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Argentina Package 3
Patagonia, Glaciers & Iguazu Falls
10 days/ 9 nights
(click on photos to enlarge)
This tour includes what many people would consider the three most important highlights of a trip to Argentina - the cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, the spectacular glaciers and icebergs of Patagonia and the world-renowned Iguazu Falls. It is designed for people whose travel time is limited and who want to make the most of their trip.
This tour is best taken between October and April. Due to the extreme southern locale of El Calafate, temperatures may remain chilly even during these summer months, necessitating the use of plenty of warm layers of clothing.
What's Included
Air tickets Buenos Aires - El Calafate - Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires - Iguazu - Buenos Aires
4 nights of accommodation in Buenos Aires
3 nights of accommodation in El Calafate, Patagonia
2 nights of accommodation at Iguazu Falls Daily Breakfast
All transfers between airports and hotels in each city
All excursions detailed in the itinerary
What's Not Included
International airfare
Meals not listed in tour description
Drinks and beverages
Frequently Asked Questions
Day 1
You will be picked up at Ezeiza, the international airport of Buenos Aires, and driven to your hotel. Since most international flights arrive in the morning, you will probably want to rest up and get settled in your room. Today is a free day, but if you want to go out to explore on your own, we can make suggestions about what you can do. Checking out some of Buenos Aires' premier shopping locations such as Patio Bullrich or Galerias Pacifico might be a possibility. These beautiful shopping plazas, built on the sites of historic structures, offer high-quality European and local products at prices lower than those found in the U.S. or Europe. Taxis in BA are inexpensive and are probably the easiest way to get around to do some shopping on your own.
You might also consider visiting the large number of antique stores on Calle Defensa in San Telmo. San Telmo will be a stop on your city tour of Buenos Aires, but you might choose to spend even more time in this fascinating district.
If you plan your trip in such a way that your are free in Buenos Aires on a Sunday, then you should definitely visit the large street fair and antiques market that takes place every Sunday at the Plaza Dorrego in San Telmo. The merchandise sold at the market is generally not of the same quality as that found at the nearby shops, but the Sunday market is a lot of fun and well worth a visit. |  |
|  | Day 2
In the morning, after breakfast, we will start a city tour including lunch, visiting the most important sites in Buenos Aires.
Among them are the Plaza de Mayo, La Boca, San Telmo, 9 de Julio Avenue (said to be the widest street in the world), the Obelisk, Puerto Madero and Recoleta Cemetary, where you can see the mausoleum of Eva Peron.
This tour runs around 3 hours and will still leave you some time in the afternoon for more shopping or plain relaxing.
In the evening, you will again be picked up at your hotel and taken to one of the most famous tango houses of Buenos Aires, Esquina Carlos Gardel, named after the famous tango singer, Carlos Gardel, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in 1939 and whose photograph still graces almost every coffee bar in Buenos Aires. You will be treated to an excellent dinner and a great tango show. Return to hotel and overnight. |
| Day 3
A full-day trip to a typical "estancia" (ranch) in the pampas outside of Buenos Aires. At the estancia you will be treated to an asado - an Argentinian barbecue. In addition, there will be a gaucho show, with cattle-handling and horseback riding skills demonstrated. Return to hotel and overnight. |  |
|  | Day 4
Pickup at hotel for transfer to Aeroparque (also called Jorge Newbury Airport). This is the airport for domestic flights and it is only around a 15-minute ride from most hotels. The flight to El Calafate in Patagonia lasts around 2 1/2 hours. From the airplane, you should get a good view of the magnificent glaciers and mountains which you will be seeing up close during the next few days. The rest of the day is free to settle into your hotel, relax and explore the town of El Calafate. El Calafate is a small town with one main street which is full of shops and restaurants. It looks more like a European ski town than a resort in South America. Overnight at hotel. |
| Day 5
After breakfast, drive to Lake Argentino for one of the highlights of this tour - a visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier. The glacier is part of Los Glacieres National Park and is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Los Glaciares National Park is an area of exceptional natural beauty, with rugged, towering mountains and numerous glacial lakes, including Lake Argentino, which is 160 km long. At its farthest end, three glaciers meet to dump their effluvia into the milky grey glacial water, launching massive icebergs into the lake with thunderous splashes.
