Brazil and Argentina with Buenos Aires City Stay

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. Some road construction &/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of €324.50pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

UK passport holders are not currently required to obtain a visa prior to travel for either Brazil or Argentina. Your passport must have an “expiry date “ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. You can visit Brazil and Argentina without a visa for a maximum stay of 90days. If you are travelling via the USA You will need to obtain an ESTA visa. This must be applied for at least 7 days before you are due to land in the USA. An ESTA can be applied for directly on the website of the Department of Homeland Security. The Fee for application is approximately $21.00 and payable via a Credit / Debit Card online. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta

Please note that final flight details will be confirmed on your e-ticket and final documentation which will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Weight restrictions will be finalized on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0871 360 2000, quoting HX313.

IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras. To arrange your travel insurance with Holiday Extras, please call 0800 781 4237 and quote 'WK830' for preferential rates. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24-hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

This tour is accessible to most people with an average level of fitness and normal mobility. It involves full days of sightseeing, often on foot, and includes some climbing of steps, getting on and off coaches and at times long walks often across uneven paths and hills. This tour is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.

The currency in Brazil is the Brazilian Real, known as BRL. (R$) You can exchange currency at exchange stores and Cash Machines are available in all major cities. Local stores only accept the Brazilian Real, however Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted. The Currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso known as ARS. However, US Dollars are widely used. Peso’s are not always available in the UK to buy beforehand, you are able to withdraw cash or exchange for Peso’s upon arrival at the airport in Argentina.

As normal practice you may be asked for your Credit / Debit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels as well as American Express.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks as well as your lunch and dinner on each day. Approximately £500-£600 per person should be sufficient for the tour.

Tipping

It is customary to tip both your driver and guide and is at your discretion. We would recommend approximately £5.00 ($6.00) per person per day in total. This will be collected at the end of your day and can be paid in both local currency and US dollars. Tipping at Restaurants/Hotels etc is discretionary, but on average is around 10% .

The minimum number of travellers in your group will be 10, and the maximum will be 30. If in the unlikely event there are less than 10 people booked on your tour date, we will endeavour to reduce any disruption to your holiday and try to operate your tour with lower passenger numbers. If we are not able to operate your departure date then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

There is no minimum number of travellers for this extension however the main tour passenger numbers will apply for the main part of the tour. If in the unlikely event there are less than the required number of people booked on your main tour date then you may be asked to change to a different date. A full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.

This is an escorted tour where we use Local Expert guides in each city. You will be guided by a local specialist in each of the cities you visit.

Private Tour: If you have booked a private tour then you will be accompanied by a Driver Guide or a Driver and Local Guides. These will be available to you during all scheduled sightseeing. Private Tours can depart on any day of the week depending on flight and train schedules and the opening days of the attractions. They will follow the itinerary as described in the brochure unless you have been advised otherwise and you will still have all of the same meals, sightseeing and local excursions included.

Your stay in Buenos Aires is not escorted by a tour guide. All internal transfers are included.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.

Triple Rooms are available, but please note that these are on a request basis and the 3rd bed is a “rollaway” bed and may reduce the overall floorspace of the room. Where an international flight arrives during early morning, we will endeavour to provide an Early Check In to your hotel, this is subject to availability. The usual hotel check in time is from 2pm onwards.

Meals will be provided as per the detailed itinerary. When included Breakfast will be of western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and dinner are not included in the tour so you will be able to choose where you dine for these meals. Your guide will be able to offer recommendations if you wish

Vegetarian and Vegan meals can be catered for. Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed counties water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way as the UK. Bottled Water will be available to purchase at shops, hotels & lodges.

On your arrival in Rio de Janeiro you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Blumar, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Blumar representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.

BRAZIL: Blumar Rua Siqueira Campos, 43 - cob 02 Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, 22031-901 Telephone: 0055 21 2142 9300 E-mail: juliepires@blumar.com.br

Please find below the 24 hour emergency contact details BRAZIL: 0055 21 99109 7256

ARGENTINA: Eurotur SRL Viamonte 486 Buenos Aires - Argentina Telephone 0054 11 4312-6077 E-mail: patricia.parra@eurotur.tur.ar

Emergency contact: ARGENTINA 0054 911 6878 1562 Emergency e-mail address: 247@eurotur.tur.ar