| Day |
Schedules and Accommodations |
1-2
[top] |
Depart Home / Overnight flight to Santiago, Chile
When you arrive in Santiago, the capital of Chile, a Vantage representative will be waiting to meet you after you clear customs. You’ll be transported to your hotel, where Vantage has made special arrangements so that your room will be ready for you and breakfast will be available. Settle in, then enjoy your afternoon at leisure.
This evening, depart on a Santiago by Night panoramic tour with a drive up to San Cristóbal Hill to enjoy the finest views in Santiago and the Andes Mountains. You’ll then take a funicular down the hill for an included Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. The owner will describe and serve two Chilean favorites: empanadas, which are meat-filled, turnover-like pastries, and pisco sours, a tasty cocktail with fruit juice.
InterContinental Santiago  (B,D) |
3
[top] |
Santiago
Today we depart on a city tour with many memorable highlights including a drive by the Club Hipico (horseracing track); a visit to the Cousino Palace; the Alameda, Santiago’s colorful main avenue; the colonial-era Cathedral; the Plaza de Armas; a Victorian ironwork structure imported from England. The rest of the day is free, or join an optional tour to the house of poet Pablo Neruda and to Santiago’s Central Market.
InterContinental Santiago (B) |
4
[top] |
Santiago
Your full-day tour includes the cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. You’ll begin with a beautiful drive to Vina del Mar, the “Garden City,” known for its many parks and lush private gardens. You’ll also see the resort’s famous floral clock landmark, as well as Cerro Castillo, the Chilean president’s summer residence perched high on a steep cliff. Your Vina del Mar tour includes a visit to the Fonck Museum, where you’ll view objects from Easter Island and the Chilean mainland, including a fine exhibit of Mapuche native silver.
After an included lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll stop in Valparaiso, Santiago’s main port built on 42 hills, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the 19th century, before the Panama Canal was built, Valparaiso was a stop-off point for ships travelling between Europe and the west coast of the U.S. Here, you’ll explore the old and modern districts with visits to Victory Square, the wharf areas, and the Naval Academy.
InterContinental Santiago (B,L) |
5
[top] |
Santiago / Santa Cruz, Chile
This morning you’ll drive to Santa Cruz, in the heart of Chilean wine country, along the legendary Pan-American Highway. After checking into your delightful colonial-style hotel, where you’ll enjoy a room with a balcony, you’ll visit the excellent Museum of Colchagua. Next, you’ll visit a local winery for a lecture on local vintages and a winetasting. Then, enjoy a sunset dinner at the winery’s restaurant, with gorgeous views over the vineyards and the surrounding hills.
Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza  (B,D) |
6
[top] |
Santa Cruz / Buenos Aires, Argentina
Transfer by motorcoach to Santiago for your flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival, transfer to your excellent hotel, which is located in a pedestrian area near shops and restaurants.
Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires  (B) |
7
[top] |
Buenos Aires
Explore sophisticated Buenos Aires on a half-day tour that takes in the Palermo district, an elegant area of parks and avenues; the Plaza de Mayo, the grand plaza that fronts the cathedral; the Casa Rosada, the pink palace that houses the government; and La Boca, a lively Italian neighborhood. Your tour ends at the famous Café Tortoni, where you’ll enjoy lunch followed by a private tango lesson. This evening, join us for dinner and a thrilling tango performance at one of the city's best tango halls. The sensuous dance was invented in Buenos Aires during the 1880s.
Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires (B,L,D) |
8
[top] |
Buenos Aires
This morning you’ll visit the ritzy Recoleta district; and the Recoleta Cemetery, where Evita Peron and other luminaries are interred. Then, Argentina’s colorful “Wild West” traditions come to life on an excursion to an authentic estancia (ranch). Enjoy a welcome reception of local wine and empanadas — Argentine-style — followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride. Then, you’ll learn why Argentina is the beef-eating capital of the world as you dig into a delicious, sizzling barbecue lunch. After lunch, Argentinian gauchos (cowboys) put on a thrilling exhibition of rope tricks and horseback riding. You’ll also enjoy free time to stroll the beautiful countryside.
Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires (B,L) |
9
[top] |
Buenos Aires
Today you’ll have the day at leisure in lovely Buenos Aires. Your Vantage Program Manager will be happy to make suggestions for exploring and shopping. If you like, join us for an optional full-day boat trip into the lush Tigre Delta, an area of estuaries and river channels lined with the weekend homes and beach clubs of wealthy city dwellers. Your optional tour includes lunch. This evening, enjoy a lecture on the Argentinian economy, followed by a home-hosted dinner.
Marriott Plaza Hotel Buenos Aires (B,D) |
10
[top] |
Buenos Aires / Iguazu Falls
Fly to Iguazu Falls National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the border of Brazil and Argentina. Here, more than 275 waterfalls plunge over a mile-long precipice with an earth-shaking roar. You’ll spend two nights near Iguazu Falls National Park, with several guided tours of this natural wonder. Today you’ll enjoy a walking tour of the Argentinian side and a train ride to the overlook of the Devil’s Throat, where plumes of mist rise from torrents crashing into a narrow canyon. You’ll arrive at the hotel in time for tonight’s included dinner.
Bourbon Cataratas Resort & Convention Center (B,D) |
11
[top] |
Iguazu Falls
Today you’ll continue your explorations of this thrilling natural wonder from the Brazilian side, beginning with a walking tour. Then, embark on a jeep tour through the park’s lush rainforest, followed by an incredible boat ride right into the thunder of the Devil’s Throat. Tonight enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Bourbon Cataratas Resort & Convention Center (B,D) |
12
[top] |
Iguazu Falls / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro is sunny, sophisticated, and spectacular. In the afternoon you’ll fly to this colorful city and check into your hotel, located right on the Copacabana — the city’s famed crescent beach — where you’ll enjoy an ocean-view room for three nights.
JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro (B) |
13
[top] |
Rio de Janeiro
On this morning’s city tour, you’ll ride a cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf, the soaring granite peak that overlooks the city and its stunning harbor. From the top, you’ll enjoy sweeping views of the bay, the curve of the Copacabana, and Rio’s other iconic mountain peak, Corcovado.
You’ll have the afternoon and evening to enjoy at leisure. If you like, you can join our optional “Rio by Night” tour — a lively Brazilian evening with dinner and a Samba show.
JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro (B) |
14
[top] |
Rio de Janeiro
Get your camera ready as we take a scenic ride aboard a cog train through the Tijuca Forest to the top of Corcovado, a peak that rises in the middle of the city. During the ride to the summit, relax and enjoy the close-up views of the forest’s lush tropical vegetation. Here, you can climb the steps to the lookout where the huge Christ the Redeemer statue overlooks the city with open arms, and thrill to the breathtaking 360-degree views. After descending the peak, your tour will continue past some of Rio’s most famous beaches.
After your half-day tour to Corcovado, enjoy a lecture on feijoada, Brazil’s savory national dish, which you’ll sample over lunch. Your afternoon is at leisure or join an optional Guanabara Bay Boat Tour. Later, reminisce about your many South American discoveries at a Farewell Dinner.
JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro (B,L,D) |
15-16
[top] |
Rio de Janeiro / Overnight Flight to U.S.
On Day 15 at your hotel, children from a local samba school will delight you with a rousing performance of Brazil’s national dance. Later, en route to the airport, enjoy a Colonial Tour of Rio, a city with over 400 years of history. You’ll visit many historical sites, including the Praca XV de Novembro, named after the date of the proclamation of the republic; the historic center of Rio which houses an impressive complex of colonial baroque architecture, including the Paco Imperial (Royal Palace); the National Historical Museum; and the Candelaria Church. You'll also stop at the famous Colombo Tea House for a snack. Depart Rio on an evening flight.
You’ll arrive in the U.S. on Day 16.
(B) |
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The day-by-day itinerary is preliminary and therefore subject to change. If any major changes occur in advance of your departure, you will be notified in writing by Vantage Deluxe World Travel. If changes occur while on tour, you will be notified by your Vantage Program Manager or local representatives at the destination. On some departures, you will have similar accommodations in Buenos Aires.
|
|