Argentina Wild Patagonia
Seasonal Information
Argentina is a land of contrasts that never ceases to amaze. The many natural wonders are breathtaking and marvellously unspoiled. Subtropical rainforests and spectacular waterfalls in Iguazu, the immense Perito Moreno Glacier, the sparkling lakes and rolling green hills of the Lake District, salt flats and cloud forest jungle near Salta, whales basking in the bay at Peninsula Valdes, and of course the miles of gaucho (cowboy) filled Estancia country for which Argentina is so famous. The combination of all this natural beauty, together with one of the most buzzing and cosmopolitan capitals in South America, delightful colonial towns, a luxurious wine region and a population of friendly and welcoming people you really can’t go wrong with a trip to Argentina. It truly has something for everyone.
- Buenos Aires: private half-day tour and dining experience.
- Puerto Madryn: full day to the Welsh colonies, full-day tour to Peninsula Valdés with boat navigation to approach to whales and full-day El Pedral.
- Ushuaia: half-day navigation, full-day lakes off-road and full day trekking & canoes.
- El Calafate: full day Perito Moreno glacier.
Buenos Aires
You will begin your trip in the vibrant capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, dubbed the ‘Paris of the South’. Spend your days taking in plenty of history, beautiful architecture and green spaces. Buenos Aires is a thriving, colourful, and bustling city. A blend of old-meets-new architecture, with colonial style and vibrant baroque buildings sat next to contemporary skyscrapers. A chequered history of occupation and independence has created a city with interesting and enlightening museums, as well as art galleries, independent cafes and restaurants, theatres, and a renowned nightlife.
You then fly south to Puerto Madryn, where you will get the chance to do some whale watching.
Ushuaia
It is then on a plane to Ushuaia, nicknamed the ‘End of the World’, a great place to enjoy outdoor activities with the mountain range as a landscape. Ushuaia is one of the southernmost settlements in the world and is in the mythical province of Tierra del Fuego. Idyllic mountains and the sweeping Beagle Channel surround the town. The Beagle Channel, named after the HMS Beagle – Charles Darwin’s expedition ship – lies close to the border of Chile, and is only 7km from the city of Ushuaia. Animal species in this area include rare dolphins – endemic only to this area – sea lions, fur seals, porpoise, penguins, geese, herons, and various species of gulls.
El Calafate/Los Glaciares National Park
You will then fly to El Calafate, on the edge of the stunning Los Glaciares National Park. Los Glaciares National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its outstanding natural beauty and national importance. The park is a beautiful mixture of jagged mountains, towering glaciers, and turquoise lakes. Huge blue icebergs floating on the milky waters, deep cracking sounds reverberate through the mountains as huge pieces of ice fall into the lake. One of the main glaciers, the Perito Moreno Glacier, will leave you breathless. El Calafate is a small city on the edge of the Los Glaciares National Park, with its own glaciers, gastronomy, climate, and landscape which has made it a key point of Argentine Patagonia in its own right.
You will be met at Ezeiza Airport by one of our great English-speaking guides who will escort you in your private car to your hotel in the centre of the city.
Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan, dynamic & generous city. It offers a rich cultural, historic and architectural heritage built by generations of Spanish, Italians, Germans, Russians and many other immigrants. The “porteños” are stylish, urban and friendly people who get the most out of their city. Buenos Aires is a blend of Tango, coffee stores, theatres, antiques, arts & crafts markets, museums, gallery nights, and gastronomic delights.
Half day city tour of Buenos Aires
On Day 2 you will have a private tour with English speaking guide to visit the city. Buenos Aires is a dazzling minefield for city lovers. This tour will help you to quickly get your bearings, hitting on all the highlights. Your expert guide will adapt the tour to your personal interests and if you wish help point the direction of your own explorations.
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and taken to the airport for your internal flight to Puerto Madryn.
Upon arrival, you will be met and taken by private transfer to your hotel for the next 3 nights.
