Discover Patagonia

Begin your adventure in Buenos Aires, a city that moves to the rhythms of tango.Around 6pm, say hola to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big Latin welcome by arranging dinner at a great local restaurant.Want to explore Buenos Aires further? Additional pre-tour hotel nights are bookable through your sales representative.

Today’s half-day city tour will showcase the many faces of Buenos Aires. Discover key plaza’s, monuments and barrios, such as colourful La Boca, fashionable Palermo and historic San Telmo – the birthplace of tango.This evening we recommend joining a dinner and tango show in the old quarter of San Telmo (optional).

Fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate this morning and transfer (approximately three to four hours) to the small mountain town of El Chaltén. The town has a beautiful location in Los Glaciares National Park with breathtaking views of Mount Fitz Roy and the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.

Set off for a day of trekking amid the incredible mountains and valleys of Los Glaciares National Park.Our hike begins alongside Rio Blanco (the white river), taking us through a forest of lenga and ñire trees. Once out of the forest we get our first view of the Piedras Blancas Glacier. From basecamp, our trek continues up to Laguna de los Tres, a glacial lake whose still waters reflect the three main peaks of the Mount Fitz Roy massif. We return to El Chalten via the Laguna Capri lookout point trail, for serene views of Fitz Roy.This is a challenging full-day trek over fairly rough terrain which is widely regarded as one of the best and most iconic hikes in South America. It’s possible to do a shorter, moderate version of today’s hike which doesn’t involve going all the way to Laguna de los Tres.

A drive of around 40 minutes will bring us to Los Huemules Natural Reserve, a private estancia located in the shadows of Mount Fitz Roy.Today’s hiking trail follows the Diablo River Valley (Devil River Valley), through native forest, past the Diablo Lagoon and across hanging bridges before emerging at the Cagliero Glacier. A cosy refuge is located in front of the glacier. This will be a welcome lunch stop before our trail continues past the Blue and Green Lagoons. Look out for sightings of the torrents duck, magellanic woodpecker and condor in this pristine environment.

For those who want to keep their legs moving, it’s possible to do a three-hour hike to the Cerro Torre viewpoint this morning. The trail hugs the Fitz Roy River to reach a viewpoint of the canyon, the margarita waterfall and eventually the granite needles of Mont Torre. Afterwards, we leave El Chaltén behind and return to El Calafate, a drive of around three to four hours.

Visit Perito Moreno Glacier today, a jagged ice sheet that stretches more than 3mi (5km) across Lago Argentino and rises 200ft (61m) out of the cold waters. It is the fastest-moving glacier on the planet and the eerie creaks and thunderous groans add an atmosphere of anticipation.Every so often, an office block-sized chunk of ice calves from its face into the water below before slowly floating down the lake as an iceberg. A series of walkways offers different vantage points of the glacier, and an optional boat trip gives an even greater appreciation of the immense scale of this wonder.

After breakfast, we drive (approximately five hours) across the border into Chile before arriving at Torres del Paine, one of the most beautiful national parks in the world. Due to local regulations we must change buses at the border.We may have time after check-in for a short walk next to Laguna Amarga, which offers great panoramic views of the Paine Massif and the striking granite Horns of Paine.

Without a doubt, one of the park highlights is the hike up to the base of the Torres del Paine. The walk itself is beautiful, trekking primarily through forests along the Ascencio River valley with incredible views. This is a challenging full-day trek and the last section is steep with rocky terrain, so you need a reasonably good level of fitness and confidence. Adverse weather conditions can make this walk much harder; your tour leader will give a trek briefing and be on hand throughout. It’s possible to do a shorter, moderate version of today’s hike which doesn’t involve going all the way to base of the towers.

Another great day of trekking lies ahead as we venture into the French Valley. A 30-minute boat trip along Lake Pehoé takes us to Paine Grande, where our trail starts with views of the azure water of Lake Skottsberg, before reaching Campamento Italiano where we begin our ascent. We hike for around 1hr 30min until the French Glacier lookout, where we can observe an impressive hanging glacier and listen for the rumbling of small avalanches as great chunks of ice and snow fall off.The trail continues until Campamento Británico and onto another lookout point, Mirador Británico. The full trek distance of 12.5mi (20km) applies if we reach the very end of Valle Frances; often, we only go as far as one particular viewpoint due to the weather and/or group condition. We return back along the French valley to Campamento Italiano, catching sight of Nordenskjöld Lake and re-tracing our steps to the boat back across Lake Pehoé.

We transfer around six hours to El Calafate before flying to Ushuaia, which (as the southernmost city on the planet) is often called ‘the end of the world’!

Spend this morning in the secluded wilderness of Tierra del Fuego National Park, walking among varied terrain, flora and fauna. A short circular trail takes us along the beach and through the forest, affording views of the Chilean coast across the other side of the Beagle Channel. We also visit Lapataia Bay, the end of all roads in the Americas!In the afternoon, there is an optional boat ride along the Beagle Channel to see marine wildlife including penguins, sea lions and many species of water bird. Enjoy fantastic views of Ushuaia and its backdrop of often snow-capped peaks from the water.

Depending upon the flight schedule, we may have some free time this morning in Ushuaia. There are magnificent views from the hills leading up to the Martial Glacier and some small shops to pick up souvenirs. Ushuaia has just one museum, housed in the former prison, which is worth a visit. Fly back to Buenos Aires this afternoon, there will be a farewell dinner organised at a local restaurant for our last meal together.

The main adventure comes to an end today. Bid chau to each other and begin your return journey home.

Want to explore Buenos Aires further? Additional post-tour hotel nights are bookable through your sales representative.