Argentina & Chile Tour: Southern Frontiers

Breakfast at the hotel.

Half-day city tour

Our tour opens along Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins — the avenue everyone knows simply as La Alameda — passing the presidential palace of La Moneda, the pedestrianised streets and the Plaza de Armas, framed by the Cathedral, the Central Post Office and Santiago's Town Hall. From there we climb Cerro Santa Lucía, the strategic hill where the city was founded, then continue towards Parque Forestal, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Lastarria quarter. Crossing the Mapocho River brings us into Bellavista, a district with a lively cultural and artistic scene. We finish in the modern heart of the city, taking in Providencia, the Las Condes and Vitacura districts, and Bicentennial Park, one of Santiago's newer landmarks, overnight in Santiago de Chile.

ALTERNATIVE TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Bike tour through the markets and local life

Cycle through Santiago's spirited Bellavista district, where bright murals, historic landmarks, and the buzz of the local markets await. You'll come across fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood native to these waters, and Chilean culture at close range, stopping at landmarks such as La Chascona — Pablo Neruda's distinctive house built to resemble a boat — and tasting excellent street food at busy markets like La Vega Central and Tirso Molina.

By the time this morning ride is over, you'll have a far richer sense of Chilean history, culture and flavour, and you'll know exactly where to head for your next outstanding meal.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

The day is yours to spend as you wish. Overnight in Santiago de Chile.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Valparaíso and Viña del Mar

We leave your hotel for the coast and the historic port of Valparaíso, the Pacific's principal harbour in the nineteenth century and today a major draw for its energetic cultural life and singular architecture. The day also takes in Viña del Mar, an appealing seaside city known for its gardens and beaches.

Crossing the Casablanca Valley, we reach Valparaíso for panoramic views from its hills, time in the historic and commercial quarters, a look at the National Congress and a ride on one of the traditional funiculars. Among the highlights are Cerro Alegre and, on Cerro Concepción, the Paseo Yugoslavo and Paseo Atkinson. We then call at La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's house-museum, before going on to Viña del Mar to see its coastal gardens, contemporary residential districts and Reñaca beach. The day closes at Plaza Vergara and Avenida Álvarez before the return to Santiago.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

You'll be driven to Santiago airport at the scheduled time. On arrival at Puerto Natales airport, our representative will greet you and accompany you to your hotel. Overnight in Puerto Natales.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

Full-day excursion to Torres del Paine National Park

We set out from Puerto Natales for Villa Cerro Castillo, the administrative centre of the Torres del Paine district. The drive takes us past Magellanic forest, glacial valleys, mountain ranges and lakes lining the roadside, and now and then a condor passes overhead. We carry on to the viewpoint over Lake Sarmiento for a panorama of the Paine Massif, then to Laguna Amarga, a favourite haunt of flamingos. On entering Torres del Paine National Park, we take in the viewpoints at Lake Nordenskjöld, Salto Grande, Pehoé, the Weber Bridge, the Paine River and Lake Grey. There's time here for lunch (not included in the price) and for walks in the surrounding area. The day finishes at the Milodón Cave Natural Monument, with its remarkable archaeological and palaeontological record. Overnight in Puerto Natales.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. The day is yours to spend as you wish.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Hiking at Portería Sarmiento

We leave Puerto Natales for the Lago Sarmiento entrance gate, where the walk begins on a gently rising trail with the great lake of the same name in view to one side. Almost the whole route runs alongside private land, the usual hunting ground of the region's largest predator, the puma. An hour in, we reach a rock shelter and a series of cave paintings more than 6,000 years old.

Pressing on, we arrive after two hours at the main entrance to Torres del Paine National Park, the Laguna Amarga gate. From here we watch the Paine River wind below and begin descending through conglomerate rock. We then travel by vehicle to the Cascada Paine area and head for Cañadón Macho, where large herds of guanaco can be seen alongside species such as the rhea, grey fox, condor and black-chested buzzard-eagle. Afterwards we return to Puerto Natales.

