Encounter Nature’s glories: The Namib Desert, rising from the Atlantic coastline … massive Iguazú Falls, stretching nearly two miles across...tropical birds flitting through Panama’s rain forest canopy.

Discover human ingenuity: The Panama Canal, one of the largest and most ambitious engineering projects ever undertaken… ornately painted houses of Burkina Faso…an enormous statue erected atop a high peak overlooking Rio de Janeiro.

From the frozen blue beauty of the “end of the earth” in Tierra del Fuego and Namibia’s shimmering red dunes to the unique wines of Madeira and the sultry sounds and movements of Argentina’s tango, your journey is a feast for the senses.

Private Jet Travel is Safe, Comfortable and Convenient

Our private Boeing 757 offers unmatched safety, long-range capabilities, access to smaller airports, and an interior customized for maximum comfort. Not limited by regular commercial routes or schedules, we fly direct, bypass busy airports and avoid layovers, crisscrossing continents and countries with ease. We enjoy special privileges, including expedited boarding, luggage handling, and Customs and Immigration formalities. Because we set our own schedules, we fly during the day, arriving refreshed and ready to explore.

NEW, Spacious Leather Seats Fit Like a Glove
We have reconfigured our Boeing 757 jetliner to accommodate just 74 guests in new VIP leather seats. Made with a patented, dense foam core, the seats automatically adjust to a wide range of body types and provide heightened comfort, flexibility and improved circulation. Each seat has an individual power source for laptops, digital cameras and other equipment. The cabin has 24 flat-screen monitors.

We Control the Quality and Safety of Our Transportation
The Boeing 757 is unsurpassed among today's jetliners for safety and has a 99 percent reliability rate for operating without mechanical delays. Our private jet is operated and maintained by First Choice Airways, founded in the United Kingdom in 1987. Carrying more than seven million passengers on more than 30,000 flights a year, First Choice Airways is one of the U.K.’s largest airlines and is consistently recognized for its high level of safety, performance and service.

First Choice Airways monitors access to the jet and baggage at all times. Every piece of luggage is screened and identified with a security tag and remains under the watchful eyes of our staff and security officers. Find out more about our safety and security program.

An Expedition Physician Travels With Us
An experienced expedition physician accompanies each journey and is on-call to passengers 24 hours a day.

An International Crew and Fine Create a First-Class Expedition Experience
Accompanying our journey is an experienced, international crew, including eight cabin attendants, three pilots, two engineers, an airport liaison officer, and two chefs. The flight crew remains with us throughout the trip. Experienced expedition leaders also accompany the group.

In-flight meals are graciously served on china and linen. Carefully chosen menus and wine lists accommodate a range of tastes. Dishes are prepared with the freshest ingredients and special emphasis is placed on food safety by our chef and catering assistant.

Seminars in the Sky Prepare Us for Adventures on Land
Our lecturers deliver in-flight presentations, using a public address system and conveniently placed overhead monitors. An on-board library of books and publications relating to each destination is available during flight.

Travel with superb lecturers and leaders.

Expert lecturers help create a rich context for your journey, increasing your awareness and knowledge of areas like art, history, geography and politics.

Professional expedition leaders take care of every detail, leaving you free to immerse yourself in every amazing destination.

Lecturers
Olga Stavrakis, an experienced expedition lecturer, earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology, her MA in Archaeology, and Bachelors degrees in both History and Geology. She has traveled extensively and lived in many countries of Central and South America as well as in other parts of the world, conducting academic research and working as an economic development consultant.

Additional staff are being confirmed. Please check back at a later date for more information.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites visited on Cape to Cape 2009

UNESCO World Heritage sites are places of extraordinary and universal cultural and/or natural value that have been chosen for special protection from damage and destruction. When a site is selected by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, it is inscribed onto the official World Heritage Site List and receives ongoing aid and technical support from the World Heritage Fund.

Accommodations

UNITED KINGDOM
The Dorchester, London
With views across Hyde Park, this grand 1931 hotel blends old-world style with 21st-century comforts. Guest rooms are richly furnished and accented with paneling, thick carpeting, and polished woods. Immense marbled baths include deep tubs and walk-in showers. The elaborate health club offers an excellent gym, health and beauty treatments, saunas, tanning beds, and whirlpools.

PORTUGAL
Reid’s Palace Hotel, Funchal
On ten acres of cliff-top gardens overlooking the ocean, this 1891 Edwardian masterpiece is one of Portugal's most famous hotels. Guest rooms feature Anglo-Portuguese furnishings and pastel fabrics, art and antiques, wool carpeting, and sea views from furnished balconies or terraces. Recreation opportunities range from yoga and terraced spa treatments to snooker, bridge, and swimming in the heated saltwater pool.

