YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE®

The Wilderness Beyond: , Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords

2022

Small Groups: 20-25 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 22) Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler,

At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these:

As I set foot on the ice fields of the in Los Glaciares National Park, I stood humbled by the pristine beauty of this 200-foot natural wonder and closed my eyes to listen. A thunderous noise in the distance broke the silence of this peaceful place as smaller icebergs broke off from the glacier—a process known as “calving.” While I’ll never forget the natural splendors that I witnessed in Patagonia, it was the Chilean and Argentinian people who left the biggest impression. You’ll have a chance to meet them, too, when you join a local family for a home-cooked meal and an evening of good conversation at their home in .

You’ll also hear the dramatic personal experience of someone who lived through the “,” a dark chapter of Argentinian history from 1973 to 1985 during which thousands of Argentinians disappeared or were killed during the country’s last dictatorship, when you meet a local resident at a cafe in Buenos Aires. Take this opportunity to ask about their hopes for a brighter future.

The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 20-25 travelers (average 22) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can.

To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests.

So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925.

Love and peace,

Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel

P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking.

USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler

2 CONTENTS

A Letter from Harriet Lewis ...... 2 The O.A.T. Difference...... 4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ...... 6 Grand Circle Foundation...... 8 The Leader in Solo Travel ...... 9

THE WILDERNESS BEYOND: ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: PATAGONIA, TIERRA DEL FUEGO CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE & THE CHILEAN FJORDS Culture ...... 78 Your Adventure at a Glance: Culture ...... 78 Where You’re Going, What it Costs, and What’s Included ...... 10 Travel in ...... 82 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ...... 12 Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More ...... 83 Pre-Trip Extensions ...... 31 Agricultural Statement for Chile ...... 85 Post-Trip Extensions ...... 40 Deck Plans ...... 49 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Dates & Prices ...... 51 Argentina ...... 86 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 86 Argentina: A Brief History ...... 87 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. . . 52 Chile ...... 88 No Visas Required ...... 52 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 88 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ...... 54 Chile: A Brief History ...... 89 Vaccines Required ...... 55 ...... 90 Yellow Fever Vaccination: Recommended for Iguassu Falls ONLY ..... 55 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 90 Money Matters: Local & Uruguay: A Brief History ...... 90 Tipping Guidelines...... 58 ...... 97 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 62 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ...... 97 Optional Tours ...... 62 Brazil: A Brief History ...... 98 Communicating with Home from Abroad . . 63 Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . . . 65 RESOURCES Suggested Packing Lists ...... 67 Suggested Reading ...... 100 70 Electricity Abroad ...... Suggested Film & Video ...... 102 Climate & Average Temperatures ...... 72 Aboard Your Ship: Cabin Features, Dining & Services on Board ...... 76 M/V Stella Australis & M/V Ventus Australis.... 76

O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures...... 105 Notes...... 106 Map ...... 111

3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in Chile & Argentina

This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled.

SMALL GROUPS: 20-25 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 22)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 25 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are visiting, hospitality. so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the stories, food, OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES customs, hidden treasures and more. With 36 regional offices around the world, we are perfectly poised to leverage our local AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS relationships to deliver an excellent experience Engage with local people through visits to and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ by our team in Buenos Aires. studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more.

Explore the beauty of the Chilean Fjords Savor a Home-Hosted meal with a local Argentinian family

4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY En riching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your The Wilderness Beyond adventure.

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT have lost a friend or a family member under GCF was established in 1992 to help change the regime. people’s lives in the world where we live, A DAY IN THE LIFE work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or Do you ever wonder, “What would it be like donated $200 million worldwide. to live here?” when you visit new lands? Let’s By investing in the places we explore— find out during your O.A.T. A Day in the Life, an including local schools, cooperatives, or arts exclusive, immersive experience that places centers—we hope to give locals the skills and you in the heart of a community where you’ll confidence they need to become leaders of meet various people where they live, work, their generation and preserve their heritage and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a for many years to come. We’re proud to play hand with daily chores; and break bread with a part in preserving precious locales like the our hosts. Bryggen waterfront district of Bergen, a living Perhaps you’ll join a local resident or example of the glory days of the Hanseatic community leader for a guided walk through League, and supporting villages like Harmi in the town, visit a market, or enjoy a unique Estonia, whose once-struggling school is now opportunity to meet teachers and students at a center of community life. a local school if school is in session. CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS HOME-HOSTED EXPERIENCES Every culture has its joys and achievements, Stories shared. Differences solved. Taste buds and we celebrate them all. But every place engaged. Good will extended. It’s amazing the also has its challenges, and to gloss over them things that can happen across a kitchen table, would not do justice to those whose stories so we’ll break into groups of 4-5 to join a local need to be told—nor to you, as a traveler who family in their home for a snack or a meal. deserves more than a sugar-coated version of This is a rare opportunity to witness family things. So our Trip Experience Leaders will life, learn local customs, and taste some lead frank discussions on controversial issues, home-cooked fare. and introduce you to people whose stories will expand your understanding. On this adventure, we’ll accompany a local family in Buenos Aires to a nearby grocery For example, we’ll meet a local resident in store to purchase fresh ingredients for a Buenos Aires for a firsthand testimony about home-cooked meal. Upon returning to their a dark chapter in Argentinean history. From home, we’ll help the family prepare dinner 1973 to 1985, thousands of Argentinians and tour their property before taking a seat disappeared or were killed during the at the family table to share the fruits of country’s last dictatorship. We’ll discuss these our labors. "missings" with someone who experienced them as they were happening, and may

5 You're in control with THE FREEDOM TO PERSONALIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE Exclusively with O.A.T. Your Choice. Your Adventure. Your Way.

It’s your adventure, so why not make it exactly what you want it to be? We offer an exclusive variety of options that let you tailor your adventure so it’s completely your own. In fact, O.A.T. is the only travel company to offer this level of flexibility and choice for a truly personalized experience.

PRE- OR POST-TRIP EXTENSIONS 2. Great value: All extensions include Every O.A.T. adventure offers at least one accommodations, daily breakfast, and optional pre-trip and one post-trip extension. airport transfers. Here’s why more than 55% of O.A.T. travelers 3. Continuity and camaraderie: You’ll usually choose to take a pre- or post-trip extension: travel with the same Trip Experience 1. You’ll maximize your discoveries—often Leader who leads your main trip, enjoying in an even smaller group than your main more of his or her insider expertise— adventure (on average, 6 travelers with a and more time to bond with the group. dedicated Trip Experience Leader)—and take advantage of your included airfare.

Optional Extensions offered with your South America adventure

Santiago & Easter Island's Sacred Sites NEW! Uruguay: Colonial Charms, 6 nights pre-trip from $2695 Culture & Ferry Across the Rio de la Plata 5 nights pre-trip from $1995

Easter Island, Chile , Uruguay

Iguassu Falls: Thundering Cascades of NEW! Brazil’s Atlantic Coast: Exuberant Argentina & Brazil Rio de Janeiro & Colonial Salvador de Bahia 4 nights post-trip from $1445 6 nights post-trip from $2695

Iguassu Falls, border of Argentina and Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

6 ARRIVE EARLY, STAY LATER • São Paulo: $745 per person Extending your time abroad—with us or • Bogotá: $795 per person on your own—is the best way to broaden Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If the city your experience. It’s also a practical way to you’re interested in is not offered, our Regional maximize the value of the international airfare Adventure Counselors can arrange your airfare. covered in your main itinerary. COMBINE ADVENTURES Expand Your Discoveries Before or After Your Adventure You’re already overseas. Why not see more and maximize your value by avoiding the cost and Arrive early in the first destination on your length of another international flight? Here’s pre-trip extension or main adventure, or stay why 2,250 O.A.T. travelers combined two or later in the last city on your main adventure or more adventures in 2019: post-trip extension. By coming early, you can • Save a total of $600-$3000 per person when rest after your flight and adjust—with time to you combine two adventures compared to the explore. By staying later, you have extra time cost of taking each trip separately. to relax, pack, or continue exploring. • Apply the 5% or 6% Frequent Traveler Credit This option lets you take advantage of our you earn on your first trip to your second trip. lower group rates, with prices from $50 per • Sir Edmund Hillary Club members save an person per night—including accommodations, extra $250-$350 per person when booking private airport transfer, and daily breakfast. multiple trips in a calendar year. • Arrive early on your main trip or the Uruguay • Our Regional Adventure Counselors make all pre-trip extension or conclude your main trip in the arrangements for a seamless experience. Buenos Aires for $75 per person, per night Combine this trip with our Chile & Argentina: • Arrive early in Santiago on the Easter Island The Andes to Patagonia adventure—for a total pre-trip extension for $75 per person, per night cost of $10,290-$13,990 per person—and save • Remain in Iguassu Falls after your Iguassu $1400-$1800 per person versus taking each Falls post-trip extension for $50 per trip separately. person, per night AIR PREFERENCES • Conclude your Brazil’s Atlantic Coast post-trip 54% of our travelers customize their air extension with more time in Rio de Janeiro for itineraries: $75 per person, per night • Choose your departure city and airline Accommodations are at the same hotels where • Depart from one city and return to another you begin or end the main trip and optional extensions, so transitions will be seamless. • Upgrade to Premium Economy or Business Class NEW! Stopover in any major international city FREEDOM OF CHOICE Travelers with O.A.T. airfare have the DURING YOUR ADVENTURE opportunity to Stopover in popular cities. Your Our itineraries provide a balance of included price includes 3 nights accommodations, daily activities and free time so you always have breakfasts, and roundtrip private airport the flexibility to participate in included transfers. Here are a few popular destinations: activities, go off on your own entirely, or do a • Lima: $645 per person mix of both. • City: $695 per person

7 GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION Changing people’s lives, one village, one school, one person at a time

GIVING BACK TO THE WORLD WE TRAVEL Dear Traveler, Since our inception in 1992, the Grand Circle In 1992 we established Grand Circle Foundation has pledged or donated more than Foundation, an entity of the Lewis Family $200 million to projects around the world. Foundation, as a means to give back to the world that had already given us so JOIN OUR GENEROUS TRAVELERS much. We’ve pledged or donated more We consider each and every one of our travelers than $200 million worldwide to support to be partners in our worldwide giving. the education of young people and the Some travelers, however, are so inspired by preservation of international treasures the schools and villages they visit, they are and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. compelled to give more. In fact, our travelers have donated more than $1 million in 2019 Of course, none of this would be possible alone. And because we have no administrative without your help. A portion of the costs, 100% of donations are used to help proceeds of every adventure is donated to change people’s lives. Grand Circle Foundation—so just as your life will be enriched by the discoveries BETTER OUR OWN COMMUNITIES— you’ll make on your journey, you’ll also ALL AROUND THE WORLD help to enrich the lives of the people you’ll In addition to the destinations where we travel, meet along the way. we strive to better the communities where Thank you for traveling with us, and for we work—from our headquarters in Boston helping to change people’s lives. to our 36 offices around the world. In Boston, more than 99% of our associates participate Love and peace, in community service each year. Worldwide, nearly all of our offices organize annual community service events of their own. Harriet R. Lewis Chair, Grand Circle Foundation How you can help To learn more about ongoing Foundation projects, you can sign up for our weekly e-newsletter, the Inside Scoop, at www.oattravel.com/community/the- inside-scoop. When you do, you’ll not only receive updates on Grand Circle Foundation, but the latest news and discoveries on all things Grand Circle and Overseas Adventure Travel.

SCAN ME See how Grand Circle Foundation is giving back in this video Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will take you www.grandcirclefoundation.org directly to the video.

8 THE LEADER IN SOLO TRAVEL in Chile & Argentina—and Around the World

ON THIS ADVENTURE …

FREE Single Supplements: We don’t charge The leader in solo-friendly a single supplement on this adventure travel for Americans— and optional trip extensions—a savings by the numbers of $ $2000-$3695 per person compared to other travel companies. But single spaces fill quickly, so early reservations are advised. More than 50% of all O.A.T. travelers are women who travel solo One of our most popular trips for solo travelers. More than 800 solo travelers joined us on this adventure in the past three In 2022, we’re offering 30,000 years—either independently or sharing singles spaces across all O.A.T. a room with a mother, daughter, sister, adventures. That’s 86% more than or friend. offered in 2019

High ratings: More than 92% of these solo of our 30,000 single spaces travelers rated their adventure excellent. 92% have FREE Single Supplements. The Since you will be joined by others traveling remaining 8% have the lowest single independently in your group, it’s easy supplements in the industry. to forge special bonds as you experience unforgettable moments together. In 2022, we’re offering 25 exclusive women’s departures on some of our You’ll be in good hands, thanks to your most popular itineraries dedicated local Trip Experience Leader (a resident of Chile or Argentina), and the expertise of our regional office team in Buenos Aires. NEW! 101+ SCAN ME Single Space: In 2022, we have 25% more Tips for Solo single spaces than in 2019, with up to 6 single Women Travelers spaces per departure. See available single This complimentary, 96-page space at www.oattravel.com/mau2022. booklet is a comprehensive collection of savvy tips specifically for seasoned women travelers going solo. Learn about safety for solos, packing like a pro, the best travel apps, self-care on the road, and more. Scan this code to view an online copy or to request one by mail.

9 Lower prices than last year—a value of $800 per couple

The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords Small Ship Adventure Argentina:ŽāłŋŭĢũāŭ̇1ķ!ÖķÖĕÖŶā̇”āũĢŶŋmŋũāłŋFķÖóĢāũ̇­ŭĞŽÖĢÖ̳Ά̳Chile: Torres del Paine, Beagle Channel, Glacier Alley, Cape Horn, 4-night Chilean Fjord Cruise

Countries: 2 Ά!ĢŶĢāŭ̆4Ά1Ɨťķŋũāĕŋũ 4pĢėĞŶŭðŋÖũùŶĞāœĞÖũāù!ĞÖũŶāũ̵210-Passenger M/V Ventus Australis Or M/V Stella Australis

Small Groups: 20-24 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 22) It’s Included

FROM PER DAY DAYS • Services of our local Trip Experience • 33 meals: 13 breakfasts, 9 lunches, $ $ Leader with your group of 20-24 (average and 11 dinners—including one Home- 7495 500 15 of 22) throughout your adventure Hosted Dinner Including international airfare • International airfare, airport transfers, • 12 guided tours and cultural government taxes, fees, and airline fuel experiences, plus all shore excursions surcharges unless you choose to make FREE Single Supplement available Gratuities for local guides, drivers, ship your own air arrangements • crew, and luggage porters All land transportation and 2 • 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward mÖƗĢĿĢơāÈŋŽũ internal flights • your next trip Discoveries & Value • Accommodations for 3 nights in Buenos Aires, 2 nights in Calafate, 2 nights zťŶĢŋłÖķāƗŶāłŭĢŋłŭ̆ in Torres del Paine, 1 night in Puerto Santiago & Easter Island’s Sacred Sites Natales, 4 nights aboard your ship, and 6 nights pre-trip from $2695 1 night in Ushuaia Travel from only $450 per night New! Uruguay: Colonial Charms, SCAN ME Gaucho Culture & Ferry Across the Watch our #1 most popular video Rio de la Plata for this adventure 5 nights pre-trip from $1995 Travel from only $399 per night Open the camera feature on your mobile device, and hover the lens over this code to scan it. A pop-up notification will Iguassu Falls: Thundering Cascades take you directly to the video. ŋĕũėāłŶĢłÖͽũÖơĢķ 4 nights post-trip from $1445 Travel from only $362 per night New! ũÖơĢķ̪ŭŶķÖłŶĢó!ŋÖŭŶ̆ 1ƗŽðāũÖłŶ˜Ģŋùā`ÖłāĢũŋͽ!ŋķŋłĢÖķ Salvador de Bahia 6 nights post-trip from $2695 Travel from only $450 per night PLUS, see Dates & Prices for Stopover city options

Torres del Paine, Chilean Patagonia

The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords

10 Itinerary Summary

Pre-trip extensions: 6 nights in Santiago & Easter Island’s Sacred Sites OR New! 5 nights in Uruguay: Colonial Charms, Gaucho Culture & Ferry Across the Rio de la Plata DAYS DESTINATION 1 Depart U.S.

2-3 Buenos Aires, Argentina

4-5 Fly to

6-7 Torres del Paine, Chile

8 Puerto Natales

9-12 Embark ship • Cruise Chilean Fjords

13 Ushuaia, Argentina • What to Expect Disembark ship 14 Fly to Buenos Aires

15 Return to U.S. Pacing: 5 locations with 4 nights onboard a 210-passenger small ship in 14 days Post-trip extensions: 4 nights in Iguassu Physical Requirements: Walk 3 miles unassisted on rough terrain and participate in Falls: Thundering Cascades of Argentina & 6-8 hours of physical activities each day. Activities on Day 12 (or Day 6 on the reverse Brazil OR New! 6 nights in Brazil’s Atlantic itinerary) include Zodiac landings, 160 steps up, a 2-mile walk at Cape Horn, and a Coast: Exuberant Rio de Janeiro & Colonial 3-mile walk uphill at Wulaia Bay. Salvador de Bahia Agility and balance are required for boarding and riding in Zodiacs. View all physical requirements at www.oattravel.com/mau2022 Arrive Early, Stay Later Prices below include accommodations, daily Patagonia : The O.A.T. Difference breakfast, and private airport transfer. • Arrive early on your main trip or Uruguay pre-trip extension, or conclude your Our Best Value in 3 Years: Save up to $400 per person, and travel at the lowest main trip in Buenos Aires for $75 per price and per diems in the industry. person, per night

People-to-People Experiences: Enjoy four unique opportunities to share meals • Arrive early in Santiago on your with locals—like savoring a meal of traditional Argentinian BBQ when you meet the Easter Island pre-trip extension for $75 per person, per night owners of Pingo Salvaje in Torres del Paine and experience the gaucho lifestyle. Plus, engage in a conversation with a local in Buenos Aires about the country’s last • Remain in Iguassu Falls after your dictatorship, and chat with war a veteran in Ushuaia. Iguassu Falls post-trip extension for $50 per person, per night O.A.T. Exclusives: Tender ashore at the vast Cape Horn National Park—weather • Conclude your Brazil post-trip extension permitting—with the only ship permitted to dock near rugged Cape Horn. Plus, with more time in Rio de Janeiro for cap off your discoveries in Buenos Aires with a Home-Hosted Dinner with a local $75 per person, per night family, taking a seat at their table; sharing their meal; and making new friends in the intimacy of our small group.

M ore than 94% of travelers rated this trip excellent

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/mau2022

11 The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords

YOUR DETAILED ITINERARY

BEGIN YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL PRE-TRIP EXTENSION 6 nights in Santiago & Easter Island’s Sacred Sites

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 5 Discover moai at Ahu Tongariki, Te Pito Kura & Anakena Beach Day 2 Arrive Santiago, Chile Day 6 Visit Ahu Akivi • Sunset at Day 3 Explore Santiago • Welcome Dinner Tahai Beach Day 4 Fly to Easter Island • Visit Orongo & Day 7 Fly to Santiago Rano Kao Volcano Day 8 Fly to Buenos Aires

OR 5 nights in Uruguay: Colonial Charms, Gaucho Culture & Ferry Across the Rio de la Plata

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 5 Montevideo • Visit La Vigna ranch • Overland to Colonia del Sacramento Day 2 Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina Day 6 Explore Colonia de Sacramento Day 3 Buenos Aires • Ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay Day 7 Colonia de Sacramento • Ferry to Buenos Aires • Join main trip Day 4 Explore Montevideo

Day 1 Depart U.S. Day 2 Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Depart today on your flight to Buenos Aires, • Destination: Buenos Aires Argentina. Please refer to your individual air • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique itinerary for exact departure and arrival times. Hotel or similar Morning: You’ll arrive in Argentina this morning based on your specific flight arrangements; most flights arrive between

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

12 6:45am and 10:15am. Your O.A.T. Trip around 5:30pm, discover the dance that was Experience Leader or an O.A.T. representative born in this city during a tango lesson with a will meet you and assist with the transfer to s local instructor who was born and raised in our hotel, a ride in a private vehicle of about Buenos Aires. At around 6:30pm, we’ll embark an hour, depending on traffic. Here, you’ll join on an orientation walk with our Trip Experience your traveling companions, including those Leader to become better acquainted with the who’ve taken the pre-trip extension to Santiago area immediately around our hotel. As we & Easter Island’s Sacred Sites and New! Uruguay: explore the neighborhood, you’ll notice the Colonial Charms, Gaucho Culture & Ferry Across ample cafés, bars, and restaurants within a the Rio de la Plata. five-minute walk.

Upon arrival, you’ll check in an receive your Dinner: Dinner tonight is on your own. Your room assignments. We’ll stay for two nights Trip Experience Leader can recommend some in this centrally-located hotel in the heart of of the restaurants spotted on your orientation Buenos Aires. Depending on which hotel you walk. Perhaps you’ll be in the mood to visit stay at, your hotel may feature a seasonal a parrilla for grilled Argentinean beef, or an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a spa. empanadas stand for a quick bite. Typical rooms are modern and include air Evening: You may choose to stroll around conditioning, a private bathroom, free wireless Buenos Aires’ lively neighborhoods following Internet, cable television, mini-bar, and dinner, perhaps seeking out a nightcap at one coffee- and tea-making station. of the bars you passed earlier. Or retire to your Lunch: On your own. Your Trip Experience room early to rest up for the discoveries ahead. Leader will be happy to point you in the Freedom To Explore: During your two days in direction of local favorites. Perhaps you’d Buenos Aires, you have the freedom to discover like to try a bite of chorizo, a spicy and smoky this enthralling city on your own during your sausage which is a popular lunch option in free time. Below are a few recommended Argentina. options for independent explorations: Afternoon: You’ll have between three and six • Treat yourself to a show at the Opera House: hours, depending on your arrival time, to settle Considered one of Buenos Aires’ most alluring in and enjoy the amenities of the hotel. Around highlights, the city’s opera house is a histor- 4:30pm, our small group will gather with ical gem that hosts performances by some your Trip Experience Leader for a Welcome of the most important artists from across Briefing with details of what’s to come on the world. Renowned opera singer Luciano our trip. During this 45-minute discussion, Pavarotti once said he dreaded performing introduce yourself and review our trip itinerary in this majestic theater—the acoustics are so in greater detail (including any changes that perfect, he said, that he could hear his every may need to occur). Our Trip Experience Leader mistake! The theater opened originally in will also explain logistics, safety procedures, 1857, and was restored to its white-marble and answer any questions. Come prepared, as glory in the early 2000s. As you walk through this is your chance to get answers firsthand the theater, you’ll be immersed in a con- about how to spend the free time you’ll have vergence of French and Italian architecture, in Buenos Aires, specific activities or places from busts sculpted by Luigi Trinchero to you’re hoping to see, or anything else. Then detailed reliefs adorning the walls. Because

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

13 this is one of the most popular places to visit in 20th-century Argentinian society—as an in Buenos Aires, our city tour wraps up here actress, an advocate, a political trailblazer, for those travelers who choose to stay behind and a woman who played soccer in heels. to tour the building. If you like, you can • How to get there: A 10-minute taxi ride, purchase tickets to an evening show—or, if about $4 USD one way. you’re lucky, you might be able to sit in on a • Hours: 11am-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday. rehearsal. • Cost: Entrance is approximately $6 USD. • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi • Soak in the natural beauty of Palermo at the ride, about $5 USD one way. Rose Garden: Created in 1914 with more • Hours: 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. English than 14,000 rose bushes, a stroll through the guided tours available at 11am, 1pm, and rose garden will make you feel like you’re 3pm. in a fairy tale. Breathe in the scent of fresh • Cost: Around $15 USD per person. flowers as you stroll through Buenos Aires’ • Visit the Evita Museum for a glimpse into answer to New York’s Central Park, blanketed the city’s political history: Explore exhibits in almost 20,000 roses nestled in verdant dedicated to honoring First Lady Eva “Evita” grass. Walking through the park takes about Duarte de Perón—famous for her social work 45 minutes, and you’ll find there’s much to and impact on women’s civic rights in Buenos see beyond the pink and red hues including Aires. As you step into the museum, located sculptures, fountains, and even a Japanese in an old-European style mansion originally garden within the park featuring a number built in 1923, you’ll step into Duarte’s daily of tree species. All around you, especially on life, viewing dresses she used to wear and the weekends, you’ll find bikers, runners, and clips of her film days. Evita Duarte’s life was even groups of locals doing yoga. The park is one of metamorphosis from famed actress open year-round, and depending on the time to political activist, and the Evita Museum of year, you may just be able to ask a gardener illustrates this transformation in depth. to cut you a rose. You are free to walk through the museum • How to get there: A 10-minute taxi ride, at your leisure—travelers usually spend about $4 USD one way. about an hour here—and perhaps stop for a • Hours: Open daily. cup of coffee at the café downstairs. Or, you • Cost: Free. can schedule a guided tour of the premises, illustrating the history of the First Lady’s Day 3 Explore Buenos Aires • commitment to women’s rights, particularly Controversial Topic: The “Disappeared” in terms of the right to vote, which was of Argentina’s Dirty War with filmmaker established in 1947. As you follow Evita’s Mariano Corbacho • Home-Hosted Dinner journey, witness her effortless blend of the traditional “masculine” and “feminine” rolls • Destination: Buenos Aires • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel or similar

Exclusive O.A.T. Activities: Today we will discuss the Controversial Topic of the tens of thousands of people who were kidnapped,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

