Itinerary

Day 1

ARRIVAL IN BUENOS AIRES & A GUIDED TOUR OF THE CAPITAL CITY
You are met at Ezeiza International Airport and transferred to the hotel (check-in from 2 pm).
This cosmopolitan European-style city figures amongst the top ten most dynamic cities in the world and offers a wide variety of art, culture, theatres and traditions. In fact, it will satisfy even the most demanding visitors.
A tour of the capital city of Argentina. We will be taking the 9 de Julio avenue, the widest avenue in the world, which also features a giant obelisk, today’s symbol of Buenos Aires. We will then drive past the Colón Theatre, one of Argentina’s architectural treasures before reaching the famous “Plaza de Mayo” with its “casa rosada” or present government house, the “cabildo” or historical government house and the cathedral.
This day’s tour ends with a visit of the very picturesque neighbourhood known as the Boca and its quaint little alleyway the “Caminito”, the meeting point of painters, tango dancers and singers.
Transfer to the hotel towards the end of the day.
Meals at own cost.

Day 2

BUENOS AIRES, GUIDED TOUR OF THE CAPITAL CITY
Our tour departs from a neighbourhood known as the “Recoleta” with is characteristic colonial houses, former homes of old historical public figures and presently owned by rich Argentine families. We will obviously stop by the luxurious Pacífico shopping mall, which dates back to 1889 and is known for its French architecture, its vaulted ceilings and posh boutiques. This is undoubtedly an all-time-favourite with every « porteño ».
We will then visit the Recoleta graveyard, famous resting ground for many celebrities and politicians, one of the most famous and revered being Evita Perón, former president Perón’s legendary wife.
Our next highlight will be a visit of Palermo, including a walk through the “Tres de Febrero” park, inaugurated in 1875 and the city’s source of oxygen.
After lunch we will head towards San Telmo, the antiquarians’ neighbourhood, and will visit the Museum of National History, which retraces the history of Argentina since its independence.
Late-afternoon transfer to the hotel.
Meals at own cost.

Option: You are met at 7.45 pm in the hotel hall and driven off to enjoy a tango show over a delicious dinner, returning to the hotel towards midnight.

Day 3

BUENOS AIRES - IGUAZU (PLANE) - VISITING THE WATERFALLS ON THE BRAZILIAN SIDE
In the morning, transfer to the airport and flight to the town of Puerto Iguazu.
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel.
We will be heading for the Brazilian side of the waterfalls. The whole tour unfolds over 1,200 metres and will take the visitor along footbridges and viewing decks to enjoy first, the minor Floriano and Teodoro Da Fonseca falls and finally, the Santa María falls, from where the panorama onto Island San Martín and the entirety of the falls is absolutely breathtaking.
Return trip back to the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note: from mid-October to mid-February, Brazil is one hour ahead of Argentina (daylight saving time).

Optional outings:
* A helicopter ride to enjoy a panoramic view over the falls and the Devil’s Gorge, lasting approximately ten to fifteen minutes.
* The Foz Tropicana bird sanctuary shelters over 900 birds belonging to 150 different species, most of which are in danger of extinction, from South America and other continents. The visitor will also observe other animals such as the jacare (local caiman) snakes, monkeys, fish and multicoloured butterflies.
Meals at own cost.

Day 4

IGUAZU – VISITING THE ARGENTINE SIDE ON FOOT– 1 DAY
We will take a bus to the Iguazu Park, some 18km from the city centre. We will walk along the lower and upper footbridges in the Devil’s Gorge and later go on a boat ride at the very foot of the falls. The Iguazú falls, in the province of Misiones, never fail to go beyond the visitor’s expectations. According to local hearsay, the visitor should look at the falls from the Brazilian side and experience them from nearby on the Argentine side. Therefore, a thorough visit of the falls should take both perspectives into consideration. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along River Iguazú resulting from the difference in altitude over a 70m stretch.
We will leave in the morning and follow the upper tour on the Argentine side, affording a panoramic view onto Bosetti, Mbiguá and San Martín falls. We will then take the lower tour and observe the Dos Hermanas fall and island San Martín. Leisure time for lunch. After lunch, we will continue our tour and see the Devil’s Gorge from the viewing deck opposite. This very powerful waterfall is 150 metres wide and 80 metres high and is engulfed by a thick mist consisting in one of the main attractions of the National Park given the fabulous view it offers the visitor and the rich animal life and luxurious vegetation it harbours.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note: we recommend you take light waterproof clothing.

