Southern Patagonia 12 days

Southern Patagonia 12 days

At Mater we are always in seek of alternative tours to the ones chosen by big tourist groups. Without missing out the highlights of each destination, we design the trips so that you can have more intimate and authentic experiences.

This trip includes in Buenos Aires two different tours: one to the north and another one to the south of the city. In both of them you will not just learn about the history of the city, but also you will go over the different neighbourhoods like a local. Also, instead of going to a traditional tango show, you will go to an authentic milonga (where locals and turists gather to dance tango).

In Calafate, you will have 2 nontraditional tours, so that you can see much more than the glacier: a 4x4 excursion to the Fosiles Canyon, an archeological site where the natives lived hundreds of years ago and a patagonic dinner in a cave that you won’t forget.

Itinerary

Day 1: Buenos Aires: City Tour of the Southern Neighborhoods (La Boca and San Telmo)

Stop At: Infinito Hotel, Arenales 3689, C1425 BEW, Buenos Aires, Argentina
You will arrive to Buenos Aires city and you will be transferred to the hotel in the neighborhood of Palermo. In the afternoon, a specialist in History and Architecture of the city will accompany you to discover the colorful streets of Caminito in the neighborhood of La Boca. Then you will continue to the historic center of the city: Plaza de Mayo, the Cabildo, and San Telmo.

Duration: 3 hours.
Duration: 2 days

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Palo Santo, a 3 stars hotel in Buenos Aires

Day 2: Buenos Aires bicycle tour: Palermo and Recoleta

Stop At: Infinito Hotel, Arenales 3689, C1425 BEW, Buenos Aires, Argentina
In the morning an expert guide will accompany you biking the northern neighborhoods of the capital. Tour through the aristocratic neighborhood of Recoleta (Plaza San Martín), the forests and lakes of Palermo and the Rose Garden, a city oasis.

(It does not require previous training).

Free afternoon.

Duration: 4 hours

Recommendation: In the afternoon we suggest visiting one of the following places:  National Museum of Fine Arts - Museum of Decorative Art - Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA) - Recoleta Cultural Center - Recoleta Cemetery - Generic Floralis - Japanese Garden - Botanical Garden.
Duration: 1 day 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Palo Santo, a 3 stars hotel in Buenos Aires

Day 3: Ushuaia (transfer to the airport, transfer to the hotel and free afternoon)

Stop At: Museo Maritimo y del Presidio de Ushuaia, Yaganes Gobernador Paz, Ushuaia 9410 Argentina
The day begins with the transfer to the airport to take your flight to Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost city in the world. Once there, you will be transferred to the hotel and you will have the day off to explore the city on your own.

Recommendation: In the afternoon we recommend to visit one of these interesting sites: End of the World Museum - Maritime and Presidio Museum in Ushuaia - Plaza Islas Malvinas
Duration: 2 days

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Cap Polonio, 3 stars hotel in Ushuaia.

Day 4: Hiking and canoes at Tierra del Fuego National Park

Stop At: Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego, Avenida Gral San Martin 1395, Ushuaia V9410BGA Argentina
You will be guided on a hike through the trails of the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you will enjoy lunch (included) at the Roca Lake.

In the afternoon, you will embark on a canoe to the Bay of Lapataia while you learn about the millenary forests of the region.

Return to the hotel in Ushuaia.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Cap Polonio, a 3 stars hotel in Ushuaia.

Day 5: Boat trip on the Beagle Channel and visit an archaeological site

Stop At: Canal Beagle, Ushuaia 9410 Argentina
Today you will take a boat trip to explore the transparent waters of the Beagle Channel and explore the fauna (sea lions and cormorants) until you reach H Island (one of the many of Bridges archipelago). Together with your guide, you will visit the archaeological sites of the Yámanas, an indigenous group that lived in the archipelago.

Return to the hotel in Ushuaia.

Free afternoon.
Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Cap Polonio, a 3 stars hotel in Ushuaia.

