18 days

We Visit:

Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Panama, Peru, Chile

Costs:

from $23,990 with saving (details below)

Departure Dates

9 May 11

* denotes departed trips

Trip Summary:

• Travel aboard a Qantas Private Jet
• Stylish Buenos Aires
• Iguassu Falls – the world’s most spectacular waterfall
• Rio de Janeiro – city of Carnival vibrance
• Mighty Amazon River
• Havana in Cuba
• Cruise the Panama Canal
• Cuzco and extraordinary Machu Picchu
• Moai Statues of Easter Island
• Book Early & SAVE $1,000 per person
  

The Captain's Choice Tour is the world's leader in Private Jet tours and experts in South America. This is our 32nd international Private Jet tour and our 12th Private Jet tour to South America.

In May 2011 we invite you to join us and let our private Qantas Jet take you in style to these fascinating and atmospheric destinations.  Our Private Jet is a feature of this tour and enables expedited airport arrivals and immigration clearances, minimising time spent at airports and maximising your sightseeing.  The aircraft is not filled to capacity and offers Deluxe Economy Class (with an enhanced meal and bar service), Qantas’ Premium Economy Class, Business Class and First Class.

The Captain's Choice Tour Difference

• Genuinely all inclusive
• Qantas 747-400 is not filled to capacity
• Deluxe Economy Class offers window or aisle seating
  & vacant seat between each guest
• 3 nights in most destinations
• Luxury hotels (best available on Easter Island)
• All sightseeing including Select Options
• Personal headsets for sightseeing tours
• All meals including dine-around dinners
• Drinks with group dinners
• Tipping, taxes, transfers & travel insurance
• Experienced Tour Escort Team
• Tour Doctor
• Expedited Customs & Immigration arrangements
• Special luggage handling
• Your personal tour DVD

Exclusive Highlights

• Private Tango Show
• Helicopter flight or boat trip at Iguassu Falls
• Private Carnival Show
• Cruise the Mighty Amazon River
• Visit Havana Cigar Factory
• Spectacular Cuban Cabaret Show
• See the Buena Vista Social Club perform
• Inca city of Machu Picchu (with overnight option)
• Low Altitude Option available
  
  

 

Day 1

Sydney - Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Monday 9 May

Fine wine, French Champagne and excellent meals are served aboard our 'flying home'. Sit back and relax aboard our Qantas Private Jet as we depart Sydney this morning. Enjoy a Champagne lunch on our direct flight to Buenos Aires. We cross the International Date Line and gain a day, arriving in Buenos Aires on Monday afternoon.  We have three nights at the luxurious Park Tower Hotel, close to Calle Florida, a 10 block long shopping mall.

Meet your fellow travellers at a Welcome Reception this evening.

Day 2

Buenos Aires

Tuesday 10 May

This morning we start our exploration of South America’s most cosmopolitan capital, an elegant European style city in Latin America.  We visit the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, the beautiful Colon Theatre, the famous ornate tombs of Recoleta Cemetery and the colourful Boca District.

After lunch by the waterfront, this afternoon is free to stroll, shop and soak up the atmosphere along the city’s colourful streets. 

This evening we will attend a spectacular Tango Show with an Argentine Steak Dinner.

Day 3

Buenos Aires

Wednesday 11 May

Choose from a variety of activities today – take a trip into the Pampas to see the Gauchos (cowboys) with a spectacular horse show and Argentine barbeque; tour the city’s finest suburbs and take a boat trip on the canals of the Tigre Delta with lunch at a riverside restaurant; enjoy a massage at the hotel spa; or take to the dance floor and learn the tango.  All activities are included at no additional cost.

This evening is a dine-around dinner; choose from a selection of hotel restaurants or a lively Argentine steak house.

Day 4

Buenos Aires - Iguassu Falls (Brazil) - Rio de Janeiro

Thursday 12 May

Rejoin our Private Jet for the flight to Iguassu Falls, arguably the world’s greatest waterfalls, stretching between Brazil and Argentina.

During our visit we will take a walking tour to the base of the falls. Feel the immense power of the falls as a walkway leads you across the water to the base of the thundering torrent.  Iguassu Falls is a truly awe inspiring sight.    

