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Explore Buenos Aires to
the tip of South America!
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Buenos Aires, a city of romance, history and
sophistication, opens its arms to us as we begin our Argentinean
adventure. Late night tapas, tangos and a variety of architectural
styles mark this city as a must-see world capital. Our rural
explorations of Patagonia will be just as rich and unusual, as we
hike on age-old glaciers on the Argentine side of the high Andes,
then tour Tierra del Fuego at the tip of the South American
continent and sail the waters of the Beagle Channel. We finish
with an optional extension to the moist jungles around Iguazu
Falls. This thrilling and rich tour offers a grand entry into the
world of Argentina.
Highlights of this trip include:
- Magic nights in Buenos Aires await you!
- Hike on the Viedma Glacier, then explore
the surrounding alpine forests.
- Enjoy dinner and wine tasting in a rustic
lodge at El Calafate.
- Visit the Perito Moreno section of Los
Glaciares National Park to see one of the last advancing
glaciers in the world.
- Explore the mountains and channels at the
tip of South America from Ushuaia.
- Sail the Beagle Channel on a catamaran to
view unusual sea life and birds.
- Spend a day on an estancia (ranch) in the
Pampas near Buenos Aires.
- Join us for an optional 2-night extension
to visit the spectacular falls of Iguazu, including a guided
hike at the top of the falls, and a boat ride below the
cascade (March 2010 price: $990 in shared room; $1390 in
single room).
March 13 to 22, 2010: $3,970:
A trip for gay men.
E-mail: info@gaytravelpros.com
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to
pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the
single supplement applies only if you'd like a room by yourself.
For selected trips, especially if the trip includes a cruise, we
charge half the single supplement if you request a roommate, but
we are not able to match you with someone.
Starts and
ends in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Airport-hotel transfers on arrival and departure days; All ground
transportation within Argentina; Entrance fees for all sightseeing
described in itinerary; Deluxe hotels each night, with private
bath; Breakfast each day, three mid-day dinners, three picnic
lunches, and two evening dinners, including wine at Welcome and
Farewell dinners; Wine tasting at El Chalten; Services of Hanns
Ebensten Travel tour director throughout the tour, and local
guides in each location; All hotel service charges, government
taxes, porterage, and meal gratuities.
International airfare; Domestic flights within Argentina (est $400
for main tour, $300 for Iguazu Falls extension); Brazil visa for
those selecting half-day optional excursion to Brazil side of
Iguazu Falls; Departure taxes for international flights; Meals not
included in tour package; Personal items including: alcoholic
beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls.
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FULL
ITINERARY:
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Join us to explore the contrasts that make
Argentina such a rich place to visit. We start and end in Buenos
Aires - proudly considered by its residents as the most European
city in South America. Then we head to the barren reaches of the
southern Andes where we stay in a small lodge overlooking Lake
Viedma. We'll then have a chance to walk on the glacier, as well
as to explore nearby forest trails.
Then we continue south to Ushuaia - at the
southern tip of South America. We conclude our tour back in Buenos
Aires, with a day at an elegant estancia (ranch) in the Pampas,
and our farewell dinner at a lively tango show. For those with
enough time we also feature a two-day extension to Iguazu Falls.
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Travelers from North America and Europe will
depart the night before, and arrive in Buenos Aires in the
morning.
Buenos Aires is the capital city of
Argentina and one of the largest in the world, with a total
population (including the suburbs) of 14 million. Around one-third
of the total population of Argentina lives in the area. The modern
city of Buenos Aires was founded twice, because the first
settlement was destroyed by the Indians.
Transfer to our elegant boutique hotel in
the heart of downtown Buenos Aires. Our first gathering will be
for a reception this evening, but if you want to start your
exploration of Buenos Aires early, our hotel is very close to the
covered Calle Florida shopping street and several good
restaurants, and taxis to other parts of the city are inexpensive.
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We start our Argentine experience at its heart,
with a half-day tour of the city of Buenos Aires. Highlights will
include the Plaza de Mayo, the most famous square of the city,
from which we can get photos of the surrounding buildings.
Next to the square is the Cabildo, a
municipal building during the colonial period and now a museum.