14 tortured, or killed during The Dirty War—the offer their tango pictures, or stroll along the infamous campaign waged from 1976 to 1983 renovated waterfront promenade. Or, grab by Argentina’s military dictatorship. We’ll a snack or souvenir from one of the many speak to filmmaker Mariano Corbacho about vendors or watch the street performers who put how this period of terror still affects Argentine on shows in the area. Then around 11:15am we’ll citizens today. It may be difficult to hear these head back towards the —another harsh and uncomfortable truths, but it will 30-minute bus ride. paint a fuller picture of Argentina. On some We’ll arrive at approximately 11:45am and meet departures, we may instead speak with a local filmmaker Mariano Corbacho at a historic woman from the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, an café next to the Plaza de Mayo. Here, we’ll learn organization dedicated to reuniting children of about the Controversial Topic of the 30,000 the disappeared with their families. We will also people who disappeared during a dark chapter break into smaller groups of no more than 5 to in Argentine history. From 1976 to 1983, tens visit a local family tonight for a Home-Hosted of thousands of Argentines were kidnapped, Dinner and experience the warmth of an tortured, or killed during the country’s last Argentine welcome. Read more about these dictatorship in a campaign known as The exclusive experiences below. Dirty War. We’ll discuss this history with Breakfast: Beginning at 7am, enjoy a Mariano—who has made it his mission to bring buffet-style breakfast at your hotel. this shadowy past to light. On some departures, International and Argentinian options will we may instead speak with a local woman who be available, and because sweet treats are an experienced these atrocities firsthand and important part of the culture here, there may became a member of the NGO Abuelas De Plaza be different desserts and local cakes to try. de Mayo, grandmothers of disappeared children Other options may include toast, ham, cheese, looking to reunite them with their families. scrambled eggs, fruit, yogurt, and cereal. After the death of democratically-elected Morning: Around 8:30am, we’ll depart president Juan Perón, his widow—Isabel the hotel by bus for a tour of Buenos Aires, Perón—briefly took over his rule in 1974. But an elegant mixture of Spanish Colonial in 1976, the Argentine military overthrew architecture and several traditional European the government in a coup, and put in place a styles. We’ll arrive at , which dictatorship led by Lieutenant General Jorge runs into Plaza de Mayo, around 9am. Many Rafael Videla, Admiral Emilio Eduardo Massera, of the buildings important to Argentine and Brigadier-General Orlando Ramón Agosti. history are centered here. See the This was part of a series of political coups called (Government House), the Metropolitan , a campaign notoriously Cathedral, and the Cabildo, the first City Hall sponsored by the United States government. built during Spanish rule. By the 1970s, eight South American countries, including Argentina, had been taken over Then around 9:45am, we’ll depart for La by right-wing dictators or military juntas. Boca, Buenos Aires’ first merchant and fishing However, the governments feared being port. We’ll travel here by bus which will take overthrown by communist insurgencies. approximately 30 minutes. Upon arrival, you’ll The U.S., similarly wishing to avoid a rise in have free time to visit the famous , an outdoor museum and art show where painters

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15 communist-friendly governments, agreed to The Dirty War, his grandfather—using his help them fight these perceived threats through high-ranking position—collaborated with training from the CIA. the government and provided information to carry out extortion, kidnappings, murders, and The newly created dictatorship wasted no disappearances of both students and teachers. time searching for anyone they considered to Distraught, Mariano decided to tell the untold be a dissenter, from political rivals to average stories of the people whose lives were affected citizens suspected of being aligned with leftist, by the actions of his “Pico.” For 4 years, he socialist, or social justice movements. Thus has worked on a film that reconstructs their began The Dirty War, a time of terror when the testimonies. people of Argentina lived in fear that a loved one—or even themselves—could be taken away Meanwhile, members of the Abuelas De Plaza de at any moment, for any perceived reason. The Mayo, grandmothers of disappeared children, dictatorship refused to even release the names have been fighting tirelessly on behalf of the of those incarcerated and killed, denying these disappeared, particularly the missing children. people ever existed at all. But the families left They began to protest right here in the Plaza behind knew, and searched in vain for their de Mayo in 1977 and despite facing inevitable loved ones. One of the cruelest acts of The Dirty backlash from the government, the women War was the abduction of pregnant women persisted. Their actions created awareness of who were kept alive just long enough to give a dark campaign that counted on silence and birth; their babies were then either given to intimidation to carry out atrocities and helped other families as “spoils of war,” or simply to turn the public against the dictatorship. abandoned in orphanages with their identities Today, these women—now part of the NGO stripped away. It is believed around 500 babies Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo—are recognized were stolen in this way. worldwide for their human rights efforts that led to finding the lost children born in captivity Mariano Corbacho, while too young to and denied their true identities. Their research, remember these events firsthand, is directly combined with DNA testing, has helped related to someone who did. He is the grandson to reunite some of these people with their of Mario “Pico” Corbacho, once the dean biological relatives. of Argentina’s most important university. Mariano has lived all his life in Buenos Aires, During this hour-long conversation, we’ll have and always maintained a close relationship about 40 minutes to ask any questions we may with his grandfather, spending lots of time have about this difficult topic, such as how it at his grandparents’ house when he was affects people today. a child. One day, his grandfather “Pico” We’ll depart at approximately 12:45pm by bus told him the story of how he survived an and arrive back out our hotel around 1:15pm. assassination attempt by one of the guerrilla organizations operating in Argentina in the Lunch: On your own—at approximately 1970s. From that moment on, Mariano began 1:30pm, you’ll return to the hotel, where you to question why anyone would want to kill can enjoy lunch, or ask your Trip Experience his grandfather. At the age of 25, he decided Leader where you can find a traditional to begin his own investigation to uncover Argentinean pizza. A large number of the hidden truths about his grandfather’s Argentinians are of Italian descent, so pizzerias past. Mariano came to discover that during

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16 abound in Buenos Aires. They have a thick Evening: Around 8:30pm, we will return to dough and extra mozzarella cheese, and are the hotel where you can retire to your room made in a wood-fire oven. for the evening. Or take advantage of the lively nightlife of the Recoleta neighborhood where Afternoon: This afternoon is free for you to our hotel is located. relax or make your own discoveries. Perhaps you’ll enjoy the Paseo del Rosedal, or Rose Garden Walk, located in nearby Palermo. Stroll Day 4 Fly to El Calafate, Patagonia through the charming gardens where around • Destination: El Calafate 1,000 varieties of roses are on display. Or you • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner may want to explore the National Museum of • Accommodations: Hotel Kosten Aike Fine Arts, where about 30 rooms house works or similar by such renowned artists as Rembrandt, Goya, Activity Note: Today’s transfer includes a flight and Picasso. of several hours (times vary by departure). Due Dinner: Around 5:30pm, we’ll split into smaller to the nature of this adventure, flight times groups of no more than 5 and depart by minibus cannot be guaranteed. Please note that today’s for what may become the most memorable part schedule is subject to change and could vary of your visit to Buenos Aires: a Home-Hosted widely from what is provided below. Dinner. It will take us between 15 and 25 Breakfast: Beginning at 7am, enjoy a minutes to get to the home of a local family. buffet-style breakfast at your hotel. Upon arrival to the family’s home—usually Morning: At approximately 8:45am, we take housing multiple generations under one a half-hour ride by bus to the airport, where roof—you’ll be welcomed by our hosts and we’ll catch a flight to El Calafate, Patagonia—a taken on a tour of their property. Then we’ll boomtown near Argentina’s border with Chile. assist in the preparation of the meal; typically, For 65 million years, the land here has been Argentine families will enjoy a hearty dinner raised by chaotic volcanic eruptions and carved that begins with empanadas before tucking into by massive glaciers, creating a series of jagged shepherd’s pie or albóndigas (meatballs) served islands, interconnected fjords and channels, alongside potatoes or vegetables. For dessert, and mountainside glacial lakes. The area is we may enjoy crepes with dulce de leche and a named for the indigenous calafate bush—locals robust Argentinean Malbec wine. say eating its berries will ensure your return to Take a seat at the family table and share the this mystical region. Our flight is scheduled to fruits of your labor. Perhaps you’ll use what depart at 10:45am. you learned today about the history and culture Lunch: On your own, either at the airport or in of Buenos Aires to engage your hosts in a El Calafate. discussion and discover their perspective on their home city. It’s an evening seasoned with Afternoon: We’ll land and deplane around good conversation and fellowship. 1:45pm. Around 2:30pm, we’ll take a 45-minute transfer by bus to our hotel, where you’ll We’ll depart between 7:45pm and 8pm. check in, receive your room assignment. Depending on which hotel you stay at, your hotel may feature a seasonal outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a spa. Typical rooms

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17 are modern and include air conditioning, birding information, but you’re free to rent or a private bathroom, free wireless Internet, purchase these at a reasonable price as well. cable television, mini-bar, and coffee- and A birder’s delight, Laguna Nimez is worth a tea-making station. visit any time of year. Though some days are more active in terms of bird sightings than The rest of the afternoon is yours to unwind. others, the view of the nearby turquoise lake Your hotel is located only a short walking is a picture-perfect spot. Walk down to the distance away from the main street and may nearby beach for views of the lake, where include amenities such as wireless Internet, you might just see flamingoes bathing in the a gym, a spa, a restaurant and wine bar, and distance. a fireside lounge. At around 6:15pm, join our Trip Experience Leader for an orientation walk • How to get there: About a 20-minute walk around the vicinity of your hotel, when you’ll or 5-minute taxi ride, around $2 USD. notice that many restaurant and shops are • Hours: 9am-7pm, daily. conveniently close to your lodgings. • Cost: Entrance is approximately $5 USD per person. Dinner: Around 6:45pm, we will depart by taxi • Discover the dissemination of southern for a 15-minute ride to a local home. You’ll Patagonia’s ice and glaciers at the venture into a smaller neighborhood that’s off Glaciarium: Upon walking into the ice mu- the beaten track and catch a glimpse of country seum, the first thing you’ll notice is the large life that will provide contrast to the big-city map of ice at your feet, pointing out where experience you’ve just come from. Perhaps you stand in relation to the ever-growing you’ll explain what you experienced in the Perito Moreno glacier. The third-largest larger capital city of Buenos Aires, and ask your mass of ice on Earth after Antarctica and host about how life, work, and leisure differs , the glacier attracts locals and here in this small but vibrant community. visitors alike to see its impressive calving Evening: We will return to the hotel around every few years. At the museum, you’ll get 8:45pm. The rest of the evening is at an interactive glimpse into how ice behaves your leisure. through exhibits, pictures, and videos, giving you a well-rounded picture of the Perito Freedom To Explore: During your two days in Moreno after your visit there. If you’re look- El Calafate, you have the freedom to discover its ing to “chill” a little while longer, you can surrounding beauty on your own during your head down to the ice bar in the basement for a free time. Below are a couple of recommended drink out of an icy glass. options for independent explorations: • How to get there: About a 15-minute taxi • Give bird watching a try at Laguna Nimez: ride, around $9 USD one way. Observe around 80 colorful, vibrant bird • Hours: 11am-8pm, daily. species, including flamingos, lapwings, and • Cost: Entrance is approximately $13 USD black-necked swans. This nature reserve is per person. fenced in to prevent dogs and other animals from scaring the birds from their nests, so you’ll get the best sense of these creatures in their natural habitat. Many travelers come equipped with binoculars and a brochure of

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18 Day 5 Los Glaciares National Park • marvel towering nearly 200 feet above Lake Explore Perito Moreno Glacier Argentino. It is named after , a 19th-century Argentine explorer who helped • Destination: Los Glaciares National Park resolve his country’s border dispute with • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch neighboring Chile. • Accommodations: Hotel Kosten Aike or similar During today’s adventure, we may see the natural phenomenon of a glacier “calving.” Activity Note: Today’s excursion involves This means that smaller chunks of ice fracture a two-hour transfer by bus to Los Glaciares and break off from the glacier—a “birthing” National Park. Once we arrive, we’ll hike of icebergs that’s usually accompanied by along catwalks. Agility is required in order to thunderous noises. The constant, cyclical participate. movement of Perito Moreno’s ice mass often Breakfast: Served buffet-style starting at 6am forces the glacier to “calve.” It’s quite a at your hotel and will feature international and spectacle, and can occur at any time, so we’ll Argentinian options. keep our fingers crossed that we’ll be lucky enough to witness an iceberg calve. Morning: At around 9am, we embark on a full-day excursion to Los Glaciares National Ice isn’t the only thing we’ll see today. Just east Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, arriving of the ice fields are areas of southern beech around 11am. During our 1.5-hour bus transfer forest and windswept Patagonian steppes. As to the park, we’ll learn about glaciers and the we journey overland to and from Perito Moreno, park’s geology from our local guide, and also we’ll pass through scenic forests composed of stop for wildlife spotting. lengas and ñires (Patagonian beech trees) along with cherry trees. Created in 1937, Los Glaciares is the second-largest national park in Argentina, Lunch: You may pause at any time to enjoy a and comprises more than 1,700 square miles boxed lunch in the park. and nearly 50 large glaciers. These glaciers are Afternoon: Our exploration of the park fed by a giant icecap (the largest continental continues after lunch. You’ll have about three ice extension after Antarctica) that begins in hours to trek the park at your own pace and the Andes and occupies well over a third of the utilize the different hiking circuits to admire park’s total area. the Perito Monero Glacier from different angles. As we’ll discover during our visit, the glaciers We’ll depart the park around 2:30 by bus and here are unique. Unlike other glaciers, which arrive back in El Calafate around 4pm. You’ll typically formed roughly 8,200 feet above have free time at your leisure, or you may sea level, the icy marvels at Los Glaciares choose to participate in an activity suggested formed much lower, at nearly 5,000 feet. The by your Trip Experience Leader. For a more lower points of origin are a boon to visitors, as physical option, take a bird watching hike at they offer unique access—both visually and Laguna Nimez. Or, if you feel like you’ve hiked physically—to glaciers. enough for one day, perhaps you’ll visit the Glaciarium, a museum which explains the Our small group will understand just how science of glaciers and the transformation of important this difference is when we encounter Perito Moreno Glacier, a pristine

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19 different glaciers in this area over the years. For Lunch: Around noon, we’ll arrive at the border an extra fee, you might visit the Glaciarium’s into Chile, where we will disembark for an atmospheric, neon-lit ice bar. included lunch and to change buses. We’ll arrive at a Chilean restaurant and handcraft Dinner: Enjoy dinner on your own tonight. Ask store shortly after crossing the border to enjoy our Trip Experience Leader for suggestions traditional Chilean dishes such as (a in line with your appetite, or dine at the consomme served in a clay bowl with chicken, hotel. Perhaps you’ll search for a cut of pumpkin, potato, and corn) and a locally Patagonian lamb. sourced fruit salad. Evening: The evening is at leisure. If you’d Afternoon: We board our bus around 2:30pm like to continue to explore El Calafate, ask for the remaining 1.5-hour ride to the park. your Trip Experience Leader for walking We’ll tour the park by bus and benefit from the directions to Bahia Redona Bay which offers expertise of our Trip Experience Leader and scenic views of the Patagonian steppe and Lago local guide, who can share their knowledge of Argentino Lake. the park’s flora and fauna along the way.

Day 6 Overland to Torres del Paine The park comprises about 935 square miles and National Park is part of the Paine Massif, granite mountains that emerge suddenly from the plains of • Destination: Torres del Paine National Park the Patagonian steppes and are capped by • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner crumbly sedimentary rock that used to lie on • Accommodations: Hotel Lago Grey or similar the valley floor. This granite intrusion—one Activity Note: Expect a bus transfer of about of the most recognizable mountain profiles in eight hours today. There will be several stops the world—was formed about twelve million en route, including a lunch break, and you will years ago, making the Paine Massif quite young also change coaches at the Chilean border. Have geologically. Sedimentary rock and magma your passport on-hand, as you will need it to collided violently and were thrust high into cross into Chile. the air. After the Ice Age, when the ice fields covering the base of the massif began to melt, Breakfast: A buffet-style breakfast will be water and wind carved the rock into huge available at the hotel at 6am. towers of varying shapes, at heights up to 9,000 feet. Some of these are covered in permanent Morning: Be ready at around 8am to board the ice. At our level, the crushed rock and sediment bus for our transfer to Torres del Paine, whose colors the lakes in the park from a milky gray national park was declared a World Biosphere to yellows and greens and the dramatic blue Reserve by UNESCO in 1978 and is renowned caused by blue algae. During our ride we’ll as one of the most remote, beautiful, and make stops along the way for sightseeing and to unspoiled places in the world. The landscape take photos. is rich and diverse in dramatic geological formations, which combine in several distinct Around 5:30pm, we check into our hotel and ecosystems, from the wind-bent grasses of the have time to settle in before dinner. The hotel plains to the sheer, frozen cliffs of the Andes. is in Torres del Paine National Park, and We make several stops along the way to learn may feature scenic views from the windows. about the landscapes and natural features of Amenities may include a restaurant and bar, Patagonia.

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20 wireless internet access from the common from bare rock to thick forest. The flora of the rooms, and a garden with local plant life. park ranges from grassland to southern beech Typical rooms are modern and include air forests. Many parts of the park were too remote conditioning, a private bathroom, free wireless for the cattle and sheep ranchers, and so they Internet, cable television, mini-bar, and exist today in a pristine state. More than 40 coffee- and tea-making station. species of mammals make their home in the park, including the guanaco and Patagonian Dinner: Our small group gathers around 7pm gray fox. Some of the world’s rarest bird to enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant and to species—the , the crested cara share our impressions of the day. Before we eat, cara, and the black vulture among them—are we’ll try our very first pisco sour, a cocktail of found here as well. pisco liquor and citrus juices that locals love. Lunch: At around 12pm, we’ll enjoy a boxed Evening: The evening is at leisure to enjoy the lunch in the park. These lunches typically hotel’s amenities. consist of a choice of sandwich, a cereal bar, chocolate, nuts, juice, and water. Day 7 Explore Torres del Paine National Park Afternoon: The afternoon features a scenic hike to Laguna Larga, which will begin around • Destination: Torres del Paine National Park 1:30pm. This hike will take about two hours. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Afterward, at about 3:30pm, we transfer back to • Accommodations: Hotel Lago Grey or similar our hotel. Activity Note: Agility is required for today’s Dinner: We’ll gather at the hotel restaurant activities, which include a morning hike of no at around 7pm to enjoy an included dinner more than two hours and an afternoon hike and share our favorite memories from today’s of about an hour and a half. Hikes may vary nature excursion. according to weather conditions. Evening: Enjoy a relaxing evening at your hotel. Breakfast: You may enjoy your hotel breakfast Perhaps you’ll get to know your fellow travelers beginning at around 7am. It will be served better over a Chilean cocktail at the hotel bar. buffet-style and may include options such as scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, yogurt, and Day 8 Explore Torres del Paine • Ranch local cakes. visit • Overland to Puerto Natales Morning: Around 9am, we will depart for an • Destination: Puerto Natales hour-long motorcoach transfer to the park. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner On arrival around 10am, we pursue the myriad • Accommodations: Hotel Costaustralis wonders of Torres del Paine on foot with an or similar experienced guide. Our fist hike of the day will take us to Salto Grande, a scenic waterfall fed Activity Note: Today’s ranch visit includes by the waters of Lake Nordenskjold. As we hike, a horseback ride of about an hour. Agility is we’ll see a wide variety of plants, and we may required for this activity. Please note that, due spot some of the local wildlife. The glaciers of to the nature of this adventure, the schedule is the park are in quick retreat—up to 56 feet a subject to change and could vary widely from year for the last 90 years, creating a remarkable what is provided below. study of soil creation and plant development

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21 Breakfast: From 7am to 10am, buffet-style and will take turns riding. The first group breakfast is served at the hotel. departs at around 2:45pm, and the second departs about an hour later. Morning: At around 9:15am, we will set off on a short motorcoach ride into the park, and then When not riding, you are welcome to explore set off on foot for a hike around the banks of the area on foot with a local guide. You’ll be Lago Grey, a scenic lake fed by the icy waters led on a scenic path that will take you past a of Grey Glacier. We’ll enjoy a leisurely stroll pristine lake and different plant varieties. You through the surrounding woods, taking in the may engage your guide about what it’s like to native flora and fauna as we make our way to work in such a remote and beautiful location. the beach at the edge of the lake, where we’ll Dinner: At around 5pm, our small group will be greeted by the powerful Patagonian wind reconvene for a tasty, barbecue lamb dinner at across the water. We’ll walk along the shore the ranch. as we make our way to a scenic overlook on a peninsula, where we’ll get a full panoramic Evening: Around 6:30pm, we set off on a view of the gleaming Grey Glacier. Our hike will half-hour coach ride to Puerto Natales, where end at around 11:15am. you’ll check into your hotel room and enjoy time to relax and settle in. Typical rooms Lunch: Enjoy a boxed lunch en route to a local are modern and include air conditioning, ranch around 12pm. a private bathroom, free wireless Internet, Afternoon: At approximately noon, we set off cable television, mini-bar, and coffee- and to the Pingo Salvaje ranch. We will travel by tea-making station. Your hotel is also likely to bus and the ride will take about an hour and be on the water’s edge with views of the Andes a half. When we arrive, we’ll be received by mountains. Amenities may include a hotel the ranchers and have the opportunity to hear restaurant and bar, and a panoramic viewing about their guacho lifestyle, including their deck where you can take in more of the sights of methods of using dogs to herd sheep and cattle, Patagonia. the important role horses play on the farm, and the different types of saddles that are used to Day 9 Puerto Natales • Explore Punta ride horses. This is also a good opportunity to Arenas • Embark ship ask your hosts about their personal experience. • Destination: Punta Arenas Perhaps you’re wondering about the very real challenges that are bound to come with • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner managing a 17-thousand-acre farm, or the • Accommodations: M/V Stella Australis or ups and downs of living in such an isolated M/V Ventus Australis but unique place. We’ll then be fitted with Activity Note: Today’s activities involve a equipment and receive safety instructions. three-hour motor coach transfer to Punta Arenas, where you’ll board your ship. Next, we’ll embark on an hour-long scenic journey on horseback through a sprawling This Small Ship Adventure includes long valley adjacent to Laguna Sofia. We’ll take in stretches of sailing, where rough sea conditions the landscape as we ride past babbling creeks, are possible. Please note that, during your placid lake shores, snow-capped mountain cruise, all shore landings take place weather peaks, and varied vegetation and wildlife. For and sea conditions permitting. The itinerary this adventure, we’ll be split into two groups, featured below is what we will strive to follow,

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22 but because of these unpredictable sailing you a chance to make meaningful cultural conditions, all of the timing and landing details connections. You can get acquainted with the during the cruise portion of your trip are ship’s inviting common areas. The lounge subject to change. is equipped with couches and chairs and a specialty coffee-maker available at all hours, Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel from and the adjacent bar serves complimentary 6am-10am. house beer, house wine, and soft drinks Morning: Your morning is at leisure in Puerto throughout the day. A topside Sun Deck features Natales. Due to the central location of your ample deck chairs for admiring the scenery. hotel, you have many options within walking Cabins include a private bathroom, temperature distance such as breweries, handcraft shops, control, and a safe. cafes, and more. Perhaps you’ll walk around The ship is also equipped with Zodiac crafts the bay and visit the fishing harbor, or head that will bring you closer to the region’s downtown to take in the main square, lofty natural splendors during Zodiac excursions and Parroquia Maria Auxiliadora church, and landings. Onboard amenities include an open artwork inspired by Patagonian culture. Or relax bar, a sun deck, and a large lounge equipped at the hotel, admiring the panoramic views. with a coffee and tea station, board games, Lunch: Around noon, lunch is served at the and books. As we sail, this is where Expedition hotel restaurant, with international and South Team members will give lectures on topics American options available. like glaciology, natives, and the areas we visit. They’ll also be available for any questions or Afternoon: At approximately 1:30pm, we board just to chat throughout your journey. a bus for a drive of about three hours to Punta Arenas, a bustling port overlooking the Strait of Over the next four nights, we’ll explore the Magellan. On arrival around 4:30pm, we’ll take channels and fjords that border the Tierra del an orientation walk with our Trip Experience Fuego archipelago, the mystical “Land of Fire” Leader and have some free time for exploring ... voyage through the Strait of Magellan and on our own. Perhaps you’ll choose to explore Beagle Channel, named for Charles Darwin’s the bay area, visit the monument to Ferdinand ship, which sailed through its waters in 1834 Magellan in the Plaza Munoz Gamero, or and encounter ancient glaciers on part of the browse the handcraft market for unique Darwin mountain range. Our maritime cruising trinkets to take home with you for family begins this evening, as our ship departs Punta and friends. Arenas and sails eastward through the Strait of Magellan toward Ainsworth Bay. At approximately 5:45pm, we’ll head to the pier to board our 210-passenger vessel for a Attend a crew introduction and safety drill at cruise on the legendary waters of the Strait approximately 7pm, and enjoy a welcome toast. of Magellan around Tierra del Fuego. Your Our ship sets sail around 8pm. expedition ship is designed for traversing Dinner: At approximately 8:45pm, you and Patagonia’s fjords and plying the waters of your fellow O.A.T. travelers will be invited to this region. the dining room for your Captain’s Welcome Throughout your adventure onboard, you’ll Dinner. There’s no need to dress up, however be with travelers from across the world in some travelers choose to. Attire aboard your addition to your fellow O.A.T. travelers, giving small ship is always comfortable and casual.

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23 Like most dinners, this will be a sit-down Around 8:30am, our Zodiac craft will take meal, but a specialty cocktail or dish may us ashore. A Zodiac driver, Expedition Team also be served. We will have designated tables member, and your Trip Experience Leader will for our group. Please note that, throughout accompany you on each excursion throughout your voyage, dinners begin late by American your trip. Onshore, choose between two modes standards, affording you more time for daytime of exploring the pristine nature around us: exploration. a gentle walk through a Magellanic forest teeming with evergreens and deciduous Evening: You have the remainder of the trees, or a more demanding hike on the crest evening at leisure to unpack and settle into your of a glacial moraine. This walk is flat, as the home for the next four nights. Or perhaps you’ll glaciers are about one thousand years old. view the glimmering Chilean coast sliding past Along the way, we hope to observe a colony of your gaze from the viewing deck. elephant seals.

Day 10 Ainsworth Bay • Tuckers Islets • Lunch: We return to the ship at approximately Glaciology in Patagonia conversation 12:45pm for lunch. On the ship, your lunches will be buffet-style. Complimentary beer, wine, • Destination: Tuckers Islets spirits, and soft drinks are always available. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Accommodations: M/V Stella Australis or Afternoon: After lunch, you’ll have some M/V Ventus Australis time to relax in the lounge and enjoy views of the passing fjords. We set off by Zodiac Activity Note: We will be boarding Zodiac crafts again around 3:15pm. As we cruise to Tuckers for two excursions today. Agility and balance Islets, we may catch sight of cormorants are required for embarking. We will also hike and Magellanic penguins—whose migratory through uneven terrain and high winds. Please patterns bring them here between October note that, due to the nature of this adventure, and early March—distinguishable by the wide the schedule is subject to change and could vary black stripes under their chins and inverted widely from what is provided below. horseshoe shapes on their stomachs. Breakfast: All breakfasts onboard are served Around 4pm, we return to the ship and enjoy buffet-style in the ship’s dining room. You time to relax before gathering at 7pm for a may choose from an assortment of familiar conversation on Glaciology in Patagonia. One options—including hot and cold cereals, of the members of your Expedition Team will eggs, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, and toast. cover the science behind the formation and Breakfast service is begins at 8am today, and behavior of the glaciers that we witness as we you are welcome to dine at your convenience. navigate the fjord. This presentation is sure to Coffee will be available beginning at 7am for enhance your appreciation for the landscapes early risers. that await you tomorrow. Morning: As dawn breaks this morning, Dinner: Dinner is served in the ship’s dining we enter the Almirantazgo Inlet. We’ll zip room around 8pm. through Ainsworth Bay, mooring near the 120-foot-high Marinelli Glacier.

