7 DAY / 6 NIGHT TOUR OF
GEMSTONE MINES IN BRAZIL
Belo Horizonte – Ouro Preto – Itabira – Tecifilo Otoni

Tour Five Mines  ♦  Attend an International Gem Show
Visit a Unique Gem Museum  ♦  Stay in Top Hotels  ♦  Sample Authentic Brazilian Cuisine
Scheduled dates are August 11 to 17 and include one day at the FIPP International Gemstone Show. Our tour includes visiting these mine sites in Brazil with respective gemstone deposits:
Belmont Mine: Emeralds
Itaiaia mine: Aquamarine
Paraíba Brazil mine: Tourmaline
Passagem Mine: Gold
Cruzeiro Mine: Tourmaline
Choose from two trip add-ons, additional payments apply
Rio de Janiero:  Aug. 18 to Aug 19 additional $350 (departure from Rio)
Iguassu Falls: Aug. 18 to Aug. 20 additonal $600 (includes round trip airfare to and from Foz do Iguassu/PR (CNF-IGU)
Prices include:
• All transportation while in Brazil (Flight, Luxury Motorcoaches and Vans at the mines)
• Hotel accommodations with breakfast.
• Lunch and dinner every day, including soft drinks, liquor & wine.
• Tours and entertainment on several evenings
• Knowledgable and professional tour guides
Prices are subject to changes according to Dollar exchange fluctuation.
Duration                                              
7 Days / 6 Nights                                                                   
Location                                              
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Rio de Janerio, Brazil
Available Tickets
25

Price
$2,862
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Included in Price
• All transportation while in Brazil (Flight, Luxury Motorcoaches and Vans at the mines)
• Hotel accommodations with breakfast.
• Lunch and dinner every day, including soft drinks, liquor & wine.
• Tours and entertainment on several evenings
• Knowledgable and professional tour guides
Prices are subject to changes according to Dollar exchange fluctuation.
Not Included in Price
• International flights
• Visa Costs
• Optional excursions
• Personal Insurance
• Tips, laundry and items of a personal nature
* Travel insurance includes: loss of passport, loss of luggage, personal accident, legal assistance, emergency medical expenses, missed departures, flight delays, emergency return home, assistance services such as consular and others.
Flight From
Destination
Date
Departs
Arrives
New York
Confins Airport (CNF) – Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais
Aug 11
10:00
15:00
Confins Airport (CNF) – Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais
Rio de Janeiro-RJ
Aug 17
Rio de Janeiro-RJ
New York
Aug17  
16:30
19:00

 

N

Modern Transport

Travel in style in a guided safari of Taita – Amboseli – Ngorongoro – Nairobi

N

Extra Luggage

Take what you need, but travel light. Porters can help with your luggage!

N

Quality Accomodations

Lucian Lee

Rio di Janeiro

Inside the mine

Tourist town

Participants

Dinner

Mina de Cruzero

In the mine

Day One: Arrive in Belo Horizonte, Brazil – Ouro Preto
Arrive Confins Airport (CNF) – Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais
Ride by luxury bus to Ouro Preto/MG, a 17th Century city famous for its Baroque architecture; on the way, stop for lunch at Chao de Minas, an elegant restaurant and cachaca distillery
Mine Tour:  Capao Imperial Topaz mine, located 14 miles from Ouro Preto
The Capão Mine is the world’s largest Imperial Topaz mine. An outdoor beauty, this open pit mine is located in the District of Rodrigo Silva, in the city of Ouro Preto. It is the only mine which can produce such gemstones at a commercial scale in order to supply jewelers worldwide. The mine processes 4500 m3 of rough material on a monthly basis.
Check-in at the hotel Ouro Preto
Enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant featuring drinks and live music

 

