Essence of South America

We loved the over the Andes boat trips and certainly the dance school in Buenos Aires.

excellent, we liked the hotel in Puella especially

I have been on other Tauck tours and they were wonderful. I feel that Tauck cut corners on this trip maybe to bring it in at a price. In the best we had the best. We did not have it here. It would have been worth it to pay more and better accommendations and better food. You do not go to South America that often. Three years ago we were in China with Tauck and I would rate that as 5 star all the way.

My wife and I went on the 2 March 2007 Essence of South America Tour. This was the seventh tour called ES7 for short. The following are our personal opinions and comments on the trip. I am sure other people on our tour may have different opinions. Tauck has put together a perfectly wonderful tour of three great countries in South America. All the basics are in place as far as the major components of the tour are concerned such as cities to be visited, the lakes crossing of the Andes, the Iguazo Falls visit, etc. This tour, since it is new, is still a work in progress. Many of the daily events are still being tinkered with and there are already some changes that have been made to the description found in the original brochure. Our Tour Director (TD) said that no major changes will be made until 2010 at the earliest. Mark was our TD and he did everything in his power to make this a memorable vacation. The tour is very much a “nature” tour in that it is all about snow capped mountains, lakes, volcanoes, glaciers, subtropical rain forests, jungles, lush green surroundings, seldom seen wildlife and birds and visits to farms and ranches in addition to the three large cities. If you were to ask me if you should go on this tour as soon as possible or wait for a few years I would say go now. It is too much fun.

There were 36 people on our tour, which is about average, and they ranged in age from the forties to the eighties. My wife and I are both 66 and in reasonably good shape. We participated in all the daily activities. If you are physically able but are thinking about skipping a particular daily activity and just want to stay at the hotel I would say definitely don’t. There are just too many great things to see and do. Just about everyone on the tour had a camera, most of them were digital. I think I was the only one with both a digital and a video camera. I took about 270 still shots and two hours of video. Kodak film was readily available at shops throughout the tour. This is not a leisurely tour by any means and we were on the go continuously. There is a good deal of walking and even stair climbing and not all the people on the tour chose to participate in all the events. One woman had her eighty year old father with her on the tour and she brought along a very light-weight and foldable wheelchair that was used to good advantage on several occasions. She took it on the bus tours with us and it was just stowed as part of the luggage and was not a problem. Our city tours of Santiago and Buenos Aires were done on weekends and this definitely cuts down on the amount of traffic you encounter. Our city tours of Rio were on weekdays and traffic can be a real problem. We were all tired at the end of the tour and even our TD looked a little tired. I believe the tour should be at least one night longer to allow everyone to catch their breath and get a little more free time to themselves. I will mention where this night should be inserted below. Do not over pack for this trip. We both took one piece of check-in luggage that weighed about 44 lbs each plus one carry-on and one personal item.

We had Tauck arrange our air travel to and from South America. We live in San Diego and they booked us on Delta Airlines through Atlanta to Santiago and then from Rio to Atlanta on the way home. Most people were on Delta flights through Atlanta. A large percentage of the people on the tour were from the East Coast. Some went through Miami and some through Washington DC on the way home.

There are three things that you will have no control over on this trip so you will just have to learn to accept them the way they are. The first is the weather. This is pretty much the luck of the draw. How much enjoyment you get from various parts of the tour will depend heavily on the type of weather you encounter. On many days of the year the smog and pollution in the atmosphere prevents you from seeing the Andes in Santiago. We lucked out and had great views of them from our hotel window. We were EXTREMELY fortunate in not having any rain to speak of until the night of the farewell dinner and our last day in Rio. Expect rain on this tour. The area where the lakes crossing of the Andes occurs gets rain 280 days a year. We experienced sunny/partly cloudy days during the two day crossing which allowed us to see the Andes in all of their majesty. If it is raining you may not see much at all. It rained for a week solid in Buenos Aires just before we arrived. On our first full day in Rio we went to Corcovado hill to see the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer. This statue has recently been named one of the world’s new seven wonders. The 360 degree view of the city must be among the best views in the world. The next day it rained and we could not have seen anything. The second thing was the slow service in restaurants. It is just part of the native culture to do things in an unhurried manner at meal time and is not what most Americans are used to. Dinner took anywhere from two to three hours to eat. The inevitable unexpected delays are the third thing. We do not live in a perfect world and late flights, long airport lines and traffic jams are all things we just have to deal with in a good-natured manner.