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24 Evening: You might relax in your cabin this from the Darwin Mountains into the sea. The evening or enjoy a nightcap under the stars, play of light, reflection, and shadow against taking advantage of the complimentary the glacial ice, which is of varying density and beverages available throughout our voyage. moisture content, creates a profound palette of subtle hues.

Day 11 Discovering Tierra del Fuego After returning to the ship around 4pm, we’ll presentation • Pia Glacier • Glacier Alley sail along the Beagle Channel’s northwestern • Destination: Glacier Alley arm and through majestic Glacier Alley around • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 5pm. Take advantage of the Sun Deck where • Accommodations: M/V Stella Australis or we can absorb the spectacular views of this icy M/V Ventus Australis landscape and discover the European names that have been given to these glaciers, including Activity Note: Today’s activities include Holland, Germany, Spain, and France. We’ll another Zodiac excursion, which requires start to pass them around 6:15pm. agility and balance for embarking. This afternoon’s hike is demanding. Those who The movement of ice in this region appears prefer may stay aboard to witness Glacier to be “glacially slow,” but it is actually in Alley from the ship’s viewing deck. Please note constant flux, more so in recent years due to that, due to the nature of this adventure, the the effects of global warming. A 2003 study schedule is subject to change and could vary led by researchers at the U.S. Jet Propulsion widely from what is provided below. Laboratory found that the Patagonia glaciers of Chile and Argentina are melting so rapidly Breakfast: Buffet service begins in the ship’s that they are making a significant contribution dining room at 8am. Early risers can again to the rise of the sea level. Researchers believe enjoy coffee beginning at 7am. that a change in the environment here is due Morning: At around 9:30am, join us to discover to a rise in air temperature, a decrease in more about this fascinating region during a precipitation, and the unique nature of the presentation on Discovering Tierra del Fuego Patagonia ice fields, which are dominated by where we’ll learn about the history and ecology “calving” glaciers. Calving glaciers spawn that will help us better understand what lies icebergs directly into the ocean and have ahead. Then, around 11am, you’ll have the different dynamics than the glaciers that end opportunity to visit the navigation bridge and on land and melt at their front ends. Calving learn more about the operation of your small glaciers are more sensitive to climate change ship. An Expedition Team member will explain once they are pushed out of their delicate how wayfaring works, and if we’re lucky, equilibrium, making this region the fastest area we may even speak to the captain about his of glacial retreat on Earth. duties onboard. Dinner: Join us at 8pm for dinner in the ship’s Lunch: Your onboard lunch begins at 12:15pm dining room. and is served buffet style. Evening: The rest of the evening is free. You Afternoon: Weather permitting, at around might want to view a documentary film being 2pm, we’ll board Zodiac crafts that will take us shown in the lounge. ashore, where we’ll enjoy a short hike. We’ll take in views of the Pia Glacier where it flows

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

25 Day 12 Explore Cape Horn • Wulaia Bay Morning: Beginning around 10:15am, we’ll enjoy a screening of the 40-minute • Destination: Wulaia Bay documentary film Shackleton’s Antarctic • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Adventure. This film chronicles the true story • Accommodations: M/V Stella Australis or of the great explorer’s heroic effort to save his M/V Ventus Australis expedition team after they were stranded for Activity Note: Enjoy another Zodiac excursion two years on the White Continent. today, which requires agility and balance for You then have free time until lunch. You might embarking. A steep hike of about two hours catch up on your travel journal or simply involves walking on rugged, rocky paths admire the view of the Beagle and Murray through forest and up about 45 steps. Please channels. note that, due to the nature of this adventure, the schedule is subject to change and could vary Lunch: Your onboard lunch begins at 12:15pm. widely from what is provided below. Afternoon: Continue to enjoy the ship’s Please note that, during your cruise, all shore amenities after lunch. Around 3:45pm, we’ll landings take place weather and sea conditions disembark in historic Wulaia Bay, once the site permitting. This is especially true at Cape Horn, of the region’s largest native settlements. This notorious for seas that are among the roughest area is also renowned for the vastness of its in the world, which may prevent any possibility vegetation and beauty of its landscapes—which of landing. may explain why Charles Darwin chose it as a landing point during his famous voyage of the Early Morning: Coffee will be available Beagle. We’ll hike through a rugged forest with beginning at 6am; you may wish to enjoy a ferns and other native vegetation to a scenic cup prior to today’s first activity, as breakfast point before returning to the ship. will be served after our first excursion this morning. The rocky promontory of Cape Horn Dinner: Convene in the dining room around rises nearly 1,400 feet above the water. Weather 8pm for your Captain’s Farewell Dinner. Like and sea conditions permitting, we’ll embark the Welcome Dinner at the beginning of your Zodiacs around 7am to go ashore at Cape Horn adventure, this special reception features more National Park. Here, we’ll survey the seascape elaborate dishes and a convivial atmosphere—a where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. fitting way to conclude your voyage.

If we’re able to land today, we may hike to the Evening: The rest of the evening is free. top of the island to observe the lighthouse. Perhaps you’ll ask the Expedition Team any From here we can take in panoramic views last-minute questions you have about the of the island’s grassy plains and the cerulean ecology of Patagonia, or choose to retire to your fjords below. This is an exclusive opportunity, room and rest up for tomorrow’s discoveries. as ours is the only ship permitted to land on Cape Horn.

Breakfast: If we’re coming back from Cape Horn, we’ll be back on the ship around 8:30am, when breakfast buffet service begins.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

26 Day 13 Disembark ship • Controversial will be meeting Gaby, her husband Gustavo, Topic: The inadequate treatment of and their two daughters. While Gustavo is Argentine veterans post Falkland War originally from Ushuaia, Gaby arrived as a with local veteran Osvaldo • Explore tourist—they met during a kayak tour led by Ushuaia • Lunch with a local family Gustavo. She soon moved to Ushuaia where the two married and built the house we’re visiting • Destination: Ushuaia from scratch. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner As we dine on local favorites such as lentils • Accommodations: Cilene del Faro Hotel stew and spinach fritters—not to mention a or similar selection of desserts made by Gaby—we’ll have Exclusive O.A.T. Activity: Today we will meet a chance to chat with our hosts about what it’s veteran Osvaldo to discuss the Controversial like living at the “End of the World.” After our Topic of the Falkland War from an Argentine meal, we’ll bid Gustavo and Gaby goodbye and soldier’s perspective. We’ll learn how the depart by bus around 1:15pm. government sent un-trained and un-prepared troops into a battle they had little chance of Afternoon: We’ll continue on to our hotel for winning—in the hope it would create support an arrival around 1:30pm. Check in and pursue for their failing regime. Osvaldo will share your own interests for the rest of the afternoon. how he and his fellow veterans received even Your hotel may be conveniently located on less support upon their return from the war. the waterfront next to the Prison Museum. Read on to learn more about this difficult Amenities may include a Glass Bar—a former subject below. lighthouse converted into a cocktail lounge with panoramic views of the Andes, the Beagle Breakfast: Buffet breakfast service Channel, and the city—wireless Internet, and begins at 7am. a spacious lounge. Typical rooms are modern and include a private bathroom, free wireless Morning: This morning, we bid farewell to our Internet, cable television, mini-bar, and captain and crew as our cruise ends in Ushuaia, coffee- and tea-making station. the “City at the End of the World.” Ushuaia is a former penal colony whose name is a Yamana During your 4 hours of free time, you might word for “bay that stretches into the sunset.” delve into local history and natural science Today, it’s a small but busy port with a frontier at the Museo del Fin del Mundo. Or, discover atmosphere. The snowcapped Andes rise on one Ushuaia’s life as a former Prison Colony at the side of town, while the Beagle Channel extends Prison Museum and learn about early settlers from the other. We’ll arrive at approximately and explorers and view the wax figures at the 9am, disembark ship, and do some sightseeing Galería Temática Historia Fueguina as you together on the way to our host’s home. stroll from cell to cell.

Lunch: Around 11:30am, we’ll visit a local Then around 5:45pm we’ll walk about 10 home, where we’ll meet an Ushuaia family and minutes to a private room in a local restaurant enjoy a home-cooked lunch. and meet with Osvaldo, a local Argentine war veteran. Together we’ll discuss the Ushuia is widely considered to be the world’s Controversial Topic of the Malvinas/Falkland southernmost city, and people who live here War—specifically how Argentine soldiers like tend to originate from all over Argentina. We Osvaldo were treated during and after the war.

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27 By 1982 the Argentinean dictatorship beginning benefits—for over 10 years, a group of veterans to fail. In a desperate attempt to gain support camped out in front of the Government House from the people, the government decided in Buenos Aires, protesting for the health and to reclaim the —known in monetary support that they had been denied Argentina as the Malvinas Islands—from the for so long. It was only during the presidential United Kingdom in hopes of creating feelings of term of Nestor Kirchner from 2003-2007 national pride. On April 2, 1982, the government that the government truly recognized these sent its militia to the islands’ shores—yet in veterans—offering a better pension and a their haste to begin the assault, the soldiers much-improved health care system that had very little training and lacked the proper included access to mental health professionals. equipment. Inevitable defeat soon became During this hour-long conversation, we’ll have clear, and on June 14th a truce was declared about 40 minutes to ask Osvaldo any questions between the two countries with Argentina on we might have—such as how his experiences in the losing side. Diplomatic relations between the Falkland War still affect him today. Argentina and the United Kingdom were totally suspended until 1990. The two countries’ Dinner: After thanking Osvaldo, we’ll head into relationship remains strained even today, as the main restaurant around 7pm to feast on a the Argentinean government continues to claim king crab dinner. ownership of the Falkland Islands. In the end, over 600 soldiers had died in battle. Evening: The rest of the evening is free. Perhaps you’ll head to the waterfront and Osvaldo was only 18 when he was sent off to enjoy a microbrew in a region renowned for its the Falkland War as part of a paratrooper team craft beers. of around 300 young soldiers. Once he arrived on the island, however, he was put in charge Day 14 Ushuaia • Fly to Buenos Aires of the fire control team. He remained there until the war was over—56 days of combat • Destination: Buenos Aires and 5 days as a prisoner of war under the UK • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner government. Then he, along with the rest of • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique the surviving soldiers, was sent home. But Hotel or similar these soldiers would receive even less support Activity Note: Today, you’ll board a flight upon their return. In fact, from 1982 until 1987 from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, which is about the government did not provide support of 4 hours long. Expect a fairly long travel day, as any kind to these veterans. Eventually a very we’ll leave our hotel in Ushuaia around 8am basic pension and poor health care system was and arrive at our hotel in Buenos Aires after enacted, but it was too little, too late. 3pm. Due to the nature of this adventure, the As in any war, many of these veterans began schedule is subject to change and could vary to suffer PTSD, yet received no mental health widely from what is provided below. benefits from the government. It is estimated Breakfast: The hotel’s buffet breakfast service over 300 of these veterans committed suicide begins at 7am today. due to this lack of care. Adequate financial support was also withheld by the government leading to widespread poverty. Veterans began demanding their rightfully-earned

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

28 Morning: Board a bus with your luggage at Morning: At about 9am, we depart for the around 8am and take a 30-minute drive to the Recoleta District by bus with its elegant homes, airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. Our flight fashionable restaurants, and shops. Here, we’ll is scheduled to leave at 10:10am and should explore the famous cemetery, where we’ll view arrive at around 1:45pm. the grave of Argentina’s legendary former first lady Eva Peron. Lunch: On your own today. You might pick something up at the airport before boarding Our visit will last about an hour, after which your flight. we will join a 45-minute transfer to the Parana Delta. We will spend the rest of this morning Afternoon: As soon as our small group has touring this area where the Parana River gathered with our luggage, we will embark on empties into the Rio de la Plata on its way into a 45-minute transfer to our hotel. Check into the Atlantic, forming this huge delta. This your room and enjoy the freedom to explore. exotic landscape is just half an hour from the You might take a stroll in the Plazoleta Paseo city but seems a million miles away. Traditional de la Recoleta, a lovely park near your hotel, houses on stilts (pilotes) are surrounded by lush or take advantage of your hotel’s spa. Around subtropical vegetation and built on islands that 5:30pm, your small group gathers with your are separated by a twisting maze of waterways. Trip Experience Leader for a final briefing of Enjoy a relaxing, hour-long boat ride in this about a half hour. scenic area, which is one of Latin America’s Dinner: At approximately 6pm, we embark on unique environments. We return to port and a half-hour transfer by bus to a local restaurant transfer back to our hotel, arriving around 2pm. for a Farewell Dinner. The restaurant is Lunch: On your own. If you missed it, ask your located in , one of Buenos Aires’ Trip Experience Leader where to find a Dulce de newest neighborhoods, and is known for its Leche gelatto. Argentinian beef and Malbec wine. Share your memories of South America with your travel Afternoon: Upon our return to the hotel, mates as you savor authentic local fare. We’ll we will have about two hours to do any finish up dinner around 8pm and return to final packing or take a stroll around the our hotel. neighborhood. At approximately 4pm, we check out of the hotel. The departure time for your Evening: We’ll arrive back at our hotel around roughly one-hour transfer to the airport will 8:30pm and enjoy the rest of the evening to depend on your flight time. If you have free relax or make any last-minute discoveries in time before your transfer, you may store your Buenos Aires. luggage at reception. Or begin your Iguassu Falls: Thundering Cascades of Argentina & Brazil Day 15 Buenos Aires • Explore Parana or New! Brazil’s Atlantic Coast: Exuberant Rio de Delta • Return to U.S. or begin Janeiro & Colonial Salvador de Bahia post-trip post-trip extension extension. • Destination: Buenos Aires • Included Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: From 7am-9am, enjoy buffet-style service at your hotel.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

29 END YOUR ADVENTURE WITH AN OPTIONAL POST-TRIP EXTENSION 4 nights in Iguassu Falls: Thundering Cascades of Argentina & Brazil

Day 1 Explore Buenos Aires Day 3 Iguassu Falls • Visit a Guaraní community Day 1 Explore Buenos Aires Day 4 Discover Argentinean side of Falls • Day 2 Fly to Iguassu Falls • Discover Optional Great Adventure tour Brazilian side of falls Day 5 Depart for U.S.

OR 6 nights in Brazil’s Atlantic Coast: Exuberant Rio de Janeiro & Colonial Salvador de Bahia

Day 1 Buenos Aires Day 4 Rio de Janeiro • Visit Sugarloaf Mountain Day 2 Buenos Aires • Fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Day 5 Fly to Salvador de Bahia Day 3 Rio de Janeiro • Visit Christ the Day 6 Explore Salvador Redeemer statue Day 7 Salvador • Return to U.S.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

30 PRE-TRIP Santiago & Easter Island’s Sacred Sites

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Roundtrip airfare between Santiago and » 9 meals: 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, Easter Island and 2 dinners » Accommodations for 2 nights » 4 guided tours and cultural experiences at InterContinental Santiago or similar, 2 » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader nights at Taha Tai Hotel or similar, and 1 » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and night at the Holiday Inn Santiago Airport luggage porters or similar » All transfers

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Explore historic Santiago, then venture to Easter Island to discover its rich Polynesian heritage, dramatic volcanoes, brilliant beaches, and welcoming people. And above all, ponder the mystery of the nearly 900 large stone heads—called moai—that stand silently in clusters scattered across the island’s landscape.

Day 1 Depart U.S. rooms are modern and include a private bathroom, cable television, mini-bar, and • Destination: Santiago coffee- and tea-making station. Fly overnight from the U.S. to Santiago, Chile. Lunch: On your own.

Day 2 Arrive Santiago, Chile Afternoon: Around 4pm, we’ll meet our Trip • Destination: Santiago Experience Leader and a local guide, who will • Accommodations: InterContinental Santiago lead us on an orientation walk of the area or similar surrounding our hotel.

Morning: Arrive in Santiago this morning. Dinner: On your own this evening. Ask you Trip Most flights arrive between 6:40am and Experience Leader for recommendations. 10:15am. You’ll be met at the airport by an Evening: We’re free to return to the hotel to O.A.T. representative, who will assist with rest, or you may venture out to experience your transfer to your hotel, a ride of about 45 Santiago at night. minutes. Check in, receive room assignments, and settle in. Our hotel is conveniently located Freedom To Explore: During your two days in downtown Santiago near public transit, in Santiago, you have the freedom to explore and may include amenities such as onsite this capital city on your own during your free restaurants, coffee shops, a bar, an indoor time. Below are a few recommended options for swimming pool, fitness center, and spa. Typical independent explorations:

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

31 • Explore the pre-Colombian culture of ancient cozy stalls lining a charmingly unpaved path, Central and South America at Museo Chileno with artisans selling everything from café con de Arte Precolombino: With a collection leche to alpaca shawls and handicrafts. This ranging over 10,000 years, this museum little village is also located at the foot of the houses preserved artifacts and artworks that Andes, making them the perfect backdrop exemplify the artistic diversity of this bygone for your stroll. Pueblito de los Dominicos is culture. When you visit, you’ll find nearly one of the best ways to get to know locals in each artifact and artwork has a story, whether Santiago, with nearly 200 vendors showcas- it be about its function in the ancient world ing their work in traditional shops made of or its reflection of pre-Colombian culture. straw and mud. Perhaps you’ll make your way to the textile • How to get there: A 15-minute taxi ride, room, full of vibrant displays of intricate about $6 USD one way. weaving complete with descriptions of the • Hours: 10:30am-8pm, Monday-Sunday. processes involved in their creation. • Cost: Free. • How to get there: A 20-minute taxi ride, about $10 USD one way. Day 3 Explore Santiago • Welcome Dinner • Hours: 9am-6pm, Tuesday-Sunday. • Destination: Easter Island Cost: About $10 USD. • • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Learn the passionate secrets of La Chascona • Accommodations: InterContinental Santiago Museum House: Constructed in 1953 by or similar Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet, diplomat, Breakfast: Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this and politician Pablo Neruda, the house was morning from 6am-8am. intended for his lover at the time and third wife, Matilda Urrutia, though he spent time Morning: Around 9:30am, we’ll meet our there as well. The house was called “La Trip Experience Leader at the hotel then Chascona,” which was the pet name he had embark on a walking tour through the streets for her. Walk through each colorful room in of this historic capital city with a local guide. the house to get a sense of Neruda’s style, Home to a third of Chile’s 17 million people, from his impressive library to paintings from Santiago sits at the confluence of the Mapocho friends who were also renowned artists. The and Maipo rivers, surrounded on all sides by unique architecture, too, speaks to Neruda’s Andean peaks—a dramatic setting for a capital creative mind: secret corridors lead to that has witnessed a remarkable history, from different rooms throughout the house, and he settlement by conquistadors in 1541 to the likely often gazed out of the massive windows Marxist, military, and democratic governments for inspiration. of the 20th century. During our 2.5-hour • How to get there: A 10-minute taxi ride, exploration of Santiago, we’ll get a true taste of about $5 USD one way. the city as we take a metro ride, as well as visit • Hours: 10am-6pm, Tuesday-Sunday. La Moneda Government Palace and Plaza de • Cost: About $11 USD. Armas. Our tour will conclude around noon. • Mingle with local vendors selling traditional Lunch: On your own—your Trip Experience crafts and delicious street fare at Pueblito de Leader can make recommendations. You may Los Dominicos: Situated along one side of want to try , similar to Mexican tamales. Santo Domingo Church is a stretch of quaint,

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

32 Afternoon: Enjoy your afternoon at leisure. feature a swimming pool, tennis court, bar, and Perhaps you’ll continue to explore the Plaza. dining room. Typical rooms may include air Around 6pm, you’ll depart from your hotel with conditioning, safe, mini bar, and private bath. your Trip Experience Leader for a 15-minute We’ll have around 1.5 hours of free time to have walk to a local restaurant. lunch, then relax or explore the island before our discoveries begin. Dinner: Around 6:15pm, enjoy a Welcome Dinner with our fellow travelers and Trip Lunch: On your own. Your Trip Experience Experience Leader featuring Chilean and Leader will be happy to recommend a local spot. regional dishes. Seafood options are plentiful; perhaps you’ll try tunu ahí, fresh fish cooked on hot stones. Evening: The evening is yours to make discoveries in Santiago. Perhaps you’ll seek out Afternoon: Around 3:30pm, we’ll set out for some of the region’s famed wine at one of the one of the most scenic spots on the island. At city’s numerous wine bars. Rano Kao Volcano, we’ll view the freshwater lake that has formed in the crater’s depths Day 4 Fly to Easter Island • Visit Orongo & and explore Orongo’s ceremonial center on Rano Kao Volcano the crater’s edge. This place was one of the principal sites of the birdman cult, which is • Destination: Santiago • Easter Island immortalized by the stone carvings of birdmen • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner into rock. From Rano Kao, we’ll return to our • Accommodations: Taha Tai Hotel or similar hotel around 6:30pm. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Dinner: Around 7pm at a local restaurant beginning at 6am serving Chilean dishes. featuring regional island fare. Morning: We’ll transfer to the airport around Evening: The remainder of the evening is yours 6:45am and arrive around 30 minutes later. to relax or make independent discoveries. We’ll check in for our flight, depart around Perhaps you’ll enjoy a cocktail at the hotel’s 9:30am, and fly across the southeastern Pacific lounge with fellow travelers. Ocean to Easter Island, so named by a Dutch sailor who landed on the island on Easter Freedom To Explore: During your time on Sunday, 1722. Today, the island—also known Easter Island, you have the freedom to explore as Rapa Nui—is home to around 5,000 people, this South Pacific paradise on your own during including 3,000 Rapa Nuians, the Polynesian your free time. Below are a few recommended people whose ancestors were responsible for options for independent explorations: carving the moai—giant stone sculptures that • Visit the TOKI Music and Art School: Located grace the island’s tropical landscape. These in Rapa Nui, this school provides music and immense sculptures—and the isolated culture dance lessons to more than 120 kids to foster that created them—have earned Rapa Nui a and protect local culture and artistic tradition. place in the imaginations of people the world The school was founded in 2012 offering over, as well as its designation as a UNESCO classes in the community members’ homes World Heritage Site. or a local parish. With the help of 400 volun- Our flight lands around 1:30pm and we drive teers, a sustainable school was constructed around 15 minutes to our hotel to check in. using recyclable materials, including 1,500 Depending on where we stay, our hotel may

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

33 tires, 30,000 aluminum cans, and 20,000 Morning: We depart around 9am by glass bottles. The building is designed in the motorcoach for a full-day tour of the island led shape of a flower with eight petals. by our Trip Experience Leader and a local guide. • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute taxi We’ll set out to discover the island’s famed ride, about $4 USD one way. moai, whose origin and meaning have sparked • Hours: 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday. great speculation over the centuries. Nearly 900 • Cost: About $8 USD. of these monolithic statues have been found on the island, and it is estimated that each • Take in a Varua Ora Polynesian dance one took five or six men one year to carve with show: Get a true taste of the island with an hand-held tools. hour-long dance show and traditional body painting showcase at a local restaurant. Varua We’ll follow the footsteps of an ancient Ora was founded in 2010 as a local academy civilization to various ahus—sacred sites to promote and honor the traditions of Rapa where several moai stand. At Ahu Vaihu, we’ll Nui through dance performances and has spend around 45 minutes viewing the moai participated in several international festivals. in an unrestored state, before we continue to • How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. Ahu Tongariki’s collection of 15 restored moai • Hours: 7pm, Monday, Wednesday, and carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Raraku Friday. Volcano. We’ll explore the area for around • Cost: About $75 USD. three hours. • Learn about Moai and Manu Tara culture Lunch: Around 1pm, we’ll stop to enjoy a boxed at the Museum Hanga Roa: This museum lunch of chicken, rice, salad, and fruit after houses a collection of objects relating to visiting the moai. different periods of Easter Island’s history, Afternoon: Around 2pm, we’ll continue the including carving tools, a female moai, and tour to discover Te Pito Kura, which today lies the original “eye” of the moai. Discovered in on the ground, but—at 32 feet in length—is 1978, the eye is made from white coral and considered the largest moai ever erected on an red volcanic rock. ahu. At 2:30pm, we’ll explore Anakena Beach, • How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute walk where the first Polynesian settlers are believed or 5- to 10-minute taxi ride, about $4 USD to have landed and where we’ll find six more one way. moai. We’ll spend around two hours here. • Hours: 9:30am-5:30pm, Tuesday-Friday and 9:30am-12:30pm, Saturday and We depart for our hotel around around 4:30pm, Sunday. arriving around 5pm, and you’ll have the • Cost: Free. remainder of the afternoon on your own.

Day 5 Discover moai at Ahu Tongariki, Te Dinner: On your own. Perhaps you’ll find a local restaurant at which to dine al fresco by the Pito Kura & Anakena Beach water this evening. • Destination: Easter Island • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Evening: The evening is yours to make independent discoveries or relax poolside at • Accommodations: Taha Tai Hotel or similar the hotel. Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel beginning at 8am, featuring local dishes.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

34 Day 6 Visit Ahu Akivi • Sunset at Day 7 Fly to Santiago Tahai Beach • Destination: Santiago • Destination: Easter Island • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch • Accommodations: Holiday Inn Santiago • Accommodations: Taha Tai Hotel or similar Airport or similar

Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the hotel beginning at 8am, featuring regional dishes. beginning at 8am featuring local dishes.

