Grand Tour of South America with Wildlife of the Pantanal Extension - Private Tour

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. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/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 €342.20pp 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.

British passport holders are not currently required to obtain a visa in order to travel to Peru, Chile, Argentina or Brazil.

Your passport must have an “expiry date “ at least 6 months after the date you arrive.

Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. We strongly advise you to check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up to date guidelines.

Please note all passport information must be submitted 4 months prior to departure. Tickets for Machu Picchu will be purchased at 120 Days prior to departure. Should we not have your passport information, or for any for any bookings made after 120 Days prior to departure, we cannot guarantee you will explore Machu Pichu with the group, and this may be done separately with a guide.

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, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. 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 & 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, www.travelhealthpro.org.uk, www.hpa. org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is a fairly common condition that can occur when you ascend to a high altitude (generally higher than 2,500 metres above sea level) quickly. The decrease in atmospheric pressure can make breathing more difficult as the body is not able to take in as much oxygen. Most cases are mild with symptoms that can include: a headache, nausea, dizziness and exhaustion. Several of the places in Peru are located at high altitude (over 2,500 metres above sea level) including Puno, Lake Titicaca and Cusco. Therefore, you may find you experience some symptoms at this altitude. It is advised that at these high altitudes, you keep hydrated and avoid alcohol. If you do experience symptoms of altitude sickness during your tour, ensure you tell your guide immediately who will be able to advise the best thing for you to do. You can contact your GP before you travel for advice on medication for altitude sickness.

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 Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.), the currency of Chile is the Chilean Peso (CLP/CH$), in Argentina, the currency is the Argentinian Peso (ARS) and in Brazil the currency is the Brail Real (R$).

We recommend that you exchange your currency before you leave the UK. US Dollars are widely accepted should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. Cash machines are available in all the major cities to withdraw money in local currency.

You can exchange currency at exchange stores and Cash Machines are available in all major cities. Local stores only accept Local Currency. Major Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted in all countries.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit 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 £650-£800 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%

Local Tax A local tax called Ecotasa of approximately AR$45 per person per night is to be paid to the hotel in Bariloche upon check in or check out.

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

For groups of 7 people or less you will have an English speaking Driver Guide or a Driver and Local/Monument Guides in each city.

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.

During your extension, you will be accompanied by in-house guides from the lodge during your excursions and activities.

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 when included will be a local restaurants or at your hotel, giving the opportunity to experience a variety of dishes and local flavours. For those days when dinner is not included 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 Lima, Peru you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Pure Peru, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/ Pure Peru representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Please note for your arrival in Santiago on day 7 if you cannot see your representative they will be at Exit Gate 4. There are many illegal taxis operating around Santiago Airport and they have been known to steal from tourists. Official taxis are dark blue in colour.

If you need to contact our agency representatives during your stay, the details are:

Peru (Pure Peru) Office Phone Number: 0051 998 754 080 (Opening hours 8:30am to 5:30pm) E-mail Address: customer-service@pure-peru.com

Emergency contact information: Mobile telephone numbers: 0051 99 875 4080

Chile (Southbound Travel) Address: Cowork Latam Apoquindo Avenue 2930, Las Condes - Santiago-Chile Telephone 24 hour: 00 569 9639 1191 E-mail: emergency@southbound.travel

Emergency contact information: Telephone number: 0056 956816943

Argentina (Eurotur) Address: Viamonte 486, Buenos Aires, Argentina Office Phone Number: 0054 11 4312 6077 Email: patricia.parra@eurotur.tur.ar

Emergency contact information: Email: 247@eurotur.tur.ar Mobile telephone numbers: 0054 911 6878 1562

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

Emergency contact information: 24-hour phone number: 0055 21 99109 7256

• Insect repellent and high factor sun cream
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Waterproof, lightweight jacket
• Sunglasses and hat
• Personal toiletries
• Loo paper for public WCs
• Ruck sack
• Binoculars / torch
• Swimming costume
• A multi adapter travel plug
• First aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin, etc.
• Clothing - It is advisable to bring clothes for a range of temperatures and wear layers. Due to the high altitude, even in summer months, temperatures can be very low in the morning and evenings but quickly get hot when the sun rises.