Day 6: El Calafate: Excursion in 4x4 to Argentino Lake and patagonian dinner in a cave 

Stop At: El Calafate Airport, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
Transfer to Ushuaia airport to take your flight to El Calafate and a transfer to the hotel.  In the afternoon you will have a 4x4 excursion, you will appreciate the views of the Andes Mountain Range and the turquoise waters of the Argentino Lake, until you reach an archaeological site with prehistoric cave paintings (more than 4000 years old) and you will enjoy a patagonian dinner in a cave before heading back to the hotel.
Duration: 2 days

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Posada Larsen

Day 7: Mini trekking Los Glaciares National Park

Stop At: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Avenida Del Libertador 1302, El Calafate Z9405AHY Argentina
A full day tour awaits you to get to know this giant block of ice and its catwalks: the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, located in the heart of Los Glaciares National Park. You will board a boat to cross Rico arm of the lake. After disembarking, you will access a refuge where the experts will give you directions, organize the groups and place the crampons to start the mini trekking along the shore of the lake to the glacier! Along the way you will see a great variety of ice formations and learn about the flora, fauna and glaciology of the area.

Duration: All day (8 hours). Hiking time on the glacier 1:30 hs. approximately.
Duration: 8 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Posada Larsen

Day 8: Sailing and Trekking through the Cañadón de los Fósiles

Stop At: Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Avenida Del Libertador 1302, El Calafate Z9405AHY Argentina
One of the best experiences you can have within Los Glaciares National Park. You will take a catamaran to get to Estancia Cristina, getting majestic views of the western wall of the Upsala Glacier, sailing among mountains and icebergs to disembark at Estancia Cristina where you will board a 4x4 to ascend the mountains.

There you will leave the vehicle and begin a hike to the Upsala Viewpoint, with views of Lake Guillermo, the eastern wall of the Upsala Glacier and the Southern Patagonian Continental Ice Field. At this point you will start the 14km trek to enter the Cañadón de los Fósiles, named for its great concentration of fossils, which were discovered by glacial action.

Duration: The tour last 11 hours.
Duration: 11 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Posada Larsen

Day 9: El Chalten: Welcome to the village of trekking

Stop At: Hotel Poincenot, Av. del Libertador Gral. San Martín 668, Z9301 El Chalten, Santa Cruz, Argentina
After approximately 3 hours by bus, appreciating Patagonian steppe, you will arrive at El Chaltén, at the foot of the Mount or Cerro Fitz Roy, and on the banks of the Río de las Vueltas you will find this small town known as the "capital of trekking" in Argentina. You will have the afternoon free to explore.

Recommendation: Some simple and short walks are: Chorrillo del Salto (1 hs) - Mirador del Torre (3 hs) - Laguna Capri - (4 hs).
Duration: 2 days

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hosteria Kaulem, El Chaltén

Day 10: El Chaltén: Free day

Stop At: Hotel Poincenot, Av. del Libertador Gral. San Martín 668, Z9301 El Chalten, Santa Cruz, Argentina
Today you will have the day off so you can experience the city of trekking firsthand! As its name suggests, we recommend the unforgettable hike to Laguna de los Tres (Lagoon of the Three, named after the three high peaks you can see).

Recommendation: Laguna de los Tres: It is one of the most sought after walks by lovers of trekking and climbing. There are 10 km that separate the start in the main street San Martin to the final point and a walk from 9 to 10 hours with Monte Fitz Roy and a lake with turquoise waters views. The path is completely laid out and along it you can enjoy spectacular landscapes. The hanging Piedras Blancas glacier and the Capri Lagoon are two strategic points to contemplate the beauty and tranquility of the place.
Duration: 2 days

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hosteria Kaulem

Day 11: Return to Buenos Aires and night out to a "milonga"

Stop At: Barrio Palermo, Buenos Aires Argentina
Transfer by bus to El Calafate airport to take your flight to Buenos Aires and later transferred to the hotel. At night, you will have an immersion in Argentine popular culture: your local guide will take you to enjoy a "milonga", a typical hall where tango lovers gather to dance this traditional dance, declared as World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. You can take a class to learn and practice your first steps and immerse yourself in the spirit of Buenos Aires tango night.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel l'Adresse, a 3 stars hotel in Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Day 12: End of the trip. Transfer to the international airport.

Stop At: Ezeiza International Airport, AU Tte. Gral. Pablo Riccheri Km 33,5, B1802 Ezeiza, Buenos Aires, Argentina
After the breakfast you will have your transfer to the international airport.
Duration: 8 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.