welcome to our monthly newsletter! 

March flew by fast with preparing for and attending ITB in Berlin. Our colleagues from the SAT offices in South America joined our sales team from Frankfurt at the SAT stand and, as every year, we had a great time together. But more importantly, we would like to thank all of you who came by to chat and say hello; it was lovely to meet both old and new friends!
We took a lot of new impressions and ideas home with us and look forward to realizing them with you.

Now, it is time to sit back and enjoy our newest batch of travel ideas!

Also check out our Website, Facebook & Instagram for latest updates! We are looking forward to hearing back from you!

All the best,
Your SAT Team

The fortress of Kuelap in Chachapoyas is one of the most spectacular but relatively undiscovered ruin sites of South America. Although the site is  bigger and roughly 800 years older than Machu Picchu, visitor numbers are low because of difficult and time consuming access. The recently inaugurated cable car of Nuevo Tingo (20min) saves travelers a 3h drive, making the trip much more comfortable. Flying in to Jaen, 4 nights provide enough time for a stop at the famous Gocta waterfall and the Revash funerary complex on the way to Kuelap! Contact us for more details on the mysterious North of Peru!

Besides its historic ruin sites and beautiful landscapes, Peru also provides unique opportunities to delve into the lifes of local people. Andean communities still follow a traditional lifestyle far away from the cities with their modern comforts. Join the community of Janac Chuquibamba in the Sacred Valley to learn about one of their most important resources: the achupalla plant. During a hike, visitors find out about the community´s history, traditions and livelihood. See where the achupalla grows, how it is gathered and processed into natural medicine, tools, kitchen furnishing, fuel, animal feed and more. A lunch with local produce is served afterwards. Please consult us for more information!

Despite of its many scenic and cultural attractions, Uruguay still goes unnoticed by many. But in the last years, a small coastal town put itself on the international jet-setter map as the Saint-Tropez of Latin America: Jose Ignacio! Only 160km from the capital Montevideo, you can enjoy the pure luxury of stylish hotels like the VIK retreats, sip authentic Uruguayan wines at the much acclaimed  Bodega Garzon, taste the award-winning olive oils of O'33 Jose Ignacio and dine exquisite seafood at the exclusive beach restaurant La Huella. The town´s picturesque lighthouse from 1877 is well worth a visit, as is the beautiful countryside that can be explored on horseback. Need more reasons to travel to Uruguay?  Contact us for more travel ideas!

From March 01-06, Cartagena hosted the 57th edition of the Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI). Since its foundation in 1959, making it the oldest film festival in Latin America, FICCI has been promoting the local film industry while also advocating the diversity of Latin American countries. Among this year´s winners were "Viejo Calavera" (Fiction, Bolivia/Qatar) and "Adiós Entusiasmo" (Colombian Cinema, Colombia/Argentina). Cartagena is also well known for other arts and cultural events, including the Miss Colombia pageant and the Hay Festival of Literature & Arts. Its colonial buildings, lively plazas and picturesque waterfronts make it one of Colombia´s most beautiful cities and its historic center even earned the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more tour ideas in Cartagena, please contact us! 

Earlier this month, representatives of Sony Music arrived in Ecuador to scope out places that might become production sites for upcoming projects. The visit was coordinated by the newly created "Film Commission" which is in charge of promoting cinematic tourism, and was triggered by the interest of Spanish singer Melendi to shoot a video in Ecuador. Sony executives from Spain, Latin America and Miami were invited to visit possible locations in Quito, Baños, the Amazon region and Papallacta. 12 hours of daylight, an excellent transportation network and the vast diversity of the "Four Worlds" (Galapagos, Pacific Coast, Andes and Amazon) make Ecuador an ideal production site. Consult us for further information!

Get ready to dive into the Brazilian Amazon during a stay at Evolução Ecolodge. The lodge´s credo is to engage their guests in an eco-tourism experience that is different, shining a new light on the many beauties of nature. Guests can enjoy jungle treks, boat rides to the "Meeting of the Waters", night excursions, spectacular sunsets, piranha fishing, swimming with dolphins and community visits; all the while  contributing to the social development and the preservation of the region´s cultural heritage. The Evolução Ecolodge is located in Acajatuba, 69km from Manaus, and can be reached in 2-2,5h by car and boat. Ready for the Amazon experience? Then contact us for details!

Argentina´s cuisine and culture go hand in hand. But more often than not, its gastronomy is being reduced to high quality steaks. Not anymore! Whisk your clients away to the famous San Telmo neighborhood for an evening of exploring the many influences that made Buenos Aires the cosmopolitan city it is today. Start off with a visit to San Telmo´s produce market to learn about  coffee preparation with beans from different parts of the world. Next is a wine tasting with savory  "pintxos", tapas-style specialties from the Basque country. The night ends with a scrumptious dinner including regional products at a rustic "pulperia", accompanied by a live Folklore Show. Find out more about this delicious evening program!

Thinking of Chile, what first comes to mind is usually wine, Patagonia or Easter Island. But Chile is also a renowned destination for astronomical tourism and celebrated "National Astronomy Day" on March 17 with workshops, concerts, lectures and documentaries. Its natural heritage has gifted Chile with some of the world´s clearest sky and ideal climate conditions, making it a priviledged destination for stargazing. Two of the most spectacular sights are the center of the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds (only visible from the Southern Hemisphere). Chile is home to 13 scientific and 35 tourist observatories; destinations include Antofagasta, San Pedro de Atacama and Coquimbo. Ready to take a peek into the galaxy? Then contact us for travel ideas!

Katja has been part of the SAT Family for 15 years and counting. She lives in Frankfurt with her family, enjoying cultural and outdoor activities in their freetime. Katja knows South America from her trips to Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. She has a special bond with Brazil: she and her husband spent their honeymoon in fascinating Rio, the amazing Iguazú falls and Buzios with its lovely small beaches and hilly landscape. As Product & Marketing Manager she is involved in different workflows: from planning new interesting trips through South America to finding new ways to publish our products and being in charge of our marketing materials as well as the maintenance of our website. For travel suggestions in South America or marketing questions, please contact Katja!

Blackstone just announced the acquisition of the "Windsor Atlantica Hotel" on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. From May 01st, the renowned property will be part of the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand under its new name "Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana".

The hotel "Casa Hacienda Achamaqui" officially opened its doors on March 01st in the Peruvian Amazon region. Located 20km outside of Chachapoyas, it is a gateway for excursions to the Kuelap fortress and the Gocta waterfall.

This month, the Cyan hotel brand added two properties in Buenos Aires to their portfolio. The longstanding "Hotel de las Americas" and "Americas Towers Hotel" in the heart of Recoleta have now been rebranded as "Cyan Hotel de las Americas" and "Cyan Americas Towers Hotel".

The Caiman Ecological Refuge in the Pantanal of Brazil has been nominated for the "Tourism of Tomorrow Awards 2017" in the section "Environment". The winners will be announced during the WTTC Global Summit in April.

Avianca announced a new daily connection between Bogotá, Colombia and Montevideo, Uruguay, starting May 15th with the following schedules: MVD-BOG: 7:57am - 12:45pm / BOG-MVD: 10:20pm - 7:01am

On March 26th, LATAM expanded their network in Colombia by launching their new direct flights between Cartagena and San Andres (Wed, Thu, Sat & Sun) as well as Medellin and Santa Marta (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun).