PATAGONIA TOUR WITH LAKE DISTRICT AND BUENOS AIRES



Want more pictures? Get to our picture galleries

3-week tour to the highlights of Patagonia, the Lake District and the capital Buenos Aires. We spend the first days in the Lake District where we visit the most beautiful areas of its national parks "Nahuel Huapi" and "Arrayanes". In the next two weeks you will see the highlights of Patagonia and much more. We visit the nature reserves of "Pensinsula Valdes", "Punta Tombo" and "Cabo dos bahias" with their unique variety of maritime fauna. We see petrified forests and prehistoric cave paintings; we will stay on Estancias (sheep ranches) and drive through the immensity of the Patagonian Steppe along Route 40; visit the national park "Perito Moreno", the most untouched park in Patagonia; we see the most impressive mountains of Patagonia and the biggest glaciars in the national park "Los Glaciares". At the end you will have two days to get to know Buenos Aires on a city tour and to see a tango show in San Telmo.

Itinerary


Day 1

Arrival in Buenos Aires in the morning. You will be taken to the domestic airport Aeroparque. Connection to San Carlos de Bariloche (2 hours). We will pick you up at the airport and take you to our accommodation, the "Hosteria Katy" in Llao Llao. You will have time to rest and if you would like to you can explore the area on foot or by mountain bike. Dinner and accommodation is in the Hosteria Katy (the Hosteria is a cosy family guesthouse.

Day 2

We will show you the surrounding area, taking you through the most impressive part of the national park Nahuel Huapi, with many viewpoints and hiking trails. We visit a Swiss colony and show you the ski area Catedral, where we go up in a gondola to the mountain station. You will love the view over Lake Nahuel Huapi. In the late afternoon we arrive in the town of San Carlos de Bariloche with its many chocolate shops. Dinner and accommodation is in the Hosteria Katy. Lunch not included.

Day 3

You will go on a day trip on a catamaran on Lake Nahuel Huapi. The trip is combined with various hikes to impressive waterfalls, lakes and rain forests. Dinner and accommodation is in the Hosteria Katy. Lunch not included.

Day 4

On this varied day trip we travel through the Patagonian Steppe, and see beautiful valleys, lakes, forests and mountains. We visit the Amphitheatre, the enchanted valley, the viewpoint of Villa Traful, the road of the seven lakes, and Villa Angostura where we will have lunch. Dinner and accommodation is in the Hosteria Katy. Lunch not included.

Day 5

You have time to prepare for the departure the next day, go shopping in San Carlos de Bariloche, eat chocolate or simply to relax and do nothing. Dinner and accommodation is in the Hosteria Katy. Lunch not included.

Day 6

We drive through the most beautiful part of the national park "Nahuel Huapi" and enjoy the panoramic stretch going south. We stop in the hippy town of El Bolson for lunch, visit the famous handicraft market, and take a short walk to admire the surrounding area. Continuing south, we visit the Mapuche museum of Leleque and the southern-most town of the Lake District, Esquel. Accommodation in a Hosteria in Esquel. Lunch not included.

Day 7

We continue on the "Road of the Altars", which takes us from the Andes through the Steppe almost all the way to the Atlantic. The different rock formations and colours are astounding. We stop for lunch in a typical restaurant. We reach the Welsh village of Gaiman with its typical settler houses and partake of a traditional Welsh tea ("Té Gales"). Accommodation in a Hosteria in Gaiman. Lunch and dinner (if you are still hungry after the Welsh tea!) not included.

Day 8

After 20 km we are in Trelew, home to the most important paleontological museum of South America. Dinosaur skeletons remind us of Jurassic Park. Via the town of Puerto Madryn we drive on to the small Atlantic village on the Valdes Peninsula, Puerto Piramides. Here we can go bathing from the pretty beach, or a short walk takes you to bays where seals can be seen. Lunch and dinner not included. Accommodation in a Hosteria in Puerto Piramides.

Day 9

A boat will take us to the whales which swim in the "Golfo Nuevo" with their young. We will be able to observe these large mammals close-up as they play with their young and prepare themselves for their long trip to the Antarctic. Then we drive along the Valdes Peninsula and picnic on the way. We pass salt lakes and will see seals and sealions, penguins, cormorants and if we are lucky also orcas (killer whales) at different stops. (The Southern Right Whales are only in the bay from June to approx. the middle of December!!! On all later tours we will spend the whole day on the Valdes Peninsula). Accommodation in a Hosteria in Puerto Piramides. Dinner not included.

Day 10

We will take you to the Punta Tombo nature reserve, the biggest penguin colony in the southern hemisphere. About one million Magelan penguins live here. We have a picnic lunch before driving on to the fishing village of Camarones in the afternoon. Accommodation in a small hotel in Camarones. Dinner not included.

Day 11

We can observe penguins, seals and cormorants again on the nearby headland and nature reserve "Cabo dos Bahias". We have a picnic lunch on the way before arriving in the early evening at the petrified forest "Jose Ormaechea" to admire the colours. Accommodation in a hotel in the small village in the Steppe called Sarmiento. Dinner not included.

