Patagonia & Wineries

Buenos Aires is a city for walkers. Whether you wish to learn about its engrossing history or just soak up the atmosphere, there is a walking tour here to match your interests. 
 
Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, a Southern Explorations guide will meet you and take you to your hotel.  From your hotel, your guide will accompany you by taxi to reach the neighborhood of your choice and then show you the highlights. Safe, flat, and fascinating, these neighborhoods, travelled on foot, will make a memorable component to your Argentina tour. 
 
Spend the rest of the day at your leisure, enjoying the many sights and sounds of this sophisticated metropolis.

After breakfast, you'll be taken to the domestic airport for your flight to Mendoza where your driver will transfer you to your hotel to relax for the next segment of your Argentina tour. Take the evening to enjoy a bottle from a local Mendoza winery with dinner. (B)

There will be time in the morning to see the Mendoza sights you may have missed. The city is known for its many parks so you may wish to visit the colonial center, Independence Plaza, Plaza San Martín, Cerro de la Gloria or General San Martín Park or explore unique España Avenue and plaza with its impressive mosaics. After lunch on your own, you'll be transferred to the airport for your midday flight back to Buenos Aires and connecting flight to the resort town of Bariloche, Argentina to begin your Patagonia hiking adventure. Bariloche is set on the shores of scenic Lake Nahuel Huapi. The rest of the day is yours to relax and get acquainted with this pleasant mountain town and its surroundings. (B)

Today's hike begins after breakfast. After two to three hours in this beautiful wilderness, you'll reach the alpine zone for a well-earned rest and to enjoy a superb picnic lunch. On the remaining three to four hours of the hike, you'll continue to be surrounded by pristine lakes and impressive peaks. You'll return to your Bariloche hotel in time for one last pleasant evening. (B,L)
 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and travel to the launching beach. Today will be spent on the serene waters of Nahuel Huapi Lake. Regardless of your fitness level or previous kayaking experience, you will surely take pleasure in this full day of paddling in a heavenly setting. Pause midday for a delicious picnic lunch on the shores of the lake. Complete your trip at the renowned Llao-Llao Hotel, from where you will transfer back to your hotel for a last world class dinner. (B, L)

Patagonia Hike & Kayak Option: If your group prefers, we can arrange instead to combine relaxed trekking with kayaking. Enjoy breakfast before starting out on this exciting Patagonia tour. From Lopez Bay, you will hike to Tristeza’s granite lookout with impressive views of the Lakes Region. Here you will enjoy a scenic lunch before hiking back. You will travel to Moreno Lake and receive a safety briefing. The rest of the afternoon will be spent paddling this beautiful lake before returning to your Bariloche hotel. (B,L)

You'll have the morning to relax before departing for the airport to catch your flight south to El Calafate and El Chalten, the gateway town of Fitz Roy. If the weather is clear, this three to four hour drive is a beautiful part of your Patagonia tour, filled with vistas of the Fitz Roy mountain range. Upon arrival in Chalten, transfer to your hotel. After getting settled, enjoy an hour's hike to Piedras Blancas glacier on your own, an ideal warm-up for some of the Patagonia trekking ahead. You'll travel through a beech forest where you may see the amazing Magellanic woodpecker and view the Marconi glacier, the gateway to the Continental Icecap. Overnight at your charming hotel. (B)  
Patagonia Hiking Details: Piedras Blancas (optional) - 2.5 miles, Altitude gain: 550 ft Cerro Polo (optional) - 3.1 miles, Altitude gain: 2,200 ft

After breakfast, you will start a full day of hiking a Patagonian classic: Mt. Torre, famous for its beauty but also for its climbing difficulty. This is the pinnacle of trekking Patagonia. Every year, countless expeditions attempt to reach the summit, but only a few succeed. After a half hour of hiking, you reach the viewpoint of the Fitz Roy River and Margarita waterfall. Continue for another 30 minutes until you reach the Mirador del Cerro Torre, a lookout facing the Cerro Torre and Adelas ranges. From this point, the trail descends into the valley. The trail ends on the shores of Laguna Torre, offering a stunning view of Mt. Torre surrounded by the Egger and Standhard spires and the Adelas range as a backdrop together with the glacier Torre. You will have time to enjoy the view, eat lunch, and rest before returning on the same trail to the town of El Chalten. (B, L)  
Patagonia Hiking Details: 11-12 miles / Elevation gain: 1,000-1200 ft / Average time: 7 hours

Today's segment of trekking Patagonia includes a full-day hike to the Laguna Capri base camp (Fitz Roy base camp). The hike towards Fitz Roy features spectacular views of the massif. The peak was sacred and venerated by local Tehuelche groups who believed the mists enshrouding it were volcanic ash, calling it Chalten (God of Smoke). You will begin hiking south from El Pilar, passing Laguna Piedras Blancas on the way to Laguna de los Tres, at the base of Mt. Fitz Roy. Three glaciers drain into this emerald lagoon with majestic Mt. Fitz Roy towering above. Stop en route for lunch and then resume the hike to Laguna Capri, where the image of Mt. Fitz Roy is reflected. You'll enjoy spectacular views of the sweeping Patagonian steppe and Fitz Roy, highlights of any Patagonia tour. After a full day of hiking, return to your hotel for a good meal and night's sleep. (B, L)
Patagonia Hiking Details: 13-14 miles / Elevation gain 2200-2300ft / Average time: 9 hours

After breakfast, you'll have time for more Patagonia hiking including a short trek from town to view Mt. Torre. In the afternoon, a private van will transfer you to El Calafate where you'll have the rest of the day and evening to tour this charming city on your own. Overnight at a local hotel. (B)

Optional Self-Guided Tour: Glacier Museum Approximate Fees: Museum - $20 (80 Argentine Pesos); Roundtrip bus - $6 (25 Argentine Pesos) For those interested in learning about the formation and recession of glaciers during their Patagonia tours, a visit to the Glaciarium is a must. This one-of-a-kind ice museum is located six miles outside El Calafate. To get there, every hour on the hour, buses leave from the center of town. After exploring the history of the Patagonian ice fields, you may cap off this memorable experience with a drink at the museum’s Glacio Bar. The entire bar including the drink cups, tables and chairs are made entirely of ice.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your El Calafate hotel. An hour long bus ride takes you to the Bajo de las Sombras port on the shore of Lake Argentino. From there, you will board a comfortable boat for a 20 minute navigation across the lake. The cruise offers incredible views of the Perito Moreno glacier with its massive front wall of blue ice and surrounding field of icebergs. Following a beach landing, you’ll stop at a small shelter where the trekkers will be divided into groups of less than twenty. A short walk along an ancient beech forest takes you to the edge of the glacier, a prime location for photographing this spectacular natural wonder. You will be fitted with crampons and receive a safety briefing from your guides before beginning an unforgettable two hour trek on the glacier, with time for photos and a lunch break. This moderate trek will take you past small streams, lagoons, crevasses, and other ice formations as you explore the fascinating landscape of the Perito Moreno glacier. After completing the trek, you will embark on the boat for the return trip across the lake. A short bus ride brings you to an elaborate boardwalk system located across the lake from the glacier. From here you will be able to view and photograph the glacier from many angles, and possibly witness icebergs calving thunderously into the lake. In the late afternoon, you will return to your hotel for another comfortable night's rest. (B,L)
**The upper age limit for the mini-trek portion of this trip is 65, regardless of fitness level.  Click here for the alternative tours available.**

Your tour of Patagonia ends with a transfer to the El Calafate airport in time to connect with your flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival transfer to the international airport. (B)