Highlights of Argentina Tour

Prepare to leave the concrete jungle for a world unlike any other as you head for the borderlands of Argentina and an encounter with amazing Iguazu Falls, one of the Earth’s crowning natural marvels. A private driver will escort you to the airport in Buenos Aires, and one will be waiting for you when you arrive in Iguazu, ready to transport you to your truly peerless accommodations in the heart of this protected natural preserve. You can practically see the falls from your bedroom window, and you’re sure to be surrounded with the unmatched grandeur and glories of the countryside.

Your first foray into Iguazu is a journey you’ll never forget, as the Iguazu and Parana Rivers conjoin to form one of the most spectacular natural environments in the world. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site more than 30 years ago, Iguazu Falls is home to a number of impressive cataracts and a wide array of diverse flora and fauna, which you’ll get to experience first-hand while being led by a knowledgeable and friendly guide.

Begin at the Visitor’s Center, where you’ll board a train that will take you up into the heart of the Falls, where the roiling water fills the air with a fine mist and where the scenery is as lush as a tropical rain forest. You’ll wind your way through well maintained footpaths and get an up-close glimpse of the Falls from a number of perfectly perched lookout points, ogling at the more than 250 cascades that tumble to the depths below.

You’ll continue on by train to the “Garganta Station,” where you’ll disembark and take a half-mile hike until reaching the highlight of the park, the monstrous and aptly-named Devil’s Throat.  This is where nearly 50 percent of all the water in Iguazu tumbles over a precipice stretching for more than half a mile and descends nearly three hundred feet to the placid pools below. The evening sees you back in the hotel for a delicious and memorable dinner.

Take this morning to cross over to Brazil for another glimpse of immaculate Iguazu, getting a sense of the overwhelming size and majesty of the Falls as the colors gleam off the tumbling water. Here, the blues of the river turn pulsing white, the green trees and shrubs hide the brightly colored foliage of birds and small mammals, and everywhere the sky gives way to the proliferation of rainbows, setting the entire scene in a prismatic spectrum that is unlike any other place on the planet.

After this foray into Brazil, you’ll be taken to the airport in Puerto Iguazu.  You will head far to the south, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Atlantic and where a young naturalist named Charles Darwin once observed the abundant wildlife that calls the waters and lands of the Tierra del Fuego home. You arrive at Ushuaia, widely regarded as the southernmost city on the globe, where a friendly driver will be waiting to take you to your astounding accommodations here at land’s end. You’ll be treated to a delicious and hearty dinner before setting off to bed, anxious for tomorrow’s expedition in this rugged and romantic region.

A filling breakfast gives you plenty of fuel for adventuring, and you set out this morning for the magnificent Tierra del Fuego National Park, an expansive stretch of more than 155,000 acres that is home to some of the most breathtaking scenery you could ever imagine. The plants and animals that are endemic to the region are varied and fascinating, from fire bushes and beech trees to black-necked swans, Magellanic woodpeckers, the southern river otter and the South Andean deer. Nowhere is this beauty quite as evident as at Lapataia Bay, the southernmost point of South America and a region of pristine natural wonders.  Lapataia Bay also has a vast array of archeological artifacts from civilizations that lived here centuries ago.

Following lunch, you’ll go on the sailing voyage of a lifetime on the Beagle Channel, which separates the mainland from an archipelago of islands that forms the far south of South America (and, indeed, the world). Cruise past Ushuaia and Puerto Williams, the two settlements vying for the title of “southernmost city in the world,” and catch a glimpse of the iconic Les Eslaireurs lighthouse, a remotely controlled lighthouse painted in a striking red-white-red pattern set amidst the incomparable scenery of far south Patagonia. On your way back, you’ll make your way past colonies of penguins and groups of sea lions before ending your day back in Ushuaia.

Today, set out for the splendid lakes of the region, from the impeccable setting of Fagnano Lake – where the Andes rise impossibly from the low plains surrounding the azure waters – to the verdant surroundings of Lago Escondido, a narrow, snakelike rush of blue that is translated as “Hidden Lake.”  You’ll find yourself in a deep communion with nature, witnessing all of her amazing beauty and holding your breath as the sun creeps up the southern sky, bathing the land in warmth and light. Whether you are a nature lover or city slicker, outdoorsman or couch commando, this is sure to be one foray into the Great Outdoors that will leave you longing for more.

The afternoon sees you back in Ushuaia, where you’ll spend one more evening enjoying this unforgettable locale.

Venture back inland to experience the crowning marvels of one of the largest ice fields on the planet as today sees you journeying to El Calafate. This quaint and charming town is the jumping off point for some of Argentina’s best natural adventures, from the massive glaciers of Perito Moreno and Upsala to the soaring peaks of Cerro Chalten and Cerro Torre.

A private driver will be waiting for you at the airport and will transfer you to your charming hotel, where you can drop off your luggage and explore the city. The Glaciarum is a fine museum dedicated to the science and history of glaciers, from their composition to the stories of the brave men and women who have spent their lives exploring and studying these stupendous formations.

Today is spent learning all about the immense and inimitable Perito Moreno Glacier, a central formation in the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields and a singular example of the profound beauty of ice. Reaching across an area nearly one hundred square miles, Perito Moreno is one of only three glaciers in all of Patagonia that is still growing, and it’s also uniquely susceptible to dramatic ruptures, as portions of the glacier’s wall drop precipitously into the sea below with an audible crack.

You’ll find exploring the area easy and safe, as all the trails are clearly marked and expertly maintained, and you’ll be truly astounded with how close you can get to these immense structures. You’ll hear the gentle sighing and sharp splits as the glacier moves and reacts to the world around it, and you’ll be awe-inspired by the beryl blue waters and romantic glacier caves that fill your vision and offer a truly out-of-this-world experience. You’ll even find the journey back to El Calafate rewarding, as you pass through a stunning landscape brimming with darling and delightful species of exotic wildlife.

Turn south on your final day in Argentina, heading for the shores of Lago Argentina and the environs of Puerto Bandera, where you’ll jump on a catamaran that will take you within meters of the outstanding Upsala Glacier, the largest continental glacier in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Covering an area of more than 200 square miles and soaring up to 260 feet above the ocean’s surface, Upsala is sure to captivate and amaze you.  The scenery of Onelli Bay completes the panorama in heart-stopping fashion. Be sure to bring your camera, as this part of the world offers photo opportunities that you won’t reproduce in a thousand lifetimes.

Return to El Calafate for the afternoon, and spend the evening living up the last bit of Argentine life.

Today, a driver will take you to the airport at El Calafate with plenty of time to board the plane that will return you home. From the banks of the Rio de la Plata, to the stupendous Iguazu Falls, from the channels and straits that mark the edge of the South American continent at Tierra del Fuego, to the astounding Perito Moreno and Upsala Glaciers, this is sure to be a vacation that will send you into paroxysms of joy and leave you in undeniable awe of the marvelous power of nature.