15 DAYS PATAGONIA ODYSSEY: ULTIMATE CHILE & ARGENTINA

Arrival in Buenos Aires

Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may rest or explore the neighbourhood at leisure.

Buenos Aires City Tour (Half-Day)
Discover the highlights of Buenos Aires, also known as the “Paris of South America”. Visit Plaza de Mayo, where the Government House, the Cathedral and the old Town Hall are located. Then, stroll along the colonial houses and cobbled streets of San Telmo, until you reach La Boca and colorful Caminito Street. We continue to Recoleta, the most elegant district in the city before visiting La Recoleta cemetery, where notable Argentinian personalities such as Eva Perón lie buried.

Afternoon at Leisure
Continue to explore Buenos Aires at leisure in the afternoon, with optional tours at additional cost.

Option A: El Zanjón de Granados (1-hour private basis with English speaking guide)
Discover the city’s architectural past through El Zanjon’s restored labyrinths and urban archaeology on the site of the first Buenos Aires settlement in 1536.

Option B: Teatro Colon (50-minutes shared basis with English speaking guide)
Discover one of the top 5 opera houses in the world, renowned for its spectacular design and exceptional acoustics. Visit the main areas of the theater such as the concert hall, the main foyer and the golden room.

Option C: HD Eva Tour (4-hours private basis with English speaking guide)
Learn about one of the most famous personalities in Argentina history – Eva Perón. We will visit May Square, where she gave her most celebrated speeches, the old Engineering School, the Recoleta cemetery, and the Evita Museum (open from Tues-Sun).

Dinner with Tango Show (including transfers)
Enjoy the creme-de-la-creme of Argentina’s premier musical art form – the tango – with the highly acclaimed Rojo Tango show. Located inside the exclusive Hotel Faena, the award-winning show traces the history of the passionate social dance and features an all-star cast of singers and dancers said to be the country’s best. Guide services may be provided at additional cost.

Transfer: Hotel to Airport
You would be transferred to the airport for your flight to El Calafate.

Flight: Buenos Aires to El Calafate
Take a ~3 hours 20 minutes flight from Buenos Aires airport to El Calafate airport.

Arrive at El Calafate
Upon arrival at El Calafate, you would be met and transferred to your hotel to relax.

Perito Moreno Glacier Excursion (Full-Day)
Today, visit one of South Patagonia’s most famous glaciers, set amidst the Andean-Patagonian Forest of Los Glaciares National Park (UNESCO). Perito Moreno is one of few glaciers in the world still growing in size, forming crevasses that result in the spectacular sight of ice calving (large chunks of ice breaking off and crashing into the waters below).

Stroll down self-guided boardwalks to enjoy views of the glacier from different viewpoints and end with a trip to the Glaciarium Patagonian Ice Museum, a modern glacier interpretation centre.

Optional: Glacier Mini Trekking with Lunch (Age Restriction: 8-85 years old)
If you’re more adventurous, you may opt for a mini trekking experience instead (at additional cost).

In the morning, take a ~20-minutes ferry across Lago Rico before enjoying a ~2 hour long walk and ice trekking experience at the south side of the Perito Moreno glacier. Thereafter, enjoy a boxed lunch somewhere on the ice before beginning your descent back to the boat. The tour also includes a guided visit to the boardwalks of Los Glaciares National Park, before your return to El Calafate.

Transfer: Hotel to Airport
You would be transferred to the airport for your flight to Ushuaia

Flight: El Calafate to Ushuaia
Take a ~1 hour 20 minutes flight from El Calafate to Ushuaia

Arrive at Ushuaia
Upon arrival at Ushuaia, you would be met and transferred to your hotel.

Depending on your flight time, enjoy some free time at Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. With ruggedly beautiful landscapes and vast glaciers, it is also known as the gateway to Antarctica – the White Continent

Tierra del Fuego National Park
In the morning, visit the sprawling, 63,000-hectares Tierra del Fuego National Park, home to verdant Sub-Antarctic Forest, the snow-capped Andes mountains, as well as glistening, glacier-fed lakes and the Beagle Channel.

Learn about the park’s significant archeological sites and local fauna while enjoying short walks along the park’s trails.

End of the World Train Experience (Premium Class)
Board the popular End of the World Train, which only reopened in 1994 after more than 40 years without working. The train tells the story of the old journey taken by prisoners who served their criminal sentences in Ushuaia, while traversing down a scenic ~7km-long path in a usually inaccessible part of Tierra del Fuego National Park. It includes breakfast for morning departures or lunch for mid-day and afternoon departures.

Embark on Australis Cruise Patagonian Explorer
Enjoy the day in Ushuaia at leisure until it is time for your Australis cruise.

You would be transferred to the Australis Travel Centre in downtown Ushuaia for check in (between 10am to 5pm). Make your own way to the pier for embarquement thereafter. Note: Boarding is at 6pm.

5D4N Australis Patagonian Explorer Cruise

Day 1 of Cruise: Ushuaia
Enjoy a welcome toast and meet the captain and crew of your Australis cruise. During the night, traverse the Beagle channel and cross from Argentinian into Chilean territorial waters. The lights of Ushuaia fade as the ship navigates the narrow Murray Channel.

Day 2 of Cruise: Cape Horn to Wulaia Bay
In the early morning, we cross into Nassau Bay. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we explore windswept Hornos island harboring the legendary Cape Horn. A sheer 425-meter-high rocky promontory, Cape Horn is also known as the “End of the Earth”, and the National Park was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2005.

We then sail back across Nassau Bay to anchor at Wulaia Bay, which was famously described by Charles Darwin during their voyage on the HMS Beagle. Choose from three hikes (of increasing difficulty) to ascend the forested mountain and enjoy wonderful panoramas of its surroundings.

Day 3 Cruise: Pia Glacier to Porter Glacier
In the morning, we navigate the northwest arm of the Beagle Channel into a section of Alberto de Agostini National Park called Glacier Alley. There, we enter the narrow but magnificent Pia Fjord and disembark for a shore excursion to the mighty Pia Glacier.

Take a short hike to a vantage point with spectacular views of the entire glacier tongue, from high in the mountains all the way down to the sea. Thereafter, we continue our journey to the vast Porter Glacier, where we stop to observe its stunning blue hues and witness some ice calving if we’re lucky.

Day 4 Cruise: Agostini Sound to Águila Glacier to Cóndor Glacier
Sail through the Cockburn Channel to enter Agostini Sound, a fjord in Tierra del Fuego. There, marvel at the stunning glaciers that descend from the middle of the Cordillera Darwin Mountain Range, which contains some of the most rugged peaks in Southern Chile and the Andes.

We disembark and go for an easy walk around a lagoon, which was formed by the gradual melting of the nearby Águila Glacier. In the afternoon, we explore Condor Glacier and get the chance to see some of the abundant Andean Condors in the area

Day 5 Cruise: Magdalena Island to Punta Arenas
After an overnight cruise through Magdalena Channel, we arrive at the Strait of Magellan and anchor off Magdalena Island. Crowned by a distinctive lighthouse, the island is home to the second largest colony of Magellanic penguins in South America; and weather permitting, we go ashore to explore stunning Magdalena and its abundant wildlife.

In September and April, when the penguins dwell elsewhere, this excursion is replaced by a ride to Marta Island, to observe the South American sea lions. Note: Disembarkation at Punta Arenas is at 11:30 AM.

Transfer: Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine
Upon arrival at Punta Arenas Port, you would be transferred ~5 hours to Torres del Paine National Park to check into your all-inclusive lodge, which will serve as your base for various excursions over the next few days.

Torres Del Paine Excursions
Named by some as the eighth wonder of the world, Torres Del Paine in Patagonia is part of UNESCO’s biosphere reserve and is considered to be South America’s finest national park. Its cinematic scenery awes with teal lakes and emerald forests, crystalline glaciers, and purple-hued sunsets, set against the iconic granite peaks of Paine Massif.

Explore Patagonia’s stunning rugged landscapes through renowned treks, horsebacks rides, overland drives and kayaking expeditions. You may even encounter wild fauna such as the Patagonian guanaco, Andean condors, and the puma (if you’re very lucky)!

