Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil: Buenos Aires to Rio

1. Day 1: Arrive in Buenos Aires

   Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) to your hotel in Buenos Aires

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Welcome dinner
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), about 35 km south-west of the centre, where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the run into the city. Your hotel is central and walkable, so once you have checked in you can stroll out for a coffee and a medialuna, the small sweet croissant Argentines eat at any hour. Buenos Aires runs late: shops stay open into the evening and dinner rarely starts before nine. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group in the hotel for a short briefing on the two weeks ahead: three countries, two short flights, one ferry and one boat, and how the days are paced. Then we walk to a neighbourhood parrilla for a welcome dinner of grilled beef, provoleta and a glass of Malbec. Plan to land by mid-afternoon; the exact briefing time comes with your final itinerary.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner at a parrilla

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

2. Day 2: Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca

   Buenos Aires: Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo, then La Boca

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 2 details

   A walking day with your guide, starting at Plaza de Mayo, where the pink Casa Rosada faces the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cabildo, the colonial town hall. We talk about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who still walk here on Thursday afternoons, then follow the old streets south into San Telmo, the oldest barrio, with its cobbles, antique shops and the iron market hall on Defensa. Lunch is a sit-down meal in San Telmo. In the early afternoon a short drive takes us to La Boca, the old port quarter where Italian immigrants painted their tin houses in leftover ship paint. We walk Caminito while the light is good and look in on the outside of La Bombonera, Boca Juniors' stadium. Late afternoon and evening are free. Your guide can book a tango show for anyone who wants one; others prefer a milonga, where locals dance late into the night.

   Included

   • Guided walk: Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada (outside), the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Cabildo and San Telmo
   • Sit-down lunch in San Telmo
   • La Boca and Caminito with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • Tango dinner show (booked through your guide, price shown before you book)

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 5 km on foot on pavements and cobbles, with a van for the La Boca leg.

3. Day 3: Recoleta early, then a free afternoon

   Buenos Aires: Recoleta and Palermo

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Buenos Aires
   Day 3 details

   We are at the gates of Recoleta Cemetery soon after it opens, before the tour groups, for an hour with your guide among the marble mausoleums, angels and narrow lanes of what is really a small city of the dead. Eva Perón lies in the Duarte family vault, and we find it before it gets busy. From there it is a short walk past the Basilica del Pilar and the giant metal flower of the Floralis Genérica to the parks of Palermo, with their rose garden and lakes. The rest of the day is yours, and Buenos Aires rewards wandering. Your guide will suggest a route through Palermo Soho's cafes and design shops, a tour of the Teatro Colón opera house, or the MALBA collection of Latin American art. Dinner is your choice tonight: the city has some of the best and least expensive restaurants on the trip.

   Included

   • Recoleta Cemetery with your guide, soon after opening
   • Walk through Recoleta to the parks of Palermo

   Optional experiences

   • Guided tour of the Teatro Colón
   • MALBA (Museum of Latin American Art)

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 4 km on foot in the morning.

4. Day 4: Across the river to Colonia del Sacramento

   Buenos Aires by ferry across the Río de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

   • Drive about 15 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Colonia del Sacramento
   Day 4 details

   A mid-morning fast ferry carries us across the Río de la Plata, here so wide that you lose sight of the far bank, to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, about an hour and a quarter away. Border formalities for both countries are done at the terminal in Buenos Aires before you board. Colonia was founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and fought over with Spain for a century, and its Barrio Histórico has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1995. After a sit-down lunch your guide walks you through the old town: the Puerta de la Ciudadela and its drawbridge, the crooked cobbles of the Calle de los Suspiros, the ruins of the San Francisco convent and the lighthouse, which we climb for the view over the rooftops and the river. Most day-trippers catch the afternoon ferry back to Buenos Aires, so the evening is quiet. Watch the sunset from the old walls, then eat where you like.

   Included

   • Fast ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento
   • Sit-down lunch in Colonia
   • Guided walk of the Barrio Histórico, a UNESCO World Heritage site
   • Climb of the Colonia lighthouse

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: Easy walking on rough cobbles; good shoes help.