Morning: You’ll have around 3.5 hours this Morning: You’ll have just under four hours morning to make your own discoveries around to enjoy your final morning on Easter Island the island. Perhaps you’ll explore the Peninsula on your own. Perhaps you’ll visit the Parque Poikeat at the eastern end of the island. The Nacional Rapa Nui on the side of the high plateau backs up to the extinct Maunga island. Like an open-air museum, this park Pu A Katiki volcano and is bound by steep cliffs features archaeological sites and scenic hikes. and the Grotto of the Virgins. Around 12:30pm Lunch: On your own. You may want to try tuna we’ll gather back at the hotel to stroll to lunch patties, Easter Island–style empanadas filled together—about a 30-minute walk. with tuna, cheese, and tomato. Lunch: Around 1pm at a local restaurant Afternoon: Around 12:45pm, we’ll depart the featuring regional cuisine. hotel and transfer by bus 15- to 20-minutes to Afternoon: Around 3:30pm, we’ll depart by the airport for our 3pm flight back to Santiago. bus for a 30-minute transfer to Ahu Akivi, one Dinner: On your own. of the only inland ahus on the island, whose seven moai stand in a line facing the ocean Evening: We’ll land just before 10pm and and (during spring and autumn) the sunset. transfer to our hotel by 11pm to check in and This evening, we’ll enjoy watching the sunset get some rest before our flight to Buenos Aires, ourselves over the moai at Tahai Beach before Argentina tomorrow. returning to our hotel around 7pm.

Dinner: On your own—your Trip Experience Day 8 Fly to Buenos Aires Leader can recommend local restaurants to • Destination: Buenos Aires try. Perhaps you’ll take the opportunity to try • Included Meals: Breakfast Easter Island’s ceviche, a popular staple made Breakfast: Served buffet-style at the with raw fish and coconut milk. hotel beginning at 6am, featuring hot and Evening: You may retire to your room to relax cold options. or enjoy your final night on Easter Island Morning: Around 7am, we’ll transfer 30 making independent discoveries. minutes to the airport for our 9:30am flight to Buenos Aires to begin our The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords adventure.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

35 PRE-TRIP Uruguay: Colonial Charms, Gaucho Culture & Ferry Across the Rio de la Plata

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Ferry to and from Montevideo » 9 meals: 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, » Accommodations for 1 night in Buenos and 2 dinners Aires at the Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel » 3 small group activities or similar, 2 nights in Montevideo at the » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader Radisson Montevideo or similar, and 2 » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and nights in Colonia de Sacramento at the luggage porters Radisson Colonia or similar » All transfers

PRE-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Day 1 Depart U.S. Afternoon: After receiving our room assignments and settling in, our Trip Depart today on your flight to Buenos Aires, Experience Leader will take us on a Argentina. brief orientation to acquaint us with the neighborhood surrounding our hotel. Day 2 Arrive in Buenos Aires, Argentina Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience • Destination: Buenos Aires Leader for recommendations. • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel or similar Evening: On your own. You might want to venture out for a stroll along Buenos Aires’s Morning: Upon arrival in Buenos Aires this elegant, tree-lined avenues or seek out the morning, you’ll be met at the airport by an beloved local libation, Fernet and Coke. Or O.A.T. representative and assisted with your simply relax at the hotel after your long flight. transfer to our hotel. Depending on where we stay, our hotel may be equipped with an outdoor pool, fitness center, and spa. Your room will likely include air-conditioning, cable TV, and an en suite bathroom.

Lunch: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

36 Day 3 Buenos Aires • Ferry to Dinner: At the hotel.

Montevideo, Uruguay Evening: On your own. Ask your Trip • Destination: Montevideo Experience Leader for recommendations. • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner • Accommodations: Radisson Montevideo Day 4 Explore Montevideo or similar • Destination: Montevideo Breakfast: Served buffet style at our hotel, with • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Argentine and American options available. • Accommodations: Radisson Montevideo or similar Morning: Enjoy this opportunity to explore Argentina’s capital independently. Buenos Aires Breakfast: Served buffet style at our hotel. abounds with green space; perhaps you’ll take Morning: Our discoveries in Uruguay begin a stroll through the local botanical garden, after breakfast, when we embark on a tour of keeping an eye out for the yerba plants Montevideo. Home to nearly half of the nation’s from which Argentinians make their favorite population, Montevideo is a cosmopolitan city beverage. Or, delight in the vintage splendor that impresses visitors with its waterfront of —a 100-year-old skyscrapers and laidback feel. theater that’s now a bookstore. We’ll witness not only its modern amenities, Lunch: On your own. Argentina is famous but also its historic charms in Ciudad Vieja for steak, and there are hundreds of parrillas (Old City), a neighborhood of colonial-style (barbecues) in Buenos Aires serving up the architecture flanked by high rises and bordered country’s signature dish. Ask your Trip by the sea. A highlight of this corner of Experience Leader which one he or she Montevideo is the Palacio Salvo, a 26-story recommends. tower with an unusual, body-builder-like Afternoon: We’ll drive to the pier after lunch to silhouette that was once the tallest structure in catch our late-afternoon ferry to Montevideo, Latin America. Uruguay. Our cruise will take us along the From there, we’ll, continue on to Mercado Rio de la Plata, a funnel-shaped body of del Puerto, or Harbor Market. Here, artisans water between Argentina and Uruguay that is with craft stalls, street performers, and steak considered a river, an estuary, a bay, and a gulf, restaurants (parrillas) all jostle for space under depending on who you ask. With a maximum the elegant wrought-iron ceiling of the market. width of 140 miles, Rio de la Plata is the widest river in the world—that is, if it’s even a Lunch: Included at the market. river at all. Afternoon: We’ll return to our hotel after Upon arrival approximately 2 hours later, we’ll lunch, and you’re free to spend the remainder transfer to our hotel, check in, and receive of the day as you please. our room assignments. Depending on where we stay, our hotel may be equipped with a Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience casino, spa, three restaurants, a swimming Leader would be happy to provide pool, and a bar. Your room will likely include recommendations. air-conditioning, a flat-screen TV, and an en Evening: Free for independent discoveries. suite bathroom.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

37 Day 5 Montevideo • Visit La Vigna ranch • regions. You might want to seek out a Overland to Colonia del Sacramento glass of ruby-red Tannant—the country’s characteristic varietal—at a local wine bar. • Destination: Colonia del Sacramento • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Day 6 Explore Colonia de Sacramento • Accommodations: Radisson Colonia or similar • Destination: Colonia de Sacramento • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Breakfast: At the hotel. • Accommodations: Radisson Colonia Morning: Following breakfast this morning, or similar we’ll begin our journey overland to Colonia Breakfast: Served buffet style at our hotel. del Sacramento, a riverfront town that charms visitors with its cobbled lanes and colonial Morning: This morning, we’ll set off on a architecture. En route, we’ll visit La Vigna, an walking tour of Colonia, which will reveal estancia (ranch) known for its organic produce the enchanting colonial architecture that and sheep’s milk cheese. Like neighboring earned the city a UNESCO World Heritage Site Argentina, Uruguay has a very pronounced designation. As we explore, be sure to keep gaucho () culture, which we’ll an eye out for Colonia’s iconic lighthouse, experience firsthand during our time on the which affords sweeping views of the Rio de la estancia. Plata below.

Lunch: Enjoy a barbecue lunch at the estancia, Lunch: On your own—ask your Trip Experience featuring Uruguayan dishes made from locally Leader for recommendations. produced ingredients. Afternoon: Free to explore independently. Afternoon: We’ll continue on to Colonia del Perhaps you’ll head to the beach along the Rio Sacramento after lunch. Upon arrival late de la Plata or ask your Trip Experience Leader this afternoon, we’ll check into our hotel and to help arrange a visit to a nearby winery. receive our room assignments. Depending Dinner: We’ll toast to our discoveries in on where we stay, our hotel may be equipped Uruguay over a Farewell Dinner this evening. with a fitness center, solarium, and sauna. Your room will likely include air-conditioning, Evening: On your own. You may want to use wireless internet access, and an en suite this time to make your final discoveries in bathroom. Colonia de Sacramento, or prepare for your transfer to Argentina tomorrow. After settling in, our Trip Experience Leader will take us on a brief orientation walk to acquaint us with the neighborhood surrounding Day 7 Colonia de Sacramento • Ferry to our hotel. Buenos Aires • Join main trip • Destination: Buenos Aires Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip Experience Leader for recommendations. • Included Meals: Breakfast Breakfast: At the hotel. Evening: Free for independent discoveries. Colonia del Sacramento is at the heart of one of Uruguay’s most prolific wine producing

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

38 Morning: Following breakfast, we’ll head to the pier for our ferry ride to Buenos Aires, where we’ll begin our main adventure.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

39 POST-TRIP Iguassu Falls: Thundering Cascades of Argentina & Brazil

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Roundtrip flight from Buenos Aires to » 3 guided tours and cultural experiences Iguassu Falls » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader » Accommodations for 1 night at Arc Recoleta » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and Boutique Hotel or similar and 3 nights at luggage porters Amerian Portal del Iguazu or similar » All transfers » 8 meals: 4 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 3 dinners

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

It’s easy to add thundering Iguassu Falls—twice as wide as Niagara Falls—to your explorations of South America’s natural wonders. Visit the Argentinean and Brazilian sides of this array of 275 separate cascades.

Day 1 Explore Buenos Aires Latin America’s unique environments. We return to port and transfer back to our hotel by • Destination: Buenos Aires bus, arriving around 2pm. • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel, Recoleta Grand Hotel or similar Lunch: On your own. Your centrally located Morning: At approximately 9am, we’ll take a hotel is within walking distance from public 15-minute bus ride to transit and your hotel may include several to view the grave of Argentina’s legendary onsite restaurants, a coffee shop, and a bar. former first lady Eva Peron, among other Afternoon: The remainder of the afternoon and local luminaries. Our visit will last about an evening are free. Enjoy the amenities of your hour, after which we will join a 45-minute bus hotel, which may include a pool, spa, fitness transfer to the Parana Delta. We will spend the center, and wireless internet. Or, you might rest of this morning touring this area where view artwork including masterpieces by Goya, the Parana River empties into the Rio de la Rembrandt, van Gogh, Gauguin, Courbet, and Plata on its way into the Atlantic, forming this more at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes huge delta. This exotic landscape is just half an (National Museum of Fine Arts), or wander the hour from the city but seems a million miles Plazoleta Paseo de la Recoleta. away. Traditional houses on stilts (pilotes) are surrounded by lush subtropical vegetation and As you pack for Iguassu Falls this afternoon, built on islands that are separated by a twisting plan on taking a small bag carrying only what maze of waterways. Enjoy a relaxing, hour-long you need for three nights. Your big bag will be boat ride in this scenic area, which is one of stored at your Buenos Aires hotel until your return to the city to catch your flight home.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

40 Dinner: On your own—there is an abundance of the park’s resident coatis (raccoon-like choices nearby to suit your palate. animals). Around 4:30pm, we re-board our coach to ride to our hotel in Argentina. The Evening: Enjoy a quiet evening at the hotel, transfer will take about an hour and a half, or soak up the nightlife at one of the city’s including another stop at the border. We arrive many lively spots—perhaps the Shamrock or at the hotel around 6pm and have about an Club Shampoo. hour and a half to check in and unpack. Your centrally-located hotel includes amenities Day 2 Fly to Iguassu Falls • Discover such as a pool, hot tub, and onsite restaurant. Brazilian side of falls Typical rooms are modern and include a private • Destination: Iguassu Falls bathroom, cable television, mini-bar, and • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner coffee- and tea-making station. • Accommodations: Amerian Portal del Iguazu Dinner: Your small group gathers around or similar 7:30pm to enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the Activity Note: Today’s excursion involves hotel. Choose from international and regional hiking over a stone walkway. Some agility is specialties elegantly presented in this required in order to participate. chic setting.

Breakfast: Beginning at 6:30am, enjoy Evening: You may wish to retire after dinner breakfast at the hotel. tonight. Or enjoy a nightcap in one of the hotel’s two bars. Morning: Store your big bag with hotel reception and be ready to head to the airport Freedom To Explore: During your time in around 7:30am for our flight to Iguassu Falls. Iguassu, you have the freedom to explore Located on the Argentina/Brazil border, the the landscapes and culture of this region on falls at Iguassu are among the world’s most your own during your free time. Below are a impressive sights—twice as high as Niagara few recommended options for independent Falls and 65 feet wider. The transfer to the explorations: airport will take about 30 minutes. Your flight • Spend time at the Hummingbird Garden: to Iguassu is scheduled to depart at 9:25am Many enthusiastic birders spend most of their and will take about an hour and 45 minutes. time at Iguassu National Park for a glimpse At roughly 12:15pm, we begin our half-hour at unique avian species with the majestic transfer to the border of Argentina and Brazil. Iguassu Falls in the background. But many Lunch: On your own. You will have the tend to miss the quaint Hummingbird garden opportunity to get some lunch at about 1:40pm, of Puerto Iguassu. This private garden allows after we cross the border into Brazil. visitors to sit among the dozens of wild hummingbirds that come from the forest to Afternoon: Around 2:30pm, we return to feed on sugar water. Bird feeders and several our bus for a half-hour ride to Iguassu Falls fresh water coolers have been set up along National Park, to first see the falls from the the garden trails to help attract the birds. Brazilian side. A stone path leads to several Depending on the time of year, you might just platforms with fine views from different angles. see finches, doves, and other birds fluttering You can get close enough to the thundering about with them. The Hummingbird Garden torrents to feel the spray, and you may glimpse is the perfect place to immerse yourself in

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

41 nature; locals and visitors alike come here for Day 3 Iguassu Falls • Visit a a peaceful reprieve from the bustle of daily Guaraní community life and travel. • Destination: Iguassu Falls How to get there: A 15- to 20-minute walk. • • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner • Hours: 8am-7pm, daily. • Accommodations: Amerian Portal del Iguazu • Cost: About $6 USD. or similar • Eat like the locals at La Ferinha: Comprising Activity Note: Today’s excursion involves seventy commercial establishments, this hiking through jungle. Some agility is required gastronomic fair has offered typical Argentine in order to participate. Temperatures in Iguassu products for over fifteen years. Market-goers can be over 90 degrees with 90% humidity can find local products such as olives, sausag- es, cheese, wine, dulce de leche, and more, all Breakfast: Breakfast is served beginning at while relaxing in open-air venues which often 7am at the hotel and may include ham, cheese, feature live music entertainment. As the sun scrambled eggs, croissants, toast, fruit, yogurt, goes down, many stalls can be found putting cereal, and local sweets and cakes. out tables and chairs as they open up their streetside bars. Morning: Around 9am, we’ll set off on an hour-long walk through the Rio de la Plata How to get there: A 20- to 25-minute • basin’s verdant forest. Here, we’ll visit a walk. Guaraní community where we’ll learn about Hours: 4pm-11pm, daily. • this native South American group’s fascinating Cost: Free. • culture. The largest population of Guaraní • Peer into three countries at once at Hito people can be found in , but they Tres Fronteras: This area offers a view into also live in Argentina, Brazil, and . Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay—all from the Today, we’ll discover their use of medicinal same location. Just west of Puerto Iguassu’s herbs, handmade crafts, and commonly grown center, you’ll find locals and visitors strolling crops, including corn and sweet potatoes. Our through the area, as well as friendly artisans Trip Experience Leader will help facilitate a and street musicians that will provide you conversation so we can gain so we can connect with perspectives on daily life on this side with the people we meet and ask questions of the Falls. Perhaps the best time to visit is about daily life here. We’ll depart around during sunrise or sunset, when yellow-or- noon and make a 15-minute bus transfer to ange hues can be seen in the sky overlooking Biocentro, a nearby environmental facility. the three countries. If you’re visiting in the evening, be sure to witness the nightly Lunch: Enjoy an included brunch at the lights show. Biocentro today starting around 12:15pm, followed by a half hour tour of the facility which How to get there: A 5- to 10-minute walk. • includes a butterfly display and opportunities Hours: 9am-7pm, daily. • for South American reptile sightings. • Cost: Free. Afternoon: Around 1:45pm, we’ll depart Biocentro for a 25-minute coach transfer back to our hotel. The rest of the day is yours to pursue your own interests. You might visit the hummingbird garden, or immerse yourself in

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

42 local culture at La Ferinha market. Or stay at Lunch: Enjoy lunch on your own in the park the hotel and take advantage of the pool and today. You can find cafés and food stalls by the solarium, tennis court, and vegetable garden. Visitor Center.

Dinner: Included at your hotel tonight Afternoon: Spend the afternoon at leisure around 7:30pm. among the park’s many trails. On the Lower Circuit, you can board a boat bound for San Evening: You may wish to retire after dinner Martin Island. Or, look for birds, coatis, and tonight. Or enjoy a nightcap in one of the monkeys on an easy walk along the Green hotel’s two bars. Trail. You may want to join our optional Great Adventure tour, a 2.5-hour tour that brings Day 4 Discover Argentinean side of Falls • together both halves of Iguassu National Optional Great Adventure tour Park: the jungle and the waterfalls. Departing • Destination: Iguassu Falls around 1pm, we enter the jungle on the • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Sendero Yacaratía trail, which offers sweeping panoramic views. After a short ride, we arrive • Accommodations: Amerian Portal del Iguazu at the Puerto Macuco base and the floating or similar dock where we board our motorboat for the Activity Note: Today’s excursion involves second half of our tour. We travel by motorboat hiking. Some agility is required in order to through the Iguassu River Canyon, passing participate. through a few river rapids, before reaching the calm side of San Martin Island. From here, we Breakfast: Breakfast is served beginning at sail on for up-close views of two of the park’s 6:30am at the hotel. waterfalls—first to Tres Mosqueteros for a view Morning: Today, we explore Iguassu Falls of both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides from the Argentinean side, where the falls can of Iguassu, and then to the largest and most be approached, viewed, felt, and experienced impressive waterfall, the San Martin. Around from a number of angles. Our adventure 4:15pm, our small group reconvenes for our begins around 7:30am, as we walk to the train 45-minute transfer back to the hotel by coach. station to board a narrow-gauge train bound You’ll have time for a dip in the pool, if you for Devil’s Throat station. The train departs at wish, or relax in the Jacuzzi, taking in views of 8am and takes about a half-hour. On arrival, the Iguazú and Paraná rivers. we’ll enjoy a dramatic, 20-minute walk along Dinner: Reconvene with your fellow travelers the Garganta del Diablo (“Devil’s Throat”), around 7:30pm for an included dinner at the where the water plunges 230 feet into a roiling hotel which includes an appetizer, main course, cauldron. With the spray flying up to 50 feet dessert, water, soft drink, and coffee. above your head and rainbows dancing in it, the scenery here draws travelers from all over the Evening: The evening is free. This might be a world. At about 10:30am, we catch the train for good time to review your photos of your South a half-hour ride to the Upper Circuit, an easy, American adventure. half-mile trail across the rim of the canyon that affords stunning views of the falls.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

43 Day 5 Depart for U.S. Lunch: On your own at the airport.

• Included Meals: Breakfast Afternoon: Our flight is scheduled to depart Breakfast: From 7am, breakfast is served Buenos Aires departs at 1:10pm and is scheduled buffet-style at the hotel. to arrive at 3pm. You will then catch your flight back to the U.S. Morning: Enjoy some free time to take advantage of the hotel’s amenities and do any last-minute packing. We board a bus around 11:15am for our 45-minute transfer to the airport.

OPTIONAL TOUR

Great Adventure (Day 4 $55 per person) Explore both halves of Iguassu National Park: the jungle and the waterfalls. You’ll begin by entering the jungle on the Sendero Yacaratía trail, which offers sweeping panoramic views. After a short ride, arrive at the Puerto Macuco base and the floating dock where you’ll board a motorboat for the second half of your tour. Travel through the Iguassu River Canyon, passing through a few river rapids, before reaching the calm side of San Martin Island. From here you’ll sail on for up-close views of two of the park’s waterfalls—first to Tres Mosqueteros for a view of both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides of Iguassu, and then to the largest and most impressive waterfall, San Martin.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

44 POST-TRIP Brazil’s Atlantic Coast: Exuberant Rio de Janeiro & Colonial Salvador de Bahia

INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE

» Accommodations for 1 night in Buenos » 10 meals: 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, Aires at the Arc Recoleta Boutique Hotel and 2 dinners or similar, 3 nights in Rio de Janeiro at the » 9 small group activities Porto Bay Rio Internacional or similar, and » Services of our local Trip Experience Leader 2 nights in Salvador de Bahia at the Novotel Salvador Rio Vermelho or similar » Gratuities for local guides, drivers, and luggage porters » All transfers

POST-TRIP EXTENSION ITINERARY

Day 1 Buenos Aires Morning: After breakfast, we’ll transfer the airport in Buenos Aires for our flight to Rio de • Destination: Buenos Aires Janeiro, which will take approximately 3 hours. • Accommodations: Arc Recoleta Boutique As the home of bossa nova, world-famous Hotel or similar beaches, and a renowned annual carnival, Rio Dinner: On your own—ask your Trip is a city known for its exuberant zest for life. Experience Leader for recommendations. With lush mountain peaks jutting upward dramatically from a sand-wrapped coastline, Evening: At leisure. You might choose to make it’s a city blessed as much with natural beauty a few final discoveries in Buenos Aires or retire as with cosmopolitan delights. early to your room to begin preparing for our flight to Brazil tomorrow. Lunch: On your own. We’ll be en route to Rio de Janeiro at lunchtime, so you may want to Day 2 Buenos Aires • Fly to Rio de purchase a sandwich or snack at the airport to Janeiro, Brazil enjoy during our flight.

• Destination: Rio de Janeiro Afternoon: Upon arrival in Rio early this • Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner afternoon, we’ll transfer to our hotel check • Accommodations: Porto Bay Rio in, and receive our room assignments. Internacional Hotel or similar Depending on where we stay, our hotel may be equipped with an on-site bar, restaurant, and Breakfast: At the hotel. coffeehouse; outdoor swimming pool; fitness

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

45 center; and spa. Your room will likely include erosion of the soapstone exterior—plus being air-conditioning, complimentary wireless struck by lightning and marred by graffiti from internet access, and an en suite bathroom. an itinerant house painter—the statue was restored to its full luster in 2010. Later this afternoon, we’ll re-convene with our Trip Experience Leader and fellow travelers Then we’ll continue on to downtown Rio and for an orientation walk. This walk will not only see the Selarón Stairs, an outdoor staircase of acquaint us with the legendary Copacabana 250 colorfully decorated steps created by artist neighborhood in which our hotel is located, but Jorge Selarón. From here, we’ll board local will also be our first look at some of Rio’s most moto-taxis and make our way to lunch. famous features, including Copacabana Beach Lunch: At a local restaurant, where we’ll and Sugarloaf Mountain in the distance. have the opportunity to try Brazil’s national Dinner: Our walk concludes at a churrascaria, dish, feijoada. To prepare it, smoked meat is where we’ll enjoy our Welcome Dinner. simmered for hours in black beans, before is the Portuguese word for barbecue the meat and beans are served separately, and it applies to all kinds of grilled meat, from accompanied by collard greens, farofa (a beef to pork to duck and sausage. The most toasted grain) and hot sauce. Originally a slave common preparation is beef top sirloin, known dish, the end of slavery saw feijoada become as picanha. At a churrascaria, the grilled meats more widely known, and soon it was being are brought to your table on long metal skewers served in the best restaurants of Brazil. By the by passadores (waiters) who carve it for you and 20th century, it had become a comfort food will keep returning as long as you like. and staple.

Evening: We’ll return to our hotel after dinner, Afternoon: We’ll return to the hotel after lunch, and the remainder of the evening is yours. You and the remainder of the afternoon is yours. might choose to go for a stroll along the beach Dinner: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience or simply return to your room to relax. Leader for recommendations.

Day 3 Rio de Janeiro • Visit Christ the Evening: Free for independent discoveries. Your Redeemer statue Trip Experience Leader can recommend a quiet spot for a nightcap. • Destination: Rio de Janeiro • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Day 4 Rio de Janeiro • Visit • Accommodations: Porto Bay Rio Internacional Hotel or similar Sugarloaf Mountain • Destination: Rio de Janeiro Breakfast: Served buffet style at the hotel, featuring Brazilian and American options. • Included Meals: Breakfast • Accommodations: Porto Bay Rio Morning: After breakfast, we’ll depart by Internacional Hotel or similar bus for Corcovado, the site of the Christ the Breakfast: At the hotel. Redeemer statue. Completed in 1931, the 625-ton statue rises 124 feet on its pedestal Morning: Our discoveries in Rio continue atop 2,300-foot-high Corcovado Mountain, this morning at one of the city’s most iconic with its outstretched arms spanning 92 feet. landmarks: Sugarloaf, a mountain rising After decades of exposure to the elements and

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

46 abruptly 1,299 feet from the water’s edge. A Lunch: On your own. We’ll be en route to cable car transports visitors to the top from Salvador at lunchtime, so you may want to the nearby peak of Morro de Urca. The steep purchase a sandwich or snack at the airport to granite faces of Sugarloaf are popular with enjoy during our flight. rock climbers, and the summit offers sweeping Afternoon: Upon arrival in Salvador, we’ll views of the verdant islands that stretch out transfer to our hotel, check in, and receive across Rio’s Guanabara Bay. our room assignments. Depending on where Lunch: On your own—ask your Trip Experience we stay, our hotel may be equipped with two Leader for recommendations. restaurants, a swimming pool, and a sauna. Your room will likely include air-conditioning, Afternoon: Free for independent discoveries. complimentary wireless Internet access, and an If you haven’t already, you might want to try a en suite bathroom. Caipirinha, a quintessentially Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça (a sugarcane liquor) and Later this afternoon, our Trip Experience lime. They’re sold at snack stands all along Leader will take us on a brief orientation walk Ipanema and Copacabana beaches and are the that will acquaint us with the neighborhood perfect drink to enjoy under the Brazilian sun. surrounding our hotel. The balance of the afternoon is yours. Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Leader would be happy to recommend options Just before sunset, we’ll re-convene as a for a taste of Brazil or something more familiar. group and drive to São Diogo, a 17th-century fort overlooking the turquoise waters of the Evening: On your own. You may want to use Atlantic. Here, we’ll toast to our discoveries in this time to prepare for our flight to Salvador de Brazil as we watch the sun dip into the sea. Bahia tomorrow. Dinner: On your own. Your Trip Experience Day 5 Fly to Salvador de Bahia Leader will be happy to recommend options nearby. • Destination: Salvador de Bahia • Included Meals: Breakfast Evening: Free for independent discoveries. • Accommodations: Novotel Salvador Rio Ask your Trip Experience Leader for Vermelho or similar recommendations.