Internal Flights on the Tour. There are four internal flights on the tour. From Santiago to Puerto Montt we flew Comet Airlines. From Bariloche to Buenos Aires and from Buenos Aires to Iguazu we flew on Aerolineas Argentinas and from Iguazu to Rio de Janeiro we flew on TAM Airlines. All the aircraft were large, jet powered and well maintained and all the airlines appeared to be efficient and safe. All four flights were about one and a half hours in duration and drinks and light meals were served. In Rio, if the airport authorities feel like it they will x-ray your luggage after you arrive on a flight. One of the tour groups before ours had to wait at the airport for almost an hour and a half while they x-rayed every piece of luggage one at a time. The Rio airport is also very strict on weight limits on baggage. We were told to make sure that our carry-on luggage weighed no more than 10-12 lbs. If it looks to them like it weighs more they will weigh it with dire consequences for you.

Buses and Tour Guides. The buses were clean, new looking, air conditioned and very comfortable and were up to typical Tauck standards. There was always bottled water available on the buses. In the large cities the buses were equipped with bathrooms. The bathroom could not be used inside the city limits of Buenos Aires for some reason. We changed assigned seats every day as is Tauck’s custom. The tour guides we had were very knowledgeable and helpful and all spoke very good English. They gave us huge amounts of information on the history, politics and present economic situation of all the countries. Anything of value that was left on the bus when we were off touring was perfectly safe as the bus driver always stayed with the bus with the door closed. The bus drivers were very professional and it is amazing to see them navigate those big buses through traffic.

Traffic Safety. You must be very careful crossing streets in South America. Drivers have the right of way over pedestrians and I have seen drivers crash red lights and ignore all manner of road signs.

Bathroom Facilities. All the bathrooms we used on the tour were clean and in good repair. Take some extra toilet paper with you on the trip just in case. Amazingly one of the nicest and largest restrooms was at a gas station on our way to the winery tour.

Water. Tap water is perfectly safe to drink, bathe and brush your teeth with in Chile and Argentina. This is not true in Brazil and even the locals use bottled water. Bottled water was always available on the bus and you can always get bottled water at the restaurants and from the minibar in your hotel room if necessary.

Crime. Crime in South America is the same problem that it is in all big cities. The most common threats are from pickpockets. Men should always carry their wallets in their front pants pocket. Never walk around on the streets with anything you can’t afford to lose such as passports or expensive jewelry or watches. Even children or women with babies can be pickpockets and you must be aware of your surroundings.

Food and Drinks. All the foods that we ate on the tour were perfectly safe to eat including all the salads and fruit and vegetables. Breakfast is not a big deal in the countries we visited and they view coffee as something you drink when breakfast is over. They do not realize/do not care that Americans want their coffee poured as soon as they sit down and it was often a hassle to get coffee promptly. Even though all the hotel restaurants had warmers under the serving trays the scrambled eggs and bacon were often cold. At the Grand Hyatt in Santiago they had electric warmers under the serving trays but the thermostats were set on the lowest setting. When I asked the waiter about this he only shrugged. We normally ate lunch at about two in the afternoon. The locals normally eat dinner at around nine at night. Since it takes so long to eat dinner we normally tried to eat at around seven but often the restaurants don’t open until seven thirty. In the countries we visited beef is king. I had beef coming out my ears by the end of the tour but it was so good I just kept eating it. Of course they also have other things on the menu such as hake, salmon and chicken. Since we ate so much beef on the tour it would be wise to find out the Spanish and Portuguese equivalents for rare, medium rare, medium, medium well and well done or you may be surprised with what you get when your meal arrives. I asked the TD to please come up with this list for future tours. If you ask for something, especially something out of the ordinary, it may take a while to get it or you may never get it. We are still waiting for the french fries we ordered at the hotel in Santiago. Not all of the waiters speak fluent English and language can be a problem. One person in our group ordered a Manhattan on the rocks with anchovy olives at the Lloa Llao and the waiter brought him a straight up martini instead. The coffee in the first three hotels was uniformly bad. From the Llao Llao on the coffee was great. As you might suppose the wine in Chile was fantastic. What I didn’t expect was how good the Argentinean wine was. Their specialty is a wine called Malbec which is grown in the Mendoza area of Argentina. It is a type of wine just as Cabernet or Merlot is. We are red wine drinkers and Malbec is all we drank in Argentina and Brazil. It is definitely worth a try. Brazil is not much of a wine producing country and they import wine from Chile and Argentina. All the local beers are very good. In Chile the national drink is the Pisco Sour which can be very potent. In Brazil the national drink is another sour concoction called Caipirinha. I think I like the Pisco Sours more. People in Argentina are addicted to a drink called Mate which is something like tea and contains caffeine and they drink it all day long. There is a ritual associated with drinking it. It tastes like something you need to acquire a taste for. The breads and pastries everywhere we ate were just scrumptious.

