Tag: tours

7 Ways to See the World From the Sky

Posted on by Caroline McCoy

Thrill-seekers know the formula for an epic adventure: a little adrenaline, clear skies and the promise of awe-inspiring views. Few things compare with soaring over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter near Las Vegas or catapulting through the atmosphere during a skydiving expedition in Dubai. Of course, not all airborne experiences require nerves of steel. Board the Four Seasons Jet and you’ll see how relaxing a bird’s-eye view can be.

To satisfy all varieties of travellers, we’ve rounded up seven of the world’s most breathtaking destinations and the most exhilarating ways to see them from the sky. From Dubai to Whistler, follow our guide to taking flight.

Hot-air ballooning in the Serengeti



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Hop aboard a hot-air balloon to see the natural beauty of your surroundings from an ideal vantage point. This gentle hot-air balloon safari, arranged by Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, allows for the ultimate scenic view – an unobstructed 360-degree panorama – so it’s no wonder hot-air ballooning is a favourite pastime in other wilderness expanses as well, such as the American Southwest. The Serengeti, with its golden savannahs and rich wildlife, may be the world’s best destination to lift off and float the morning away.

Zip-lining in Costa Rica

Woman rides a zip-line over a lush jungle

The Witch’s Rock Canopy Tour sends you flying above the unique dry forests of Papagayo Peninsula, home to rare birds, animals and plants like toucans, monkeys and orchids.

Strap into a harness and sail through the jungle canopy of Guanacaste Province on a zip-line tour arranged by Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. Spot tropical birds, tree frogs and howler monkeys up close, and soar above gorgeous waterfalls as you glide from platform to towering platform. Witch’s Rock Canopy Tour, with its 24 platforms and three suspension bridges, offers some of the best views of Costa Rica’s landscape.

Skydiving in Dubai

Parachute in Dubai

Skydive Dubai offers tandem dives with expert instructors as well as a training program for those who wish to take the plunge solo.

Ranked a top drop zone, and the host of one of the world’s biggest skydiving championships, Dubai – home of Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach and Four Seasons Dubai International Financial Centre – draws both experts and beginners with glimmering views of the city skyline and the Arabian Gulf. Flying above the fan-shaped archipelago of Palm Jumeirah is your photo-worthy moment.

Touring Maui by helicopter

A helicopter flies over green peaks in Maui

Soar above towering waterfalls and lush rainforests before peering into Haleakala, a dormant volcano that composes 75 percent of Maui.

Admire the island’s green peaks, plunging waterfalls and grand dormant volcano during a private helicopter tour with Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Touch down at ONO Organic Farms for a private tour and exotic fruit tasting led by the farm’s long-time owners. Afterwards, set out to explore the famed town of Hana before returning to the Resort for a personalized multi-course dinner featuring your favourite fruits from the ONO farm.

Soaring to natural wonders around Las Vegas



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Trade bright city lights for a sprawling desert landscape during an experience available exclusively to guests of Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. A private helicopter carries you to the Valley of Fire, Nevada’s oldest and largest state park, where you’ll see rare petroglyphs and sandstone rock formations. Next you’ll venture to the West Rim of the Grand Canyon, following the bend of the Colorado River, and touch down for a private lunch beside one of the world’s seven wonders.

Seaplane surfing in the Maldives

Two surfers dive off of a seaplane into the ocean

Tropicsurf guides can help surfers of every skill level drop into world-class waves at Kuda Huraa, situated among the area’s most celebrated surf breaks.

Experience the Indian Ocean from sea and sky during a seaplane surfing excursion with Four Season Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa. You and your surfing guide will board a seaplane and cruise the Maldivian atolls searching for prime waves. When the timing is right, you’ll touch down, dive into crystal blue waters and surf to your heart’s content.

Flying Over a Glacier in Whistler

A helicopter landing on a snowy mountaintop in Whistler

Accessible only by helicopter, Whistler’s remote thermal baths sit amid snowcapped mountains.