In the northern area of Patagonia, along the vast, dry, treeless plateau of the coast, you will find a wonderful array of marine life, birds and Patagonian wildlife such as Guanacos, Rheas, Patagonian hares and armadillos. From June to the beginning of December you may find hundreds of whales (Ballena Franca) in the Golfo Nuevo, where they mate and give birth. And from September to March, Punta Tombo reserve houses penguins and chicks who are here to breed. Gaiman, a small town, with old brick houses was built by the Welsh who settled two centuries ago, today it hosts the annual Eisteddfod (Welsh Festival of Arts) in October.
Full day Welsh Colonies
During Day 4 you will enjoy a private full day tour with your guide to visit Welsh Colonies in this area of the Patagonia. As part of this tour, you will get to know more about the Welsh colonies visiting Trelew, Dolavon and Gaiman.
The tour does not include the traditional tea but you will have time for a stop for a tea and you will be able to pay locally.
Full day Península Valdés
At Day 5 you will enjoy another full day tour but to Valdés Peninsula.
During Southern Right Whale’s season, from June to December, it is possible from Puerto Pirámides during the tour to take the whale-watching tour in modern embarkations. This small town has some restaurants which offer an international menu and seafood. During this shared navigation lifejackets and capes are provided. The whale-watching tour takes between 1 hour and a half and 2 hours. This depends on the distance where the whales are situated. This tour includes National Park entrance fee but does not include lunch.
Full day excursion to El Pedral
This excursion will be taking place on Day 6 and it is a shared experience with your guide.
Setting off from Puerto Madryn and after travelling 70 km along the Patagonian steppe, we will reach the south end of the Golfo Nuevo mouth and find the lighthouse at Punta Ninfas, a valuable reference for sailors coming into the gulf. Along the beaches bordering Punta Ninfas, we might be able to watch sea lions and elephant seals in their rookeries. Afterwards, we will head towards the house of El Pedral, an original Patagonian farmhouse built at the beginning of 20th century. Its materials have been brought in ships from Europe, which disembarked on the coasts of the proper farm. After listening to the story of the house, you will visit the Magellanic penguins’ colony. A guided tour among its nests will enable you to know much more about these curious animals. In the summer, we recommend bringing a cap and sunglasses, as well as a bottle of water. At midday, you will be able to enjoy a lamb roasted on a spit, along with a variety of salads, desserts and coffee. Lunch includes drinks and house wine. Later on, after you have lunch you can enjoy the pool, as well as walk in the surroundings of the house or enjoy a tasty cup of tea or coffee, accompanied with a delicious Welsh cake, before we finally set off our way back.
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and taken to the airport for your internal flight to Ushuaia.
Upon arrival, you will be met and taken by private transfer to your hotel for the next 3 nights.
Ushuaia, known as the city at the end of the world, is the starting point to discover this region. Whilst there experience the national park, navigate along the Beagle Channel, and visit the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, Fganano and Escondido lakes. This charming town still retains the feel of a pioneer town, isolated and expectant. The remote spectacular landscape combines with the intriguing atmosphere of the old prison and the Yamana museum. Ushuaia has become a very important destination as the departing point for the ships going to Antarctica.
Half day navigation to Seal Island
In the afternoon upon arrival in Ushuaia if the weather is good you will enjoy a shared navigation to Seal Island and transfers are included.
After being picked up from the hotel, the trip starts and ends at the city’s tourist dock, where you will undergo pre-embarkation procedures: exchange the ticket or voucher for the boat ride ticket and payment of the corresponding port charges (included). You will have an unforgettable experience sailing the waters of the Beagle Channel in a catamaran. First you´ll navigate the waters of the Ushuaia Bay (which gave its name to the city) then you´ll sail the channel itself closer to the “Bridges” and “Les Eclaireurs” archipelagos, where you´ll see “Magellan and Imperial Cormorants”, two species of Sea Lions and an important variety of Sea Birds (Gulls, Chilean Skuas, South American Terns, Snowy Sheathbill, Black-Browed Albatross, Southern Giant Petrels, among others.) During the return you will have amazing views of “the southernmost city of the World” facing the Beagle and the foot of the Andes.
