The Divine Nature, Tango and Samba Tour

Divine Nature, Tango
and Samba Tour

Starting at US $2950* per person
in double occupancy; additional fees
apply for single occupancy

Treat yourself with 16 days touring the best of South America!

A stunning adventure covering the most beautiful, vibrant and colorful regions of the Southern Hemisphere. Santiago and Buenos Aires with their sleepless life and culture, tango and fine wines, and Rio de Janeiro, with its famed beaches, offer some of South America’s most sensual pleasures. But even beyond these renowned attractions, Chile, Argentina and Brazil offer soul-stirring experiences. Explore the Andes' highest peaks in Argentinean Patagonia. Ride horseback through the Pampas. Take in the stunning views of majestic Iguassú Falls and a possible add-on to explore Amazonian jungles. Divine nature and unique cities with rich cultures ranging from European to African to distinctively indigenous Indian.

Available to start on Thursdays and Sundays in Santiago, or customize your itinerary.

Tour Features

1st Class Accommodations
3 Nights in Santiago, Chile
1 Night in Puerto Varas, Chile
3 Nights in Bariloche, Argentina
3 Nights in Buenos Aires, Argentina
2 Nights in Foz do Iguassu, Brazil
3 Nights in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
15 Buffet Breakfasts
2 Lunches and 2 Dinners
All national park entrance fees
All Sightseeings and transfers
with English-speaking guides
4 South American flights with
South American carriers

* Price includes all tour features, is subject to change before tour confirmation, and varies with the season.

Day 1 - Arrival in Santiago

Welcome to Chile's capital, at the foot of the Santa Lucia hill, nestled in the flat part of the Central Valley and surrounded by the Andes Mountains. Your local host will meet you at the international airport and escort you to the Hotel Panamericana Providencia, located in the heart of the tourist borough next to hundreds of exclusive small boutiques and modern malls, dotted with a great variety of restaurants from elegant to formal dining where Chile's excellent wines are a must. This afternoon, enjoy a panoramic sightseeing tour of Santiago, where your guide will showcase the heart of the finance and political centre of Chile: the Civic Center; La Moneda, Presidential Palace and seat of the Presidency of the Republic; Plaza de Armas; the Cathedral; Main Post Office; and pedestrian streets of Huerfanos and Ahumada, indisputably the busiest social, commercial and functional axes of Santiago. The tour is finished with a ride up San Cristobal hill with the best panoramic views from the lookout points on the top.

Day 2 - Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

Depart towards the northwest, heading to the ocean across beautiful valleys, vineyards and hills. We arrive in Valparaiso and visit this city-port built on the shores of a sweeping bay and crescent of 40 hills. The lower part is the seat of banking and commerce activities, centered on Prat and Esmeralda streets, featuring Pedro Montt Avenue with its many cafés and theatres. Above in the hills, there's a fantastic combination of colorful houses with laundry dancing in the wind and winding streets with the funicular railways still in use (which connect the lower and upper levels of the port), its charming ascensores as immortalized in the words of Pablo Neruda. Lunch, with fresh Chilean seafood as the pearl of the menu, will be served at a typical restaurant by the shore of Reñaca, a beach resort north of Viña del Mar. Time at leisure in the afternoon to enjoy this beautiful "Garden City," one of Chile's premier beach resorts with luxury hotels, shopping malls, high-rise condominiums, beautiful gardens and avenues filled with flowering trees all set upon a low rocky coast with palms mirrored in the Marga lagoon and the Pacific Ocean.

Day 3 - Maipo valley, Chilean Wine Country

Half-day tour to the Maipo Valley for a visit to the wine country. Chilean wines are not a sudden impulse, but are the result of centuries of experiences that have been passed by Chile's pioneers. Today, Chilean wines have achieved a strong market position and have also created an impact on the world wine market. Our tour is complimented by a locally hosted visit with wine tasting at Concha y Toro winery, planted with grapevines of the noblest French stock such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and others. Founded in 1883, today it has the most modern technology in cooling equipment, stainless steel tanks, filters and oak casks, which has led to the making of exceptional wines such as Don Melchor and Casillero del Diablo; third in sales behind only France and Italy. Tonight, enjoy Santiago's grand finale with a gourmet dinner and a folklore show at restaurant Adobes de Argomedo or Bali Hai.