The Pemberton Backcountry, home to British Columbia’s largest ice field, is both your fly-by scenery and your destination during an exclusive Whistler helicopter tour with Four Seasons Resort Whistler. Touch down for an ice-cave tour, and then soar to the region’s remote hot springs for a private spa experience in dramatic, unlikely place. Follow us into the ice cave and see photos from inside this kingdom of cold >

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Hotel on beach

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The Best Art You Haven’t Seen in Miami and Bogotá

Posted on by Alison Miller

Galleries on the verge. A Cindy Sherman right in your hotel. You can brave the crowds (and the parties) of an international art festival or schedule around it, but don’t overlook the galleries, museums and installations that keep these art capitals abuzz year round. We’ve gathered insider tips on how best to explore the scene from Four Seasons team members on the ground.

ICA in Miami

If you examine the original architecture of the storied Surf Club, now part of
Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club, you might spot some similarities to the Bass, Miami’s cutting-edge contemporary art museum. Though both have been expanded and renovated, their original structures were designed by acclaimed art deco architect Russell Pancoast in the 1930s. The parallels don’t end there. Much of the art on display inside The Surf Club was created by artists whose work appears, or has appeared, at the Bass.

 

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“The primary exhibition for this season is from Italian photographer Paola Pivi, who has two pieces on display,” says Gabriela Navarro, the Head of Creative at the Hotel. “One of them, an alligator roaming through whipped cream, was actually conceived of here.” Last year, the Bass exhibited works by Ugo Rondinone, and a painting from his Target series remains on display in the Hotel’s Marybelle Penthouse Suite. “We have a fabulous collection of contemporary art at the Hotel,” Navarro says. “I don’t think very many people know this, but we have a Sterling Ruby and a Cindy Sherman as well.”

Several prominent private collectors in Miami have art on view in spaces open to the public. “You have the Rubell Family Collection, the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse and the de la Cruz Collection,” Navarro says. “ICA, the Institute of Contemporary Art, where multiple collectors display their works in one space, opened last year.”

Or you could take a boat tour, she says. “Some collectors have large pieces from prominent artists displayed in their gardens on Indian Creek Island, right across from The Surf Club. So if you’re water bound, you’ll see beautiful works from artists like Richard Serra, Ugo Rondinone and Alexander Calder.”

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Bogotá street art

Both Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá and Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina offer exclusive passes to BARCÚ (Bogotá Art and Culture), a festival in the city’s La Candelaria neighbourhood that’s an ideal complement, or alternative, to ARTBO. (The two take place concurrently every October.) Four Seasons guests get a private tour guide and VIP access to exhibitions and workshops that span art, music, dance, film and food.

 

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Widely considered the art capital of Latin America, Bogotá is home to more than 100 galleries. In addition to the renowned art festivals, devote a day or two to browsing the city’s San Felipe, La Macarena and Quinta Camacho neighbourhoods. One gallery in particular not to miss: FLORA ars+natura, which offers studio space and residences to artists creating works with themes of nature and the Earth. It was established in 2015 by José Roca, a former curator of Latin American art at the Tate in London, who returned to his hometown to open it.

 

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“It’s an independent space for contemporary art in San Felipe,” says Paula Gamboa, Four Seasons Director of PR and Marketing Communications. “The area is known for its working-class roots and mechanical engineering businesses; it had no galleries at all prior to the arrival of José Roca.” Back at either hotel, your art tour continues: Both properties feature modern art from Colombian artists like Leyla Cárdenas and Vicky Neumann.

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The Ultimate Los Angeles Road Trip

Posted on by John Ortved

Los Angeles tends to be the beginning, or the end, of many a memorable adventure. It was the launch pad and the landing strip for Hunter S. Thompson’s “fear and loathing” – and at least a million less famous trips. But LA and its sunny sprawl can play host to an idyllic, self-contained road trip.

