ARGENTINA + BRAZIL HIGHLIGHTS in Argentina

Facilities available

Wheelchair access

Adapted transfer

Description

12 Nights

From £3295 per person sharing (Flights quoted separately)

This accessible wheelchair holiday to Argentina & Brazil brings to life their colourful cultures & dramatic landscapes. In Buenos Aires cruise along the Tigre Delta & enjoy a Tango show; view the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park in Patagonia; fly to the mighty Iguazu Falls; & visit Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janiero. All transfers, accessible hotels & sightseeing included.

Highlights:

• Wheelchair holiday Argentina
• El Calafate
• Suagrloft mountain
• Buesnos Aires
• Perito moreno glacier
• Wheelchair Argentina and Brazil
• Tigre delta and Tango show
• Iguazu falls
• Patagonia
• Rio de janiero

Day 1

You will be met at Buenos Aires Airport and transferred to your hotel in this exciting city, situated on the estuary of the Río de la Plata - the 'River of Silver'

Check in and relax in this capital of Argentina, known for its wonderful architecture, tango dancing and rich culture, including the highest concentration of theatres in the world.

Day 2

This morning enjoy a half day tour of Buenos Aires - a cosmopolitan city that has been influenced by the many immigrants who helped form it and offering beautiful architecture, history and culture.

Our tour starts at the Plaza de Mayo - the historical, political and cultural centre of the city. Here you can see the Pink House (Presidential Palace), the Pyramid de Mayo and Metropolitan Cathedral. We continue down Avenida de Mayo, with its wide avenues and spacious green areas, past the Obelisk to the neighbourhood of San Telmo, one of the oldest in the city with cobbled streets and colonial houses. Every Sunday an antiques fair takes place here around the Plaza Dorrego. The vibrant area is the centre for most of the tango parlours, restaurants and bars of the city.

Going further south, we visit the Italian port neighbourhood of La Boca, with its colourful houses in Caminito Street and many 'cantinas' (small restaurants). Also the trendy modern neighbourhood of Puerto Madero, where the old piers have been converted into upmarket offices, apartments and restaurants with views of the Rio de la Plata.

We visit the residential neighbourhood of Palermo with its elegant mansions surrounded by spacious parks, before arriving in glamorous Recoleta. Here we visit the famous cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, with its rich architecture. Next to the cemetery is the church of Our Lady of Pilar, the Recoleta Cultural Centre (originally a convent) and the Palais de Glace exhibition centre.

In the evening you will be collected for a Tango Show. Born in the brothels of the city amongst a racial mix of Gauchos, Italian, Spanish and African immigrants, this dance and its music originated as a combination of Cuban and Spanish rhythms, with some polka and African beat. Enjoy the show and dinner, including mouth-watering Argentinian beef and Malbec wine.

Day 3

Today enjoy a half day excursion to Tigre on the Parana Delta, situated 18 miles (30 km) north of Buenos Aires.

Leaving the city, we drive along the Rio de la Plata until we reach San Isidro, with its magnificent neo-gothic cathedral. We continue to Tigre, named after the jaguars that once roamed free here. At Tigre Pier we embarck on a 1-hour boat ride on this vast delta that is unique because its waters flow into another river, rather than into the sea, forming thousands of small islands covered with subtropical forests. Originally a haven for smugglers, today it is a place of recreation for the citizens of Buenos Aires where you can see yachting and rowing clubs, older mansions and modern wooden houses raised on stilts to avoid the flooding.

We disembark in Tigre before returning to Buenos Aires, with afternoon at leisure.

Note: The only part of the boat that can accommodate a wheelchair is at the back, which is open to the elements, so if you do not want to transfer into a seat do bring an umbrella to protect yourself from sun and rain. There is no accessible toilet on the boat.

Day 4

Transfer to Buenos Aires Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at El Calafate Airport and transferred to your hotel in this small town, situated on Lake Argentino in Santa Cruz Province and the gateway to Los Glaciares National Park.

Check in and relax surrounded by the scenery of the spectacular Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

Note: You need upper body strength & a manual wheelchair to visit El Calafate, as all transfers will be in normal sedan car.

Day 5

Today enjoy a full day private tour to Los Glaciares National Park, the largest national park in Argentina covering an area of over 725,000 hectares and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This is an area of exceptional natural beauty, with towering mountains and many glacial lakes. The giant ice cap in the Austral Andes that feeds these 47 glaciers is the largest outside Antarctica and Greenland, with over half the park covered with enormous glaciers. You can make your way along walkways in front of the famous Perito Moreno Glacier to get closer views. With luck you may see it "calving", when huge chunks of ice break off the glacier and splash into the lake below.