Breakfast: At the hotel. Day 6 Explore Salvador Morning: After breakfast, we transfer to the • Destination: Salvador de Bahia airport for our 2-hour flight to Salvador, in • Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner the Brazilian state of Bahia. This is northern • Accommodations: Novotel Salvador Rio Brazil’s largest city, a UNESCO World Heritage Vermelho or similar Site, and a center of Afro-Brazilian culture: more than 80% of the population consists of Breakfast: At the hotel. descendants of Africans who were brought to Morning: We’ll set off on a full day tour of Brazil during the slave era. Salvador this morning, beginning in the Pelourinho neighborhood. Known locally as Pelo, it is a district of great beauty and

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

47 some tragic legacies. The pastel facades of Morning: You’re free to make your final the centuries-old buildings surrounding the discoveries in Salvador independently this cobbled triangular plaza speak to the elegance morning, perhaps returning to a favorite spot of the colonial era, but the very name—which or picking up a gift for a loved one back home. means pillory, or whipping post—speaks to Lunch: On your own. Ask your Trip Experience the brutality of the slave trade that occurred on Leader for recommendations. these same streets. Afternoon: We’ll transfer to the airport late this We’ll also witness the San Francisco Church afternoon for our flight home. and Convent, built over the course of a hundred years in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though its twin spires and classic façade are attractive, it’s the interior of San Francisco that dazzles: the ceiling is crisscrossed with paintings outlined in interlocking geometric patterns of wooden framing, and Lisbon tiles outline the lower walls with scenes from the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Our discoveries continue after lunch when we venture to Salvador’s seaside Lower City. A highlight here is the 18th-century Church of Senhor do Bonfim (The Lord of the Good End). Built in the 18th century to house a statue of Christ carried to this spot all the way from Lisbon by a sea captain, the church is this area’s most prominent house of worship.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, featuring traditional Brazilian dishes.

Evening: Following dinner, we’ll enjoy a Bahia folklore show that includes a demonstration of capoeira, a martial art developed by Afro-Brazilian slaves. The acrobatic movements are quite dance-like and set to music—a clever deception that helped the slaves conceal the fact that they were honing their combat skills.

Day 7 Salvador • Return to U.S. • Included Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Itinerary Subject to Change. For Information or reservations, call 1-800-955-1925

48 YOUR M/V STELLA AUSTRALIS OR M/V VENTUS AUSTRALIS EXPEDITION SHIP Explore aboard a 210-passenger small ship

This 292-foot expedition ship is specially designed for cruising the legendary waters surrounding Tierra del Fuego. Amenities include three lounges, a large Sun Deck, and a restaurant. Our small group of 20-25 (average 22) will join other non-O.A.T. travelers, but we’ll enjoy our own section in the dining rooms, and cabins—each with their own private balcony.

SHIPBOARD FEATURES • Dining areas: Savor regionally-inspired • Outdoor common areas: Take in the cuisine in the single-seating main dining breathtaking views from the ship’s large area at tables reserved for our small group viewing deck, or enjoy a more intimate view only. Enjoy complimentary beer and from your cabin's large, panoramic window. wine at meals. • Zodiac crafts: Embark on Zodiacs from the • Indoor common areas: Relax in three ship for daily exploration of the glaciers, lounges, peruse the ship's onboard library, fjords, and wildlife in this remote corner of or visit the small gift shop. the world.

49 M/V STELLA AUSTRALIS OR M/V VENTUS AUSTRALIS

Stella Australis or 419 417 433 427 415 409 423 413 421 431 411 425 407 Ventus Australis

B Cabin Categories r idge Sky Lounge Cabo de Hornos: AAA highest passenger deck 430 434 428 414 410 424 420 418 422 432 426 416 with panoramic window

Tierra del Fuego: Cabo de Hornos AA middle passenger deck with panoramic window

Magellanes: lowest 337 333 325 321 331 339 319 317 A 343 341 335 315 309 323 313 327 311 303 307 passenger deck with

Lo panoramic window un Patagonia: lowest ge B passenger deck with 330 314 308 342 328 320 318 338 334 310 340 324 322 306 344 316 336 332 326 panoramic window; forward on deck Tierra del Fuego Not available 233 225 235 231 239 207 243 241 237 215 1 214 213 211 203 227 223 217 209 205

Receptio Length: 292 feet Beam: 48 feet 202 230 228 242 238 234 224 240 244 236 232 226 216 210 218 208 206 204 n Draft: 11 feet Built: 2010 Magellanes Cabins: 100 cabins, 177-210 sq. ft. in size with moveable beds

Galley Passenger Capacity: 210 Patagonia Dining Room Group Size: 25 travelers maximum, with 1 Trip Experience Leader Stairs, no elevator

O.A.T. uses two different ships in Patagonia. This deck plan is typical but ships may vary slightly in size and facilities.

CABIN FEATURES

• Each cabin is 177-210 sq. ft. in size • All cabins have panoramic windows • In-cabin amenities: Low, moveable beds and safe • In-bathroom amenities: Private shower

Cabin with two twin beds

50 The Wilderness Beyond: OUR SMALL SHIPS COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY To ensure the safety of all of our travelers, we are requiring that all travelers Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego joining us aboard our small ships must be fully vaccinated against COVID- 19 at least 14 days prior to departure of their adventure—and provide & the Chilean Fjords proof of their vaccination upon boarding the ship. For more details, please visit www.oattravel.com/covid-update. 2022 Dates & Prices To calculate your trip price with airfare, add deck price to air add-ons below.

CABIN CATEGORY JAN 3-11 JAN 15-31; FEBRUARY MARCH

AAA Cabo de Hornos $7395 $7495 $7295

AA Tierra del Fuego $7295 $7395 $7195

A Magellanes $7095 $7195 $6995

B Patagonia $6395 $6495 $6295

Air Add-Ons JAN 3-11 JAN 15-31; MAR 8-28 FEBRUARY; MAR 4 Miami $1600 $1200 $1300 Baltimore, Orlando, Washington, DC $1700 $1300 $1400 Boston, Chicago, New York, Newark, Tampa $1800 $1400 $1500 Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco $1900 $1500 $1600 Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis $2000 $1600 $1700 Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle $2100 $1700 $1800

Additional departure cities are available. Upgrade to Business Class may be available for the international portion of your flight. Call for details. MAU2022

NEW! STOPOVERS RISK-FREE BOOKING POLICY: RESERVE WITH CONFIDENCE—NOW THROUGH 12/31/21 All O.A.T. Stopovers include 3 nights in a centrally-located hotel, We will waive any change fees if you transfer to another departure daily breakfasts, and roundtrip private airport transfers. date for any reason—up until 24 hours prior to departure. See details Lima: $645 per person Sao Paulo: $745 per person at www.oattravel.com/riskfree-booking. Panama City: $695 per person Bogotá: $795 per person Other O.A.T. Stopovers are available. If a city you are interested Prices are per person. Airfare prices include government taxes, fees, in is not offered, we can arrange your airfare for that, too. and airline fuel surcharges. Standard Terms & Conditions apply, please visit our website: www.oattravel.com/tc. Every effort has been made to Call your Regional Adventure Counselor for full details at produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors. 1-800-955-1925.

For specific departure dates, current availability, and detailed pricing, visit www.oattravel.com/mau2022pricing

SAVE UP TO 10% WITH OUR SHARE YOUR LOVE OF TRAVEL GOOD BUY PLAN FREE SINGLE SUPPLEMENT CRITICAL AIR INFORMATION New travelers you refer will instantly FREE on your main trip & FREE on all In addition to other trip rigors, your The earlier you reserve your departure save $100, and you’ll earn increasing extensions. If sold out, be sure to call travel time will be 9-19 hours with and pay in full, the more you’ll save—up rewards—up to a FREE trip! to 10%—plus, you’ll lock in your price. us about our Roommate Matching limited gateway cities and no non-stop Program. flightsFor details, from visit the www.oatt West Coast.ravel.com/va For details, visit www.oattravel.com/gbd

Publication Date: 5/27/21

Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www.oattravel.com/mau2022

51 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Your Passport • Must be in good condition

• Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S.

• Must have the required number of blank pages (details below)

• The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable

Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport

Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this vacation.

• Main trip only: You will need 4 blank passport pages.

• Pre-trip extension to Easter Island: You will need an additional page for a total of 5 pages.

• Pre-trip extension to Uruguay: You will need an additional page for a total of 5 pages.

• Post-trip to Iguassu Falls: You will need 2 additional pages for a total of 6 blank passport pages.

• Post-trip extension to Brazil: You will need 2 additional pages for a total of 6 blank passport pages.

• Both a pre- and post-trip extension: You will need a total of 7 blank passport pages.

• Stopover in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Guayaquil, Lima, Panama City, Rio de Janiero, or Sao Paulo: You will need to add an additional page to the applicable total listed above.

No Visas Required We’ll be sending you a detailed Visa Packet with instructions, application forms, and fees about 90 days prior to your departure. All visas information listed is only applicable if you are taking an optional stopover extension to a country with a required visa. In the meantime, we’re providing the information below as a guideline on what to expect. This information is for U.S. citizens only. All visas and fees are subject to change.

52 • Bolivia (optional stopover): Visa required. As of February 8th, 2021, U.S, citizens are required to have a tourist visa and a Yellow Fever Vaccination certificate (or waiver) when visiting Bolivia. The visa can either be obtained in advance or upon arrival.

Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www.pvsinternational.org.

Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate.

Migration Forms When entering a new country, you might be given a Migration form. Keep it with you until the end of your trip, as the Migrations Authority might require it.

Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals.

If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip.

Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents.

53 RIGORS, VACCINES & GENERAL HEALTH

Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers.

GROUP SIZE • This adventure has a group size of 20-25 travelers (average of 22) with our local Trip Experience Leader exclusive to O.A.T.

PACING • 5 locations with 4 nights onboard a 210-passenger small ship in 14 days

• 3 1-night stays; 2 internal flights; 1 pre-dawn departure; some early mornings

• Several long overland drives, including 1 transfer (up to 12 hours) crossing the border between Argentina and Chile

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids

• You must be able to walk 3 miles unassisted on rough terrain and participate in 6-8 hours of physical activities each day

• This trip takes you to remote places with no medical facilities nearby

• We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience

• Our activities on Day 12 (or Day 6 on the reverse itinerary) include 2 zodiac landings, 160 steps up and a 2-mile walk at Cape Horn, and a 3-mile walk uphill at Wulaia Bay

CLIMATE • Daytime temperatures range from 50-60°F in the Andes and Patagonia and daily highs in the 80s in Buenos Aires

• Rain or high winds are possible at any time in the Andes and Patagonia

TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Bumpy, gravelly, and icy roads; rugged paths over rocks, hard sand, and icy surfaces. We hike through uneven terrain and high winds on 5 treks of about 2 hours each

• Agility and balance are required for embarking small motor dinghies

54 • Travel by minibus (no toilet on board)

• Cruise aboard a 210-passenger small ship shared with other travelers. We’ll also board Zodiac rafts for excursions during our cruise.

• Three 6-12 hour drives and 2 internal flights of about 3-6 hours each

FLIGHT INFORMATION • Travel time will be 11-17 hours and will most likely have two connections

ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • 4 nights aboard a small ship with full hotel amenities; 9 nights staying in centrally located hotels on land

• All accommodations feature private baths

Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following:

• Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636.

• Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip.

• Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter.

• Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent)

Vaccines Required

COVID-19 Overseas Adventure Travel requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and are able provide proof of their vaccination upon arrival at their destination. A full vaccination is defined as having been inoculated at least 14 days prior to departure by an approved vaccine. This requirement is not contingent on the countries the tour visits, but a strict company policy due to the nature of the pandemic.

Yellow Fever Vaccination: Recommended for Iguassu Falls ONLY The CDC does NOT recommend the yellow fever vaccination for any of the areas we travel to on the main trip or pre-trip extension. However, they do recommend it for the Iguassu Falls post-trip extension, if your health allows. The vaccination is not for everyone. Please discuss this health recommendation with your doctor, because he or she can offer a suggestion tailored to your personal medical history. If you and your doctor decide the vaccination is not right for you, you are NOT REQUIRED to get it. If you and your doctor decide to move forward with the vaccination, then he or she will issue you a Yellow Fever Card that shows you have been vaccinated.

55 TIP for travelers on the Iguassu extension: If you do get the vaccine, we recommend that you bring your Yellow Fever Card with you on the trip. If you don’t get the vaccine, then we suggest you bring a letter from your medical provider stating that you cannot receive it for medical reasons. If either Argentina or Brazil (the two countries we visit at the falls) makes a last-minute change to its entry policy before you leave, having one of these documents with you could make all the difference.

Medication Suggestions • An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness

• Prescription pain medication in the unlikely event of an injury in a remote location

• Motion sickness medication, if you are prone to motion sickness or seasickness

Traveling with Medications • Pack medications in your carry-on bag to avoid loss and to have them handy.

• Keep medicines in their original, labeled containers for a quicker security screen at the airport and a better experience if you get stopped by customs while overseas.

• Bring copies of your prescriptions, written using the generic drug name rather than a brand name to be prepared for any unforeseen loss of your medications.

We recommend checking with the State Department for medication restrictions by country: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel- Country-Information-Pages.html. (Pick the country and then follow the links to “Local Laws & Special Circumstances”; if you don’t see any medications specifically mentioned, then you can presume major U.S. brands should be OK).

Staying Healthy on Your Trip Jet Lag Tips

• Start your trip well-rested.

• Begin a gradual transition to your new time zone before you leave or switch to your destination time zone when you get on the plane.

• Attempt to sleep and eat according to the new schedule.

• Avoid heavy eating and drinking caffeine or alcoholic beverages right before–and during– your flight.

• Drink plenty of water and/or fruit juice while flying

• Stretch your legs, neck, and back periodically while seated on the plane.

• After arrival, avoid the temptation to nap.

• Don’t push yourself to see a lot on your first day.

56 • Try to stay awake your first day until after dinner.

Allergies

If you have any serious allergies or dietary restrictions, we advise you to notify us at least 30 days prior to your departure. Please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814, and we will communicate them to our regional office. Every effort will be made to accommodate you.

Water Tap water is generally safe to drink in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, but it is processed differently than in the U.S., so it may feel “heavy” and could upset your system. Fortunately, if you prefer bottled water, it is readily available for you to buy and is inexpensive compared to the U.S. On the cruise ship, bottled water is provided free of charge. When buying bottled water, inspect each bottle before you buy it to make sure the cap is sealed properly. To fight dehydration, carry a bottle in your daypack at all times.

Food We’ve carefully chosen the restaurants for your group meals. Fruits and vegetables are safe to eat in Argentina and Chile.

Insect Repellent: Recommended for Iguassu Falls Extension At time of writing there were reports of dengue fever in the Iguassu Falls area. If you are taking the Iguassu Falls extension, we recommend that you bring insect repellant as a preventative measure against dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases.

57 MONEY MATTERS: LOCAL CURRENCY & TIPPING GUIDELINES

Top Three Tips • Carry a mix of different types of payments, such as local currency, an ATM card, and a credit card

• Traveler’s checks are not accepted in Chile and Argentina.

• You will not be able to pay with U.S. dollars on the majority of this trip; you will need local currency instead. U.S. dollars may be accepted in larger cities, such as Buenos Aires, but you should always ask about exchange rates before making a purchase.

Local Currency For current exchange rates, please refer to an online converter tool like www.xe.com/ currencyconverter, your bank, or the financial section of your newspaper.

Argentina The official Argentinean currency is the . and denominations are as follows:

: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1000

: 1, 2, 5 and 10 pesos

In Argentina, U.S. dollars are generally preferred due to the strong exchange rates, but always be sure to ask first. At time of writing, tips to our staff in U.S. dollars are generally more appreciated than tips in pesos. Previous travelers have suggested bringing a mix of different denomination U.S. bills—some small ones for tipping, and some larger ones for exchanging—in good condition. Torn or dirty notes may not be accepted. Bills from the “large portrait” series (post 2013) are best.

Chile The basic unit of currency in Chile is the peso. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 pesos

• Coins: 10, 50, 100, and 500 pesos

In Chile, U.S. dollars are accepted at tourist-related businesses or for large-ticket purchases, but local currency is usually preferred. It can be difficult to change a bill larger than 10,000 pesos in rural areas or in a small business.

Uruguay The official Uruguayan currency is the Uruguayan Peso. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Banknotes: 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 2000 pesos

58 • Coins: 1, 2, 5, and 10 pesos

Brazil The monetary unit of Brazil is the Real (R$). The R$ is divided into 100 centavos. Banknote and coin denominations are as follows:

• Bills: 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200

• Coins: 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavos; 1 Real

In Brazil, the local currency is preferred over U.S. dollar. While can be hard to find in the U.S., depending on where you live, you can always bring dollars and exchange them once in Brazil.

How to Exchange Money On your trip, the easiest way is to withdraw funds from a local ATM. The ATM will give you local money and your bank at home will convert that into U.S. dollars.

You can also exchange cash at some hotels, large post offices, and money exchange offices. To exchange cash, you’ll usually need your passport and bills in good condition (not worn, torn, or dirty). New bills (post 2004) are best. Never exchange money on the street. All exchange methods involve fees, which may be built into the conversion rate; ask beforehand.

ATMs When using the ATM, keep in mind that it may only accept cards from local banks, and may not allow cash advances on credit cards; you might need to try more than one ATM or more than one card.

Many banks charge a fee of $1-$10 each time you use a foreign ATM. Others may charge you a percentage of the amount you withdraw. We recommend that you check with your bank before you depart.

Lastly, don’t forget to memorize the actual digits of your card’s PIN number (many keypads at foreign ATMs do not include letters on their keys—they only display numbers.)

Argentina: ATMs are available in larger cities like Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, and Bariloche, but will not be available in remote locations.

Chile: ATMs are available in larger cities, such as Santiago, but will not be available in remote locations.

Uruguay: ATMs are widely available in larger cities like Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento, but may be more difficult to find in small towns.

59 Brazil: ATMs are fairly common in larger cities and towns, but may not be readily available in undeveloped areas. Not all ATMs are open 24/7—many are only open from 7 am until 10 pm, and then they shut down overnight. (It can be confusing because they may still be lit, even when closed.) Also, keep in mind that not every ATM will accept foreign cards. You may need to try more than one machine.

Credit & Debit Cards Even if you don’t plan on using a credit card during your trip, we still suggest that you bring one or two as a backup, especially if you are planning a large purchase (artwork, jewelry). We also suggest that you bring more than one brand of card (i.e. Visa, MasterCard, American Express) if possible, because not every shop will take every card. For example, although the Discover card is accepted in some countries outside the U.S., it is not widely adopted, so other brands will work at a much larger range of stores, restaurants, etc.

Argentina: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Buenos Aires for major purchases and in shops associated with the tourist trade (souvenirs, museum gift shops, etc.), but may not be accepted by smaller shops or restaurants. Some businesses add a surcharge of 5-10% to use a credit card; look for the word “recargo”. Some restaurants will accept credit cards—but not all— and you usually cannot leave a tip on a credit card. Visa is commonly accepted, but MasterCard and American Express are not.

Chile: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in large cities for major purchases and in shops associated with the tourist trade (souvenirs, museum gift shops, etc.), but may not be accepted by smaller shops or restaurants. Some businesses add a surcharge of 2-4% to use a credit card. Credit cards are generally not accepted in more remote locations, such as Easter Island.

Uruguay: Credit cards are accepted at most hotels, restaurants, and shops. Some smaller Mom- and-Pop type establishments may not accept credit cards, so it’s always a good idea to have some cash.

Brazil: Credit and debit cards are widely accepted in Brazil, especially for major purchases or in businesses that cater to visitors (hotels, souvenirs shops, etc.). Nonetheless, there are some businesses—street vendors, small “Mom and Pop” stores, some restaurants—that are still “cash only”. If you don’t see a credit card logo on the door or the cash register, then check with the cashier or server. In undeveloped areas, cash is usually the preferred form of payment.

TIP: Credit card fraud can occasionally be an issue in restaurants in Brazil, especially if the waiter takes your card away to process the payment. You can easily block this scam by not letting your credit card out of your sight. That is why you will see portable credit card machines in many upscale restaurants in Brazil—they bring the machine to you instead of taking your card away. And in restaurants that don’t have a portable machine, it is completely OK to walk your card to the register and watch as the transaction is processed.

60 Notify Card Providers of Upcoming Travel Many credit card companies and banks have fraud alert departments that will freeze your card if they see suspicious charges—such as charges or withdrawals from another country. To avoid an accidental security block, it is a good idea to notify your credit card company and/or bank you will be using your cards abroad. You can do this by calling their customer service number a week or two before your departure. Some banks or credit card companies will also let you do this online.

You should also double-check what phone number you could call if you have a problem with a card while you are abroad. Don’t assume you can use the 1-800 number printed on the back of your card—most 1 800 numbers don’t work outside of the U.S.!

Tipping Guidelines Of course, whether you tip, and how much, is always at your own discretion. But for those of you who have asked for tipping suggestions, we offer these guidelines.

• O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader: It is customary to express a personal “thank you” to your Trip Experience Leader at the end of your trip. As a guideline, many travelers give $7-$10 USD (or equivalent in local currency) per person for each day their Trip Experience Leader is with them. Please note that these tips can only be in cash. If you are taking any of the optional extensions, your Trip Experience Leader during the extension(s) may not be the same as the one on your main trip.

• Housekeeping staff at hotels: $1-2 per room, per night

• Taxis: Tipping is not customary, but many locals will round up the fare and let the driver keep the change. For long-distance drives, or for a long period of hire, a tip may be given according to the service received.

• Restaurants, cafes, and bars: In Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay waiters expect a 10% cash tip. In Brazil, a 10% service charge is added to the bill, so there’s no need to leave an additional amount unless service is especially good.

• Included in Your Trip Price: Gratuities are included for local guides, drivers, ship crew, and luggage porters on your main trip, extensions, and all optional tours.

Please note: Tips are quoted in U.S. dollars for budgeting purposes; tips can be converted and paid in local currency (this is usually preferred) or in U.S. dollars. Please do not use personal or traveler’s checks for tips.

61 AIR, OPTIONAL TOURS & STAYING IN TOUCH

Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air Quick Definitions

• Land Only: You will be booking your own international flights. Airport transfers are not included.

• Air-Inclusive: You booked international air with us. Airport transfers are included as long as you didn’t customize your trip’s dates (see next bullet).

• Personalized Air: You booked international air with us, and have customized it in some way. If you have customized your trip’s dates to arrive early, stay longer, or stop on your own in a connecting city, airport transfers will NOT be included. You must also arrange your own accommodations for any additional nights. For your convenience, a preliminary list of your included hotels is available on your My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount under “My Reservations”.

Airport Transfers Can Be Purchased For eligible flights, airport transfers may be purchased separately as an optional add-on, subject to availability. To be eligible, your flight(s) must meet the following requirements:

• You must fly into or fly home from the same airport as O.A.T. travelers who purchased included airfare.

• Your flight(s) must arrive/depart on the same day that the group arrives or departs.

Airport transfers can be purchased up to 45 days prior to your departure; they are not available for purchase onsite. To learn more, or purchase airport transfers, please call our Traveler Support team at 1-800-221-0814.

If you don’t meet the requirements above, you’ll need to make your own transfer arrangements. We suggest the Rome to Rio website as a handy resource: www.rome2rio.com.

When booking your international flights, please note that the tour will end on Day 15 of the base tour (Day 19 of the Iguassu Falls post trip extension) for your overnight flight back to the United States.

Optional Tours Optional tours are additional add-on tours that allow you to personalize your adventure by tailoring it to your tastes and needs. And if you decide not to join an optional tour? Then you’ll have free time to relax or explore on your own—it’s about options, not obligations.

What You Need to Know • All optional tours are subject to change and availability.

62 • Optional tours that are reserved with your Trip Experience Leader can be paid for using credit/debit cards only. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover credit cards; we can also take MasterCard or Visa debit cards as long as the card allows you to sign for purchases. (You won’t be able to enter a PIN.)

• To ensure that you are charged in U.S. dollars, your payment will be processed by our U.S. headquarters in Boston. This process can take up to three months, so we ask that you only use a card that will still be valid three months after your trip is over. The charge may appear on your credit card statement as being from Boston, MA or may be labeled as “OPT Boston”.

• Your Trip Experience Leader will give you details on the optional tours while you’re on the trip. But if you’d like to look over descriptions of them earlier, you can do so at any time by referring to your Day-to-Day Itinerary (available online by signing into My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount).

Communicating with Home from Abroad

Cell Phones If you want to use your cell phone on the trip, check with your phone provider to see if your phone and service will work outside of the U.S. It may turn out to be cheaper to rent an international phone or buy a SIM card onsite. If you want to use a local SIM, just make certain your phone can accept one.

Calling Apps Another option is to use a smartphone app like Skype or FaceTime. These services are usually less expensive than making a traditional call, but you’ll need a Wi-Fi connection and the calls may count towards your phone plan’s data allowance. Many smartphones—and some tablets or laptops—come with one of these apps pre-installed or you can download them for free from the appropriate apps store.

Calling Cards and 1-800 Numbers When calling the U.S. from a foreign country, a prepaid calling card can be useful because it circumvents unexpected charges from the hotel. Calling cards purchased locally are typically the best (less expensive, more likely to work with the local phones, etc.).

One reminder: Do not call U.S. 1-800 numbers outside the continental United States. This can result in costly long distance fees, since 1-800 numbers do not work outside the country.

Internet Most hotels in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay offer WiFi in the rooms.

63 How to Call Overseas When calling overseas from the U.S., dial 011 for international exchange, then the country code (indicated by a plus sign: +), and then the number. Note that foreign phone numbers may not have the same number of digits as U.S. numbers; even within a country the number of digits can vary depending on the city and if the phone is a land line or cell phone.

Argentina: +54 Uruguay: +598

Chile: +56 Brazil: +55

64 PACKING: WHAT TO BRING & LUGGAGE LIMITS

Luggage Limits

MAIN TRIP LIMITS

Pieces per person One checked bag and one carry-on per person.

Weight restrictions Your regional flights during the main trip are on Aerolineas and as such, your checked bag is limited to 33 lbs. See note below for details.

Size Restrictions Varies by airline. Measured in linear inches (length+width+depth). Generally, 62 linear inches is the checked bag limit; carry-on limit is 45 linear inches.

Luggage Type Duffel bag or soft-sided suitcase. Please do not bring a hard-sided (clamshell) suitcase.

TRIP EXTENSION(S) LIMITS

Same as main trip.