Clothes. I wore everything that I took on the trip except for a pullover sweater which I could have worn during the lakes crossing but didn’t. . The following is my recommended packing list for men. For the plane trip to and from South America I wore jeans and a short sleeve shirt. I took one pair of jogging shoes, which I wore almost every day for the walking tours, one pair of topsiders and one pair of dress loafers. I took three pairs of shorts, two of which were cargo shorts and they proved very handy to carry things in such as cameras, etc. I took three pairs of Dockers style long pants and one pair of dress pants for the welcome and farewell dinner. I usually wore shorts during the day and either shorts or long pants at night depending on circumstances. For instance, sometimes you will go to dinner at the hotel before your luggage arrives in your room. I took three colored T shirts, four polo shirts, three short sleeve shirts, one long sleeve shirt and a long sleeve dress shirt and that worked out fine. A light jacket is mandatory for the trip and is needed for the lake crossing portion of the trip as a minimum. The weather for the lake crossing was cool but a light jacket was more than adequate. The temperatures in Chile and Argentina were normally in the 70s and 80s while in Brazil the temperatures did get into the 90s. It was cool on the day we visited the horse ranch in Argentina and I wish I would have taken my light jacket along on that day. It did warm up in the afternoon however. Do not pack a sport coat as it takes up too much room in your luggage and is not needed. My wife packed the following items and wore them all: 2 pairs of walking shoes, 2 pairs of casual shoes, one pair of dressy shoes, six pairs of lightweight cropped pants, 2 pairs of lightweight walking shorts, one light jacket, four T-tops, four cotton shirts of camisoles, necklaces, earings, bracelets, and a couple of dressy scarves.

Hotels. We stayed in a total of seven hotels on the tour including four different hotels in five nights. The hotels ranged from very good to outstanding. The Llao Llao (pronounced Jhow Jhow) Hotel and Resort in Bariloche is billed as one of the finest in South America and it certainly lived up to its reputation. The views from most of our hotel rooms were spectacular. The Grand Hyatt in Santiago provided great views of the Andes; from the Llao Llao the absolutely tranquil view of the Andes and its lakes was breathtaking and we just sat on our balcony and stared at it for a long while; at the Sheraton Iguazu Resort all our hotel rooms had a view of the amazing Iguazu Falls; the panorama of the Rio de Janeiro beaches and Sugar Loaf from the Hotel Sofitel in Rio de Janeiro was unmatched. Two of the hotels that we stayed at, the Hotel Cabanas del Lago and Hotel Natura, were out in the boonies during the lakes crossing of the Andes and were not necessarily in the world class category but were the best available and I liked them a lot. We stayed at the very nice Caesar Park in Buenos Aries but the tour that was two days behind us did not. The trash cans in hotel rooms are very small and all appear to be made by the same manufacturer. There was no kleenex or face cloths at the Hotel Natura or the Hotel Cabanas del Lago. All hotels had Internet access. The Grand Hyatt, Llao and Llao, Caesar Park in Buenos Aires and the Sofitel in Rio all had really well equipped fitness centers and I used all of them. The Caesar Park charged $5 to use theirs but the rest were free. All hotels had in-room safes that were comparable to those in US hotels. One even worked by fingerprint identification.

Daily Schedules. We normally left the hotel between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning both for in-town tours and trips to the airport. Luggage was usually collected between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning on travel days. Some days we got to the hotel late and some days we didn't. If we were just doing an in-town tour we usually got back to the hotel by about 4:00 in the afternoon. On travel days it was usually later. I think we got to the hotel in Rio at about 8:00 in the evening.

Exchanging Money. We did not exchange any money prior to leaving the States as the exchange rates are never very good. The easiest and best place to exchange currency is at your hotel and the rates are usually not bad. The US dollar was accepted almost everywhere, even at the smallest stands. How much money you exchange sort of depends on how much spending you plan to do. I tried to use my credit card as little as possible but always paid my hotel bill by credit card. We usually exchanged about $40 or $50 per country to pay for miscellaneous purchases such as refrigerator magnets, drinks, T-shirts, etc. You end up spending six days in Argentina so you may spend more money there. If a small stand does not look like they can give you change for your US bills it is nice to be able to pay in the local currency. Local currency is also good if you stop and buy a beer at a local bar or when taking cabs. Don't tip the cab driver, just round up to the next whole amount.

Extending the tour. Some of our tour group stayed an extra day in Rio. They planned to go out to dinner together the day the tour ended and then take a harbor cruise the next day. An extra day would give you more time to see the sights in Rio if the weather is nice. Here is some feedback from someone who stayed the extra day. "The extra day was great but it poured rain. Had it not we would have taken a 3 hour cruise of the bay to get a view of Rio from that perspective. Instead we hired a driver for 1 hour (you can hire one for longer)from the hotel and he drove us to Ipanema so we could see the beach as far as the Sheraton. While driving I asked him to show us the bar where Jobim & his lyricist saw the "Girl from Ipanema" walking to school each day so he took us there. It is called the Garotta Café. In spite of the rain we took some photos. In fact some of the others that stayed had gone there for lunch that afternoon. About 10 people stayed the extra day. I am certain if the weather was better we would have done more but I am glad we stayed." By the way, the girl from Ipanema is a grandmother now. I am sorry we did not add an extra day in Santiago so that we could go to Valparaiso but then I really like Chile.

