Adventure & Tour Intro | Itinerary | Details | Registration
Please note: Details subject to change
Itinerary at a Glance
- We’ll begin our journey together November 2 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a convenient and easy city to fly into from almost anywhere. Your hotel night on November 2nd is included on this journey.
- We’ll fly together on the morning of November 3rd to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls. We’ll land at Foz do Iguaçu airport mid-morning on the 3rd.
- On the morning of the 4th we’ll explore the Argentinian side of the falls.
- Let’s head south–as south as you can get on the continent! On the 5th we’ll fly to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego today, the “End of the World.”
- On November 6th, we head to the End of the World–or the end of the Pan-American Highway, at least! We’ll visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, the land of rugged landscapes and pristine forests. This afternoon we’ll enjoy a navigation on the Beagle Channel.
- On the 7th, we’ll drive up the coast and take a short boat ride
- On the 8th, we’ll head into the Tierra del Fuego National Park.
- On November 9th we’ll say goodbye to Tierra del Fuego and fly to El Calafate, Argentina.
- On November 10th and 11th, we’ll explore El Chaltén, on the edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field.
- On Nove4mber 12th, we’ll say goodbye to El Chaltén and take a scenic drive back to El Calafate
- We’ll spend the morning of the 13th enjoying the glacier from the boardwalks and viewpoints facing Perito Moreno.
- Ready for a new country? On Friday November 14th we’ll say goodbye to Argentina and drive (~3.5 hours) to Torres del Paine National Park across the border in Chile
- We’ll have the entirety of the day on November 15th to explore; we recommend covering more ground by vehicle, with frequent stops for short explorations.
- On November 16th, we’ll begin our journey to Santiago, Chile. Our trip ends there, the evening of the 16th. You may wish to spend the night at the Holiday Inn at the Santiago Airport before your flight home.
Full Narrative Itinerary
With many thanks to BJ Graf and Lauren Rathvon of RetreaTours, LLC—who are not formally affiliated with this trip in any way but generously provided extensive guidance, photos, trip itinerary, and descriptions of the places we will be visiting based on the trips they have led. We are grateful!”
We’ll begin our journey together in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a convenient and easy city to fly into from almost anywhere. We’ll fly together on the morning of November 3rd to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls.
Iguazu Falls, Brazil & Argentina
Nestled between the borders of Argentina and Brazil, Iguazu Falls stands as the largest waterfall system on the planet. While other falls may boast greater heights or higher annual flow rates, the sheer magnitude of Iguazu is simply awe-inspiring. With a staggering 275 distinct falls, it forms a breathtaking panorama of cascading water that stretches as far as the eye can see. Exploring both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides of Iguazu Falls offers two distinct experiences and we’re thrilled to offer both.
We’ll land at Foz do Iguaçu airport mid-morning on the 3rd and take a short drive to the Brazilian side of the falls. There are lovely walkways that will take us further and further upstream, with otherworldly views emerging from the mist. After a thorough exploration, we’ll enjoy a delicious lunch before heading across the border to Argentina. Here we are staying in the only hotel in Argentina with a view of the falls, and a magnificent view it is!
Legend has it that upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed, “My poor Niagara!”
On the morning of the 4th we’ll explore the Argentinian side of the falls, and you’ll quickly find that being immersed within that landscape lends a whole new perspective. The Argentina side is expansive and offers everything from a dizzyingly beautiful look directly down Devil’s Throat to winding tree-covered paths through the upper and lower part of the falls.
Iguazu isn’t all about the waterfalls, either! Both the Brazilian and Argentinian National Parks are home to some amazing creatures; have you ever seen a coati before? What about a toucan that wasn’t on a box of Froot Loops?
The rest of the day is yours to lounge in the picture-perfect pool with a view of the falls, or perhaps you’d like to revisit some of the trails to see the falls come alive with rainbows in the afternoon sun.
On November 5th, we’re going to change our surroundings in a big way. From the Amazonian rainforest to the sub-antarctic forest of Tierra del Fuego–welcome to Patagonia!
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago off the southern tip of South America, split between Chile and Argentina. The name Tierra del Fuego, “Land of Fire,” was given in 1520 by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan, a name inspired by the bonfires of the Yaghan people that he was seeing from his ship. Today we’ll be flying into Ushuaia (pronounced Oos-WHY-uh), the capital of Argentinian Tierra del Fuego and the world’s southernmost city.
Nestled between the majestic Martial mountain range and the captivating Beagle Channel, Ushuaia is a charming little city. The Beagle Channel was named after the HMS Beagle, the ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world in the 1830s. Darwin also has a mountain–and a mountain range!–named after him in Tierra del Fuego.
On the 7th, we’ll drive up the coast and take a short boat ride (10 minutes) to Martillo Island for the opportunity to walk with penguins! This tiny island in the Beagle Channel is home to Magellanic penguins and a small colony of Gentoo penguins, but King penguins have been known to ‘vacation’ there, as well. It is a privilege and a joy to be so close to these beautiful birds who nest on this island in the summertime.
Tomorrow we’ll head into the Tierra del Fuego National Park, with no lack of dramatic landscapes. The park is home to one end of the Pan-American Highway, with the other end almost 19,000 miles (30,000km) away in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska! According to the Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world’s longest motorable road. The park is also home to the “End of the World Post Office,” the southernmost post office in the world. This tiny bay-front tin shack is often closed but still a quirky site to behold among the windswept waves and jagged peaks.
