Mother of Poodles, thank you. Very helpful information. Yes, we are still planning on going to Iguazu Falls post tour. First up, however, is Scandinavia in June.
Hi MCD—we added an extra day and a half in Santiago. I wish we added another day. You’re correct, Tauck just drove us by some sights. The day in Valparaiso was great. We used a company I found on TripAdvisor (Street Art in Valparaiso and Wines in Casablanca from
Santiago). The guide and driver were a lot fun and very knowledgeable. They showed us the key spots in Valpariso and drove us to the top of the city with plenty of stops. The bulk of the walking was downhill. They recommended restaurants for lunch - we ate at a Peruvian restaurant (excellent). Ultimately we took the funicular to the bottom of the hilly city to our van. We were picked up from the hotel at 8am and returned at about 6:30.
On our other free 1/2 day, we went to a charming village with many craft shops (silver, textiles, leather, copper jewelry,art etc). It was called Centro Artesan Los Dominicos (a 15-20 minute cab ride from hotel; less than $10). We have a great time exploring, shopping and meeting the artisans.
A friend who just came back from a back to back Tauck trip (Essence of SA and Patagonia) told me Tauck did a comprehensive tour of Santiago on the Patagonia tour. I would check out that itinerary.
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Mother of Poodles, thank you. Very helpful information. Yes, we are still planning on going to Iguazu Falls post tour. First up, however, is Scandinavia in June.
Lots of murals/street art all over Rio de Janeiro as well, from 2016 when they hosted the Olympics.
NancyCohen - DId you also add time in Santiago? I'm thinking of taking this tour, but would like to spend a day or two in Santiago at the end of it.
MCD - if you are referencing the Patagonia tour, it ends in Buenos Aires.
No, I was talking about the Essence of South America. The tour itinerary doesn't include Santiago except as a departure point.
Hi MCD—we added an extra day and a half in Santiago. I wish we added another day. You’re correct, Tauck just drove us by some sights. The day in Valparaiso was great. We used a company I found on TripAdvisor (Street Art in Valparaiso and Wines in Casablanca from
Santiago). The guide and driver were a lot fun and very knowledgeable. They showed us the key spots in Valpariso and drove us to the top of the city with plenty of stops. The bulk of the walking was downhill. They recommended restaurants for lunch - we ate at a Peruvian restaurant (excellent). Ultimately we took the funicular to the bottom of the hilly city to our van. We were picked up from the hotel at 8am and returned at about 6:30.
On our other free 1/2 day, we went to a charming village with many craft shops (silver, textiles, leather, copper jewelry,art etc). It was called Centro Artesan Los Dominicos (a 15-20 minute cab ride from hotel; less than $10). We have a great time exploring, shopping and meeting the artisans.
A friend who just came back from a back to back Tauck trip (Essence of SA and Patagonia) told me Tauck did a comprehensive tour of Santiago on the Patagonia tour. I would check out that itinerary.
Thanks, Nancy.