Buenos Aires to Rio holiday, South America

Environment

Low Impact Transportation: When ever is possible we use local transportation to move around. From public buses and taxis to public ferries and catamarans, we’re all about variety. Sometimes local transport is the best and most colorful way to go around as the locals do not only allows you to experience the culture on a deeper level, but the same way it is at home, using public transport is the most sustainable way to go – after walking and cycling of course!

Example:
- Local ferry border crossing Buenos Aires (Argentina) to Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay). Taxis and night bus to cross from Salto (Urguay) to Puerto Iguasu (Argentina). Mototaxis to visit the local favela (slum) or getting around in Paraguay. Public catamaran from main land (Angra dos Reis) to Ilha Grande island, the cars on Ilha Grande are limited to essential services only (fire, ambulance etc), it is largely undeveloped and there are huge amounts of trails (16 of them connecting the whole island) leading to deserted white sand beaches, don’t forget to walk to Lopes Mendez beach which is among the ten best beaches in Brazil.

Support World Heritage and local conservation: On this trip there are numerous opportunities to visit important heritage sites and local conservation sites. Celebrating conservation is an important way to participate in sustainable tourism.

For example:
- World Heritage: Iguaçu National Park was listed as Natural Heritage of Humanity and is one of the largest forest preservation areas in South America. It was also declare as one of the 7 New Natural Wonders of the World with 275 falls in all, spread over a 3-km area, some over 80m (262.4 ft) in height.
- Local Conservation sites: The Bird Park in Foz do Iguaçu was constructed with the intention of offering ideal breeding conditions for birds, and at the same time guaranteeing the preservation of 16 hectares of native forest, modern techniques and careful environmental planning were applied in the design of each aviary. Paraty town one of the world's most important examples of Portuguese colonial architecture by UNESCO, with a historic centre well-preserved national historic monument and today has been close to vehicles to preserve its laid-back colonial ambience. The stunning Ilha Grande island which is a pristine remnant of Brazil’s atlantic rainforest, a Nacional Patrimony protected area, are extremely diverse and encompasses 4.500 hectares of wilderness.

Community

Supporting local culture and businesses: There are a multitude of opportunities to support local businesses and immerse yourself in South American culture on this trip. From the colourful markets to locally-owned restaurants and food stalls, the choices for eating and handicrafts are endless and the money is staying in the local economy.

Example:
- Activities that take you to memorable places like: San Telmo for the weekend antiques market and street artists’ displays (Buenos Aires). Mercado del Puerto where you can find one of the southamericans finest steaks almost as big as a face size (Uruguay), locals’ homes like Antonio’s famous Brazilians barbeques with amazing food and delicious local produce cachaça in Foz (Brazil), local’s business like Sandro’s well know caipirinha sail boat for a trip around the bay and locally-owned accommodations like Raquel’s cozy posada in one of the most beautiful towns in Paraty (Brazil) are vital to the local peoples’ ability to truly benefit from tourism.

Community
This style of trip allows you to head off to explore independently or just chill out in a café and watch the world go by. We include the must-see highlights on most of our trips and south americans are nothing more than kind, passionate and willing to talk travellers people, don’t be surprised if you get invited to dance in the streets with them in Paraty, sip a taste of “mate” in Buenos Aires or hang out with them at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro.
It may not be apparent that learning about and respecting other cultures is part of being a responsible traveler, but we believe that this discovery is a natural way for people of all backgrounds, nationalities, and religions to interact and learn from each other, fostering peace and understanding. And it’s just plain fascinating!

Other optional unique experiences on this trip that allow you to support the local economy and learn about Brazilian culture include:

For example:
- Favela Tour (Rio de Janeiro): Take a unique ride in a mototaxi (motorcycles use as public transportation and very popular among the locals) to the top of the favela (slum) and continue exploring the community by foot with the chance of visiting a local art studio that teaches the children how to produce art if they can prove they go to school and have good grades or Planeterra’s local project a community-run center where children are provided with a safe and loving atmosphere, cultural and educational activities, nutritious meals and health care. This center is run by a group of local women who are working to improve the quality of life in the favela and keep children off the streets where there is strong pressure to join gangs involved in drug trafficking.