PURE PATAGONIA
Experience the Pure Patagonia
This trip brings you the most beautiful places of Patagonia! After starting off in vibrant Buenos Aires, you travel to the imposing world of glaciers around Calefate. After that, you admire the overwhelming natural phenomenon of lakes, pampas and the spectacular Andres mountain range in El Chaltén and the Torres del Paine National Park. Paddle past colossal icebergs or take in the spectacular landscapes during a one or multiple day tour. Lastly, you’ll travel to the most southern tip of the world; Ushuaia. Walk to World’s End or extend your trip with a beautiful cruise to Antarctica.
Day 1 - Buenos Aires
Welcome in vibrant Buenos Aires. The city of the Tango, Maradona and Evita Peron. BA is often called the Paris of South America. More than 10 million inhabitants live in 40 different neighbourhoods, called ‘barrios’. From the 16th century onwards, a stream of immigrants from Italy, France and Spain came to BA. You can still experience the atmosphere of these countries in the different neighbourhoods.
The Argentinian culture is best experienced in San Telmo. Here you’ll see people dancing the tango in the streets and can browse through a host of wonderful antique shops.
Day 2 - Buenos Aires
Colourful Buenos Aires has something for everyone! You can explore the city in different ways. A great tour through the neighbourhoods can be enjoyed by bike. But there’s also plenty to see by foot. The free walking tours are very popular and are led by locals. If you like creativity, the street art tour is definitely worth it or a fan of antiques, then don’t skip the San Telmo neighbourhood! The neighbourhood of La Boca, boasts brightly coloured houses and the area of Palermo is highly recommended with its trendy vibe and wealth of luxurious boutiques and restaurants.
Day 3 - El Calefate
Transfer to airport and from airport to hotel.
Today, you fly to the town of El Calefate. The town is beautifully situated at the altiplano, just beside the azure blue ‘Lago Argentino’. The town is the starting point for a visit to the ‘Glaciares National Park’. In the north of the park, you experience the most beautiful hikes. This is also a paradise for mountain climbers. In the south, you view the icy glaciers, take ice hikes and can embark on a boat ride across lakes full of icebergs. El Calafate itself, is a small and quiet village where you can see a lot on foot. The lively main street of Avenida del Libertador General San Martin is full of bars, restaurants and stores.
Day 4 - Perito Moreno
Today, you’ll visit the imposing Perito Moreno Glacier! This is the greatest highlight of ‘Glaciares National Park’. This immense rock of ice is 4km in width and 60m in height. Because the ice has been compressed under huge pressure over the years, Perito Moreno gained its trademark bright blue colour. You can go on a spectacular boat ride past the glacier and witness how chunks of ice crumble off. This is nothing to be worried about, however, because of the constant supply of snow, the Perito Moreno grows every year.
For those who want to, there’s the option for a spectacular hike across a glacier today. With suitable equipment, consisting of crampons, it’s possible to hike 1,5 hours to the starting point of the glacier. Then the real deal starts: during the tough trek of three and a half hours, you’re rewarded with breathtaking views on the ice plateau. Experienced guides will supervise your safety and you can eat lunch on the ice. Important to know: this excursion is for fit people between 18 and 50 years of age.
Day 5 - El Chalten
Today, you’ll drive from El Calefate to El Chaltén by bus.
El Chaltén is in the Los Glaciares National Park. The landscape consists of glaciers, hidden lagoons, estancias, the splendid Viedma Lake and the magnetic draw of the Fitz Roy mountain. The peak of this majestic mountain is almost always covered by cloud which the Tehuelche natives thought was smoke, giving the town the name of Chaltén, meaning ‘volcano’. El Chaltén has been proclaimed the National Hiking Capital for hikers and climbers. Most hikes start in the village and you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy them. The granite towers of the Torre and Fitz Roy mountains form a spectacular panorama together with the Viedma, Upsala and Moyano glaciers, that end in the Viedma Lake.
Day 6 - El Chalten
You a free day to walk or hike through the splendid landscape around El Chaltén.
Day 7 - El Calefate
Today you will drive by bus from El Chalten to El Calefate. A beautiful ride! You will spend the night in El Calefate.
Day 8 - Torres del Paine
You’ve arrived in the Torres Del Paine National Park, the absolute highlight of Patagonia! During your trip to the NP, you’ll see various landscapes, from forests to steppes. Once arriving at the park, you will see the dramatic changes in the landscape, azure blue lakes, spectacular glaciers, waterfalls and fantastic fauna. You’ll make various stops so you can walk around on your own and completely submerge yourself in the various natural wonders, like the Salto Grande waterfalls, Lake Nordenskjold and the famous granite peaks of Torres Del Paine, from which the park derives its name.
Day 9 - Torres del Paine
Enjoy a second day in Torres Del Paine.
The Torres del Paine is excellent for treks to explore the exceptional natural beauty. Proclaimed as a biosphere reservation by UNESCO, Torres del Paine is internationally viewed as one of the most beautiful, unique and purest places on the planet. It is a place of lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, forest and amazing wildlife. The park’s vegetation changes in every zone you visit. There is a huge variety of animals that live in the park, such as guanacos, greater rheas, condors, cougars and a large variety of birds the most important of which, can be found near the lakes and lagoons.
Day 10 - Torres del Paine
You travel from the Torres del Pain park to Puerto Natales, which is located on the coast of the ‘Última Esperanza (Last Hope)’ fjord. The location is truly wonderful, close to the imposing Riesco mountain ranges with beautiful panoramic views. Puerto Natales is the perfect base for various excursions in the environment.
Day 11 - Punta Arenas
Today, you’ll drive to Punta Arenas. Before the Panama Canal was made, this was a very busy shipping route for ships from the east to the west coast. Punta Arenas is the most southern city of Chile. The town is lively and the centre of Chilean Patagonia where culture and industry are centred. This is also the access gate to the southern regions, also called the ‘World’s End’.
Day 11 - Ushuaia
Ushuaia is the most southern city in the world and is located in Tierra del Fuego or Land of Fire. The area was named by the Spaniards, who saw constant smoke above the land from their ships. It’s situated between the Andes mountain range and the Beagle Channel in a beautiful landscape. Ushuaia is surrounded by sea, forests, lakes and mountains. From the town, it’s possible to go on cruises to Antarctica, but you can also make great hikes to World’s End.
Day 12 - Ushuaia
Today, there’s an optional excursion to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. You’re taken on unexplored routes that show the hidden corners of the forest. We take National Route 3 from Ushuaia and stop at a panoramic point at the Beagle Channel. Once we’ve arrived at the park, the hike through this exceptional forest commences. Mountain ranges divide the park into valleys. As opposed to other Patagonian Andes parks, this part has splendid forests that lead to the sea.
Optional excursion 2: Sailing across the Beagle Channel
Sail to the islands off the coast of Ushuaia to see colonies of sea lion, seals and cormorants. You’re surrounded by rocky cliffs. You sail to the ‘Les Eclaireurs’ lighthouse, which was built in 1919 and is the symbol of the town. On Bridges Island, you take a short hike to observe the flora and fauna and view the archaeological heritage of the Yamanas Aboriginals, who lived here many years ago.
Day 13 - Flight to Buenos Aires
Flight to Buenos Aires and flight back home.
Included:
* All accommodations with breakfast
* Mentioned meals
* Transport like mentioned in the program
* Excursions like mentioned in the program, unless stated otherwise
Not included:
* International and domestic flights
* Not mentioned meals
* Entry fees national parks, unless mentioned differently
* Optional and not mentioned services and excursions