Day 1. We arrived at the Santiago airport at about 0830 in the morning. Just how you get through customs, immigration and visa payment is a little confusing. Chile will not allow the Tauck representatives to meet you at the gate so you are on your own until after you pick up your luggage. As of 1 January 2008 the visa charge for entering Chile is $131 per person and is paid in US dollars. The charge for the Brazilian visa which you must obtain before leaving the US is $130 now. Theses are reciprocity fees and are what the US is charging their citizens to enter the US. The first thing you do in Santiago is pay the visa charge before you get to customs or immigration. We soon learned that for the entire trip where security is concerned the person that happens to be working in the booth you need to go to may be very strict or lenient on any particular day. This is true at airports as well as border crossings. The woman I paid the visa charge to inspected my bills with a fine toothed comb and rejected five of the twenty dollar bills because there were TINY tears in the bills where they were folded. Luckily I had more bills to give her. Other members in our group at other visa windows had no such problem. Do not take fruit off the plane with you when you enter the airport. One couple was immediately fined $80 because they were carrying a banana with them from breakfast. They were not given the option to throw the food away but were immediately fined. Once we picked up our luggage the Tauck representative took over and got us quickly to the hotel. In the afternoon we took a city tour by bus. There is not much to see in Santiago except for the post office and a small Pre-Columbian art museum but the tour does allow you to see the people and show you how clean the city is compared to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. I recommended that Tauck look into a half day bus tour to Valparaiso instead. If you go to Santiago a day early I would definitely do the trip to Valparaiso that the hotel can arrange for you. That evening we had our welcome dinner at the hotel and the food and drink were fantastic and yes, Pisco sours were served before dinner. Baked Chilean Sea Bass was the main course. This was the first of many memorable meals on the tour.

Day 2. We departed the hotel by bus and first visited the Central Market. The chief interest here was the wide variety of fish they had available. We then set off for the winery tour. The winery was located in the Maipo wine producing region of Chile and the tour was first rate in every way. The catered lunch was outdoors under trees and canopies and was one of many truly memorable moments on this tour. The food was just out of this world and the red and white wines from the winery were equally excellent and were poured freely. This was a really nice day and one of the fondest memories I have of this vacation. Dinner was on our own tonight and I really have no restaurants to recommend. Just about any restaurant you go to will require a taxi ride.

Day 3.This morning we flew to Puerto Montt to begin our crossing of the Andes. Once there we ate lunch at a very nice and quaint German restaurant called Kiel. The breaded veal cutlet and the hake were excellent and were washed down by some excellent local beer. During this part of our journey we were surrounded by mountains with glaciers in the distance and even some volcanoes. We drove through Puerto Montt which is really just a fishing village and stopped briefly to see the crafts for sale by the locals. We then moved on and did a brief orientation tour of Puerto Varas before checking into the Cabanas del Lago Hotel. Before dinner we had time to walk the streets of this touristy town which was very pleasant. The hotel was very adequate with good views of the nearby lake.

Day 4. Tauck has wisely chosen to do the lakes crossing in two days. Some tour companies do the crossing in a frenzied one day sprint and it is just not worth it. We crossed the Andes on a total of three lakes, the first being Lake Todos los Santos. The boats are twin hulled catamarans and are very comfortable. Tauck always ensured we got the best seats. For the best views sit upstairs. The lake crossings can be very cool and I think one of the other tours actually encountered snow. You definitely need a light jacket during the daytime. The scenery of the mountains along the lake is just gorgeous. Dress on the catamaran is very casual. They serve beer and wine from a small shop and have a small but very nice souvenir shop as well. The crossing the lakes ball caps are very nice. If you are lucky you will see condors gliding high above the lake near the mountains. After crossing the lake we arrived at the very small town of Peulla and checked into the Hotel Natura. I think that only 150 people live in the town. The hotel is only a year old and is very nice considering its location. After eating lunch at the hotel we went on the El Encanto safari in 4X4 trucks which are definitely off-road vehicles. It was a somewhat wild and bumpy ride over dirt roads and across shallow rivers. We stopped at the Rigi farm which has a large variety of animals that you can get right up close to including llamas, ostriches, assorted farm animals and exotic birds. You need to be a little careful where you step on the farm or you could end up with something unwanted on your shoes. We then returned to the hotel. Optional excursions offered in Puella include fly fishing, sliding down zip lines or jet boating.

I am an amateur astronomer and the night at the Natura and the following two nights at the Llao Llao are the only three nights of the tour that give you a chance to really see the stars of the southern sky. The light pollution in the big cities washes everything out otherwise. At the Natura because we had clear skies we were able to easily see the Milky Way, the Southern Cross, a landmark of the southern sky, the Coalsack which is a dark cloud of gas and dust immediately next to the Southern Cross, as well as the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are satellite galaxies to our Milky Way, and Alpha Centauri which is the closest star to our sun. Since these are all circumpolar they are visible all year round. I hope that your TD will be able to point these out to you.

Day 5. We left the hotel this morning on two small buses to cross the Chile/Argentina border. The Argentine customs office is about 14 miles inside Chile because of all the snow in the winter time. We drove through beautiful Nahuel Hapi National Park and the scenery was grand. We then crossed Lake Frias by boat and took a short bus ride to Puerto Blest Hotel for lunch. Following lunch a 5 minute lake crossing brought us to the “750 step” nature trail where there were beautiful views of waterfalls and temperate forests. The trail is a long wooden pathway that contains a total of 750 steps but not all at once. The steps are spaced out over the entire trail which takes about a half hour to walk. Some parts of the pathway are in need of replacement and you must be a bit careful where you step. Not everyone in our tour group chose to make the entire climb but if you do you will be rewarded with some excellent scenery at the top. Upon return to the Puerto Blest Hotel we reboarded the El Condor catamaran to sail across Nahuel Huapi Lake to Puerto Panuel and the Llao Llao Hotel. Tauck provided very comfortable reserved seating in the front of the boat since we shared our catamarans with other tour groups. The setting for the hotel among the mountains and lakes is unbelievable. The brochure for the tour shows this very well. There is a very nice golf course immediately in front of the hotel. The Llao Llao is a world class resort and really deserves a third night’s stay to adequately enjoy the amenities and let you unwind from the pace of your journey. Our rooms were in the new wing and had fantastic views of the mountains and lakes nearby. These rooms were very large and were the best rooms we stayed in during the entire tour. We just sat on the balcony outside our room and soaked in the tranquility. The layout of the hotel is a maze if your room is in the new wing. We had to take three elevators to get to the lobby and it was easy to get lost going to and from your room. There were at least 30 light switches in our room and they made no sense at all. On this night we ate in the Patagonian restaurant where the atmosphere is casual. There was live entertainment in the bar area at night and the singers were all very good.

Day 6. This day begins with a bus ride to a local chairlift located in Nahuel Huapi National Park. You would never believe that stunning views await you as you start the climb up the hill. As you reach the top a photographer takes your picture just before you get off the lift. The photos are available at the hotel that night if you want to purchase one. This is the same photographer who took the group shot of our tour outside the Llao Llao the next day. The 360 degree view from the top of the hill was one of the best I have ever seen. You are surrounded by mountains and lakes as far as the eye can see. Following our descent we drove to the tourist town of Bariloche for some shopping. Bariloche is the nearest town of any size to the Llao Llao Resort and has an airport that allows people to fly in and out of the area. The Argentineans love chocolate and it is prominent in many of the desserts we were served. Bariloche is full of chocolate stores. We went to a Russian store named Mamuschka and it was great fun. You can mix and match the chocolate you buy by the box in any way you like. Following this we drove to a working sheep ranch for a tour, sheep shearing demonstration and lunch. Lunch was served family style and was very good. We returned to the hotel late afternoon. For dinner you can eat in the Patagonian restaurant again or choose to eat in the more formal Los Cesares. Reservations are required for the Los Cesares but the TD takes care of that for you. The waiter made our Caesar salad from scratch right at the table as he did the flaming crepes we had for desert. The beef dishes were excellent but those people that tried the ostrich and duck dishes were disappointed.

Day 7. This morning we flew to Buenos Aires and upon arrival drove to a restaurant called Tortoni’s, an art nouveau landmark in the city. The food was excellent as usual. Following lunch we did some sightseeing of the city before checking into the Caesar Park Hotel. We stopped at the government building where Evita used to come out on the balcony to greet the crowds. Some of our group serenaded us with “Don’t cry for me Argentina.” We then went to the cemetery where Evita is buried. I have never seen anything like it before. Everyone is buried above ground in very ornate stone tombs with windows in them so that you can view the caskets. Most are maintained very well by the families but some are abandoned and in poor condition. As an exception, Evita is buried 20 feet underground. Buenos Aires is an absolutely huge and beautiful city with many of the buildings exhibiting a heavy French architectural influence. It is a great tragedy that the buildings are covered in huge amounts of graffiti. There is a large shopping mall directly across the street from the hotel that is very much like a mall in the US complete with food court. The shops are rather upscale. Dinner was at the Argas restaurant in the hotel.

