You will be transferred between lodges, hotels, cities, reserves and national parks by road, water and air.
Air travel is the most convenient method of moving between destinations. The majority of commercial airlines in Latin America that service the region and Antarctica use modern jet or turbo prop aircraft similar to those in Asia or the west. For flights into remote areas of the Amazon or the Pantanal, you will travel in smaller aircraft seating 6 to 12 people.
Flights in Latin America and Antarctica are as safe as similar light aircraft operations in other parts of the western world. The aircraft are well-maintained and, just like in the U.S., Europe and Australia, completely overhauled and serviced after a pre-determined number of hours. You will find that the so-called 'bush pilots' are, like the vast majority of their colleagues all over the world, very concerned about safety and that they follow correct procedures and do not operate an unserviceable aircraft, or overload it.
Flying serves a three-fold purpose: it gets you to the prime wildlife viewing areas without wasting time on dusty and bumpy roads; you'll be able to cover much more ground so your itinerary can be more diversified and you will gain an overall perspective of the area that is only possible from the air. It would not be possible, for example, to fully appreciate the complexity of the Pantanal's channel systems and multitude of islands, nor the vastness of the Amazon or Patagonia, without an aerial view.
