South America Getaway with Amazon

Upon arrival, you will meet your Globus representative.

Today your “Meeting of the Waters” tour passes the impressive British-built Customs House and the floating port. Cruise on the chocolate-hued Rio Negro to its confluence with the yellow-gray Rio Solimões, where the two rivers form the mighty Amazon. For four miles the different bodies of water flow side by side and never mix! After lunch, explore a jungle island (water level permitting) with native flora and fauna. Arrive at the Ecopark Jungle Lodge on the banks of the Rio Negro inside the Amazonian rainforest.

Accompanied by a Naturalist, enjoy a guided walk to see the flora and fauna that thrive in the Amazon. After lunch, sail up the river to visit an Amazon native Caboclo Village to learn about their traditions and culture. Also, try your hand at piranha fishing! Later, visit the Monkey Jungle Reserve, where researchers work to rehabilitate primates like spider, squirrel, woolly, and capuchin monkeys and reintroduce them into the jungle. This evening, venture back out on a canoe with your Naturalist to appreciate the sounds of the jungle at night, with the possibility to spot small alligators (or other nocturnal creatures).

This morning, depart the Ecopark for Manaus. Take a guided sightseeing to explore the city’s vestiges of its glory days during the rubber boom. See the famed Opera House, built in 1896 with materials imported from Europe. Visit a local market, abundant with local foods and wares. Continue to the airport for your flight to Rio and an overnight stay.

Enjoy free time this morning. At 3:30 pm, meet your Tour Director for a drive along Ipanema and Copacabana beaches to the base of 1,300-foot-high Sugarloaf Mountain. Ascend by cable car to its summit, where you can take in spectacular vistas of the city. Next, toast the start of a memorable vacation with [LF] caipirinhas, a traditional Brazilian cocktail, from atop Sugarloaf Mountain during a cocktail party.

The city’s landmark, the statue of Christ the Redeemer, crowns Corcovado Mountain, a rounded peak rising 2,300 feet from the bay below. A scenic ride by cog railway leads to the top, where a breathtaking 360-degree panorama affords sweeping views. From here, proceed to bustling downtown Rio, where modern office towers stand next to relics of the Portuguese colonial past. View the Sambodromo and visit the Cathedral. The afternoon is at leisure for you to experience this vibrant city on your own. Tonight, it’s a fun outing to a churrascaria for a feast of barbecued meats marinated and roasted over charcoal in true Brazilian style.

A full day at leisure to enjoy Rio. Relax on one of the world-famous beaches or take advantage of the world-class shopping or fine dining.

A flight from Rio takes you to Iguassu Falls. Experience the clouds of spray, the incessant roar, and the surrounding luxuriant tropical growth that make this an unforgettable natural wonder. Head into Brazil’s Iguassu National Park to enjoy the magnificent panorama of waterfalls from the Brazilian side. Your Local Guide introduces the spectacle of this 2-mile-wide rushing torrent. With some cataracts as high as 250 feet, Iguassu Falls is nothing short of hypnotic!

Today, journey to the Argentine side of Iguassu Falls, where you will take the Ecological Jungle Train and enjoy a closer perspective on a walking tour of the falls. Meander along the walkways from atop the falls and enjoy an exhilarating view looking over the precipice of the falls as the water plunges to the rocks below. You will also have the chance to walk through the rainforest on the lower falls trails that will bring you up close to some of the smaller cataracts. Return to the hotel, where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Today, fly to Buenos Aires. After arriving, acquaint yourself with the “Paris of South America” and its wide boulevards and outdoor cafés.

Your sightseeing starts in La Boca, a vibrant district and site of the city’s first port. Take a short walking tour of this unique enclave and then on to San Telmo, famous for its late-colonial buildings and a popular gathering spot for artists. At Plaza de Mayo, see La Casa Rosada (the President’s Pink House) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, housing San Martin’s Mausoleum. Drive past the ornate Teatro Colón opera house before reaching Recoleta Cemetery, burial site of Eva Perón. Next, learn how to make a traditional Argentinean dish with an [LF] empanada cooking class. After an afternoon at leisure, top off the evening at a famous Tango club. The Tango and Argentina go hand in hand and tonight you will [LF] visit a local milonga (tango house), where professional tango dancers teach the traditional techniques of the Argentine Tango. After your lesson, enjoy a farewell dinner featuring Argentine steaks and other local specialties. Top off the evening when the professionals delight you with a Tango Show featuring the dance as it has evolved through the ages!

Today, head into the heart of the pampas (grasslands) and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of rural, country life at a working [LF] Argentina estancia (ranch). After a traditional welcome with empanadas and local beverages, get acquainted with the lifestyle of real gauchos (cowboys) on a carriage ride through the pampas. Later, at lunch, enjoy an authentic feast, complete with world-renowned Argentine beef, salad, desserts, local wine, and live music and dance by the gauchos themselves. Top off the day with a horsemanship show by the gauchos before saying ‘adios’ to the countryside and heading back to the city.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.