Day 12

We continue westwards on Route 40. It is the only road which was built North to South along the Andes. This dirt road takes us to the small village in the Steppe called Perito Moreno. We make a detour to the village of Los Antiguos with its numerous cherry plantations and go to a viewpoint of Lake Buenos Aires (the second biggest lake in South America). In the afternoon we continue along Route 40 to a typical Estancia. Dinner and accommodation on the Estancia (farm with accommodation). Lunch not included.

Day 13

We visit one of the most important cultural monuments of Patagonia, the "Cueva de las manos" (cave of hands), taking a picnic with us. The paintings are up to 9,000 years old. We see the magnificent canyon "Rio Pinturas", with its 250 metre-high stone walls. When you have had time to look around the area we drive to the typical Steppe setlement of Bajo Caracoles. Later we drive another 190 km along Route 40 (partly dirt road) and then west towards Andes and the mountain San Valentin (the second highest mountain in Southern Patagonia). We enjoy the beautiful evening atmostphere of the Patagonian Steppe. Accommodation and dinner on an Estancia in the national park of Perito Moreno.

Day 14

We have the whole day to explore the national park of Perito Moreno by minibus and on foot. This is the least-visited national park of Patagonia, with approximately 1,000 visitors every year. This is nature in its purest state and is a paradise for observing guanacos, ostriches and condors as well as other wildlife, as well as turquiose-coloured glacial lakes, istmos, canyons and untouched rivers, not forgetting the Andes with the mountain San Valentin in the foreground and its numerous glaciars. Picnic in the park, accommodation and dinner on an Estancia in the national park Perito Moreno.

Day 15

We drive back along the famous Route 40 and experience the loneliness and the freedom of Patagonia. Different landscapes in combination with clouds and turquoise-coloured lakes will fascinate us all day long. If we are in luck we will see guanacos, reahs (small ostriches), armadillos and hares (Steppenhasen**). A picnic stop will shorten the journey. For the last 90 kms we drive along the Viedma Lake with the glaciar of the same name. We come closer and closer to the Andes and can see from the distance the continental ice, and then we are in the naional park "Los Glaciares". We will stay in a hosteria in the small Andean village of El Chalten, at the foot of the Torre and Fitz Roy mountains. Dinner not included.

Day 16

We hike through the northern part of the national park "Los Glaciares". From the viewpoint of the Laguna Capri we have spectactular views over Mount Fitz Roy, which is the mountain which is the most difficult to climb in the Andes. The majestical view and the enchanting landscape take us into another world. A picnic will give us strength on this hike, which can be as long or short as you like. Those who are fit can hike on to the viewpoint over the second most famous mountain in the national park - Mount Torre. We stay in the Hosteria in El Chalten. Dinner not included.

Day 17

The drive to El Calafate will be shortened by a visit to the small restaurant "La Leona". In the afternoon we drive on into the national park "Los Glaciares" in order to look at the world-famous glaciar Perito Moreno from all sides, and we'll go along the glaciar in a cataraman and see the incredible dimensions of the ice walls, which are up to 60 metres high and 5 kms long. If we are in luck we will see enormous ice walls falling into the lake with a great splash. We will then visit the viewpoint, where you will have a lot of time to observe the glaciar. We will stay in a Hosteria in El Calafate. Lunch and dinner not included.

Day 18

On this long but spectacular day trip a catamaran will take you across Lake Argentino to the spectacular fjord-like northern arm. Passing icebergs, we will reach the biggest glaciar of the continental ice, the Upsala glaciar, and later the smaller Spegazzini glaciar. Hiking through beech woods, we will get to Lake Onelli with its hundreds of small icebergs. The glaciars Onelli, Agazzis and Bolados flow like enormous frozen streams into the lake. Accommodation in an Estancia/Hosteria in Calafate. Lunch and dinner not included.

Day 19

In the morning there is time to stroll through El Calafate and to see flamingos and other types of birds in an avian laguna. In the afternoon we will take you to the airport. Domestic flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, where you will be picked up at the airport. Overnight is in a cosy 4-star hotel. Lunch and dinner not included.

Day 20

A detailed city tour of Buenos Aires will show you the highlights of this city with its great flair. In the afternoon there is time to stroll through the nearby pedestrian area of Buenos Aires. In the evening you will be taken to a tango show with dinner. Accommodation is in a cosy 4-star hotel. Lunch not included.

Day 21

In the morning there is time to stroll through this attractive city. Midday you will be taken to the international airport Ezeiza for the international flight. Lunch not included.





Services included:
  • All accommodation includes breakfast: up to 4-star hotels, small family guest houses and ranches (double room with private bathroom)
  • Half board
  • All transfers und transportation
  • All excursions
  • All entrance fees for museums, national parks and nature reserves
  • English speaking guides
  • A lot of fun
  • Services not included:
  • International flight to Buenos Aires
  • Two domestic flights: Buenos Aires - San Carlos de Bariloche, El Calafate - Buenos Aires
  • Airport tax
  • health insurance
  • beverages
  • tips

  • Price:
    US$ / per person based on double occupancy, in a group of at least 6 people
    (extra charge of US$ for single rooms)

    Information:
    - Combination with all other tours of the Lake District or individual tours organized.
    - Optional tour to Ushuaia and national park "Tierra del fuego".
    - Depending on season times the tour can be organised in the opposite direction (from south to north)
    - Rooms with more than two beds can be booked in the hostels on demand to reduce costs