Buenos Aires & Patagonia Tour for Seniors

Buenos Aires is a city that exudes culture and energy. The beat of a good tango is never far away. The savory aroma of browning filo dough drifts out of cafes and bakeries. Locals sit at cafes and sip strong coffee as they watch people stroll along the cobblestone streets of the historical neighborhoods. Your private transfer meets you at the airport upon your arrival and escorts you to your luxurious hotel. The city is vivacious with a mixture of youthful ambiance and historic buildings, holding true to its name, the “Paris of South America.”

Teatro Colon is considered one of the premier opera houses in the world. The acoustics create an ethereal reverberation throughout the concert hall. The edifice was erected between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main entrance looks out to the widest avenue in the world,  9 de Julio Avenue. The interior has a horseshoe shaped auditorium that can seat nearly 2,500 people, along with standing room for 1,000 more concertgoers. The Lavish décor of the interior embodies the entire charm of Buenos Aires, a city filled with music, passion, and history.

In the morning, the aroma of fresh coffee percolates inside enchanting cafes. Boutique shops open their windows to lavish displays of fashionable trends on Calle Florida, an elegant shopping street in downtown. A teenager plays an enchanting song on his accordion. The city comes to vigorous life. Your guide meets you at the hotel after breakfast, eager to show you the endless charms of Buenos Aires. The 47 neighborhoods that make up the city are each unique in their respective way. Buenos Aires is 78 square miles and rich with a frenetic downtown, neighborhoods pulsing with tangueros (tango dancers), and a possessing one of the most beautiful and refined cemeteries in the world in Recoleta.

Your guide leads you to the neighborhood of Palermo, known for its size and abundant greenery. Park and wooded areas, along with a tranquil lake, provide an escape from the bustling energy of the cityscape. Locals skate and jog along the walkways. You can hear polo player practicing on the large field, which is one of the most important polo fields in the world. The entire district of San Telmo is a monument to the city’s authentic past. Shady trees line the cobblestone streets. On the weekends, Plaza Dorrego brims with an antique market, showcasing silver handcrafts and sensational hand-carved furniture.

In the morning, the music of the city has calmed. The traditional candles, known as faroles, and which are used to illuminate the streets of San Telmo, continue to flicker against the base of the historical buildings. After breakfast, your guide meets you at the hotel and escorts you to the outskirts of the city on the banks of the Paraná Delta. The network of waterways creates a maze more than 1,242 miles long.  The town of Tigre sits at the confluence of the Lujan and Tigre rivers. It was founded in the 1820s and maintains exceptional 19th-century magnetism.

The Museo de Arte Tigre is housed in a lavish building commemorating the belle-époque. Marble, bronze, and stained glass now accentuate the already beautiful structure. Victorian buildings and Tudor-style half-timbered edifices decorate the riverbanks. You board a boat at the launching pad and relax in the warm sunlight bathing the landscape. The breeze is refreshing and cool. The boats ferry locals and visitors alike to a variety of islands scattered around the delta. The Buenos Aires Rowing Club has ivy-covered storage areas and a British baronial British ambiance, mixing grace and power.

In the morning, the sunlight washes over the colorful homes and artistic streets of the La Boca district. The painting walls of Caminito, a street museum, have become a stage for artists and performers alike. Corrugated iron houses contain artist studios, and dancers tango close to the outdoor tables of local cafes. Your private transfer meets you in the hotel lobby and escorts you to Ministro Pistarini International Airport for your domestic flight to El Calafate. The town has an irresistible alpine appeal. Knotted-pine buildings line Avenida del Libertador General San Martin.

Chocolate shops provide soothing hot chocolate and delicious confections, beginning with mouthwatering displays in their windows. Open pastures border the outside of town. You continue onward to the colorful village of El Chalten, known for its position overlooking the northern edges of Los Glaciares National Park. Natural beauty and raw power are on unrestricted display. Simple paths wind through the nearby woods for easy exploration of the landscape. More adventurous walkways lead to challenging expeditions through the Continental Patagonian Ice Field and encompassing mountains.

In the morning, you can wrap your hands around a hot mug of coffee. Locals fill wooden gourds with yerba mate. They carry thermoses of hot water and fill their gourd throughout the day, sipping on the strong and herbaceous tea. Your guide meets you in the morning and escorts you into Los Glaciares National Park to reach the stunning base camp of Mount Fitz Roy. In the morning, clouds pass by the mountain’s peak, encompassing the rugged landscape in mist. Cool air sweeps over the landscape.

Poincenot and Mermoz peaks surround the granite summit of Mount Fitz Roy. Your guide leads you through the exquisite wilderness. The sound of the rushing water of Rio Blanco echoes off the foothills. Beech trees provide shade from the sunlight when you trek along the trails through Nothofagus forest. The summit of Mount Fitz Roy stands at 11,020 feet above sea level and resembles a series of rugged monolithic towers. The mountaintop plunges dramatically. When the sky opens to perfect blue, you can see the snowcapped peaks around Mount Fitz Roy. Consider reading some of our travelers' Patagonia tour reviews, and your heart will race at the prospect of experiencing everything you imagined Patagonia to be - and more.