It might already be known as a driving city, but such functionality has no place in your vacation mindset. No matter where you’re starting from – east or west, the Valley or downtown – you and your car (and whoever you take along) can make more than just a day of it, particularly with three Four Seasons outposts to call home base. Here, the local spots our knowledgeable staffers say should most certainly have a place on your itinerary.

Silverlake Map

The provenance of hipsters and the creative class, these East Side neighbourhoods are the perfect foil for, or respite after, a day of culture.


Scenes of Silverlake LA

EAT

Dinette

Gareth Kanter’s breakfast window (1608 1/2 Sunset Blvd) is the perfect place to start your day – on the go. Try the scrambled eggs on toast, served with a sprinkling of Parmesan and delicate shaved ham. The pastries are tops, too. We recommend taking your snack, or even just your coffee, a couple of blocks south, where you can picnic on the banks of Echo Park Lake.

VISIT

Cactus Store

What Cactus Store’s (1505 1/2 Echo Park Ave) name doesn’t convey is the Zen-like atmosphere of this tiny piece of the desert that’s been transported to Echo Park Avenue. Pick up a zero-effort plant, or just browse the needles of hundreds of unique cacti sourced from around the globe. And yes, these plants travel – that is, they ship.

DRINK

The Friend

This cotton candy-coloured spot (2611 Hyperion Ave) is cosy yet playful – an unexpected blend of 1950s diner and French cafe decor. Cocktail titles draw upon Los Angeles characters like The Dancer and The Artist and served alongside pinball machines.

Arts District LA Map

Los Angeles is home to some of the country’s best endowed, and best curated, museums. By all means, check out the Broad (pronounced “brode,” as in it rhymes with “road”) and LACMA, but don’t miss the Arts District, a section of LA’s former industrial home that was recently settled by contemporary galleries and has since been redeveloped with them in mind.


LA's Arts District

EAT

Bavel

Ori Menashe and his wife, pastry chef Genevieve Gergis, brought fine Mediterranean dining to LA’s Industrial District with the incomparable Bestia. But they may have bested themselves with their new homage to Middle Eastern cuisine (500 Mateo St). Menashe and Gergis mined their family backgrounds – Israel, Morocco, Turkey and Egypt – to devise dishes like a duck nduja hummus, oyster mushroom kabobs and a tagine with braised Wagyu beef.

Mariscos Jalisco

Aren’t feeling like a whole sit-down situation? Want the best taco in town? Jump the river to Boyle Heights and find Mariscos Jalisco (3040 E. Olympic Blvd). Just a humble food truck, it’s the source of the most celebrated fried shrimp taco in Los Angeles, maybe the world. Food critics flock here; there’s nothing else like it.

VISIT

Night Gallery

Part of the ground level for Los Angeles’ once burgeoning, now established contemporary arts scene, Davida Nemeroff’s expansive Arts District space (2276 E. 16th St) hosts riveting exhibits from some of the industry’s most exciting artists, like David Korty and Anna Rosen. While you’re in the area, stop by Hauser & Wirth’s outsize East Third Street location – on the Arts District’s most developed strip (coffee shops and boutiques galore) – which hosts more established names, like Alexander Calder.

Beverly Hills LA Map

The most famous zip code. If you can pry yourself away from the legendary pool at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, or want to do something with all the good energy you picked up at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, this neighbourhood is a perfect jumping-off point for some of the best shopping, recreation and sightseeing LA has to offer.


Scenes in Beverly Hills LA

VISIT

RTH

The twin shops (537 N. La Cienega Blvd) that René Holguin, the son of a bootmaker, built on this strip of La Cienega have come to embody a whole modern Western lifestyle, not just a look: There are unisex ponchos and shirting and roughshod leather laptop cases and palo santo for days. It’s not simply where you’ll find something for the person who has everything, it’s where you’ll find something for everyone.

Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation

You have to book your tour ahead of time, but it’s well worth it to view Weisman’s private collection in an astounding 1920s villa (265 N. Carolwood Drive). It includes work by modern masters like Giacometti and Rauschenberg, as well as a trove of abstract expressionist works: de Kooning, Rothko and Frankenthaler. . . . The pop gods are here too, including Warhol and Lichtenstein. This is a museum-worthy collection, on view just for you and yours.

DO

Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine Temple

Don’t be misled by the word “temple.” Reservations are required to discover this place to chill (17190 Sunset Blvd). Waterfalls. A lake. Fountains. Flower beds. Walking paths. Aren’t you feeling better already? Founded by yogi Paramahansa Yogananda in the Pacific Palisades, a quick drive from Beverly Hills, this relaxing spot (a favourite of Elvis Presley) is on your road to wellness. “It’s a quiet oasis” to wander around or just sit and meditate says Kisha Franklin, Concierge Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles.

Malibu CA Map

Gorgeous, unending beaches; the freshest food going straight into the finest cuisine; vineyards upon vineyards: Malibu is California dreaming. And for guests of
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, set in the Santa Monica mountains, it’s just a stone’s throw – or a car ride – away.


Scenes from Malibu, CA

EAT

Taverna Tony

“Tony will come around and fill your plate with food,” Franklin says. “It’s a true Malibu local restaurant.” The thing about Malibu is, while luxurious, it’s low-key. And this is the kind of spot (23410 Civic Center Way) that draws the residents: fresh, lively Greek food – saganaki cheese served flaming, baby octopus straight from a charcoal grill – a beautiful terrace, and loads of charm.

VISIT

Point Dume State Beach

“A lot of people will go to Paradise Cove, but Point Dume (Cliffside Drive and Birdview Avenue) is a little further out and more private, more local, and just beautiful,” Franklin says. Take in the views of Point Dume’s cliffs and bluffs, and the solitude you might enjoy even more. It offers all the stunning beauty of the California coastline, but with fewer tourists.

DRINK

Cornell Winery & Tasting Room

A highlight of Malibu is its proximity to the rolling hills of wine country. Nadine Jurchynsky, Chief Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, recommends Cornell Winery (29975 Mulholland Highway, Agoura Hills) and its unbelievably charming tasting room, with vintages sourced from local wineries. Another option is Malibu Family Wine, where you can look out over the 1,000-acre Saddlerock Ranch estate while you sip.

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Beverly Wilshire hotel

New Heights: Unforgettable Airborne Experiences

Posted on by Alyssa Williams

There’s a reason everyone covets a bird’s-eye view on holiday: It’s the very best way to take in a landscape. Around the world, Four Seasons hotels and resorts offer airborne experiences you won’t believe, from aerial tours of the Great Wall of China to hot-air balloon rides above the Serengeti.


Great Wall of China

See ancient history from on high in China

The Great Wall is worthy of its name. Take in the majesty of the iconic Chinese landmark while gliding 100 metres above the Mutianyu section – including secret stretches that aren’t open to the public – during the helicopter aerial tour arranged by Four Seasons Hotel Beijing. Guests can even opt to remove the aircraft’s door for a broader view of the UNESCO World Heritage site, built of hewn granite slabs in the seventh century.

Mutianyu is one of the best places to see the beauty of the Great Wall.

“As a Beijinger, I am proud to provide guests with a unique view of this extraordinary historical site,” says Peter Tang, the Hotel’s Chief Concierge. “Mutianyu is one of the best places to see the beauty of the Great Wall. The views are clear and unobstructed, and the wall stretches through valleys and across hilltops.” Insider tip: Ask the Hotel staff to prepare a seasonal picnic to enjoy atop the Great Wall itself. Executive Chef Jackson Wu’s dishes, such as Deep-Fried Scallop Stuffed With Shrimp Mousse and Fresh Pear, are as memorable as the scenery.

