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Patagonia Lakes District & Iguazu Falls, an Argentina tour of extreme contrasts

The Lake District, aptly named, spans the top half of the continent's southerly Patagonia region

Duration: 10 days
2+ Travelers: $3,095 per person
This is an Argentina tour of extreme contrasts, of hiking through lush subtropical vegetation to gaze at one of the earth's greatest waterfalls and of breathing in the sweet scent of towering evergreens in Patagonia's Lake District. The falls of Iguazú are located in the northeast region of Argentina along the border with Brazil. The Lake District, aptly named, spans the top half of the continent's southerly Patagonia region, across Argentina and Chile. Neither sight is easy to reach but both are worth the effort. We've packaged these two amazing places together into one unforgettable South America vacation and eliminated the hassle out of getting there, starting and ending in two of the world's most exciting cities: Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile. After two magical days at the Iguazu falls, you'll be whisked to a world of its own, Northern Patagonia where you'll hike through virgin forests and kayak in its pristine alpine lakes for a week. For outdoor enthusiasts, life doesn't get much better than this.
The Patagonia Lakes District & Iguazu Falls tour can also be arranged on a private departure basis. Please so we may explain details and costs.

ABOUT ARGENTINA TRAVELING TO ARGENTINA ARGENTINA WEATHER

WHEN TO VISIT ARGENTINA
= J F M A M J J A S O N D =

PATAGONIA F.A.Q. MAP OF PATAGONIA RECOMMENDED READING

Patagonia Lakes District & Iguazu Falls Itinerary

• Day 1 (Tue): ARRIVE BUENOS AIRES View Buenos Aires accommodations picture gallery After meeting a Southern Explorations representative at Buenos Aires' international airport, you'll arrive at your hotel and have the rest of the day to immerse yourself in this sophisticated bustling city of culture and cuisine. The thriving capital is filled with interesting neighborhoods to explore, each with its own distinctive market and restaurants offering memorable meals for every palate. For an introduction to all the capital has to offer, you may wish to consider adding our popular Four Balconies Tour to your itinerary. You'll spend the night at your comfortable Buenos Aires hotel to rest for your Iguazu Falls tour.
  View Optional Pre-Itinerary Tour Extensions
• Day 2 (Wed): BUENOS AIRES - IGUAZU View Iguazu accommodations picture gallery Upon arrival in Puerto Iguazú you will meet your guide and driver at the airport for the 12 km drive to the Sheraton International Iguazú Hotel. The Sheraton is located within the Iguazú National Park and rooms overlooking the magnificent complex of falls are available. After checking in at your hotel and dropping off your luggage you will head out on your first adventure in the national park. Iguazu Falls are not just one cascade but a series of many beautiful cataracts stretching for several miles along the river. These trails provide access to the forest and the falls, a wonderful place to view tropical birds, flowers and butterflies. Today, your guide will lead you through the lower trail of the falls complex, which is a 1650 meter loop with eight viewing platforms. The platforms sit near the river allowing you to appreciate the size of the falls and experience the rushing water crashing into the river. At the end of the trail there is a small pier where you board a zodiac to get even closer to the falls and onto Isla San Martin, which is perched perfectly between the San Martin and Escondido falls. You can explore this small island and take the short, but steep, trail to an upper view point. You will return to the pier and walk back up to the hotel in time for dinner and a relaxing evening. (B)
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  Part of what makes Iguazú Falls so magnificent is that it stretches for several miles

