Argentina & Chile

• Day 1:

  Meet and greet at Ministro Pistarini International Airport and transfer to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Pulitzer Buenos Aires

• Day 2:

  Today visit the north area of the city, enjoying a guided tour to La Recoleta, one of the city's most glamorous spots. Some people say this area is “an urban piece extracted from Paris”. La Recoleta is a wonderful walking area that combines upscale stores, restaurants, and boutiques. This residential area is famous for its sculptures and French style buildings. Restaurants, cafes, and luxurious stores stretch along Alvear Avenue and on the small square. The Recoleta Cultural Center, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Palais de Glace shelter a very important part of Buenos Aires cultural activities. On the weekend, visitors may enjoy the crafts fair and find a variety of objects as well as outdoor shows. During this tour, you will visit Recoleta Cemetery, which was founded in 1822 and is the oldest one in Buenos Aires. The cemetery is one of the most prominent worldwide. It has sculptures and vaults made by famous national and foreign artists. Many of Argentina’s national heroes, presidents, well-known writers, scientists and artists are buried here. Your Recoleta visit will include its parks, Floralis Generica at United Nations Park, Libertador and Figueroa Alcorta Avenues, Fedderativa Brazil Park, Plaza Vicente Lopez y Planes, Plaza Francia. You will also visit one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood. This area has many design boutiques, owned by local young designers, as well as many fashionable cafes and trendy restaurants. During the tour you will stop at a private tango studio. Guests can take a private lesson and be introduced by specialized teachers to the different levels of the learning process. After the tour, you will return to the hotel. Tonight, enjoy dinner and a tango show at one of the most authentic tango houses in the city, El Viejo Almacen. Overnight at Hotel Pulitzer Buenos Aires.

• Day 3:

  Today, you leave Buenos Aires for San Antonio de Areco, set in the heart of Argentina's Pampas. San Antonio de Areco is a historical town and it is known as the “Cradle of Tradition”. This preserved colonial town, founded more than 280 years ago, with its cobbled streets, old bars (“Pulperías”) and estancias, has kept alive the gaucho lifestyle and customs. Set on the banks of the peaceful “Areco” river, the town has retained the authentic atmosphere of a small old village with its “siesta” time, artisan shops and very relaxed people. Today you will enjoy the most authentic and original visit to the Pampas, interacting with San Antonio de Areco´s locals, while tasting a unique Argentine style barbecue in a local ranch. Overnight at Hotel Pulitzer Buenos Aires.

• Day 4:

  Today, you will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the airport for your flight to your next destination. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. It has grown fast in the last few years, thanks to immigration and the electronics industry in the area. You should not miss the End of the World Museum and the old prison. Explore some restaurants to try the excellent spider crabs. A walk around the harbor is interesting as some some old boats can be seen. Ushuaia and its scenery inspired the research and fantasies of Jules Verne, Fitz Roy, Charles Darwin and Emilio Salgari. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and taken to your hotel. During your Tierra del Fuego National Park tour, you will be able to appreciate lakes, lagoons and rivers. Depart from Maipu Avenue towards the southwest by the National Route 3 and drive out of the city passing by the slope of Susana Mount. Witness the work of the prisoners from the old prison, where now the Southern Fuegian Railway is located. Continue through the valley to the Ensenada Bay, where you will be able to contemplate the Redonda and Estorbo Islands and, on the other coast of the Beagle Channel, the snow-white Mountains of the Sampaio Chain (Chile). Back again on the National Route 3 with the fuegian forest and its flora close to the road, you will go to Lago Roca in order to do a trek by the lake coast. From this point you can see the Cóndor Hill, natural border with Chile. You will go towards the other end of the Park, where Route 3 finalizes at Lapataia Bay. On the way to Lapataia Bay you will have the chance to observe the Green Lagoon and the Black Lagoon, large growing peat bogs. On the shores of the bay, you will have the chance to see steamer ducks, clovers and Cauquenes. The park is flanked by a dense green forest of lengas, ñires and cohiues. Finally you will pass by the beaver dams, whose footpath will lead to Lapataia Bay. Take a one-way ride on the End of the World Train (50 minutes and on a shared basis with other international travelers). The train leaves from Estacion del Fin del Mundo, and runs into the National Park of Tierra del Fuego, ending in the Estacion del Parque. A replica of the original train is used to carry visitors and let them experience the same journey that prisoners were forced to make decades ago. Ancient forests of hundreds of years, peat bogs and even a reconstructed Indian settlement can be seen during the ride. Finally, after a brief stop at the Macarena Waterfall, the train will lead you into the limits of the National Park. This train consists of steam locomotives and coaches comfortably heated and fitted with large windows. Leaving the local harbor, navigate in a catamaran along the Beagle Channel and admire the sight of the mountain range that surrounds the city. Enjoy a beautiful landscape, combined with mountains and sea, admiring the Mount Olivia and Cinco Hermanos, Fique Ranch, Tunnel, Escarpado Mount and Encajonado River. Isla de los Lobos (Sea Lion island) and Isla de los Pájaros, on the Bridges Archipielago, are good spots for watching sea lions, cormorants, albatrosses, skuas, petrels and seagulls. Another interesting part of the trip is the famous lighthouse Les Eclaireurs and the Estancia Túnel, a historic site on the northern shore. Overnight at Hotel Cilene del Faro.

