13 Days Luxury South America Cruise - Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires

Pre Cruise Benefits
Private Executive Transfers
International flights - Economy class
Airport transfers
Hotel

Lie back on the golden sands to soak up the extraordinary setting - or watch on as muscled cariocas - locals - perform effortless athletic feats, during casual volleyball matches. A trip up to Rio de Janeiro’s iconic art-deco statue of Christ the Redeemer is, of course, a must do - offering an extraordinary view of the city rolling out before your eyes. You’ll also want to take a cable car to swing by the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, which juts sharply into the sky from nowhere. Brazil’s second largest city moves to an infectious samba beat, and the famous thumping Carnival floods colour and floats down its streets each year. Of course, Rio is also a city of sharp cultural contrasts – offering fun in the sun for some, while life goes on very much as it always has for others. Take a guided tour, led by a resident, to see the conditions inside these complex tapestries of colour and chaos first-hand. Tijuca National Park, offers easy-to-access tranquillity, immersing you in dense forestry and whopping birdsong. Later, watch the fiery shades of sunset spread across the sky in the city’s oh so famous evening light show. With so much to offer, you’ll quickly learn how Rio earned its other name ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’ – The Marvellous City.

Portuguese for beautiful island, Ilhabela carries its name well. Considered a natural paradise by both locals and visitors alike, the island is a kaleidoscope of beautiful beaches, lush tropical rainforests and an incredible 360 waterfalls. Located a four hour drive (and a 15-minute ferry ride) from São Paolo, 85% of the island is a UNESCO-Biosphere Reserve. While people may come initially to Ihalbela for its famous beaches, (one of which was named as a top ten worldwide beach by The Guardian), expect much greater things that just sunning and relaxing in the shade from this little island. With almost 25 miles/40 kilometres of pristine beaches, fun in the sun is certainly always an option, but Ilhabela is also a vibrant little city, full of vivacity and history, just waiting to be discovered. Located on the west coast of the island, Ilhabela town still shows signs of its colonial past, examples of which can be see through the local architecture. Perhaps one of the most photogenic chapels you will see on the island is the Nossa Senhora D’Ajuda. Built in 1806, the Catholic church is a pretty little white-washed building set on a hill, positioned as if protecting over the town. Decked with colourful bunting much of the time, the church is filled to the rafters on holy days with locals expressing their faith. The interior of the church has signs of faded grand charm, much like the city itself. Several miles before the entrance to town, on the way to the ferry, is the Princess’ House, an impressive 18th-century mansion belonging to the Fazenda Engenho d’Agua, one of the most important of Ilhabela’s many former sugar plantations.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

Beautiful beaches attract many to Porto Belo, but there are other natural attractions. The Atlantic forest of the Brazil coast has a great variety of plants and birds, including many found nowhere else. It is second only to the Amazon in diversity. But most of the forest has been cleared for agriculture. Trekking in the surviving forest near Port Belo puts you amid the super-rich and rare ecosystem. Azorean culture has become a source of pride to locals in recent years. Between 1747 and 1756, Portugal sent nearly 7500 immigrants from the Azores and Madeira to the state of Santa Catarina. They were enticed with money, land, agricultural tools, seeds, livestock and weapons to populate and secure the Portuguese colonial territory from local indigenous people and rival Europeans. They settled and flourished in settlements such as Porto Belo for ten generations. You can still find Azorean cultural influences in cuisine, holy ghost festivals, colourful boats and architecture seen at Praça dos Pescadores (Fishermen’s Square) in Porto Belo. German influence is strong in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. From the early 19th century, Germans emigrated and made up over 50% of immigrants to the state. Adapting to tropical conditions was hard, but many coped with farming and excelled in producing children. Today towns like Blumenau maintain a strong German influence in architecture and festivities, and especially in the essential tradition of locally brewed beer and classic German sausages.

Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.

