BRAZIL FOR GEM AND MINERAL LOVERS

Tour itinerary - August 21 – September 2, 2008

The tour starts in Minas Gerais, Brazil's cradle of mineral richness. Here are the world's largest pegmatite deposits, where emeralds, topazes, aquamarines, tourmalines, and many other gemstones are mined, warehoused, and sold. We spend time in Diamantina, where mining of diamonds began in the 18th century and it continues through today. We visit the Gem and Mineral Show in Teofilo Otoni, and visit Ouro Preto, the seat of artistic genius and cultural richness of the state. We end the tour with an optional extension to Rio Grande do Sul, the centre for collection and distribution of the seemingly unlimited supply of amethyst and agate geodes that Brazil exports to the world.

Day 1 – August 21, Thursday
Depart
Depart tonight from Miami on an overnight flight.

Day 2 – August 22 , Friday
Arrive - Belo Horizonte and Diamantina
Early morning arrival in São Paulo, then connect to a flight to Belo Horizonte. We will be picked up at the airport in Belo and from the airport will continue driving on the road to Brazilia, on our way to Diamantina. We will spend part of the day at stops in Curvelo and Corinto, both places particularly important for crystal collectors. Probably the purest, clearest, most brilliant crystals in the world come from the mining areas surrounding both towns. We continue to Diamantina. In the early 18th century gold diggers established several small villages in this region. Quite by accident these prospectors made a startling discovery: the white stones that they found strewn about on the ground and that they used as backgammon counters were not pieces of worthless crystal but diamonds. The village became the town of Diamantina and grew and prospered as diamond mining became more important. The legacy of that period of wealth and prosperity can still be seen in this very picturesque town. This afternoon we visit some of the crystal, gold and diamond dealers in town. Dinner in town.

Day 3 – August 23, Saturday
Diamantina
This morning after breakfast we pack a picnic lunch and head for a river location where diamonds are mined today just like they were in the 18th century, by the old miners of the area, following on the tradition of their ancestors. We hope to be able to do some sand washing ourselves, and maybe find a diamond as a remembrance of our visit. Return to the hotel in late afternoon. Dinner in town.

Day 4 – August 24, Sunday
Diamantina and Governador Valadares
We leave Diamantina after breakfast and drive to Governador Valadares. Located in the heart of Minas Gerais mining district, Governador is used as a distribution point for wholesalers. Lunch in route. Dinner in Governador tonight.

Day 5 – August 25, Monday
Governador Valadares
After breakfast we will visit several gem and mineral dealers. Lunch in town. We may try to visit a mine nearby this afternoon. Return to the hotel in late afternoon.

Day 6 – August 26, Tuesday
Governador Valadares and Teófilo Otoni
After visiting some dealers this morning we drive to Teofilo where we will arrive in the early afternoon. This is one of the most interesting towns of Minas Gerais. We will visit gem and mineral dealers. And we will take time to deal with the street vendors in the central square. Here is where these merchants, many of them not older than fourteen or fifteen, peddle their goods. The highlight of the trip is a visit to the Gem and Mineral Show taking place in town. The larger dealers will be set up in “Tucson style” booths, --after all, many of them participate in the Tucson Show in a yearly basis—the smaller dealers will be around also in less “flashy” set ups. Many of the dealers from the small towns surrounding the mining areas come here to show their goods and get their “piece of the pie”. A fantastic experience. Lunch in Teofilo on arrival. After checking in at the hotel we will go to the Fair to pick up our ID badges and check out the exhibitors. Dinner near the hotel.

Day 7 – August 27, Wednesday
Teófilo Otoni
A full day to explore the town. We will visit some of the local dealers and spend a lot of time at the Show. Lunch in town.

Day 8 – August 28, Thursday
Teófilo Otoni
Another day in Teofilo Otoni to spend at the Fair and possibly visit a mine nearby.

Day 9 – August 29, Friday
Teófilo Otoni and Ouro Preto
After breakfast we leave for Ouro Preto. Founded in 1711, Ouro Preto's name means "Black Gold" a reference to the black coloring of the gold mined in the area caused by the iron oxide in the soil. Today we will explore this town with charming old buildings and cobblestone streets. Ouro Preto is known for precious topaz. In fact most of the precious topaz mined in Brazil comes from an area one hundred kilometers around Ouro Preto. Dinner in Ouro Preto on arrival.

Day 10 – August 30, Saturday
Ouro Preto
A full day to enjoy Ouro Preto and its surroundings. Early today time to explore the town. There is so much iron surrounding Ouro Preto that in the early morning one can smell it in the air. Lunch in town. After lunch we will visit the Mineral Museum and some of the artistic treasures of the town, like the opera house, the oldest in South America.

Day 11 – August 31, Sunday
Ouro Preto - Depart
Morning in Ouro Preto, after lunch depart for Belo Horizonte’s airport for a flight to Sao Paulo and a connecting flight home.

OR

RIO GRANDE DO SUL EXTENSION

Morning in Ouro Preto, after lunch depart for Belo Horizonte’s airport for a flight to Sao Paulo and a connecting flight to Porto Alegre. The capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil, Porto Alegre is a city of one and a half million people and the center of a region of contrasts: in the south where Rio Grande do Sul borders Argentina and Uruguay it is flat pampas grassland. Here there are vast cattle ranches, sources for the succulent beef that has made the gaucho barbecue--the churrasco--a synonym for mouth-watering steaks and sausages throughout Brazil. In the north where Germans and Italian immigrants settled, there are beautiful gardens and Bavarian architecture dotting the countryside. And it is also where the best Brazilian wine is produced. We will be met at the airport on arrival in Porto Alegre and driven to the town of Soledade. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 12 – September 1. Monday
Soledade
The town of Soledade is located in the heart of Brazil's amethyst and agate country. More than 180 million years ago this region, with adjoining areas of Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, experienced extensive volcanic activities that produced the largest known discharge of lava on the surface of the Earth, covering an area of approximately one million two hundred thousand square kilometers. These lava flows, now hardened into black, fine-grained basalt, in some places as thick as one thousand meters, are the source of the seemingly unlimited supply of geodes that we will admire and maybe buy today and tomorrow. Not too far from Soledade are the towns of Irai and Ametista do Sul, where some of the largest deposits of amethyst geodes are located. These deposits are a continuation of those that produce the famous Uruguayan amethyst. Soledade is the center for production and distribution of amethyst and agate articles. After breakfast we visit the many dealers and wholesalers with their huge warehouses where forest of tall, short and wide geodes await us. And rare minerals are always a pleasant surprise! Lunch in town. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 13 – September 2, Tuesday
Soledade
A full day in Soledade visiting dealers and warehouses. Lunch in town. Dinner at the hotel.

Day 14 – September 3, Wednesday
Soledade and Porto Alegre - Depart
This morning is dedicated to visiting wholesalers and finishing the transactions started yesterday. After lunch depart for Porto Alegre's airport and a flight to Sao Paulo and the connecting flight to Miami.

Day 15 – September 4, Thursday
Arrive USA
Early morning arrival in Miami.

2409 Evans Drive, Silver Spring, Md 20902, USA
Tel: 301 681 3823
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