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Patagonia Highlights, tour Patagonia's rugged beauty without the rigors of trekking and camping
Duration: 10 days
2+ Travelers: $2,850 per person
Many people put Patagonia on their list of places to visit in this lifetime, yet Patagonia trekking is not everyone's cup of tea. We've designed this Patagonia tour around those two facts. Without having to ascend mountains or camp in the wilderness on this Patagonia tour adventure, you'll be able to appreciate the region's stark beauty and encounter more wildlife than you can imagine. It's an opportunity to walk among penguins and see the Perito Moreno glacier, considered one of the top three wonders of the continent, staying in historic scenic lodges along the way. Be as active or as relaxed as you like. This Patagonia trekking tour is an exciting and comfortable trip for all to enjoy.
Private Departures for the Patagonia Highlights trip can be arranged. Call us if you'd like to learn more.
Itinerary for Patagonia Highlights Tour
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Day 1 (Fri): BUENOS AIRES
View Buenos Aires accommodations picture gallery
Arrive for your tour at the international airport of Buenos Aires where a Southern Explorations guide will meet you to transfer to your hotel. Buenos Aires is reason enough to travel to Argentina, as the city provides a cosmopolitan experience in vivid contrast to the rugged beauty of Patagonia tours. Spend the rest of the day exploring the capital on your own, enjoying the many sights and sounds of the city called the "Paris of South America." To get better acquainted with the city, we suggest adding our Four Balconies tour of Buenos Aires to your itinerary for an excellent overview.
Begin Optional Pre-Itinerary Tour Extensions
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Day 2 (Sat): BUENOS AIRES - TRELEW - PUNTA TOMBO
View Punta Tombo accommodations picture gallery
Transfer to the Buenos Aires domestic airport to fly to Trelew, a former Welsh settlement. From there, drive to Punta Tombo Reserve, the most important breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in the world, on the bank of Rio Chubut. Here a declining population of the species, still numbering over 300,000, return in early September and stay until the chicks learn to swim before heading north in the spring. Walking among these remarkable creatures is undoubtedly a memorable highlight of many Patagonia tours. Other species such as kelp gulls, skuas, guanay cormorants, giant petrels, dolphin gulls, the Chubut steamer duck, hairy armadillos and Patagonian foxes also inhabit the area. On the way back to Trelew, you'll stop for a cup of tea in Gaiman, another Welsh settlement, known for its replicas of famous murals and a park featuring sculpture made of junk. (B,L)
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Day 3 (Sun): VALDES PENINSULA
View Punta Tombo accommodations picture gallery
Spend the day observing the vast array of wildlife that Patagonia tours have to offer. This area of important reserves and rookeries is home to guanacos, lesser rheas, Patagonia foxes, hairy armadillos, and Patagonian hares. The protected portions of the peninsula support large colonies of South American sea lions and Southern elephant seals. Magellanic penguins also inhabit this region along with oystercatchers, dolphin gulls, kelp gulls, cormorants, and other seabirds. Seeing so many different wildlife species makes this experience one of our most popular Patagonia day tours. (From July to mid-December, we offer an optional boat trip to see the southern right whale during its breeding season.) (B,L)
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Day 4 (Mon): TRELEW - USHUAIA
View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery
While many Patagonia tours focus solely on Patagonia trekking, our tour offers some history as well. On day four there is time for some sightseeing around Trelew before leaving the city. We suggest a visit to the large and fully refurbished Egidio Feruglio paleontology museum, complete with an extensive collection of dinosaur replicas, or to the nearby paleontology park. Later you will be transferred to the domestic airport to fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world in Tierra del Fuego. After getting settled at the hotel, you'll have the opportunity to view the magnificent Beagle Channel and the charming town of Ushuaia. (B)
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Day 5 (Tue): HARBERTON RANCH - THE HISTORY OF THE PIONEERS
View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery
Another unforgettable experience of Patagonia tours, today you explore Tierra del Fuego, the southern portion of Patagonia with its magnificent vistas and a fascinating history. From Ushuaia, you'll head east to Estancia Harberton. This estancia belongs to the descendants of the first British missionaries to reach the area, Rev. Thomas and Mary Bridges, and was managed for many years by Natalie Goodall, a well-respected naturalist in the area. From the estancia, you'll take a small boat to Gable Island (the largest in Patagonia's Beagle Channel) for lunch. After a hike on the island, you'll visit the Penguin rookery at Martillo Island, the domain of the Magellanic penguin and even a few Gentoo penguins. The unique location of this island (close to where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans merge) attracts a rich variety of sub-aquatic life, making it an ideal spot for bird watching to see such species as petrels, skuas, cormorants, sea gulls and albatross. This southern Patagonia tour ends at Harberton before returning to Ushuaia. (B,L)
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Day 6 (Wed): BEAGLE CHANNEL - TIERRA DEL FUEGO NATIONAL PARK
View Ushuaia accommodations picture gallery
Today, you'll have two unforgettable experiences, a 3½ hour boat cruise through the legendary Beagle Channel and a Patagonia hiking excursion in Argentina's southernmost national park, Tierra del Fuego. The day begins with a transfer from your hotel to the Brisighelli pier, where you'll board a small boat to navigate the channel. Leaving Ushuaia behind, the landscape becomes a dramatic mix of sea, estancias and mountains. Sights along the way include Les Eclaireurs lighthouse and Isla de los Lobos (Seal Island) where you'll observe various sea mammals at close range, including the southern sea lion and southern fur seal. You'll also circumnavigate Isla de los Pajaros (Bird's Island), populated by an abundance of seabirds that nest here. Magellanic Cormorants, the Imperial Cormorants, Giant Albatrosses, and over 20 other species of birds may be seen. After returning to Ushuaia, you'll travel to nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park for some Patagonia trekking. The 3.5 mile hike takes you through a beech forest to a point overlooking some of the area's scenic wonders: Lake Roca, Laguna Verde and Laguna Negra, as well as the rivers Ovando and Lapataia and Bahia Lapataia, a popular landing spot for birds. The region is home to such species as Austral parakeets, black-chested buzzard eagles, Andean condors, and South America's largest woodpecker, the Magellanic. You'll be returned to your hotel in the afternoon. (B)
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Day 7 (Thu): USHUAIA - EL CALAFATE
View El Calafate accommodations picture gallery
Spend the morning at leisure in Ushuaia or visit the fascinating historical End of the World Museum. Transfer to the airport to fly to El Calafate. From there we will transfer to your hotel. The late afternoon is free for you to explore the charming town of El Calafate. (B)
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Day 8 (Fri): LOS GLACIARES NATIONAL PARK
View El Calafate accommodations picture gallery
In the morning, transfer to Los Glaciares National Park, which contains the 23,000 square mile sub-Antarctic Continental Icecap known as the "Third Pole," birthplace of several major glaciers along the Patagonian Andes. When it comes to Patagonia tours, it doesn't get more exciting than what's in store for this day. You'll travel by boat across Lake Argentino to the terminus of the Perito Moreno glacier where skyscraper-size blocks of ice regularly drop into the lake from the 150-foot wall. Go ashore at an uninhabited beach for an unparalleled Patagonia trekking experience: hiking on the huge turquoise glacier and observing the area's many species of birds including the Andean condor. (No additional equipment or previous experience is necessary for this portion of your tour of Patagonia). (B,L)
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Day 9 (Sat): EL CALAFATE - BUENOS AIRES
View Buenos Aires accommodations picture gallery
Transfer to the airport to fly back to Buenos Aires where you'll be taken to the hotel. (B)
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Day 10 (Sun): BUENOS AIRES - HOME
During this final day of your travel to Argentina, you'll have a bit more time to enjoy the bustling city of Buenos Aires before transferring to the Buenos Aires International Airport to fly home. (B)
Begin Optional Post-Itinerary Tour Extensions
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Key:
(B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner
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More information about Traveling in Patagonia
