A twelve-day journey linking Argentine Patagonia, the Iguazú Falls and Rio de Janeiro by domestic flight.
The circuit opens with two nights in Buenos Aires, with a city tour and a tango show with dinner. It continues in Patagonia with two nights in El Calafate and the excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier, and two nights in Ushuaia with the visit to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. It follows with two nights in Foz do Iguaçu, with the Iguazú Falls from the Argentine and Brazilian sides and the Garganta del Diablo, and closes with three nights in Rio de Janeiro, with Sugarloaf and Corcovado. Accommodation is offered in 3-, 4- and 5-star categories.
Highlights
Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate
Tierra del Fuego National Park in Ushuaia
Iguazú Falls from the Argentine and Brazilian sides, with the Garganta del Diablo
Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) in Rio de Janeiro
Corcovado and the Christ the Redeemer statue
Buenos Aires city tour with a tango show
Day-by-day itinerary
Day1
Day 1: Arrival in Buenos Aires
Arrival at Buenos Aires airport, where a driver meets you and transfers you privately to the hotel.
Day2
Day 2: Buenos Aires city tour and tango show
After breakfast, a half-day city tour with an English-speaking guide. It takes in the Obelisco on Avenida 9 de Julio, the Plaza de Mayo, the Plaza San Martín, the Plaza del Congreso, Avenida Corrientes, the historic districts of La Boca, San Telmo and Montserrat, the Palermo and Recoleta neighbourhoods, the modern Puerto Madero area, and the Lezama and Tres de Febrero parks, ending at the city's financial and commercial centre and the football stadium. In the evening, a tango show with dinner (group, without guide).
Day3
Day 3: Buenos Aires – El Calafate
After breakfast, private transfer with driver to the airport for the flight to El Calafate. On arrival, private transfer with driver to the hotel.
Day4
Day 4: Perito Moreno Glacier
After breakfast, a group excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier with an English-speaking guide. This ice river, some 100 km long, over 60 m high and about 4 km wide, descends from the Andes into Lake Argentino, where blocks of ice break from its walls and fall into the water.
Day5
Day 5: El Calafate – Ushuaia
Transfer to El Calafate airport for the flight to Ushuaia. On arrival, transfer to the hotel.
Day6
Day 6: Tierra del Fuego National Park
After breakfast, an excursion to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, the southernmost nature reserve in the world, with 6 km of marine coastline along the Beagle Channel and an area of 63,000 hectares. The route passes the Pipo River, the Susana mountains, Ensenada Bay, Redonda Island, Lake Roca and Lapataia Bay, with lagoons, a beaver dam and mountains, rivers, valleys and lakes.
Day7
Day 7: Ushuaia – Foz do Iguaçu
After breakfast, private transfer with driver to the airport for the flight to Foz do Iguaçu. On arrival, private transfer with driver to the hotel.
Day8
Day 8: Iguazú Falls — Argentine side
After breakfast, excursion to the Argentine side of the Iguazú Falls with an English-speaking guide. Walkways in the national park (55,500 hectares) lead to viewpoints above the falls, including the Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), the largest of them.
Day9
Day 9: Iguazú Falls — Brazilian side and flight to Rio
After breakfast, excursion to the Brazilian side of the Iguazú Falls with an English-speaking guide. On the border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, some 275 waterfalls fall from up to 72 m into the Garganta del Diablo gorge. After the tour, transfer to the airport for the flight to Rio de Janeiro, and on arrival transfer to the hotel.
Day10
Day 10: Sugarloaf and central Rio
After breakfast, a half-day excursion to Sugarloaf with an English-speaking guide, with a first stop on Morro da Urca and then the summit of Pão de Açúcar, with views of Rio, Copacabana beach, the bay, the surrounding mountains, the Rio–Niterói Bridge and the Christ statue. The tour continues by car through central old Rio, past churches, monasteries, the cathedral and colonial-era buildings.