The fingertips of a showstopping sculpture, emerging from Punta Del Este’s golden sands, is the perfect example of this chic beach city's creative outlook. Stunning stretches of shining sands line the peninsula’s coast, attracting the great and glamourous from across Uruguay and Argentina. Drawn to the beautiful beaches of this seaside city, the well-heeled visitors are joined by a flotilla of yachts, which park up for summer in the ‘Monaco of the South’ - the continent’s city to see and be seen. One of Punda del Este's main beaches, Playa Mansa, enjoys calms seas and a sun-soaked location - overlooked by a soaring lighthouse, which is orbited by gliding sea birds. The sand is soft and inviting, so lie back to soak up the intense sun, before views of Gorriti Island just offshore. On the other side is Playa Brava, where the city’s signature artwork, ‘The Hand’ - one of many quirky sculptures that litter the streets - grasps at the sky. Relax your way – whether that’s cracking golf balls along coastal courses, cycling beside washing waves, or swimming in tempting waters. Bustling nightlife, art galleries, and museums give Punta del Este an artsy, eclectic atmosphere. Close to the port, you can discover fancy restaurants, serving up stacks of fresh seafood – and enjoy opulent meals while relishing golden views down over the port, where lavish yachts and modest fishing boats mingle. Head down to the harbour to see fishermen selling freshly caught produce and sea lions gathering to feast on the scraps.

Poetic, worldly, and jam-packed with historical intrigue, Uruguay’s refined capital is a city of culture, creativity and beachfront bliss. Just shy of half of all of Uruguay’s population calls Montevideo home, and the city is enjoying a resurgence, as its reputation as one of South America’s essential destinations burgeons. Glorious colonial architecture has been repurposed to house cultural treasures - while glassy skyscrapers, modernist museums and twisted artworks spring up regularly across this vibrant, energetic city, which stands across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires. Recognised as a UNESCO Creative City, there’s rich intellectual history here, not to mention sultry tango - a dance form that the Uruguayan’s claim as their own. With bright and breezy tree-lined streets, and refreshing salty sea breezes cooling its endless beaches, Montevideo is an incredibly liveable seaside city. La Rambla, the long and wide waterfront path, provides a welcome partition from the city’s buildings and is a wonderful place to wander and relax on benches and sea walls. Having toed and froed between Portuguese and Spanish rule at the height of their colonial powers, the city and country is littered with fortifications and historical relics. Head to the central square Plaza Independencia to see the statue and mausoleum dedicated to José Artigas, who is known as the father of Uruguayan independence, which was achieved in 1825. You’ll also be standing before an iconic Montevideo landmark, the beautiful Palacio Salvo’s impressive tower. Mercado del Puerto is a taste of Uruguayan cuisine, blending mouth-watering influences from Brazil and Argentina – try juicy, fire-seared steaks, and tasty caipirinhas cocktails.

Passionate, and alive with an infectious crackling energy, the Argentine capital is a breathlessly romantic city, which blends old-world colonial architecture with a down-to-earth Latin American clamour. Famed for steamy tango interplays, and expertly seared steak slabs, a visit to Buenos Aires is a fiery fiesta for the senses. Parque Tres de Febrero is a 400-hectare oasis where 18,000 rose bushes bloom, and skyscrapers give way to still lakes and pretty paths of rollerblading locals. Mighty palm trees - that look like exploding fireworks - stand tall in Plaza de Mayo, the heart of this sprawling cosmopolitan capital of 48 barrios. The square has served as the stage for many fundamental events in this country’s history, and the location where the seeds of independence were sewn continues to serve as the city’s gathering point - and is a place for solidarity, rebellion and revolution. The presidential Casa Rosada’s salmon-hued Palatial Palace borders the plaza, while nearby Museum Nacional de Bellas Artes houses the largest collection of public art in Latin America. Teatro Colón, the opulent 1908 opera house, is one of the world’s finest venues - musical performance here take on an ethereal quality, with the exceptional acoustics transferring every quiver of bow, and tremor of vocal cord, to the audience in spine-tingling clarity. The gargantuan, precipitous terraces of Bombonera Stadium form another of Buenos Aires’s incredible venues, and a wall of noise emanates from it when Boca Juniors take to the field. Juicy steak and punchy Malbec flow in the city’s parrillas – steakhouses - while glitzy bars and thumping nightclubs welcome revellers late into the night. It’s not just the meat that sizzles here either - tango dancers fill milongas - dance halls - to strut passionately until the early hours. Sip steaming mate, the country’s national drink, shop in covered markets, and explore Cementerio de la Recoleta - a city of grand graves and intricate memorials honouring presidents, politicians and notable Argentine heroes from history.

Post Cruise Benefits
Airport transfers
International flights - Economy class
Private Executive Transfers

Itineraries are subject to change.