the national park, before boarding a RIB-style boat from the peaceful backwater of San Martin island. But hold on tight, because after visiting the Tres Mosqueteros and Garganta del Diablo, you’ll sail as close as safely possible to the San Martin fall – the largest that can be approached by boat and almost guaranteed to get you soaked. Then it’s back to the hotel to recover.
Overnight in Iguazu
Deluxe - Loi Suites Iguazu
Meals included: Breakfast
Day Five: Onwards to Rio
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your onward flight to Rio, Brazil’s ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ and one of the most enchanting cities in the world. After checking in to your hotel, you’ll have some free time. Perhaps wander the white sands of one of its famous beaches or grab a coffee and browse the shops in chic Leblon. Because it can be hard to see the other side of this mega-metropolis, we can also arrange an optional visit to Rio’s lesser-visited sights, starting above the Olympic Complex where the 2016 games were held. You’ll then make for two of Rio’s most beautiful beaches. A world away from its urban stretches of sand, Prainha and Grumari are wild white sweeps, hemmed by boulders and forested cliffs and situated in a protected national park. From Prainha, you’ll take an easy walk along a trail to a viewpoint offering fantastic views back to the west of the city. Then you’ll head back towards Rio along the coast, stopping off at beaches en route, before visiting the CBF Museum, a paean to football and especially the Brazilian national team. See trophies, signed shirts and many impressive audio-visual displays, before returning to your hotel. For costs, please see the Extras tab. Come evening, you’ll experience something else that Rio is famed for, as you enjoy a meal in one of the city’s renowned churrascarias (meat barbecue restaurants). Fogo de Chao is among the best in town, with the added bonus of fantastic views over the sea and Sugarloaf mountain. Once seated you’ll be given a green card and a red card: turn over the green one for non-stop, perfectly cooked cuts of meat; then turn over the red one when you’ve had enough. (The meal also includes salad, dessert and coffee. Drinks are not included.) You’ll then be taken back to your hotel for the night.
Overnight in Rio
Deluxe - Hilton Hotel Copacabana
Meals included: Breakfast; dinner
Day Six: Climbing and Carnival Costumes
Your morning is free to relax and prepare for an afternoon hike up Sugarloaf. Perhaps savour the laid-back Brazilian way of life in Copacabana, where your hotel is situated. Stroll along the wide, swirling pavement of the beach promenade, trimmed in palm trees, or head to neighbouring Ipanema – still hip decades after the famous song put it on the map. Take an early lunch, because at 1pm you’ll set off for Sugarloaf. Hiking for two and a half hours to the top along clear trails, you’ll need to complete a very short climb (8m) as part of the journey: this is considered an ideal intro to climbing for beginners and easy for those with experience (all safety equipment is included). You’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of this superbly-situated city, across Copacabana Beach, the seaside neighbourhood of Urca, Guanabara Bay and the iconic Christ The Redeemer statue. Take photos and savour the vistas, then catch the cable car down to neighbouring Urca Hill, before taking the trail back to the bottom (if you descend after 7pm, you’ll take the cable car all the way on your descent). Back at the hotel, it’s a quick change before your head out to dinner at the beautifully decorated Charbon Rouge restaurant, which serves Brazilian and international dishes. After dinner, you’ll be whisked off to the Leblon Theatre, home of the Ginga Tropical Show. See if you’d make the grade, with a samba class, then sit down to savour the evening’s Technicolor entertainment – a stunning spectacle packed with drummers, carnival dancers, capoeira and the strains of the samba band. You’ll then return to your hotel.
Overnight in Rio
Deluxe - Hilton Hotel Copacabana
Meals included: Breakfast; dinner
Day Seven: Drive of your Life
Buckle up this morning – you’re off on a 4X4 adventure to the statue of Christ The Redeemer. Head from your hotel towards Corcovado mountain, transferring to an eco-van at Paineiras for the trip to Christ The Redeemer. This incredible Art Deco statue, rising 30 metres above the mountain, is one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. You’ll have time to take photos and savour the atmosphere, before being taken back to your Jeep to tour the surrounding Tijuca Forest, where jungly paths and waterfalls hide an array of exotic plants and animals.
After your adventure, you’ll be transferred to Conceicao de Jacarei or Angra dos Reis for your boat to Ilha Grande (average journey time 4 hours dependent on traffic).
Overnight on Ilha Grande
Deluxe - Atlantica Jungle Lodge Resort
Meals included: Breakfast
Days Eight & Nine: Time to Relax
The next two days will be at your leisure. You could take a boat trip to Paradise Islands; a collection of islands in the bay of Ilha Grande, visit the famous Lopes Medes beach, accessible by boat and a 20-minute walk through the jungle, or hike to Vila de Dois Rios, a small village with a wild unspoilt beach. You could swim, go diving, enjoy some delicious seafood or just lie on one of the island's sugar-white beaches under the sun, its completely up to you.
Overnight on Ilha Grande
Meals Included: Breakfast
Day Ten
After a final morning in paradise, you'll head back to the port for your boat back to Rio, then on to the airport in a private transfer for your flight back to the UK.
Overall meals included: 9 Breakfasts; 3 dinners
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers and internal flights unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
- Entrance tickets and permits unless stated otherwise
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience: call 0208 432 0885 for AX specially negotiated flight rates
- Optional extras listed
- Tips for guides, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the tour
- We cannot guarantee the included hotel breakfast for early departures
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
If you intend to travel solo, contact us on 0208 432 0885
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London cost around £700 per person and take approximately 14 hours outbound, 12 hours inbound depending on exact flight configurations and layover times.
For this particular experience, the best option is normally to book a multi-stop flight from London - Buenos Aires - Rio - London.
Experience start point: Buenos Aires (EZE). Arrive any time.
End point: Rio (GIG). The experience finishes in the early afternoon on Day Seven, and we suggest an evening departure.