Terrific Patagonia & Antarctica

ITINERARY

DAY 1: BUENOS AIRES
Arrival and meeting at the airport. Transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon you will enjoy a private tour of this cosmopolitan city of 12 million inhabitants, and capital of the Argentine Republic. You will visit the most distinct neighborhoods such as Palermo, Avenida de Mayo, La Boca and Recoleta. Lodging at Hotel Intersur Recoleta or Hotel Pulitzer or similar for one night.

DAY 2: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK: EL CHALTEN/FITZ ROY
Arrival in El Calafate. Reception at the airport and private transfer to your hotel in El Chalten (about 3 hours drive – Car/driver). Lodging at Hosteria Infinito Sur,  Hosteria Senderos or similar for three nights. (B)

DAY 3: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK: EL CHALTEN/FITZ ROY
Today you will enjoy a full day trekking excursion to Laguna de Los Tres including Piedras Blancas Glacier and base camp Fitz Roy. Picnic lunch during the excursion. Lodging in El Chalten. (B,L).

DAY 4: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK: EL CHALTEN/FITZ ROY 
Breakfast. In the morning, you will enjoy a private trekking excursion along the Fitz Roy River valley to Mirador del Torre (about 3 hours both ways).  Afternoon and evening at leisure to explore on your own. Lodging in El Chalten. (B)

DAY 5: LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK: EL CHALTEN – EL CALAFATE
Breakfast. Group transfer from El Chalten to El Calafate.
If you stay at Hotel El Galpón del Glaciar, you will enjoy a visit of the ranch, sheep shearing demonstration, and dinner and folk show. If you prefer to be in town you will stay at Hotel Mirador del Lago or similar. Dinner included. Lodging for two nights.(B, D)

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 restrictions: Minimum age: 10/ Maximum age: 65). Picnic lunch at the park.  In the evening, return to your hotel in El Calafate.  Dinner at the hotel. (B,L,D)

DAY 7: EL CALAFATE – TORRES DEL PAINE
Today, you will have a group transfer from your hotel to the border with Chile (Cancha Carrera/Cerro Castillo) where your Chilean guide will be waiting for you and drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Torres del Paine is a large park (450,000 acres) declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. You will visit Sarmiento, Nordenskjold and Pehoe Lakes. You may enjoy a short hiking to Grey lake to view part of the glacier. The park is particularly rich in fauna, and you’ll be likely to see guanacos, lesser rheas, black-necked swans, geese, flamingos, Magellanic woodpeckers, and peregrine falcons and condors on the mountain slopes. Lunch during the excursion. You will arrive at the hotel late in the evening. Lodging for two nights at Hotel Las Torres, Hotel Lago Grey or similar in the park (B, L).

DAY 8: TORRES DEL PAINE
Breakfast. Day at leisure to enjoy the park on your own. We recommend hiking to Las Torres. (B)

DAY 9: TORRES DEL PAINE/ PUERTO NATALES
After breakfast, you will depart in Zodiac boats down Serrano River. You will enjoy a short hike to Glaciar Serrano. Then you will sail through Ultima Esperanza Fjord to a ranch overlooking the fjord. Lunch at the ranch. Later you will continue by boat to Puerto Natales, a charming town on the shores of Ultima Esperanza Sound. Arrival and transfer to your hotel. Lodging in Puerto Natales at Hotel CostAustralis (overlooking the Sound) or similar. (B, L)

DAY 10: PUERTO NATALES / USHUAIA
Breakfast. You will drive back to Argentina and to the airport in El Calafate to take your flight to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Arrival and transfer to your hotel. Lodging at Hotel Tolkeyen , Hotel Mil810 or similar. (B)

DAY 11: USHUAIA- TIERRA DEL FUEGO
Today you will go west for a hiking excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park. You will visit different areas of the park such as Ensenada Bay and Lapataia Bay, and you’ll 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. Lunch in the park. (B,L)

DAY 12: USHUAIA/ ANTARCTICA CRUISE
Transfer to the port to embark to Antarctica or to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires. (B)
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