In the morning, you can see the marvelous peaks of Mount Fitz Roy rising above the foothills near town. After breakfast, your guide promises you a better view of the landscape with a trek to Laguna Torre. The walk offers an impressive view of the Torre massif, Adela mountain range, along with Mount Solo. The initial climb is gentle and easy. The windswept brush along the trail is verdant leading into the trees. Beech forests provide a herbaceous aroma to the cool air. Wood stairways help guide you up the steeper portions of the trek. The Fitz Roy River has a glacial color as it winds along the rugged foothills.

The closer you come to Laguna Torre, the more you can hear Torre River raging through the landscape. The whitewater splashes against the rocks. The panorama opens to a stunning expanse. Green grass lines the edges of the sloping mountains, before reaching the receding borders of the glacier. Mount Torre peak is 10,262 feet above sea level. Rugged rocks border the pristine waters of the lake. A large iceberg floats in the water, after having broken off from Mount Torre’s glacier. Intermittent waves brush the shore.

El Chalten remains quiet in the morning. The breeze rustles the grass bordering the houses. The mountaintops continue to protrude majestically into the elegant skyline over the hills outside of town. Your guide meets you at the hotel after breakfast and escorts you to an eco-lodge located on Las Colonias Peninsula. You reach your eco-friendly lodge at Las Colonias Peninsula. The lodge is located on tranquil, quiet land with the splendor of the wilderness all around you. Vicuñas (small camelids) graze on the grass. The calm current of the water adds to the serene scenery. During the day, condors glide on thermal pockets helping them remain airborne for longer periods of time. In the evening, windows provide an open view to the landscape without having ever to leave your room. The stars shine brightly in the night sky, city lights far-gone in the distance.

In the morning, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and herbaceous yerba mate tea blend with the surrounding nature. Cows rustle in the grass and graze. The waters of Roca Lake and Lake Argentino brush against the peninsula’s shores. After a large and filling breakfast, your guide takes you on a guided tour around the embracing landscape. Lago Argentino, also known as Lake Argentina, is the largest freshwater lake in the country encompassing 546 square miles. Glacial melting waters feed numerous rivers, lakes, and mountains streams in the area.

Glaciers sometimes drift through the water until they melt, casting large shapes and a unique glow against the immaculate color of the lake’s surface. Nothofagus trees create a Magellanic forest covering a portion of the landscape and shading the shores of the lake. You can see the outline of a condor circling over the treetops. The Andean condor is the largest bird in the Americas with a wingspan that can reach more than 10 feet long. The ruff of white feathers around the condor’s neck shimmers against its black plumage in the sunlight. When the condor descends, you can see how wide its wingspan extends against the backdrop of the Perito Moreno Glacier’s remarkable ice wall in the distance.

The private eco-lodge provides an incredible landscape for relaxing in, from the borders of the lakes to the view of the glacier merely seven miles away. The majesty of Patagonia continues after breakfast when your guide leads you out of the lodge and deeper into Los Glaciares National Park. The beauty of nature becomes more prominent with the bright blue color of the ice field that stretches more than 97 square miles. Part of the intrigue in visiting Perito Moreno Glacier is that it is one of the few glaciers in the world that is expanding in size rather than shrinking.

A network of walkways sits on the southern edge of the glacier and provides remarkable views of the ice wall and expansive field. The ice shimmers white and bright blue in the sunlight. You can hear the creaks and rumbles of the glacier as the ice cracks. The landscape is three miles wide with a field of rugged ice averaging 240 feet above the lake. The cracking becomes more intense. A large burst of snow erupts from the edge of the glacier. A chunk of ice breaks free from the field and splashes into the water of Lago Argentino.

Wake up surrounded by the vast prairies, leading to the rugged foothills encompassing your traditional estancia. The ranch-style accommodation provides a stunning view of the landscape combined with tremendous luxuries. An early cup of yerba mate and the sensational natural scenery helps rejuvenate you. The day is yours to enjoy life on the range as you prefer, so take advantage of the activities provided by the ranch. Vicuñas traverse the high-altitude hills. You can venture out into the fields on horseback and delight in a gentle scenic ride along the mountain ridges. Mount Frias rises over La Anita Valley. The horse trots along and provides a sweeping view of the lush grass, windswept foothills, and blue waters of a nearby lagoon. You absorb the life of the classic gaucho, the cowboys of South America, who are rich in myth and character across the landscape of Patagonia.

