Heavenly International Tours - 3RD IAS AIDS CONFERENCE IN RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

In July 2005 the 3rd IAS conference will be held in Rio De Janeiro to discuss the AIDS epedemic. The conference will be held July 24 - 27, 2005. Since Brazil offers the most unique diversity of culture, nature and history, we are delighted to offer you this lifetime opportunity to explore this extraordinary country. You don't have to participate in the IAS Conference in order to join this tour. This tour is open to the public. If you are a professional in the field of AIDS & HIV prevension or treatment you should consider registering for this important conference. See registration information below.
For more information visit the IAS Conference web site at http://www.ias.se/ias2005/

While you are already in Brazil, You may take advantage of the Optional Extension to the great Brazilian Amazon after the main tour.

You can sign up for this tour by fax, mail or by phone using the printable Registration Form. Click a link below to view the form.
Registration form: Word Document | Acrobat PDF | HTML

All it takes is one phone call or an e-mail to sign up for this unforgettable tour !

The Savoy Othon Travel was recently refurbished and offers modern facilities. Located only two blocks away from CopacabanaBeach, it is perfect for businessmen and tourists due to easy access to the downtown area and also to major tourist attractions.

Standard Room
Newly refurbished, the hotel offers nice and modern apartments equipped with one double or two single beds, air conditioning, telephone, remote control color TV with satellite antenna and private bathroom.

Breakfast Lounge
Breakfast offers a wide variety of fruits, juices, breads, cakes and cereals.

Location
Located only two blocks away from the famous Copacabana Beach and close to downtown, Ipanema and Leblon.

Rio de Janeiro, capital of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and also Brazil's capital from 1763 to 1961, is nestled between the mountains and the sea. Its magnificent shoreline includes charming bays and beautiful beaches, dotted with islands up and down the coast. Flying into Rio is a beautiful sight, whether it be at night or during the day, the visitor quickly finds out why Rio is known as the WonderfulCity. The center for art and fashion.

After a beautiful scenic drive along Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, passengers arrive at the bottom of the Corcovado hill where they will embark on a comfortable train which will climb the beautiful mountain, where the statue of Christ, the Redeemer, (2.300ft above sea level). There passengers can overlook Rio de Janeiro and discover why it is know as the Marvelous city! This tour also includes drive along Rio’s famous beaches.

Drive to "Praia Vermelha", to take the two-stage car up to the top of Sugar Loaf (270m), which grants the entrance to Rio's harbor and Guanabara Bay. The first stage is Morro da Urca with 170m, with a restaurant, amphitheatre and helicopter-point. The second stage goes on the Sugar Loaf itself. This tour also has a stop at the Municipal Theatre and the Cathedral at the city center.

An interesting walking tour within the colonial part of Rio de Janeiro. It starts in Praça XV and takes you past some of the colonial churches of Rio. The downtown area is where the 400-year-old city started to grow and is nowadays a very busy trade center. 2 million people enter daily, coming in the morning leaving in the evening. Despite this hectic movement, you can discover the most interesting places, combining baroque and modern architecture, little cafes, and pedestrian streets.

You will visit the Tijuca Atlantic Forest, the largest urban forest in the world, stopping at the Chinese View belvedere with a magnificent sight of Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf. Inside the forest, you will walk through a trail of easy tracking. During the tour, usually you are able to see tropical animals like monkeys, monkeys sloth and exotic birds.

After a one-hour trip the bus arrives in Itacuruçá where the schooner will depart for a full-day cruise around Rio's Tropical Islands. White sands, palms and clear water form a bit of this paradise. SIB tour with guide. Lunch Included.

It’s a very special and sophisticated place, established on one of the most charming streets of Ipanema, the Farme de Amoedo. Its environments: the porch, the ballroom and the American bar are extremely comfortable and cozy; and for those who enjoy more privacy the second floor is perfect. Refined and customer oriented impressive reception. The kitchen, with its Italian specialty plus the good wines from the air-conditioned wine cellar, dominates the styles of the house. Menu: Crab fish, Salad, Spaghetti, Fish with herbs and ice cream.

After dinner, a spectacular samba show with elaborately costumed mulatas, singers and dancers, presenting

Brazil

's folklore and capturing the carnival rhythms.

The buffet offers a tempting variety of antipasti, Japanese cuisine, salads, cold cuts and hot dishes. As the charcoal is popping, a non-stop parade of prime Brazilian cuts of beef are served at your table, including succulent sirloin, ribs and white meats, in addition to lamb and game, including wild boar. When leaving the lush landscape of Leme beach, customers are delighted by this ranch-house setting, decorated with antiques carefully selected from the hinterlands of Brazil. The warm welcome offered by Marius Meats is the perfect place to get together with friends, following the tradition of savoring great meat.

Anchored on Leme beach, the restaurant is decorated with original relics from old ships that give it a feeling of adventure. Fresh oysters launch a gastronomic tour of Brazilian cuisine, followed by antipasti, hot dishes, light seafood pasta and a parade of grilled delicacies including lobster, fish, shellfish and others. This unique setting offers personalized service, making it the perfect place for celebrations, business meetings, friendly get-togethers and family outings.

