Best of Argentina Buenos Aires Ushuaia Calafate Buenos Aires Guaranteed departures Minimum: 02 Participants Guaranteed small groups: maximum 16 participants With local English speaking guides Duration: 08 Days Saturday - Saturday
Day 01 Saturday Buenos Aires Meals: None Transfer international airport Buenos Aires - Hotel Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, transfer from the airport to the hotel. Buenos Aires - is not only the capital of Argentina; it is also one of the 10 most important metropolises in the world and the centre of the political, economic and intellectual life of the country. This cosmopolitan city - with great European cultural influence - displays a refined taste in its cooking, in its boutiques and in the elegance of its inhabitants. Almost 12 million people live there and can enjoy the plentiful night life visiting tango bars, cabarets, discotheques, restaurants or eternally open bars. During the day, a wide variety of attractions is offered: museums, art galleries, tasteful shops, fascinating antiques, large green areas, parks, wide tree lined boulevards, clubs and sporting events. The Italian-Spanish descent of the inhabitants has formed this modern metropolis. Feel the flair, above all in the Italian old quarter La Boca and in the wide streets with cafes from the turn of the century. At the Plaza de Mayo, in the political centre of town, is the starting point of this tour through this exciting capital. The widest street of the world, the very famous opera house and also the shopping street Florida make Buenos Aires unforgettable. Overnight at Hotel De Las Americas 3* or similar (standard room) Overnight at 725 Continental 5* or similar (superior room) Day 02 Sunday Buenos Aires Half day city tour (3h) After breakfast you will visit the most important sites during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the government, the Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes onto the district San Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city was a river port, today San Telmo is one of the most modern and desired places to live in Buenos Aires. The worker district La Boca is famous for its colourful tin-houses and its history as living district of Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th century. The Barrio Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the rich of Buenos Aires. On the cemetery of Recoleta one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the Avenida 9 de Julio, and continue to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and gardens. Return to the hotel.
Afternoon free at leisure following optional tours can be booked with our local SAT office: Optional: half day Tigre Tour. From your hotel we will drive along the Northern residential districts of the city, until getting to San Isidro, a colonial and aristocratic area. You will see the mansions and houses in front of the River Plate. You will continue the driving to Tigre, a charming area near Buenos Aires city where a great number of summer residences, yacht clubs and rowing clubs attract the week-end activity of many porteños. The Tigre Delta with its rivers, streams and numerous green islands is one of the most attractive areas for visitors. The continuous sediment of the Paraná River, which gives the river and estuary their particular brownish-red colour, forms the Delta islands. Enjoy a boat excursion (1 hour) along the innumerable channels of the Paraná-Delta to see some of the hundreds of islands covered with luxuriant vegetation. Drive back to the city via the Panamericana highway. Optional: Visit to the San Telmo market (not possible on seat-in basis). From your hotel we will take you to San Telmo, which is no doubt the best kept historical neighborhood and eldest district of Buenos Aires. Here one has time to stroll around Plaza Dorrego, where each Sunday an antique market takes place. Tango couples are dancing on the street. Cafes invite to sit on their terrace and to relax by enjoying this nice scenery. Another attraction are the numerous antique shops, where one might find the right souvenir. After the visit, return to the hotel. Optional: Visit of a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant Viejo Almacen. Overnight at Hotel De Las Americas 3* or similar (standard room) Overnight at 725 Continental 5* or similar (superior room) Day 03 Monday Buenos Aires Ushuaia Transfer hotel domestic airport Buenos Aires Flight Buenos Aires - Ushuaia (not included) Transfer airport - hotel Transfer to the domestic airport for the flight to Ushuaia. Ushuaia is the capital of the territory and the southernmost city in the world. Like Rio Grande Ushuaia has grown fast in the last few years, thanks to immigration and the electronics industry in the area. You should not miss the End of the World Museum, the old prison and to explore some restaurants to try the excellent spider crabs. A walk around the harbor is interesting too, where some old boats can be seen. Ushuaia and its scenery inspired the research and fantasies of Jules Verne, Fitz Roy, Charles Darwin and Emilio Salgari. Upon arrival at Ushuaia airport transfer to your hotel. Overnight at Hotel Ushuaia 3* or similar (standard room) Overnight at Hotel Cilene del Faro 4* or similar (standard room)