Note: Instead of two nights at EcoCamp, you may also opt to stay a minimum of three nights in Explora or Awasi Hotels instead.

Transfer: Torres del Paine to Punta Arenas
You would be transferred to Punta Arenas airport for your flight to Santiago.

Flight: Punta Arenas to Santiago
Take a ~3½ hours flight from Punta Arenas to Santiago airport.

Arrive at Santiago
Upon arrival at Santiago airport, you would be met and transferred to your hotel.

Visit Valparaíso Port & Viña del Mar Vineyards (Full-Day)
After breakfast, we drive ~1 hour and 45 minutes to the breezy coastal city of Valparaíso, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The port city is also known as the jewel of the Pacific, with colourful houses, antique funiculars, and multiple panoramic viewpoints. Continue to the rolling countryside and vineyards of Viña del Mar, also known as the Garden City, to enjoy its beautiful gardens, parks, and beaches.

To finish the day, we explore the nearby Casablanca Wine Valley and visit the Casas del Bosque Winery to taste some of the finest wines in the region.

Santiago City Tour (Half-Day)
Visit the Plaza de la Constitución, where the Government Palace (“La Moneda”) is located. We explore Plaza de Armas, the historical centre – where the Cathedral of Santiago, the Post Office, and the National Museum can be found.

Thereafter, discover Santiago’s trendiest neighbourhod – Lastarria, and scenic Santa Lucia hill (open Tues to Sun), before we continue along the most modern sector of Santiago. Explore San Cristóbal Hill (open Tues to Sun), with a funicular ride to the peak and the Blessed Virgin Mary statue. You may also visit Club Hipico and Cousiño Palace (entrance fee not included).

Transfer: Hotel to Airport
You would be transferred to Santiago airport for your flight home.

Transfer: El Chalten to OVO
Upon arrival at El Chalten, you would be transferred ~30-minutes to a Main Lodge within Estancia Bonanza directly beneath the OVOs, to prepare for your ascent.

Via Ferrata and OVO Experience
Trek through native forests and venture on a via ferrata before ending at the stunning egg-shaped OVO capsules suspended ~270 metres high on the rock wall. Enjoy 360 panoramas of Fitz Roy and the Andes mountains from your OVO and marvel at the sunset over the dramatic Patagonian landscape. Your dinner will be brought to you by your guide.

Breakfast in OVO
In the morning, breakfast will be brought to you by your guide.

Transfer: OVO to El Chalten
You would be transferred back to El Chalten for your onward journey.

Transfer: Lodge to Puma Observation Areas in Torres del Paine
In the early morning, you’ll be transferred to the observation areas within Torres del Paine National Park for your puma tracking adventure.

Full Day Puma Encounter
Begin your search for the elusive big cats in the wild with an expert fauna tracker. Snap unique photos via an early morning and evening tracking session; potential wildlife sightings include: the puma, huemul deer, fox, the lesser rhea, and guanacos. End the day with a tasty dinner back at EcoCamp Patagonia.

Transfer: Torres del Paine to Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales airport. If you are a nature lover, you may choose to extend your trip even further to enjoy more days of puma tracking while exploring Torres del Paine.

Day 1: Afternoon Puma Excursion
Upon arrival at Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales airport, you would be met and transferred to Leona Amarga estancia.

After settling in, begin your search for pumas with a specialised guide and expert tracker. The estancia lies on a private land of ~7,000 hectares bordering the Torres del Paine National Park and boasts exclusive access to a healthy population of the elusive big cats out in the wild.

Days 2-3: Morning & Late Afternoon Puma Tracking Sessions
For the next 2 days, immerse yourself in various exciting puma tracking adventures with your dedicated guide and tracker. Pumas are often most active in the early morning and late afternoon, so that is when you’ll head out for ~3 hour tracking sessions.

Learn puma patterns, tracking techniques, and observations, while snapping spectacular photos of the puma and other interesting fauna (guanacos, grey foxes, skunks, the lesser rhea). You’ll also have the chance to traverse the picturesque viewpoints of Torres del Paine.

Day 4: Depart from Leona Amarga
After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Punta Arenas airport for your onward journey or flight home.