sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ecuador, Gaucho (currency), La Moneda Palace, Upsala Glacier

Best of , , ,

— Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janeiro — TOUR DETAILS

Explore Highlights • Price: $9,995 USD • , Ecuador • Duration: 23 days • Galapagos Islands, Ecuador • Charles Darwin Research Center • Date: February 26 - March 20, 2018 • Iguaçu Falls, Brazil / Argentina • Difficulty: Easy • , Argentina • Tango Show & Dinner, Buenos Aires • Train Ride, Corcovado , Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Inclusions • Cable Car Ride, Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, • All internal flights (while on tour) Brazil • All accommodations (2-3 ) • San Cristobal Hill • All meals • Patagonia, Argentina / Chile • Transportation throughout tour • Perito Moreno , Argentina • Airport transfers • Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile • entrance fee • Galapagos National Park fee: $100 • 2 Patagonian cruises to Exclusions • All National Park entrance fees • International airfare (to , & from Rio de • Corcovado Mountain entrance fee Janeiro, Brazil) • Sugarloaf Mountain entrance fee • Entrance fees to museums and other attractions • Tango show & dinner • Personal items: Laundry, shopping, etc. • Personal guide ITINERARY

Best of Ecuador, Argentina, Chile, Brazil - 23 Days / 22 Nights Itinerary -

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

• Flight to Quito, Ecuador (6hrs) Quito, Ecuador • Arrive: Mariscal Sucre International Airport 1 • Tour Quito's Old Town: San Francisco & Santo Domingo Monasteries • Overnight: Quito Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Quito • Day trip to for sights of the famous artisan markets or to National Park 2 • Overnight: Quito Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Guayaquil - Santa Cruz Island • Morning flight to (1hr) 3 • Flight to on Baltra Island(GPS) (2hrs) • Overnight: Santa Cruz Island Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Santa Cruz Island • Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station 4 • Sights of the most famous tortoise species; Galapagos • Overnight: Cruise vessel Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bartolomé Island • Continue to Bartolomé Island for the most breathtaking landscapes in the archipelago. 5 • Overnight: Cruise vessel Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Explore the largest island; Isabela Island Isabela Island 6 • Enjoy the unparalleled flora and on the island • Overnight: Cruise vessel Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Tour the Charles Darwin Interpretation Center in Puerto Baquerizo San Cristobol Island • Visit the Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado ( preserve) 7 • Continue towards Baltra Island Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Cruise vessel

Quito • Depart Seymour Airport on Baltra Island(GPS) to Guayaquil (2hrs) 8 • Flight to Quito (1hr) • Overnight: Quito Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Flight to , Chile (7 hrs) Santiago, Chile 9 • Transfer to hotel • Overnight: Santiago, Chile Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Familiarize yourself with Chilean culture on a city tour of Santiago: La Moneda Presidential Santiago, Chile Palace; Paseo Ahumada pedestrian avenue; Museum of Human Rights 10 • Take a ride on the adventurous funicular to the beautiful Cerro San Cristobal with its sweeping views of the city below Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Santiago

Puerto Natales • Flight to Punta Arenas, built along the Straight of Magellan (3hrs 25m) 11 • Transfer to Puerto Natales (3hrs) • Overnight: Puerto Natales Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner ITINERARY

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

• Board a day-long cruise through the Chilean fjords Puerto Natales • Enjoy a short hike to the Serrano glacier 12 • Visit a traditional deep in the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park • Overnight: Puerto Natales Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Tour the UNESCO biosphere reserve: Torres Del Paine National Park Puerto Natales • Board an evening cruise to reach one of the most spectacular, close-up views of the massive 13 • Overnight: Puerto Natales Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

El Calafate, Argentina • Transfer to El Calafate, Argentina (3hrs 30mins) 14 • Take in the sunset over Argentina’s most scenic glacier: Perito Moreno • Overnight: El Calafate, Argentina Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• A free day for you to rest and recover El Calafate • Enjoy the small town of El Calafate 15 • Optional: take a cruise to the spectacular Upsala Glacier • Overnight: El Calafate Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Board a morning flight to Buenos Aires (3hrs 15m) Buenos Aires • Experience the essence of South America at a tango show with a traditional American 16 dinner • Overnight: Buenos Aires Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Experience the “Paris of South America” Buenos Aires • Take a city tour of the cosmopolitan city center mixed with European-styled 17 architecture • Teatro Colon Opera House; Avenida 9 de Julio; Metropolitan Cathedral; Recoleta Cemetery; etc. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Buenos Aires

• Flight to Iguazu Falls (1h 55m) Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil • Explore the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls 18 • Take in the magnificence and power of the “Devil’s Throat” • Overnight: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Explore the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil • Eat lunch overlooking the massive falls 19 • Optional: boat or helicopter tour of the falls • Overnight: Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Flight to Rio de Janeiro (2h 10m) • Brief city tour: Maracanã stadium (2016 Summer Olympics); Sambadrome ( parade Rio de Janeiro route); Metropolitan Cathedral 20 • Ride the cable car to enjoy the sunset, mountaintop views at Sugarloaf Mountain • Dinner in the famous Lapa District of music and dance near the Carioca Aqueduct Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Rio de Janeiro

