Argentina, Chili, Patagonia

Transfer and check-in for 2 nights in a beautiful early 20^th century edifice of the Barrio Palermo.  Design and Argentinian spirit.  The seductions of urban life are close by.  Buenos Aires is a city with a strong character with its European look and its Latino charm.  A tango evening?  There are many small bars where to discover traditional tango and Tango Nuevo (piazzolesque tango), and then more elegant locations such as the Confiteria La Ideal with the touching decor "Belle Epoque".

In the morning, we take our time in front of a cortado (strong black coffee) or a café con leche (milk coffee) while watching the ballet of the passeadores, these dog walkers with a dozen dogs on a leash.  We are chic in Recoleta, where it is nice to stroll, or in the center, on Plaza de Mayo (necessary stop at the Gran Café Tortoni, avenida de Mayo).  Shopping on calle Florida and in Palermo Soho.  A trendy evening?  Palermo Hollywood that vibrates to the rhythm of television and the movies; but not before 10pm…

Transfer to the airport and flight to Ushuaia.  Transfer and check-in for 2 nights on the city heights.  By its decoration and the warmth of its welcome, the hotel breathes the authenticity of the Tierra del Fuego.  Downhill, the Beagle Channel.  Two institutions: the Museo del Fin del Mundo (that documents the life of the Tierra del Fuego Indians, the life of the convicts (1896-1947), the great moments of the central bazar and the avian wildlife of the Tierra del Fuego) and the restaurant Chez Manu.

Catamaran cruise on the Beagle Channel.  In the company of a Hispanic and English speaking skipper, you will sail in the straight and renew the tradition of austral navigation.  At stake, beautiful views of Ushuaia bay, of the sea lions and seagulls, and the feeling of having reached the depth of the matter.  One half day.

• Transfer to the airport and flight to El Calafate, “gate” of the Glacier Park.
• Check-in for 3 nights in a small cozy hotel, nicely located in town on the road to the park.  The atmosphere is for nature discovery and as soon as we arrive we feel that we are nearing something big.
• On the agenda, the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
• We will only visit the Southern part (said to be entertaining and reachable by car) of the park along the Beagle Channel: Lapataia and Ensenanda bays, Estorbo and Redonda islands, Verde and Negra lagunas…, enough to oxygenate us and give us a good idea of the natural profile of the Tierra del Fuego.
• The avian wildlife is abundant and easily observable.  Land wildlife is more inconspicuous, but present.  The animal star of the park is an immigrant (as one might suspect, arrived by ship): The beaver, who builds with consistency his impressive dams.  A bit invasive, but so cute.  A dozen of trails have been prepared for the trekkers.

From Punta Bandera (50 kilometers from El Calafate) we board a cruise aboard a catamaran on Lago Argentino fed by the great Andean glaciers.  We will actually sail to the North and closely watch one of the largest, Upsala.  To do that, we will navigate between the icebergs that these giant monsters throw in the lake.  Then we will go on foot for a trek to the Los Perros falls from where we have a nice view of the Rio Caterina valley.  The trek lasts about 10 hours and we will be accompanied by a Spanish/English speaking guide (you need to take into consideration that there is an approximately three hour walk.)

The front of the Perito Moreno glacier is a four kilometer ice cliff 170 meters high (100 meters underwater and 70 meters above) that are advancing into the lake.  The site is reachable by road, a bit over one hundred and fifty kilometers to go there and back.  Ride in a private car with driver.  Departure at 07:30.  Once there it is just…moving.  By its magnitude, regularity, we would be even tempted to say by “its self-assurance”, this glacier has something classical, a steadfastness that makes it a reference in its way to be.  In short, if Notre-Dame is ‘the’ cathedral, the Perito Moreno is ‘the’ glacier.

Road transfer to Torres del Paine Park in Chile.  Check-in for 3 nights in a hosteria perfectly located (your rooms actually have a “mountain view”).  The hotel has a well-equipped spa that will be well appreciated when you return from the guided tours, on the agenda, to discover the natural wonders of the park.

The great Chilean Torres de Paine National Park is classified "World Biosphere Reserve" by UNESCO.  The stunning landscapes and the wide range of habitats are characteristic of the austral provinces of Magallanes and Ultima Esperanza.  We will specifically go to the Péhoe and Grey Lakes, to the Salto Grande falls of the Paine River between the Nordenskjöld and Péhoe Lakes.  Wild Guanacos and matins du monde are on the agenda.  National Geographic ranked the park as the fifth most beautiful place on the planet.

Road trip to Puerto Natales along the Ultima Esperanza fjord, then to Punta Arenas through the desolate and wind swept landscapes of the Chilean Patagonia.  From there departure on a flight to Santiago.  Transfer and check-in for 2 nights into a beautiful Art-Deco hotel in Providencia, in the center.  The rooms are spacious and comfortable.  You have a beautiful solid floor, not carpeting!  From the patio, a beautiful view on the foliage of a very green neighborhood. Not far, the narrow streets and trendy boutiques of Bellavista are perfectly pleasant.

On the agenda: Visit of the Chilean capital.  The architectural tone of the city is relatively neo (classical, gothic) with intrusions of Art Nouveau, the earthquakes having spared only a handful of buildings from the colonial period.  We will stroll on the lovely Santa Lucia Hill or in the Parque Quinta Normal, we will visit the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, and the Moneda, the presidential palace, Plaza de la Ciudadania…  We will tour the bars in Pisco.

Transfer to the airport and return flight to Beirut