Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(11
days/10 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(12 days/11 nights)
Machu Picchu - Lake
Titicaca
(14 days/13 nights)
Colca Canyon - Machu
Picchu
Lake Titicaca
(16 days/15 nights)
Archaeological & Ecological
Treasures
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
Lake Titicaca (or Amazon)
(18 days/17
nights)
Colca Canyon - Amazon
Machu Picchu - Lake Titicaca
(22 days/21 nights)
Machu Picchu
(10
days/9 nights)
Machu Picchu
(13 days/12 nights)
Machu Picchu - Galapagos
(15 days/14 nights)
Galapagos - Machu Picchu
(18 days/17 nights)
Manu National Park
(8 days/7 nights)
Enchanted Isles of the Galapagos
Galapagos
(11
days/10 nights)
Galapagos & the Kingdom of Quito
Galapagos - Andes
(16 days/15 nights)
Galapagos - Amazon
(16 days/15 nights)
Historic Haciendas of the Andes
Cotopaxi - Antisana
- Otavalo
(7 days/6 nights)
© 2008
Inka's Empire Corporation.
All rights reserved.
The Cradle of Tango...
Day 1: International flight to Buenos Aires (Four Balconies of Buenos Aires)
International arrival this morning in Buenos Aires, reception and transfer to the El Alvear Palace Hotel, the city's most exclusive and one of the top hotels in the world. This cosmopolitan city -- the cradle of the Tango -- is a superb introduction to Argentina. European in appearance, Buenos Aires can keep any culturally-oriented visitor busy indefinitely. The city has been a true melting pot of native inhabitants: Spanish, Italian, British, French, German, Central European, Jewish, Arabian, Greek, Japanese and, more recently, Chinese and Korean immigrants. The diversity of its architecture, districts and suburbs reflect times of grandeur and plenty, cultural influences and migratory waves. Lunch at El Alvear's L'Orangerie.
This afternoon and tomorrow morning, a scholar will stroll with you to four parks and plazas. The tour is poetically called the "Four Balconies of Buenos Aires" because each park or plaza will give you an overview of Argentina, its history, its contrasts, its contradictions and the characteristic psychology of the "porteños", the inhabitants of Buenos Aires. Today, begin with La Recoleta, the most fashionable place in the city, noted for its parks, museums and the tomb of Evita Peron. Dinner of French cuisine (on your own) at Chef Jean Paul Bondoux' La Bourgogne, rated the number one restaurant in South America by Travel & Leisure magazine. (Both restaurants request that guests wear elegant sport attire.) Overnight in El Alvear Palace Hotel -- Palace Premium Room.
Note: The El Alvear is traditional and more formal. If you prefer, you may select the Philippe Starck-designed Faena Hotel, which is contemporary and more casual. In that case, you would have lunch in its Library Lounge and dinner in El Bistro.
Day 2: Buenos Aires (Four Balconies of Buenos Aires - Cultural Excursion)
Breakfast. Continue your tour of the "Four Balconies of Buenos Aires". Plaza de Mayo, site of the city's founding, is its heart, both from a historical and political point of view. Parque Lezama and the adjacent areas of La Boca and San Telmo are in the old south quarter. One of the most picturesque areas of the city, La Boca is crowded with artists' ateliers and colorful houses of rambling architecture, while San Telmo features antique shops and cobblestone streets, a remembrance of early times in Buenos Aires. Plaza San Martín and the Retiro area show the link and the passage from the old south to the new residential quarters developed at the turn of the 19th century, when Argentina and especially Buenos Aires, looked to Europe as a role model. Located at the Yacht Club, Azzurra offer a lunch of Mediterranean-Argentinian cuisine and a waterfront view of Buenos Aires.
In the afternoon, choose from a wealth of cultural excursions, reflecting the sophistication of this great metropolis: The Paris of South America; A Literary Walk; Arts & Crafts; Pirates, Patriots & Immigrants; Jewish Heritage Tour; Evita's Buenos Aires; The Museum Mile; Buenos Aires through the Centuries; The World of an Artist; Wine Tasting or A Cooking Workshop.
The Tango...
Born in the outskirts of Buenos Aires at the turn of the 19th century, Tango quickly grew to be the best-known Argentine export worldwide.
