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Patagonia Tours13-day Explorer This trip includes all that is in our 8-day Patagonia Explorer and also visits
the Valdes Peninsula, the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia, and Tierra del Fuego.
You can also extend your trip by adding a visit to the Atacama
Desert, Iguazú
Falls, or mysterious Easter
Island.
1st Day: Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina, we are met and transferred to our hotel. The rest of the day is open for relaxation and sight-seeing. 2nd Day: In the morning, we fly to Trelew, originally colonized by Welsh settlers, where we spend the next two nights. Upon arrival, we are met and driven to Punta Tombo Rookery, home to one of the largest Magellanic penguin colonies in the world, as well as kelp gulls, skuas, giant petrels, and guanay cormorants. 3rd Day: Today, we explore the Valdes Peninsula—its rocky beaches and sheltered bays are home to one of the world’s largest concentrations of marine mammals. We see elephant seals, sea lions and dolphins, as well as penguins, guanacos, rheas, foxes, and armadillos. If whales are present, we can arrange an optional boat trip for a closer look. 4th Day: In the morning we fly from Trelew to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, for a two-night stay. The rest of the day is free to explore the town. 5th Day: Tierra del Fuego National Park greets us
today with its beech forest and myriad birds, including black-chested
buzzard eagles and Andean condors. We then take a ride on the historic
Train to the End of the World. The afternoon is spent sailing through
the Beagle Channel, viewing marine mammals and birds. 7th Day: Today we spend the day visiting Los Glaciares National Park and the Perito Moreno glacier, the largest glacier in Patagonia. After a boat ride past towering ice walls, we land and approach the glacier by foot. 8th Day: Leaving Argentina, we cross the border into Chile and drive to Torres del Paine National Park. Declared a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978, the park is famous for its spectacular granite spires, beautiful lakes and incredible glaciers. We spend the next three nights at the ecologically sensitive Ecocamp Las Torres, which offers “luxury camping” similar to the grand lodges of Africa. We sleep in six-foot-high, wooden-floored dome tents, each with two beds and a gas heater. 9th Day: We drive to Lake Grey, home to floating icebergs, and take a leisurely hike to view the Grey Glacier. We then hike to Mirador Pehoe for a breathtaking view of the Paine massif. From the shores of Lake Pehoe, we walk to the Salto Grande, a giant waterfall. 10th Day: Today we visit the eastern side of the park and Laguna Azul, where we walk through an ancient beech forest and have the opportunity to spot many species of birds. As an alternative, we may choose to spend the day hiking to the foot of the Paine Towers, the dramatic symbol of the park. 11th Day: We travel back to El Calafate, where we spend the night. 12th Day: We transfer from our hotel in El Calafate to the airport for our flight to Buenos Aires, where we are met and taken to our hotel. Alternatively, we may continue our vacation to the Atacama Desert, Iguazú Falls, or Easter Island. 13th Day: We transfer to the airport for our flight home, sad to leave but filled with wonderful memories of this remote, unspoiled place at the end of the world. What’s included: Domestic air, land transportation, accommodations (9 nights in hotels, 3 nights at the Ecocamp), guided tours, boat trips, 20 meals. The maximum group size is 18.
Departures: Every Sunday Minimum Number of Persons: Two *Note: Prices subject to change without notice.
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