Patagonia Delight & Antarctica

ITINERARY

DAY 1: BUENOS AIRES
Welcome at the airport and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon you will enjoy a private tour visiting four distinct neighborhoods and plazas of Buenos Aires to learn about the city and its people, commonly called “porteños”. Lodging at Hotel Intersur Recoleta or similar for two nights.

DAY 2: BUENOS AIRES
Day at leisure. In the evening you will enjoy a traditional tango show and dinner at Esquina Homero Manzi /Transfers included. Lodging. (B,D)

DAY 3: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK. EL CHALTEN/ FITZ ROY
Flight to El Calafate. Reception at the airport and Private transfer to El Chalten (car with driver/ about 3 hours drive), arrival and lodging at Hosteria Senderos, Hosteria Infinito Sur, or similar.

DAY 4: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK. EL CHALTEN/ FITZ ROY
Breakfast. Today you will enjoy a full day private trekking excursion to Laguna de Los Tres including Piedras Blancas Glacier and base camp Fitz Roy. It is about 4 hours one way(7 miles each way). Moderate. Level difference: 700 mts or 2,100 feet. Maximum height is 3,400 feet above sea level. You will enjoy unique views!. You may also reach Laguna Capri and return if you prefer a shorter hike and you will still have a great experience and marvelous panoramic views. Picnic lunch during the excursion. Lodging in El Chalten. (B,L). NOTE: This is a private excursion with mountain guide so you may adapt it to your preferences.
ANOTHER OPTION Breakfast. Full day visit to Lago del Desierto. During this excursion you will be able to enjoy spectacular views of the Fitz Roy after a hike to the Huemul Glacier Viewpoint (45 min/1 hour, 600ft altitude gain) Or if you prefer not to hike you may take a boat down the lake. You will have lunch included. Lodging in El Chalten. (B,L)

DAY 5: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK. EL CHALTEN – EL CALAFATE
Morning at leisure to enjoy hiking on your own. In the afternoon, private transfer to El Calafate and your hotel: Hotel El Galpon del Glaciar (guest ranch) or Hotel Esplendor Calafate if you prefer to stay in town in El Calafate. Lodging. (B)

DAY 6: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast you will depart to visit Los Glaciares National Park. This park of 600.000 hectares (2,300 square miles) has thirteen glaciers that flow into the Argentino and Viedma lakes. Perito Moreno Glacier, is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still progressing. It is only 500 ft above sea level, which makes it very accessible, allowing one to stand in front of a mountain of ice that measures 60 m (180 ft) by 5 km (2.5 miles). The constant fall of huge towers of ice from its walls and into the lake is an unforgettable spectacle. Trekking Expedition: You will board a boat to cross the lake. You will land on an isolated beach and trek for about 1 ½ hour on the glacier while enjoying a magnificent landscape of ice formations in different shades of blue, crevasses, streams and small lagoons.  (Not additional equipment, or previous experience required.  Age limit: 65).
Picnic lunch at the park. In the evening, return to your hotel in El Calafate. (B,L)

DAY 7: EL CALAFATE – USHUAIA/TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Morning at leisure to visit EL Calafate on your own or relax. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport to take your flight to Ushuaia. Rest of the day at leisure to enjoy this charming town on the shores of the Beagle Channel. Lodging at Hotel Tolkeyen, or Hotel Mil810 or similar for two nights. (B)

DAY 8: USHUAIA/ TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Today you will enjoy a private excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Created in 1960, this National Park protects 63.000 hectares of the southernmost portion of the Sub Antarctic Forest, from the high Andean steppe and peat bogs, down to the maritime coast of the Beagle Channel. You will be able to see two remarkably different ecosystems: the sea-shore and the sub-Antarctic forest which occur together only in a few places on earth and are unique in Argentina. You will walk along footpaths beside the sea-shore and cross the forest, an important reserve of native flora and wildlife. The excursion starts in the center of Ushuaia with a drive to the National Park. After a walking tour along the shore, you’ll make a stop for a snack and then continue through the forest. You’ll visit Ensenada Bay and have lunch at a spot with a great view. Finally, you’ll reach Lapataia Bay where the South American roads end. Park fees and picnic lunch included. (B,L)

DAY 9: USHUAIA/ TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Private transfer to the port to embark on a cruise to Antarctica. (B)