• Board a train to ride to the top of Corcovado Mountain and take in the vast, overlooking views of Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro • Take a picture with one of the most famous Art Deco statues in the : Christ the Redeemer 21 • Optional: Open-air market • Optional: Copacabana Beach or Ipanema Beach Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Overnight: Rio de Janeiro ITINERARY

DAY ACTIVITY LOCATION - MEALS

• Summit Sugarloaf Mountain via Cable car for sweeping views of the city Rio de Janeiro • Optional: Open-air market 22 • Optional: Copacabana Beach or Ipanema Beach • Overnight: Rio de Janeiro Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Galeão International Airport • Our adventurous tour ends in Rio. 23 • International Flights out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Breakfast ITINERARY

DAY 1: WELCOME TO ECUADOR DAY 2: QUITO

A Volant representative will pick you up at the Embark North to Otavalo to view some one airport and transfer you to your hotel. Spend Ecuador's most famous artisan markets or the remainder of the day exploring Quito. south to . Choose Made an UNESCO World Heritage Site in today to spend time among lively man made 1978, Quito's Old Town should not be missed. landscapes or impressive natural ones. Enjoy View sights such as the Monastery of San a leisurely evening before continuing to the Francisco, Monastery of Santo Domingo and Galapagos Islands. the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía. ITINERARY

DAY 3: GUAYAQUIL - SANTA DAY 4: SANTA CRUZ ISLAND CRUZ ISLAND Enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Santa Cruz Island. Home to the Charles Darwin Catch a morning flight to Guayaquil and Research Station and the most famous living continue on to the Galapagos Islands. Arrive tortoise species; Galapagos Giant Tortoise. in the afternoon at the Seymour Airport on Embark out to the surrounding waters and Baltra Island(GPS). Use the remainder of the spend the next four nights aboard a cruise day to explore the immaculate beaches and vessel. nature scenes. DAY 5: BARTOLOME ISLAND

Make your way towards Bartolome Island a volcanic islet off of Santiago Island and view some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the whole archipelago. ITINERARY

DAY 6: ISABELA ISLAND

Continue to the largest island in the Galapagos. This island is notable for its rich population of bird, animal and marine life. Explore the volcanoes that have created this island and view the eerie Wall of Tears; created by local prisoners during WWII. DAY 7: SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND

Spend the day on San Cristóbal Island. Composed of three of four inactive volcanoes, Darwin first landed here in 1835. Visit the Charles Darwn Interpretation Center in or visit the Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado (nature preserve). Continue back to Baltra Island to conclude this tour of the Galapagos.

DAY 8: QUITO

Climb aboard your flight to Guayaquil and continue back to Quito. Enjoy a leisurely evening before embarking on the next leg of this incredible experience. ITINERARY

DAY 9: QUITO, ECUADOR - SANTIAGO, CHILE

An early departure from Quito will take us on a journey through the air to Santiago, Chile. Maybe take the time to read up on Santiago or brush up on your Spanish, as the next couple of days will be spent in Chile. Once we land we will only be 30 minutes outside the capital of Chile. Tonight plan on a relaxing evening at our hotel to gear up for our walking tour of Santiago tomorrow.

DAY 10: SANTIAGO

After breakfast we will embark on our tour of the city. Walking along Paseo Ahumada, pedestrian avenue, we will come across La Moneda . houses the offices of Chile's president. Once we've concluded our walking tour we will take a funicular northeast of the city center to San Cristóbal Hill. At the top of this hill there is a remarkable overlook with views of the Santiago skyline and mountain range. Make sure to take the time to admire the Statue of the Immaculate Conception which is located at the summit of San Cristobal Hill. This statue is an iconic site for the of Chile. After we descend back into the city we will have the option to tour the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. This museum honors the victims of human rights violations that occurred during the civic-military regime. Tonight will be our last night in Santiago. ITINERARY

DAY 11: SANTIAGO - PUNTA ARENAS - PUERTO NATALES

Today we change gears and head to the region of Patagonia. Leaving Santiago behind us our next stop is Punta Arenas. After lunch on the we will drive to Puerto Natales. Although long, this three hour drive offers stunning landscapes. We will stay in Puerto Natales for the night as this city is the perfect stepping-off point for Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park.