Argentina was and is a true melting pot of cultures. The present population descends mostly from Italians, Spaniards, Arabs and other Europeans. At the end of the last century and the beginning of the current one, large waves of immigrants arrived on the shores of Buenos Aires. They escaped from wars and persecutions and had no place to stay. Most settled in large homes, sharing the rooms around a central patio. During the week they searched for jobs and on Saturdays they would get together in the patio to play music, sing and dance. Most were homesick and their songs reflected their feelings.
No one knows exactly how the tango was born, but it is, no doubt, the offspring of the melting pot formed by the European immigrants, the "criollos" (native people) and the descendants of the African slaves, who crowded the conspicuous "conventillos" or tenements. Their folk songs were played and danced at every celebration in the shared central patio. Little by little a new tune developed, first only as a dance; lyrics appeared many years later.
Higher classes strongly disapproved of this new dance, and it was considered "lascivious" by a contemporary publication. However, in the days before World War I, Tango appeared in Europe and, although the aristocracy prohibited it, it soon became the rage.
Back home, new media -- recordings, radio, and cinema -- gave this dance its final thrust. Carlos Gardel, the first Tango international superstar, imposed a definite style for Tango singers and conquered forever the heart of the "porteños" (residents of Buenos Aires). Many fans still insist "every day he sings better". His portrait is seen hanging from walls and buses along with other mythical characters of political or religious background. Thus, Tango was sung and danced at every party or gathering, formal or not, throughout Argentina. Parents taught their children to dance it at home, although more than one lesson was needed to master it.
Regretfully, Tango lost its grip in the 50s when the great names of Tango were disappearing from the scene and new forms of music appeared, especially rock. However, it was still heard, mostly by the radio and TV audiences and danced in a few traditional neighborhood clubs on Saturday nights.
The future of Tango seemed uncertain. New generations found it old fashioned and extremely difficult to dance, but it was so rooted in most Argentine families that its disappearance was unlikely.
Last year's Tango revival abroad gave new hope of its rebirth in the Río de la Plata, its humble cradle a century ago. On the other hand, contemporary musicians such as Piazzolla did and are adapting the Tango to modern times. This, together with its success abroad has called it to the attention of young generations, who have rediscovered this sensual dance.
Dinner and a show of classical Tango at Esquina Carlos Gardel, which recreates a 1950s ballroom. VIP service. Return to your hotel. Overnight in El Alvear Palace Hotel -- Palace Premium Room.
Day 3: Buenos Aires (Tigre & the Delta of the Parana River)
Breakfast. Full day excursion to the northern riverside districts of Tigre and San Isidro. Riverside walks and a boating trip through the countless islands in the Delta of the Parana River to enjoy the views of riverfront villas, Victorian docks, English gardens and traditional rowing clubs. The Parana River is a true biological corridor descending from the Amazon and flowing into the Rio de la Plata in the form of a delta. This is one of the few deltas in the world so close to a big city. Jungle-bordered rivers and islands covered by plantations offer an exotic vegetation display.
We drive north from Buenos Aires for about an hour. At Tigre, we board a private boat to navigate the waters of the Delta of the Parana River for about an hour. We will have lunch at Un Lugar en el Arroyo, a typical local house that allows us access into the interior of the island to learn about its ecosystem. There are small boats for a relaxed paddle in the river before returning to Buenos Aires.
On the way back, we will stop en route to visit San Isidro, a residential area in the Northern Quarters to appreciate San Isidro Cathedral, riverside villas and imposing homes, such as Pueyrredón Farm, Victoria Ocampo's mansion (once the cultural center of South America) and several colonial mansions.
Alternatively to the Parana River excursion, you may choose two additional cultural excursions: The Paris of South America; A Literary Walk; Arts & Crafts; Pirates, Patriots & Immigrants; Jewish Heritage Tour; Evita's Buenos Aires; The Museum Mile; Buenos Aires through the Centuries; The World of an Artist; Wine Tasting or A Cooking Workshop. Instead of two cultural excursions, you may choose either the full-day Gourmand Day in Buenos Aires, a boating excursion to Uruguay's colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento or a visit to a traditional estancia on the Pampas.
Return to your hotel. Dinner (on your own) at La Bourgogne. Overnight in El Alvear Palace Hotel -- Palace Premium Room.
Thank you for choosing Inka's Empire Tours.
© 2008 Inka's Empire Corporation, Luxury Peru Tours & Travel. All rights reserved.