5. Day 5: Along the coast to Montevideo, with a winery lunch

   Colonia del Sacramento to a family winery near Montevideo, then Montevideo

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Montevideo
   Day 5 details

   A free morning in Colonia, when the old town is at its emptiest: walk the river wall, browse the small museums or sit with a coffee on the Plaza Mayor. We leave late morning for Montevideo, about 180 km and two and a half hours east through flat farmland and small towns. On the way we stop for a long lunch and tasting at a family winery in the Montevideo wine country. Uruguay's signature grape is Tannat, a dark, tannic red that suits a plate of grilled lamb or beef. We reach Montevideo mid-afternoon and check in for two nights. Before dinner your guide takes a short walk along the Rambla, the waterfront promenade that runs for more than 20 km beside the river, where locals walk, fish and pass around a gourd of mate. Montevideo is calmer and smaller than Buenos Aires, and the evening is yours.

   Included

   • Drive from Colonia to Montevideo with your guide
   • Lunch and Tannat tasting at a family winery
   • Evening walk on the Rambla

   Free time: Morning free in Colonia; evening free in Montevideo

6. Day 6: Montevideo's old town and the port market

   Montevideo: Plaza Independencia, Ciudad Vieja and the Mercado del Puerto

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Montevideo
   Day 6 details

   Montevideo is best seen on foot, so today is a walking morning with your guide. We start at Plaza Independencia, under the Palacio Salvo, a 1920s tower that was once the tallest building in South America, and the mausoleum of the national hero José Artigas. We go into the Teatro Solís, the 1856 opera house, on its guided tour, then cross through the old city gate into the Ciudad Vieja, the old town, along the pedestrian Calle Sarandí to the Plaza Matriz and the cathedral. Lunch is at the Mercado del Puerto, the iron market hall by the docks, where parrillas grill beef, sausages and sweetbreads over wood embers. The afternoon is free: cycle or walk the Rambla, see the Andes 1972 museum about the plane crash in the mountains, or go to the beaches in Pocitos. In the evening, Montevideo's candombe drumming groups sometimes rehearse in the Barrio Sur streets.

   Included

   • Guided walk: Plaza Independencia, the Palacio Salvo (outside), the Artigas Mausoleum, the Ciudad Vieja and the Plaza Matriz
   • Guided tour of the Teatro Solís
   • Lunch at the Mercado del Puerto

   Optional experiences

   • Andes 1972 museum
   • Bike hire on the Rambla

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 5 km on foot, flat.

7. Day 7: Fly to Iguazu, sunset where three countries meet

   Montevideo to Puerto Iguazú by air, via Buenos Aires

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Puerto Iguazú
   Day 7 details

   After breakfast we drive to Carrasco airport and fly to Puerto Iguazú in Argentina's far north-east, changing planes in Buenos Aires; total travel is most of the day, which is why nothing else is planned. The flights are included and the connection is booked as one ticket, so your bags go through. From the airport it is about 20 minutes to Puerto Iguazú, a small town at the edge of the rainforest where we stay two nights, close to the Argentine side of the falls for an early start tomorrow. The air here is warm and humid, a big change from the river coast. Late afternoon we walk to the Hito Tres Fronteras, the marker where the Iguazú River flows into the Paraná: Argentina is on your side, Brazil on the right bank and Paraguay across the water. Sunset over the meeting of the rivers is a good way to end a travel day. Dinner is your choice in town.

   Included

   • Flights from Montevideo to Puerto Iguazú (IGR), via Buenos Aires
   • Airport transfers both ends
   • Sunset at the Hito Tres Fronteras

   Free time: Evening free

   Activity: The connection through Buenos Aires is confirmed with your final itinerary.

   

8. Day 8: The Argentine side, from opening

   Puerto Iguazú to Iguazú National Park (Argentina) and back

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Iguazú
   Day 8 details

   We are at the gates of Iguazú National Park when it opens at about 8 am and take the first Rainforest Ecological Train to Garganta station, then walk the 1.1 km of catwalks over the wide upper river to the Devil's Throat, the U-shaped chasm where about half the river drops in one roar. Early, the spray holds the morning light and the platform is not yet crowded. Back on the train, we walk the Upper Circuit, which runs along the top of the falls, and break for a sit-down lunch in the park. In the afternoon the Lower Circuit takes you down among the falls, close enough to feel the spray. The park was listed by UNESCO in 1984, and coatis, toucans and clouds of butterflies are common along the paths. Those who want to get wet can join a speedboat into the spray below the falls. We are back in Puerto Iguazú in the late afternoon.

