Patagonia, Argentina
Patagonia Argentina, South America | Southern Summer or Fall
Our adventure begins in Buenos Aires and we will proceed from there to Puerto Madryn and Trelew, famous for its incredible regional wildlife including whales and penguins, and then southward to El Calafate where we will explore the rapidly changing* Patagonian ice fields and glaciers. This trip is a last-chance-to-see experience while enjoying excellent international company. What sets our tours apart from other tours: Sirius Travel is owned and operated by scientists and we always include scientists as your tour guides who present tour-relevant talks on widely ranging topics in science and astronomy.
Starting at:
$TBD
Activity Level:
Moderate
Location:
Buenos Aires, El Calafate , Puerto Madryn (Patagonia)
Duration:
11 days / 10 nights
Trip Details and Highlights
- 2 full days of guided exploring in the rapidly changing El Calafate region and the Patagonian ice fields
- 3 domestic flights within Argentina included
- Transfer in/out of airports
- Private transportation
- Professional, bilingual guides
- Sirius Travel scientist guides (at least 1 per 15 passengers) to answer any questions
- Southern skies star party
- Several talks during the trip on subjects including astronomy, and climate change.
- 4-star accommodation where available.
- Meals as listed in itinerary
- Park entrance fees
- Private activities
Tour Overview
Day 1
Start of tour in Buenos Aires. Walking tour to shake off your flight, welcome dinner.
Day 2
Full day City Tour of Buenos Aires by bus
Day 3
Flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn
Day 4
Full day tour of the peninsula and Whale watching.
Day 5
Estancia San Lorenzo and Land of the Penguins at sunset.
Day 6
Travel from Puerto Madryn to El Calafate
Day 7
Full Day Tour to Perito Moreno glacier and minitrekking
Day 8
Sail Argentino Lake to Estancio Cristina and visit legendary valleys in Patagonia.
Day 9
Travel back to Buenos Aires
Day 10
San Telmo Market, Farewell dinner, and Tango show.
Day 9
Check out after breakfast and transfer to airport.
Pricing and Terms
Payment
- $TBD per traveler (11 and older) – based on double occupancy
- Single supplement: $975
- Children (3-10 years old) $TBD
- Lower age limit is 3 years old.
- To secure a reservation, initial deposit ($1500) with a completed reservation form is required.
- Cancellations must be made in writing by email or mail to Sirius Travel.
Cancellations
- Cancellations made prior to 365 days before travel are fully refundable.
- If cancellations are made:
- 364-120 days prior to travel:
65% of your total tour cost is refunded. - 119-60 days prior to travel:
35% of your total tour cost is refunded. - 59-30 days prior to travel:
10% of your total tour cost is refunded
- 364-120 days prior to travel:
- There are no refunds 30 days or less before travel
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Buenos Aires (D)
Welcome to Argentina and Buenos Aires! Upon arrival at Buenos Aires International Airport we will meet and transfer you to check in at the hotel.
In the afternoon your bilingual guide will lead you on a walking tour of the Recoleta neighborhood and some of Buenos Aires’ most important historical sites. In the evening enjoy a welcome dinner near our hotel and an introductory talk.
Accommodation: Buenos Aires, Loi Suites Recoleta or similar
Day 2
Buenos Aires
After breakfast you will leave on a full day tour of Buenos Aires, the most elegant capital of South America.
During this excursion we will visit Plaza de Mayo, Avenida 9 de Julio, the Colon Theater, the traditional and lively neighborhoods of San Telmo and La Boca, including a stroll along the open-air museum of Caminito Street named after a tango song “Caminito”. Following La Boca we will visit the Puerto Madero area and take a break for lunch at one of its many restaurants.
After lunch, we leave for the Bosques de Palermo, with more than 80 hectares, it is one of the largest green areas in Buenos Aires. The “porteños” visit the park for picnics and sports. Finally we will visit the Recoleta area, one of the most glamorous places in the city. Here you will find the most elegant boutiques of the city as well as excellent restaurants, surrounded by centenary trees. The Recoleta Cemetery is a remarkable cemetary filled exclusively with mausoleums and is a “city within the city” albeit a city of the dead. Within the grounds is the tomb of Eva Duarte, famously known as Eva Perón or Evita. The cemetery is the center of this aristocratic neighborhood and most of the relevant personalities in Argentina’s history rest in this place. The mausoleums and pantheons reflect the architectural diversity that emerges from the different cultural trends Argentina and incorporates in its formation as a nation. This “city of the dead” is considered one of the most impressive monuments in Argentina.