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing

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Ski an alpine safari in France, Italy and Switzerland

If skiing like James Bond sounds appealing, try taking a helicopter to a drop zone in the Alps where you can slalom your way down. Four Seasons Hotel Megève, open since December 2017 in the playground of the iconic Rothschild family, offers Helicopter Ski Safaris to nearby Chamonix, Courchevel and Val d’Isère.

You can ski on the most famous peaks in the Alps, whether in France, Italy or even Switzerland.

“You can ski on the most famous peaks in the Alps, whether in France, Italy or even Switzerland,” says Chef Concierge Margaux Pfeiffer. “Heli-skiing is a thrill of a lifetime. Our guests are always surprised when we tell them that we can land on glaciers up to 3000 metres high and they can start their ski descent from there.”

This being Four Seasons, don’t expect an ordinary après-ski experience – not when a mosaic-lined indoor/outdoor pool and a 14,000-bottle wine cellar beckon back at the Hotel. “Our chefs welcome you back with hot chocolate and warm crêpes in the lobby,” Pfeiffer says. “To me, this is the best time of the day.”

Four Seasons Hotel Megeve

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Edge of the World in Riyadh

Jet over the Edge of the World in Riyadh

Just beyond Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre is a land formation so astonishing the locals call it “the Edge of the World.” And with the Hotel’s Journey to the Edge of the World experience, you can take in the most magnificent sights of the desert from a microlight two-passenger plane – just you and the pilot. “You’ll be escorted to the microlight after lunch when the sun starts descending and the horizon reflects beautiful colours behind the magnificent Edge of the World,” says Concierge Agent Reema Bin Shulayyil. “The beauty of the steep edges contrasting with the tip of the mountain is mesmerizing.” Bonus: You’ll break for a traditional Saudi luncheon, presented in a private Bedouin tent overlooking the Edge.

The beauty of the steep edges contrasting with the tip of the mountain is mesmerizing.

Before taking wing, guests explore the At-Turaif District in the city of ad-Dir’iyah, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a former seat of Saudi royalty. “The history and mystical tales that exist between the historic city of ad-Dir’iyah and the breathtaking Edge of the World never fail to intrigue our guests,” Bin Shulayyil says. “At ad-Dir’iyah you’ll experience rich Saudi culture, while the amazing geological formations of the Edge of the World fascinate visitors with their beauty.” Upon returning to the Hotel, head directly to the Royal Moroccan Hammam for a honey and royal jelly mask or a Turkish salt scrub.

Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre

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Soar above the Serengeti in Tanzania

Most bucket lists include a safari – few things are more transformative than spotting the Big Five beasts in their native habitat. But once you’ve caught sight of fauna up close, spy them as an African Crowned Eagle would at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, where the Hot-Air Balloon Safari offered in partnership with local operator Serengeti Balloon Safaris takes you some 609 metres off the ground. “To see the Serengeti Plains from above is truly special – it really shows the scale and expanse of the beautiful landscape, especially in the early morning light,” says Ahmed Attas, Discovery Centre Manager.

To see the Serengeti Plains from above is truly special – it really shows the scale and expanse of the beautiful landscape.

“Depending on the time of year, you may be lucky enough to fly over the Great Migration, when there are herds of wildebeest as far as the eye can see, or it could be that you glide through the air just metres above hippos in the river. You could also see big cats out hunting before the mid-day heat begins to build.”

Attas reports that some guests have glimpsed lions or flown just a few metres above an adult male leopard sitting in the top branches of a tree. One thing is certain: If you take off at dawn or dusk, you’ll be able to capture the panorama in exquisite light. “Sunrises and sunsets in the Serengeti are beyond compare,” he says. “I think what makes the balloon safari at sunrise even more magical is that you’re able to see the wilderness coming to life for a new day.”

