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southamerica Cosmos Tours & Cruises introduces new 16-day ‘Patagonian Discovery’ escorted tour COSMOS TOURS & Cruises has expanded its South American programme for this year with a new tour of Argentina and Chile – the 16-day Patagonian Discovery. Customers can experience the mountains, wildlife and glaciers of Argentina and Chile on the journey around southern Patagonia. Highlights include a city tour of Buenos Aires and visits to Peninsula Valdes; Tierra del Fuego National Park; Perito Moreno
Glacier; Torres del Paine National Park plus a city tour of Santiago de Chile. The operator's product manager, Amy Shine, said: “To add to our best selling South American Highlights and Scenic South America tours which highlight the whole region, we wanted to offer something a little different which focuses more on specific countries such as Chile and Argentina. "The Patagonian Discovery provides a fantastic mix of city
sightseeing in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile with visits to spectacular sights like Tierra Del Fuego National Park or Perito Moreno Glacier. Although brand new, there’s growing interest in the tour." Prices start from £3,449 per person including flights, 13 nights' breakfast accommodation and a range of guided sightseeing. The tour can be extended with a three-night stay in the Atacama Desert from £546 per person to include flights, three nights' breakfast accommodation and a range of sightseeing.
Moreno Glacier
Cox & Kings launches private tour to Patagonia COX & Kings, which organises luxury holidays to Chile, has launched an 11-day/eightnight private tour to Patagonia. The package costs from £3,950 per person, including two nights at Hotel Lastarria, two nights at the Singular, three nights at Tierra Patagonia and a final night in Santiago at the Hotel Lastarria. The price includes flights with LAN via Madrid, transfers, all excursions in Patagonia, breakfast accommodation in Santiago and full board accommodation at all other properties. For more information see www.coxandkings.co.uk or call 0845-527 8174. For more information on Chile visit www.chile.travel
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Brazil becomes number one gap year destination for British professionals BRAZIL HAS deposed Britain as the world’s sixth largest economy in the annual world economic league table, published by the Centre for Economic and Business Research. The destination has also become one of the most popular destination for professional Brits volunteering abroad. Dr Peter Slowe, managing director of volunteering organisation, Projects Abroad, said: “Brazil, unlike China, is a democracy which is much more attractive to investors and volunteers alike. "Emerging countries have always been popular amongst British professionals volunteering abroad because their skills can prove invaluable in the development of local
economies but they also have the opportunity to learn from a rapidly changing environment. “Brazil is politically stable and unlikely to undergo prolonged civil unrest which is likely to occur at some time in China. “The punching power of Brazil as a whole has overtaken Britain because of the huge economic potential of people who live there. The destination has a variety of natural resources to rely on including gold and silver as well as oil off-shore and minerals in the Amazon. By contrast the UK economy is affected by the problems of the eurozone." However, according to Slowe, in many areas Brazil is still an emerging nation
and the majority of the population has a standard of living behind what is enjoyed in Britain. Brazil struggled to develop under a variety of dictatorships throughout most of the last century and only became a truly democratic state in the mid-eighties. Slowe said: “The country has huge potential but the vast majority of its resources are in the Amazon basin. The cost of exploiting this mineral wealth is the loss of the habitat and the traditions of indigenous tribes who have lived the same way since the Stone Age. “Many of our professional volunteers specifically devote their attention to managing Brazil’s development ecologically.”
March 16 2012
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