Arrive in Buenos Aires and transfer independently to your hotel. Spend your free day exploring the amazing architecture of Buenos Aires, or simply relax after your long international flight. Overnight tonight in Buenos Aires.

Fly south to the colorful port town of Ushuaia - the end of the world - to begin your Patagonia travels. With previous incarnations as a missionary outpost and, subsequently, prison town, Ushuaia is now most well known as the "Gateway to Antarctica." From its dramatic setting between the Beagle Channel and the rugged glaciated peaks rising from the landscape, there are plenty of opportunities for hiking and exploring.

Spend the afternoon with your guide along nearby trails and enjoying the vistas that look over the Beagle Channel while learning about the natural and cultural history of this isolated region. If time allows, a visit to the Museo Marítimo & Museo del Presidio is highly recommended to learn more about the robust history of the town. When convicts were moved from Staten Island to Ushuaia in 1906, they began building the national prison. Finished in 1920, the prison was built with spoke-like halls containing single cells. In its heyday, there were as many as 800 prisoners housed in this unique facility that was designed to hold 380! It was closed in 1947 and now serves as a fascinating museum.

Just north of Ushuaia is the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, Argentina's first coastal national park. The trail system of easy paths makes this an ideal place to spend the day exploring the "Land of Fire". Wander along the coastal path, learning about where the park got its name and enjoying the wildlife sightings along the way. The 3-½ hour hike takes you through forests of high and low deciduous beech, evergreen beech, winterbark, firebrush, and more. Finish your walk at Lake Roca just in time for lunch. After enjoying a big lunch and a short rest, climb into inflatable canoes and begin the downstream paddle to the Ovando River. The crystal-clear waters run into Laguna Verde, one of the most picturesque, panoramic spots in Tierra del Fuego. The take-out point is Lapataia Bay, where you may spot petrels, albatross, steamer ducks, and on a rare occasion, penguins.

After this excursion, you will return to Ushuaia and transfer directly to the pier to board your Australis cruise ship. These vessels, built specifically for expedition cruising through the fjords of the Straits of Magellan are you spacious and comfortable floating hotel for the next four nights.

Spend the next few days cruising the labyrinth of inlets, islands, fjords and channels of Patagonia. Zodiac trips will take you ashore twice each day to allow you to experience the stunning beauty of this region and to learn about its flora and fauna. Onboard there are daily informative slide shows about the region, and the ship also has a well-stocked library with reference materials on the land, people, flora, and fauna of Tierra del Fuego. Your crew takes excellent care of you with delicious meals and attends to all your creature comforts. From the decks of the ship you can view a wide variety of wildlife and, weather permitting, stunning views of glaciers and the Darwin Mountain range. Enjoy the roaring symphonies of huge chunks of ice breaking off into the water. This incredible journey takes you along the routes of some of the world's most famous explorers.

Transfer today into Torres del Paine National Park (via shuttle drive from Punta Arenas or public bus and shuttle drive combination from El Calafate). Arrive at the EcoCamp, a deluxe tent camp of large igloo-shaped tents built to minimize environmental impact while providing a comfortable setting with the luxury Suite Domes. The EcoCamp provides candlelight, feather comforters, composting toilets, and plenty of quiet to enjoy your spectacular surroundings.

 

Your time at the EcoCamp is flexible and includes a menu of guided excursions. Choose your day's activities from a daily menu based on your interests and energy level for the day. Options range from easy-paced to strenuous hikes or even cycling tours. Click here for the Excursion list and schedule.

Set off with your guide across the park to Grey Glacier. Along the way, stop to visit the Salto Grande waterfall and take a quick hike (one hour roundtrip) to the Mirador Nordenskjold for stunning views of Los Cuernos and the French Valley. In the afternoon, board the ferry and set off across the Lago Grey.

Hikers can venture to the foot of the gigantic spires of the Paine range (8 hours roundtrip). Weather permitting, witness the most famous sight of the Torres del Paine - the three granite monoliths reaching 9,400 feet - a testament to the massive glacial forces that carved them out of the earth.

Some travelers prefer to relax and stay at the EcoCamp to enjoy the vistas and tranquility or take a walk apart from the guided group. Horseback riding and spa services can be arranged at the nearby Las Torres Reserve during any free time or as an optional activity.

After breakfast a EcoCamp, transfer out of the park (an hour transfer by van) to the Chile-Argentina border* and board a comfortable bus on to El Calafate. This town is the gateway to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. This drive takes approximately 4 - 5 hours. Enjoy a free evening in El Calafate to taste the local flavors and rest up in comfortable accommodations.

Drive into Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and go to the stunning lookout of the Perito Moreno Glacier. This huge advancing glacier is more than 3 miles wide at its front and over 20 stories high! Board a boat and sail across Lago Argentino, passing the massive wall of blue ice while watching for icebergs. After landing on a small beach, start hiking through the forest to the massive face of the glacier, where you put on crampons and get to hike on the ice! (This Glacier trek has a minimum age of 10 and a maximum age of 65. Alternate excursions are available for those under 10 or over 65 years of age.) Eat your lunch sitting on the lateral moraine of the glacier, giving you the opportunity to take in the magnificence of the glacier.  During lunch you will also enjoy the treat of listening to a thunderous concerto of groaning and cracking ice dropping into the lake below. As you hike out this afternoon there are numerous photographic opportunities. As a challenge, see if you can spot the Andean condor or buff-necked ibis!

Contact us if you are interested in the Big Ice Adventure, a more active excursion that spends more time on the ice. Click here for more details. 

You will transfer to the airport for an early morning flight to Buenos Aires (booked independently) to conclude your Patagonia tour. Head homeward or spend extra time in Argentina. With a few more days, you can add extensions in Buenos Aires or to Iguazu Falls to continue your Argentina travels!