Essence of South America Trip Review (10/15/23 - 10/28/23)

Smiling Sam

Wan - Your trip report in the Patagonia area is very useful and would be easy to find if someone is looking for a discussion of the Patagonia tour. 😄

Augrl

The reports above are comprehensive and were much appreciated.
We took this trip in late January 2025. Weather in Rio was hot and humid. We had a very congenial group of just over 20.
Our group had lunch one day at the Cultural Center in Rio which was delicious. We regret not staying afterwards to see more of the Center as the entire afternoon was free.
In Rio our taxi driver recommended Satyricon in Ipanema where we had a delicious seafood lunch in a lovely garden room with excellent leisurely service.
Highlights for us were Iguazu Falls and the Vik in Chile. Buenos Aires is a lovely city.
The walks at the Falls are easy. For the helicopter you need to be fit enough to climb up and in but it’s not hard. Belmond Hotel is beautiful. We enjoyed the tasting menu dinner, others said the buffet was good and the buffet is quicker if that matters to you. The offsite dinner at a chef’s home was entertaining as well as delicious. The bird sanctuary was fascinating. The local guide suggested a movie, The Mission, which was filmed in Foz, for later viewing.
The rooftop bar at the Alvear Palace was open and we had a light dinner there one evening. One weekends there is a local crafts market a couple blocks from the hotel. The trip through the countryside to the estancia was very interesting with two good stops. The estancia experience was relaxing and very enjoyable.
The Vik Winery was a unique and interesting experience. We enjoyed the cooking class; the wine tasting group was adjacent and seemed to have had a great time too. Would have been good to do both. The kitchen garden at this venue was very nice. The hotel is very interesting, each room is indeed different. Food was good. The trip to Vik Winery from Santiago was accompanied by commentary by the local guide and was interesting. The orchards and the homes and slices of local life were interesting to drive through.
If you are a history buff someone recommended the book, The Real Odessa by Uki Goni, a journalist. There is also a YouTube video by the author.
There is a lot of free time on this trip so do some research beforehand as to what is available to see that interests you and do take a swimsuit.