Take an included 1-hour boat ride to view this spectacular glacier up-close, before returning to El Calafate in the late afternoon. Lunch is for your own account today.

Note: You will need to be lifted into the boat.

Day 6

At leisure to explore more of El Calafate and the surrounding area with your guide, such as the Bird Sanctuary outside town (pay any entrance fees locally).

Day 7

Transfer to El Calafate Airport for your onward flight.

You will be met at Puerto Iguazu Airport and transferred to your hotel near one of the greatest waterfalls in the world, regarded as one of Latin America's most awe-inspiring sights.

The mighty Iguazu Falls, whose name means "Great Waters", straddles the border between Argentina and Brazil - although almost 80% of the falls are on the Argentinian side. It is situated in a huge tropical rainforest that has been declared a World Heritage Site, with countless flora and fauna species.

Day 8

This morning we cross the border to the Brazilian side of the incredible Iguazu Falls, for panoramic views of the nearly 2-mile (3 km) cliff edge.

The volume of water flowing over the falls varies greatly depending on seasonal rainfall, but the falls are a spectacular sight at any time of year. The waterflow is highest between October and March, with the heaviest rains from December to February, when many trails are closed.

Afterwards we visit the Bird Park, one of the largest and most important in the world, with over 1,300 exotic bird species as well as 25 species of reptiles & butterflies.

Note: You will need your passport to cross into Brazil. On the Brazilian side of the falls, the first balcony in front of the Belmond Hotel is partly accessible, as well as the last balcony where the panoramic lift is located, which has accessible walkways with ramps. The other walkways have many steps.

Day 9

Today enjoy a half day tour of the Argentinian side of the incredible Iguazu Falls.

Comprising approximately 275 separate cascades, the falls form a curtain of foaming water that crashes over a vast granite amphitheatre and into the jungle below. Resembling a reversed letter "J", most of the Iguazu River plunges down through an area known as The Devil’s Throat, with the rest spreading out over a wide shelf that splits into hundreds of different waterfalls.

There are a series of walkways that lead above, below and behind the falls, with breathtaking views. You can also hope to see monkeys, toucans, parakeets and other wildlife in the rainforest. Lunch is for your own account today.

Note: The Devill's throat and Upper Walk are both accessible, but not the other trails. Take rain gear, as you will get wet visiting the Argentinian side of the falls.

Day 10

Transfer across the border to Foz do Iguassu Airport in Brazil for your onward flight.

You will be met at Rio de Janeiro Airport and transferred to your hotel  in this iconic city - famous for its magnificent setting and enormous statue of Christ the Redeemer looking down from Corcovado Mountain - one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Rio is also home to the magnificent Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon and Barra da Tijuca beaches and known for its samba and bossa nova dancing, carnivals and music festivals.

Day 11

Today enjoy a full day tour of Rio de Janeiro, known locally as Cidade Maravilhosa (the Marvellous City').

After a tour of the downtown area, we stop at the huge Metropolitan Cathedral (Cathedral of Saint Sebastian), built in the form of an ancient Mayan pyramid. We also view the historical buildings around Cinelândia Square - including the Municipal Theatre, the National Library and Museum of Fine Arts.

We then visit the vast Sambadrome exhibition space, where the famous Rio Carnival is held. We also drive past the enormous Maracana, one of the largest football stadiums in the world and the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

After lunch (own account) we drive past Flamengo Park, the largest public park in Rio, to one of the most famous symbols of the city - Sugarloaf Mountain. Here we travel all the way to the top, in two cable cars. The first cable car takes us to Urca Hill, a vantage point with beautiful views of Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói Bridge and Corcovado Mountain. The second cable car takes us all the way to the top, with wonderful views over Copacabana beach, Santa Cruz fortress and the beaches of Niterói.

Note: It is essential that your manual wheelchair is a standard size, as larger chairs will not fit into the cable car.

Day 12

Today enjoy a half day tour to one of the world’s most famous landmarks.

We start by boarding the cog train from Cosme Velho Station to Corcovado Mountain. Enjoy the steep 20-minutes train journey through the dense Atlantic rainforest of Tijuca, with wonderful views of the lush tropical vegetation, and scenic landscapes of the city and its beaches below. Disembark and take the escalator to the base of the towering statue of Christ the Redeemer - one of the 7 wonders of the modern world - and enjoy its spectacular 360 degree panoramas.

Afterwards we descend by cog train and drive back past some of Rio most famous beaches - Leblon, Ipanema and Copacabana - before returning to your hotel with afternoon at leisure.

Note: It is essential that your manual wheelchair is a standard size, as larger chairs will not fit into the cog  train.

Day 13

Transfer to Rio de Janeiro Airport for your flight home.

Information last updated: 07/12/2023 12:21:52