Day Two: Ouro Preto
Morning sightseeing in Ouro Preto including the historic Nossa Senhora do Pilar Chruch, renowned for its Baroque Architecture
Lunch in the historic center of Ouro Preto
Gem Museum Visit:  Mineralogy Museum at the Federal University of Ouro Preto
Mine Tour:  Minas de Passagem Gold Mine
The Passagem Mine was discovered by Bandeirantes (Organized Portuguese settlers, gold diggers, slave hunters and raiders expeditions) in 1719 and ever since has been producing the finest gold which supplies both domestic and overseas markets in bars, pieces, and jewels.
Ride by motorcoach to Itabira/MG
Check-in and dinner at the hotel in Itabira/MG
Day Three: Belmont Emerald Mine
Mine visit: The Belmont Mine — the most state-of-the-art mining and environmentally sustainable emerald mine in the world is the Belmont Mine, which has been producing emeralds since 1978. Located in the city of Itabira, the Belmont mining company is equipped with an optical emerald assorting/detecting system, which is capable of processing 4000 kilos of rough material per hour. View the video
Enjoy lunch on the Belmont Property
Buying Room Visit:  Belmont Buying Room
Ride by motorcoach to Governador Valadares/MG
Check-in and dinner at the hotel
Day Four: Teofilo Otoni/MG & FIPP Gemstone Show
Morning ride by motorcoach to Teofilo Otoni/MG
Group lunch
Gemstone Show Visit:  Visiting Day at the FIPP 2019 – XXIX International Gemstone Show – August 13 to 17
Return to Governador Valadares/MG
Dinner at the hotel
Day Five: Cruziero Mine & Nevestones Cutting Shop
Mine visit:  Cruziero Toumaline Mine in Sao Jose do Safira/MG, 56 miles by motorcoach from Gouvernador Valadares/MG
The Cruziero Mine is the world’s largest Tourmaline mine. Discovered in 1915, the first mining lease was established in 1938. In the 1940’s, with the advent of World War II and the great demand for mica by allied countries, the US government was greatly interested in exploring the mica deposits in the Cruzeiro area to meet these needs. Mining for tourmaline began with commercial purposes in the 1950’s, when Jose Neves and his brother Antonio De Assis Neves started what is now the Cruzeiro Mine. Currently, the mining operation is very successful. The mine produces an annual average of eight tons of tourmaline in its most diverse colors and qualities.
Group lunch on the Cruziero Mine property
Cutting shop visit:  Cruziero Mine Nevestones; shop located in Gouvernador Valadares/MG
Day Six: Itatiaia Mine – Ibituruna Peak
Mine tour: Itatiaia Pegmatite Mine – world renowned for enormous crystals of red tourmaline. The Itaiaia mine began in 1942 for the production of industrial mica, quartz, and beryl. Tourmalines of different colors (red, green and bi-colored), and slightly bluish, greenish or yellowish beryls of gemological quality were also found. By 2010 Geometa Ltd, the mining company that now owns the rights over the area, found the first emeralds when they were digging a shaft following a sub-vertical lense of biotite-phlogopite schist with a proven chromium anomaly, where they finally found emeralds.
Group lunch
Visit the Peak of Ibituruna
Ride by motorcoach to Belo Horizonte/MG
Dinner
Continue your trip with optional add-ons below or board a return flight to JFK (AA7816 at 4:50 a.m.)
Day Seven: Rio de Janeiro Optional Add-On #1 ($300)
Flight to Rio de Janeiro/RJ
Hotel check-in
Sightseeing tour: – Corcovado Mountain (Christ The Redeemer)
Group lunch
Sightseeing tour:  Beaches and Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain)
Dinner at Fogo de Caho Brazilian Steakhouse
Day Seven – Bourbon Cataratas Resort Optional Add-On #2 ($650)
Flight to Foz do Igussu/PR (CNF-IGU 9:00am-2:25pm)
Free afternoon to enjoy the resort
Dinner at Rafain Churrascaria Restaurant (Brazilian barbecue) and a Latin American Show
Day Eight: Iguassu National Park and Falls Optional Add-On #2
Sightseeing tour: Iguassu National Park and Iguassu Falls; also a visit to a tropical bird park
Lunch
Free afternoon to explore the city/Foz do Iguassu
Dinner
Clement Sabbagh

Clement Sabbagh

Clement and Sam Sabbagh, the Sabbagh brothers, are 2nd generation gemstone miners, cutters and wholesalers. Their father and uncle began the family business in 1961. Clement, lived in Israel for 3 years and specialized as an Emerald cutter. He became a Graduate Gemologist in 1986 and graduated with a degree in Business Administration 1991.

San Sabbagh

San Sabbagh

He, along with his brother Sam, have taken on leadership roles in the jewelry industry, nationally and internationally. Sam currently sits on the Executive Board of the Brazilian Institute of Gems and Precious Metals.

They have set up an exponentially exciting expedition that will give you a taste of Brazil’s culture, beauty, food and of course Gemstone mines. You will not be disappointed.