   Included

   • Iguazú National Park (Argentina) from opening, entry included
   • The Rainforest Ecological Train and the Devil's Throat catwalk
   • The Upper and Lower Circuits with your guide
   • Sit-down lunch in the park

   Optional experiences

   • Speedboat ride into the spray below the falls

   Easier option: Skip the Lower Circuit, which has stairs, and rest at the park restaurant or ride back to town early.

   More active option: Walk the Macuco Trail, a forest path of about 7 km return to a small waterfall, in place of the Lower Circuit (season and trail status permitting).

   Activity: About 7 to 8 km on foot on catwalks and paths, some with stairs. Expect to get wet; bring a light rain jacket.

9. Day 9: The Brazilian side, then fly to Rio

   Puerto Iguazú across the border to Iguaçu National Park (Brazil), then Foz do Iguaçu airport to Rio de Janeiro

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Rio de Janeiro
   Day 9 details

   We cross the Tancredo Neves bridge into Brazil early, with passports and Brazil entry papers ready, and reach Iguaçu National Park soon after opening. Yesterday you were among the falls; today you see the whole of them. A park bus drops us at the trailhead, and a path of about 1.2 km follows the gorge with a widening view across to the Argentine cliffs, before a walkway leads out over the river towards the Devil's Throat. The Brazilian park was listed by UNESCO in 1986, two years after its Argentine neighbour. After a light lunch on your own at the park, we drive about 15 minutes to Foz do Iguaçu airport for an early afternoon flight to Rio de Janeiro, about two hours. A driver meets us in Rio for the run to our hotel near the beach, where we stay three nights. The evening is free; your guide can point you to a botequim for a first caipirinha.

   Included

   • Border crossing to Brazil
   • Iguaçu National Park (Brazil), entry included
   • Flight from Foz do Iguaçu (IGU) to Rio de Janeiro
   • Airport transfers in Foz and Rio

   Free time: Evening free in Rio

   Activity: About 2 km on foot, mostly flat. The walkway near the end is wet with spray.

   

10. Day 10: Christ the Redeemer early, Santa Teresa and the old Centro

    Rio de Janeiro: Corcovado, Santa Teresa, the Selarón Steps and the Centro

    • Drive about 1 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Rio de Janeiro
    Day 10 details

    We take one of the first cog trains of the day from Cosme Velho up through the Tijuca Forest to Corcovado, to see Christ the Redeemer, unveiled in 1931, before the queues and often before the cloud builds. From the terrace the city lies below you: Sugarloaf, the bay, Copacabana and the lagoon. Rio's mix of mountains, forest and sea was listed by UNESCO in 2012 as a cultural landscape. Back down, we drive up to the hilltop neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, with its old mansions and yellow tram, and have lunch there. In the afternoon we walk down the Selarón Steps, covered in tiles from around the world, past the white arches of the Lapa aqueduct and into the old Centro: the Theatro Municipal, the mirrored Confeitaria Colombo and the busy market streets of SAARA, around Rua Buenos Aires, the old Rua do Hospício. Evening free.

    Included

    • Corcovado cog train and Christ the Redeemer, tickets included
    • Santa Teresa with your guide, and lunch there
    • The Selarón Steps, the Lapa Arches and the Centro on foot

    Free time: Evening free

    Activity: About 4 km on foot, with some steep streets in Santa Teresa; the van is close by.

    

11. Day 11: Sugarloaf in the morning, the beach after

    Rio de Janeiro: Sugarloaf Mountain, then Copacabana and Ipanema

    • Drive about 45 min
    • Breakfast
    • Stay in Rio de Janeiro
    Day 11 details

    This morning we ride the two cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain: first to Morro da Urca, then up to the 396 m granite summit at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. Morning light falls on the city side, and Christ the Redeemer stands on Corcovado opposite. There is time to walk the summit paths and look for small marmosets in the trees. We are back down by late morning, and the rest of the day is free, the slow day the trip needs before the island. Most people head for the beach: Copacabana's long curve or Ipanema, with Two Brothers mountain at its end. Your guide can arrange a guided walk through a favela with a local resident, a visit to the Botanical Garden, or tickets to a football match at the Maracanã on match days. Late afternoon, crowds gather on the Arpoador rocks to clap the sunset.

