Highlights Of Brazil - 6417A Seabourn Quest departing 20 Feb 2024

Founded in 1536, Buenos Aires was administered by a Spanish viceroy for nearly three centuries before winning its independence in 1816. A sleepy port town for most of that time, it wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century that the city finally emerged as an important shipping center. Today, Argentina’s democratically elected government has made it South America’s safest (and most expensive) country. This cosmopolitan city is characterized by broad boulevards with huge shade trees, beautiful residential districts, plazas containing monuments and fountains, interspersed with 20th-century high-rise buildings. It is a truly great walking city.

Referred to as the “Riviera of South America,” Punta del Este is first and foremost a world class beach resort. Located at the tip of a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic, it is bordered on both sides by more than 25 miles of beaches with pounding, wild surf on the ocean side, and tranquil waters on the other. Fine white sand beaches connect azure waters to pine forests. Eucalyptus and mimosa trees lend their scent to the evening air. Slow paced and relaxing by day, Punta becomes the playground of the rich and famous at night and you will be arriving at the height of its social season. Internationally renowned entertainers and world premieres are some of the events scheduled here. There is so much to do that the streets are filled both day and night. This is probably the only place in the world where cocktail parties begin at 3:30 in the morning.

Tucked into a protected cove along a golden beach, Ilha Grande’s main town is a sleepy place dedicated to laid-back leisure. The island’s earlier history as a notorious pirate den, a leper colony and the Brazilian equivalent of Devil’s Island is all but invisible today. Behind the waterfront street and the tidy church rise moderate peaks clad in virgin Atlantic rainforest. Ilha Grande is blessed with an abundance of superb beaches. There are no private cars on the island, so transport is either by foot on well-marked trails or by boat. It’s possible to walk along through the rainforest from beach to beach. Praia Lopes Mendes, which was named one of the world’s most beautiful by Vogue magazine, is a hike, but worth the walk or the fare for a boat. Adventureiro is the postcard beach, with large sea-smooth rocks lined up along the sand. The water is warm and clear at all of them, and at other coves such as Lagoa Azul, and snorkeling is easy and rewarding. It’s nice to know that all energy used on the island is generated from renewable sources.

Its stunning setting and joyous lust for life make Rio a cidade maravilhosa, “marvelous city.” Ipanema, Copacabana, samba – the words alone conjure Brazilian paradise.

Its stunning setting and joyous lust for life make Rio a cidade maravilhosa, “marvelous city.” Ipanema, Copacabana, samba – the words alone conjure Brazilian paradise.