You will visit Peninsula Valdes to observe its rich wildlife (penguins, elephant seals, sea lions, rheas and other bird species). You will traverse Patagonia by land and witness the magical past of the Tehuelches at "Cueva de las Manos" (cave paintings). You will trek and enjoy magnificent views of Cerro Fitz Roy and surrounding peaks. You will be amazed by "Glaciar Perito Moreno" at Los Glaciares National Park, and hike around Torres del Paine National Park. Finally, you will cross the Strait of Magellan and discover "The End of the World", Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego. A guide will escort and assist the group during the whole trip.
Please enquire about a trip extension to ANTARCTICA: 10 days cruises departing from Ushuaia.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1:
Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia: Your tour leader will welcome you at the airport of Trelew, a city 1,200 km south of Buenos Aires, and welcome to Patagonia!. Drive to Puerto Madryn, a charming coastal city on the Golfo Nuevo shores. Here we will enjoy a panoramic tour and lunch. In the afternoon we will drive to Isthmus Carlos Ameghino which marks the entrance to the Peninsula Valdes Nature Reserve. Peninsula Valdes is a paradise for nature lovers. During our visit we’ll be able to see some of its rich wildlife that includes guanacos, Patagonian gray foxes, armadillos (piches and peludos), lesser rheas (choiques), and Patagonian cavies (maras). In the evening, we will arrive at the hotel in Punta Delgada. An old lighthouse, this quaint inn is situated atop a cliff and looks out over a rocky and precipitous coastline. Dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 2:
Punta Delgada, Peninsula Valdes - Puerto Madryn: Breakfast. In the morning, we will enjoy a trekking expedition along the coast where we will see elephant seals basking on the local beaches that comprise their breeding and resting grounds. At lunchtime, we will savor a ranch-style meal. We will continue our expedition in the Peninsula, and in the evening we will arrive at Peninsula Valdes hotel in Puerto Madryn. (B, L)
Day 3:
Puerto Madryn - Bahia Bustamante. Breakfast. We will depart in the morning to Bahia Bustamante, a remote seaside village located on the northern arch of San Jose Gulf. It is an area with a rich variety of seabirds, marine mammals and other wildlife. The history of the region is very interesting as well. There, (weather permitting), we'll have the opportunity of a boat trip to the seaweed fields and observe vessels harvesting seaweed, and to the Vernacci Islands to see Sea Lion colonies, penguins and Marine Bird colonies. OR we may hike to the Peninsula Gravina to enjoy the protected white sand beaches surrounded by walls of red rocks, and visit archeological sites
Lunch, dinner and lodging. (B,L,D)
Day 4:
Bahia Bustamante – Petrified Forest - Patagonia Steppes (Santa Cruz Province) Breakfast. Today we will visit the Petrified Forest. Later we'll continue our trip southwest, and finding ourselves immersed in the vast landscape, until reaching the legendary Route 40. We’ll arrive in the evening to a traditional Patagonian "estancia" (ranch) in the Santa Cruz Province, where we’ll be staying for one night. Lunch and Dinner included. (B, L, D)
Day 5:
Rio Pinturas - Cueva de las Manos (Cave of the Hands): Breakfast. In the morning we’ll have time to enjoy a delicious country breakfast. Then, we’ll visit Rio Pinturas, an area well known for its impressive cave paintings. In the Cueva de Las Manos we will be greeted by hundred of handprints, hunting scenes, and abstract symbols in a variety of colors. The artistry legacy of the Tehuelches, the early inhabitants of Patagonia, still remains in this caves. Some dating back to 8,000 BC. In the evening, we will arrive to another rustic estancia where we'll be staying for two nights. Lunch and dinner included. (B, L, D)
Day 6:
Patagonian Steppes and Ranch: Breakfast. Today we can hike, or just relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery and wildlife that surround us. Lunch and dinner included. (B, L, D)
Day 7:
Los Glaciares National Park. El Chalten and Mount Fitz Roy: After breakfast, we will continue our journey southwards until entering Los Glaciares National Park, an area filled with immense glaciers, majestic mountains, and pristine lakes. When we arrive at El Chalten, a small settlement at the foot of the Fitz Roy chain of peaks, we'll have the evening to explore. Lodging at a local hosteria. Lunch and dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 8:
Los Glaciares Natl. Park - Fitz Roy - El Calafate: Breakfast. You’ll enjoy an all day trekking expedition. Lunch and dinner included. (B, L, D)
Day 9:
Los Glaciares Natl. Park - El Calafate: Breakfast. In the morning we will drive to El Calafate, a small village at the shores of the Argentino Lake. Hotel lodging for two nights. Dinner. (B, D)
Day 10:
Los Glaciares Natl. Park - El Calafate: Full day excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier. The Perito Moreno Glacier is only 500 ft. above the sea level. We will stand in front of mountain of ice that measures 160 ft. by 2.5 miles, and sometimes advances as fast as 10 inches a day. We will cross Argentino Lake aboard a boat, and land on an isolated beach from where we will start our hiking expedition on the glacier with crampons. Lunch and dinner included. (B, L, D)
Day 11:
Torres del Paine National Park - Chile: After breakfast, we’ll cross the international border, and the Andes Mountains, to Chile. Our destination is Torres del Paine National Park, a spectacular park (450,000 acres) declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. Dinner. Lodging at a hotel in the park for the next two nights. (B, L, D)
Day 12:
Torres del Paine Natl. Park - Chile: Breakfast. We’ll have all day to hike and explore the multiple attractions of the park. Torres del Paine features accessible glaciers, impressive granite peaks, lakes and rivers. We will also be able to enjoy a great variety of fauna species like rheas (choiques), guanacos and birds such as woodpeckers, peregrine falcons, and condors, depending where we venture. Dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 13:
Torres del Paine Natl. Park - Punta Arenas - Chile: Breakfast. We will enjoy the morning at the Park. In the afternoon we will continue our journey farther south to Punta Arenas, a picturesque town overlooking the Strait of Magellan. Hotel. (B)
Day 14:
Strait of Magellan - Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego - Argentina: After breakfast we’ll leave Punta Arenas and we’ll cross the Strait of Magellan arriving in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Our destination is Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Lunch. Hotel lodging. (B, L)
Day 15:
Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego - Argentina: Breakfast. Morning to relax or take optional boat excursions. In the afternoon we will enjoy a city tour and visit to the museum of the end of the world, where we can see historical objects left by early European explorers and native artifacts. (B)
Day 16:
Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego: Breakfast. Today we will go west for a day long sightseeing excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park, visiting Rio Pippo, Bahia Ensenada, Lago Roca,(a large lake surrounded by mountains and shared by Argentina and Chile).Laguna Verde, Laguna Negra and Bahia Lapataia which is the very end of the Pan American Highway. Lunch included. Farewell dinner. (B, L, D)
Day 17:
Ushuaia - End of Expedition: After breakfast, we will say good-bye to our travel mates and friends, and we will go to the airport, so you can take your flight back to Buenos Aires. (B)
OR you may embark on a cruise to ANTARCTICA.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Departure date: February 13, 2010
TOUR PRICE: $3,963 p/person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $800
Included in tour price:
- Full time bilingual tour leader
- Transfers to and from airports in Patagonia
- Overland transportation (van or small bus)
- Local bilingual guides when necessary
- Hotel and estancia (ranch) accommodation for 16 nights.
- Meals as specified in the itinerary: All breakfasts, 13 Lunches, 12 Dinners.
- Park entrance fees
- Excursions detailed in itinerary
NOT INCLUDED:
- International and domestic flights are not included (Internatl Flights Buenos Aires to Trelew and Ushuaia to Buenos Aires may cost about $400 in economy)
- Services in Buenos Aires before and after the tour are not included in the cost.
Also see tour packages in:
South America
Argentina
Chile
Nature & Wildlife
Ecotourism
Hiking & Trekking
Email it to a friend:
Click here to email this vacation to a friend
|
, ext: 08063