REMARKS/SUGGESTIONS

Luggage rules: Luggage rules and limits are set by governmental and airline policy. Enforcement of the rules may include spot checks or may be inconsistent. However one thing is the same across the board: If you are found to have oversized or overweight luggage, you will be subject to additional fees, to be assessed by—and paid to—the airline in question.

Please note: Most previous travelers were able to stay within the 33 lb limit, but if you go over you will be required to pay Aerolineas a luggage fee (approximately $20 per flight) for bags weighing up to 50 lbs. Bags weighing over 50 lbs are not permitted.

Don’t Forget: • These luggage limits may change. If the airline(s) notify us of any changes, we will include an update in your Final Documents booklet.

• It’s a good idea to reconfirm baggage restrictions and fees directly with the airline a week or so prior to departure. For your convenience, we maintain a list of the toll-free numbers for the most common airlines on our website in the FAQ section.

• Baggage fees are not included in your trip price; they are payable directly to the airlines.

65 • The luggage limits above are based on your regional flights, which may be less than your international flights. Even if your international airline offers a larger weight limit, you will need to pack according to the lower restrictions.

Your Luggage • Checked Luggage: One duffel bag or suitcase. Look for one with heavy nylon fabric, wrap- around handles, built-in wheels, and a heavy duty lockable zipper. Please do not bring a rigid (plastic shell) suitcase.

• TIP: Consider bringing a second, empty, lockable bag folded into your main suitcase, with a luggage tag and small lock. Use this to carry souvenirs home. Also, when traveling with a companion we recommend “cross-packing,” i.e., pack 2 outfits of your clothing in your companion’s luggage and vice-versa, in case one bag is delayed.

• Carry-on Bag: You are allowed one carry-on bag per person. We suggest a tote or small backpack that can be used as both a carry-on bag for your flight and to carry your daily necessities—water bottle, camera, etc—during your daily activities.

• Option to store luggage on the Iguassu Falls post-trip extension: If you are joining the post-trip extension, you have the option to store your main luggage at the hotel in Buenos Aires while you journey to Iguassu Falls; you will be able to pick it up at the end of the extension before your return flight to the U.S. If you choose to store luggage in Buenos Aires, we recommend that you re-purpose your carry-on bag or use a backpack in Iguassu Falls.

• Locks: For flights that originate in the U.S., you can either use a TSA-approved lock or leave your luggage unlocked. Outside of the U.S. we strongly recommend locking your luggage as a theft-prevention measure.

Clothing Suggestions: Functional Tips As you will experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, our list suggests several layers of clothing. For the warmer climates you visit, most of your clothing can be made of cotton or cotton-synthetic blends. For the colder climes, consider long underwear made from water-wicking synthetics beneath outer layers of wool-synthetic blends and fleece, to stay dry and warm. If you like to hand-wash your clothes, look for fabrics that will dry out overnight.

• Dress in layers: You can add or remove layers according to weather shifts, especially for traveling to the tip of South America. Suggestions include turtlenecks, long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, a warm jacket, long underwear, etc.

• Waterproof gear: You’ll want good, waterproof gear all year round. Weather in Patagonia is very unpredictable and splashing may occur when riding in the zodiacs, so you’ll want rain gear you are comfortable in, and dry footwear, such as light hiking boots with a built-in Gore-Tex liner. Don’t forget your waterproof gear—protective suits or parkas will not be provided. We strongly suggest you bring a sturdy waterproof shell or jacket (this will also keep you comfortable on windy days), waterproof pants, waterproof shoes, a rain hat, and waterproof gloves.

66 • Warm clothing: We suggest a warm sweater, a windproof jacket, gloves, and a hat for your time in Patagonia (Calafate, Paine and Ushuaia). These mountainous areas are cool year- round, and it has been known to snow at the higher elevations even in summer.

• Walking shoes: You’ll be on your feet and walking a lot, so choose your footwear carefully. You can find especially supportive shoes designed for walking. Sneakers are fine for some parts of the trip, but for the hikes and rural areas our Trip Experience Leaders suggest something even sturdier and waterproof, like lightweight hiking boots or trekking shoes. Travelers on the Iguassu extension may want to bring a pair of light shoes or sports sandals for visiting the falls.

• Trekking poles: Many past travelers have recommended bringing a folding walking stick for hiking, sometimes called a trekking pole. These are sold in most camping stores. An alternative is a folding ski pole.

Style Hints • Dress for the cruise is informal, casual, and for adventure. Men do not need jackets and ties; women do not require fancy dresses or high-heeled shoes. A small selection of your favorite everyday outfits is fine for all activities, including dinners.

• On board the ship it is very warm; bring both thick and light clothing.

Suggested Packing Lists We have included suggestions from Trip Experience Leaders and former travelers to help you pack. These lists are only jumping-off points—they offer recommendations based on experience, but not requirements. You may also want to consult the “Climate” chapter of this handbook.

And don’t forget a reusable water bottle—you’ll need it to take advantage of any refills we offer as we are working to eliminate single-use plastic bottles on all of our trips.

Year-Round Clothing Checklist ‰Shirts: A mixture of short and long-sleeved shirts to layer ‰Trousers and/or jeans: Comfortable and loose fitting is best. ‰Walking shorts: Shorts may be more useful for travelers on the Iguassu Falls extension ‰Shoes: Shoes should be comfortable walking or running shoes with arch support; hard- bottom shoes with soles that offer good traction are preferred. Sneakers are fine for some parts of the trip, but for the hikes and rural areas our Trip Experience Leaders suggest something even sturdier and waterproof, like lightweight hiking boots or trekking shoes. Travelers on the Iguassu extension may want to bring a pair of light shoes or sports sandals for visiting the falls.

‰Waterproof gear: Waterproof jacket with a hood, waterproof pants, waterproof gloves

67 ‰Socks: A couple pairs should be medium to heavy weight for hiking ‰Light wool or Polartec fleece jacket: Even in summer, Patagonia can be cool, especially in the mountains.

‰Warm hat: For use on the ship, as it can be cold and windy. ‰Wide-brim sun hat or visor for sun protection ‰Underwear ‰Sleepwear ‰Optional: Swimsuit, in case one of the hotels has a pool. There may also be a chance for some swimming during the extensions to Iguassu Falls and Easter Island, depending on the weather.

Seasonal Clothing Recommendations For March through October departures: ‰Gear for cold weather: The seasons are reversed south of the equator. (Our spring and summer is their fall and winter.) In some places on the itinerary, the nighttime low dips to the 30s, so winter gear like a sweater, warm coat, hat, gloves, scarf, etc is a must.

‰Long underwear: Long underwear adds warmth without bulk and doesn’t take up much room in your suitcase

Essential Items ‰Daily essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, hairbrush or comb, shaving items, deodorant, etc. Our hotels/ship provide shampoo and soap but usually not washcloths.

‰Spare eyeglasses/contact lenses; sunglasses ‰Sunscreen: SPF 45 or stronger ‰Insect repellent with DEET (we recommend 30-35% strength). Some previous travelers have mentioned that this is more useful on the extensions than on the main trip.

‰Pocket-size tissues ‰Moist towelettes (baby wipes) and/or anti-bacterial “water-free” hand cleanser ‰Light folding umbrella for Buenos Aires (it will be too windy for umbrellas in Patagonia - see clothing suggestions for waterproof gear)

68 ‰Electrical transformer & plug adapters ‰Camera gear with extra batteries or battery charger. We recommend bringing ziploc bags to protect your camera.

Medicines & First Aid Gear ‰Your own prescription medicines ‰Travel first aid kit: Band-Aids, headache and pain relief, laxatives and anti-diarrhea tablets, something for upset stomach. Maybe a cold remedy, moleskin foot pads, or antibiotic cream.

‰An antibiotic medication for gastrointestinal illness ‰Optional: A strong prescription pain medication for rare emergency purposes ‰Optional: Motion sickness medication, if you are prone to motion sickness or seasickness

Optional Gear ‰Travel alarm or travel watch with alarm ‰Lightweight binoculars (for spotting wildlife) ‰Flashlight or headlamp: Consider a small but powerful LED version or a version with an alternative power source (wind-up, solar powered).

‰Hanging toiletry bag (with hook to hang on doorknob and pockets to organize items) ‰Basic sewing kit ‰Handkerchief or bandana ‰Hair dryer. Bring this only if you feel you need one 100% of the time. Most hotels will provide them during this trip.

‰Hand-wash laundry soap ‰Reading materials ‰Travel journal/note pad and pens ‰Phrase book ‰Small gift for Home-Hosted visit

69 ‰Folding walking stick (see Functional Tips)

Home-Hosted Visits Many of our adventures feature a visit with a local family. It is customary, though not necessary, to return your hosts’ generosity with a small gift. If you do bring a gift, we recommend that you bring something the whole family can enjoy, or something that represents your region, state, or hometown. Get creative and keep it small—peach jelly from Georgia, maple sugar candy from New England, orange blossom soap from California; something that can be used or used up is best. When choosing a gift, be certain to consider the local culture as well. For example, we do not recommend alcohol in Muslim countries because it is forbidden in Islam, and your hosts may be religious. Not all O.A.T. adventures include a Home-Hosted Visit; please check your final itinerary before you depart.

Electricity Abroad When traveling overseas, the voltage is usually different and the plugs might not be the same shape.

Voltage Electricity in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay is 220 volts. In the U.S. it is 110 volts. Most of the things a traveler will want to plug in—battery chargers, MP3 players, tablets or computers— can run off both 110 and 220-240. But you should check the item or the owner’s guide first to confirm this before you plug it in. If you have something that needs 110 volts—like a shaver or a hairdryer—you can bring a transformer to change the current. (But transformers tend to burn out, so it might be better to leave whatever it is at home.)

Cabins are equipped with 220-volt outlets. In your bathroom you will find both 220-volt and 110-volt outlets, for use with electric shavers and such.

Plugs The shape of plugs will vary from country to country, and sometimes even within a country depending on when that building was built. To plug something from the U.S. into a local socket you’ll need an adapter that fits between the plug and the socket. Because there are many different types of plugs in this region, it may be easier to purchase an all-in-one, universal adapter/ converter combo. Versatile and lightweight, these can usually be found at your local electronics goods or hardware stores. Sometimes you can buy them at large retailers too, like Target or Walmart. If you forget to bring an adapter, you might also find them for sale at the airport when you arrive at your destination.

70 Different plug shapes are named by letters of the alphabet. Standard U.S. plugs are Type A and Type B. Here is the list of plugs for the countries on this trip:

Argentina: C and I

Chile: C and/or L

Uruguay: C, F, I, and L

Brazil: A and/or C/N. Sockets in Brazil are not uniform. The same hotel might have A sockets in one room and C sockets in another room. Some hotels even have a special socket that can take both A and C plugs. Brazil has also introduced a new plug type (N).

Type C Type I Type L Type N

Availability Barring the occasional and unpredictable power outage, electricity is as readily available on this adventure as it is in the U.S.

71 CLIMATE & AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Buenos Aires, Argentina: While the official high temperatures in summer (December through February) are usually in the 80s, with the humidity it often feels much hotter. It is common to think it is actually in the 90s, so be prepared. The changeable spring and mild fall of Buenos Aires are similar to those seasons in New York City, but the proximity of Atlantic makes winter temperatures milder than New York’s comparable months and the possibility of snow almost nonexistent. You might experience some rain at almost any time of the year, as there is no true rainy season. The almost-constant breezes during all seasons except summer refresh this city’s air and renew its skies.

Punta Arenas, Chile: Similar to the rest of the towns in this region, Punta Arenas has a cold steppe climate. The average summer temperatures are in the mid 50s and the average winter temperatures are in the mid 30s. The seasonal temperature in Punta Arenas is greatly moderated by its proximity to the ocean. This is not to say that it is known for stable constant temperatures, only small variability with season. Punta Arenas is also quite dry, with only 1.7 inches of rain in its wettest month of May. The city is also known for its strong winds, up to 80 mph. Winds tend to be strongest during the summer.

Santiago, Chile: Santiago has such delightful year-round temperatures that its climate is often compared to that of southern California. During your travel season, daytime highs are typically in the 70s and low 90s. Nights are significantly cooler.

Easter Island, Chile: The cool Humboldt current keeps this sub-tropical climate cooler than most of its kind. The annual average temperature is 70°. February is hottest; July and August coolest, with winds adding a chill. Some amount of rain falls 140 days a year, though much of it falls at night. The heaviest months for rain are March-June. August-December are the driest months.

Uruguay: Uruguay enjoys a temperate sub-tropical climate without many differences between regions. Summers bring warmer weather with average temperatures in the mid- to high-70s, but possibly reaching the mid-90s during a heat wave, while the winter months may be cooler with averages in the high-40s to low-60s. Uruguay does not experience snowfall, but does enjoy four seasons throughout the year.

Iguassu Falls, Argentina & Brazil: Iguassu Falls experiences a humid subtropical climate. Temperatures are hot year-round – around 90° (and sometimes feel hotter than they really are because of the humidity). Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. The average humidity most mornings is more than 90%, but it lessens in the afternoon.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Rio is known as a city of sun, considered to have a climate that is a blend of summer and springtime. There are many more sunny days than rainy ones, although being in a tropical climate the weather can be somewhat unpredictable. Being at sea level near the Tropic of Capricorn, it is warm and often humid year-round. Spring and fall are the more temperate seasons and are very pleasant. The sunny spring days are especially bright and clear, with less

72 humidity than other seasons, contributing to the beauty of long-distance views. Summer, considered to be December into March, can have days that get quite hot, with most of the area’s rain falling during this season, although the occasional storms are usually brief.

NOTE: If you are taking one of our optional stopovers before or after your OAT adventure, please be aware the climate and temperatures might be different from what you experienced during your tour. To prepare for weather differences and pack appropriate clothing, we recommend the following world weather sites:

• www.intellicast.com

• www.weather.com

• www.wunderground.com

Climate Averages & Online Forecast The following charts reflect the average climate as opposed to exact weather conditions. This means they serve only as general indicators of what can reasonably be expected. An extreme heat wave or cold snap could fall outside these ranges. As your departure approaches, we encourage you to go online to www.oattravel.com/myaccount for your 10-day forecast.

Average Daily High/Low Temperatures (°F), Humidity & Monthly Rainfall

MONTH BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 87 to 69 86 to 47 4.2 57 to 45 74 to 61 1.4 FEB 84 to 67 89 to 52 4.0 57 to 45 77 to 61 1.1 MAR 80 to 63 90 to 54 4.0 54 to 42 82 to 66 1.6 APR 73 to 57 91 to 59 3.3 49 to 38 85 to 73 1.6 MAY 66 to 51 89 to 60 3.1 44 to 35 88 to 83 1.7 JUN 60 to 46 89 to 62 2.1 39 to 32 87 to 84 1.3 JUL 59 to 45 89 to 62 2.3 38 to 31 86 to 82 1.3 AUG 63 to 48 88 to 57 2.3 41 to 32 86 to 77 1.3 SEP 66 to 50 87 to 53 2.4 46 to 35 84 to 69 1.1 OCT 73 to 55 88 to 56 4.0 50 to 38 78 to 63 0.9 NOV 78 to 61 86 to 53 3.6 53 to 40 73 to 61 1.1 DEC 83 to 65 86 to 48 3.3 56 to 43 74 to 61 1.2

73 MONTH SANTIAGO, CHILE EASTER ISLAND, CHILE

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 85 to 54 84 to 37 -- 78 to 70 87 to 70 3.6 FEB 84 to 53 86 to 38 0.1 79 to 71 88 to 71 3.4 MAR 80 to 49 89 to 40 0.2 78 to 70 88 to 71 3.4 APR 72 to 45 91 to 48 0.5 76 to 68 86 to 73 4.6 MAY 64 to 41 94 to 62 2.3 73 to 66 84 to 74 5.0 JUN 58 to 38 94 to 68 3.1 70 to 64 84 to 73 4.0 JUL 57 to 37 95 to 68 3.0 69 to 62 84 to 73 3.7 AUG 61 to 39 95 to 64 2.1 68 to 62 84 to 73 3.4 SEP 65 to 42 93 to 59 1.1 70 to 62 85 to 72 3.3 OCT 71 to 45 92 to 50 0.5 71 to 62 86 to 70 2.9 NOV 77 to 48 89 to 44 0.2 73 to 65 87 to 70 3.2 DEC 82 to 51 86 to 39 0.2 76 to 67 87 to 70 3.6

MONTH MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY IGUASSU FALLS, ARGENTINA & BRAZIL

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (avg) (inches) Humidity (avg) (inches) JAN 83 to 62 68 2.9 88 to 68 80 7.5 FEB 82 to 61 69 2.6 88 to 68 80 6.3 MAR 78 to 59 73 3.9 90 to 66 80 6.3 APR 71 to 53 75 3.9 84 to 61 85 6.7 MAY 64 to 48 78 3.3 75 to 54 90 7.1 JUN 59 to 43 82 3.2 73 to 50 90 5.9 JUL 58 to 43 80 2.9 73 to 50 85 3.9 AUG 59 to 43 77 3.1 79 to 52 80 5.5 SEP 63 to 46 74 3.0 81 to 54 80 7.1 OCT 68 to 49 71 2.6 86 to 59 80 7.5 NOV 74 to 54 71 2.9 88 to 63 75 8.3 DEC 79 to 59 67 3.1 90 to 66 75 7.5

74 MONTH RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Temp. High-Low % Relative Monthly Rainfall Humidity (am-pm) (inches) JAN 91 to 74 87 to 58 5.3 FEB 91 to 74 88 to 56 4.9 MAR 89 to 73 90 to 59 5.3 APR 85 to 70 92 to 61 4.3 MAY 82 to 66 92 to 60 3.1 JUN 80 to 64 91 to 57 2.0 JUL 79 to 62 91 to 55 1.8 AUG 81 to 64 90 to 56 1.8 SEP 82 to 66 89 to 61 2.4 OCT 82 to 68 87 to 60 3.2 NOV 84 to 69 85 to 60 3.9 DEC 88 to 72 86 to 61 5.4

75 ABOARD YOUR SHIP: CABIN FEATURES, DINING & SERVICES ON BOARD

M/V Stella Australis & M/V Ventus Australis Explore Patagonia on one of two expedition ships designed for cruising off the coast of South America. Onboard, our group of 24 travelers will mingle with other adventurers (both ships hold 210 passengers) while absorbing the panoramas afforded by the viewing deck and enjoying the ships’ many amenities.

Cabin Amenities Your cabin amenities include a private bathroom with shower, hairdryer, in room heating and air-conditioning, internal telephones and a security box. The decks and dining room are spacious and attractively decorated, providing welcoming locations for relaxing with your traveling companions. There are no TVs aboard ship. Films and documentaries will be shown in the lounge, but regular TV reception is not possible, as our location is too remote. Likewise, there is no Internet connection on board.

Cabin Assignments You will receive confirmation of your deck and/or cabin category upfront in writing; it will be on your invoice and online in My Account at www.oattravel.com/myaccount. However, your cabin number may not be assigned until you arrive on board the ship. (This is normal procedure for small ships.) If there’s no cabin number on your invoice or online, you can presume it will be assigned later and communicated to you when you board.

Dining All meals are taken in a spacious window-lined dining room. The food onboard includes international food and typical local dishes. If you require a special diet please request this in advance, you may do so by contacting one of our Travel Counselors. There is no room service on board. Dining times will vary according to the scheduled daily activities. In keeping with regional custom, dinner is served at a later hour (8:30 pm) than Americans may be accustomed to. Dinner will be served a la carte, while breakfast and lunch will be buffet style. Chilean or Argentinean wines will be featured with meals. No outside alcohol is allowed onboard but the ship features an open bar.

Electricity Cabins are equipped with 220-volt or 110-volt outlets. In your bathroom you will find both 220- volt and 110-volt outlets, for use with electric shavers and such.

Laundry Services There is no laundry service available on board.

76 Medical Services There is always a doctor onboard, as well as all of the basic First Aid supplies. Any physician’s fees will be debited to your shipboard account and be presented for settlement at the end of the voyage. All specific medicines are the responsibility of each passenger.

Open Bridge The ships have a policy of Open Bridge, which means the command room of the ship will be open to you during the trip.

Public Spaces • Dining areas: Savor regionally-inspired cuisine in the single-seating main dining area at tables reserved for our small group only. Enjoy complimentary beer and wine at meals.

• Indoor common areas: Relax in three lounges, peruse the ship’s onboard library, or visit the small gift shop.

• Outdoor common areas: Take in the breathtaking views from the ship’s large viewing deck, or enjoy a more intimate view from your cabin’s large, panoramic window.

• Zodiac crafts: Embark on Zodiacs from the ship for daily exploration of the glaciers, fjords, and wildlife in this remote corner of the world

Shipboard Payments Chilean pesos, US dollars, or major credit cards are accepted for purchases made on board.

Ship-to-Shore Communications The ships have satellite-telephone connections, which permit passengers to call to any part of the world, in accordance with the current, local tariffs. The cost of using this service will be approximately $3 per minute.

Shop There is a small shop aboard with all of the articles appropriate for such a trip: rolls of film, batteries, T-shirts, hats, sweaters, parkas, etc. Items purchased at the shop can be paid for with MasterCard, Visa, or American Express credit cards, US dollars, or Chilean pesos.

Smoking Policy Smoking is prohibited on board, with the exception of one outdoor deck area reserved for smokers.

Wheelchairs The ships are not built to accommodate wheelchairs. They have four decks reachable only by stairs.

77 ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE

O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference During your adventure you’ll be accompanied by one of our local, expert Trip Experience Leaders. All are fluent in English and possess the skills, certification, and experience necessary to ensure an enriching adventure. As locals of the regions you’ll explore with them, our Trip Experience Leaders provide the kind of firsthand knowledge and insight that make local history, culture, and wildlife come alive. Coupled with their unbridled enthusiasm, caring personalities, and ability to bring diverse groups of travelers together, our Trip Experience Leaders ensure that your experience with O.A.T. is one you’ll remember for a lifetime.

Argentina Culture Since most modern-day Argentinians are descendants of Spanish and other colonists, Argentinian culture has often been described as European with a Latin American flair. Native influences aren’t very strong, as Argentina’s indigenous peoples were almost eliminated by the Spanish. The gauchos, however, remain a proud symbol of Argentinian culture. These iconic cowboys of mixed European and indigenous descent began roaming the grasslands of Argentina on horseback beginning in the 18th century.

Due to centuries of Spanish rule and other European influences, Argentina developed into a majority Roman Catholic nation. Catholic holidays are observed and celebrated and there are countless churches spread throughout the country. Gregarious by nature, Argentinian culture often revolves around mate, a bitter tea that is shared by all. They love talking tango and football, but anything about the Perón era and the Falkland Islands remain highly sensitive topics with Argentinians.

Chile Culture Partially due to its historic isolation by natural barriers, Chilean culture is distinct from most South American countries. With influences drawn from Spanish colonization, European migration, and indigenous peoples, is a melding of cultures that is uniquely Chilean. Surprisingly for such a long and narrow country, there is little variance from north to south. A sense of national identity is also maintained by the fact almost everyone speaks Spanish, or castellano as Chileans would say—yet there are remote regions of the country where indigenous Mapuche speak their own languages and practice their own religion.

While proud of their history and culture, Chileans continue to feel the aftershocks of the brutal military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Religion plays an important role in Chilean life, and throughout the year, they hold festivals and processions featuring colorful costumes and dances to honor various Catholic saints.

78 Argentinian Cuisine How to sum up Argentine cooking in just a few words? Probably: Meats, Italian-style pasta, and coffee.

Beef, or bife (beef-eh), is the staple of Argentina and the golden El Dorado of her economy. Somewhere around 51 million Aberdeen Angus and Hereford cattle graze in the pampas and, thanks to the gauchos, provide locals with abundant, tasty fare. Restaurant menus everywhere in the country feature some type of beef selection, and lamb is popular too. For lighter fare—or for vegetarians—look for the many pasta dishes on offer, a legacy of decades of immigration from Italy. And at the end of your meal enjoy a strong cup of European-style coffee served as an espresso, latte, or cappuccino. Some dishes to look for are:

: Argentine-style BBQ, usually beef or lamb grilled over the coals or roasted on an open fire.

• Parrillada: A mixed grill platter that includes a bit of everything—choripan (sausage), costillas (ribs), and either carne (beef) or pollo (chicken). This may also include cuts that are less familiar to Americans, such as chinchulines (small intestines), mojellas (sweetbreads), or morcilla (blood sausage).

• Steak (bife): Various cuts are available, but be warned that if you don’t specify how you want it cooked, it will likely come medium to well done. Surprisingly, it can be hard to get rare or medium rare; it is just not common to order it that way here.

• Chimichurri: A spicy sauce with an olive oil base, good on everything, especially empanadas.

• Empanadas: Fried or baked pastries stuffed with meat and vegetables. Often served as a bar snack or appetizer, but order a few different kinds and you’ll have a meal.

• Dulce de leche: A milk caramel topping that Argentines eat with all sorts of desserts and is used as the filling in alfajores cookies. There are so many different kinds, that you may see shops selling nothing but this sweet treat.

• Mate: A type of caffeinated herbal tea, often drunk in a social way from a gourd-shaped cup with a special straw.

• Wines: Argentina is known for its red wines, which pair well with all the beef, steak, and lamb on the menu. Malbec in particular is a renowned local grape.

A finally, one note of precaution: Argentines thoroughly salt almost everything, particularly meats and even salads sometimes. If you dine out, you may want to request unsalted food. When you order, simply tell the waiter no use (oo-say) sal, por favor.

Chilean Cuisine Chile is a cosmopolitan country, and this is strongly reflected in its food and drink. Santiago, for instance, is filled with French, Chinese, Italian, and Spanish restaurants. But the best way to dine is to sample from the great quantity of foods and beverages that are typically Chilean.

79 Some common ingredients include merken (a smoked chili pepper), corn, and—courtesy of the country’s long coastline—Pacific Coast seafood such as king crab, conger eel, razor clams, and locos (a type of sea snail).

• Empanadas: At the head of the list comes the empanada, a stuffed pastry shaped like a small turnover filled with meat and vegetables. In other countries the meat is usually beef, but in Chile you’ll find many variations, including seafood and chicken.

• Humitas: Steamed corn cakes wrapped in corn husks—rather like the Mexican tamales, but less seasoned.

• Cazuela de ave: A kind of “souped-up soup.” It contains rice, corn, green beans, chicken, carrots, pumpkin, salt, and a number of herbs.