We’ll also have time to stroll the streets of Ushuaia, quite a happening town for the “End of the World!” From mouthwatering empanadas to world-famous King crabs, Ushuaia’s food scene is not to be missed (as well as Patagonian craft beer!)
El Chaltén, Argentina
On November 9th we’ll say goodbye to Tierra del Fuego and fly to El Calafate, Argentina. We’ll return to this lakeside Patagonian town soon, but for now, we’ll head directly up to El Chaltén (~3-hour drive) on the edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. We’ll spend March 18th and 19th exploring this special area that is off the typical tourist track!
El Chaltén is a cozy frontier town that was founded in 1985 to solidify Argentina’s claim to the land. Today, it has evolved as a charming home base for nature lovers wishing to spend time in these breathtaking mountains. In 2015, El Chaltén was #2 on Lonely Planet’s “Top 10 Cities to Visit.”
The main attraction is Mount Fitz Roy, named after the captain of the HMS Beagle. The indigenous Tehuelche name of Fitzroy is El Chaltén, meaning “smoking mountain”; it’s a fitting description for the often cloud-enshrouded peak. We’ll hope the clouds part and allow us a view of this stunner!
There are plenty of walks and hikes geared toward every level of activity and desire, and there’s plenty of time to explore over the next two days. Your time in El Chalten is mostly independent, to allow for differences in interests and abilities on the trail.
There are outfitters in town that offer horseback rides if you’d prefer to experience El Chalten from a saddle! The town is packed full of truly wonderful restaurants, which is a fantastic treat given how remote we are. And although hiking is not a prerequisite, it makes the hot chocolate, Argentinian wine, and local locro stew go down all the better.
El Calafate & Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
On November 9th, we’ll say goodbye to El Chaltén and take a scenic drive back to El Calafate along the shore of Lakes Viedma and Argentino. Perched on the shores of Lago Argentino, El Calafate is named after a yellow-flowered berry-producing bush native to the area. You can try calafate berry ice cream and calafate liqueur throughout the town; it’s said if you try calafate berries, you’re sure to visit El Calafate again (hey, it worked for us!)
Once again, the quality of restaurants in this town must be mentioned; beyond the ever-present grilled Patagonian lamb, some of our favorites included pulled guanaco sandwiches and local lavender ice cream. After all of this delicious Patagonian cuisine, perhaps a stroll to the lake is advisable, where you can often spot the local population of Chilean flamingos at Reserva Laguna Nimez. Flamingos and snow-capped mountains in the same snapshot, it’s wild!
We clearly have a sweet spot for the town of El Calafate, especially its well-cared-for and affectionate street dog population. As much as we love the town itself, the star of the show lies a 90-minutes drive west of here–Perito Moreno Glacier.
Perito Moreno Glacier is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Los Glaciares National Park. It is one of the 48 glaciers of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, which is the third largest reserve of fresh water in the entire world (surpassed only by the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets). The scale of the Perito Moreno glacier is staggering, covering 100 square miles (250 km²). The terminus of the glacier (or, the edge we will be looking at) is 3 miles across and rises over 250 feet above the lake’s surface.
Perito Moreno Glacier is around 18,000 years old, but it’s still growing! Despite climate change putting almost every other glacier on Earth on the run, Perito Moreno is actually advancing around 6 feet (2m) per day. Because of this, you’ll get to witness the glacier calving—giant chunks of blue ice breaking off the glacier’s front wall and splashing dramatically into Lago Argentino. Scanning the glacier for perceived “loose bits” and listening for that tell-tale “crack” is simply addictive.
We’ll spend the morning of the 13th enjoying the glacier from the boardwalks and viewpoints facing Perito Moreno. Before we head back to El Calafate, we’ll get one more special view of the glacier from a boat! Admiring the glacier from the water level really drives home the size of this blue beauty.
Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Ready for a new country? On November 14th, we’ll say goodbye to Argentina and drive (~3.5 hours) to Torres del Paine National Park across the border in Chile. Paine means “blue” in the native Tehuelche language, and Torres is “towers” in Spanish–and towers they are.
These majestic obelisk-like towers were also given the nickname “Cleopatra’s Needles” in 1880 by one of the first foreign tourists to the park. The peaks here are arresting, and you’ll have a fantastic view from our very own hotel, perched on an island within Lake Pehoé.
This massive park (700 square miles/1800 square km) is as gorgeous as it is diverse, from the icebergs of Lago Grey, to lakes and waterfalls every shade of turquoise, cobalt, and green, to rugged peaks that look as old as time itself.
We’ll have the entirety of the day on November 15th to explore; we recommend covering more ground by vehicle, with frequent stops for short walks, wildlife spotting, and photography. However, if you’re keen to take a long hike into the mountains, we can help arrange that.
Torres del Paine is rich in wildlife; you’ll fall in love with the fuzzy families of graceful guanacos, relatives of the llama. You may see foxes, and if you’re really lucky, a puma or an endangered Huemul (south Andean deer). There are many gorgeous bird species within the park, including the Andean condor, the ostrich-like Darwin’s rhea, black-necked swans, the well-coiffed southern crested caracara falcon, and yes, more flamingos!
On November 16th, we’ll begin our journey to Santiago, Chile. First, we’ll drive to the quaint town of Puerto Natales, 90 minutes south of Torres del Paine. We’ll explore this tiny town waterfront town before boarding our flight to the capital this evening. You may wish to extend your time in Santiago or use it as a jumping-off point to visit other parts of South America. Easter Island is just a 5-hour flight from Santiago and we can give you itinerary tips if you wish to make a visit!
