Classic Journeys Lures Latin Lovers With High-Def Walking Adventures

Year-round departures to Central and South America on tap for 2010

La Jolla, CA (December 2009) – Remember the first time you saw an image in HDTV...the colors, the clarity, the incredible detail that practically leaped right off the screen? That's the same sense of "wow" that guests of Classic Journeys experience on our adventure travel tours in Central and South America.

“We’ve channeled our energies into more than 40 cultural walking tours and family vacations to Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Argentina for 2010,” observes Edward Piegza, company president and co-founder. “Whichever Central or South American destination they choose, our guests are never more than a few steps away from a truly knock-your-socks-off adventure travel experience.”

Guests never know when that high-def moment might hit: while gazing at a sloth swooping from branch to branch in the rainforest canopy… paddling up a jungle river in a primitive canoe...or catching their first glimpse of Machu Picchu, perched heaven-knows-how among the clouds.

Here's a brief look at some tour highlights on our Central and South American adventure travel tours:

Argentina

Gauchos, guanacos, and the most stunning glacial scenery in South America take center stage on the all-new Patagonia and the Wine District Cultural Walking Tour. In this ultimate edition of the Great Outdoors, guests strap on crampons to cross a portion of the Perito Moreno Glacier, picnic on a volcanic slope, and cruise among freshly calved icebergs on a crystalline lake.

In the Mendoza region, guests make their way along the famed "Route of the Wines," touring and tasting Malbecs and Cabernets in the company of an expert agronomist. This nine-day, eight-night trip, with departures in January, March and November, provides the perfect escape from winter weather at the height of Argentina's spring and summer.

Peru

Legendary ruins, remote Andean villages and spectacular mountain terrain are the focus of the company’s seven-day, six-night Peru adventure tour.

While exploring the magical Lost City of the Incas is certainly the high point of the week, each day is filled with thrilling walks, historical insights, and cultural connections that paint a vivid picture of everyday life in rural Peru...like the friendly residents who share their ancient ceramic and weaving techniques, the eager young students who greet guests at their one-room school, and even the llamas and alpacas encountered along the way.

Panama

Passengers on cruise ships that pass through the Canal get only a hint of the wonders of Panama. The real Panama – with its remarkable culture and biodiversity – is only revealed when you're on foot.

Led by top-notch native guides, guests on Classic Journeys’ Panama tour hike the Las Cruces Trail, a pre-canal "shortcut" favored by Gold Rush miners bound for California in the late 1800's, and the Los Quetzales Trail, named for the resplendent quetzal, one of nature's most flamboyant birds.

In the midst of this amazing jungle habitat (where "whoa, did you see that?" is the oft-repeated phrase), guests travel via dugout canoe to lunch with members of the native Embera tribe, peek into Panama's Spanish colonial past in Portobelo – a complex of forts on the Caribbean Coast that's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and indulge their love of java on a private jaunt and tasting at a finca (coffee plantation).

Costa Rica

Everything you've heard about it is true; Costa Rica is larger-than-life. With expert naturalists as their guides, guests on Classic Journeys Costa Rica adventure tours plunge headlong into ecosystems teeming with flora and fauna, from tropical rainforests to mangrove swamps. And get up-close and personal with a zoo-worthy collection of creatures, from howler monkeys and emerald toucanets to iridescent blue morpho butterflies that settle gently on their heads.

Over the course of an eye-opening week, guests visit the private, blissfully uncrowded cloud forest owned by the former president of Costa Rica, and, from the balconies of their luxury hotel, enjoy unsurpassed views of Arenal volcano and the fiery lava snaking down its prehistoric slopes.

This Costa Rica nature tour also builds in plenty of time to meet and mingle with the Costa Rican people – affectionately known as ticos: visiting a village school, sampling sugar cane on a sustainable eco-farm, and sipping homegrown blends on a friend's coffee plantation.

Family Vacations

Families seeking adventure with a Latin American vibe can choose from more than 20 unique family vacations that coincide with school breaks. Kids, parents, and even grandparents find high-energy activities in full-swing, whether they're ziplining through rainforest treetops on our family tours of Costa Rica or Panama, or river rafting and mountain biking in the Sacred Valley on our Peru family tour.

Specific itineraries, daily agendas, dates and pricing for all Classic Journeys’ walking tours and family vacations in Central and South America can be found at www.classicjourneys.com/centralsouthamerica. Readers may speak directly with one of the company’s Guest Services Coordinators at (800) 200-3887.


About Classic Journeys:

Classic Journeys offers cultural walking tours, culinary tours and family vacations in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Guests enjoy luxury accommodations and gourmet meals that reflect the best of each region, coupled with soft adventure activities, daily interactions with locals, and native guides who make countries and cultures come alive. Tours are six to 12 days long with two to four hours of easy-going walking per day. Land-only tour prices range from $2495 to $7995 per person (with discounts for small groups and children traveling with parents). Average tour size is 10, limited to a maximum of 18 guests per departure.

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