Day 4 - Santiago / Puerto Varas

Depart this morning to the airport for your flight to Puerto Montt, the gateway to the lake region. Your tour guide will welcome you to Patagonia and escort you to Puerto Varas, for your overnight at Hotel Colonos del Sur. The rest of the day is at your leisure to discover this well-preserved, picturesque village, with its German architecture reflecting this charming town's history of mid- to late-19th-century immigration. Nearby are excellent rivers for fishing and whitewater rafting, ancient temperate rainforests, and the spectacular Lake Llanquihue.

Day 5 - The Andean Lake Crossing to Bariloche

This famous Andean lake crossing to Bariloche, Argentina is a multi-stage affair, involving 3 separate lake crossings by catamaran and 4 connecting buses through the Andes peaks, snow-capped volcanoes, picturesque villages, meadows and glacial lakes. Enjoy nature at the very end of the world. You shall sail through Todos Los Santos Lake, Frias and Nahuel Huapi, be astonished by the color of the waters, the Calbuco and Osorno volcanoes, the Tronador mount, and the Puntiagudo and the Catedral hills — all of the south of Chile and Argentina. The lake crossing ends with your drop-off at the hotel in Bariloche, on the shores of the Lake Nahuel Huapi — by far the most visited destination in Patagonia, with offerings all four seasons to please everyone. Accommodations at Hotel Nevada.

Day 6 - Small Circuit, Panoramic Point and Campanario Hill

Today's sightseeing "Small Circuit" is a scenic route along which you will enjoy both the views and the flavors. There are beautiful vistas all the way, which you can stop to admire along several points and natural lookouts such as Bahia Lopez (Lopez Bay) and Punto Panorámico (Panoramic Point), the gardens of the famous Hotel Llao Llao, San Eduardo Chapel, and the traditional Colonia Suiza village. We include tickets to the chairlift that carries you up to the top of Mount Campanario, with its wonderful bird's-eye view of the area. Several teahouses and restaurants offer delicious meals and snacks to add flavor to the tour.

Day 7 - National Park Nahuel Huapi, Mt. Tronador

Today we head south and up into the Andes, following the shoreline of lakes Gutiérrez and Mascardi with its lush southern forest, until we reach Mt. Tronador. It's another great opportunity to delight yourself with Argentina's natural wonders. At Lake Hess we stop at the road-end and walk on a footpath that leads to Los Alerces Cascade — astonishing! Afterwards, we continue onto the foot of Mount Tronador, across Pampa Linda to the lookout at the Manso River and the black glacier, better known as Ventisquero Negro. The black glacier is a huge mass of moving ice that has its source in the snowcap accumulated in the mountain crest and upper slopes. We arrive at the foothill of the Mt. Tronador precisely for lunchtime (not included). From this point you can, with clear skies, observe the three peaks of the Tronador Mountain. While you are trekking, you may hear thunderous noises (Tronador means "that thunders") from the falls of ice and avalanches on the peaks that echo all over the valley.

Day 8 - Bariloche / Buenos Aires

Welcome to the capital of Argentina! Your 1stClassArgentina local host will meet you the airport and introduce you to Buenos Aires, the Paris of the Southern Hemisphere. Accommodations at Hotel Pestana Buenos Aires. Tonight, enjoy a gourmet dinner and a 1st Class tango show at Señor Tango.

Day 9 - Traditional Boroughs of Buenos Aires

After a hearty breakfast, we invite you on a panoramic Buenos Aires City tour. At first glimpse, we have a typical postcard-of-Buenos-Aires view: The Obelisco on 9 de Julio Avenue and boulevards. Afterwards, we get to Plaza de Mayo, the city founding center. The sites and buildings bearing the greatest historical relevance are there. You may observe them by taking a walk around the square: The Cabildo of Buenos Aires, the old municipal authority and building; The Metropolitan Cathedral; the Casa Rosada (Pink House) Presidential headquarters; and the Palacio de Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (City Hall building). Continuing south, we soon enter San Telmo and La Boca, the oldest neighborhoods of the city with centuries-old churches, markets and museums. Turning North, we drive through the newest borough, Puerto Madero, the newly revitalized old city port that has become known for its gastronomic delights, boasting many options for buffet and a-la-carte dining with typical Argentinean cuisine, as well as Asian, Italian, Brazilian and American comfort food. Lastly, we visit elegant Recoleta for a walking tour at the Cemetery, where you can see, among others, Eva Perón, Adolfo Bioy Casares and Facundo Quiroga's vaults.