Accommodation: Buenos Aires, Loi Suites Recoleta or similar
Day 3
Buenos Aires - Puerto Madryn
After breakfast you will transfer to the domestic airport for your flight to Puerto Madryn and Trelew.
Accommodation: Puerto Madryn, La Posada de Madryn or similar
Day 4
Puerto Madryn | Peninsula and whale watching
After breakfast you will depart from your hotel in Madryn for a full day tour of the Valdés Peninsula and whale watching. Beginning with a visit to the Ameghino Isthmus Interpretation Center, located at the access to the Peninsula, it gets visitors ready to understand the characteristics of local biodiversity and shows the interaction between animal species, geography and man. The Interpretation Center includes an observation tower featuring views of the two gulfs and the clamoring sound made by thousands of birds that inhabit area and do not want to go unnoticed.
Continuing onto the peninsula we will head toward its only village, Puerto Piramides. There we will enjoy some free time to explore and have lunch. After lunch we will take a guided walk along the beach and enjoy whale watching.
Return to Madryn at sunset and enjoy a star party to view the Southern Hemisphere skies weather permitting.
Accommodation: Puerto Madryn, La Posada de Madryn or similar
Day 5
Puerto Madryn | Estancio San Lorenzo, Land of the Penguins
After breakfast you will depart on a unique and delightful experience, a mini trekking tour through an area with the highest penguin concentration in Argentina – normally only visited by researchers and park rangers. Access is permitted only to small groups, and a San Lorenzo Park Ranger will be present throughout the trek. The visit will include”The Hive”, an area with very high penguin concentration, and the Penguin Gully, a transit area for penguins on their way to their different burrowing sectors.
One of the most beautiful places along this circuit is the cliff area, where penguins burrow. On the way back to the starting point we will walk along the highest part of the beach.
Accommodation: Puerto Madryn, La Posada de Madryn or similar
Day 6
Puerto Madryn - Calafate
Arrive at Calafate, meet and transfer by private vehicle with an english speaking guide to the hotel. Afternoon tour to the Glaciarium, a modern center devoted to the Patagonian Icefield and its glaciers, one of the few glaciological interpretative centers in the world. Entrance fee to the Glacio Bar is included. The Glacio bar is located underground at the Glaciarium and features ice walls. Everything is made of ice; the glasses, the bar, tables, and couches are fully made up of the glacier!
Accommodation: Calafate, Kosten Aike or similar
Day 7
Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier (B)
Enjoy a full day tour to the famous Perito Moreno Glacier, the only growing glacier on earth and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Perito Moreno Glacier in at the southwestern end of Argentino Lake 80 km from El Calafate. This glacier is named Perito Moreno after to a great Argentinean explorer from the last century and is one of the few glaciers in the world that is actively moving. It has become one of the most spectacular natural shows in South America.
The tour includes a boat excursion on the “Nautic Safari” departing from Bajo de las Sombras Pier and sailing along the glacier’s southern wall at a distance of approximately 500 m with the possibility of watching the ice slide from the 60-70 meter high glacial wall.
You will disembark on the opposite shore for a mini-trek reach Moreno River Waterfall. This optional trek is of interest because of the contact with glacial ice, its peaks and interior lakes the unique blue color of the glacier, and the amazing views of the glacier walls and the lake. Because this trek requires the use of crampons and ice axes to allow us to walk on the glacier there is a medium physical requirement and it is considered to be unsuitable for people who are overweight, handicapped, or pregnant. People from 10 to 60 years old are allowed on the mini-trek and size 36 shoe is the smallest available and therefore a minimum requirement.
Accommodation: Calafate, Kosten Aike or similar
Day 8
Calafate and Estancia Cristina (B)
After breakfast, we will enjoy a full day tour to Estancia Cristina. In the morning we will go towards Cristina Farm, located at the base of the blue waters of Argentino Lake. The experience starts at Puerto de la Cruz in Punta Bandera. We will sail the northern end of the lake to the snout of the outrageous Upsala Glacier. Then we will sail along Cristina Channel until we reach the Cristina Farm port where the adventure continues in one of the most fascinating and legendary valleys in Patagonia.
