Medical Study Tour to Brazil and Argentina
About the tour
Take a spectacular journey from Rio in Brazil to Patagonia in southern Argentina encompassing great variety in landscapes and cultures. Travel from effortlessly spectacular Rio de Janeiro to the cosmopolitan elegance of Buenos Aires before ending amongst dramatic blue glaciers and icefields in Patagonia. This tour is run in association with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP.)
Along the way learn about the medicine and society in four very different parts of South America. In Rio learn about medical education and the history and practice of public health in Brazil. In Iguazu hear about the local clinic’s work with the Guarani Indigenous community. Visit the historic British Hospital and an urban community clinic n Buenos Aires, and in Patagonia learn about healthcare provision to remote communities. Partners are very welcome and there are some alternative, non-medical visit options on the tour.
Following the tour there is the opportunity to travel further south, to Tierra del Fuego, to walk among its dense sub-Antarctic forests and cruise the Beagle Channel.
Download our brochure Medical Study Tour to Brazil and Argentina
Your tour leader
Dr Matt Young
Dr Matt Young has been a GP for over 25 years. His practice at Medeco Inala won the RACGP Australian General Practice of the Year in 2018 and acts as the home base for his mobile Hep C eradication crusade, the Hep C Kombi project, which he co-founded.
As well as medicine, Matt loves travelling the globe and has visited over 100 countries across all seven continents. He has a deep fascination with foreign cultures and loves immersing himself in their stories. He is most at home rafting rivers, climbing mountains and hiking through jungles.
Having completed an Archaeology Degree (UQ) and History Diploma (UQ), his areas of special interest are Australian WW1 history and ancient civilisations. Matt finds these studies significantly enhance all his intrepid travelling experiences. Matt writes for the AMAQ’s 'Doctor Q' magazine and worked on 4BC as the 'Ocker Doctor' on radio talk back. He loves a yarn, a laugh and writing poetry for fun.
He has been South's Rugby Union club doctor for 17 years and has captained Brisbane’s Ned Flanders Cricket Club for over two decades, leading the team to international victories against national teams on every continent.
Tour Partners
Need more information?
- Tel: (Toll Free) 1-8777-398-764
- Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm
Itinerary at a glance
Pre-tour extension: Carnival Champion’s Parade 24 – 27 February 2023
- Day 1: Rio de Janeiro (Fri, 24 Feb) Arrive and check into the Windsor Leme Hotel.
- Day 2: Rio de Janeiro (Sat, 25 Feb) Transfer to the Sambodromo to watch the top samba schools perform.
- Day 3: Rio de Janeiro (Sun, 26 Feb) Day at leisure to relax or explore.
- Day 4: Rio de Janeiro (Mon, 27 Feb) Those joining the main tour will arrive today.
Main tour Itinerary
- Day 1: Rio de Janeiro (Mon, 27 Feb) Arrive in Rio with its iconic setting and transfer to Windsor Leme Hotel in Copacabana to settle in and have dinner.
- Day 2: Rio de Janeiro (Tue, 28 Feb) Take in Rio's breathtaking views, starting with a train ride to Corcovado Mountain, where the statue of Christ the Redeemer towers over the city. After lunch take the cable car to Morro da Urca, the first stage en route to Sugar Loaf Mountain, and walk to the second stage with a superb panorama of Guanabara Bay, Copacabana and the surrounding area. Welcome dinner.
- Day 3: Rio de Janeiro (Wed, 1 Mar) Visit the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a renowned public health research institution established in 1898 with the objective of developing vaccines. The institute became the base for memorable sanitation campaigns and has been involved in scientific expeditions and public health initiatives in Brazil. Visit the medical school at the State University of Rio to learn about medical education and primary care in Brazil.
- Day 4: Rio / Iguazu Falls - Argentinian Side (Thur, 2 Mar) Fly to Iguazu Falls, which straddles the border between Brazil and Argentina. Both sides provide spectacular and very different perspectives. The Falls are hundreds of thundering cascades spanning nearly 3km in length. Visit the Brazilian side including the dramatic ‘Devil’s Throat’.
