Argentina - Chile Glaciers & Lake Tour - 15 days
Group tour /
Guaranteed departures
from Buenos Aires
Accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels
Buenos Aires (2) - Puerto Madryn
(2) - Ushuaia (2) - Calafate (2) - Puerto Natales (2)
- Santiago (2)
Category:
Cultural group tour,
Day 1: Arrive Buenos Aires
Arrival at
Buenos Aires
airport, meet your greeter and transfer to the hotel and
check-in.
Day 2: Buenos Aires (B)
After breakfast you will visit the most
important sites during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza
de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the
government, the Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan
Cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes
onto the district San Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city
was a river port, today San Telmo is one of the most modern and
desired places to live in Buenos Aires. The worker district La
Boca is famous for its colourful tin-houses and its history as
living district of Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th
century. The Barrio Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the
rich of Buenos Aires.
On the cemetery of Recoleta
one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita
Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the
Avenida 9 de Julio, to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court
of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and
gardens. Return to the hotel.
Optional: Visit of a typical Estancia incl. lunch
We leave the city and after a 2 hours drive to Los
Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana, where the
guests will be welcomed by Gauchos with a drink. There is time
to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos will be
explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm of
Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable wild
aroma. After a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat and
sausages a folklore show will present regional music and dances.
During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these men's
agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the afternoon
coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires.
Optional: Visit to the San Telmo market.
San Telmo is no doubt the best kept historical
neighbourhood and eldest district of Buenos Aires. Here one has
time to stroll around Plaza Dorrego, where each Sunday an
antique market takes place. Tango couples are dancing on the
street. Cafes invite to sit on their terrace and to relax by
enjoying this nice scenery. Another attraction is the numerous
antique shops, where one might find the right souvenir.
In the evening the following optional tour can be booked
with your guide:
Optional: visit of a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant
Viejo Almacen.
Day 3: Buenos Aires – Trelew –
Puerto Madryn (B)
In the morning transfer to the national airport and flight to
Trelew. Upon arrival in Trelew transfer to your hotel in Puerto
Madryn, located on the Atlantic coast.
Day 4: Puerto Madryn – Valdes - Puerto Madryn (B)
Full day excursion to discover the
wildlife and scenery of the nature reserve Valdés (seat-in).
Unusual geographic features exist in Peninsula Valdes, providing
the ideal scenery for the proliferation of several unique
botanical and zoological species. Every year hundreds of whales
swim through the southern seas to seek shelter in the quiet
waters of the Nuevo and
San Jose
Gulfs
during their breeding season. Thousands of sea-elephants roam
along miles of beach on the east side of the peninsula. Rock,
sand and gravel create the ideal setting for the world’s only
land colony of these impressive mammals.
Optional:
Whale watching tour can be booked with your guide (whales can be
seen from May to mid of December).
Day 5: Puerto Madryn – Trelew - Ushuaia
(B)
In
the morning visit Punta Tombo, one of the world’s largest
colonies of Magellan Penguins on the main land. They are just
everywhere: on the hills, on the road and in the sea - thousands
of penguins. Later
on continue to the airport in Trelew for the flight to Ushuaia,
the world’s southernmost city on Fireland. Upon arrival at
Ushuaia airport transfer to your hotel.
Day 6: Ushuaia (B)
In the morning you will go on a half day
tour to the Tierra del Fuego
National Park,
where you will get the impression as if time goes slower than
anywhere else. The long stormy winters and the width of the sky
formed a very simple and modest way of living. The National Park
is crossed by many rivers which flow into the Beagle Channel.
Drive through the park to enjoy the landscapes and have a little
walk.
In the afternoon the following optional tour can be
booked with your guide.
Optional: Catamaran tour on the Beagle Channel
The Beagle Channel became its name due to the
expedition from Charles Darwin. You will pass through the
Casco
Island
where a lot of nest from seabirds and sea lions can be seen onto
the Island Los Lobos to see the sea lions.
Day 7: Ushuaia - Calafate (B)
Transfer to the airport and flight to El Calafate. Pick up at
the airport by our local guide and transfer to the hotel.
Day 8: Calafate – Perito Moreno - Calafate (B)
Today guests will go on a full day tour to the Perito Moreno
Glacier (seat-in). After a drive through the National Park Los
Glaciares one arrive all of a sudden in a forest full of colours,
before one sees - equally unexpected - the glacier Perito
Moreno. This is one of the few glaciers that are still growing.
Every 4 to 5 years it covers the gap between the mainland and
itself and grows into the Lago Argentino. Eventually the ice
cannot resist the enormous pressure of the water and crashes
with a frightening noise. One can watch this glacier spectacle
every day when single ice blocks fall into the lake. Considering
that the glacier is 5 km long and 70 m high one can imagine the
noise this makes.
Day 9: Calafate – Puerto Natales (B)
In the morning transfer to the bus terminal. From here guests
will travel with the public bus to Puerto Natales. Pick up at
the bus terminal and transfer to the hotel.
Day 10: Puerto Natales – Torres Del Paine N.P - Puerto Natales
(B)
After breakfast drive to the Torres del Paine National Park
(seat-in). You will be able to appreciate the most spectacular
worldwide reserve at the end of the world, 150 km northwest from
Puerto Natales. On this this protected area you will find a
fertile combination of lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, glaciers,
hills and peaks. Inside the area, the road is surrounded with
dozens of lagoon, contrasting with hills and snow capped
mountains. You will visit among other things the Salto Grande
waterfall. In the late afternoon drive back to the hotel.
Day 11: Puerto Natales – Punto Arenas – Puerto Montt- Puerto
Varas (B)
Early morning transfer to the bus terminal
in Puerto Natales and drive with the public bus (approx. 4
hours) to the city of Punta Arenas. Upon arrival at the public bus
station, you will be welcomed by your local guide for a city
tour through Punta Arenas, which was
the first permanent settlement in Austral Patagonia. Started on
the 18th of December 1848 as a small colony, in a couple of
years it developed to be the most important cultural,
commercial, and cattle raising centre of Patagonia. You proceed to a tour through the tidy laid out
avenues and squares which host more than thirty monuments.
Proceed to Cerro La Cruz, from where you can enjoy a fantastic
panoramic view of the city and the Strait
of Magellan. Afterwards continue to PUQ airport for
your flight to Puerto Montt, in the Lake District of Chile. Upon
arrival pick-up and transfer to the hotel in Puerto Varas, the
“city of roses" overlooking Lago Llanquihue, one of Chile's largest lake, where the
reflection of the eternally snow covers Osorno Volcano is
mirrored in the clear waters.
Day 12: Puerto Varas (B)
Full day excursion by catamaran on Lake
Todos Los Santo (Seat-in).
Day 13: Puerto Varas - Puerto Montt -
Santiago
(B)
Today it’s time to say good-bye to the lovely lake region full
of volcanoes! Transfer to the Puerto Montt airport for the
flight to Santiago de Chile. Upon arrival pick-up and transfer
to the hotel.
Day 14: Santiago (B)
Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts
with remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise
buildings of the financial centre; Chile’s capital city will surprise
you. You
will visit the main highlights in
this half day city tour. Afterwards, you continue the tour by
driving up to the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s
view points, you will have the finest views of
Santiago and the Andes
Mountains.
To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern
residential areas of the city with their daring architecture
and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone.
Day 15: Departure (B)
Transfer to airport for flight back home.
Thank you for visiting Argentina & Chile.
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