Optional outings:
The following are optional excursions:
* An exciting Adventure: this two-fold excursion lasts an hour. The first part consists in travelling in a 4x4 vehicle through eight kilometres of jungle and the second part in a six kilometre boat ride on the river. We will tackle rapids over two kilometres and enter the Devil Gorge Canyon to experience the falls from nearby.
* A nautical Adventure: this adventure consists in a twelve minute ride on board a twin-engined boat that leaves opposite island San Martín. During this excursion, the visitor will experience the uniqueness of being engulfed by the thick surrounding mist and enjoy a panoramic view of the Brazilian side of the waterfalls.
Note: this excursion is not recommended for pregnant women or people will physical disabilities (when disembarking, the visitor will have to climb up a stairs 100 metre long to reach the footbridges).

Day 5

IGUAZU – BUENOS AIRES (PLANE)
Leisure time in the morning. In the early afternoon, ground transfer to the airport to take a direct flight to Buenos Aires. Meeting at the airport in Buenos Aires and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight stay at the hotel in Buenos Aires.
Meals at own cost.
Note: unaccompanied flight lasting 1h45 minutes.

Day 6

BUENOS AIRES – EL CALAFATE (PLANE) – LAKE ROCA
In the morning, transfer to the airport and flight to the town of El Calafate.
You will be met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Departure for Lake Roca located at a distance of 50km from El Calafate. We will take a picnic in order to be able to enjoy the landscape offered to us by the Patagonian steppe with its typical bushes such as the “coiron”, “mata negra”, “calafate”, est.
Return trip to the hotel in the late afternoon hours.
Overnight stay at the hotel in El Calafate.
Dinner at own cost.
Note: unaccompanied flight lasting 3 hours 15 minutes.

Day 7

EL CALAFATE – PERITO MORENO BY BOAT – EL CALAFATE
After breakfast, at 9.00 am, we will leave the hotel and head for the Perito Moreno Glacier some 80km from El Calafate. This full-day excursion will allow us to thoroughly enjoy the exceptional natural surroundings. We will also enjoy the panoramic view, afforded by countless foot-bridges, onto the glacier and its surrounding lenga forest. A trail along the Témpanos channel will take us to the foot of the glacier.
Later, we will embark for an hour’s cruise on the lake and enjoy a close-up view of the southern façade of the glacier. This façade measures over 70 metres in certain places.
Return trip to El Calafate at 5.30 pm.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Meals are at own cost.
Note 1: 1h30 minute hike (or more, depending on each participant).
Note 2: 1 hour cruise on a boat designed for 70 passengers.
Note 3: this excursion takes place all year round.

Day 8

EL CALAFATE – NAVIGATING TO UPSALA GLACIER – SPEGAZZINI - ONELLI – EL CALAFATE
After breakfast, at 7.40 am, we will leave from the hotel and head to the port of Punta Banderas located some 50km from El Calafate. This full-day excursion takes place on the northern branch of Lago Argentino.
We will go on board a cruiser belonging to the company Solo Patagonia and navigate around huge ice-bergs of different shapes and sizes. From the comfort of this cruiser, we will observe Glaciers Upsalla, Spegazzini and Onelli. The latter is the biggest and highest of all the glaciers in this National Park.
Around midday, we will drop our anchor in the Onelli Bay and will disembark to go on an 800 metre hike through the woods in order to reach Lake Onelli and its countless icebergs. We will enjoy our picnic lunch on the shores of this lake. In the early afternoon, we will resume our cruise to the port of Puerto Banderas.
Return trip to El Calafate.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note 1: ten hour cruise on a boat designed for 250 passengers.
Note 2: this is an all-year-round excursion.