BURKINA FASO
Sofitel Ouaga 2000, Ouagadougou
The city’s finest hotel, the Sofitel is elegantly decorated with rich wood furnishings and eclectic art. Guest rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with modern conveniences including WiFi Internet access. Guests can relax in the fitness center, hammam, jacuzzi, outdoor pool, and sauna.

NAMIBIA
Swakopmund Hotel, Swakopmund
This German-colonial-style hotel is built around a renovated 1907 railroad station and features a rustic German-theme tavern, cinema, small shopping arcade and casino. The courtyard comes complete with a pair of dolphin fountains. Colorful guest rooms are decorated with blond woods, wicker, and blue and yellow accents.

SOUTH AFRICA
The Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town
This magnificent, palm-ringed, pink structure at the foot of Table Mountain is one of the world's memorable hotels, rich in colonial elegance and attentive service. Charming lounges, patios, gardens and porches abound. Guest rooms are all air-conditioned and beautifully appointed, and no two are alike. Tennis and squash courts are open day and night.

BRAZIL
Copacabana Palace Hotel, Rio de Janeiro
Rio’s landmark hotel is an opulent beach palace designed with a grand, carved façade by French architect Joseph Gire. Soaring common areas glow with frosted glass, inlaid woods, and huge bouquets. All guest rooms are individually designed with fine period furniture and original works of art. On site are excellent restaurants as well as Rio’s largest hotel pool and only rooftop tennis court.

ARGENTINA
Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires
This 1932 beaux-arts building looks as though it was shipped from Paris, with a paneled reception area, marble lounges and a Parisian-style gallery. On site are a gym, sauna, pool and spa. Guest rooms feature blue-and-white Chinoise fabrics, Louis XVI-style boiseries and armoires, and marble baths with robes, slippers deep tubs and Hermes toiletries.

and

Sheraton Iguazú Resort & Spa, Iguazu Falls
In the heart of the Iguazú National Park, this beautifully landscaped resort offers incomparable views. Fully appointed guest rooms are designed with clean, modern décor and private balconies. The new spa includes indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, Zen relaxing areas, a sauna, steam room, and large whirlpool. Also on site are a modern, fully equipped gym as well as yoga and Pilates studios.

PANAMA
Panama: Gamboa Rainforest Resort
Part of Soberania National Park’s tropical rain forest, the resort boasts hiking trails, a marina, pool, tennis courts, and a spa that offers chocolate skin treatments. Colorful birds can be seen throughout the grounds and from the aerial tram through the forest canopy. Guest rooms and baths are large, and views of the Chagres River beckon from hammocks strung across spacious private balconies.

UNITED STATES
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Florida
Each guest room in this lavish new resort features a spacious and elegant bathroom, hand painted Italian furniture, flat-screen Web TV and a five-foot private balcony with panoramic views of lakes, pool and gardens. Public areas are richly treated in marble, antiques, fresh flowers and plush fabrics. The grounds include a 40,000-square-foot spa and wellness center, and an 18-hole Greg Norman-designed championship golf course.

Price of the Expedition Includes:

• All hotel accommodations, meals, group transportation, excursions and other group activities from arrival in London on January 14, 2009, through departure from Orlando following breakfast on February 4, 2009
• Airport transfers at beginning and end of trip
• Transportation by private jet (or other conveyance) according to the itinerary, including meals, beverages, wine, beer and liquor on board our private jet
• Complete program of special events and activities
• Enrichment program of lectures and presentations by a team of experts
• Professional expedition staff and physician to assist you throughout the trip
• Bottled water throughout the expedition
• Baggage handling abroad
• All gratuities
• Amenities package
• Comprehensive medical evacuation insurance.

Price of the Expedition Does Not Include:

• Airfare and taxes from home cities to London and return from Orlando (see airfare section below)
• Passport fees and visa charges
• Accident/baggage/cancellation insurance
• Personal expenses such as immunizations, laundry, telephone, fax charges, taxis
• Liquor except as noted above.

Airfare
Because travelers originate from a variety of home cities, airfares will vary. We are happy to reserve flights in the class of service you prefer, and to arrange for your airport transfers and pre- or post-trip hotel accommodations.

Expectation of Travelers
We consider this a fast-paced, strenuous program. Walking and climbing stairs are required to board and disembark the jet at most airports, to get around in hotels and to participate in many excursions. Riding in four-wheel-drive vehicles on rough terrain or unpaved paths can aggravate back conditions.

All members of the trip are expected to be in good mental and physical health.