An eight-day journey across Patagonia that links Argentina and Chile, pairing two capitals with the region's most striking glaciers and mountains.
It opens with two nights in Buenos Aires, with a half-day city tour of Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada, the Obelisco and the neighbourhoods of La Boca, San Telmo, Recoleta and Puerto Madero, followed by a dinner and tango show. Two nights in El Calafate bring the Nativo Experience jeep tour with dinner in the caves and an excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Los Glaciares National Park. An overland crossing into Chile leads to two nights in Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, visited on a full day that also takes in the Milodon Cave. The circuit closes with a night in Santiago de Chile and a tour of La Moneda and the Plaza de Armas.
Highlights
Half-day Buenos Aires city tour: Avenida 9 de Julio and the Obelisco, Plaza de Mayo, the Casa Rosada and the Metropolitan Cathedral
Dinner and tango show in Buenos Aires
Nativo Experience jeep tour with dinner in the caves by Lago Argentino
Perito Moreno Glacier, in Los Glaciares National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Full-day excursion in Torres del Paine National Park, with the Milodon Cave
Santiago de Chile city tour: La Moneda and the Plaza de Armas
Day-by-day itinerary
Day1
Day 1: Arrival in Buenos Aires
Arrival at Buenos Aires international airport and private transfer to the downtown hotel.
Day2
Day 2: Buenos Aires city tour and tango show
Half-day city tour. It takes in Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest avenues in the world, with the Obelisco; Plaza de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada and the Metropolitan Cathedral, mausoleum of General San Martín; the San Martín, Alvear and Congreso squares; avenues such as Corrientes and Avenida de Mayo; and the neighbourhoods of La Boca, San Telmo, Palermo, Recoleta and Puerto Madero. In the evening, dinner and tango show at Tango Porteño: a three-course dinner paired with Argentine wines and a live performance by dancers, singers and musicians. Roundtrip transfers in regular service included.
Day3
Day 3: Buenos Aires – El Calafate
Private transfer from the hotel to the airport and flight to El Calafate. On arrival, transfer to the downtown hotel. In the evening, the guided "Nativo Experience" jeep tour with dinner in a cave. Driving along the shore of Lago Argentino, the tour reaches caves where the indigenous peoples of Patagonia left their rock paintings thousands of years ago; the day ends with a traditional dinner in the caves.
Day4
Day 4: El Calafate — Perito Moreno Glacier
Breakfast at the hotel. Excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Los Glaciares National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located 80 km from El Calafate, in the south-west of Lake Argentino, it is one of the few glaciers in the world still advancing. From its front wall, about 60 metres high, blocks of ice break off and fall into the Iceberg Channel. Footbridges and an observation platform allow you to view it.
Day5
Day 5: El Calafate – Puerto Natales
After breakfast, overland transfer from El Calafate to Puerto Natales, crossing the Patagonian steppe toward the Chilean border. Along the way, landscapes of mountains, plains and wind-shaped hills, with a chance to spot local wildlife such as guanacos, foxes, rheas (ñandú), hares and even alpacas. After the border formalities, the route continues through Chilean Patagonia to Puerto Natales, on the shores of the Última Esperanza Sound and the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park. On arrival, transfer to the hotel and the rest of the day at leisure.
Day6
Day 6: Torres del Paine National Park
Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park, with an English-speaking guide, its granite towers rising more than 2,000 metres over the steppe. Part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it is home to guanacos, rheas (ñandú), condors and flamingos. The day includes the Milodon Cave, 25 km from Puerto Natales, where remains of the Mylodon Darwini were found in 1895; and Salto Grande, a waterfall a 15-minute walk away that links Lakes Nordenskjöld and Pehoé. The return drive passes the Río Serrano and the Toro and Porteño lakes. Overnight at the hotel.
Day7
Day 7: Puerto Natales – Santiago de Chile
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Santiago, the capital of Chile. On arrival, a local representative meets you and transfers you to the downtown hotel.
Day8
Day 8: Santiago de Chile city tour and departure
After breakfast, city tour with an English-speaking guide. It begins in the centre at La Moneda, the government palace, built in neoclassical style in 1799 as the royal mint and the seat of the Chilean government since the mid-19th century. It continues to the Plaza de Armas, the historic heart of the city, surrounded by the Governor's House, the Santiago Municipality, the Main Post Office, the Royal Audience building and the Cathedral. Afterwards, transfer to the airport for the return flight.
What's included
Included: Accommodation in the selected hotel category or similar (7 nights: 2 in Buenos Aires, 2 in El Calafate, 2 in Puerto Natales, 1 in Santiago de Chile)
Included: Meals specified in the programme: the dinner with tango show in Buenos Aires and the dinner in the caves during the Nativo Experience at El Calafate
Included: Transfers as per the programme (private arrival transfer in Buenos Aires; roundtrip transfers in regular service for the tango show)
Included: Half-day Buenos Aires city tour
Included: Nativo Experience guided jeep tour with dinner in the caves, El Calafate
Included: Excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier, in Los Glaciares National Park
Included: Overland transfer from El Calafate to Puerto Natales, crossing the Argentina–Chile border
Included: Full-day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park, including the Milodon Cave, with an English-speaking guide
Included: Half-day Santiago de Chile city tour with an English-speaking guide
Included: Entrance tickets as per the programme
Included: Guide service throughout the programme
What's not included
Not included: International airfare
Not included: Domestic flights (Buenos Aires–El Calafate and Puerto Natales–Santiago de Chile)
Not included: Airport and tourism taxes and visa fees
Not included: Meals and drinks not specified in the programme, and food and drinks during transfers
Not included: Drinks unless explicitly stated
Not included: Additional or optional excursions and personal expenses
Not included: Laundry services
Not included: Tips and gratuities
Not included: Travel insurance
Not included: Anything not expressly mentioned as included