South America 2009 - (Page 32) Signature Collection touring This exclusive touring option, available in select ports, allows you to completely customize — and maximize — your time ashore by reserving a private car, driver and english-speaking guide in advance. Guayaquil, Ecuador Macapá, Brazil Montevideo, Uruguay Stroll the beautiful riverside promenade in this busy, energetic city — Ecuador’s largest. From here, ships bearing gold and silver bound for Europe were once harbored. Sample shore excursions: Guayaquil City & Historical Park; Ecuadorian Hacienda Tour; Cerro Blanco Dry Forest Nature Preserve. Hope Bay (Esperanza Station), Paulet & Elephant Islands (scenic cruising) In this busy seaport, a gateway to the Amazon River, witness the wondrous pororoca, when the incoming ocean tide and the outflowing waters of the Amazon meet with thunderous intensity. Sample shore excursion: Highlights of Macapá by Boat. Maceió, Brazil Friendly and genteel, Montevideo honors colonial customs: long lunches, siestas, high tea. Sample shore excursions: A Gaucho’s Life; Highlights of Montevideo by Steam Train & Bus. Neumayer and Lemaire Channels (scenic cruising) At Hope Bay the scarlet chalets of Esperanza, an Argentine military and scientific station, stand in stark contrast to the white ice. On Paulet Island it is strictly a black-and-white affair as several million Adélie penguins nest on every available beach. And at Elephant Island hear the riveting account of Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition and the crew’s heroic daily struggle to survive. Ilhabela (São Sebastião), Brazil Gorgeous lace, tantalizing tapiocas (Brazilian crepes) and telephone booths in every curious shape: Maceió offers Brazilian creativity at its best, along with miles of urban beaches lapped by emerald-green seas. Sample shore excursions: Highlights of Maceió; Mundao Lagoon Experience; Pontal da Barra and Gunga Beach. Manaus, Brazil Have your camera ready as you cruise majestic Neumayer and Lemaire channels in an area so photogenic, it has been nicknamed Kodak Gap. You’ll cruise past calving glaciers, under sheer cliffs and snowy peaks and through ice-studded waters. Panama Canal (scenic cruising) Located off the coast of Brazil between Rio de Janeiro and Santos, this island of unspoiled beauty offers white-sand beaches, wild volcanic mountains and more than three hundred waterfalls cascading throughout the rain forest. Itajaí, Brazil This hub of the Amazon was made rich by rubber. Its splendid opera house, the centerpiece of this “Paris of the Jungle,” has been magnificently restored. Sample shore excursions: The Meeting of the Waters: A Jungle Cruise; Manaus & the Teatro Amazonas Opera; Ariau Towers Jungle Lodge — Overnight. Manta (Quito), Ecuador As your ship is lifted from sea level up 85 feet to Gatún Lake, then gently lowered again, using no power other than the force of gravity, you’ll know one of travel’s great thrills. Your transit is made all the more memorable by a Canal historian, who will come on board to recount history and anecdotes and answer your questions. Parintins, Brazil Your gateway to surrounding villages, nature preserves and waterfalls. Travel to the beach resort of Camburiu or the enchanting German-influenced town of Blumenau for a tour of the Crystal Museum. Just outside this tranquil coastal town lie villages where the famous Panama hats are produced. Farther afield: colonial Quito, so perfectly preserved that the entire town has been designated a World Heritage Site. Sample shore excursions: A Day in Quito; Quito and Otavalø Market — UNESCO Heritage Sites; Machalilla. A small village on the Amazon, Parintins celebrates its centuries-old Indian culture once a year at the Boi-Bumba Festival, a joyous event of mystery, magic and faith. Sample shore excursions: The Boi-Bumba Festival Show; Parintins by Tricycle. 32 e-brochures available online
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