July 29 - Discover the secrets of old Rio & Jeep tour - Dinner at Marius Carnes Restaurant

July 30 - Cruise to a tropical island including lunch - Farewell Dinner at Marius Crustaceos Restaurant

Often referred to as "The green Inferno", the Amazon jungle is the largest tropical rain forest on Earth. Although the jungle's area is so big that reaches out to several different countries (Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, French Guiana, Suriname, Panama, and Equator), most of its area is located within the Brazilian territory. The rain-forest covers 7 out of the 27 Brazilian states, holding 39% of Brazil's 3.3 million square miles of area, which means that 1.28 million Sq miles of the Amazon is located in Brazil alone.

The Brazilian Amazon covers the entire Northern section of Brazil (states of Amazonas, Para, Rondonia, Tocantins, Acre, Amapa, and Roraima), plus: The northern and southwestern parts of MatoGrossoState (Midwest), and half of MaranhaoState in the Northeast.

Day 1 – Sunday, July 31st - RIO DE JANEIRO / MANAUS

Transfer to GIG International Airport and flight to Manaus RG 2204 at 08:45 AM. Arrival at Manaus International Airport at 1:00 PM and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy dinner on your own. Overnight at TROPICAL DE MANAUS HOTEL (B)

Description: The largest deluxe hotel of Brazil is located in the heart of the largest ecological reservation of the world: the amazon forest. With 601 wonderful apartments and a wide variety of services, events, sports, tourism and leisure, the Tropical Manaus Resort & Convention Center offers you great comfort. The Tropical De Manaus hotel is located just 10 Km from the International Airport and 16-Km from downtown of Manaus.

Manaus, capital of the state of the Amazonas, is the largest state in Brazil. It is also the ideal point of departure for visiting the rest of the Amazon region. Tour boats leave Manaus to see the Meeting of the Waters, where the black waters of the Negro River meet the light waters of the Solimoes River, flowing side by side without mixing for several miles. Visitors can also explore riverbanks and the "igarapes", swim and canoe in placid lakes or simply walk in the lush forest.

After breakfast transfer by boat from your hotel in Manaus to Amazon Eco Park, (located 45 minutes from Manaus). In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Reception and dinner at your lodge followed by an evening tour by canoe for alligator spotting. The guide and his assistant will try to find an alligator and pull it out of the water for your viewing. (Duration: 1 1/2 hour) Overnight at AMAZONECOPARK LODGE (B/D)

Location: 45 minutes boat ride from Manaus
Hotel Category: Lodge
Description: Located in the midst of lush jungle, just half an hour by boat from Manaus, the Eco Park has an educational and research center open to all those interested in discovering the rain forest and all its wonders. Air-conditioned bungalows with private baths, built in perfect harmony with nature. All the comforts of home in a most exotic setting. It offers 60 rooms, 2 restaurants that can accommodate up to 300 people. The Eco Park Lodge is known for its unique and pioneer course of survival in the rain forest. 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 so much more.

Breakfast at your lodge. We begin the day by exploring the nature. Our guide will explain the forest. Try to spot wildlife as you explore this unique jungle. Return to your lodge for lunch. We will now visit the “Caboclos" native house and have the time for piranha fishing. We will also visit local Amazonian residents – “caboclos” as they are called by the Brazilians for their unique mixture of white and Indian skin. (Duration: 2 hours)

Visit to the “Caboclos" and opportunity for piranha fishing: we will visit local Amazonians residents – “Caboclos”, how Brazilian calls the mix with white and Indians – on the way back we will try to catch some piranha’s. (Duration: 3 hours) Overnight at AMAZONECOPARK LODGE (B/L/D)

Day 4, Wednesday, August 3rd - MEETING OF THE WATER, FLIGHT BACK TO RIO DE JANEIRO

Along Rio Negro River, we can see the floating port, the native houses and the municipal market. Arrival at the "Meeting of the Waters, where the water of the Solimões River and Negro River join to create the Amazonas River. After that, stop at the Ecological Park, where we can find the famous aquatic plant - "Vitoria Regia" and some Indian handicraft. Lunch at the floating port is optional.

We now return to Manaus for our flight back to Rio, flight RG 2005, departing Manaus at 2:25 PM and arriving Rio De Janeiro at 8:35 PM. Transfer to your hotel in Rio De Janeiro. (Please note that while in Rio during the conference you will be staying at the Savoy hotel. Therefore, you may store your luggage at the hotel while traveling to the Amazon). Overnight at SAVOY OTHON HOTEL (B)

After breakfast transfer to Rio's International Airport for your flight back home. Pending on your flight schedule you will most probably arrive home on August 5th.

TRAVEL DATES:	JULY 22 - 31, 2005
CONFERENCE DATES:	JULY 24 - 27, 2005