  Day 3 (Thu): IGUAZU View Iguazu accommodations picture gallery After a hearty breakfast you will head back out to the trails for a full day exploring the upper trails. The primary path is fairly short, 650 meters, but the view from each of the six platforms found along the trail offer stunning panoramic views of the entire falls complex. You will then board the “Tren Ecologico de la Selva”, which is a small, custom built tram that connects three main areas of the national park. You board the train at the Cataratas Station, which is located at the trailhead to the upper path, and take it out to the Devil’s Throat Station. The fifteen minute train ride takes you to a wonderful walking path along the Iguazu River which ends in a massive view point overlooking the greatest of the falls, Devil’s Throat. Half of the river flowing through the entire Iguazu complex falls down the U-shaped Devil’s Throat chasm creating the largest waterfall at 270 ft tall and 492 ft wide! (B)
  Optional Upgrade: Iguazu Falls Brazil, $100 per Person Iguazu straddles the border between Brazil and Argentina and you can take an optional tour to the Brazilian side of the falls. The Brazilian side offers a direct view of the entire falls complex that simply cannot be seen from the Argentinean side. The Brazilian national park also has an extensive network of bridges and platforms going over the river and right up to the falls, an exhilarating and wet experience. Entering Brazil requires a Visa, so please inquire about the Visa process before confirming this option.
• Day 4 (Fri): IGUAZU - BUENOS AIRES - BARILOCHE View Bariloche accommodations picture gallery After breakfast at the hotel, you'll be returned to Iguazú Airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires to make your connecting flight to the scenic resort town of Bariloche, Argentina on the shores of serene Lake Nahuel Huapi. After you get settled in your hotel, you'll have the rest of the day to relax and explore your surroundings on the start of your Patagonia travel adventure. (B)
• Day 5 (Sat): HIKING NEAR BARILOCHE View Bariloche accommodations picture gallery After breakfast, you'll go from your hotel to the trailhead of today's Patagonia hiking. Paced to your liking, the two to three hour hike goes into the alpine zone. You'll stop to enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch with stunning views of lakes, glaciated summits, forests and the Andes before three to four more hours of Patagonia hiking. You'll be delivered back to your hotel in time for dinner and a free evening before turning in for a peaceful rest. (B,L)
• Day 6 (Sun): NAHUEL HUAPI LAKE - KAYAKING View Bariloche accommodations picture gallery
  
  

  This blissful day of Argentinian Patagonia kayaking may be enjoyed by all, regardless of fitness level

  This blissful day of Argentina Patagonia kayaking may be enjoyed by all, regardless of fitness level. After breakfast at the hotel, you'll be transferred to a unique launching beach. Assisted by guides, you'll paddle some six hours, stopping for a memorable lakeside picnic in an idyllic setting. The excursion ends at the landmark Llao-Llao Hotel where you will be transferred back to your Bariloche accommodations for a final free evening before your last overnight here. (B,L)
  Patagonia Hike & Kayak Option Depending on your group preferences, we can also arrange for a day of mellow trekking with kayaking. After breakfast, you drive to Lopez Bay and hike to the Tristeza lookout point, a granite base offering breathtaking views. Here you will enjoy a scenic lunch before returning to the trailhead. After a safety briefing, you will paddle the Moreno Lake for the remainder of the afternoon before returning to your Bariloche hotel. (B,L)
• Day 7 (Mon): BARILOCHE - LAKES CROSSING - PUERTO VARAS View Puerto Varas accommodations picture gallery
  
  

