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Si! Argentina Featuring   Sophisticated Buenos Aires Awesome Iguazu Falls Mendoza & wine country Spectacular Bariloche Parque Nacional Los Glaciares 17 days

Locally Hosted Independent Tour Suggested Departure Day: Friday

ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice):

Day 1 - Friday - Depart USA: Depart the USA on overnight flight to Buenos Aires.

Day 2 - Saturday - Arrive Buenos Aires:  Morning arrival in Buenos Aires. Upon arrival meeting and transfer to the Four Seasons Buenos Aires, in fashionable Recoleta, for a three night stay in Deluxe accommodations.  Your room will be available for immediate check-in upon arrival. Balance of the day at leisure. This evening transfer to  the Rojo Tango Experience - a passionate, cabaret style tango show, with dinner and wine. (B/DS)

Day 3 - Sunday - Buenos Aires:  Spend this morning exploring the historic side of this sophisticated, very European style city.  Today in the historic district of San Telmo you can enjoy an outdoor antique flea market.  There is often impromptu tango dancing and there are sidewalk cafes, tango parlors and antique shops lining the cobblestone streets.  Visiting San Telmo on a Sunday is an excellent way to shop and spend time with the "Portenos" as the residents of Buenos Aires are called.  You’ll also make a stop at El Zanjon de Granados, and travel back in time.  You’ll descend from a beautifully restored 1830 house into a spectacular labyrinth of wide vaulted brick tunnels long walled off and buried under this site.  They are located where some historians place the first settlement of Buenos Aires in 1536 and offer an unusual glimpse into five centuries of urban archaeology.  Then on to La Boca, one of Buenos Aires' most colorful districts.  Italian immigrants were the first settlers of La Boca and the working class neighborhood was the city's first port.  Today the buildings in the barrio are painted in bright colors. W ander the famed "Caminito" where many local artists sell their wares, while others dance the tango for the many visitors.  Afternoon at leisure.  It's a great day to be out and about, exploring the street fairs of Recoleta. (B)

Day 4 - Monday - Buenos Aires:  This morning visit the famed Teatro Colon was initially built in the mid-1800’s at another location in the center of the city.  Today’s building was built over a period of 20 years at its present site and officially opened on May 25, 1908.  Over the years it has undergone expansions and today covers some 646,000 square feet.  Re-opened in May 2010 after a five-year, multi-million dollar restoration, the building has an eclectic style, typical of the beginning of the 20th century. Considered acoustically one of the top opera houses in the world, the Teatro Colon occupies a whole city block,   Your visit will include all the history, myth and legends surrounding this world renowned opera house and a glimpse into the underground workshops where all the sets and costumes are made – a world unto itself. Afternoon at leisure to explore at your own pace. (B)

Day 5 - Tuesday - Buenos Aires - Iguazu Falls:  Transfer to the airport for flight to Iguazu Falls & transfer to Melia Iguazu on the Argentine side of the falls for 2 nights with Buffet breakfast daily.  This afternoon you will visit the Argentine side of these awesome falls, offering an "up-close and personal" encounter with the falls, via catwalks that take you out to the very edge of Devil's Throat and along the base of several of the smaller falls. (B)

Iguazu Falls is truly spectacular.  On the Argentine-Brazilian border they are 60 feet taller than Niagara and about half again as wide.  Spanning more than a mile wide precipice, 275 falls plunge an average of 300 feet to the river below.  Above the impact of the waters on the rocks at the tip hovers a perpetual cloud of mist.  Eleanor Roosevelt is said to have exclaimed when she first saw Iguazu Falls: "Poor Niagara! This makes Niagara look like a kitchen faucet!"

Day 6 - Wednesday - Iguazu Falls:  Today you will spend the entire day visiting the Brazilian side of the falls.  From this vantage point you will have panoramic vistas of the falls.  You'll take the walking tour to view the falls from many angles and levels, with plenty of time to photograph and explore at your own pace.  Then take the Macuco Safari Excursion - a jeep-train ride through the National Park and thrilling motor launch excursion to the Salto de Macuco for a totally different vantage point. Then make a stop at the Parque de Aves for a visit to the huge walk-through aviaries highlighting the birds of Brasil and from around the world.  Lunch included en route, with afternoon transfer back to your hotel on the Argentine side. (B)
         NOTE: Because you are entering Brasil a visa is required. You will need to obtain one prior to your departure from the USA.