Included:
- Boarding a modern and comfortable boat at port Punta Bandera
- Sailing among icebergs and stunning scenery overlooking the western front of the Upsala glacier and then through Cristina Canal to the point of disembarking at the Estancia.
- Arrival Estancia Cristina and stay at the Estancia for 6 hours.
- Guided visit to the Costumbrista museum (old shearing shed).
- Ascent in all-terrain vehicles, traveling 9.5 km through mountainous roads.
- Arrival to the Continental ice shelter.
- 30 minute walk.
- Visit the front of Upsala Glacier, Lake Guillermo, Southern Patagonian Ice, and the Andes.
- Return to El Calafate via the farmhouse of the Estancia and Puerto Banderas.
Accommodation: Calafate, Kosten Aike or similar
Day 9
Calafate to Buenos Aires (B)
After breakfast, we will depart for El Calafate Airport in time to board our flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in Buenos Aires we will transfer to our hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day free.
Accommodation: Buenos Aires, Loi Suites Recoleta or similar
Day 10
Buenos Aires (B,D)
After breakfast you will visit the San Telmo Market for an opportunity to do some last-day shopping. With a typically Italian facade and large interior spaces, the Mercado de San Telmo opened in 1897 to cater to the needs of the new wave of immigrants arriving from Europe. The stalls have since been updated but the internal structure of the market remains the same, with metal columns and beams, so stepping inside is still like stepping back in time. The building was declared a national historic monument in the year 2000 and there are stalls selling food, antiques, crafts, records, and toys, making for an eclectic mix.
In the evening you will enjoy a farewell dinner and tango show at Gala Tango. Its architecture, French style decoration, and the exclusive refined details makes Gala Tango the most glamorous places in Buenos Aires.
Accommodation: Buenos Aires, Loi Suites Recoleta or similar
Day 9
Sunday | December 20, 2020
Buenos Aires (B)
After breakfast, transfer by private vehicle and English guide to Ezeiza International Airport for your flight back home.
Included
- Astronomer and Climate Scientist guides
- Professional bilingual guide
- 3 domestic flights during the tour
- All ground transportation
- 4-star accommodations
- Airport transfers during the tour
- Meals (as described in itinerary)
- Park entrance fees
Not Included
- International flights
- Items of a personal nature
- Alchoholic beverages (unless specifically included)
- Tips for drivers and guides
- Meals not specified in the itinerary
- Activities or services not mentioned in the itinerary
- Travel insurance
Other Information
Trip cancellation, health, and accident insurance is recommended but not required. It can save you money if you are forced to cancel or alter your trip. We recommend TravelGuard trip insurance (www.travelguard.com) and we recommend that all travelers purchase their insurance within 7 days of their initial reservation to take advantage of any pre-existing condition clause.
Depending on your country of origin, visas may be required to enter Argentina.
U.S. citizens need a valid passport to enter Argentina. U.S. citizens with expired or damaged passports may not be allowed to enter and could be sent back to the United States at their own expense. Private U.S. citizens do not need a visa for visits of up to 90 days for tourism or business. Diplomatic or official passport holders must get visas prior to arrival.
Visa and passport fees are not included in the price of this trip. We recommend checking your passport expiration immediately and make plans to renew before June, 2020 if necessary. We always recommend reviewing the visa and passport requirements for travel to Argentina for your country of origin. (US citizens may find their information here)
Routine vaccinations: Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.
Hepatitis A: CDC recommends this vaccine because you can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water in Argentina, regardless of where you are eating or staying.
Typhoid: You can get typhoid through contaminated food or water in Argentina. CDC recommends this vaccine for most travelers, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an adventurous eater.
Precautions should always be taken seriously and pre-trip education on what to eat or to avoid should be planned. Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC website.
It is every traveler’s responsibility to consider all appropriate medical advice regarding whether or not they are fit to take this trip prior to booking their reservation. We recommend that all interested travelers check with their healthcare provider before signing on.
Children 3 and older are welcome on this tour but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian if they are under 18. There is child pricing (ages 3-11) for this tour. Please note that Argentina has very strict entry/exit requirements for minors (under the age of 18 years old), especially minors traveling with only one parent. Please review the requirements before choosing to travel with a minor.
If you are traveling alone, you may save quite a bit of money by opting to share a room. We will match solo travelers of the same gender so that they can share a double occupancy room with two beds. We will do our best to match travelers but if we cannot find a match for you then you will be required to pay the single occupancy price.