However, the most famous building on Plaza de Mayo is La Casa
Rosada, or The Pink House. It is currently the official seat of
the executive branch of Argentina's government, but the balcony of
La Casa Rosada is where Eva and Juan Peron (and Madonna as Eva!)
stood to address crowds during their political rallies. In the
square you may also see "Madres de Plaza de Mayo,"
relatives of people who disappeared during the last military
government, asking the government to continue the search for their
missing relatives.
We finish our introduction to Buenos Aires
by driving through the fancy Palermo, Barrio Parque and Recoleta
Districts, and make a stop to see the many remarkable tombs at
Recoleta Cemetery, including that of Evita. We'll stop for an
early afternoon dinner in one of Buenos Aires' fine restaurants,
then return to the hotel for a siesta.
Please note that because Argentines
typically have their main meal as a late lunch, then have a
lighter meal very late in the evening, most of our included
"dinners" will be at lunchtime, showcasing the wide
variety of culinary traditions in Argentina. Your evening meal
will typically be on your own, so that you can decide to wait and
dine with the locals (at 10 pm or even midnight), or eat earlier
if you wish. Our meals may be later than you are accustomed to, so
if you need to eat at regular intervals, you may want to carry a
snack.
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We will have some free time in the morning
before our transfer to the airport to fly to El Calafate, in the
Andes foothills in the southern part of Patagonia. After arrival
in El Calafate, we will travel north to El Chalten, located in the
northern part of Los Glaciares National Park. This very young and
small town has become the trekking capital of the country and is
located very close to Fitz Roy and Torre Mountains, known for
offering mountain climbers some of the toughest granite climbs in
the world. Our lodging is at Hosteria Senderos, a modern 21-room
lodge built in the architectural style of 1920 when the area was
first settled. We will have a wine tasting this evening and dinner
at the lodge.
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We leave the hotel at 8:30 to go to Bahia Tunel.
Then we will board a ship which will navigate the western part of
Lake Viedma, which is fed by the Viedma Glacier, a part of the
continental ice field. We will get off the ship and walk to the
edge of the glacier, where we will be given crampons and our
guides will take us to walk on the glacier, for some spectacular
views of the lakes and mountains. Return to the ship, and then we
will sail to Bahia Redonda, and enjoy a box lunch along the way.
We'll disembark at about 3 PM. The rest of the afternoon will be
free to relax or enjoy short walks or other activities.
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This day is devoted to exploring the area around
El Chalten. We will walk into the forest for spectacular views of
Fitz Roy and Torre Mountains. We will also visit Lago del Desierto
and Rio Las Vuelta and have a picnic lunch in the forest. In the
afternoon we'll drive back to Lago Argentina, and spend the night
near the larger town of El Calafate.
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In the morning we drive west to the southern
slopes of Los Glaciares National Park, to visit Perito Moreno
Glacier, on an arm of Lago Argentino. This glacier, one of the few
advancing ones in the world, separates a branch of the lake from
its natural drainage, producing a natural dam. When the water
pressure gets too high, it erodes the wall of the glacier,
breaking it, and huge chunks of ice fall into the water.
Later, we'll transfer to El Calafate Airport
and fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, located on
the island of Tierra del Fuego (land of fire). It was named this
because the natives who once called this area home lit up fires on
the coast and the explorers such as Magellan could see the fires
from a distance. We'll arrive at Ushuaia in the evening and check
into our hotel.
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Today our main group will visit the Harberton
Ranch with a short navigation of the Beagle Channel. At the
ranch there are a variety of activities including hiking and
kayaking.
For those looking for a greater physical
challenge, there are also trekking options. Please note that
some of these may have an extra fee; they may require a minimum
number of participants; and you may join travelers from outside
our group for these unique excursions.
1. Lago Esmeralda: 7 hours. 3/4 easy
trekking; the rest in transfers. Box lunch. Walk through forests
and marshlands. We enter the Tierra del Fuego Natural Reserve's
Laguna Perdida, where we will stop for lunch. We later return to
the car and to the hotel.
2. Ojo del Albino Glacier: 7 to 9
hours of intense trail and ice trekking. Box lunch. Same itinerary
as # 1 plus following the river that feeds the lake up to the
glacier, where we will be surprised by the ice fields and
mountains. We will be fitted with crampons to explore the glacier.