Day 8. Today was a really fun day and we enjoyed it immensely. We drove to a very colorful area of town called Boca. It is a touristy area with one street named Caminito which is about four or five blocks long with gaudily painted buildings and souvenir shops. When cruise ships are in they dump thousands of people into Boca and today was no exception but that only adds to the fun. On this particular day there were two women dressed as tango dancers out on the street who were accosting male tourists and posing with them in tango style poses. You could have your picture taken with them for a donation. It got pretty wild. Since it was a bit warm Annita and I found time to stop at a small bar and sample the local beer. We next went to a flea market in San Telmo. There were over 200 individual stalls set up out on the street selling everything imaginable and not just antiques. Tango dancers were putting on performances on street corners. We then returned to the hotel and some free time to ourselves. Dinner this evening was a short two block walk from the hotel in an Argentinean steak house. This was our tango evening and snappy casual dress was recommended whatever that is. We were escorted to the second floor of the building for a great tango demonstration. I regret not filming it but I did not have enough tape with me. The dancers were top notch. We then had dinner also on the second floor. The tango show turned out to be better than the food and many people complained that the steak was tough which is surprising since this is supposed to be a steak house.

Day 9. Today was one of the most relaxing of the entire trip. Luckily our bus trip took us out of town and away from the busy city traffic. Today we visited a working estancia (horse ranch) and got to see the gauchos at work and play. The owners of the ranch raise polo ponies and so there are many horses on the property. The gauchos put on a herding demonstration followed by a ring race where the rider tries to spear a small suspended ring with a thin metal rod while at full gallop. The gauchos then played musical chairs on horseback. The ranch is called Estancia Los Patricios and they even have there own wine label. We were free to go horseback riding on very gentle horses or ride in a carriage around the property. We also had our pictures taken in a gaucho getup that the TD brought along. The owner of the estancia gave us a tour of the home that she lives in and it was very beautiful. Lunch was in a building filled with antique automobiles and carriages. While we ate an excellent meal we were entertained by a small band playing folk music and folk dancers in traditional costumes. We returned to the hotel by about 4 o’clock. Dinner was on our own tonight. There are five restaurants in a row two blocks away from the hotel and on the same street. They are the El Mirasol (Argentine) the Piegari (Italian), the Plaza Mayor (Spanish), the Balcony (Steak House) and the Galani (Mediterranean) which is located in the Four Seasons Hotel. As my wife had a taste for Italian food we ate at the Piegari. We made reservations and arrived at seven thirty just as it was opening. The food was fantastic and the portions are very large and can easily be shared by two people. We shared the excellent hearts of palm salad. Annita had the personal size pizza which was too big to finish. I had the chicken breast in a green pepper sauce that was the nectar of the gods. Not long after we arrived the place became jammed. It must be a local favorite hangout because everyone was kissing everyone else when they walked in. As we walked back to the hotel I looked in the Plaza Mayor and found it to be almost completely empty.

Day 10. This morning we departed for the airport for our flight to Iguazu Falls. Upon arrival we drove directly to the national park where we had lunch on our own. It was a very warm day. You have two choices, an outdoor fast food restaurant or an indoor air conditioned buffet. Most people opted for the buffet which cost $15 US per person. Today we viewed the falls from the Argentine side and tomorrow we will view them from the Brazilian side. There are three trails that you can walk to see the falls, the Devil’s Throat, the upper trail and the lower trail. A train takes you to each of the walks. The plan had been to do all three walks in one day. Luckily we arrived a little late at the park and we only had time for two of them, Devil’s Throat and the upper trail, since the park closes at 1800. Looking down on the lower trail we could see that it was very crowded. I think that if you tried to do all three walks in one day you would be crawling back to the hotel on your hands and knees. They are at least a mile long and somewhat strenuous in places. Since we did not plan to leave the hotel until 1030 next morning we were able to do the lower trail early the next morning when the park opened and we were the only ones on the trail which made it very nice. Not everyone on our tour did all three walks. If you do only one do the Devil’s Throat. If you do only two add the lower trail. Our TD said that every human being on the planet should be given a ticket to see Iguazu Falls and I agree with him. This is truly one of the natural wonders on the planet. Following the two walks we checked into the hotel. All rooms assigned to Tauck had a stupendous view of the falls. Dinner was at the hotel and was buffet style as were most of the meals for the rest of the tour.

Day 11. At 0830 a small number of us went out to see the falls from the lower trail walk. Those people that decided not to take this walk made a MAJOR mistake. The scenes from below the falls defy description. In about an hour we were back at the hotel and on our way to the border. After crossing into Brazil we were dropped off at a large store for a restroom break while the bus took our luggage to the airport. This turned out to be a great place to shop. The bus was back in one hour and we continued on to see the falls from the Brazilian side. The picture of the falls in the brochure was taken from the Brazilian side. It was another hot day and the spray from the falls was invigorating. You will get fairly wet walking out to see the falls but no one seems to care. The view of the falls again defies description. An elevator takes you back to the top of a cliff where the restaurant awaited us for lunch. Thankfully Tauck had reserved tables for us in advance. Afterwards we flew on to Rio. Luckily we had very little trouble retrieving our luggage and getting through the airport. It was a late arrival at the Sofitel and most people just went to dinner in the Atlantis restaurant at the hotel in the clothes they had on because it took a while for the luggage to get to our rooms. The views of Copacabana beach and the city from our rooms were as good as advertised.

