ARGENTINA – BEING A GAUCHO IN SAN ANTONIO DE ARECO
Did you ever want to experience the life of a typical Gaucho? SAT makes it possible: in Argentina’s pampas, roughly 2 hours away from Buenos Aires, unique Gaucho ranches are waiting for us. On the grounds of Estancia La Bamba de Areco or Estancia El Ombu de Areco you learn everything that is to know about the Gaucho culture, from their silver artifacts to cattle breeding and close encounters with horses. Of course, a classic Argentinian BBQ shall not be missed during this authentic experience! Besides, you receive a glimpse of the historical town San Antonio de Areco.
CHILE – EXPLORING PENGUINS AT ISLA MAGDALENA
A 1-hour boat drive away from Punta Arenas, in the very south of the continent, travelers find the magnificent Isla Magdalena. This island is famous for holding the largest Magellanic penguin colony in Southern Chile. Roughly 60.000 animals can be found on this piece of land, making it a charming penguin paradise. Experience this phenomenon with our splendid half-day tour starting from Punta Arenas. SAT features this tour in cooperation with Hotel Lago Grey and its new catamaran MV Magellan Explorer. Daily departures, bilingual guides and a maximum passenger number of 60 people contribute to a smooth and flexible journey. Any questions?
BRAZIL – LEARNING ABOUT AFRICAN SLAVES HISTORY IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Between the 16th and 19th century, Brazil became destiny for approximately four million African slaves. Rio de Janeiro was one of the main hotspots for the intense human trafficking. Between 1811 and 1831, around one million African women and men arrived at the dock Cais do Valongo (Valongo Wharf) on rustic boats and later on were sold as slaves. Due to the help of Rio’s city council, the memory of slavery remains alive by declaring the dock as national heritage. Now it also belongs to the World Cultural Heritage sites of UNESCO. According to the UNESCO committee, this dock is on the same level in history such as Hiroshima or Auschwitz. ( Picture Courtesy: Bruno Bartholini / Porto Maravilha)
PERU – IT’s TEA TIME IN LIMA!
Staying in Lima and feeling like a luxury treat during your holiday? SAT has a superb secret for you: Many posh hotels in the areas of San Isidro and Miraflores (e.g. the Country Club Hotel or Hotel B) provide fabulous tea time experiences. Peruvian tea time is a legacy of English influence in Peru during the nineteenth century – essentially, it is a tea or coffee time in the late-afternoon. This fine dining opportunity is like a throw-back in good old times. Our pick: Las Bolena TeaRoom & Restaurant, inspired by the Victorian times, offering a delicious tea menu and a cozy atmosphere right in the heart of Miraflores. A Peruvian tea time might easily become one of the culinary highlights of your trip.
BEST RATED RESTAURANTS OF LIMA
If you fancy haute-cuisine dining places, we definitely advise you a trip to Peru’s capital! Lima indeed represents a culinary hotspot with possessing two of the 10 best-ranked restaurants worldwide, namely Central (5th place) and Maido (8th place). What’s so special about those restaurants you might wonder? Central celebrates Peru’s biodiversity by offering an incredible 17-course menu inspired by Peru’s various altitudes starting from the coast, over the Amazon up to the Highlands. The aim is to serve fresh ingredients along with Peru’s stories and colours, summed up as excellent food. Maido displays a venture of traditional Peruvian and Japanese cuisine, demonstrating the life of manager and chef Mitsuharu. With his working experience in Japan as well as his inspiration taken from Peru, the restaurant offers outstanding dishes, bringing a real experience on your plate. Other great restaurants found in Lima include El Señorio del Sulco, Astrid & Gastón, La Picantería and Osso.