We return to the vehicle and to town in the afternoon.
3. Alvear Glacier: 8 to 10 hours of
intense trekking. Box lunch. The first part of the itinerary is
the same as #1 and #2 and later we climb higher in the mountains
to the Alvear Glacier. We then go to the lake where we can see
caves in the ice and enter some of them.
4. Martial Mountain and Medio and Roy
peaks: 7 hours of moderate hiking. Box lunch. We walk through
easy trails into the mountains around the city so we will have a
lot of panoramic views, while we cross the Patagonian forests
(mainly Nothofagus family).
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We visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, located
11 km from Ushuaia. It is the only National Park in the country
which combines mountains, forest, glaciers and the salt water of
the Beagle Channel. We will walk along Roca Lake and the Papataia
River, close to the Chilean border, passing Green and Black Lakes.
We end the walk in Lapataia Bay after passing some beaver dams
(brought into the area from the United States and now a pest which
is threatening the native forest). Then we get on a catamaran to
navigate the Beagle Channel, passing by several islands and bays,
where we will be able to see large colonies of sea birds, and some
marine mammals.
In the late afternoon, we'll transfer to the
airport to fly back to Buenos Aires for a two-night stay.
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In the morning, we will drive west from Buenos
Aires into the Pampas for about an hour and a half to the area of
Castelli to visit the Estancia Bella Vista de Guerrero (www.bellavistadeguerrero.com),
a large ranch which also has a luxury lodge and is in full
agricultural and cattle production. This large property is one of
the top estancias in the country. There are various activities
available, including horseback riding, walks, etc. We will have
lunch at the ranch then return to Buenos Aires in the late
afternoon.
Later in the evening, we will visit the area
of Barracas for dinner and an excellent Tango show, returning to
the hotel after midnight.
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Anyone not on the extension will spend the day
in Buenos Aires, with a transfer provided to the airport in the
late afternoon for your evening flight to North America or Europe.
After hotel check-out time, you can leave your bags with the
hotel's front desk until your departure.
The Iguazu Falls Extension starts with a
transfer to the airport to fly to Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, on the
border with Paraguay and Brazil. This small town is located at the
confluence of the Iguazu and Parana Rivers, natural borders
between the three countries. We will stay at the Sheraton
International Hotel, which has a wonderful view of Iguazu falls,
and is located a few steps away from a sub-tropical rain forest.
The hotel is the only one inside the National Park, in a natural
environment where pumas, jaguars, alligators and many colorful
birds live. We'll have time this afternoon to walk on the walkways
overlooking the falls and use the swimming pool before dusk.
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In the morning, visit the Argentine side of the
falls, including Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat), the highest
fall of the whole complex. We'll offer a boat ride to the bottom
of the falls, then into the rapids, for a very close look at the
powerful river. Then we travel down the river, returning to the
hotel in a 4WD truck through the jungle. There is always a chance
to spot some of the wildlife of the area, which includes tapirs,
toucans, vultures, capybara, monkeys and even jaguars.
Afternoon option to visit Brazilian side:
This afternoon we will offer the chance to visit the falls on the
Brazilian side. We cross the Iguazu River into Brazil, over the
Tancredo Neves Bridge. We enter the National Park for a panoramic
view of the falls, 75 % of which are in Argentina allowing those
in Brazil to have the best view. We then return to Argentina to
see where the three borders come together at the Argentine village
of Puerto Iguazu, looking at the Brazilian and Paraguayan side
across the Parana River and Iguazu Rivers, at their confluence.
The views from the Brazil side are
amazing, but the Brazil excursion is optional since all travelers
must obtain a Brazil visa before leaving home. It is expensive
(currently $150 for US citizens), the application process is
cumbersome, and the visa must be used within 90 days of being
issued, although once used, it is valid for 5 years.
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We'll have time to relax this morning at our
hotel, then pack and freshen up prior to transferring to the
Iguazu Falls Airport to fly to Buenos Aires. We'll arrive in the
afternoon at Buenos Aires' domestic airport, then a transfer will
be provided to the international airport to connect with homeward
flights departing in the evening.
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