Buenos Aires to Patagonia trip: lakes, glaciers and the tip of the world

Itinerary in brief:

• 3 nights in Buenos Aires 
• 3 nights in Ushuaia          
• 2 nights in El Calafate
• 3 nights in El Chalten
• 3 nights in Bariloche       

Day 1: Depart UK

Depart the UK from your chosen airport.

Included: International flight

Day 2: Arrive in Buenos Aires

On arrival at Buenos Aires airport, you will be met and taken to your hotel by private transfer, where you will check in for a 3-night stay.

Included: Transfer, hotel

Day 3: Walking tour of Recoleta

After breakfast, you’ll meet your private guide for a walking tour of Recoleta, one of the city’s most upmarket neighbourhoods with its museums, beautiful cemetery and French-styled architecture which is why Buenos Aires has the nickname ‘Paris of Latin America’.

Included: Breakfast, tour, hotel 

Day 4: Free day

You have today to explore Buenos Aires at your own pace. If you want to visit a charming area with fewer visitors, we suggest Palermo Soho – a beautiful residential neighbourhood with plenty of delightful cafés, restaurants and boutique shops.

Included: Breakfast, hotel           

Day 5: Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

Today you’ll be collected from your hotel after breakfast and taken to the airport by private transfer for your flight south to Ushuaia in southern Patagonia. Once you land, you will be met and driven by a shared transfer to your hotel where you will check in for a 3-night stay.

Included: Breakfast, transfers, domestic flight, hotel                       

Day 6: Half-day tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before joining a small group tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park. Just 11km from Ushuaia, the national park juts out into the Beagle channel, and within its limits, you will be able to see lakes, lagoons, rivers and the windswept shores of the Channel in this region that’s at the southernmost tip of the Americas.

Included: Breakfast, tour, hotel

Day 7: Half-day Beagle Channel tour

Today we’ve added a boat tour to navigate the Beagle Channel. Starting from Ushuaia pier, you’ll sail in its bay and then towards Seal’s Island, Mackinlay Pass and Martillo Island amongst other islands. Look out for many animal species that inhabit these remote places from imperial cormorants to Black Eyebrow Albatrosses, sea lions and Magellanic penguins!

Included: Breakfast, tour, hotel 

Day 8: Ushuaia to El Calafate

After breakfast, you’ll be collected from your hotel and taken to the airport by shared transfer for your flight to El Calafate, Argentina’s glacial region. Once you land, you will be met and driven by a shared transfer to your hotel where you will check in for a 2-night stay.

Included: Breakfast, transfers, domestic flight, hotel        

Day 9: Full-day tour to Perito Moreno glacier  

You’ll spend today exploring the Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the world’s largest reserves of fresh water and one of the few glaciers that are advancing rather than retreating. Its statistics are so impressive that it will leave you breathless! 250km squared, 30km in length with an imposing 70m high wall of sheer ice!

Included: Breakfast, tour, hotel 

Day 10: El Calafate to El Chalten

After breakfast, make your way to the bus station in town and catch the bus to charming El Chalten, which takes around 3 hours. Once you arrive, make your way to your hotel where you will check in for a 3-night stay.

Included: Breakfast, bus, hotel  

Days 11 & 12: Free days    

You now have two days to explore El Chalten, a genuinely Patagonian village that makes the perfect base if you enjoy the outdoors and walking. There are many hiking routes of different lengths and difficulty starting from the town, and you won’t need a guide – just plenty of enthusiasm and a good camera to capture the picturesque scenery!

Included: Breakfast, hotel           

Day 13: El Chalten to Bariloche   

Today after breakfast, make your way to the bus terminal and catch the bus service that will take you to El Calafate airport for your flight to Bariloche in Argentina’s Lake District. Once you land, you will be met and driven by private transfer to your hotel where you will check in for a 3-night stay.

Included: Breakfast, bus, domestic flight, transfer, hotel                

Day 14 & 15: Free days

Set in the heart of the scenic Lake District, Bariloche is in northern Patagonia on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, backed by the snow-capped Andes. The town is an idyllic place to relax, feast on locally-produced artisanal chocolates (Bariloche is the chocolate making capital of Argentina!) or get active and enjoy the surroundings. Whether you enjoy horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking or lake-based water sports, you’ll find something you love to do in Bariloche.           

Included: Breakfast, hotel           

Day 16: Depart Bariloche  

You will be collected from your hotel after breakfast and taken to the airport by private transfer to connect with your onward flight back to the UK.

Included: Breakfast, transfer, international flight

Day 17: Arrive UK