Full day Lakes Off-Road
On Day 7, you will enjoy this shared excursion with a bilingual guide: “Lakes Off-Road”, the original and authentic, is a fun and intense way to know the secrets behind the Southern Andes. Expert drivers in off-road driving propose a proper 4×4 journey, and a memorable barbecue in the Fuegian forest. This is an adventure suitable for all sorts of travellers, accessible to anyone who wants to have fun and free themselves from limitations. Fun and enjoyment never depend on the weather: aboard a 4WD vehicle, we will cross the forest and the rivers through impossible mud roads, between trees, and by the coast of a lake with unique views.
Full day Trekking & Canoeing
You will enjoy at Day 8 a shared tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park with your specialised guide, to unfold this paradise of Mountains, rivers, lakes and the sea. During this amazing experience, you will walk through the forest, canoe down rivers and arrive to the famous Lapataia Bay. This excursion takes you around the National Park involving ornithology, geology, ecology, trekking, canoeing and photography. This tour includes Lunch.
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and taken to the airport for your internal flight to El Calafate.
Upon arrival, you will be met and taken by shared transfer to your hotel for the next 3 nights.
The town of El Calafate is the starting point for a visit to Los Glaciares National Park. Of all the impressive landscapes of our country, this is the one you will remember most. Huge blue icebergs floating on the milky turquoise waters, cracking sounds of huge ice pieces falling into the lake and the immense Perito Moreno Glacier (UNESCO World Heritage Site) will leave you breathless.
Full day Perito Moreno glacier
On day 10 you will have an early start in preparation for a fabulous full day excursion with your guide to the iconic Perito Moreno Glacier. You will be picked up from your hotel by a private car and expert guide and head out of the town towards ‘Parque Nacional Los Glaciares’ where the iconic Perito Moreno is found. It is an 80 km journey but you will have a couple of stops along the way to take pictures, your guide will explain how this Park came to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site and give you an overview of its natural treasures. Your first sight of the Glacier is a truly spine-tingling moment – after entering the Andean Patagonian forest area, you will stop at ‘Curva de los Suspiros’ (Sighs Curve), to enjoy the first panoramic view. On reaching the heart of the Park you will be guided through the many platforms and balconies offering fantastic views of the multi-hued Glacier, if you are lucky you will see huge shelves of ice ‘calving’ into the milky water accompanied by some other-worldly sounds of creaking and breaking ice. This tour ensures plenty of time to head off for some quiet contemplation with this astounding feat of nature.
This tour includes entrance fee to National Park but does not include lunch.
Day 11 is a day at leisure to select one of the optional tours.
If choosing the luxury option, these days will be including breakfast, lunch and dinner.
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and taken to the airport for your internal flight to Buenos Aires.
Upon arrival, you will be met and taken by shared transfer to your hotel for the next 1 night.
The Argentine Culinary Experience
The Argentine Experience is designed to give you an introduction to the best of Argentine cuisine and culture. This is not a cooking class, but a fun and unique experience, where you will meet and dine with people from all over the world. Our international team of guides are on hand to spoil you and take you through every step of this culinary journey.
The tour includes wine during dinner but does not include transfers. It lasts around 4 hours.
Day 13 is your final day in Argentina. You will be transferred from your hotel to the international airport by private transfer with driver only.
This program is subject to availability and it is not valid for special dates/National Holidays in Argentina. Flight information may affect the rates of the transfers according to the airport they are arriving/departing.
Dates are flexible so please make an enquiry and tell us a range of dates you are considering so we can check availability.
Half day city tour of Buenos Aires
Your private guide will meet you at your hotel from where you will begin your city explorations. This tour will see you braving the widest avenue in the world Avenida 9 de Julio, being wowed by the beauty of the famous Teatro Colon Opera House and pottering round the Plaza de Mayo with its iconic pink government house Casa Rosada. History buffs will adore the La Boca & San Telmo barrios, the history-soaked Italian-immigrant districts where the city was born. The tour continues through the modern area of Puerto Madero, the superbly regenerated docklands now buzzing with beautiful people, top-notch restaurants and classy cafes. The grand finale takes you to the Recoleta neighborhood with its vast cemetery where the great and the good of the country are buried, and finally to trendy, park filled Palermo.
