International Congress of Endocrinology 2008

November 8^th Río de Janeiro

Arrival in Rio de Janeiro, where the group will be met by the local agency team and transferred to the hotel. The guests will be wellcomed by the hotel staff with local cocktails. After check – in, the group is invited to join a welcome dinner at Churrascaría Mariu’s Carnes Restaurant. Accommodation at Royal Rio Palace Hotel (****) in Rio de Janeiro.

November 9^th Río de Janeiro

Breakfast at the Hotel. After breakfast, attend the Congress. Later, lunch at Confeteria Colombo. In the afternoon, half day at Sugar Loaf.Over a million tourists a year visit the world famous Pão de Açúcar, or Sugar Loaf Mountain in English, which has become an iconic symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Rising up from small peninsula at the entrance of Guanabara Bay, its name is said to refer to its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined sugar loaf.The tour is done in two steps by glass cable-cars. The first cable-car takes passengers to the top of Urca Hill, which rises 215 meters above sea level and offers spectacular views of the Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói bridge and Corcovado hill. From Urca Hill, passengers continue in a second cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf which rises 395 meters above sea level and offers a 360 degree view of the entire city including Botafogo and Copacabana Beaches, the Corcovado and downtown Rio. Accommodation at Royal Rio Palace Hotel (****) in Rio de Janeiro.

November 10^th Río de Janeiro

Breakfast at the Hotel. After breakfast, attend the Congress. In the afternoon, half day Corcovado Tour.We will depart from the hotel to visit the Christ Statue, which was recently elected as one of the seven modern wonders of the world, which sits 2,300 above sea level, atop Corcovado Hill. Situated in the heart of the Tijuca National Park, the statue was created by sculptor Paul Landoviski and built by the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, from 1926 to 1931, when it was inaugurated. Following a scenic drive along the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, we will arrive at the foot of the hill from where we ill embark on a small train which climbs the beautiful mountain. Upon reaching the top, visitors will experience a panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro and discover why it is known as the “Marvelous City”! Tour also includes a drive along Rio’s famous beaches.At night, be part of a spectacular samba show with singers and dancers in elaborate costumes who present Brazil’s rich folkloric traditions and capture the famous rhythms of Carnaval. Dinner included. Accommodation at Royal Rio Palace Hotel (****) in Rio de Janeiro.

November 11^th Río de Janeiro

Breakfast at the Hotel. After breakfast, attend the Congress. The rest of the day is free. With more than 50 miles of beach shoreline, famed beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema are far more than tourist magnets, serving as an integral port of local life as playgrounds, gyms, and places to meet, eat, drink and make merry. Framed with black and white mosaic sidewalks and lined with kiosks, Copacabana is a hot spot day and night with lifeguard posts, public showers, hotels, bars and open-air restaurants. Ipanema with its elite shops and restaurants, while more subdued, are a bit more sophisticated. Leblon is also popular and Barra beach, the city’s largest and favored by the younger crowd, is known for surfing and windsurfing. Accommodation at Royal Rio Palace Hotel (****) in Rio de Janeiro.

Breakfast at the Hotel.In the morning, transfer to the Airport for the flight to Manaus.Arrive in Manaus and transfer to Amazon Ecopark Lodge.Located in the midst of lush jungle, just half an hour by boat from Manaus, the Ecopark has an educational and research center open to those interested in discovering the rainforest and all its wonders. Air conditioned bungalows with private baths built in perfect harmony with nature. It offers 60 rooms and 2 restaurants that can accommodate up to 300 people. The Ecopark is known for its unique and pioneer course of survival in the rainforest: bilingual guides with ample knowledge of the area will teach you how and where to find edible fruits and potable water, learn first aid, to build a shelter, to make bridges of ropes, to find your way in the forest and much more. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at Amazon Ecopark Lodge near Manaus.

November 13^th Amazon Ecopark

Breakfast at the Hotel.During your stay, you can take excursions specially made for personnel of the Amazon Ecopark Lodge, such as, tour by canoe for Alligator Spotting, Nature Hike, local Amazonian residents, Monkey Forrest, Tour in canoes to observe local flora and fauna, among others. Lunch and dinner included. Accommodation at Amazon Ecopark Lodge near Manaus.

November 14^th Amazon Ecopark

Breakfast at the Hotel.Free day to explore the Tropical forest or go in the excursions the lodge is organizing daily. Lunch and dinner included. Accommodation at Amazon Ecopark Lodge near Manaus.

Breakfast at the Hotel.After breakfast, transfer from Amazon Ecopark Lodge to Tropical Manaus Hotel. In the afternoon, half day of city tour through Manaus.We will visit the Municipal Market, built in the beginning of the 20th century. Inside the impressive building, we will find a variety of regional products including fish, fruits and herbs. Afterwards, we will pass by the Government Palace and view the nearby creek with its typical houses built on stilts. We will then visit the Indian Museum, belonging to the Salesian Roman Catholic Nuns, where we will learn about the culture of the local upper Rio Negro tribes. Our final destination is the Amazon Opera House, the primary symbol from the golden ages of the rubber boom, built in 1896. With the help of a recent restoration, the building has kept the splendor of that epic period. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation at Tropical Hotel (****) in Manaus.

Breakfast at the Hotel.The rest of the day is free. Accommodation at Tropical Hotel (***) in Manaus.

Breakfast at the Hotel. Later, transfer to Airport for the flight to Rio de Janeiro.Arrival in Rio de Janeiro,where the group will be met by the local agency team and transferred to the hotel. Free day for leisure, shopping or visits. Accommodation at Royal Rio Palace Hotel (****) in Rio de Janeiro.

After breakfast, transfer to the international Airport for the flight home.

Single supplement: £ 400

Quotation inclusions:

• Return flight from Rio de Janeiro to Manaus;
• Transfers by private coach in Rio de Janeiro;
• Transfer by private coach & boat in Manaus and Amazon Ecopark Lodge;
• 5 nights accomodation in twin rooms with breakfast included at Royal Rio Palace Hotel(****)in Rio de Janeiro.
• Half day private tour to Sugar Loaf by coach and local guide in Rio de Janeiro;
• Lunch at Confeteria Colombo in Rio de Janeiro;
• Half day private tour by coach and local guide to Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro;
• Night private tour by coach and local guide in Rio de Janeiro, with dinner included;
• 3 nights accomodation in twin rooms with fullboard at Amazon Ecopark Lodge near Manaus;
• 2 nights accomodation in twin rooms with halfboard at Tropical Hotel (****) in Manaus;
• City tour in Manaus by coach and local guide;
• Local English speaking guides for the transfers and tours;

• Airport tax (~75 GBP);
• Medical Insurance;
• Meals not listed in the itinerary;
• Sightseeing not listed in the itinerary;
• Personal expenses, such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone calls, optional activities etc;
• Gratuities, tips to drivers, guides, bell boys;
• Excess baggage charge.