Overview

Discover Argentina’s remarkable contrasts on a journey from the cosmopolitan streets of Buenos Aires to the remote landscapes of Tierra del Fuego, the immense glaciers of Patagonia and the thundering waters of Iguazú Falls.

Begin in Buenos Aires, exploring the city’s elegant architecture, historic neighbourhoods and colourful culture. Experience an atmospheric tango evening before travelling into the Pampas to discover gaucho traditions, visit San Antonio de Areco and enjoy a traditional Argentine barbecue at a historic estancia.

Fly south to Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, where mountains, forests and the Beagle Channel create a spectacular backdrop. Explore the wild scenery of Tierra del Fuego National Park before continuing to El Calafate, gateway to Los Glaciares National Park. Cruise across Lake Argentino among icebergs, visit remote Estancia Cristina and marvel at the vast Upsala Glacier. A full-day adventure at Perito Moreno Glacier includes the opportunity to walk across its extraordinary frozen landscape.



The journey concludes at magnificent Iguazú Falls. Explore the Argentine side’s rainforest walkways and stand above the dramatic Devil’s Gorge before crossing into Brazil for sweeping panoramic views of one of the world’s greatest natural wonders.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1 | Buenos Aires

Arrival at Buenos Aires International Airport, Ezeiza. Meet and Greet at the airport, and transfer to your hotel (50 minutes).

Check-in at the hotel and rest of the day at leisure.

The sprawling metropolis that glitters in the afternoon rays reflected from the River Plate is home to over one-third of the country’s population and an even greater portion of its economic output. Founded in 1580, Buenos Aires is one of the largest cities in South America. Also known as the city that never sleeps, its many and varied around-the clock attractions never fail to surprise and impress first-time visitors and are a source of recurring pleasure for those returning to the city. It is also a place where contradictions abound, where tradition thrives alongside innovation, testimony to the ease with which the versatile porteños  (port dwellers) absorb and adapt new trends and other cultures to their time- honoured customs.

Overnight at your hotel in Buenos Aires. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 2 | Buenos Aires - Get to explore the city! - Half Day

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning pick up at the hotel for a fascinating 3-hour sightseeing tour of the elegant turn-of-the-century districts that earned Buenos Aires the soubriquet of the Paris of South America. From the charming cobbled alleys and colonial architecture of San Telmo, to the Plaza de Mayo, dominated by the Casa Rosada (Government House), National Bank, the Cathedral and the Cabildo, up the leafy Avenida de Mayo towards the imposing grandeur of the Palace of Congress and then on to finish at the historically fascinating Recoleta Cemetery, you will discover the facts, stories and anecdotes that make up the colourful tapestry of the history of Buenos Aires.

Tango Night

Enjoy a typically Argentine first-class meal, be it the traditional steak, chicken or Patagonian lamb with a mouth-watering array of salads, or a selection of excellent pasta dishes, before settling down for a tango show which includes some of the best-loved songs, music and dances performed by skilled musicians and dancers.

Overnight at your hotel in Buenos Aires. Breakfast and dinner included, other meals independently.

Day 3 | Buenos Aires – Venture into the outskirts, explore the land of the Gaucho! – Full Day.

Breakfast at the hotel.

A day in the Argentine Pampas, the “ocean of grass” considered one of the richest grazing prairies in the world and the land of the picturesque gaucho, will immerse you in the essence of Argentina’s heritage. Visit the frontier town of San Antonio de Areco with its master artisans and silversmiths, and La Bamba de Areco, a landmark vacation destination. Built nearly 200 years ago as an outpost on the Royal Road, this traditional Estancia has been declared “site of historic interest” and has served more than once as a shooting location for romantic films. Experience and share the lifestyle of the Argentine countryside, savour a typical barbecue of the world’s best beef and fine Malbec wines, and relax in the soothing views of the endless plains, enjoying side activities such as horseback riding and promenades in horse carriages.

Overnight at your hotel in Buenos Aires. Breakfast and dinner included, other meals independently.