Duration: 4 hours
Full day Welsh Colonies
First, we visit Trelew main points of interest, where it is possible to visit as optional the Paleontological Museum Egidio Feruglio. Then we go to Dolavon, a town of welsh origin which name means in this language “Rivers `s Meadow “. Here the flour mill can be watched, which was settled at the beginning of 20th century to process the harvested wheat by the welsh in the valley. At the same time, we will be able to see the ‘norias’ a sort of wells, which were used to irrigate crops. The tour goes on visiting the welsh chapels of the 19th century. Later we arrive to Gaiman (in Mapuche language means stone to sharpen), which is another town of the Lower Valley of Chubut`s River, where the typical welsh tea can be tasted. Finally we come back Puerto Madryn.
This tour does not include: Tea or Lunch.
Duration: 8 hours.
Full day Península Valdés
The tour leaves from Puerto Madryn northeast by national route Nº 3, then by provincial routes 1 and 2, we get to Carlos Ameghino’s Interpretative Bureau. This one is the first point of the tour, where it is possible to see part of the history, the fauna and sea birds of this area.
After, we get to Caleta Valdes or Punta Norte, a continental sea elephants reserve. During the journey we will see the natural inhabitants of the Peninsula Valdes: ñandues (American ostriches), guanacos, maras (Patagonian hares), piches (armadillos), fox, shunks, eagles, Patagonian owls, etc. Later we arrive to Puerto Pirámide, this beautiful town on the New Gulf with their crystalline waters is the paradise for divers and naturalists.
During Southern Right Whale’s season, from June to December, it is possible in this village to take the whale-watching tour in modern embarkations. This small town has some restaurants which offer international menu and seafood. Next, we go to Punta Pirámide, a reserve of sea wolves of one hair which are found from December to March.
Afterwards we return to Puerto Madryn, the point of disembarkation of the Welsh colonists (year 1865). We go through this city and from the road we can see the only aluminium factory in the country (ALUAR), the fishing industrial park and the deep waters’ wharf “Almirante Storni”. At this wharf tourist ships and international one’s dock. Finally, we get to Trelew the last point of the tour.
Difficulty: Easy.
Duration: 10 hours.
Full day Lakes Off-Road
This is an adventure suitable for all types of travellers! People with reduced mobility or who might simply prefer to rest their legs can explore, photograph and have a feast in the Fuegian forest, between the lakes Escondido and Fagnano, beyond the Andes Range.
Travellers with children aged between 5 and 99 can enjoy this unequalled tour. Families with younger children can opt for a “Tailor-Made” version of this tour. During this full day tour we will travel in a relaxed and fun way to enjoy the landscape of Tierra del Fuego. We invite you to venture, and to discover ourselves as naturalist explorers or as photographers who discover happiness in a landscape. High up from the Andes Range, we will see Lago Escondido, a small wonder hidden in the bottom of a valley. Then, the gigantic lake Fagnano, imposing and great, will be the centre of our day. The “off-road” route and the stops in the forest and on the coast of Lake Fagnano offer fun and enjoy the richness of the landscape. The company of our guides, the (already famous) food in our refuge by Lake Fagnano and the Argentinian Malbec shared in an affable environment will make of this tour a day to remember.
This tour includes: Lunch.
Duration: 8 hours.
- Private transfers and tours mentioned in the program
- Accommodation mentioned in the program
- Entrance fees mentioned in the program
- Taxes
- International flights
- Domestic flights
- Travel insurance
- VAT of accommodation with breakfast (passports are required to fulfill this exception)
- Meals not mentioned in the program
- Optional Tours
- Personal expenses
- Tips
Seasonal Information
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