Day 12. This was another spectacular day on the tour. The temperature was in the 90s today. Rio is just as beautiful as Buenos Aires and just as covered with graffiti. How sad. I saw one ten story building that had graffiti all the way up to the tenth floor. We drove to Corcovado and took the train to the top of the hill to visit the statue of Christ the Redeemer at the summit. The statue is 130 feet tall and is a fantastic place to take photos. The 360 degree view of the city is absolutely stunning. This visit used to be on Day 13 but was moved to Day 12 due to traffic reasons. After leaving we drove to lunch at Colombo’s, a supposed landmark Rio cafe. This huge restaurant is on two floors and we ate on the second floor buffet style. Some people loved this restaurant but I didn’t. It is in an old building and the two elevators can only move three people at a time. The restrooms were extremely small and only held two people at a time. I thought the place was too hot, too crowded and too noisy. I was praying that the piano player would take a long break but he didn’t. There were nine of us crammed into a table meant for six and the fans that were installed in the ceiling were not even turned on. The food was very good. Following lunch we were given an hour to wander around the neighborhood. It was so hot in the street that practically no one left the restaurant and we tried to stay as cool as possible until it was time to return to the air conditioned bus. This hour needs to be eliminated from the tour. Back on the bus we headed for Samba City. There are 30 Samba schools in Rio that build floats and take part in Samba competitions at Carnival. They are called schools for tax purposes. Carnival had just ended a few weeks before we got there and the floats were still in the building we visited. They are a lot like Rose Bowl floats but not made of flowers. We toured the floats and then went up to the second floor to view some of the costumes that had been worn during the parade. Several people put feathered headpieces on and had their pictures taken in them. Just when I thought we would never see anyone dancing the Samba, a Samba band and four dancers in suitably feathery attire magically appeared and put on a show for us. Everyone joined in the dancing and a great time was had by all. Afterwards it was back to the hotel to get ready for the Farewell Dinner. At 1800 we went to the terrace of the Horse’s Neck Bar at the hotel for drinks and light hors d’oeuvres and then went to the Marius restaurant a short distance from the hotel for dinner. This place reminded me of an upscale Friday’s with all sorts of objects hanging from the ceiling and walls. This was again a buffet style dinner with the waiters periodically bringing various cuts of beef and chicken around for our enjoyment. It finally rained while we were at the restaurant. Upon our return to the hotel I set off to visit the night market which is set up every night in front of Copacabana beach about five or six blocks from the hotel. It is open until 2330 and the stalls sell all manner of souvenirs and “junque”. I got drenched on the way back but found what I was looking for.

Day 13. It rained pretty steadily all day today. An optional visit to the Botanical Gardens is offered at 1000 on this last day of the tour. Usually no more than four or five people sign up for it. There are almost no flowers to see and this was the only portion of the tour we opted out of. Your time is better spent on this final morning walking over to Ipanema or doing some final shopping. In any event the tour was cancelled because of the rain. Checkout time and lunch were both at 12 noon. We asked for a late checkout time and the front desk let us keep our room until 1300 which allowed us to leave our luggage in the room rather than taking it to lunch with us. The 1400 afternoon tour to Sugar Loaf Mountain was also cancelled due to rain and we took another city tour by bus instead. We stopped at the Metropolitan Cathedral which is an amazing bit of architecture. The building is a truncated cone with the ceiling being about 300 feet above the floor. From the outside it looks like a bee hive but from inside it is awe inspiring. There is room for 20,000 people inside and four huge stained glass windows run from the floor to the ceiling. This visit should be made a part of the regular tour. We returned briefly to the hotel for a final restroom stop and were then taken to the airport where we arrived at about 1630. The ticket counters at the airport are used by multiple airlines. The ticket counters where Delta would eventually be were being used by LAN Chile when we arrived. We had to stand around until 1900 before they took down all the LAN Chile signs and ropes and put up the Delta signs and ropes and we could check in. Our Delta flight was at 2255 so we were at the airport for a long time. There is food available on the second floor where all the Duty Free Shops are located. Some people tried the hamburgers and said that they were not bad. We had made sandwiches at breakfast and ate them at the airport. This is the most disorganized and information starved airport I have ever been in. There are almost no monitors around to give you flight information. There are no counters at the gates and our flight number was not posted above the gate until about a minute before we were scheduled to board. The announcements made over the announcing system bear no resemblance to what is really going on at the gate. People in the Rio airport do not form lines but all try to go through the gate at once. Our flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem but nothing was said and we just stood around waiting. There was no pre-boarding for older people or anyone needing assistance. It was not a good experience.

As a rough guide, when we got to Atlanta it took us exactly one hour to go from the plane to immigration, pick up our luggage, go through customs, recheck our luggage and get to our next gate.