Day 10 - Shopping in Buenos Aires (optional tours available)

A day of leisure for shopping time! Or, try one of the optional sightseeing tours to Tigre Delta on the Riverside train.

Day 11 - Buenos Aires / Iguassu Falls

Depart today for Foz do Iguassu. Upon your approach to Iguazu airport, your pilot might tip the wings to give you your first view of the magnificent Iguassu Falls and the surrounding natural park in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Your local representative will escort you to your hotel downtown, the Internacional Foz Hotel. This afternoon, we shall take an excursion to show you the Falls from the Brazilian side of the national park. Take an escorted walk above the falls (wider and more powerful than Niagara), and conclude at the bottom's mist, as you walk out onto a platform and into the "Devil's Throat."

Day 12 - Iguazu Falls

Today, we take you to the Argentinean side of the park, about 3 times larger and with 2 trails, one basic-level and the other more challenging, as well as an eco-friendly tourist train. This is a magical place where the jungle and the wild tropics unite, giving way to an immense display of color and light, from the thousands of plant species and animal life, to the thundering roar of the waterfalls in the background. In a little over a mile, you can appreciate more than 275 falls about 80 meters high. These falls fill the jungle with magnificent rainbows, overwhelming the onlooker with a sensation of fascination and respect for the perfection of nature. No matter how many times you stare at them, you always stand agape!

Day 13 - Foz do Iguassu / Rio de Janeiro

Transfer to the local airport for your flight to Rio de Janeiro. Arrive in this marvelous city between the sea and the mountains that is a perfect combination of sea, earth, climate and people. It offers a nice mixture of the Indian, White and Black cultures, fermented in magnificent natural scenery. Your local representative will escort you to your first class hotel on the Copacabana beach. Accommodations at Hotel Pestana Rio Atlantica. The afternoon is at your leisure to explore Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. The restaurants here offer a lot of options, from international cuisine to typical dishes from all Brazilian regions. Very few cities in the world are able to concentrate, in Rio's very cool way, all the little icons that make life a party: beach, sun, samba, frozen beer, tasteful food, football, beautiful people, and streets with light curves that lead to little tropical forests, the beach or the mountains.

Day 14 - Sugar Loaf and Corcovado Mountain

A full-day tour that shows you the "must see" sights and places that make Rio such a fascinating city! First, travel by vans to the base of the Pão de Açúcar, Rio's most famous postcard view, where you can see the Sugar Loaf, a prominent hill in the entrance of Guanabara Bay. Board the first of two cable cars to the smaller of these two mountains off the coast of Rio. Then continue up on yet another cable car to the summit of the second mountain. From this peak, the view of the city of Rio, the bay, and the ocean is breathtaking. Take your time admiring the gardens, walkways and magnificent panoramas. After a time, descend to the base at Urca Beach and proceed to a driving tour towards downtown where we will enjoy a delicious BBQ lunch at a local churascaria. Truly a meat-eater's delight, a churascaria is a barbecue restaurant where waiters bring over choice meats on skewers and cut slices of your choice. Beef, chicken, and pork are served, and a
buffet of vegetables, salads and even sushi rounds out your meal. Next, we continue towards Rio's signature attraction, the Corcovado Mountain with the imposing Statue of Christ with arms outstretched over Rio, perhaps the most recognized icon of South America. The views of the ocean, city, and lagoon are spectacular from this vantage point. Return to the hotel.

Day 15 - Farewell with Samba Show

Today, there's time to enjoy the beach, the people, the scenery, the weather, some last caipirinhas, and perhaps some shopping as well. In the evening, we invite you on your farewell to a samba show, a rousing festival of different music, costumes, and dancing from the various districts of Brazil, featuring elaborately costumed mulatas, singers, and dancers presenting Brazil's folklore and captivating Carnival rhythms. Unforgettable!

Day 16 - Departure

Morning at leisure, hotel checkout and transfer to the airport for your international flight.

Pre-tour Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail Available

The Amazon rainforest is closer than you ever thought! Ask your Travel Consulant at toll-free (800) 240-9189.