Day 4 | Buenos Aires / Ushuaia

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning private transfer with English Speaking guide to the Domestic Airport (25 minutes) to take flight:

Buenos Aires (AEP) – Ushuaia (USH): 4 hours

The city at the End of the world, Ushuaia sits on the shores of the Beagle Channel. It is a community which depends variously on fishing, heavy industry and tourism for its livelihood. Founded in the late 1800s, it is the capital of the desolate, sparsely populated, mountainous and windswept triangular island of Tierra del Fuego which lies to the south of the Magellan Strait. Ushuaia was one of later regions to be settled by immigrants, originally home to the kayak-paddling Ona, Patagon and Yamana natives who hunted seal and fish and daubed themselves in seal-fat during winter to ward off the sub-zero temperatures. The first settlers were missionaries who built simple wooden dwellings on the water’s edge to house their families, not so different from the wooden Scandinavian-style houses which line the main street of Ushuaia today. The city is an excellent base from which to explore the Martial Glacier which overlooks the town, the Lapataia National Park or from which to take one of the many boat excursions along the Beagle Channel to sight the wildlife, from sea-lions to penguins and cormorants, in a natural habitat of spectacular and remote beauty.

Upon arrival, meet and greet (outside luggage claim area) and 20-minute drive in a private vehicle with English Speaking Guide to your hotel, and assistance with check-in. Lunch at leisure suggested at the hotel’s restaurant.

Overnight at your hotel in Ushuaia. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 5 |   Explore Tierra del Fuego National Park – Half Day

A short drive west of Ushuaia is the Tierra del Fuego National Park, which borders the Beagle Channel across the valley of the Pipo River. Beautiful all year round, with the lower slopes of the mountains and the valleys splashed with the glorious colours of the lengas -beeches-, the National Park conserves all the appeal of exuberant nature as well as being a living monument to the island’s history. Age-old forest fires, often set unwittingly by fur-trappers and hunters, have scarred the hillsides whilst the rivers which flow through the valleys have become marshy swamps criss-crossed by dams and rotting logs thanks to the incessant activity of the growing beaver population. Twenty-five pairs of beavers were imported to the island in the early 1900s by ambitious fur-traders who envisaged untold wealth in a land where the native predators of this species, the lynx and the bear, were unknown. A century later, the local beaver population is now in the hundreds of thousands and has wreaked havoc on the island’s natural ecosystem while nothing more was ever heard of the fur-traders and their ambitions.

Overnight at your hotel in Ushuaia. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 6 | Ushuaia / Calafate

Private transfer with English Speaking guide to Ushuaia Airport (20 minutes) to take flight: Ushuaia (USH) – Calafate (FTE): 1 hour Upon arrival, met and greet and the airport and transfer with English Speaking Guide to the hotel (20 minutes).

The beautiful town of Calafate provides access to the fascinating world of Los Glaciares National Park, in the foothills of the mountains on the southern shore of the Argentino Lake. A villa of almost 50000 inhabitants, named after a small berry-bearing bush typically to be found in southern Patagonia and whose fruit is used to make jam, Calafate was founded in 1927 and has grown to become a landmark destination. It boasts places and landscapes that seem to come out of a dream, where nature beckons one to adventure and exploration. Its variety of accommodations, from luxury to new and functional hotels and typical restaurants where Patagonian lamb is the great protagonist, have turned Calafate into a world-class destination.

Check-in and balance of the afternoon at leisure.

Overnight at your hotel in El Calafate. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 7 | Calafate – Navigation on Lake Argentino and visit to a remote estancia - Full Day

Breakfast at the hotel.

The legendary Estancia Cristina is found within Los Glaciares National Park, at the foot of the majestic Cerro Norte (North Mountain), in the valley of the Caterina river, one of Patagonia’s most fascinating yet lesser known valleys, but a preferred access to the Patagonian Ice-Field. Its strategic location was of vital importance to numerous explorers and adventurers who travelled these lands and stopped here for provisions and assistance. The journey to La Cristina takes us across the Lago Argentino (Lake Argentino) among icebergs and mountains and past the imposing Upsala Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park.

Enjoy the incredible scenery and the feeling of being in a secluded getaway as you come close to the culture and history of the pioneers of this remote land. This full day program offers different alternatives to suit those who prefer a quiet day of touring and history as well as the more adventurous who like trekking and riding in a four-wheel drive vehicle. All options begin at the port known as “Puerto de la Cruz”, 47km. from downtown Calafate. The ship leaves from Punta Bandera and sails across Lago Argentino to the Avellaneda Peninsula passing through the Devil’s mouth all the way to the Upsala glacier. Here we stop to admire the colossal ice front and surrounding icebergs. The navigation then continues until we enter the Cristina canal to disembark at the beach of the old Estancia Cristina.

