Brazil has been on my travel Bucket List since I was a little girl, so the chance to go – and go in a safe and education/culture focused tour – was the chance of a lifetime. Argentina was vaguely on my list of places I wanted to go, mainly for Eva Peron and the wine, and Uruguay couldn't be passed up as the optional extension because when else would I have that opportunity again?

I have traveled with EF before and was again impressed with the quality and ease of the travel experience. Of the four places we visited (Rio, Iguassu Falls, Buenos Aires, and Colonia del Sacramento) I fell in love with Rio most of all. It was a beautiful, colorful, and vibrant city and I never once felt anything but safe. Safety in traveling to Brazil has been my number one concern that has kept me from the country thus far, so I was thrilled that this was never an issue. Our local guide was amazing and went out of her way to ensure we were seeing the real Rio and not just the tourist side. A highlight for me was that in all the places she took us for lunch and dinner we were usually the only non-locals, which meant we were eating what the everyday Brazilian ate and oh boy was the food amazing.

The food in general throughout the entire trip was phenomenal, top to bottom – even the hotel buffet breakfasts. I was never hungry or not satisfied and the quality of food was superb. The only downside to eating was we were not told in advance that beverages were not included with any meal – not even water – so it was a budgeting crunch for some because they had a limited budget that had only covered the non-included meals and souvenirs.

The only suggestion I would have for this tour is to reverse the order it is traveled in. Instead of starting in Rio and ending in Buenos Aires, I would have enjoyed the trip even more if we started in Buenos Aires (in the big city) and then ended in Rio (on the beach). The experiences in Buenos Aires were more educational and historical (visiting the Gaucho ranch, Eva Peron’s final resting place, the Red House, etc) while the experiences in Iguassu Falls and then Rio were more cultural vs educational. I think ending with the lighter cultural experiences would have further increased my excitement of the experiences I had as it would have felt more like each day, and each location, grew and built upon what I’d done the day before. show less

What an experience! Our tour director made the most of every location, really getting us into the culture of the cities we visited. Rio was amazing! Iguazu Falls was unbelievable, and Argentina was so authentic! The tour was packed with things to see and do but still a good amount of time to explore additional things in small groups. show less

It was beautiful!!! show less

I am tickled that I asked a friend who was going on this trip if I could go also. It meant that I would see some things in parts of the world my spouse has never had a desire to visit. He was concerned about safety, but I think the tour offered was as safe as possible....Safety was always stressed, for all of us. The places chosen for us to visit and activities to participate in were a good cross-section of each area and we could get a good taste of what else we might want to do or see at another time. Our guide, with us 24-7 was absolutely delightful in every way. We all just want to kidnap her and bring her home with us. The local tour guides were knowledgeable, interesting, funny, and were quite open about discussing political issues which, hopefully, our young students listened to and learned from. The EF coordinator who accompanied us was energetic; howeever, some of the time her tone was abrasive and being told "move your butts" I feel is quite inappropriate. We ranged in age from 10 to 67, some with minor ambulation issues, so being scolded for not moving fast enough or getting onto and off of the buses quickly enough for her standards was annoying. That being said, I feel EF has a wonderful program; the students I traveled with were well prepared by their teachers and we all had lots of fun together. show less

It was so fun!! I wish I could do it all over again. show less

Love our planet, but when you see the natural beauty of Brazil you know this is a special country. Corcovado, beaches and Sugar Loaf is a must, the food was also plenty and savory good and the lovely friendly people you know you got to go back. Iguazu is a breath taking paradise, the waterfalls tour was fantastic. Argentina, Buenos Aires, Fiesta Gaucho ranch was one of my favorite sites, the food was great and plenty! Our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and fun keep us all moving and engaged! show less

Beautiful sites, incredible food, and great cultural shows! The gaucho experience is not to be missed. show less

Even though I enjoyed the trip I feel there was too much lost time. There was no city tour in Rio de Janeiro and students never saw were the King and Queen of Portugal lived, nor the Opera or the museums. We left Iguacu with out a glimpse of the city. At Buenos Aires we were short of time. show less

The tour guides were spectacular and included attractions were great.

My only constructive comment is the amount of free time. Almost all afternoons were free. We needed to pay extra for tours it could be included, like the Maracana Stadium and the Carnaval Experience in Rio; and the Aviary in Iguazu.

My previous experience with EF was in 2007 in London, Paris and Rome. It was excellent. In total, the free time was about 4 to 6 hours in a 16 days trip. show less