Choose from two complimenatry experiences - take a helicopter flight over the falls; or an exhilarating boat trip to the base of the falls.

Late this afternoon we leave Iguassu Falls aboard our Qantas Jet bound for the vibrant Latin city of Rio de Janeiro.  We have three nights beside Copacabana Beach at the Sofitel Rio Palace or Marriott Hotel, the ideal location for any stay in Rio.  Your room is booked to ensure Copacabana sea views.

Day 5

Rio de Janeiro

Friday 13 May

Rio de Janeiro, “the marvellous city”, is without doubt one of the world’s greatest cities.  Located on a spectacular harbour Rio is surrounded by magnificent mountains and lined with wide, sandy beaches.  The names Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon conjure up pictures of carnival vibrance.

This morning a fleet of jeeps will take us from our hotel, driving around the city's bays and through the Tijuca rainforest to the summot of Corcovado Mountain, with its imposing statue of 'Christ The Redeemer' overlooking Guanabara Bay. The spectacular city of Rio lies at your feet.

Lunch today is a culinary highlight as we feast at the city’s premier Brazilian Churrascaria restaurant. 

This afternoon we are invited to take a tour of the Sambadrome, where the festivities of Carnival take place each February; join a complimentary shuttle bus will take you to the jewellery museum and the shops of Ipanema; or enjoy a leisurely afternoon.

This evening enjoy the vibrancy of Carnival in Rio at a spectacular private Samba Show.

Day 6

Rio de Janeiro

Saturday 14 May

Today you choose your Rio experience – enjoy shopping for Brazil’s fine jewellery, handicraft and numerous bargains; join the ‘Cariocas’ on the beach; or take a revealing tour of Rio’s Favelas (shanty towns). 

Late this afternoon we take the cable car up Sugar Loaf Mountain for a stunning view over the beaches and harbour as the sun sets over Rio.  Dinner is at a traditional Brazilian barbeque.

Day 7

Rio de Janeiro - Manaus

Sunday 15 May

A four hour flight takes us to Manaus, located 2,000km inland up the Amazon.  On arrival we will tour this fascinating metropolis in the middle of the jungle and marvel at its Opera House, constructed by the rubber barons in the early 20th century.  We stay at the Tropical Hotel, located beside the Rio Negro.

Day 8

Manaus - Havana (Cuba)

Monday 16 May

We take a boat trip on the Amazon to appreciate the majesty of the world’s greatest river and view the ‘Meeting of the Waters’, where the muddy brown waters of the Amazon meet the jet black waters of the Rio Negro.  We then join smaller boats for a trip along the narrow streams through the jungle.  Lunch will be served at a floating lodge.

Late this afternoon we rejoin our Qantas Boeing 747 and enjoy dinner as we fly across the Venezuelan jungle to Havana, Cuba.  We have three nights at the historic Hotel Nacional, beside the Caribbean. This evening you may wish to sample the city’s lively music or relax on the hotel’s terrace with a drink or cigar and relive 1950s Havana.

Day 9

Havana

Tuesday 17 May

This morning we explore Havana for a fascinating insight into the history and unspoiled buildings of Old Havana and the uniquely different way of life in a city unaffected by western neon signs and advertising.  We take a revealing walking tour of Old Havana, with its historic buildings, plazas and narrow streets.

Lunch will be served at several restaurants within Old Havana.  This afternoon enjoy strolling the streets and experiencing the local colour and life.  Return to the hotel at your leisure.

This evening enjoy a spectacular floor show at our hotel, performed exclusively for our group.  Havana still has lively nights!

Day 10

Havana

Wednesday 18 May

This morning we will visit a cigar factory and marvel at the production of Cuba’s most famous export.  We also visit either El Moro or La Cabana Fortresses, both of which guard the entrance to the harbour. 

We pause at the Plaza de La Revolution and later see the domed American style Capitol building.  We drive into the leafy suburbs of Miramar and Playas for lunch beside the Caribbean at the exclusive Club Havana before returning to our hotel mid afternoon. 

This evening enjoy a dine-around night and select from a variety of dining options including dining in a private home (paladar). Later you may wish soak up the Cuban rhythms and attend a performance by the renowned Buena Vista Social Club, an extraordinary experience that truly completes your experience of Cuba.

