Chile, Argentina & Brazil holiday, Santiago to Rio

Planet

This journey is a showcase for Latin America's extraordinary diversity. We visit Iguazú Falls National Park to appreciate the full power of nature but also to appreciate how both Brazil and Argentina are attempting to preserve the natural environment with strict rules preventing construction in the park and management and flow of the number of visitors to prevent the sort of development which blights natural sites in other parts of the world. We travel through many beautiful but fragile environments on this trip such as Lake Nahuel Huapi, Petrohue Falls and Parati where you will take a three-masted schooner around the bay which allows us to access some of the virtually uninhabited little islands in the bay. Guides will help visitors to travel responsibly, sticking to designated paths and trails etc.

In Puerto Varas and Bariloche, we use small local companies to supply our excursions, which are led by guides primed in the environmental aspects of a visit to the region including the impact of tourism.

People

In the vast metropolises of Buenos Aires and Santiago, rather than whizz you around in an air-conditioned coach, we escort you on a walking tour of the principal sights, with an emphasis on the historical cultural heritage of the capitals. You are led to appreciate how the cities grew both organically and as a result of direct human action, and what life is like now for the many inhabitants.

On this tour, there’s an opportunity to visit Chiloe with a responsible local operator. This trip includes visiting local family homes for a traditional curanto, having lunch in a local restaurant with local food and learning about the ecology and wildlife on the island – one which encourages sustainable building and responsible tourism.

We encourage passengers to enjoy the trails and look after them properly around the Lake District in Argentina instead of taking one of the numerous bus tours available.

In Parati we stay in small locally run hotels which are in keeping with the design and surroundings of the town. As it can reach high temperatures in Brazil, air conditioning if used is encouraged to be switched off while out of the rooms.