Day 9

EL CALAFATE – USHUAIA (PLANE) – CITY TOUR
Ground transfer to the airport to catch a flight for Ushuaia. Upon arrival at the airport in Ushuaia, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Ushuaia is the capital city of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. It is located on the southern coast in a wide bay, guarded on the north by the Martial mountain range and on the south by the Beagle Channel. It features a unique landscape mingling sea, glaciers, mountains and forests.
We will leave from the hotel and take Maipú Avenue up to the Luis Pedero Fique footbridge. The latter will allow us to cross over to the Mision neighbourhood, chosen by the first settlers. We will also visit the neighbourhoods of Brown and Solier where the early twentieth century buildings now coexist with the modern houses built after the huge urban growth of the 80s.
We will then head towards Martial Glacier, the former ski resort which still offers the visitor the possibility of taking a seat-lift to the top and enjoying the panoramic view onto the Beagle Channel and the city of Ushuaia. We will return via the Leandro N. Alem Avenue and go to the Marine museum and former prison. This museum, at the “far end of the world” retraces the history of this Patagonian region.
Overnight stay at the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note: unaccompanied flight lasting 1h15 min.

Day 10

USHUAIA – A HIKE IN THE TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK AND NAVIGATING IN THE BEAGLE CHANNEL
We will leave for an excursion in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, located some ten kilometres away from Ushuaia, on the border with Chile. This park covers 63,000 hectares and offers the visitor some stunningly beautiful landscapes.
We will start hiking along the valley of River Pipo and take the trail that leads us to Ensenada Bay from where we can view Islands Redonda and Estorbo and on the opposite shore of Beagle Channel, the snow capped Sampaio Mountain Range in Chile.
We will hike back to route nº3 along a trail on either side of which we can observe the varied vegetation of the area. As we reach Lake Roca and skirt Lake and River Lapataia, we will enjoy the view onto the majestic Peak Cóndor, representing the border between Chile and Argentina. We will continue towards the far end of the lake, where route nº3 also ends in Lapataia Bay. On our way, we will see Laguna Verde and Laguna Negra. We will end our hike at a dam built by the many beavers that inhabit the lake.
Later, we will go to the port of Ushuaia and board a catamaran to sail on the Beagle Channel up to Island Alicia, renowned for its huge colony of cormorants. We will sail past Isla de los Lobos, home to two species of sea lions. We will continue sailing to the light-house at the entrance of the city of Ushuaia. We will sail along Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego towards the west. At this point, we will catch a glimpse of Puerto Túnel, a former estancia that has now been turned into an international scientific centre dedicated to the study of the Yamana culture (native inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego). From the bay, we will enjoy the view onto the city of Ushuaia and its towering Martial mountain range. The excursion ends at the Eduardo Brisighelli pontoon.
Return trip back to Ushuaia and to the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note 1: a 4 hour excursion.
Note 2: the boat ride lasts approximately 2h30.

Day 11

USHUAIA – BUENOS AIRES (PLANE)
Morning ground transfer to the airport to catch a flight for Buenos Aires.
Transfer to the hotel.
Meals at own cost.
Note: unaccompanied flight lasting three hours and twenty minutes.

Day 12

BUENOS AIRES INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
Three hours before take-off, ground transfer to Ezeiza International Airport to take your return flight.
Meals at own cost.

General Information

Duration:

12 Days

Location Start:

Buenos Aires

Location Finish:

Buenos Aires

Payment Types:

Credit/Debit Cards, Paypal, Cheque, Travellers Cheque, Payment Transfer

We Speak:

Spanish, French, English

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Mentioned transports (except internal flights)

Exclusions -

International and internal flights