The panorama of rolling snowcapped mountains descending into an expansive plain continues to inspire you. At breakfast, the herbaceous aroma of yerba mate tea has become familiar and soothing. After your meal, your private transfer guides you away from the Estancia and the nearby shores of Lago Argentino. You embark on a scenic drive across Patagonia, taking you from the edges of Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina into the treasured landscape of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile. From the warm comforts of your transfer, you can see the rugged hills outside. The steppe expands before you. The grass is golden and runs to the sharp inclining mountains in the distance. The granite spires of Paine Massif stand 9,186 feet above sea level at its highest point; the summit of Paine Grande rises to more than 10,006 feet. The black sediment of Los Cuernos stands out against the layers of snow topping the mountaintops. You arrive in Torres del Paine and can feel the wholesome ambiance in the pure, crisp air of the national park.

Torres del Paine National Park is tranquil in the morning. You can hear the subtle trickle of a stream near your accommodation, situated along the trees. The Paine Massif is connected to the eastern spur of the Andes and rises over Grey Glacier. After breakfast, your guide leads you on a trek along the fabulous scenery to take in the wonders of the national park first hand. Grey Lake borders Gray Glacier at the southern end of the ice sheet. You follow your guide along the trail, which encompasses a seven and a half mile area at its full length. The trail rises to an estimated 3,937 feet above sea level at John Gardner Pass.

The panorama opens to a brilliant view of Grey Glacier from above, stretching all the way to the snowcapped mountains on the opposite edge of the ice. The rugged landscape reminds you more of a distant planet than of a national park. The breeze has a gentle bite, but the landscape is otherwise quiet. After your visit the glacier, you reach Salto Grande, a waterfall trundling 213 feet on the Paine River. Guanaco, a camelid similar to a vicuña, lingers on the rugged plain. The river shines a glacial blue against the lush green of the riverbanks. The sound of rushing water rises out of the tumult of mist caused by the exuberant cascade.

The navy blue dusk sky fades as the clear morning light stretches above Torres del Paine National Park. After breakfast, your guide leads you once more out of your luxurious lodge and into the rugged beauty of the landscape, today taking you along the trails leading to the wondrous views of the Tower Peaks. Along the path, you notice arriving at the edges of an indigo lake. The banks are barren. You have an unadulterated view of the craggy foothills plunging into the water. The view from the lakes edge is picture perfect. The mirroring mountain summits, known as the Towers, rise to nearly 6,500 feet above the Patagonian steppe. The granite pillars dominate the skyline and overshadow the encircling landscape. The granite towers have an unmistakable blue hue glinting in the sunlight.

Black-neck swans and seagulls waddle near the water’s edge around the city of Puerto Natales. In the morning, a slight mist rolls around the dock before evaporating in the early sunlight. You can see the collected summits of the Riesco Mountain Range leading to the Paine Massif. The Southern Ice Filed Glaciers have an exquisite glow in the bright morning. Corrugated tin housing creates a charming atmosphere amongst the relaxed pace of the city. You continue southbound towards Punta Arenas, absorbing the fabulous view of the mountains stretching down the landscape along your way.

The windswept grasses turn golden. Intermittent indigo lakes appear and disappear along the route. You arrive in the city to find the bustling, energetic streets pressed against the waters of the Strait of Magellan. Elaborate mansions and exceptional local hospitality sweep across the cityscape. The Plaza Muñoz Gamero provides insight into the opulent history of the city. The plaza houses a magnificent array of mansions commemorating the lavish societies that call the city home, including the Casa Braun-Menéndez, which continues to house the private Club de la Unión.

The morning light washes over the statue in the Plaza Muñoz Gamero. The monument was erected to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan’s global voyage. It was dedicated to the city in 1920 by the wool baron José Menéndez. After breakfast, your guide escorts you to the port where you board a ferryboat. The sea breeze turns to a gentle wind as the boat rushes along the Strait of Magellan to the shores of Isla Magdalena. You find a trail leading from the pebbled beach of the island to the famous penguin colony.

Over 100,000 Magellanic penguins have colonized the island shores. The famous tuxedo-type plumage of the penguins is apparent against the backdrop of cobalt water. The waterfowls chirp and squawk underneath the sound of rushing waves hitting the pebbled beach. When the boat pulls away from the island, you can see some penguins gliding beneath the water. The penguins speed through the current and jump alongside the boat with playful intentions as they splash back down into the sea.

Antique farm and industrial machinery showcase the rich past of the pioneering days of Punta Arenas in the Museo del Recuerdo. A shearing shed contains a wooden-wheeled shepherd’s trailer. Historical maps and scientific publications grace the library. The varied history of the city, from the ruggedness of the settler’s beginnings to the lavish mansions of wood barons, has contributed to Punta Arenas’s distinct character on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. After breakfast, your private transfer escorts you from the hotel to Presidente Carlos Ibáñaz del Campo International Airport for your flight home. You could always extend your vacation and make your way to Easter Island or Peru to discover more of the splendor of South America.