Iguazu and Rio de Janeiro

One of the continent’s most awe-inspiring attractions, the Iguazú Falls – which straddle the border between Argentina and Brazil – is composed of a vast basalt amphitheatre veiled by a curtain of foaming water which crashes through tangled sub-tropical jungle. Continue to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, the continent’s most vibrant and colourful city.

Day 1: Fly from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazú and continue to Mercure Iguazú Hotel, enveloped in jungle rainforest, it offers peaceful base for visits to the Iguazú Falls.

Day 2: You’ll have a private guided tour of the falls from the Argentine perspective. A little train takes you to the Upper Walk, a sequence of causeways which links dozens of tiny, basalt islands at the top of the rock face. The myriad streams of the Iguazú river cascade over the lip of the precipice, and a succession of lookout points allows you to watch the water as it plunges onto the rocks below.

The train continues to a passarelle leading you across the river to the thunderous Garganta del Diablo, with a spectacular vantage point over the thundering vortex below.

Day 3: By road across the border to Brazil with a visit to the Brazilian side of the falls. There’s a 1km walkway with viewpoints – you get a panoramic view of the whole sweep of the cataracts – an entirely different experience from the Argentine side. Towards the end of the walk, there’s an observation tower and a walkway which leads out for a closer (and much wetter) look. Continue to Foz do Iguaçu airport and fly to Rio de Janeiro; transfer to your hotel in Copacabana.

Day 4: The beaches of Rio are legendary. But the city also has a huge urban forest, a restored colonial centre and excellent restaurants. Music and sport are everywhere. A guided tour takes you to the foot of Corcovado mountain; the cog-wheel train journey starts here, climbing through the tropical Tijuca rainforest, with its abundant flowers and fruit trees, to the steps below the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer. At 701m above sea level, it offers stunning views of the city.

Day 5: At leisure to enjoy Rio. Highlights abound – the cable car ride up Sugar Loaf mountain, the serene botanical gardens, the artists’ colonial quarter of Santa Teresa, downtown museums and art galleries, and the stupendous Niterói Bridge over Guanabara Bay.

Day 6: Continue your holiday or transfer to the airport for your international flight.

UK clients arrive home the following day.

Breakfast daily.

This extension has been designed for tours that end in Buenos Aires but can easilly be reversed if your tour starts in Buenos Aires.