Program includes:

Bilingual (Spanish-English) guides

Roundtrip transfers to the pier in a private vehicle with a bilingual guide Lunch

Overnight at your hotel in Calafate. Breakfast and lunch included, other meals independently.

Day 8 | Calafate – Experience the Perito Moreno Glacier! – Full Day

Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning pick-up at the hotel for Perito Moreno Glacier full day tour, including Ice-trekking: a beautiful one-and-a-half-hour drive with stops to enjoy the panoramic views takes you to the Perito Moreno glacier. Thirty kilometres long, this imposing wall of ice towers some 70 meters above the walkways that offer you a selection of different views from the promontory of Península de Magallanes that juts out into the Lago Argentino. As you stand below gazing up at the massive-rugged face, you become aware that the glacier is very much a living, evolving thing, as creaks and cracks like rifle shots preface the “desprendimientos”, huge chunks the size of houses which break off and fall in slow motion through the air into the black waters.

Minitrekking: one of the most interesting and adventurous ways of getting to live the glacier. The two-hour ice trekking over the glacier provides a unique experience to feel and see natural variations such as crevasses, seracs and small pools. This trekking is a walk of moderate difficulty and with the obligatory use of special trekking shoes with spikes, provided by tour guides. At the end of the walk, trekkers return to the shelter through the exuberant Magellan woods. This is a daily service that provides specialized bilingual guides.

Return to the hotel late in the afternoon.

 Overnight at your hotel in El Calafate. Breakfast and boxlunch included, other meals independently.

Day 9 | Calafate / Iguazu (via Buenos Aires)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Private transfer to El Calafate Airport (20 minutes) to take flight: El Calafate (FTE) – Iguazú (IGR) (via Buenos Aires): 6 hours total. Upon arrival, met and greet and the airport and transfer with English Speaking Guide to the hotel (20 minutes).

One of the most popular destinations in Argentina (and one of the Seven Wonders of the world), the Iguazú Falls –or Great Waters in guaraní, the local Indian dialect- lie on the triple frontier of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and are a powerful magnet for visitors from all over the world.

The resounding roar of water thundering over the lip of the 90-metre Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Gorge) and the sight of massive quantities of white froth that seem to hang in mid-air before plunging far down into distant spray instil you with a strong sense of vertigo, a terrifying attraction that draws you ever closer to the fragile rails of the balcony overhanging the main falls.

Visitors to the falls can enjoy the views and feel the vibrations that rock the surrounding earth of one of the most awe-inspiring experiences in the natural world in different ways: strolling along innumerable walkways on both the Argentine and Brazilian sides with thrilling vistas above and below the falls, giving you the feeling you are floating mere inches above the tumbling waters, or nail-biting sorties right into the mouth of the gorge in rubber dinghies which threaten to toss the occupants into a furious cauldron only meters away.

Overnight at your hotel in Iguazu. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 10 | Iguazú Falls – Argentine National Park – Full Day

Breakfast at the hotel.

For your first view of the falls, visit to the Argentine side of the Iguazú National Park and stroll along the lower circuit. This is just over a kilometre (half a mile) of paths running along the basin of the Devil’s Gorge. With walkways that are only a few metres from the edge of the main falls, they take you by turns under small splashing waterfalls or hopping over rivulets into the heart of the cascade system, to be enveloped in the clouds of spray rising from the raging torrent. Afterwards, ride on the small ecological train which chugs cheerfully through the rainforest to Estación Garganta, where another walkway leads to a panoramic viewpoint right at the edge of the Devil’s Gorge.

Difficulty: This is a relaxed walking tour on catwalks with several stairs to climb.

Overnight at your hotel in Iguazu. Breakfast included, other meals independently.

Day 11 | Iguazú Falls – Brazilian National Park – Full Day

Breakfast at the hotel.

The Brazilian side of the falls offers a more panoramic view than the closeup on the Argentine side. A walkway descends past several viewpoints to a catwalk over the falls, allowing guests to really get a sense of the power of the rushing water (prepare for a soaking if you choose to go all the way out). From the start of the main walkway, an elevator whisks visitors back up to street level at the top of the cliff (there’s also a trail up to the street for those who prefer not to wait in line for the lift).

IMPORTANT: the tour ends at IGU airport (Brazil), right on time for your departure flight.

Why we love it

Glaciers

Adventure

Penguins

Iguazu Falls