3 weeks Argentina Explorer tour

Day 1 – Arrival in Buenos Aires

Arrival in Buenos Aires Transfer to a centrally located hotel where you will enjoy 2 nights. 

In the afternoon, a private guided tour lasting approximately 4 hours Bus Tours by Buenos Aires, a vibrant metropolis that offers more than visitors expect. From the historic center of the city - the Plaza de Mayo - you head along Avenida 9 de Julio, from where you can catch your first glimpse of the obelisk. In the quiet and popular artists' quarter of San Telmo you can take a break from the noise of the big city before continuing on to La Boca, the harbor district famous for its colorful houses. Stroll along the street "El Caminito" past the colorful facades and admire the works of the street artists that you will find on display here. In stark contrast to this is the modern harbor district of Puerto Madero on the Rio de la Plata, where you can relax in a chic café at the end of the tour.

Day 2 – Buenos Aires

Option for a day trip of about 6 hours to the Paraná Delta, "Tigre" Here, among other things, you will visit the Tigre's craft and fruit market, as well as take a boat trip through the many canals of the delta, with time for lunch on one of the islands (this is to be paid for locally).

And there is much more to discover!

Day 3 – Buenos Aires – Iguazu

Transfer to the domestic airport and flight to Iguazu. Transfer to the hotel. 2 nights in a jungle lodge.

In the afternoon, guided visit to the waterfalls of Iguazú on the Brazilian sideFrom here you have a spectacular view into the "Devil's Throat" - the U-shaped gorge, down whose walls the water cascades down to a depth of 82 m. At 2700 m wide, the Iguazú Falls are the largest waterfalls in the world by area. 

Day 4 – Iguazu

Full day visit to the Waterfalls on the Argentinian side – here lies the overwhelming natural spectacle of a total of 270 waterfalls and the islands lying in the spraying water between them. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and protects one of the last remaining Atlantic rainforest.

Day 5 - Iguazu – Salta

Transfer to the airport and flight to Salta. Transfer to the city hotel and 1 overnight stay.

In the afternoon you can explore the old town, which was built in colonial style. We also recommend a visit to the archaeological Museums (Museo de la Historia), where the remains found in 1999 at Llullaillaco (at an altitude of 6739 m) Child mummies exhibited are.

Day 6 – Salta – Cachi

Ride in a guided tour or in the Rental car to  Cachi, one of the most varied routes in the entire northwest of Argentina. It features four different ecosystems, from the Green Yungas to dry desert valleys. At the top of the pass Piedra del Molino At over 3 m above sea level you can see condors circling against the blue sky.  Im Los Cardones National Park the visitor sees thousands of candelabra cacti. Then it goes to Cachi, a colonial-style and white shimmering Indian village in the north of the Calchaquí Valley. 1 overnight stay.   

Driving distance: 30 km gravel, 135 km asphalt.

Day 7 – Cachi – Molinos – Quebrada de las Flechas – Cafayate

Today we continue on the famous Ruta 40, one of the most famous and longest routes in the world. The route between Molinos and Cafayate leads past desert landscapes, small farms, vineyards and colorful rocks. Mills, located about 40 km south of Cachi, a detour of 17 km to the west can be made to the very impressive Colomé winery be inserted.

Afterwards we go through the bizarre Quebrada of the Flechas, a desert of quartz ash and rocks. 2 nights at the Cafayate Wine Resort.

Driving distance: 140 km gravel, 20 km asphalt.   

Day 8 - Cafayete – Salta

On today's route on Ruta 68 to Salta, it is worth taking a detour of about 30 km through the Quebrada de las Conchas, a 70 km long and wild landscape of sandstone, which shines in bright colors and has weathered into unreal rock formations. These formations date back to the time when the region had a warm and humid climate and was home to crocodiles and turtles, among other animals.

1 night in a city hotel in Salta.

Day 9 – Salta – San Antonio de los Cobres & Salinas Grandes – Purmamarca

The tour continues through the Quebrada del Torowhich connects the green valley of Salta (Lerma Valley) with the dry plateau of the "Puna" On the way you will cross the train tracks of the famous “Train to the Clouds” several times. You will reach Saint Anthony of the Coppers, where the iron La Polvorrilla bridge (today the only train station for tourism) can be visited. The Salinas Grandes (salt lakes), which stretch white and glittering in the sun on the plateau to the horizon. You take the impressive pass road Cuesta de Lipán to the clay village Purmamarca, where the famous "Mountain of Seven Colors" opposite the village and shines in an incredible variety of colors against the deep blue sky. 1 night in a hotel built from clay. 

Driving distance: 410 km on (mostly) asphalt.

Day 10 – Purmamarca – Salta – Trelew

Today we take the winding road through the jungle "Yunga" leading road over La Caldera the Humahuaca Canyon south to Salta, directly to the airport. Here your guide will drop you off or you can return your rental car.