Itinerary Map
ARTICLES & INFORMATION ABOUT ARGENTINA
TOURS AND TRAVEL
CONTACT US
CALL
1.877.784.5400
TOLL FREE
OUTSIDE
THE U.S.A. CALL
1.206.784.8111
2008 SCHEDULED TRIP DATES
Friday Departures
2 person minimum / 8 maximum
October
10-19
17-26
November
10/31-11/09
14-23
December
11/28-12/07
4 Spaces Left!
19-28
2009 SCHEDULED TRIP DATES
Friday Departures
2 person minimum / 8 maximum
January
09-18
01/23-02/01
February
01/30-02/08
13-22
March
06-15
13-22
Private Departures can be arranged. Please contact us regarding private departure costs.
INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS
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Included in tour cost
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- Professional, English-speaking local guides
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- All hotel accommodations (twin shared basis including continental breakfast)
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- Meals as indicated
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- All transfers in private van
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- Entrance fees for all scheduled tours, national parks, archaeological sites and boats
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- Southern Explorations pre departure services
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Excluded in tour cost
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- International round-trip airfare USA / Buenos Aires / USA
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- Airfare: Buenos Aires / Trelew - Trelew / Ushuaia - Ushuaia / El Calafate - El Calafate / Buenos Aires, $1295 (Subject to change)
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- Lunches and dinners in the cities (unless otherwise noted)
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- Hiking boots and other personal gear
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- Personal expenses (tips and gratuities, alcoholic beverages, medical or travel insurance, laundry, airport taxes, etc.).
PHYSICAL RATING
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Moderate
AGE LIMIT
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- We can accept clients between the ages of 12 and 70. Younger hikers need to be hardy and accompanied by a capable and experienced adult. Older hikers are welcome to join us on the completion of a medical suitability questionnaire.
ARGENTINA ACCOMMODATION
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Patagonia Highlights:
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8 nights hotels
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
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Additional $660
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- Single Supplement is the additional cost of a single traveler not sharing a room in double occupancy. We will match you with another same gender traveler unless you request single accommodations.
Prices based on 3% cash discount
)
Duration: 10 days)
Transfer to the Buenos Aires domestic airport to fly to Trelew, a former Welsh settlement. From there, drive to Punta Tombo Reserve, the most important breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in the world, on the bank of Rio Chubut. Here a declining population of the species, still numbering over 300,000, return in early September and stay until the chicks learn to swim before heading north in the spring. Walking among these remarkable creatures is undoubtedly a memorable highlight of many Patagonia tours. Other species such as kelp gulls, skuas, guanay cormorants, giant petrels, dolphin gulls, the Chubut steamer duck, hairy armadillos and Patagonian foxes also inhabit the area. On the way back to Trelew, you'll stop for a cup of tea in Gaiman, another Welsh settlement, known for its replicas of famous murals and a park featuring sculpture made of junk. (B,L)
)
Spend the day observing the vast array of wildlife that Patagonia tours have to offer. This area of important reserves and rookeries is home to guanacos, lesser rheas, Patagonia foxes, hairy armadillos, and Patagonian hares. The protected portions of the peninsula support large colonies of South American sea lions and Southern elephant seals. Magellanic penguins also inhabit this region along with oystercatchers, dolphin gulls, kelp gulls, cormorants, and other seabirds. Seeing so many different wildlife species makes this experience one of our most popular Patagonia day tours. (From July to mid-December, we offer an optional boat trip to see the southern right whale during its breeding season.) (B,L)
)
View El Calafate accommodations picture gallery
Spend the morning at leisure in Ushuaia or visit the fascinating historical End of the World Museum. Transfer to the airport to fly to El Calafate. From there we will transfer to your hotel. The late afternoon is free for you to explore the charming town of El Calafate. (B)