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania

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Decorative sculpture in lobby

An Unforgettable Journey Through
Latin America

Posted on by Alyssa Williams

The eerie beauty of the Galápagos Islands, the vibrant flavours of Bogotá, the rich traditions of Buenos Aires: Experience the wonders of Central and South America as part of the newest Four Seasons Private Jet journey. We invite you to spend 16 blissful days (February 9–24, 2019) taking in the very best of five destinations – Miami, Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Bogotá and the Galápagos Islands – including behind-the-scenes experiences curated by our experts just for you. You’ll travel in style and comfort between extraordinary locales aboard the Four Seasons Private Jet, with Italian leather flatbed seats, Ghurka cabin bags and personal tablets for each passenger. Whether you’re a foodie, an adventurer, an aesthete or all three, you can customize every offering to fulfil your travel dreams.

“A big part of what we offer on our private jet trips is exclusivity and access, the ability to do things you never imagined were possible,” says Javier Loureiro, Director of Guest Experience for the Four Seasons Private Jet. “We handle the logistics and create the types of experiences that will make for treasured memories.” Although many details of this particular expedition have yet to be divulged, here are a few of our favourite moments – soon to be yours.

Stargazing in Costa Rica

Gaze at the stars in Costa Rica with a former NASA astronaut.

Villa Casa Casuarina in Miami

Soak up the opulent Miami home of late fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Bogotá market

Rainbow-hued produce abounds in Bogotá’s vibrant markets.

WORLDS OF FLAVOUR

Begin your journey in Miami with a private dinner at the lavish Villa Casa Casuarina, former home of the late fashion designer Gianni Versace. The Miami manse was built in 1930 for the scion of the Standard Oil fortune. (Note the expertly manicured garden and showstopping gold-plated pool.) Need more Latin flavours in your life? Cruise Little Havana with the help of a local guide, who’ll lead you to the most authentic Cuban foods the neighborhood has to offer.

In Costa Rica, you’ll eye the sky with Franklin Chang Diaz, a native of Costa Rica and a former NASA astronaut. Gaze at the brilliant stars dotting the southern sky through a powerful GPS-guided telescope, and then feast on a meal that blends astronomy with gastronomy. “Your dinner that evening is catered by Four Seasons with an out-of-this-world tasting menu that includes cocktails infused with actual meteorite dust,” Loureiro says. Try dishes like cantaloupe and watermelon “molten sun” gazpacho, steak served with a space rock–infused sauce, or lime caviar “stars” – all inspired by Chiang Diaz’s time in orbit.

Caffeine connoisseurs will adore exploring Bogotá, Colombia, where you’ll learn about the complexities of one of Colombia’s major exports, coffee, from the pros at Hacienda San Alberto, a third-generation family farm. You’ll also take an expert-led tour through Paloquemao Market, a go-to shop for local chefs since the 1940s thanks to the fresh-picked produce. Don’t miss the edible cactus and indigenous fruits, such as the plum-like borojó, harvested in nearby rainforests.

On the jet itself, the onboard chef carefully accommodates all your culinary preferences, from haute cuisine to comfort food. After all, this is the trip of a lifetime and food and beverage is a piece of that.

Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

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Spot the blue-footed booby and other wildlife while exploring the Galápagos Islands.

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Retreat to Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires after a day of Argentine exploits.

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Take a day trip from Buenos Aires to explore Iguazú Falls with a private guide.

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Zip-line over lush rainforest canopies in Costa Rica.

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The Silver Galápagos, a chartered cruise, is your home for four nights while exploring the remote Galápagos Islands.

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Sea lions dance beneath the water near Floreana Island in the Galápagos.

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The newly reimagined Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

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Look out for another Galápagos native during your trip: the giant tortoise.

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You surely won’t tire of these kinds of views during your cruise on the Silver Galápagos.

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A highlight of your Galápagos journey: getting up close and personal with its many inhabitants.

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Glimpse the Arenal Volcano during your time in Costa Rica.