Driving distance: 165 km on asphalt. 

Flight via Buenos Aires to Trelew in Northern Patagonia. Transfer to Puerto Madryn. 2 nights in a hotel by the sea.

Day 11 – Valdés Peninsula

Guided day trip: North of Puerto Madryn lies the UNESCO World Heritage peninsula Valdés into the Atlantic, a refuge for marine mammals. Here lies the small town specializing in ecotourism Puerto PiramidesFrom June to the end of November this is the location of the baleen whales, which mate and give birth to their young off Punta Pirámides in the Golfo Nuevo. There is the Option, to get so close to the marine mammals that you can touch them on a boat. The tour continues around the peninsula with a visit to an elephant seal colony and several sea lion colonies. On the journey through the steppe you can observe guanacos, Ñandus (Patagonian ostriches), armadillos, maras (pampa hares), foxes and other steppe animals. Finally you reach the farm, which is still active today. Estancia San Lorenzo, one of the largest breeding grounds of Magellanic penguins worldwide. Walk among hundreds of penguins that nest here and raise their young on the rocky ground during the summer months. You can get right in the middle of these sociable animals and observe them up close.

Day 12 – Trelew – Ushuaia

Transfer to Trelew airport and flight to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Transfer to the hotel, 2 nights in the hotel.

Day 13 – NP Tierra del Fuego – Lapataia Bay – Beagle Channel

In the morning, excursion to the Tierra del Fuego National Park to Lapataia Bay, the end of the Pan-American Highway. There, short hikes in the untouched and wild nature of the island. In the afternoon, boat trip on the Beagle Channel, where sea lions and cormorants can be observed.

Day 14 - Ushuaia – El Calafate – El Chaltén

Transfer to the airport, flight to Calafate. Bus ride of about 3 hours the legendary 40 Route to  El Chaltén, starting point for all hikes and expeditions on the legendary Cerro Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre.

2 hotel nights in the heart of Chaltén.

Day 15 – Fritz Roy

Trekking on your own (very well trodden sidewalks) to the Los Tres Lagoon, at the foot of the Fitz Roy Hill, the most famous mountain in the southern Patagonian Andes. It takes three hours through beautiful forest and mountain landscapes to the Rio Blanco base camp, with Cerro Fitz Roy and its granite neighbors always in sight. Now follows a steady and steep climb to the Laguna de los Tres, which lies in front of the Fitz Roy and is a magnificent vantage point for the impressive Fitz Roy.

Walking time: 6-7 hours with an altitude difference of 800 m.

Day 16 – El Chaltén

Option in the morning: If the weather is good, take a trip along the beautiful valley of the Río de las Vueltas to the Lake Desierto can be booked. Once there, you can go on a hike along the eastern shore of the lake. This offers the opportunity to enjoy the lake and the surrounding glacier-covered mountains from a vantage point. There is also a boat trip to the northern tip of the lake, past a series of hanging glaciers that flow directly from the southern Patagonian ice field. In clear weather, this is a real insider tip, as you can see the mountains from a completely different angle.

Or: Trekking on your own (very well-trodden sidewalks) for Torre Lagoon, at the foot of the legendary Cerro Torre, one of the most difficult mountaineering destinations in the world. Its steep walls of over 1400 m high made of the smoothest granite make this easy to imagine, although the climate is the main factor why climbers often have to wait months before making the final push to the summit. The view from the Laguna Torre is breathtakingly beautiful, with a whole series of windswept granite needles and enormous glaciers. Walking time: 5-6 hours easy hike with an altitude difference of 400 m.

In the afternoon bus ride from the hotel to El Calafate on the beautiful Argentino Lake with a wide view of the Andes. 3 nights in a centrally located hotel.

Day 17 – Perito Moreno Glacier

Trip to Perito Moreno Glacier, 90 km from Calafate. This world-famous glacier is one of the great attractions of southern Patagonia. The ice falls that repeatedly crash into the lake with a roar remain unforgettable impressions. This glacier is 5 km wide and its front is more than 60 meters high, surrounded by a forest of lenga and coihue (southern beech), flowers of the local fire bush (silver tree family) and calafate (barkhorn).

Day 18 – Upsala & Spegazzini Glacier

Transfer to the port of Puerto Bandera, where a boost excursion on Lake Argentino to the fronts of the Upsala and Spegazzini glaciers starts. Several icebergs are floating in the northern arm of the lake. At around 15 p.m. we dock again in Puerto Bandera.

For the rest of the afternoon we recommend a visit to the Nimez Lagoon, a bird paradise of endemic species.

Day 19 – El Calafate – Buenos Aires

Transfer to the airport and flight to Buenos Aires. Transfer to the city hotel and 1 last overnight stay to round off your trip.

In the evening Option to a legendary tango show including transfers and dinner with drinks.

Day 20 – Departure 

Transfer to Buenos Aires International Airport for departure. End of 3 weeks in Argentina tour.