    Included

    • Sugarloaf Mountain cable cars, tickets included

    Optional experiences

    • Favela walk with a local resident guide
    • Botanical Garden
    • Football at the Maracanã (on match days)

    Free time: Afternoon and evening free

    Activity: Easy: short walks on the summit paths.

12. Day 12: Down the Costa Verde to Ilha Grande

    Rio de Janeiro to Conceição de Jacareí by road, then boat to Vila do Abraão on Ilha Grande

    • Drive about 2.5 h
    • Breakfast
    • Stay in Ilha Grande
    Day 12 details

    After breakfast we drive west out of Rio along the Costa Verde, about 115 km and a little over two hours, with the green mountains on one side and the islands of the bay on the other. At Conceição de Jacareí we leave the van and take a boat of about half an hour across to Ilha Grande. The island has no cars: its only village, Vila do Abraão, is a line of pousadas and restaurants on sand streets behind a beach, and the rest of the island is Atlantic rainforest crossed by trails. A former prison colony until 1994, it is now mostly protected as state park. After lunch on your own on the waterfront, your guide takes a short walk along the shore path to the ruins of the old aqueduct and a swimming spot. Bags are carried from the jetty to our pousada. The evening is free; the restaurants by the water are lively and simple.

    Included

    • Drive from Rio to Conceição de Jacareí with your guide
    • Boat to Ilha Grande, with luggage carried to the pousada
    • Short guided walk from Abraão

    Free time: Evening free

    Activity: Bring a small day bag for the boat; the main bags travel separately to the pousada.

13. Day 13: A boat day around the island, or the walk to Lopes Mendes

    Ilha Grande: a boat around the bay or the trail to Lopes Mendes beach

    • By boat
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Ilha Grande
    Day 13 details

    Today the group splits by choice and meets again in the evening. The easy plan is a boat day around the calm side of the island: swim and snorkel in the Lagoa Azul, a shallow channel of clear water full of small fish, stop at a quiet beach and have lunch at a seafood restaurant on the water. The active plan is the trail through the rainforest to Lopes Mendes, a long beach of fine white sand on the ocean side: a taxi boat to Pouso and a short forest walk, or the whole way from Abraão on foot for those who want a real hike, with a picnic lunch. Either way, lunch is included. We come back in the afternoon, with time for a swim. Tonight we sit down together for a farewell dinner of moqueca, the fish stew made with coconut milk, by the water.

    Included

    • Boat trip with swimming and snorkelling at the Lagoa Azul, or the trail to Lopes Mendes beach
    • Lunch on the boat day or a picnic lunch on the trail
    • Farewell dinner

    Easier option: The boat day: no hiking, swimming from the boat, lunch at a restaurant on the water.

    More active option: Hike from Abraão to Lopes Mendes through the forest, about 3 hours each way (or taxi boat back), with your guide.

    Activity: The full Lopes Mendes hike is about 10 km each way on hilly forest trail; take water and sun protection.

    

14. Day 14: Boat to the mainland and fly home

    Ilha Grande by boat to Conceição de Jacareí, then Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG)

    • Drive about 2.5 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 14 details

    A last swim before breakfast, then a mid-morning boat back to Conceição de Jacareí, where the van waits. The drive to Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG) is about 140 km and two and a half hours, with a stop for lunch on the way if there is time. Your guide sees you to the airport and checks your flight before saying goodbye. Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm. If you would rather stay longer in Rio, we can drop you at a hotel in the city instead, or book extra nights for you before or after the trip, including in Buenos Aires at the start. If your flight is in the morning, ask us when you book: we can bring you back to Rio the night before at an extra cost, so you do not miss it. Thank you for travelling with us across three countries.

    Included

    • Boat from Ilha Grande to Conceição de Jacareí
    • Drop-off at Rio de Janeiro International Airport (GIG)

    Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm.

Wildlife and weather: Seasons are reversed: Buenos Aires and Montevideo are cool in June to August and hot in January. Iguazu has the most water after rain, and Rio is hot and humid from December to March, with afternoon storms. Coatis, toucans and butterflies are common at Iguazú; keep food away from the coatis.

• Buenos Aires3 nights
• Colonia del Sacramento1 night
• Montevideo2 nights
• Puerto Iguazú2 nights
• Rio de Janeiro3 nights
• Ilha Grande2 nights