If you were to ask me what my favorite country was I would say it was a tie between Chile and Argentina. My wife liked Argentina.

Quality was tops with accommodations, food, itinerary and the attention to detail taking care of every guests slightest needs.

The tour is excellent at showing the scenic and cultural highlights of the countries. Iguazu Falls and Rio are distinct highlights.

Crossing the Andes by boat was special. The falls were a high point. We felt safe everywhere.

Tauck always provides a first class travel experience because of the accommodations, the choice of food, and the local tour guides.

This is a great way to see and experience the interior of South America. A definite must do!!

Fabulous trip!! Great way to visit three countries without a hassle. Beautiful scenery and other guests.

First class in every way.

Unfortunately, the Andes crossing was very cold and snowy-so it was not enjoyable. We could not see or go outside the catamarans on the second day and these boats were very crowded and cold. The first day trip was better in that we had priority seating and the weather cleared enough to see the beauty of the Andes. The Llao Llao hotel was beautiful and we enjoyed their 3 PM walk with a guide. The falls were spectacular, so even in the rain we enjoyed them. Argentina was the most enjoyable country we visited; with many things to see and do. We also enjoyed going to the Estancia. There was alot of downtime because of all the flights and being in the cities on weekends. We prefer more planned sightseeing. The last day should be on a Saturday so the traffic would not be a problem getting to the airport. Great group of people-great guide and city guides-wonderful handling of our luggage at each airport and being sure we were all taken care of at the airport for our return flight. PS Most meals included and they were very good. The weather was a big factor here--although this was suppose to be dry, we hit rain and cold almost everyday. Maybe their spring is not a good time to go. Brazil was warmer but rainy and then it would clear.

I loved every place we visited on this trip except Rio. I never felt safe there unless I was in the hotel or on a tour. I enjoyed every minute I spent in Argentina, Chile and at Iguazu. I would go back to the Lake Districts of Chile and Argentina in a second. I also fell in love with Buenos Aires and would have liked to spend more time there. Also, I thought our guide in Buenos Aires, Graciea, was outstanding.

The scenic beauty of the Andes and the Bariloche lake district was quite remarkable. Buenos Aires and Rio were both particularly fine. Certainly the view from the top of the Sugarloaf at Rio was astoundingly beautiful. Almost as good as Cape Town (where I was born)! And the Iquazu falls were both impressive and exceiting.

A wonderful overview of Chile, Argentina and Brasil made especially enjoyable by tour director , Carla Weston. The two day stay at LLao LLao was magnificent. November is a good time to visit these areas. It was a bit cooler crossing the Andes than expected so should advise taking a really warm jacket and perhaps scarf and gloves ( latter two can be purchased at the market in Porto Varas). The four internal air flights in S.A. were especially well handled for us.

Great combination of urban and rural. Loved the lake crossings from Chile to Argentina.

The trip was beautifully planned considering how many different places we visited. The scenery was great, the cities were interesting and the tour director was the best.

Tour Director, Rick Rand, was superior....best yet! Of all the areas visited, Rio was the least appealing in scenery, culture and class. I would spend more time in Chile (lakes district and Patagonia) and Argentina; especially Buenos Aires vs. Rio de Janeiro

Beautiful scenenary ,interesting history and cultures of countries visited Other than eating too much it was great with intereting and pleasant fellow tour members and director to share the experiences with

in general trip was well planned and organized. tour guide Carla Weston excellent and professional.Very well in charge at all times. Two of the local guides one at Igazu Falls amd the local guide in Rio were not Tauck quality. They need to be replaced.

Bariloche was an experience not to be missed. It has to be one of the unique places in the world.

The variety of city and country (nature) was a perfect balance. There was something for everyone on this tour: Chilean whites and Argentine reds; Chilean sea bass and Argentine beef and Brazilian barbeque; Christ the Reedemer in Rio and the National Chhurch which was shockingly modern; the tango and the samb; crossing the Andes and walking along Iguazu Falls, seeing the Southern Cross on the horizon, horse rides, catamaran trips, and the widest river basin the the world. Thhis trip is fabulous.

travel arrangements efficiently organised.physical mobility a pre requisite for this tour.we didn't anticipate the extremes of weather conditions at time of our tour enjoyed the cultural diversity of Chile.

We were well taken care of from the moment we stepped out of the airport, to when we returned. The local tour guides were outstanding. Food and accomodation was very good overall.

I have told all my friends that this trip exceded our expectations. It is the most exotic place that I have travelled to. Macchu Picchu and the Floating Islands of Titicaca was supposed to be the highlight of the trip; however, learning about the Quechuan culture and the Inca empire far exceeded the tourist sites.

Outstanding! As always this trip was well planned and very interesting. Unfortunately this trip is not available for 2010. Kate Benzin, Tour Director, was efficient, caring, organized, and a lot of fun!

Trip of a lifetime !!