LONG HAUL – ARGENTINA AND TORRES DEL PAINE

Depart from Italy on scheduled intercontinental flight (not included in the fee, for reservation and price please contact agency) to Buenos Aires. Meals and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast, arrival, transfer and immediate settling in hotel (Huinid Obelisco, 4*).
Afternoon dedicated to a guided tour of Buenos Aires, starting at the Plaza de Armas, now known as the Plaza de Mayo, the historical, political and cultural center of the city. The Pyramid de Mayo, which stands in the center of the plaza, was the first National Historic Monument inaugurated in 1811. The square is overlooked by the Casa Rosada, current seat of National Executive Power, the Cabildo and the Catedral Metropolitana. We continue along Avenida de Mayo, one of the most interesting urban areas of the city, until we reach the Palacio del Congreso and the Plaza. The tour continues to Avenida 9 de Julio famous for the Obelisk, the symbol of the city, and the Teatro Colon. Heading south we arrive in picturesque La Boca, with the colorful Caminito, with its distinctive multicolored tin houses still inhabited today. Boca is the cradle of great soccer in Argentina as the legendary River Plate and Boca Juniors teams were born here. Finally, stop to visit the San Telmo neighborhood, one of the oldest in the city where aristocratic families lived. Today it is known for its antiques market held every Sunday and its many "tanguerias," restaurants, and bars.
In the evening, dinner with tango show in a typical restaurant (driver-only transfers included). Overnight.

Breakfast.
Dynamic, elegant, cosmopolitan, Buenos Aires is the most European city on the continent without losing its South American flair with its colonial-style plazas, original antique fairs, world-class theaters and interesting museums. Here in the 19th century the tango, the iconic music of Argentina, was born. A short walk from the central Plaza de Mayo square is the historic "Cafe Tortoni," a meeting place for artists; outside the historic center, in the elegant La Recoleta neighborhood, is the Cimitero del Norte where Evita Peron was buried and is characterized by French- and Italian-influenced buildings, excellent restaurants and trendy stores. In addition to the Tigre district and the Parana River delta, we recommend a visit to the sizzling Palermo district, divided into Soho and Hollywood, which in recent years has become one of the most fashionable areas of Buenos Aires with restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques of up-and-coming designers. Culture lovers should not miss a visit to the Teatro Colon, the MALBA Museum, which houses a large collection of modern Latin American art, and the Evita Museum, which recounts the figure of Evita through objects, films, and photographs.
It is possible to book the following excursions (optional and at extra charge): North Zone and residential neighborhoods with La Recoleta Cemetery; Tigre District and to the Paraná River Delta; Evita Perón and Borges Museums; Fiesta Gaucha in Estancia; Teatro Colón.
Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport and departure by flight to Ushuaia. Arrival, transfer and accommodation in hotel (Altos de Ushuaia, 3*)
Free afternoon to explore Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Tucked between the Cerro Martial and Monte Olivia mountains, the area was initially inhabited by the Ona Indians, while the first Europeans to reach the territory were the sailors of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in 1520 who, observing the large fires lit by the natives named precisely the area "Tierra del Fuego." The city runs up the hill to the shores of the Beagle Channel and is an excellent base for exploring the wild beauty of Tierra del Fuego National Park, for boat trips along the channel, for a train ride to Fin del Mundo, and for trying the gastronomy with typical dishes of centolla, a giant crab typical of the area.
It is possible to book the following excursions (optional and at extra charge): Visit to Ushuaia and the Presidio Museum; Fin del Mundo Train; Dinner with Centolla.
Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Depart for Tierra del Fuego National Park for a 5-hour tour of the highlights: Bahia Ensenada, Bahia Lapataia (culminating point of National Route No. 3) and Lake Roca, which is characterized by the color of its waters that vary according to weather conditions. In the afternoon, transfer to the port and depart for an approximately 2-hour and 30-minute sail along the Beagle Channel. It starts at Ushuaia Bay where you will enjoy spectacular views of the city and the Andes Mountains. You will skirt the north side, passing through the Bridges archipelago, until you reach Isla de los Pajaros where you will see several typical bird species. We continue to Isla de los Lobos habitat of a colony of sea lions to the famous Faro de Les Eclaireurs and then return to Ushuaia.
Return to the hotel and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to the airport and departure by flight to El Calafate (duration: 1 hour 20 minutes). Arrival, transfer and accommodation at the hotel (Quijote, 3*).
Free afternoon in the aera of El Calafate, a town named after an indigenous word that identifies a shrub in the Berberidaceae family, typical of Patagonia, whose berries are protected by thorns and contain a substance that possesses medicinal properties. Once used by indigenous peoples to dye textiles, today the fruits are used to make delicious jams. The place was once a simple refreshment point during trips between estancias in Patagonia while today El Calafate is a pleasant tourist town, an excellent starting point for visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier and the southern sector of Los Glaciares National Park.
It is possible to book the following excursions (optional and at extra charge): Glaciarium visit, Nativo Experience with dinner, Estancia 25 de Mayo dinner and show.
Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.
In the morning we depart across the Patagonian steppe to the Perito Moreno Glacier, an immense mass of ice falling sheer to Lake Argentino, with a front that stretches five kilometers in width and walls that rise up to sixty meters above the waters, hiding for another two hundred below the lake level. Trails and equipped boardwalks within the park allow visitors to reach the immense ice wall, having the opportunity to listen to the roar of the ice falling into the waters of the lake. Included is a mini cruise of about 1 hour called Nautical Safari to get all the way under the walls of the majestic ice front. Return to El Calafate in the afternoon.
Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Free day in El Calafate and surrounding areas. Near the city is the interesting Glaciarium, the ice museum, housed inside a structure resembling the front of the Perito Moreno Glacier. The halls allow you to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of glaciology and learn about the exploration of one of the continent's most incredible areas, while underground, the GlacioBar, invites you to enjoy a cool drink.
It is possible to book the following excursions (optional and at extra charge): Glaciarium visit, Todo Glaciares Argentino Lake Navigation, Minitrekking on Perito Moreno Glacier, Cerro Frias horseback riding with lunch or dinner, Nativo Experience with lunch or dinner, Estancia 25 de Mayo dinner and show.
Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer by scheduled bus to Puerto Natales in Chilean Patagonia (transfer duration: 4/5 hours). Arrive at the bus station, transfer and settle in the hotel (Vendaval, 3*).
Free afternoon to discover Puerto Natales, a small fishing village located on the steep shores of the fjords and where you can enjoy excellent seafood from its restaurants in the harbor area.
Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Full-day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park with a stop at Cueva de Milodón, where the remains of a prehistoric animal called Milodonte were discovered. Continuation into the Patagonian steppe where guanacos, foxes, nandu, deer and Andean condors live, arrival in Torres del Paine National Park, declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1978. Visit the Salto Grande del Río Paine, where you have a chance to appreciate the majestic and imposing mountain massif of the Torres del Paine, continue to Lake Peohe and then to Lake Grey. Lunch on the excursion.
Return to Puerto Natales and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer by scheduled bus to El Calafate. Arrive at the bus terminal, transfer to the airport and fly to Buenos Aires. Arrival and transfer to hotel. Overnight.

Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer to Ezeiza airport and departure by scheduled intercontinental flight to Italy. Meals and overnight stay on board.

Arrival in Italy.