- Day 5: Iguazu Falls - Argentinian Side (Fri, 3 Mar) Spend the next day on the Argentinian side in the Iguazu National Park. Walk across walkways amongst the cascades within lush rainforest, with hundreds of butterflies fluttering in the mist. Explore the surrounding rain forest and visit the Guiraoga Wildlife Refuge, a rehabilitation centre for injured wildlife.
- Day 6: Iguazu Falls - Argentinian Side (Sat, 4 Mar) Visit the local Guiraoga community clinic and learn of their work with the Indigenous Guarani community or at leisure. Afternoon at leisure.
- Day 7: Iguazu Falls/ Buenos Aires (Sun, 5 Mar) Fly to Buenos Aires. The denizens of this elegant city would be at home in the most stylish of Europe’s capitals, but with a Latin American twist. In the afternoon immerse yourself into Buenos Aires life as the locals do with a coffee at the ornate Café Tortoni before visiting the famous antiques market at San Telmo and the multicoloured artist quarter of La Boca.
- Day 8: Buenos Aires (Mon, 6 Mar) Starting in elegant Recoleta, stroll along ornate Avenida Alvear, once home to the aristocracy of the city. Visit Recoleta Cemetery and the grave of Evita Peron. Head north to the attractive Palermo district. Visit the British Hospital which has been serving the public since 1844. Partner Programme: Visit Palermo Soho to explore the famous shopping area with its curving streets and wonderful parks. Taste a selection of Argentinian wines before dinner at a local restaurant.
- Day 9: Buenos Aires (Tue, 7 Mar) Visit a local health clinic or at leisure. Afternoon at leisure or take an optional cruise along the beautiful Tigre Delta, where the roads are peaceful waterways. Dinner and tango show in the evening.
- Day 10: Buenos Aires/ El Calafate (Wed, 8 Mar) Fly to the town of El Calafate in Patagonia and transfer to Calafate Parque Hotel. Enjoy a traditional Patagonian dinner.
- Day 11: El Calafate (Thur, 9 Mar) Drive out to the Perito Moreno Glacier. This natural phenomenon is a thunderous 200 foot high and three mile wide river of constantly moving and exploding ice. There are a number of wooden catwalks to view the glacier. Take a cruise up to the glacier. Visit the community health centre and hear of medicine in Patagonia.
- Day 12: El Calafate (Fri, 10 Mar) At leisure or return to the wonderful, otherworldly land of the glaciers with a full optional day tour to the Upsala Glacier, a huge chunk of ice measuring thirty-seven miles long and nearly three miles wide. Board a catamaran that cruises past vast vivid blue gigantic icebergs on the way to Upsala Glacier. Farewell dinner.
- Day 13: El Calafate / Buenos Aires (Sat, 11 Mar) Fly to Buenos Aires or take the extension to Tierra del Fuego.
- Day 14: Buenos Aires (Sun, 12 Mar) Depart Buenos Aires.
Post tour extension: Tierra del Fuego 11 – 14 March 2023
- Day 1: El Calafate / (Sat, 11 Mar) Fly to Ushuaia and transfer to the hotel. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and is located between the Beagle Channel and the sharp toothed glacial peaks soaring to nearly 1500 metres. Walk among its dense sub-Antarctic forests filled with brilliant orchids and mosses, hanging lichen, wild strawberries and cinnamon trees.
- Day 2: Ushuaia (Sun, 12 Mar) Spend the next morning cruising along the Beagle Channel as Darwin did years before;past magnificent mountains and marine and birdlife. Following lunch at Patagonian Mia, the afternoon is at leisure.
- Day 3: Ushuaia (Mon, 13 Mar) Fly to Buenos Aires arriving in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel.
- Day 4: Ushuaia / Buenos Aires (Tue, 14 Mar) Depart Buenos Aires.
Tour cost
The cost of the tour sharing a double or twin room is USD $6,566 per person. The cost of the tour with a room to yourself is USD $7,284 .