DAY 12: PUERTO NATALES

Embarking on the "Channel of Last Hope" we will spend our day cruising through Chilean fjords in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park. Keep your eyes peeled for sea lions, cormorants, and condors. The boat ride will take us to an enclosed glacial lagoon. Here, the Serrano Glacier as well as the Balmaceda Glacier can be viewed. At this point we will have the opportunity for a short hike up to the glaciers. The small watershed in front of the magnificent glaciers , Estancia Perales, will prove to be a good resting point during our day. Expect to have lunch here. We will cruise back to Puerto Natales for the evening. ITINERARY

DAY 13: PUERTO NATALES - TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

Considered one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile, Torres Del Paine National Park offers pristine views of sparkling lakes, jagged , glaciers as well as flora and fauna found nowhere else on . This park is considered a UNESCO biosphere reserve and covers nearly 950 square miles of land. In the evening we will be taking a sunset cruise to get up close to the Grey Glacier. This glacier just about covers 100 square miles of land. Watching the days' final sun beams bounce off the glacier is a memory to last a lifetime.

DAY 14: PUERTO NATALES - - EL CALAFATE, ARGENTINA

Today we will make our way from Chilean Patagonia to the Argentinian side. After a 3.5 hour drive to El Calafante we will spend the remainder of the day exploring Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. This glacier is considered to be one of the last remaining bodies of ice that is still growing. Tonight we will rest in El Calafante, about an hour drive from the glacier. ITINERARY

DAY 15: EL CALAFATE

Take a load off and use the day to rest. The small town of El Calafate offers a quaint shopping experience, gorgeous views of Lake Argentina and a small yet diverse night life. If you are so inclined there will also be an optional cruise to the Upsala Glacier. DAY 16: EL CALAFATE - BUENOS AIRES

For our next leg of the trip we will take a 3 hour flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires. Considered to be the "Paris of South America" we will spend two nights here in the birthplace of the tango. Tonight while we delve into Argentinian cuisine we will also observe a flashy tango performance. ITINERARY

DAY 17: BUENOS AIRES

Immerse yourself into the hustle and bustle that is Buenos Aires. Within todays city tour along Avenida 9 de Julio we will explore sites such as the Teatro Colon opera house, Metropolitan Cathedral, Recoleta Cemetery, Presidential Palace, the and finally the bright neighborhood of La Boca. Be sure to stop by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Buenos Aires as this is the former church of I and is one of many European style buildings in the city. Our day will conclude with dinner and a show as we be taking advantage of this city's flourishing night life. DAY 18: BUENOS AIRES - IGUAZU FALLS

The first part of the day we will fly from Buenos Aires to Iguazu falls. After about a two hour flight we will explore the Argentinian side of the falls. Behold the wonder of the largest falls on the planet, where five different waterfalls dump into the Iguazu River. At this point we will hike out to the very edge of the falls for a classic snapshot of Devil's Throat. Keep your eyes peeled for toucans, butterflies, and other animals in this . After spending about four hours walking along the many catwalks that cover the river we will drive into Brazil to Foz do Iguaçu for the night. ITINERARY

DAY 19: IGUAZU FALLS

Only a short transfer from our hotel to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls we will have the opportunity to explore more of this National Park. Today you will have the option for a boat or helicopter tour of the falls. Be sure to soak up the raw natural beauty one last time before we make our way back to Foz do Iguaçu for the night. DAY 20: IGUAZU FALLS - RIO DE JANEIRO

After a morning flight from Iguazu Falls to Rio de Janeiro we will spend the rest of the day touring the city. It won't take long to see why Rio de Janeiro is considered the cultural capital or Brazil. Among the many sites to see we will stop by the Maracanã football stadium where Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup Finals. The Sambadrome or the carnival parade route is also a must see. While downtown we will also tour the Metropolitan Cathedral. The cathedral's unique architecture was inspired by the Mayan pyramids of . In the evening we will make our way to Sugarloaf Mountain for spectacular views of the Atlantic and to watch the sunset over Rio de Janeiro. To conclude our day we will have dinner in the Lapa District near an aqueduct. ITINERARY

DAY 21-22: RIO DE JANEIRO

For our last day in South America will take a thirty minute train ride to the mountain, Corcovado to stand beneath the Christ the Redeemer statue. As one of the new seven this statue took 9 years to build beginning in 1922. Made completely of Soapstone and reinforced concrete the statue stands the 98 foot tall not including the 26 foot tall pedestal. Later in the day we will tour a number of open air markets in the area. Be sure to sample some of the exotic food Brazil has to offer. If you so desire there will also be an optional trip to the Copacabana or Ipanema beaches. We will conclude our evening with a farewell dinner.

DAY 23: RIO DE JANEIRO - TOUR ENDS

International Flight home from Galeão International Airport in Rio de Janeiro. Thank you for choosing Volant Travel.

Explore the world. Travel the Earth. CONTACT VOLANT

ONLINE www.Volant.Travel

CALL US +1-801-867-1223

EMAIL Tour Specialist(s): [email protected] [email protected]

MAIL 4110 S Highland Dr. Suite #322 Salt Lake City, UT 84124