Anyone who has ventured out of their home country in the last 2 years can attest to the need for flexibility and openness to change. Bill and I are no exceptions – our trip through the Chilean fjords in January was our 2nd venture out of the USA since COVID-19 made its presence known.
While this trip presented some logistical challenges, it rewarded us with spectacular sea life, scenery, and a pampered lifestyle. Our original 3-week itinerary was scheduled to begin in Lima, Peru and disembark in Buenos Aires. Due to closures of Peru and Argentina to cruise ships, however, our trip began in Guayaquil, Ecuador and ended in Montevideo, Uruguay. Travel tip #1: book your air with the cruise line – Silversea rebooked us with no hassles and no extra fees.
Top 3 Reasons to Come With Us on This Once-in-a-Lifetime Expedition
Home to Charles Darwin’s famous observations, the Galápagos islands are home to rare animal species found nowhere else on Earth. Each of the group’s many islands hosts a unique ecosystem of tortoise, finch, and countless species of sky, land, and sea.
With so many ways to see these amazing islands, we always opt for staying and traveling aboard a cruise ship. SilverSea Expeditions® offers a number of seven-day Galápagos cruises, with the perfect balance of luxury and adventure. With the best expert field guides-per-visitor ratio, SilverSea is our cruise line of choice for the Galápagos. These are the things we love about this experience!
How do you end a fabulous 12-day cruise that plies the Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina coastline? Paul and I decided to take a trip to Iguazu Falls which spans the Argentina and Brazil border, one of the world’s largest and arguably the most spectacular chasms. This is our second experience with taking a post-cruise trip, which we have found is a stress-free way to see an exotic destination. We were refreshed and relaxed after 12 days of being pampered on Oceania, one of our favorite cruise lines. Cruising is a great way to see several destinations without packing and re-packing. More on that later …
After a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires and private transfer to the Sheraton Hotel at the Iguazu National Park, we enjoyed the spectacular views and relaxed. It was a good thing we rested because we had a full day of touring – starting with the Brazil side for its vistas of the entire falls and then back to the national park in Argentina to commence our hikes along the falls. One of the hikes took us to the entrance of Devils Throat – a narrow chasm where half of the river flows. It’s wet, misty, and absolutely spectacular. Happily we were afforded ponchos which were even more of a necessity on our boat ride under the falls the following day. Our speedboat took us inside the Garganta del Diablo (Devils Throat) Canyon – awesome! We also took a nature hike where we got up close and personal with monkeys and the ubiquitous coatis. Coatis are the South American cousins of raccoons, and tourists feed them so I had to shoo more than one of them away. Staying 2 nights and spreading our tours over two days was almost perfect, but I’d recommend lightening up one of the days’ schedules to allow more time to enjoy the spa services at the lovely Sheraton. Paul and I had a great time enjoying a hydrotherapy regime.
Speaking of relaxation, our Oceania cruise was fantastic – 12 nights aboard the lovely Oceania M/S Regatta. We embarked at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and ended our cruise in Bueno Aires, Argentina. A highlight for me was Uruguay. We took the opportunity to tour Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital and a beautiful, affluent Latin American city as well as Punta del Este, Uruguay’s top beach resort destination.
On board, we enjoyed wonderful service and meals. Oceania’s food, under the executive culinary direction of none other than Jacques Pepin, is world-renowned and award-winning. We were able to enjoy specialty dining at Toscana (Italian) and the Polo Grill (steak and seafood) as well as the grand dining room where a beautiful array of dishes, from Jacques Pepin French signature plates to Canyon Ranch healthy, flavorful cuisine were available. This was my third Oceania cruise and it won’t be my last, and I know why so many of my clients who enjoy luxury cruising swear by this cruise line.
South America and/or luxury cruising on your list? Give me or any one of Bay World’s travel advisors a call. We’d love to collaborate with you to make your travel dream a reality.