  Cross the beautiful Lakes Region from Argentina to Chile

  After breakfast, begin an exciting leg of your Patagonia tour, where you cross the beautiful Lakes Region from Argentina to Chile. You'll be taken to the pier at Puerto Panuelo near Bariloche to go by catamaran on picturesque Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Blest. From here, a bus will take you a short distance through an Andean larch forest to Puerto Alegre. A highlight of this voyage is the beautiful wilderness views along Lake Frias before arriving at Puerto Frias in a lush cloud forest at the border of Chile Patagonia. By bus, you'll arrive at the village of Peulla in time for a delicious lunch. Next you'll cruise in the emerald waters of Todos los Santos Lake to the Petrohue River, offering stunning views of three volcanoes: 11,453-ft Tronador, famous for the dramatic sound of ice falling from its summit; 7,185-ft Puntiagudo and 8,530-ft Osorno. Arriving at the river pier, you will travel to the quaint town of Puerto Varas and check in to your comfortable hotel that will be your home during your Chile Patagonia tours. (B)
• Day 8 (Tue): OSORNO VOLCANO - PETROHUE - PUERTO VARAS View Puerto Varas accommodations picture gallery In the morning, you'll set out on a day-long excursion to the Osorno Volcano. To get there, you'll drive along the shore of Lago Llanquihue, taking in breathtaking views of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes. You stop at the Saltos de Petrohue (Petrohue Rapids). This series of rapids and waterfalls was formed long ago by cooling lava from the towering volcano in the distance. The extruded lava forms an impressive sculpture, shaped by thousands of years of thundering water flow. From the Saltos de Petrohue, you'll drive up onto the lower reaches of Osorno Volcano. A gravel road takes you to an elevation of 4,265 ft where there is a small mountain hut. From here the volcano appears immense, surrounded by the volcanoes of Calbuco, Antillanca and Tronador with the Andes towering in the background. You return to your Puerto Varas hotel in the afternoon. (B)
• Day 9 (Wed): FULL DAY ACTIVITY View Puerto Varas accommodations picture gallery Today you have your choice of the activities described below before returning to Puerto Varas for one last night at your hotel in Patagonia, Chile. (B) OPTION I: LOS ALERCE ANDINO NATIONAL PARK After breakfast you'll set out for 100,000-acre Alerce Andino National Park, southeast of Puerto Montt, near the start of the Carretera Austral (Austral Highway). The park protects the largest surviving Valdivian Rainforest where the Alerce tree, a giant conifer distantly related to the giant Redwood is found. On this excursion, you'll cross the Sargazo Lagoon in canoes, paddling for about an hour to reach some of the oldest Alerces in the park. Standing amidst these gigantic trees, with the sun streaming through the branches from so high above, feels like gazing at a cathedral of heavenly proportions. The trail leads to this natural monument, a place to stop for a snack. You'll then paddle back to the other side of the river to complete the final walk of the excursion. The required walking is not excessive so everyone can enjoy this magical woodland experience. OPTION II: ANCUD - PENGUIN COLONIES You depart early heading south toward the Pacific, where you'll cross the Straights of Pargua by ferry to the island of Chiloé. Once on the island, you'll drive to the serene Bay of Caulin where swans and other birds may be seen. The next stop is the former capital, Ancud. It is a picturesque community of rustic homes, colorful fishing boats, historic Spanish forts, and a thriving market of local traders and artisans selling their wares. Chiloé is full of legends and superstition, and some island residents claim that century-old monsters roam here at night, sailing on elaborately painted ghost ships, frightening even the bravest of fishermen. Reaching the northern coast of the island, you'll visit the World Wildlife Fund supported penguin colony, one of the few places in the world where Magellanic and Humboldt penguins co-exist. A trip in a zodiac boat takes you among the small islands of penguin rookeries. Depending on weather conditions, you might observe a sea lion colony as well. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach and take the return trip to Puerto Varas, arriving late in the evening.
• Day 10 (Thu): PUERTO VARAS - PUERTO MONTT - SANTIAGO - HOME In the morning, you'll be transferred back to the Puerto Montt Airport for the flight to Santiago, Chile. From here, you'll catch your connecting international flight home or continue on to the next leg of your South America tour. If you prefer, we can arrange for you to return via Buenos Aires. This marks the end of Southern Explorations' services. Travelers able to stay longer may wish to consider adding one or more of our tour extensions to their Patagonia tour itinerary. (B)
  View Optional Pre-Itinerary Tour Extensions
• Key: (B)reakfast (L)unch (D)inner
• More information about Traveling in Patagonia

KEY TO MAP

Itinerary Map

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2012 SCHEDULED TRIP DATES

Thursday Departures
2 person minimum / 8 maximum

Feb 02-11
16-25
Mar 01-10

Private Departures can be arranged. Please regarding private departure costs.

INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS

Included in tour cost

Professional, English-speaking local guides

All hotel accommodations (twin shared basis including continental breakfast)

Meals as indicated

All transfers in private van

Entrance fees for all scheduled tours, national parks, archaeological sites and boats

Southern Explorations pre departure services

Excluded in tour cost

International round-trip airfare to Buenos aires

$750 Airfare (Buenos Aires / Iguazú / Buenos Aires / Bariloche), subject to change

$290 Airfare (Puerto Montt / Santiago), subject to change

Reciprocity Fee $141

Lunches and dinners in the cities (unless otherwise noted)

Hiking boots and other personal gear

Personal expenses (tips and gratuities, alcoholic beverages, medical or travel insurance, laundry, airport taxes, etc.).

PHYSICAL RATING

Moderate - Difficult

CHILE / ARG ACCOMMODATION

Patagonia Lakes District & Iguazu Falls:

9 nights hotel

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT

Additional $915

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 3.5% cash discount