Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina is known as the ‘Paris of South America’. Drive down Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest avenue in the world, past the famous Colon Theatre, the Obelisk, commemorating the fourth centenary of the city’s founding in 1536, to get to Plaza de Mayo (May Square). See the surrounding buildings: Government House, the Metropolitan Cathedral with the Mausoleum of General San Martin, Argentina’s greatest national hero, and the Cabildo, the colonial town hall completed in 1751. Then head to La Boca, the typically Italian district, where the first Italian immigrants settled and the Caminito street museum. Continue to the Buenos Aires port area, past San Martin Square, towards the residential district of Palermo Chico, and Palermo Gardens, with their jacaranda and palo borracho trees, which flower in the spring and late summer. Explore the elegant Recoleta district to visit the Recoleta Cemetery, and see the famous tomb of Evita (Eva Peron).
Rio de Janeiro
Rio has one of the most spectacular settings of any city in the world. According to Brazilians, God made the world in 6 days and devoted the 7th to Rio! Visits to the world-famous Ipanema and Copacabana beaches are a must as is a visit to Rio’s modern cathedral, the 17th-century Saint Benedict’s Monastery Church, Sambadrome, home to the famous carnival parade and the 250-year-old artistic, bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa. Experience the thrilling Corcovado, a mountain 710 metres above sea level, with a sheer granite face topped with the prodigious Cristo Redentor statue, rising more than 40 metres and weighing more than 635 tonnes and offering magnificent 360-degree views. Take the two-stage cable car, spanning 1,400 metres, to Sugar Loaf Mountain, a massive granite boulder 396 metres above the harbour, for another amazing view.