Day 04 Tuesday Ushuaia Half day tour Tierra del Fuego National Park In the morning you will go on a half day tour to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you will get the impression as if time goes slower than anywhere else. The long stormy winters and the width of the sky formed a very simple and modest way of living. The National Park is crossed by many rivers which flow into the Beagle Channel. Drive through the park to enjoy the landscapes and have a little walk. In the afternoon the following optional tour can be booked with our local SAT office: Optional: Catamaran tour on the Beagle Channel The Beagle Channel became its name due to the expedition from Charles Darwin. You will pass through the Casco Island where a lot of nest from seabirds and sea lions can be seen onto the Island Los Lobos to see the sea lions. Overnight at Hotel Ushuaia 3* or similar (standard room) Overnight at Hotel Cilene del Faro 4* or similar (standard room) Day 05 Wednesday Ushuaia Calafate Transfer hotel - airport Flight Ushuaia - Calafate (not included) Transfer airport - hotel Transfer to the airport and flight to El Calafate (not included). Pick up at the airport by our local guide and transfer to the hotel. El Calafate - The village of El Calafate on Lake Argentino, is an expensive and developing Tourist Centre. There is a chapel dedicated to Santa Teresa in the centre, behind it Perito Moreno Street gently climbs the large hill south of the town, from which one can see the silhouette of the south end of the Andes, the Redonda Lake and Soledad Island on Argentino Lake. It is the southern gateway to the Los Glaciares National Park, which is 50 km (31 mi) away. On the alluvial plain by the lake there are many interesting birds, and in the other direction there is scope for good hill walking. Colourful cave paintings are also captivating. The afternoon is at leisure the following optional tour can be booked with our local SAT office: Optional: Half day Glaciarium Museum (duration about 2h 30min) The Glaciarum Museum is the first museum in South America dedicated to the glaciers and Patagonia ice. It has a privileged location, situated close to El Calafate town (20 minutes drive) on the way to Los Glaciares National Park. The whole complex is a last generation interpretation centre which will offer to the visitors an interactive exhibition with the aim to learn about the glaciers. It`s an interactive museum with theme rooms, exhibitions showing recent investigations, scenic & lighting effects, multimedia programs and audiovisuals.
It also counts with a permanent exhibition focused on global climate changes and the environmental problems on earth. Overnight at Hotel Kau Yatun 3* or similar (standard room) Overnight at Hotel Kosten Aike 4* or similar (standard room) Day 06 Thursday Calafate Perito Moreno Calafate Full day tour Perito Moreno (regular seat-in basis) Today guests will go on a full day tour to the Perito Moreno Glacier. After a drive through the National Park Los Glaciares one arrive all of a sudden in a forest full of colours, before one sees - equally unexpected - the glacier Perito Moreno. This is one of the few glaciers that are still growing. Every 4 to 5 years it covers the gap between the mainland and itself and grows into the Lago Argentino. Eventually the ice cannot resist the enormous pressure of the water and crashes with a frightening noise. One can watch this glacier spectacle every day when single ice blocks fall into the lake. Considering that the glacier is 5 km long and 70 m high one can imagine the noise this makes. Here we will have 2 hours to experience the glacier before driving back to Calafate. Middle Class Overnight at Hotel Kau Yatun 3* or similar (standard room) Comfort Class Overnight at Hotel Kosten Aike 4* or similar (standard room) Day 07 Friday Calafate Buenos Aires Transfer hotel - airport Flight Calafate Buenos Aires (not included) Transfer airport Buenos Aires - hotel Transfer to the airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires (not included). Upon arrival transfer to the hotel. Middle Class Overnight at Hotel De Las Americas 3* or similar (standard room) Comfort Class Overnight at Hotel 725 Continental 5* or similar (superior room) Day 08 Saturday Buenos Aires Transfer hotel international airport Buenos Aires Transfer to the international airport of Buenos Aires for your flight back home.
CONTACTS: www.vandeygrouptours.co.ke info@vandeygrouptours.co.ke