• Curanto is not so much a dish as a complete dinner, similar to a clambake, low country boil, or luau. When made the traditional way, a mixture of sausage, pork or chicken, seafood, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables are cooked over coals in a covered pit. In cities, it is made in casserole pots and served in some restaurants.

• Centolla (southern king crab): While you won’t see this on the menu everywhere, you may find it in southern towns like Punta Arenas. Other types of seafood to look for include machas a la parmesana (parmesan clams) and paila marina (seafood soup).

• Chacareros: Sandwiches with steak or chicken, topped with cheese, tomatoes, green beans, and sauce.

• Sopaipillas: Fired pumpkin fritters that are often eaten as a street snack. These can be sweet or savory.

• Drinks: Chile’s world-famous grapes are the foundation of its three most popular drinks. First, of course, is wine itself. Grapes are also used to make chicha, a brownish beverage somewhat reminiscent of apple cider with added punch. The last, and most powerful, is aguardiente, which translates literally into “fire water,” although it is more commonly called “pisco” and is used to make delicious pisco sour cocktails.

Lastly, one warning: The coffee in Chilean restaurants and in most homes is usually instant. So if you prefer brewed or specialty coffees, look for a cafe instead.

Uruguayan Cuisine Uruguayan cuisine is heavily influenced by European styles (such as Italian, Spanish, and German), but relies more heavily on beef due to its large agriculture industry. Look for a chivito, the hearty national sandwich of Uruguay filled with thinly sliced grilled beef, ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, melted mozzarella and a fried egg. Try some traditional Uruguayan barbecue, asado, which is typically prepared over an open fire and consists of various cuts of beef and other meats such as lamb and goat. You’ll also find a variety of empanadas, savory pastries filled with meats

80 and cheeses, including the Empanada Gallega which is filled with fish, onions, and peppers. Polenta is a popular dish served with various sauces, or perhaps you’ll enjoy a pastel de carne, a meat pie with ground beef, peppers, eggs, and mashed potatoes.

For dessert, look for treats such as flan, arroz con leche (rice pudding), churros ( Spanish-style pastry that is fried and dipped in sugar), or chajá (sponge cake with whipped cream and meringue). Don’t forget to order a café con leche (coffee with milk) with your pastries!

Brazilian Cuisine Brazil’s cuisine varies from region to region, due to its mixed population of native Brazilians and immigrants, as well as its large size. The cuisine sees heavy influences from the Europeans who colonized much of South America, from the Africans who were brought over as slaves, and from the other nearby Amerindians. Common ingredients utilized by native Brazilians are cashews, cassava (a shrub with a starchy root, often called yuca), guarana (a climbing planet with fruit and seeds), acai (a fruit often compared to blackberries and unsweetened chocolate in taste), cumaru (a flowering tree with a bitter seed), and tucupi (a yellow sauce from the manioc root in the Amazon). As more Europeans settled into the country, they added wheat, wine, leafy vegetables, and dairy to the diet. Other common ingredients used include tropical fruits like coconuts, papayas, mangos, pineapples, oranges, and passion fruits. In popular dishes, you are likely to find rice, beans, cassava, or cornflour listed as a main ingredient, as they are firm staples of the cuisine. Dishes to try are:

• Feijoada: A stew with heavy Portuguese influences, made of black beans and pork, with garlic rice, cassava flour, collard greens, and vinaigrette

• Feijao tropeiro: Popular in southeastern Brazil and made with collard greens, eggs, beans, bacon, pork, and cassava flour

• Acaraje with vatapa: A dish popular in the northeastern region with west African influences, it is made of deep-fried ball of peeled back-eyed peas, onions, and salt, filled with vaatapa – a paste of shrimp, coconut milk, bread, ground peanuts, and palm oil, that was brought over by West Africa slaves.

• Escondidinho de frango com mandioca: A northeast region dish of chicken hidden under cassava puree

• Moqueca: Best known as the Brazilian Fish Stew, this dish is most popular in the northeast, with the ingredients different per region. Common made with some variation of seafood, like shellfish, shrimp, fish, etc., and served with rice

• Pastel: A popular street food of flat fried dough filled with melted cheese and minced meat

• Empada: Little pies filled with chicken, fish, palmito (heart of palm, a vegetable from the inner core of palm trees such as coconut or acai trees), or chocolate

• Mousse de maracuja: A dessert mouse made from passion fruits

81 • Beijinho: Originally from Portugal, these truffles were adapted away from almonds to the more local coconut. This dessert is made with sweetened condensed milk, coconut flakes, butter and caster sugar

Brazil also offers its own style of barbecue: churrascaria, where a server comes to your table with skewers of many varieties of meat and cuts it off directly onto your plate. Or for an inexpensive meal try a comida por kilo, self-service buffets where you pay by weight.

Travel in South America Part of the adventure of this trip is the possibility that things may change. Local influences may make it impossible for us to follow the planned itinerary exactly and the sequence of sites visited may change. Rest assured that we have considerable experience at responding to changing circumstances on the spot. Our goal is always to offer you the best travel experience and the most memorable explorations of this intriguing land.

Complex, multi-layered cultural traditions and stunning natural geography make South America a fascinating destination. To get the most enjoyment out of your trip, remember that many South American countries are still considered developing nations, and be aware that you may be approached to buy crafts or solicited by children to take photographs.

In restaurants, hotels, and at cultural sites, everything works according to a slower sense of time than what you are used to. It’s best to wind down and adjust to the local pace and philosophy.

Taking Photographs The etiquette of photographing most people in South America is about the same as it would be on the streets of your hometown. You need permission to take a close-up, but not for a crowd scene. Consent is especially important if you want to take a photo of a child or minor—ask their parent for permission first. To get a great portrait, show interest in your subject and try to have a bit of social interaction to put them at ease. Then use sign language to inquire if a picture is OK.

Safety & Security As you travel, exercise the same caution and awareness that you would in a large American city. Don’t be overly nervous or suspicious, but keep your eyes open. If you are venturing out after dark, go with one or two other people.

Carry a one-day supply of cash in your pocket. Carry most of your money, and your passport, in a travel pouch or money belt under your shirt. Replenish your pocket supply when you are in a safe and quiet place, or in our vehicle. Don’t leave valuables unattended in your hotel room. Most hotels will offer use of a hotel safe at the front desk or an electronic in-room safe (for which you can set your own personal number). Please utilize them.

Pickpockets may create a sudden distraction. In any sort of puzzling street situation, try to keep one hand on your wallet or money belt. If an encounter with a local turns out to be long and complicated and involves money or your valuables, be very careful. Con artists sometimes target travelers.

82 Regional Flights in South America In South America, it is simply a fact of life that schedules for internal flights often change on short notice. When this happens, our air travel experts strive to get you on new flights as close to the original schedule as possible, but limited availability of seats may require us to use early- morning flights or change the day of the flight. If schedule changes make it necessary, we may have to rise before dawn on some days where early-morning wake-ups are not mentioned in your printed itinerary.

Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Shipping & More There may be scheduled visits to local shops during your adventure. There is no requirement to make a purchase during these stops, and any purchase made is a direct transaction with the shop in question, subject to the vendor’s terms of purchase. O.A.T. is not responsible for purchases you make on your trip or for the shipment of your purchases.

Returns If you discover an issue with an item, you should contact the vendor directly and expect that any resolution will take longer than it would in the U.S. We recommend that you keep a copy of all your receipts, invoices, or contracts, along with the shop’s contact information. Keep in mind, local practice may vary from U.S. standards, so don’t assume that you have a certain number of days after the purchase to speak up or that you are guaranteed a refund.

Crafts & Souvenirs

Argentina Argentina is world-famous for its leather goods and you’ll find them readily available in Buenos Aires. Popular buys include belts, jackets, boots, shoes, skirts, pants, briefcases, and purses. These come in a rainbow of pastels and vivid colors, and a variety of textures from rough suedes to soft leathers. Other items worth considering include wool sweaters, clothing made of the Argentine equivalent of cashmere, , wine, and antique silver gaucho accessories. Top- quality jewelry is also sold, with the best buys being items made with Inca Rose or . Argentina is one of the few places in the world where this is found and it is used in everything from jewelry to carved figures.

Bargaining: Argentina does not have a bargaining culture; prices in shops are fixed. The only place you may be able to bargain is in the open-air markets. If you try to bargain at a market, keep in mind that if you make an offer, you should be prepared to buy at that price. Bring a mix of small bills so that you can pay in exact change.

Chile Among Chilean goods, the excellent textiles are worth perusing. For “typical” items, colorful hand-woven ponchos are a good buy, as well as vicuna rugs, and—although perhaps a little heavy for air travel—there is excellent artisan copper work. Chilean stones have achieved much

83 popularity abroad, and there are many “rock shops” in the city and suburbs selling quality work in lapis lazuli, Chilean jade, amethyst, agate, onyx, and others. Salmon, canned and smoked, is also a good buy.

Bargaining: In Chile, shops generally have fixed prices. In places other than shops (like markets), you may be able to bargain. The only rule is that if you make an offer, you should be prepared to buy at that price. Bring a mix of small bills so that you can pay in exact change.

Uruguay In Uruguay, look for an abundance of well-made and inexpensive leather products. You’ll find belts, wallets, bags, and shoes in many markets. Other popular items in woolen products, seashells, and high-quality wood items, such as cutting boards or sculptures. Don’t forget to look for dulce de leche or alfajores, a small cake (typically the size of a cookie) that is filled with dulce de leche and covered in chocolate, coconut, or powdered sugar.

Bargaining: Uruguay does not have a bargaining culture; prices in shops are fixed. The only place you may be able to bargain is in the open-air markets. If you try to bargain at a market, keep in mind that if you make an offer, you should be prepared to buy at that price. Bring a mix of small bills so that you can pay in exact change.

Brazil Brazil is a shopping bonanza. Traditional handicrafts like wooden carvings, masks, ceremonial figures in wood or clay, and handmade lace or textiles complete for your attention with modern brands like Havaianas flip-flops, and Granado beauty products. To make your own caipirinha cocktails at home, bring back a bottle of the local sugarcane liquor called cachaca. Or for a non- alcoholic option, chose a bag of Brazilian coffee. Other items for sale include soccer memorabilia and props for the yearly carnival festival.

U.S. Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges For all things related to U.S. Customs, the ultimate authority is the U.S. Bureau of Customs & Border Protection. Their website, www.cbp.gov has the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Or you can call them at 1-877-227-5511.

The top three points to know are:

• At time of writing, your personal duty-free allowance is $800 for items brought with you. Items totaling more than $800 are subject to duty fees.

• Items shipped home are always subject to duty when received in the U.S. Even when the shop has offered to include shipping and duties in the price, this typically means shipping to the nearest customs facility and payment of the export duties—not door-to-door shipping or payment of the import duties. All additional duties or shipping charges would be your responsibility. Unless an item is small enough to send by parcel service (like FedEx), chances are you will need to arrange shipping or pick-up once the item is in the U.S. and will need to pay customs duties.

84 • It is illegal to import products made from endangered animal species. U.S. Customs & Border Protection will seize these items, as well as most furs, coral, tortoise shell, reptile skins, feathers, plants, and items made from animal skins.

Agricultural Statement for Chile Like some parts of the U.S. such as California and Hawaii, Chile severely restricts the entry of agricultural products to protect against the accidental transport of pests. Chile’s requirements are very strictly enforced and incur large fines for violation. If you are arriving in Chile by air, we advise you to discard any fruit, nuts, vegetables, seeds, dairy products including cheese, flowers (including dried flowers), or unprocessed meats before landing.

If you are arriving by air, the flight attendants will distribute an Agricultural Products form that you must complete. On this form you’ll be asked to declare whether or not you are bringing any fruits, nuts, or other organic products into Chile. If you are carrying any items of this nature, you must declare them on this form. Fines of up to $200 could result if customs officers find even a simple pack of peanuts or an apple.

85 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY

Argentina

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 1,073,518 square miles

• Capital: Buenos Aires

• Languages: Spanish is the official language. English is widely spoken in major cities and tourist centers.

• Location: Argentina is bordered by Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile

• Geography: Located in the South and West Hemisphere, Argentina features a diverse landscape ranging from the ice fields of Patagonia to the fertile pampas to the Andes Mountains.

• Government Type: Republic

• Population: 45,376,763

• Religions: Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%.

• Time Zone: Argentina time (ART) is 3 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. Generally Argentina is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S. So usually, when it is 6am in Washington D.C. it is 7am in Buenos Aries. But Argentina doesn’t use daylight saving time like the U.S. does, so from November to March there is a 2 hour difference—6am in D.C. is 8am in Buenos Aires.

86 National Holidays: Argentina

In addition to the holidays listed below, 05/01 Labor Day / May Day Argentina celebrates a number of national 05/25 National Day/May 1810 Revolution holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Carnival and Easter. To find out if you will be 06/20 Flag Day traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 07/09 Independence Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 3rd Monday in August General San Martin Day

03/24 Memorial Day 2nd Monday in October Colombus Day

04/02 Day of the Veterans 12/08 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

12/25 Christmas Day

Argentina: A Brief History Little is known about societies that occupied prehistoric Argentina, though fossil records indicate a presence in the region of today’s Patagonia as early as 11,000 B.C. The Spanish arrived in Argentina early in the 16th century and would rule the country for the next 300 years. Spain’s grip on Argentina began to loosen during events that began in 1806, when the British overpowered Spanish military forces in Buenos Aires and attacked the Malvinas Islands (later known as the Falkland Islands). When word arrived in Argentina that Napoleon had conquered cities in Spain and overthrown the Spanish king, the people of Argentina were inspired to rule themselves, which brought about independence in 1816.

With the help of an influx of immigrants late in the 19th century, Argentina’s economy began gathering strength. Its continued growth in the initial decades of the 20th century was often at the expense of the working class. Juan Perón, who was elected president in 1946, recognized the plight of workers and sought to empower them by increasing union membership and expanding social and educational programs. When Argentina’s economy declined in the early 1950s, he became increasingly authoritarian. After the death of his first lady in 1952, the charismatic Eva “Evita” Perón whom the workers loved, Juan began losing support and was eventually overthrown in a violent coup in 1955. Forced into exile by the military, Juan Perón fled to Paraguay and then settled in Spain in 1960.

Continuing to wield influence from afar, Perón returned to power in 1973 in a special election, with his new wife Isabel, an Argentinian dancer he married in 1961, becoming his vice president. But Juan’s return was short-lived when he died in 1974, which resulted in Isabel becoming Argentina’s new president—someone who was resented by millions of Argentinians still devoted to Evita. With the country now entering a downward spiral due to the Arab oil embargo and other factors, Isabel was deposed in a military coup in 1976. The right-wing military junta that took power ruled Argentina brutally for the next several years, killing some 20,000-30,000 revolutionaries or sympathizers. The country’s downward spiral continued, and after Argentina lost the Falklands War (in Spanish, the Guerra de las Malvinas) to the British in 1982, the military’s credibility was finished, leading to the next free elections.

87 While the decades that followed military rule have seen Argentina’s fortunes rise and fall dramatically, the country’s hard-won democracy has endured.

Chile

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 291,933 square miles

• Capital: Santiago

• Languages: Spanish

• Location: Chile is bordered by Bolivia, , and Argentina

• Geography: One third of Chile is covered by the Andes. Five distinct geographical regions make up the country: the Northern Desert, the Central Valley, the Lake District, Patagonia in the south, and remote Easter Island 2,400 miles offshore in the Pacific.

• Government Type: Republic

• Population: 17,508,260

• Religions: Roman Catholic 66.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.4%, Jehovah’s Witness 1%, other 3.4% none 11.5%, unspecified 1.1%

• Time Zone: From roughly mid-September to mid-April, though it can vary year to year, Chile is on Chile Summer Time (CLST), two hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST). When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 8am in Santiago. The rest of the year, Chile is on Chile Standard Time (CLT), 1 hour ahead of EST, and the exact same time as Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Chile’s seasons are opposite to those in the U.S., so just as we are starting daylight saving time, Chile is finishing it.

88 National Holidays: Chile

In addition to the holidays listed below, Chile 07/16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrates a number of national holidays that 08/15 Assumption of Mary follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter and Reformation Day. To find out if you will be 09/18 National Day traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 09/19 Army Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 2nd Monday in October Colombus Day

05/01 Labor Day / May Day 11/01 All Saints’ Day

05/21 Navy Day 12/08 Immaculate Conception Day

6/29 Saint Peter and Saint Paul Day 12/25 Christmas Day

Chile: A Brief History Evidence reveals that humans began populating Chile’s fertile valleys between the Andes and the Pacific a little more than 10,000 years ago. But since it was surrounded on three sides by almost impenetrable barriers, these rich valleys remained relatively unknown to the outside world until the middle of the fifteenth century, when the Incas began their conquest of the continent. The Incas managed to conquer northern Chile but were prevented from advancing further by the indigenous Mapuche. But less than a century later Spanish conquistadores arrived from Peru in search of gold, and the conquest of Chile began. For the next four hundred years, much of Chile was under Spanish control—except for the Mapuche region in the south. Then, following seven years of warfare, Chile gained its independence from Spain in 1817. But the Mapuche-controlled south resisted the new Chilean government and remained autonomous until the middle of the century.

While Chile’s independence initiated a system of representative democracy, its 20th-century political history has been marked by turmoil. Facing economic depression and mounting inflation, a Marxist government came to power under Salvador Allende in 1970—which led to a right-wing government seizing power three years later under General Augusto Pinochet (in a U.S.-backed coup where Allende was killed). Pinochet ruled for the next 17 years, a brutal dictatorship marked by terror, corruption, and human rights abuses. In 1990, having failed in his bid to gain popular ratification for his rule, Pinochet handed over the presidency to the rightfully elected Patricio Aylwin Azocar. Chile’s political climate has since remained stable, although there is still considerable tension between the military and the government concerning the human rights violations of the Pinochet era.

In 2006, Michelle Bachelet Jeria was elected President, becoming the first woman to hold Chile’s highest office. Her policies helped Chile become the first South American member of the OECD (Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development). Despite record high approval ratings President Bachelet stepped down at the end of her term in March 2010, however, as Chile’s constitution forbids the immediate re-election of a president. She was succeeded in office by Sebastian Pinera, whose first order of business was recovering from a large earthquake that

89 occurred off the coast on February 27, 2010. Just as Chile was getting back on its feet, a mining accident in August of 2010 brought international attention back to the normally quiet country. A cave-in at the San Jose mine in the Atacama Desert left 33 miners trapped underground for a record 69 days. It is estimated that nearly one billion people worldwide tuned in for the daring and successful rescue operation, which was televised live around the globe. In 2014, Michelle Bachelet was reelected, followed by the reelection of Sebastian Pinera in 2018 to present day.

Uruguay

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 68,037 square miles

• Capital: Montevideo

• Languages: Spanish the official language of Uruguay

• Location: Uruguay is bordered by Argentina and Brazil

• Geography: Uruguay features plains to the east, south, and west, along with sandy beaches along the coastline. Rolling hills and mountains can be found in northern Uruguay along the Brazilian border and central Uruguay features a large artificial lake.

• Government Type: Presidential Republic

• Population: 3,449,299 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, non-denominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1%

• Time Zone: Uruguay time (UYT) is 3 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. Generally Uruguay is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S. So usually, when it is 6am in Washington D.C. it is 7am in Uruguay.

National Holidays: Uruguay

In addition to the holidays listed below, 01/03 The Three Wise Men Day Uruguay celebrates a number of national 05/01 Labor Day / May Day holidays that follow a lunar calendar, such as Carnival and Easter. To find out if you will be 06/19 Jose Artigas’ Birthday Memorial traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 07/18 Constitution Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 08/25 Independence Day

12/25 Christmas Day

Uruguay: A Brief History Early History and Colonization

90 Prior to European colonization, Uruguay was home to many small nomadic peoples such as the Charrua, Chana, Arachan and Guarani tribes who survived by hunting and fishing.

In the early 1500s, present-day Uruguay, known as the , became a buffer between the competing Portuguese and Spanish colonizers in South America. In 1516, Juan Diaz de Solis became the first European explorer to land here, but he was killed by natives. More explorers came to Uruguay in the 1520s, however settlements were very limited due to the lack of gold and silver in the region.

The Spanish Jesuits created the first permanent settlement in 1624 at Villa Soriano on the Rio Negro. In 1680, the Portuguese established Colonia del Sacramento across the coast from Buenos Aires. Due to the competition between the Spanish and the Portuguese, the Spanish tried to limit Portuguese colonization extending past the borders of Brazil. The Spanish settled Montevideo in 1726 and sought to capture Colonia del Sacramento. In 1750, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Madrid which gave control to Spain, though a local government was established and land was given to the settlers.

By the end of the 18th century, the land was divided amongst cattle ranchers and used to raise cattle. The population had grown significantly with approximately 30,000 people living in Montevideo and the surrounding areas, of which approximately 30% were African slaves.

During the early 19th century, there were ongoing battles for colonial rule between the British, Spanish, and Portuguese, including British invasions into Buenos Aires. The first invasion in 1806 was successful but the city was quickly liberated by the Spanish and the second attempt was unsuccessful.

Independence

In 1810, following the abdication of the Spanish throne to Napoleon, the May Revolution took place which resulted in the end of the Spanish Viceroyalty and the creation of the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, though the people remained divided between those who sought independence and those who remained loyal to the Spanish crown.

In 1811, Jose Gervasio Artigas Arnal, sometimes called “the father of Uruguayan nationhood,” called for a war against Spanish rule and, with the help of Buenos Aires, defeated the Spaniards on May 18, 1811 at the Battle of Las Piedras. They began the Siege of Montevideo, at which point the Spanish viceroy sought help from the Portuguese by asking them to invade the Banda Oriental from Brazil. Buenos Aires feared they would lose the territory to the Portuguese and made peace with the Spanish. When the Portuguese withdrew, Montevideo was left under the control of the Royalists, which Artigas and his followers saw as a betrayal by Buenos Aires.

Artigas successfully led the second Siege of Montevideo in 1813 and took part in the formation of the League of the Free People, a group of several provinces which sought freedom from Buenos Aires dominance. Artigas was named the Protector of the League of the Free People and proceeded to conduct land reforms which divided the land between small farmers.

91 Fearful that these revolutionary ideas would spread to Brazil, the Portuguese invaded the Banda Oriental in 1816 and occupied Montevideo on January 20, 1817. Artigas and his troops were defeated in 1820 at the Battle of Tacuarembo and the Banda Oriental was incorporated into Brazil as the province.

In 1825, the Thirty-Three Orientals, a militant revolutionary group led by Juan Antonio Lavalleja, landed in Cisplatina with the support of Buenoes Aires and reached Montevideo on May 20. By June, a new provisional government was formed and on August 25, the newly elected assembly declared secession of the Cisplatina province from Brazil. Brazil declared the Cisplatine War which ended on August 27, 1828 with the Treaty of Montevideo. The treaty stipulated that Brazil and Argentina would recognize Uruguay as an independent buffer state, though not guaranteed. During the , Uruguayan independence was secured and the Constitution of 1830 was approved.

The Guerra Grande

Soon after achieving independence, political scene in Uruguay became split between two parties, both led by the former Thirty-Three, the conservative Blancos (“Whites”) and the liberal Colorados (“Reds”). The Colorados were led by the first President and represented the business interests of Montevideo; the Blancos were headed by the second President , who looked after the agricultural interests of the countryside and promoted protectionism.

Parties became associated with warring political factions in neighboring Argentina. The Colorados favored the exiled Argentinian liberal Unitarios, many of whom had taken refuge in Montevideo, while the Blanco president Manuel Oribe was a close friend of the Argentine strongman .

Oribe took Rosas’s side when the French navy blockaded Buenos Aires in 1838. This led the Colorados and the exiled Unitarios to seek French backing against Oribe and on June 15, 1838 an army led by the Colorado leader Rivera overthrew Oribe who fled to Argentina. The Argentinian Unitarios then formed a government-in-exile in Montevideo and, with secret French encouragement, Rivera declared war on Rosas in 1839. The conflict would last thirteen years and become known as the Guerra Grande (the Great War).

In 1840, an army of exiled Unitarios attempted to invade northern Argentina from Uruguay but had little success. In 1842 Argentinian army overran Uruguay on Oribe’s behalf. They seized most of the country but failed to take the capital. The Great Siege of Montevideo, which began in February 1843, lasted nine years. The besieged called on resident foreigners for help and a French and an Italian legions were formed. The latter was led by the exiled , who was working as a mathematics teacher in Montevideo when the war broke out. Garibaldi was also made head of the Uruguayan navy.

The Argentinian blockade of Montevideo was ineffective as Rosas generally tried not to interfere with international shipping on the River Plate, but in 1845, when access to Paraguay was blocked, Britain and France allied against Rosas, seized his fleet and began a blockade of Buenos Aires, while Brazil joined in war against Argentina. Rosas reached peace deals with Great Britain

92 and France in 1849 and 1850 respectively. The French agreed to withdraw their legion if Rosas evacuated Argentinian troops from Uruguay. Oribe still maintained a loose siege of the capital. In 1851, the Argentinian provincial strongman Justo José de Urquiza turned against Rosas and signed a pact with the exiled Unitarios, the Uruguayan Colorados and Brazil against him. Urquiza crossed into Uruguay, defeated Oribe and lifted the siege of Montevideo. He then overthrew Rosas at the on February 3, 1852. With Rosas’s defeat and exile, the Guerra Grande finally came to an end. Slavery was officially abolished in 1852.

A ruling triumvirate consisting of Rivera, Lavalleja and was established, but Lavalleja died in 1853, Rivera in 1854 and Flores was overthrown in 1855.

The government of Montevideo rewarded Brazil’s financial and military support by signing five treaties in 1851 that provided for perpetual alliance between the two countries. Montevideo confirmed Brazil’s right to intervene in Uruguay’s internal affairs. Uruguay also renounced its territorial claims north of the Río Cuareim, thereby reducing its area to about 176,000 square kilometers, and recognized Brazil’s exclusive right of navigation in the Laguna Merin and the Rio Yaguaron, the natural border between the countries.

In accordance with the 1851 treaties, Brazil intervened militarily in Uruguay as often as it deemed necessary. In 1865, the Treaty of the Triple Alliance was signed by the emperor of Brazil, the , and the Colorado general Venancio Flores, the Uruguayan head of government whom they both had helped to gain power. The Triple Alliance was created to wage a war against the Paraguayan leader Francisco Solano López. The resulting Paraguayan War ended with the invasion of Paraguay and its defeat by the armies of the three countries. Montevideo, which was used as a supply station by the Brazilian navy, experienced a period of prosperity and relative calm during the war.