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CONQUER ISLANDS, PLAINS AND FALLS

After centuries of natural isolation and careful preservation, the remote Galápagos Islands are home to an incredible variety of marine species. During your four-night chartered cruise aboard the Silver Galápagos, you’ll likely spot sea lion pups frolicking on Floreana Island and huge sea turtles sunning themselves on white-sand beaches. Kayak along the coast and encounter manta rays and colourful fish, and then follow an inland trail on Santa Cruz Island past saltwater lagoons in search of the land iguanas that inspired Dragon Hill’s name. Return to the ship to recharge with a soothing massage.

In Costa Rica, you can don a harness and helmet and whiz over rainforest canopies and valleys via zip line, getting a macaw’s-eye-view of the adjacent Pacific Ocean. Be sure to keep a lookout in the treetops for sloths, which sleep an average of 15 hours per day, an inspirational sight while on vacation.

We take guests to the falls, tour privately with expert guides for a few hours, have lunch and get back to Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires in time for dinner. – Javier Loureiro, Director of Guest Experience

Near Buenos Aires, pay a special visit to Estancia la Bamba de Areco, one of the oldest ranches in Argentina, to watch local gauchos show off their horsemanship, guiding their sturdy mounts through the paces and skillfully tossing boleadoras in the air. Then join the gauchos for a traditional Argentine barbecue on the ranch property, where the oldest building on site – a former carriage house – dates to the 1700s.

One of Loureiro’s favourite activities? The day trip from Buenos Aires to Iguazú Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its astounding 275 waterfall drops. “Without our jet, this trip would take at least a couple of days and require an overnight stay at the falls area,” he says. “We can do it all in the same day, as we fly guests to the falls, tour privately with expert guides for a few hours, have lunch and get back to
Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires in time for dinner. All you have to do is step aboard the jet and enjoy.”

Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires

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Teatro Colón opera house in Buenos Aires

Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic Teatro Colón opera house in Buenos Aires.

Bogotá's Museo del Oro

Sit down to a special dinner surrounded by gold artefacts at Bogotá’s Museo del Oro.

Museo Botero in Bogotá

Eye works by Picasso and Dalí at Bogotá’s Museo Botero.

AN ARTFUL ESCAPE

“I always ask myself questions when looking at different activities or options for our trips,” Loureiro says. “Can we make this private? Can the experience be personalized?” For art and design lovers, that often equates to insider access. Take a backstage peek at Buenos Aires’ 1908 Teatro Colón opera house – among the greatest concert venues on earth, on par with the Vienna State Opera and Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. Expert-led tours will give you the goods on Bogotá’s Museo Botero, with its Picassos and Dalís, or of the innovative galleries of Miami’s Design District.

You can dine in the presence of magnificence, too. “We always love showcasing iconic cultural institutions for our special dinners,” Loureiro says. “In Bogotá, we’ve arranged a festive dinner in the Museo Del Oro. We’ll have exclusive access to the museum, and then sit down to a dinner surrounded by one of the largest collections of gold artefacts in the world.” Admire the still-covetable ancient earrings and gold jaguar figurines in the gilded collection.

One of the best parts of the Four Seasons Private Jet journey is coming home to Four Seasons hotels after your outings. For example, in Buenos Aires, you may spend the day shopping your way through the “Paris of South America,” but you can return to Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires for a signature spa treatment, combining the natural antioxidant properties of red wine and therapeutic massage choreographed to the beat of tango music. Partly housed in an early 20th century belle époque–style mansion, the Hotel also welcomes you to its inviting outdoor pool, garden terrace and E-Lounge –perfect spots to relax before launching the next leg of your trip.

Four Seasons Hotel Bogota

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Once you’ve discovered these Latin American destinations, consider other
Four Seasons Private Jet itineraries for 2019. Snorkel with blacktip lagoon sharks in Bora Bora and take a day trip to the Taj Mahal on the Timeless Encounters trip. Or enjoy a hot-air balloon ride over the Serengeti, learn samurai sword moves in Kyoto and indulge in pampering spa treatments under the stars in the Maldives with International Intrigue. By taking advantage of the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience, you can explore the world as never before.

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See the world in a whole new way.

Cityscape