At first sight, you may be taken aback at the magnitude of the Perito Moreno Glacier. It towers 240 feet high, the height of a 15-story building, and is over three miles long. An unusual feature of Perito Moreno glacier is that it is dynamic, that is, it is changing all the time. Unlike other glaciers, which are slowly receding, the Perito Moreno is actually growing day by day. At the same time, large chunks of ice and snow are constantly falling off the walls of the glacier into the lake. This is known as "calving". The pieces fall into the water with a loud crash, making the viewing experience quite exciting as well as unpredictable. If you observe the glacier for a few minutes, you are likely to see this take place and, if you are patient, you can get a good photo or video of the calving process. The glacier will be seen in two ways. First, upon arrival, you will take a short walk (around 1/3 of a mile) to a series of 7 panoramic viewing balconies. These balconies are strategically placed to offer you unique views of the glacier. All of these balconies but the lowest are easily accessible. The lowest balcony, which brings you closest to the glacier, involves going down and then back up a flight of stairs. But most people are able to do it without much difficulty.
The second way you will observe the glacier is from the lake itself. Upon finishing the balcony walk, you board a boat for a cruise which sails right up to and along the glacier. You will be seated in the exclusive VIP section, on the upper deck of the boat. This section will provide you with better views, more comfortable seats and an exclusive guide, who will interpret the fantastic sights you will be viewing.
Then return to the hotel in El Calafate for a relaxing evening and, perhaps, some shopping. El Calafate has a number of good restaurants, with especially good seafood. |  |
|  | Day 6
Drive to Puerto Bandera for a full-day boat tour, taking you into the North Arm of Lake Argentino to navigate among icebergs and to the front of the imposing Upsala Glacier. You will be in the VIP section of the boat.
From there you continue on to the Onelli Channel and disembark in Onelli Bay. After a short and easy walk through a forest, you reach Onelli Lagoon, where glaciers Onelli (18 square miles), Bolado (6 square miles) and Agassiz (12 square miles) meet. At noon you have free time for lunch at a nearby restaurant. Then you re-embark to see still more glaciers and icebergs.
The Spegazzini glacier was named after the botanist Carlos Spegazzini, who made the first studies of the local flora. It is the highest glacier within the National Park.
After a long day on the waters of the Lake, return to your hotel to relax and enjoy dinner at a good local restaurant and a good night's rest.
studies in the area. The height of its walls range from 197 to 262 feet (60-80 meters) and its surface is of 232 square miles (595 km2), it is 37 miles long (60 km), and 3-4 miles wide (5-7 km). The total basin surface of this glacier is of 390 square miles (1000 km2). The depth of the lake at the front of the glacier is of about 3280 feet (1000 meters).
From there you will continue on the Onelli Channel and you will disembark in Onelli Bay. Landing in Onelli Bay you find ourselves surrounded by forests. Crossing the forest after a short and easy walk, we reach Onelli Lagoon, where glaciers Onelli (18 square miles), Bolado (6 square miles) and Agassiz (12 square miles) meet. This lagoon is usually filled with icebergs, detachments of ice from the glaciers. At noon you will have free time for lunch in a restaurant nearby. Then you will embark and navigate to see even more glaciers and icebergs.
The Spegazzini glacier was named after the botanist Carlos Spegazzini, who made the first studies of the local flora. This glacier has a surface of 26 square miles and is 15.5 miles long and 1 mile wide . The height of its front, 262-443 feet is an outstanding characteristic. It is the highest glacier within the National Park.
After a long day on the waters of the Lake, return to your hotel to relax and enjoy a good local restaurant and, we hope, a good night's rest. |
| Day 7
After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel for transfer to the airport for your flight back to Buenos Aires. You will be met at the airport there and transferred to your hotel. Overnight at hotel. |  |
|  | Day 8
Back to the nearby domestic airport for the flight to Puerto Iguazu. Upon arrival, you will be taken to your hotel. After settling into your hotel room, you should be ready to start your tour of the Iguazu Falls area. If you have chosen to stay at the Cataratas Hotel you join a small group tour, designed to cover the highlights of the Iguazu fall area over a two-day period. If you are staying at either the Sheraton Iguazu Hotel and Resort or the Grand Hotel Iguazu you will be going on a private tour with your own guide. Either option will ensure that you see the best that the Iguazu Iguazu National Park has to offer.
The Iguazu Falls, located within the Iguazu National Park, are taller than Niagara and twice as wide. The Falls are on the border between Argentina and Brazil and both sides can be visited for different aspects of Iguazu.
