Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego, Glaciers National Park and Bariloche

Day to Day Itinerary
Day 1
Take the overnight flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Day 2
Arrival in Buenos Aires and transfer to your hotel. Afternoon city tour of Buenos Aires, an impressive city that combines the atmosphere of a former European town with the features of a Latin American capital. In this tour, you will acquire a deep understanding of its characteristics, its history, its architecture, its culture and its best stories. We will visit the center of the city, San Telmo, La Boca, Puerto Madero and Palermo, and stops in Plaza de Mayo, Caminito and La Recoleta.
Note: check-in is normally after 2 pm. Early check-in may be granted subject to availability (not confirmed).

Day 3
Fiesta Gaucha
Full-day excursion to an estancia for a typical barbeque lunch and a folklore/gaucho show. Here, we will learn about the customs of the Argentinean gauchos, and their horseback abilities that will leave you breathless. The meat will be cooked a lo gaucho outdoors on the barbeque. Lunch and drinks included. Afternoon return to Buenos Aires.

Day 4
Day at leisure in Buenos Aires
Evening tango show
At night, you will see an unforgettable tango show performed by the best dancers and singers, while enjoying a delicious meal at Esquina Carlos Gardel. This world-famous tango show features the glamour of the 1930s, in a romantic and intimate setting. This is the perfect way to leave Buenos Aires, the city of tango. Three-course dinner and Argentinean wine included.

Day 5
Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Ushuaia. Upon arrival in Ushuaia, South America’s most southern city, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, we will take a boat excursion on the Beagle Channel to see the Birds and Sea Wolves islands. Cruise the legendary waterways of the Beagle Channel in a classic vessel and admire the spectacular setting of Ushuaia harbor set against a mountain backdrop. Cruise past Isla de los Pajaros (Birds Island) and observe multiple species of birds including a large colony of cormorants. Get close to seals and sea lions as you cruise around Isla de los Lobos (Sea Wolves Island). Note: Embarkation tax of $2 per person must be paid locally.

Day 6
Lake Fagnano off-road excursion
The first stage of the journey is to travel north along national Route 3, enjoying views of the Valles Carbajal (Carbajal Valleys) and Tierra Mayor until the Garibaldi Pass, our first photo stop.

We then continue along Route 3 until Aserradero Bronzovich, where we take a secondary route. This is the beginning of the off-road journey. One path takes us to the coast of Lake Fagnano where, in a strikingly beautiful forest, you will be served a breakfast of coffee or tea and typical cookies. This off-road journey lasts for about an hour, traveling along the edges of the lake, sometimes on the coast of the lake, sometimes in the forest...and sometimes in the water!

We arrive at Laguna Bombilla, where you can walk around the coast for about 40 minutes. We then reach a refuge on the border of the lake. Here we will enjoy a traditional lunch of picada and asado (cold and grilled meats and cheese) with drinks included. This place is rustic yet comfortable, with some of the best views in all of Tierra del Fuego. After lunch, we will have time to walk, enjoy the area or sit around the table with your friends. We then start our journey back to Ushuaia by taking the old Route 3, which borders Lago Escondido. Here we will find the Hostería Petrel, an ideal place to walk, drink coffee or merely enjoy the beauty of the place. After this stop, we return again to Route 3 and to the city of Ushuaia.

While this excursion is out of the ordinary, it can be taken by people of all ages who want to travel to places accessible only in a 4x4 vehicle. Very light activity involved, and even it is optional. Lunch and snacks included.

Day 7
Morning departure to Tierra del Fuego National Park, located only 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the city. It preserves typical species of the Andean-Patagonic Forest, such as fire bushes, beech trees, ñires, box-leafed barberries and flowers, spread in an area of 63,000 hectares. Before entering the National Park, board the Train to the End of the World and enjoy an unforgettable trip along the original embankment where the old prisoners’ train ran until 1947 for their expeditions into the National Park in search of wood for heating. The highlight of the park is Lapataia Bay, the southernmost tip of the continent, with a wonderful view of the Beagle Channel. Here, the old inhabitants of the area have left their testimony in the “concheros,” incredible archeological deposits. Afternoon transfer to the airport to take the flight to Calafate. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.

Day 8
Overland trip to Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the world’s largest active continental glaciers, declared Universal Mankind’s Heritage Site by UNESCO, because of its breathtaking beauty and its unusual behavior. A boat excursion to the face of the glacier is included to get an up-close and personal perspective of this immense gift from Mother Nature.

Optional mini-trekking excursion for outdoor enthusiasts (additional $55 per person).

Day 9
Departure from the hotel toward Puerto Bandera, 50 kilometers (31 miles) away from the town, to board a catamaran to enjoy a full-day lake excursion to Upsala Glacier and Onelli Bay, cruising among hundreds of icebergs that have broken off the glaciers. Upsala is the largest continental glacier in the Southern Hemisphere. The height of its walls varies between 60 and 80 meters (196 to 262 feet), and it has an area of 595 square kilometers / 229 square miles). Return to Calafate.

Day 10
Transfer to the airport to take the flight back to Bariloche. Upon arrival in Bariloche airport, you will be transferred to your hotel. Evening free to enjoy Bariloche and its fabulous views of the Andes across the blue waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Bariloche and its surrounding area are evergreen forests, snow-capped peaks, deep blue or transparent green lakes, spring flowers and alpine architecture.

Note: In certain months, flights do not operate every day. Please check with your Kontiki travel advisor.

Day 11
Departure to Puerto Pañuelo to embark and sail up to Puerto Cántaros at Lake Nahuel Huapi’s west extreme. Upon arrival, we will hike up to Cántaros Lake walking through a beautiful Valdivian forest, seeing the different Cántaros Cascade waterfalls. We will then embark again to cross Blest Arm and descend at Puerto Blest, where we will have lunch and visit the National Park Interpretation Center. We will then take the excursion to the amazing Frias Lake. Return to Puerto Pañuelo and transfer to your hotel.

Day 12
In the morning, we will take a tour of Bariloche. We will visit the Virgin of the Snow, the ski lift Campanario, Lake El Trebol, the Panoramic Point, Lopez Bay and the Llao Llao Peninsula. On the way back, visit Cerro Otto (Otto Mountain). Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, transfer to the international airport for connecting flight back home.

Day 13
Arrival.