Day 11

Havana - Panama City (Panama)

Thursday 19 May

Our friendly crew welcomes us back onboard for the flight to Panama City – a modern skyscraper city beside the Panama Canal. 

 Upon arrival choose from a tour of Panama Viejo, the original Panama City destroyed by pirate Henry Morgan, and the colonial era Casco Viejo with many historic buildings, churches and convents reflecting Panama as the crossroads of the Americas; or visit the Miraflores Locks Visitor Centre to learn about the Construction of the Panama Canal.

We enjoy two nights at the luxurious Panama Marriott.

Dine at our hotel or choose from several excellent nearby restaurants.

Day 12

Panama Canal

Friday 20 May

Cruising the Panama Canal is an aspiration of many travellers.  Today we will realise this goal as we transit the canal in a private cruiser, from Gatun Lake to Balboa on the Pacific side.  We transfer by coach to Gatun Lake, where we board our ship to begin our transit through the canal.  Marvel at the huge ships passing us by as we cruise the Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section of the canal, and enter the Pedro Miguel Locks. Our boat will then be lowered 18m in two steps to enter Miraflores Lake, after which we sail under the Bridge of the Americas and toward Balboa.  We disembark later this afternoon after an incredible day of cruising.

Make your selection from a choice of dining options this evening.

Day 13

Panama City - Cuzco (Peru)

Saturday 21 May

Our Private Jet takes us to Lima, where we change to a LAN aircraft for the short flight to Cuzco, the ancient Incan capital.  We have three nights at the superb Libertador Hotel.  Dinner at our hotel this evening.

Note:  Cuzco is located 3,400m/11,000ft above sea level.  If you are concerned about travelling to a high altitude, please contact your doctor.  An alternative low altitude itinerary is available.

Day 14

Machu Picchu

Sunday 22 May

Our visit to Machu Picchu today will be a highlight of your travels.  We travel by train along a zig zag railway, climbing above Cuzco before descending beside the raging Urubamba River to the Lost City of the Incas – Machu Picchu.  The town, located on a remote mountaintop, is still intact and we explore a maze of empty chambers, palaces and stairways carved from solid rock.  It is a truly dramatic setting and one that will live long in your memory.  We will return to Cuzco by train late this afternoon. 

You may wish to stay overnight within the village of Machu Picchu, this option is available to you at no additional cost (limited availability, please enquire for details).

Day 15

Cuzco

Monday 23 May

Explore the delightful town of Cuzco before travelling to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We visit the colourful Pisac market featuring arts, crafts and produce spread over much of the village.  After lunch in the Sacred Valley of the Incas we visit the impressive Incan ruins – Tambomachay Baths with its fountain fed by a spring; Kenko, a rock sanctuary with its monolithic altar; and the massive ruins of Sacsayhuaman Fortress, a pre Incan masterpiece.  Another magical day.

Day 16

Cuzco - Easter Island (Chile)

Tuesday 24 May

A short flight returns us to Lima, where we reboard our Private Jet for the flight to Easter Island (Rapa Nui), one of the most distant and remote inhabited islands on earth.  Lunch will be served during our five hour flight.  On arrival we visit the ancient village of Orongo and the crater lake of Rano Kau.  Overnight at a small, comfortable but far from elegant hotel.

Day 17

Depart Easter Island

Wednesday 25 May

We tour this tiny 115km² island that is unlike anywhere on earth.  Its landscape is filled with volcanoes and lakes.  The island abounds with more than 600 giant statues or Moai – all silent witnesses to a never fully understood civilisation.  We marvel at how primitive man achieved such startling perfection, taking 90 tonne monoliths from the sides of volcanoes and creating a spellbinding, archaeological puzzle.  We will visit the giant quarry where the Moai were once made, now containing 400 statues in various stages of completion. 

A spectacular dance show is arranged at Anakena Beach.  This afternoon we join our direct daytime flight home across the Pacific.  Lunch and dinner are served onboard.  Lose a day crossing the International Date Line as you enjoy the party atmosphere and farewell new found friends.

Day 18

Arrive Sydney

Thursday 26 May

We arrive Sydney late afternoon.  Connecting flights to other cities are available.

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