In the National Park you board a little train that takes you to the footbridges leading to one of the most impressive sites at Iguazú Falls: La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat). It is here that a great number of cascades converge.The Devil's Throat owes its name to the overwhelming sound created by the cascades, which plummet over 230 feet down from a confluence of many streams.
There are two main footbridge circuits on the Argentine side of the Falls. - The higher (Superior) circuit, running around 3/4 of a mile, will provide you with great views of the Dos Hermanos, Alvarez Nunez and Lanusse Falls.
The lower (Inferior) circuit, about 1 mile in length, will get you get really close to the Falls, letting you feel their spray as you approach. You can take your time on these circuits, stopping as often as you want for the many photo opportunities.
Our tour to Iguazu also includes a short but spectacular boat trip, taking you right to the base of the the Devil's Throat. You will be provided with wet-gear for this exciting trip. For some tourists, this is the highlight of their visit.
You can also visit the Brazilian side of the Falls. Since the American government began to charge Brazilians (among others) a large visa fee to enter the United States, the Brazilian government reciprocated. This means that at present if you choose to visit the Brazilian side of the Falls, you will need to pay a fee of $100 or more per person to visit Brazil. The amount of the visa fee has fluctuated.
Why go to the Brazilian side? Because you get a different perspective of the Falls from there.
On the Argentine side, you are able to get up close and personal to the Falls. On the Brazilian side it is more of an opportunity for panoramic views. However, it is the Argentine side that offers the fuller, more spectacular experience, because there are simply more and better views of the Falls. If you are only planning to visit one side of the Falls, the Argentine side is the one to visit. |
| Day 9
Your Iguazu tour continues. Since there are a number of choices to be made about what to see in the Iguazu area, we will discuss these with you in advance so that your particular interests may be served. Day 9 will be a continuation of your explorations of day 8. |  |
|  | Day 10
After breakfast at your hotel you will be picked up and taken to the local airport for your return to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival at the domestic airport you will be taken to Ezeiza, the international airport for your flight home. Since almost all international flights leave at night, you should be able to make your flight home without spending an extra night in Buenos Aires. However, if you plan to extend your stay or make more excursions within Argentina, we can arrange that for you as well.
Hotels in Iguazu for 10-day Tour
Cataratas Hotel
Even though this hotel is our least expensive choice in Iguazu, it is still a very nice site. In fact, most people will find it highly satisfactory and will find no reason to spend more for their stay in Iguazu.
With a stay at the Cataratas Hotel you will take part in small group tours at the Falls.
However, we do offer two more hotel choices in Iguazu. With a stay at either of these two hotels you are provided with private guided tours.
Sheraton Iguazu Hotel and Resort
The Sheraton Hotel Resort and Spa
is the only hotel within the Iguazu Falls National Park itself and you will soon see the attractions of staying there.
Grand Hotel Iguazu
This is certainly the most luxurious hotel choice in the Iguazu area. This hotel is a 10-minute drive from the Falls.
Included with a stay either at the Sheraton or the Grand Hotel Iguazu are tailor-made private guided tours. These tours, the features of which are described above, will be suited to your individual tastes and preferences. Some visitors enjoy more walking. Others prefer to drive more. Some are more adventurous than others. Whatever your choice may be, we will tailor the tours just for you. The various choices will be explained in such a way that you can make the most of your time at Iguazu.
You may check reviews of these hotels on websites such as tripadvisor.com.
Superior Category Hotels
Buenos Aires:
Hotel Pestana
Dazzler Tower
El Calafate:
Hotel Kosten Aike
Calafate Parque
Iguazu:
Cataratas Hotel
Deluxe Category 1 Hotels
These are among the top hotels in each city.
Buenos Aires:
Four Seasons Hotel
El Calafate:
Posada los Alamos
Iguazu:
Sheraton Iguazú Resort & Spa
Hotels in Deluxe Category 2
These are among the top hotels in each city.
Buenos Aires:
Four Seasons Hotel
El Calafate:
Posada los Alamos
Iguazu:
Grand Hotel Iguazu
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| Trip Price per Person
Prices are per person based on double occupancy and include all transfers, accommodation, tours and services detailed in the "What's Included" section of this trip. Please request prices for the solo traveler or for groups of 4 or more.
Superior Category Hotels: $3495 per person
Deluxe Category 1 Hotels: $4495 per person
Deluxe Category 2 Hotels: $4895 per person
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