The Uruguayan War

The Uruguayan War was fought between governing Blancos and alliance of Empire of Brazil, Colorados who were supported by Argentina. In 1863 the Colorado leader Venancio Flores launched the Liberating Crusade aimed at toppling President and his Colorado– Blanco coalition (Fusionist) government. Flores was aided by Argentina’s President Bartolomé Mitre. The Fusionist coalition collapsed as Colorados joined Flores’ ranks.

The Uruguayan civil developed into a crisis of international scope that destabilized the entire region. Even before the Colorado rebellion, the Blancos had sought an alliance with Paraguayan dictator Francisco Solano López. Berro’s now purely Blanco government also received support from Argentine Federalists, who opposed Mitre and his Unitarians. The situation deteriorated as the Empire of Brazil was drawn into the conflict. Brazil decided to intervene to reestablish the security of its southern frontiers and its influence regional affairs. In a combined offensive against Blanco strongholds, the Brazilian–Colorado troops advanced through Uruguayan territory, eventually surrounding Montevideo. Faced with certain defeat, the Blanco government capitulated on February 20, 1865.

93 The short-lived war would have been regarded as an outstanding success for Brazilian and Argentine interests, had Paraguayan intervention in support of the Blancos (with attacks upon Brazilian and Argentine provinces) not led to the long and costly Paraguayan War. In February 1868 former Presidents Bernardo Berro and Venancio Flores were assassinated.

The Batlle Era

José Batlle y Ordóñez, President from 1903 to 1907 and again from 1911 to 1915, set the pattern for Uruguay’s modern political development and dominated the political scene until his death in 1929. Batlle was opposed to the co-participation agreement, because he considered division of departments among the parties to be undemocratic. Blancos feared loss of their power if proportional election system was introduced and started their last revolt in 1904, which ended with Colorado victory at the Battle of Masoller.

After the victory over Blancos, Batlle introduced widespread political, social, and economic reforms such as a welfare program, government participation in many facets of the economy and a new constitution. Batlle introduced universal male suffrage, nationalized foreign owned companies and created a modern social welfare system. Under Batlle electorate was increased from 46 000 to 188 000. Income tax for lower incomes was abolished in 1905, secondary schools established in every city (1906), right of divorce given to women (1907), telephone network nationalized (1915) Unemployment benefits were introduced (1914), eight-hour working day introduced (1915), Uruguay proclaimed a secular republic (1917).

To prevent Presidential dictatorships, in 1913 Batlle proposed to introduce a collective Presidency (colegiado), based on the Swiss Federal Council model. His idea was defeated in a referendum of 1916, but he managed to get support from Blancos and the Second Constitution was approved in referendum of November 25, 1917. Under the new Constitution a split executive was created - President continued to control ministries of Foreign affairs, Interior and Defense. And the new nine-man National Council of Administration, which consisted of six Colorados and three Blancos, controlled ministries of Education, Finances, Economy and Health.

The Great Depression & World War II

Batlle’s split executive model lasted until 1933, when during the economic crisis of the Great Depression, President assumed dictatorial powers.

The new welfare state was hit hard by the Great Depression, which also caused a growing political crisis. Terra blamed the ineffective collective leadership model and after securing agreement from the Blanco leader in March 1933 suspended the Congress, abolished the collective executive, established a dictatorial regime and introduced a new Constitution in 1934. The former President Brum committed suicide in protest against the coup. In 1938 Terra was succeeded by his close political follower and brother-in-law General . During this time state retained large control over nation’s economy and commerce, while pursuing free-market policies. After the new Constitution of 1942 was introduced, political freedoms were restored.

94 On January 25, 1942 Uruguay broke diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany, as 21 American nations did the same (except for Argentina), but did not participate in any actual fighting. In 1945 it formally joined the Declaration by United Nations.

Post-War

In 1946 a Batlle loyalist, Tomás Berreta was elected to Presidency, and after his sudden death, Batlle’s nephew became the President. To cover the British debt for the beef deliveries during WWII, in 1949 British owned railroads and water companies were nationalized. Batlle’s followers within the gained sufficient strength to push for a constitutional referendum that adapted the new Constitution of 1952 which returned to the collective executive model - the National Council of Government was created. This was the high point of Batllismo. The end of the large global military conflicts by mid-1950s caused troubles for the country. Because of a decrease in demand in the world market for agricultural products, Uruguay began having economic problems, which included inflation, mass unemployment, and a steep drop in the standard of living for Uruguayan workers. This led to student militancy and labor unrest. The collective ruling council was unable to agree on harsh measures that were required to stabilize the economy. As the demand for Uruguay’s export products plummeted, the collective leadership tried to avoid budget cuts by spending Uruguay’s currency reserves and then began taking foreign loans. Uruguayan peso was devaluated, inflation reached 60% and economy was in deep crisis. In this situation Blancos finally won the 1958 elections and became the ruling party in the Council. As Blancos struggled to improve the economy they advocated the return to a strong Presidency. Once again, after a constitutional referendum the Council was replaced by a single Presidency by the new Constitution of 1967. Elections of 1967 returned Colorados to power, who became increasingly repressive in the face of growing popular protests and insurgency.

Military Dictatorship

An urban guerrilla movement known as the Tupamaros formed in the early 1960s, first robbing banks and distributing food and money in poor neighborhoods, then undertaking political kidnappings and attacks on security forces. Their efforts succeeded in first embarrassing, and then destabilizing, the government.

The US Office of Public Safety (OPS) began operating in Uruguay in 1965. The US OPS trained Uruguayan police and intelligence in policing and interrogration techniques. The Uruguayan Chief of Police Intelligence, Alejandro Otero, told a Brazilian newspaper in 1970 that the OPS, especially the head of the OPS in Uruguay, Dan Mitrione, had instructed the Uruguayan police how to torture suspects, especially with electrical implements.

President Jorge Pacheco declared a state of emergency in 1968, and this was followed by a further suspension of civil liberties in 1972 by his successor, President Juan María Bordaberry. President Bordaberry brought the Army in to combat the guerrillas of the Movement of National Liberation (MLN), which was led by Raúl Sendic. After defeating the Tupamaros, the military seized power in 1973. Torture was effectively used to gather information needed to break up the MLN and also against trade union officers, members of the Communist Party and even regular citizens. Torture practices extended until the end of Uruguayan dictatorship in 1985. Uruguay soon had

95 the highest per capita percentage of political prisoners in the world. The MLN heads were isolated in improvised prisons and subjected to repeated acts of torture. Emigration from Uruguay rose drastically, as large numbers of Uruguayans looked for political asylum throughout the world.

Bordaberry was finally removed from his “president charge” in 1976. He was first succeeded by . Subsequently a national council chosen by the military government elected Aparicio Méndez. In 1980, in order to legitimize their position, the armed forces proposed a change in the constitution, to be subjected to a popular vote by a referendum. The “No” votes— against the constitutional changes totalled 57.2% of the votes, showing the unpopularity of the de facto government, that was later accelerated by an economic crisis.

In 1981, General Gregorio Álvarez assumed the presidency. Massive protests against the dictatorship broke out in 1984. After a 24-hour general strike, talks began and the armed forces announced a plan for return to civilian rule. National elections were held later in 1984. Colorado Party leader Julio María Sanguinetti won the presidency and, following the brief interim Presidency of , served from 1985 to 1990. The first Sanguinetti administration implemented economic reforms and consolidated democratization following the country’s years under military rule. Nonetheless, Sanguinetti never supported the human rights violations accusations, and his government did not prosecute the military officials who engaged in repression and torture against either the Tupamaros or the MLN. Instead, he opted for signing an amnesty treaty called in Spanish “Ley de Amnistia.”

Around 180 Uruguayans are known to have been killed during the 12-year military rule from 1973-1985. Most were killed in Argentina and other neighbouring countries, with only 36 of them having been killed in Uruguay. A large number of those killed, were never found and the missing people have been referred to as the “disappeared”, or “desaparecidos” in Spanish.

Modern History

Sanguinetti’s economic reforms, focusing on the attraction of foreign trade and capital, achieved some success and stabilized the economy. In order to promote national reconciliation and facilitate the return of democratic civilian rule, Sanguinetti secured public approval by plebiscite of a controversial general amnesty for military leaders accused of committing human rights violations under the military regime and sped the release of former guerrillas.

The National Party’s won the 1989 presidential election and served from 1990 to 1995. President Lacalle executed major economic structural reforms and pursued further liberalization of trade regimes, including Uruguay’s inclusion in the Southern Common Market () in 1991. Despite economic growth during Lacalle’s term, adjustment and privatization efforts provoked political opposition, and some reforms were overturned by referendum.

In the 1994 elections, former President Sanguinetti won a new term, which ran from 1995 until March 2000. As no single party had a majority in the General Assembly, the National Party joined with Sanguinetti’s Colorado Party in a coalition government. The Sanguinetti government continued Uruguay’s economic reforms and integration into MERCOSUR. Other important reforms were aimed at improving the electoral system, social security, education, and public

96 safety. The economy grew steadily for most of Sanguinetti’s term until low commodity prices and economic difficulties in its main export markets caused a recession in 1999, which continued into 2002.

The 1999 national elections were held under a new electoral system established by a 1996 constitutional amendment. Primaries in April decided single presidential candidates for each party, and national elections on October 31 determined representation in the legislature. As no presidential candidate received a majority in the October election, a runoff was held in November. In the runoff, Colorado Party candidate , aided by the support of the National Party, defeated Broad Front candidate Tabaré Vázquez.

The Colorado and National Parties continued their legislative coalition, as neither party by itself won as many seats as the 40% of each house won by the Broad Front coalition. The formal coalition ended in November 2002, when the Blancos withdrew their ministers from the cabinet, although the Blancos continued to support the Colorados on most issues.

Batlle’s five-year term was marked by economic recession and uncertainty, first with the 1999 devaluation of the Brazilian real, then with the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (aftosa) in Uruguay’s key beef sector in 2001, and finally with the political and economic collapse of Argentina. Unemployment rose to close to twenty percent, real wages fell, the peso was devalued and the percentage of Uruguayans in poverty reached almost forty percent.

These worsening economic conditions played a part in turning public opinion against the free market economic policies adopted by the Batlle administration and its predecessors, leading to popular rejection through plebiscites of proposals for privatization of the state petroleum company in 2003 and of the state water company in 2004. In 2004 Uruguayans elected Tabaré Vázquez as president, while giving the Broad Front coalition a majority in both houses of parliament. The newly elected government, while pledging to continue payments on Uruguay’s external debt, has also promised to undertake a crash jobs programs to attack the widespread problems of poverty and unemployment.

In 2009, former Tupamaro and agriculture minister , was elected president, subsequently succeeding Vázquez on March 1, 2010.

Brazil

Facts, Figures & National Holidays • Area: 3,286,470 square miles

• Capital: Brasilia

• Languages: Portuguese is the official language; English is also spoken

• Ethnicity: White 47.7%, biracial 43.1%, black 7.6%, Asian 1.1%, indigenous 0.4%

• Location: Brazil is bordered by Argentina, Bolivia, , , Guyana 1, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and .

97 • Geography: Brazil is geographically divided into highlands and plateaus in the south and the Amazon River Basin in the north.

• Population: 210,147,125 (estimate)

• Religions: Roman Catholic 64.6%, other Catholic 0.4%, Protestant 22.2% (includes Adventist 6.5%, Assembly of God 2.0%, Christian Congregation of Brazil 1.2%, Universal Kingdom of God 1.0%, other Protestant 11.5%), other Christian 0.7%, Spiritism 2.2%, other 1.4%, none 8%, unspecified 0.4%

• Time Zone: Brazil has four time zones. When it is 6am in Washington D.C., it is 7am in Rio de Janeiro.

National Holidays: Brazil

In addition to the holidays listed below, Brazil 05/01 Labor Day / May Day celebrates a number of national holidays 09/07 Independence Day that follow a lunar calendar, such as Easter., Carnival, and Corpus Christi To find out if you 10/12 Our Lady Aparecida / Children’s Day will be traveling during these holidays, please visit www.timeanddate.com/holidays. 11/02 All Souls Day

01/01 New Year’s Day 11/15 Republic Proclamation Day

04/21 Tiradentes Day 12/25 Christmas

Brazil: A Brief History Modern day Brazil was inhabited as far back as 8,000 years ago by migrating hunters who traveled from Asia by land or coastal sea routes. The Portuguese, who eventually settled much of this land, did not arrive until the 15th century. Motivated by competition with Spain, and inspired by advances in navigation, Portugal first sailed toward Brazil in search of a path to the Far East. They were granted land rights below a north-south line through an agreement with Spain known as the Treaty of Tordesillas. An expedition commanded by Pedro Alvares Cabral then formally claimed the land on behalf of the King of Portugal. Brazil was finally settled in 1532 by São Vicente. Later, a system of twelve “captaincies” united it under Tome de Souza.

As the new colony began to prosper, interest grew from other European countries. In 1630, the Dutch occupied the northeast, and the city of Recife flourished under Count Maurits, but the Dutch were eventually driven out. Settlement in Brazil remained heavy on the east coast until a boom beckoned people from all over the country to move inland in search of gold and, later, diamonds. A group of bandeirantes (colonial scouts) pushed west in search of riches and slaves; they established outposts where many of today’s Brazilian cities still exist.

Throughout the next two centuries, Portugal benefited from Brazil’s prosperity through a series of taxes and restrictions that were common for the time. In 1788, Jose da Silva Xavier led an unsuccessful movement for independence from these practices. That independence came years later, after Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Portugal and the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil.

98 When the war was over and they returned home, their son, Pedro, declared independence and later became Emperor of Brazil. He later abdicated to his five-year-old son, Dom Pedro II, who officially took over at the age of 15 and led Brazil through a period of progress and expansion. After freeing all slaves in Brazil in 1888, Dom Pedro II was overthrown in favor of a new republican government.

The Republic saw Brazil through World War I and the Great Depression, but was overthrown by a military junta. Getulio Vargas outlawed the elected government and replaced it with the Estado Novo. Vargas instituted nationalist policies, developing the country’s vast resources and uniting Brazil with the Allies during World War II. After Vargas, a series of military-appointed presidents followed until 1985, when a civilian was again elected to the presidency. Brazil then entered a period of economic prosperity and, in 1989, returned to a democratic government with the election of Fernando Collor de Mello (often simply referred to as “Collor”).

Unfortunately, the election did not result in the political stability that Brazilians had hoped for. In 1994, a former Minister of the Treasury, Fernando Henrique Cardoso was elected president. President Cardoso’s administration put a strong emphasis on improving Brazil’s economy and reaching out the international community at large. Despite some setbacks, he was re-elected in 1998, and managed to somewhat control the rampant inflation that had been an issue for Brazil in the past. Lula was re-elected for a second term, and in 2009 was faced with his biggest challenge: the world financial crisis. Although the Brazilian economy was impacted, certain tax measures and investments in industry and manufacturing helped the country bounce back. In 2010 Dilma Rousseff was elected as Brazil’s first female president; one of her first challenges was preparing the country to be a host of both the World Cup Finals (in 2014) and the Summer Olympics (in 2016). She has also instituted new programs designed to reduce poverty, especially childhood poverty. Rousseff was charged with criminal administrative misconduct and disregard for the federal budget during her second term and suspended on April 17th, 2016, with her Vice President Michel Temer taking over her duties as Acting President until her formal impeachment on August 31st, 2016. In the 2018 elections, Jair Bolsonaro, the first president of the Republic to graduate from the Armed Forces since the end of the Military Regime, was elected. That same year, during the Senate elections, Rousseff ran for office in Minas Gerais. She placed fourth.

99 RESOURCES

Suggested Reading

Argentina The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander (2009, Historical Fiction) Set in Buenos Aires’s Jewish community during the 1970s, the author’s well-received first novel blends a family story with the tragic “dirty war”—a time when citizens were made to disappear.

Enduring Patagonia by Gregory Crouch (2001, Non-fiction) This is the gripping true adventure story that documents the successes and failures of seven climbing expeditions in the Patagonian Andes.

False Calm: A Journey Through the Ghost Towns of Patagonia by Maria Sonia Cristoff (2005, Non-fiction) Although the author left her tiny, remote town in Patagonia, she later returned to interview the people who stayed. Part memoir, part reporting, and part travelogue this beautifully written book gives you a great sense of the isolation of Patagonia.

And the Money Kept Rolling In (and Out) by Paul Blustein (2005, Economics/History) A currency crisis isn’t usually a page-turner. But Blustein manages to do just while he digs into what role the World Bank, the IMF and Wall Street played in the spectacular collapse of Argentina’s economy in 2001.

Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron by Nicholas Fraser and Marysa Navarro (1996, Biography) Considered to be one of the best-researched and most balanced accounts of the woman behind the myth.

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (1977, Travel Narrative) A masterpiece of travel, history and adventure. This engaging book captures the spirit of the land, history, wildlife, and people of Patagonia.

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey by Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1992 Memoir/Travel Narrative) The true-life story of ’s attempt to see South America from the back of an old motorcycle at the age of 23. Later in life, he would claim that it was this journey that started to form his political beliefs.

The House on Garibaldi Street by Isser Harel (1975, Biography). A true story of one of this century’s most audacious intelligence operations - the kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by the Mossad, Israel’s secret intelligence service. Women’s History Month. Celebrate women who inspire change.

100 Chile The House of the Spirits, Daughter of Fortune, and Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende (2015-2020, Literature) Three books by one of Chile’s most accomplished authors. The House of the Spirits follows the passionate ups and downs of four generations; Portrait in Sepia is a novel about memory and secrets as a woman attempts to trace her family history; and Daughter of Fortune is about a young woman from Chile who follows her heart to the California gold rush.

Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar (2015, Non-fiction) In 2010, the world was gripped by the news reports of 33 miners trapped for 69 days below the surface—this is their story.

The Dictator’s Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet by Heraldo Munoz (2008, Biography/History) Recounts the many terrifying acts of Chile’s former dictator, his rise to power, and what it took to be rid of him.

Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes (2004, Fiction) The novel has two intertwined stories—one set in 1913 just before the outbreak of World War I and one in the 1970s—both featuring a heroine of her time.

The Essential Neruda by Pablo Neruda (2004, Poetry) Chile’s famous poet printed several volumes during his lifetime—all worthwhile—but this edition is a good introduction to his best- known works.

An Inside View … Allende’s Chile by Edward Boorstein (1977, History) Recommended by our Chilean office, the book recounts the collaboration of U.S. corporations and government agencies to destabilize Allende’s Popular Unity government written by an economic advisor to Allende.

Uruguay The Invisible Mountain by Carolina De Robertis (Historical Fiction) The story of three generations of women against the backdrop of Uruguay during the violent guerrilla movement of the late 1960s.

Lands of Memory by Felisberto Hernandez (Short Stories) A beautiful compilation of short stories and novellas by a well-known Uruguayan writer.

The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano (Memoir) A collage-like memoir by Uruguayan journalist and author Eduardo Galeano, including recollections of his exile during the military dictatorship in the 1970s and other observations and remembrances.

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read (Memoir) In October 1972, Flight 571 crashed into the Andes Mountains carrying an Uruguayan rugby team, along with their family and friends. Alive tells the story of the crash and how sixteen of the passengers managed to survive in sub-zero temperatures.

101 Brazil Brazil by Michael Palin (2012, Travel Narrative) What would it be like to travel Brazil with a cultured and funny travel enthusiast who happened to be a member of the famed British comedy group Monty Python? This book tells you.

The Brazilians by Joseph Page (1995, Culture) A useful review of how Brazil’s people, history, economy and politics have shaped its modern-day culture.

Brazil: Five Centuries of Change by Thomas E. Skidmore (2009, 2nd Ed., History) It’s hard to condense 500 years of history into roughly 250 pages, but this useful volume on Brazil’s colonial history and post-independence era mostly succeeds. (For more recent history, you could pick up The New Brazil by Riordan Roett or The Throes of Democracy: Brazil since 1989 by Bryan McCann.)

Brazil by Errol Lincoln Uys (2000, Literature) A massive and sweeping historical novel that follows the lives of two families across multiple generations, set against the backdrop of historical Brazil. Reminiscent of Alex Haley’s Roots or Shogun by James Clavell, but this time set in South America.

Suggested Film & Video

Argentina Blessed by Fire (2005, Drama) A film about the Falklands War (Malvinas War) and its aftermath, as told from the point of view of an Argentinean soldier looking back at his experiences two decades later. In Spanish with subtitles.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004, Biopic) This nicely done coming-of-age film follows a 23-year-old Che Guevara (played by Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal) and his friend (played by Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna) on a motorcycle journey across South America. Spanish with subtitles.

The Official Story (1985, Drama) As Alicia searches for more information about her adopted daughter’s birth mother, she begins to uncover the history and extent of “the Disappeared”— political prisoners held captive by Argentina’s ruling military government. In Spanish with subtitles.

Operation Finale (2018, Drama/History) In 1960, Israeli spies travel to Argentina to undertake a daring mission to capture notorious Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann and bring him to justice.

Chile No (2012, Drama). Set in the 1980s and based on an unpublished play by Antonio Skarmeta, this Chilean drama explores the role of advertising in General Augusto Pinochet’s campaign for re-election. The film has been highly praised for its dark humor and cynical take on modern democracy but received mixed reviews in Chile.

102 Missing (1982, Drama). When an expat writer living in Chile during the 1973 coup goes missing, his wife and father-in-law (played by Jack Lemmon) must navigate complex and dangerous political waters to search for him. A gripping portrayal directed by Costa-Gavras.

The Battle of Chile (1975-1979, Documentary). A three-part documentary series about the 1973 coup d’etat that deposed President Salvador Allende and raised General Augusto Pinochet to power. Unique in that it was filmed over four years in Chile as events were unfolding.

Uruguay Whisky (2004, Comedy) One of the most well-known Uruguayan films, Whisky tells the story of German and his estranged brother Jacobo. Jacobo returns to his sock factory after a long absence in hopes of finding a wife and showing that he has made something of his life.

Anina (2013, Animation) A Uruguayan children’s tale about a young girl who gets into an altercation on the playground. As a punishment, she is given a sealed envelope and instructed not to open it for a week. As Anina anxiously waits to discover the contents of the envelopes, she ends up on a journey of her own.

Brazil City of God (2003, Foreign) The film follows a group of friends from the 1960s through the 80s as they grow up in a Brazilian shantytown—ironically named “the City of God”. The film deals frankly with violence, drugs, poverty, and other topics that can be hard to watch, but was considered an instant classic by critics. The original title is Cidade de Deus.

Favela Rising (2005, Documentary) A documentary about the work of Anderson Sa, a reformed drug trafficker who formed a non-profit group that promotes music and education in the favelas (shantytowns) of Brazil.

The Mission (1986, Historical Drama) This visually stunning period drama (with Robert De Niro) is about a group of Jesuits trying to convert indigenous tribes by Iguassu Falls. But suddenly, everything they have worked for is thrown into disarray when the land their mission stands on goes from being Spanish territory to Portuguese.

The Mechanism (2018, Political Drama) Netflix TV Show, loosely based of true events. A scandal erupts in Brazil during an investigation of alleged government corruption via oil and construction companies.

103 Useful Websites

Overseas Adventure Travel World Weather www.oattravel.com www.intellicast.com www.weather.com Overseas Adventure Travel Store www.wunderground.com www.oatshop.com Basic Travel Phrases (80 languages) Overseas Adventure Travel Frequently www.travlang.com/languages Asked Questions www.oattravel.com/faq Packing Tips www.travelite.org International Health Information/CDC (Centers for Disease Control) U.S. Customs & Border Protection http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel www.cbp.gov/travel

Electricity & Plugs Transportation Security www.worldstandards.eu/electricity/ Administration (TSA) plugs-and-sockets www.tsa.gov

Foreign Exchange Rates National Passport Information Center www.xe.com/currencyconverter www.travel.state.gov www.oanda.com/converter/classic Holidays Worldwide ATM Locators www.timeanddate.com/holidays www.mastercard.com/atm www.visa.com/atmlocator

104 VACCINATIONS NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL TRAVELERS, SHIP CREW, TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS, AND COACH DRIVERS Plus, updated Health & Safety Protocols for our Land Tours

The health and safety of our travelers is always our #1 priority, and we understand travelers are concerned about exploring the world in light of the unprecedented crisis we are currently facing. To ensure your safety and give you peace of mind, we have worked with our regional team and listened to government guidance and feedback from our travelers to create these health and safety protocols for our trips. As we continue to make changes, we will keep our website updated with the latest information.

VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS • All travelers, ship crew, and Trip Experience AND UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY Leaders will have their temperature checked PROTOCOLS FOR SMALL SHIP every time they return to the ship using a non- ADVENTURES contact infrared temperature scanner. • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against • All meals are served by the dining staff— COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure buffets are no longer available. and provide proof of vaccination upon VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS AND boarding the ship. If you are unable to UPDATED HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS provide proof of vaccination upon arrival at FOR SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES ON LAND your destination, you will have to return • All travelers must be fully vaccinated against home at your own expense. COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to departure. If To meet this requirement, please bring your you are unable to provide proof of vaccination original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon arrival at your destination, you will with you on your trip. The white card must have to return home at your own expense. display your name, type of vaccine, and the To meet this requirement, please bring your date(s) the vaccine was administered. We also original COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with suggest taking a picture of this card to keep for you on your trip. The white card must display your records as a backup. your name, type of vaccine, and the date(s) • All local Trip Experience Leaders, the vaccine was administered. We also suggest fully ship staff, and crew will be taking a picture of this card to keep for your vaccinated against COVID-19. records as a backup. fully • All coach drivers will be • All local Trip Experience Leaders will be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. vaccinated against COVID-19. • All public areas will be sanitized nightly and • All coach drivers will be fully vaccinated all ships are equipped with High Efficiency against COVID-19. Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

Help us ensure travelers’ safety and health while on our trips. Please follow best health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of illness—wash your hands regularly and cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Together, we can create a safer travel experience for everyone.

Learn more at www.oattravel.com/covid-update

105 Notes

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111 YOUR TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADER

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For your The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords adventure, your Trip Experience Leaders have earned an overall “Excellence” rating of 93% in post-trip surveys completed by our travelers.

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