Overnight in Puerto Natales.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. At the scheduled time, you'll be taken to the Puerto Natales bus station to board the coach for your next destination. On arrival at the bus terminal in El Calafate, our team will be waiting to accompany you to your hotel and help you through check-in. Overnight in El Calafate

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

Full-day excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier

We leave El Calafate early for Los Glaciares National Park, along a road that unfolds as one lake, stream, forest and snow-capped peak after another. The park entrance lies at the western tip of the Magallanes Peninsula, and from there we begin the boardwalk circuit, three kilometres in total. Set at varying heights, the boardwalks let you take in the glacier's face from a whole range of angles and viewpoints. Depending on how you feel, you can descend to the lower balconies for a closer view of the ice or remain on the upper balconies, which are easy for anyone to reach. Once the visit is over, we return to El Calafate by the same road. Overnight in El Calafate.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Nautical safari

For this optional excursion we make our way to the port of Bajo Las Sombras and board a boat to cross the Rico Arm of Lake Argentino, passing icebergs that have broken away from the walls of the Perito Moreno Glacier. The boat holds at a safe distance from the ice, close enough to take in the glacier's full scale and majesty. We then sail on along the length of the Perito Moreno, with a spectacular view of the ice calving from its southern wall.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. The day is yours to spend as you wish. Overnight in El Calafate.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Nibepo Aike country day

We leave El Calafate in 4x4 vehicles and follow the shore of Lake Argentino, finding in its cliffs the caves where, thousands of years ago, the region's indigenous peoples left a record of their culture. The experience has an anthropological bent, prompting reflection on humanity's long passage across the earth. It concludes with a meal — lunch or dinner — served inside a cave, built around the flavours of the region.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. At the arranged time, you'll be transferred to El Calafate airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival, our team will be waiting at the airport to take you to your hotel and assist with check-in.

Overnight in Buenos Aires.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

Half-day city tour

Set out to explore Buenos Aires with our dependable drivers and enthusiastic guides. Across three absorbing hours, your English-speaking guide brings the city alive with commentary you won't find in any guidebook. The route has been carefully designed to alternate between comfortable driving and time on foot, so that in a single half-day you take in the city's defining sights — Plaza de Mayo, the vast 9 de Julio avenue, the Casa Rosada, the colourful district of La Boca, and more besides. You'll come away with a real feel for what makes each landmark matter, before being returned comfortably to your hotel. Overnight in Buenos Aires.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Tango show and dinner at Café de Los Angelitos

Café Los Angelitos has stood at the heart of tango in Buenos Aires for over a century, and its show traces an entire era with elegance and flair. Each evening, more than twenty performers take the stage to give travellers something they won't forget. This is where Carlos Gardel set up his own bar in 1912, at the start of his career, when he was performing as a duo with José Razzano — and it was Razzano who, in 1944, wrote a celebrated tango to lyrics by Cátulo Castillo bearing the venue's name, "Café de los Angelitos." The evening brings together tango's traditional and contemporary faces, performed by accomplished dancers and musicians in a welcoming setting. A three-course dinner can be added.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel.

The day is yours to spend as you wish. Overnight in Buenos Aires.

OPTIONAL TOUR — NOT INCLUDED: Full day in Areco with Estancia El Ombú

At the appointed hour, our team collects you from your hotel to head for San Antonio de Areco, known as the country's capital of tradition, where the character of rural Argentina comes into focus. A guided walk through the old centre takes in museums and craft workshops, including the well-known Ricardo Güiraldes Museum, before the day continues at Estancia El Ombú de Areco.

There you'll sit down to a classic Argentine asado, choose between riding on horseback or touring by carriage, and watch folk dancing and displays of traditional horsemanship in surroundings full of character — a genuine cultural encounter with gaucho heritage.

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast at the hotel. At the scheduled time, you'll be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Our services conclude here.

Meals: Breakfast