Day11
Day 11: Rio city tour and Corcovado
After breakfast, a city tour with an English-speaking guide through central old Rio, then a cog train through the Tijuca Forest to the summit of Corcovado at 700 m, where the 38 m Christ the Redeemer statue (erected in 1931) overlooks Guanabara Bay, the Botanical Garden, the Maracanã stadium and Sugarloaf.
Day12
Day 12: Departure
After breakfast, transfer with driver to Rio de Janeiro airport for your onward flight.
Suggested hotels
Rochester Classic
Standard
Buenos Aires
3-star option in Buenos Aires (2 nights).
Solares del Sur Patagonia
Standard
El Calafate
3-star option in El Calafate (2 nights).
Altos Ushuaia Hotel & Resto
Standard
Ushuaia
3-star option in Ushuaia (2 nights).
Tower Avenue
Standard
Foz do Iguaçu
3-star option in Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights).
Noble Design Copacabana
Standard
Rio de Janeiro
3-star option in Rio de Janeiro (3 nights).
Icaro Suites
Superior
Buenos Aires
4-star option in Buenos Aires (2 nights).
Calafate Parque
Superior
El Calafate
4-star option in El Calafate (2 nights).
Wyndham Garden Ushuaia
Superior
Ushuaia
4-star option in Ushuaia (2 nights).
Vivaz Cataratas
Superior
Foz do Iguaçu
4-star option in Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights).
Arena Leme
Superior
Rio de Janeiro
4-star option in Rio de Janeiro (3 nights).
DoubleTree by Hilton Buenos Aires
Luxury
Buenos Aires
5-star option in Buenos Aires (2 nights).
Xelena
Luxury
El Calafate
5-star option in El Calafate (2 nights).
Las Hayas Resort Hotel
Luxury
Ushuaia
5-star option in Ushuaia (2 nights).
DoubleTree by Hilton Foz do Iguaçu
Luxury
Foz do Iguaçu
5-star option in Foz do Iguaçu (2 nights).
Miramar by Windsor
Luxury
Rio de Janeiro
5-star option in Rio de Janeiro (3 nights).
Essential, Premium and Luxury categories available. Final accommodation is confirmed by date and availability.
What's included
Included: Accommodation in the listed hotels or similar (11 nights: 2 in Buenos Aires, 2 in El Calafate, 2 in Ushuaia, 2 in Foz do Iguaçu, 3 in Rio de Janeiro)
Included: Breakfast at the hotel
Included: Transfers as per the programme
Included: Buenos Aires city tour with a private English-speaking guide
Included: Perito Moreno Glacier excursion in a group with an English-speaking guide
Included: Tierra del Fuego National Park excursion in a group with an English-speaking guide
Included: Iguazú Falls, Argentine side, with a private English-speaking guide
Included: Iguazú Falls, Brazilian side, with a private English-speaking guide
Included: Half-day Sugarloaf and central Rio excursion with a private English-speaking guide
Included: Rio city tour and Corcovado with a private English-speaking guide
Included: Tango show with dinner in Buenos Aires
What's not included
Not included: International airfare and domestic flights (Buenos Aires – El Calafate – Ushuaia – Foz do Iguaçu – Rio de Janeiro)
Not included: Airport and tourism taxes and visa fees
Not included: Meals not mentioned in the programme, and food and drinks during transfers
Not included: Drinks unless explicitly stated
Not included: Tips and gratuities
Not included: Personal expenses and optional excursions
Not included: Travel insurance
Not included: Anything not expressly mentioned as included
Optional services
Optional, at extra cost:
Martillo Island penguin reserve — Group excursion to the Martillo Island penguin reserve, with about a 20-minute transfer to the port and 2 hours of navigation. You see Magellanic penguins and red-beaked Gentoo penguins, which you can walk among, as well as birds such as albatrosses, cormorants, petrels and South American terns.