Best of Patagonia

Bienviendos a Argentina! Upon arrival into the international airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel where the rest of the day can be spent at leisure.

Often labelled the ‘Paris of South America’, Buenos Aires, or simply BA, is a seductive mix of elegant architecture, characterful residents and fantastic entertainment options. This morning join a scheduled city tour taking in the Neoclassical Metropolitan Cathedral, the unusual dusty pink Government House and the history-packed Plaza de Mayo. Head to the neighbourhood of San Telmo where street performers gather to display the sensuous dance of tango, and continue to La Boca, a colourful suburb popular with local artists. Wander the attractive streets of Palermo until you reach Recoleta and the famous cemetery of the same name. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to explore Buenos Aires your way – why not wander further in search of the city’s striking street art?

Later in the evening you will be collected from your hotel for a scheduled transfer to Café de Los Angelitos for a night of love, passion, madness and glamour with a traditional tango show. Born in the brothels of the 1920s, Argentine tango is a completely improvised dance and attracts both the old and the young.

Buenos Aires – El Calafate. After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to El Calafate, the starting point for excursions to one of Argentina’s most famous natural wonders – the Pertio Moreno glacier. On arrival, scheduled transfer to your hotel. Remainder of day free.

Measuring 30km in length, the monstrous Perito Moreno glacier is a jagged mass of crevasses and towering columns of ice. It’s also unusual in the sense that it is actually growing in size and constantly moving forward. Today enjoy a full day scheduled excursion beginning at Brazo Rico where you will be able to spot floating icebergs and continuing with a nautical safari on Rico Lake for spectacular views of the ice walls.

The following day offers a chance for you to continue exploring the southern sector of Parque Nacional los Glaciares independently or enjoy some downtime at Lago Argentino. Other options include a full day tour to the Bosque Pertificado La Leona, a petrified forest with fossilised trunks and dinosaur bones

El Calafate – Ushuaia. This morning a scheduled transfer will take you to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city and a particularly scenic one too, backed by dramatic, serrated peaks and fronted by the sea. Upon arrival a scheduled transfer will take you to your hotel. Remainder of day at leisure.

Argentina’s first coastal national park is a spectacular expanse of wild, forested peaks, pristine blue lakes and vast tundra. Taking National Route 3 as part of a scheduled tour you’ll discover some of the park’s most stunning natural sights including Pipo River, Ensenada Bay, Redonda Island, Roca Lake, Verde and Negra Lagoons and Castores Dam. Rich in flora and fauna, the park also offers ample variety of wildlife. Later in the afternoon board a ship in Ushuaia Bay for a scheduled cruise on the Beagle Channel. The cruise will reveal excellent views of Ushuaia as well as Olivia Mount and the Encajonado River. You’ll also see Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse and pass Pajaros Island where sun-seeking penguins and fur seals come to rest on the pebbly shores.

Enjoy a free day in Ushuaia perhaps visiting the city’s charming museums, such as the Maritime Museum and the Museum at the End of the World where Ushuaia’s interesting natural and colonial history is uncovered. Alternatively jump onboard a steam train on the Tren del Fin del Mundo and get your passport stamped with an official End of the World stamp at the Ushuaia tourist office.

Ushuaia – Buenos Aires. After breakfast today a scheduled transfer will take you to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires. You will be collected on arrival and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is free. Explore the city further or head to the markets for some last-minute souvenir shopping. Prided as a literary city, Buenos Aires has a number of fabulous book shops, often housed in revamped historical buildings.

Today marks the end of your Patagonian adventure. After breakfast and hotel check out transfer to the airport for your onward departure journey.