• Day 5:

  Today, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to the next destination. El Calafate is located at the shores of Lake Argentino. It is a developing tourist center with several hotels, restaurants and casino. The first museum in South America dedicated to the glaciers and Patagonia ice is located nearby. El Calafate is 50 minutes from Los Glaciares National Park, a designated Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Perito Moreno Glacier is a must visit; it is constantly growing and offers a breathtaking spectacle via walking tours through the catwalks, motorboat outings and trekking over the thousand year old ice mass. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed at the airport and taken to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Kosten Aike.

• Day 6:

  A must for all visitors to Argentina is a visit to Glacier Perito Moreno at Los Glaciares National Park. It forms part of the Patagonian Continental Ice Field from which 13 glaciers descend on the Atlantic side to flow into the Viedma and Argentino lakes. The Perito Moreno glacier is one of the few in the world which still advances forming a wall and containing the Brazo Rico waters. Every four or five years, the water pressure is so strong that it breaks into multiple pieces giving an overwhelming spectacle that is truly impossible to explain. Today you will be able to admire breathtaking glacier views via walking tours through the catwalks. The Safari Nautico Navigation Tour completes the excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier. Embarking at Bajo Las Sombras, this excursion takes you on a cruise across Lake Rico (southern arm of Lake Argentino), passing beside icebergs which have calved off the front of the Perito Moreno glacier all along the south wall of this glacier. Reaching the Icebergs Channel, the boat will stop at a safe distance from the glacier allowing a spectacular view of the high wall of ice. The excursion lasts approximately one hour and provides a totally different perspective of the Perito Moreno glacier, with almost constant falling walls of ice from its front. Overnight at Hotel Kosten Aike.

• Day 7:

  Today take a private transfer from El Calafate hotel to Cerro Castillo border (Argentina and Chile). Upon arrival in Cerro Castillo, change your vehicle and guide and transfer to your hotel in Torres Del Paine. Torres Del Paine is a region of lakes and rivers of crystal-clear turquoise-colored waters, ancient forest and spectacular landscapes. Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most spectacular scenic regions in the world. It has been named Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978. Cascading waterfalls, roaring creeks, shimmering lakes and jagged spires of mountains are just a part of what Paine offers. Passing majestic lakes and beautiful lagoons, lookouts to the impressive Torres del Paine massif, marvelous views on Glacier Grey and a glimpse sightseeing herds of guanacos, foxes, swans and several small-sized birds make the experience the closet one can get to nature. Dinner is at the hotel. Overnight at Hotel Rio Serrano.

• Day 8:

  Today you are going to see one of the most spectacular scenic regions, found nowhere else in the world, the Torres del Paine National Park! On this tour, you will visit the viewpoints Los Cuernos and Lago Pehoe, the spectacular Salto Grande (“Big Waterfall”) the Administration of the Park (Conaf) and the viewpoint Lago Grey, which allows a marvelous view on the Grey Glacier. Have a glimpse of the park’s fauna seeing herds of guanacos, foxes, swans, and several small-sized birds. Full board and overnight at Hotel Rio Serrano.

• Day 9:

  Today is at leisure to relax. Full board and overnight at Hotel Rio Serrano.

• Day 10:

  Transfer from your hotel to the airport of Punta Arenas. Upon arrival in Santiago de Chile, transfer to your hotel. The Andes rise and determine the permanent background of Santiago de Chile’s landscape. For tourists, Santiago de Chile is one of the best structured capital cities in Latin America. Although it is a metropolis, it has the atmosphere of a province with very few skyscrapers and spacious estates. There is a predominantly European influence in the city’s culture, which can mainly be noticed among the upper and middle class communities. Overnight at Hotel Marina Las Condes.

• Day 11:

  Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with traces of its colonial past mixed with the ultramodern, high-rise buildings of the financial center. Chile’s capital will surprise you. This tour offers you the opportunity to see this eclectic mix for yourself. The tour begins by heading south through the downtown area to the heart of the city. From here you head along the famous Alameda, Santiago’s colorful main avenue, were you’ll see some important iconic constructions such as the Chilean University, San Francisco Church and the Santa Lucia Hill, site of Santiago’s foundation in 1541. Then you continue towards the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. You will visit the Pre-Columbian Museum, where you will learn more about the Chilean history. Very close from here is the famous Central Market, which is the main market for fresh fish and seafood, an interesting building dating back to the end of the 19th century. It is a steel construction, built in London and brought to Chile by ship. Afterwards, you continue the tour crossing the Mapocho River to reach the bohemian Bellavista district on the way to the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s viewpoints, you will have the finest views of Santiago and the Andes Mountains. To finish the tour, you will pass through the modern residential areas of the city with their daring architecture to come back to your hotel. You will then transfer from the hotel to the airport of Santiago.

April 18 – December 23, 2019 (Blackout Dates June 29 – August 25)

$5,499 per person sharing

Included:  Accommodations and meals mentioned in the tour description; taxes; entrance fees; tax and service charge at the hotels as well as mandatory luggage handling fees

Not included: Optional tours; airfares; airport taxes; personal expenses; extras at the hotels; drinks during meals if not otherwise mentioned; non-mandatory tips as well as newly introduced entrance fees