PERU HIGHLANDS – NEW SACRED VALLEY TRAIN TO MACHU PICCHU
Yeah yeah – we talked about Machu Picchu a million times! But there are still new things to tell you about Peru’s famous touristic site. For instance, a new Sacred Valley train line has been recently introduced by PeruRail. The train features daily departures, starting from Urubamba and terminating at Machu Picchu, with a stop at Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado and Ollantaytambo on the way. A one-way journey lasts three hours and offers a unique experience in terms of comfort and travel. Inspired by 1920s design, this train offers you fantastic landscape views along with gourmet meals and fabulous drinks.
ECUADOR – GOLD CLASS TREN ECUADOR, THE REAL LUXURY EXPERIENCE
The Tren Crucero, a superb train traveling through Ecuador’s beautiful landscapes, now offers an accommodation upgrade for a real luxurious experience: the Gold Class! Passengers chosing the Gold Class will enjoy the same on-board services and excursions as the other guests on the train, but go for 5-star accommodation along the way. Featured properties are the Plaza Grande in Quito, Hacienda La Danesa in the coastal lowlands and the Hotel del Parque in Guayaquil. Gold Class Tren Crucero can be booked now for travel from September 2017. Passengers already booked can of course upgrade to Gold Class.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS – APNEA, ”FREE DIVING”
The Galapagos Islands are working on diversifying their current tourism offer. Around the Islands Sombrero Chino and Bartolomé, courses were offered to tourists and local residents in the beginning of July to learn and practise the art of apnea, also called “free diving”. This technique includes diving underwater as long as possible by holding one’s breath and simultaneously enjoying the immense richness of marine life inhabited by the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve. This new form of water activity should contribute to global sustainable tourism as well as benefit the future of this natural reserve and its inhabitants. Haven’t booked your Galapagos trip yet?
COLOMBIA – COATI CONSERVATION PROJECT (COTA BIOLOGICAL RESERVE)
Baby news from Colombia! Just outside Bogotá, in the Cota Bio Reserve, a first-ever western mountain coati was born in captivity two months ago after biologists’ dedicated efforts for years. The western mountain coati displays a rare species found in the higher altitudes of the Andes Mountains in Colombia as well as Ecuador. Therefore, the new offspring represents full success to the Park’s conservation project led by scientists and spreads a lot of joy. Do you want to take an adventurous journey throughout Colombia’s vast and diverse nature, exploring unique landscapes and rare animals? SAT definitely has the best offers for you – just contact us and we provide you with an exciting travel route.
COFFEE, CULTURE AND EXPERTS: COLOMBIA & PERU AS GOLDEN WINNERS
All you need is love and a cup of coffee. Obviously, the friendly and generous people of Peru and Colombia are heartwarming and provide you with a rich experience during your travels. Nevertheless, there is another reason a visit to those countries will warm your heart, especially if you love coffee. SAT proudly announces Colombia’s and Peru’s great triumphs at the International Contest of Coffee in Paris this year. Both countries obtained gold twice for the excellence of their coffee products. So check it out yourself! Book a trip with us to Colombia’s famous coffee triangle or Peru’s coffee origins.
URUGUAY – SPENDING ACTIVE DAYS BETWEEN MONTEVIDEO AND PUNTA DEL ESTE
SAT is happy to introduce a new travel idea for an active exploration of Uruguay! For 8 days, travelers have the chance to explore Montevideo and Punta del Este by bike and foot, enjoy some horseback riding around Finca Piedra outside Montevideo and trek along the sand dunes of Cabo Polonio, famous also for hosting South America’s largest sea lion colony. Intrigued? Please contact us. By the way, Uruguay was just listed among the 10 booming travel destinations (The Telegraph, UK)!
CULTURE & TANGO AT GARDEL’S VILLA YERUA (MONTEVIDEO)
Last month, Uruguay celebrated the 82nd obit of its legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel at his summer residence Villa Yerua, now reopened as a Gardel museum to the public. For this special occasion, the museum additionally organised tango artists, old vehicles of Gardel’s era and a statute of him placed in front of the Villa. In addition, one can find the offices of the Association of Race Horse Owners in Gardel’s summer residence. Are you interested to dive into the history of tango or just keen to encounter a true Uruguayan cultural experience?