Day 1: Overnight flight to Santiago.
Days 2, 3: SANTIAGO
Today yopu will have a sightseeing tour of Santiago which is situated in a valley dominated by the Andes. Chile's capital city and cultural and economic center of the nation, Santiago occupies a spectacular intermountain basin at the foot of the highest peaks in the Andes. Safe and modern, Santiago features excellent restaurants and hotels, cultural events and shopping. Optional excursion to the picturesque fisherman’s town of Valparaiso. From Santiago you will be transfeered to railway station to board we take the Pullman night train to Temuco.
Days 4, 5:PUCON
Tpday you will make a Drive to the resort of Pucón, optional visit to the Villarrica Volcano and optional raft and cycle tours or visits to the natural hot springs.
Day 6: CHILEAN LAKE DISTRICT
Today you will make a drive through the Chilean Lake District, a fascinating land where blue and emerald lakes, hot springs, wild rivers, moist jungle and perfect cone volcanoes extend in a chain over 360 km from Pucon to Puerto Montt. Within this unique landscape we find a large temperate rain forest ecosystem, home of the rare giant tree species (Alerce, Araucaria, Coihue, Cipres, Canelo, Palo Santo etc.), diverse birds (Chucao, Cachana, Traro etc.) and rare mammals. The lake district is also a zone of Mapuche (native Indian) reservations. Today we drive to Puerto Varas
Day 7: OPTIONAL EXCURSIN
Optional excursion, through the Lake District, to Petrohue Falls about an hour outside of Puerto Montt. Petrohue Falls lies at the foot of Volcano Orsono in Vincente Perez Rosales National Park. On a clear day, views of the volcano from Petrohue are awesome. You can also opt to go to The Isla Grande of Chiloé, South America's largest island and among its most striking cultural anomalies. Divided by the gentle peaks of the Coast Range, Chiloé's eastern and western coasts are two worlds apart. To the west is a wilderness of endless beaches, dune habitat, and temperate rainforests, much of it protected in one of Chile's most forgotten national parks. To the east are the scattered islands of the Chiloé archipelago, sheltered from Pacific storms, intensely cultivated, home to a traditional culture of subsistence farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen.
Day 8:PUERTO MONTT
Short drive to Puerto Montt from where we’ll take a flight to Punta Arenas, situated on the Straits of Magellan. From here we continue our journey through the desolate steppes of Patagonia to Puerto Natales.
Day 9: PUERTO NATALS
Transfer from the Hotel in Puerto Natales to the Hostería Lago Tyndall
Lunch and visit to the Cueva del Milodón (Milodon Cave) along the way. At the end of the day we’ll arrive at the Hostería Lago Tyndall.
Day 10: PAINE
Full day tour through Paine, we visit Lago Grey and the Glacier of the same name Lago Grey which gives us the impression of being on a trip back in to the Ice-age. The combination of water, rocks and ice creates a bizarre and fascinating view, while large chunks of the glacier break off and fall roaring into the lake. The inhospitable landscape at the same time generates the impression of a never ending beauty. Many that come back from this place feel they miss a part of that personal freedom, which they experienced so strongly while at Grey. We continue our trip to the Salto Grande Waterfalls, the Nordenskjold viewpoint and the Paine Falls. At the end of the day we return to the Hostería Tyndall.
Day 11: PUNTA ARENAS
After breakfast we drive back to Punta Arenas. Lunch in the Hotel Eberhard, in Puerto Natales. After that transfer from Puerto Natales to the hotel in Punta Arenas.
Day 12: CALAFATE
8-hour journey across the Argentine border to Calafate. Close by is the Perito Moreno Glacier, en ultimate tip of the Patagonian ice cap. With a front of almost 5 km, this most astonishing of glaciers descends to the Argentino lake. In its advance it crosses the Canal de los Témpanos (Channel of the Floes), obstructs the drainage of the Rico River and it elevates the level of their waters up to 19 m on the normal height. Approximately every three years, the waters newly contained in the Rico River can exercise the necessary pressure to break the wall of ice of more than 60 m of height and to spill out in the lake. The roar of the ice and the waters are such that it is impossible to believe; the old Indian gods allow their voice to be heard and the current man, necessarily, remains silent.
Days 13-15: LAGO ARGENTINO
Tours to the Lago Argentino and the Perito Moreno Glacier. Excursion to the Fitzroy Mountains in minibus.
Day 16: RIO GALLEGOS
4-hour bus journey to Rio Gallegos and from there a flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city of the world. This is the capital of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida and South Atlantic Islands. Situated on the border of the Beagle Canal and surrounded by the Mounts Martial, this city offers a unique landscape in Argentina made up of mountains, sea, glaciers and woods. Its capricious topography has generated an extremely picturesque city that combines colors and unevenness with the silhouette of the Andes Mountain Range as background.
Day 17: Exploring in Ushuaia;
Excursion to the Lapataia National Park: a half day hike with spectacular views over the fjords and the Beagle Canal. Optional excursions (from October to March) to the Harberton Ranch or in a boat on the Beagle Canal. This Canal separates Tierra del Fuego from the Chilean island of Navarino,
Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula.
Day 18-20: Bueons Aires
Flight to Buenos Aires and time to explore the Argentine Capital; This is the birthplace of the sensual Tango. The city is very Latin American, but with a flair one would normally only expect in the great European cities. We make a walking city tour through the historical centre, visiting the amazing Teatro Colón and the colonial Plaza de Mayo, where the presidential palace, La Casa Rosada,
is situated.
Day 21: Flight back Home. (B)
EXTENSIONS
Option 1 - Puerto Madryn & Peninsula Valdés 5D/4N
Day 20: Flight from Buenas Aires to Trelew
Flight from Buenas Aires to Trelew and bus transfer to the hotel in Puerto Madryn.
The centre is lively and there are plenty cozy restaurants and
diners. On the long, wide boulevard and on the beach one can relax
and enjoy the sun.
Day 21: Punta Tombo
Half day excursion to the penguin colony on Punta Tombo.
Here, yearly hundreds of thousands of Magellan-penguins make their
nests. The best time to visit is from October to March
Day 22: Excursion to the Peninsula and Nature Reserve of Valdés.
Sea lions, sea elephants, guanacos, fox, mara’s (the tipical pampa-hare), nandu’s,
penguins and other sea birds can be found in great numbers here.
The whale period is from June to December.
Day 23: Flight to Buenos Aires
Day 24: Flight back home
Option 2 - Iguaçu 3D/2N
Days 20-21: Iguacu
Flight to Iguaçu, close to the world famous and
impressive, 3km wide waterfalls with the same name, thundering
over the border into Brazil. We make Puerto Iguaçu (Argentina) our
base and visit the falls from both the Argentine and Brazilian
sides of the border.
Day 22: Flight to Buenos Aires
Day 23: Flight back home.
You can also book this tour in combination with the extension Puerto Madryn & Peninsula Valdés
