Travel Idea Including Argentina

Itinerary:

Day 1. Buenos Aires

On arrival you will be transferred to your hotel - Hotel Pestana Buenos Aires. The rest of the day is free to relax and explore.

Day 2. Buenos Aires

Today is spent exploring Buenos Aires. You will visit Plaza de Mayo, the Cathedral and the Casa Rosada (Government House).

Next stop will be the "caminito" street, the heart of the La Boca quarter. On our way to Recoleta area we will pass the Puerto Madero district, located between the city and the river Plate. With its old docks and warehouses having been converted in to modern offices and restaurants it is a great introduction into the cosmopolitan life of BA. We will also visit the old San Telmo quarter, a favorite for visitors from around the world. Lunch will be at the Estilo Campo restaurant.

Tonight we find ourselves in the belly of Buenos Airean night life when we visit a local tango show. BLD

Day 3. Buenos Aires - Calafate Patagonia

This morning we head to the airport for our flight into Patagonia and Calafate. After transferring to your hotel the rest of the day is free. B

Day 4. Calafate - Moreno Glacier - Calafate

Today is spent visiting the Glacier National Park and viewing the Moreno Glacier. There are opportunities to take a boat adventure near the face of the glacier or to trek onto the glacier.

In El Calafate you will find yourself at the gateway to the majestic world of glaciers.

This town is near Lago Argentino, a green water surface covering 1600 km², with a length of 60 km., a width between 12 and 14 km., and depths from 35 m. in Feruglio on the coast and centre, to 300 m. in Peninsula Avellaneda.

El Calafate is a village where the inhabitants have made of hospitality a cult. It is a peaceful and picturesque settlement, a heaven of peace and vegetation, where the Patagonian beauty can be discovered. It is a place where steppes, mountains, lakes, woods and glaciers coexist with rich native flora and fauna. Inhabited by 5000 thousand people, El Calafate is located on the southern bank of Lake Argentino, at the foot of the mountain under the same name, in the southwest of the province of Santa Cruz. El Calafate is the main access to the renowned Los Glaciares National Park, one of the most amazing parks in Argentina with blocks of thousand-year-old ice floating in the lakes.

El Calafate is named after a small bush typical of southern Patagonia, whose fruit (a kind of berry) is very much used in local confectionery, especially for jams. It tastes similar to blackberries although it is less sour. It is usually the main ingredient of cakes, pies, drinks and desserts, which are very difficult to resist. According to the tradition, the person who eats calafate will come back for more. However reality shows that whoever visits El Calafate does not ever want to leave.

The settlement dates from 1913, when a Spanish immigrant (Jose Pantin) and his family set up a bar, a grocery store and accommodations near the mouth of El Calafate stream. These facilities became a staging post in the journey between the Cordillera region and Rio Gallegos. A few years later, other families followed the example and in 1927 El Calafate was officially founded.

When nature formed the great glaciers of Argentina, there were no political boundaries in southern South America, nor an area called Patagonia. Now of course, we refer to this land mass as Chile and Argentina and Patagonia is a term applied to the southern portions of each country. There are glaciers on both sides of the Andes, forming the Patagonian Ice Field, second only in size to Antarctica.

On the southwestern Argentine side, there are more than 300 glaciers, some of them in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Glacier National Park, extends for 217 miles (350 km) along the Andes.

Within Los Glaciares park, the Parque Nacional Perito Moreno is its own entity, and a must on every visitor's list. Perito Moreno has the distinction of being the only glacier in the world to be still growing. Like the other glaciers in the region, Moreno is formed because falling snow accumulates faster than it melts. Over time, the snow compresses and gravity and the ice buildup behind the glacier force it down the mountain. The distinctive blue color comes from oxygen trapped in the snow, and the dirt and mud come from the ground and rocks the glacier gathers as it noses its way downward. These two views of the Perito Moreno Glacier offer an inkling of the size and wonder of it. The glacier winds for 50 mi (80 km) through the cordillera until it comes to an end in Lago Argentina in a blue-ice wall 2 miles (3km) wide and 165 ft (50 m) high called the snout.

The glacier faces the Peninsula Magallanes across a narrow channel of water, and as it moves across the channel building an ice dam, the waters build up in an inlet called Brazo Rico until the pressure is too much. The wall collapses. This happened last in 1986 when the collapse of the dam was caught on video. (Copies of the video are available locally.) No one is sure when it will happen again, but visitors wait expectantly.

Our day at the Glacier allows time walk the many catwalks perched in front of the glacier where yo can sit and listen as the pressure forces the ice to crack, snap and pop with the sound of small explosions. If luck is with you, you will see parts of the wall of ice "calve" off and fall into the surrounding lake.

One of the most popular activities is ice-trekking (optional extra). You don't need to be an extreme sports enthusiast to enjoy this, but you should be fit enough to handle the techniques of walking and climbing on ice, sometimes very steep ice, with crampons. You'll get the equipment you need from your tour agency or guide. This is something you should plan to do. It's an experience you'll never forget.

You can choose a mini-trek if you prefer, (optional extra) which is restricted to a small, safe portion of the glacier. If you prefer a little distance from your experience with the ice, you can use the walkway less than 1000 ft (300 m) from the snout.

Another option is the small cruise that takes you close to the face of the glacier. (optional extra).

At the end of the day we return to Calafate to sample on of the many boutique restaurants. BL

Day 5. Calafate

Today is free to explore on your own.

Horseback rides will take you around Lago Argentina, through the deep green forests for great views of the glaciers, meadows, lakes and rivers. You don't need to be an expert rider, as the horses are tame and the saddles are wide and comfortably padded with sheepskin. You'll also travel by bus and by boat, and by 4X4. Mountain bikers have many trails to choose from.

You can also visit a sheep estancia, (not included in trip price) some of which are now open to overnight stays. These aren't inexpensive, but they do include a meal and the experience of being part of a working ranch. B

Day 6. Calafate - Mendoza

We transfer to the airport for our flight to the wine regions and Mendoza. B

The afternoon is free to relax.

Day 7. Mendoza

The City of Mendoza is the most important in the region of Cuyo and is the capital of the province bearing the same name. Famous for lodging Mount Aconcagua, for its Malbec wines and for being the cradle of the heroic deeds of Liberator General San Martin, Father of the nation, it is one of the most beautiful and neat cities in the country.

Nestled in the foothills of the Andes Mountain Range, it gives shape to an incredible oasis created by man with the help of the Mendoza and Tunuyan Rivers, which have been wisely channeled into a huge irrigation system that gives life to everything it touches. The climate in Mendoza is moderate-temperate, though its mountains provide a certain degree of aridity. Summer temperatures range between 18 and 33°C; days are very hot and nights are fresh. In the winter, the ski season, minimum temperatures drop to 3°C whereas maximums hit 16°C.

Owner of a historical tradition, Mendoza preserves countless memories from the times of San Martin's ordeal through Mount De la Gloria, el Plumerillo, San Martin Park and a variety of museums whose treasures document the passing of the Argentinean hero through this region. But also nature rules in this city that serves as a starting point for all kinds of adventure activities and high country sports, such as mountaineering, climbing and ski, as well as river rafting, which is practiced in the Mendoza River, with some very difficult stretches highly praised by the best sportsmen in the world.

The Wine Route is another ancient and renovated attraction in town. Visitors may go around several wineries tasting the wines produced at those venues and which have made this region famous worldwide. No wonder the slogan "the land of good sunshine and good wine" remains intact, more accurate than ever.

Today is spent exploring the famous wine routes of Mendoza. Stunning wineries, beautiful scenery, great wines and excellent food make for the perfect wine tour in Mendoza, Argentina.

We pick you up in the early afternoon and head for the Half day tour that passes through the Lujan de Cuyo region where we will visit two important wineries and the subterranean winery of an old mendocina mansion. Here the enologist will explain the secrets of wine tasting, appreciating the flavors and scents. At the end of the visit you will enjoy tasting some local cheese and cold cuts. BL

Day 8. Mendoza - Buenos Aires

You will transferred back to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires. B

PRICES FROM:

Exchange rates differ from time to time. For the most up-to-date prices of this holiday idea please fill out our Latin America Travel Quote form.

NOTES:

• A US$132 for US Citizens, $70USD for Canadian Citizens reciprocity fee is payable in USD cash, Argentinean Pesos, Credit Card or Travelers Cheques on arrival.
• Argentinean international departure tax $25 USD
• Argentinean domestic departure tax $12 USD
• Local currency is Pesos
• Time Zone: GMT/UTC -3
• Dialing Code: 54
• Electricity: 220V, 60Hz
• Weights & measures: Metric

HOTEL CHOICES:

Buenos Aires: Intersur Recoleta

Calafate: Unique Luxury Patagonia Park

Mendoza: Hotel NH Cordillera

Other hotel options available on request

DEPARTURE:

Departs daily

PRICE INCLUDES:

Buenos Aires

• 2 Nights, superior rooms, breakfast
• Transfers in and out (private) HD City tour + lunch at Estilo Campo (private)
• Dinner & Tango Show (SIB)
• All meals as listed B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Calafate

• 3 nights standard rooms, breakfast included
• Transfers in and out (SIB)
• Full day Moreno Glacier tour (SIB) - entrance fees included
• All meals as listed B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Mendoza

• 2 nights at Hotel NH Cordillera, standard rooms, breakfast included
• Transfers in and out (private)
• Full day wineries tour with lunch and Guide "El Mito del Vino" (private)
• All meals as listed B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

NOT INCLUDED

• Domestic Flights - allow approx $1450USD
• Visa fees (if required)
• Passport & Visa Costs
• Vaccination Costs
• Personal Spending Money
• Meals where not listed
• Drinks
• International Flights
• Travel Insurance
• Airport departure taxes
• Border taxes or fees

Package Departures

Please call us to inquire about departure dates

Package Information

Cordillera, Mendoza, Argentina (hotel)

Imago Hotel, Santa Cruz, Argentina (hotel)

Patagonia Park Plaza, El Calafate, Argentina (hotel)

Pestana Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina (hotel)

Posada Los Alamos, El Calafate, Patagonia (hotel)

Visas:

At the time of booking we will advise you of any visas or other documentation that will be required prior to your arrival.

Costs relating to the issue of visas or related documentation are the responsibility of the traveler.

As visa requirements change it is your responsibility to ensure that the correct documentation and visas are obtained before traveling. Failure to do so may result in your not being able to join the trip.

 

Travel Insurance:

It is a condition of booking that all clients have comprehensive travel insurance. AI can offer Travel Insurance for your trip. Please request a quote when booking.

Disclaimer:

Prices based on per person, twin/double share, unless otherwise noted, and pre-set group minimum numbers. Prices & itineraries are correct at the time of printing. Itineraries & prices may change due to currency fluctuations, local conditions or events outside the control of A.I and her local operators. Please see our booking terms & conditions for full details.