Day 7 - Thursday - Iguazu - Mendoza:  Morning transfer for flight to Mendoza, gateway to the hemisphere's highest mountain, Aconcagua, and to the main wine producing regions of Argentina.  Early afternoon arrival and transfer to the Park Hyatt Mendoza for a three night stay in Andes View accommodations. (B)

Day 8 - Friday - Mendoza:  Mendoza, founded in 1561, sits at the foot of the Andes, in the pre-cordillera region. In winter, the whole area is under snow and a favorite for winter sports.  In summer as the snow melts, the rivers swell and a network of canals irrigates fertile valleys of olive groves, fruit trees (especially apples for cider) and, of course, the grape vines.  Mendoza is famous for its wines, accounting for 70% of Argentine production, much of which is exported all over the world.  Today you will enjoy a full day exploring Mendoza, ivisiting the highlights of the city including San Martin Park with its impressive monument, Government House and Cerro de la Gloria crowned by a monument to the Andes Liberating Army, among other places of interest.  You will also have a chance to visit the market to have an idea of the handicrafts of the area. Continue on to visit two wineries with lunch at one of the wineries. Visits at the wineries are on a confirmed set schedule and are conducted by the staff of the vineyards.

Day 9 - Saturday - Mendoza:  Today you will spend the day exploring wineries, such as the Alta Vista winery, part of the Edonia Group of the French family D'Aulan, who also have vineyards in Hungary as well as France and Argentina.  Their Argentine wines is the well known Malbec. Their premier wine, Alto, is a national icon.  Another potential visit is to Winery Vistandes which specializes in the production of Malbec, Torrontes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere.  Lunch will be at the famed Almacen Sur that specializes in gourmet deli products made from traditional Spanish and Italian recipes brought to Argentina by immigrants in the early part of the 20th century.

Day 10 - Sunday - Mendoza - Bariloche:  Morning transfer to the airport for flight along the Andes to the summer-winter resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche.  Meeting upon arrival and transfer to the lovely El Casco Art Hotel for 3 night stay with Breakfast daily. (B)

Day 11 - Monday - Bariloche:  This morning your private car and guide will be waiting to take you on a "Circuito Chico", a scenic 50km drive skirting Lake Nahuel Huapi, offering vistas of the Andean peaks including Tronador (Thunderer) the highest (3554m).  The road winds along Lake Moreno to a panoramic point which offers a breathtaking view of Lakes Moreno and Nahuel Huapi, Victoria Island and the Andes in all their splendor.  You'll also stop at Cerro Companario to take the chairlift to the summit for a spectacular panorama of the area.   Balance of the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel facilities. (B)

Day 12 - Tuesday - Bariloche:  Today is at leisure.  You can arrange optional activities such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, rafting, cooking lessons, sailing, and fishing to name some of the most popular.  Or you can just relax and enjoy the beautiful views from your balcony overlooking the lake. (B)

Day 13 - Wednesday - Bariloche - El Calafate:  Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to El Calafate where you will transfer to the  EOLO, Patagonia's Spirit, a Relais & Chateux property set between El Calafate and the Glacier National Park, on a hilltop with commanding vistas of the countryside.  EOLO will be your home for 3 nights as you explore this area. (B)

Day14 - Thursday - El Calafate:  Today your private guide will take you into Los Glaciares National Park to experience Perito Moreno Glacier one of the few growing glaciers on earth with a 3 mile frontage towering some 180 feet above the water.  You can take the boardwalks along the front of the glacier and enjoy a motor launch ride in front of it, offering spectacular views of the glacier's front. (B)

Day 15- Friday - El Calafate:  A historic estancia beckons today.  Cruise by catamaran along Lago Argentina to the ice studded bay of the Upsala Glacier, considered one of the longest in South America.  Then up the Cristina fjord to the historic Estancia Cristina, founded in 1914 and accessible only by boat.  Visit the estancia museum in the old sheep shearing shed and take all terrain vehicles for incredible vistas of the Upsala Glacier and the Southern Patagonian Ice Fields.  Enjoy a box lunch and then afternoon return via catamaran cruise to Punta Bandera for transfer back to EOLO. (B, BL)

Day 16 - Saturday - El Calafate - Buenos Aires and depart to USA:  Mid-day transfer to the El Calafate airport for your flight north to the Buenos Aires international airport, Ezeiza.  You'll arrive in plenty of time for a leisurely international check-in before your overnight return flight to the USA. (B)

Day 17 - Sunday - Arrive USA: Morning arrival in the USA and make connections to your home city.

PLEASE NOTE - IMPORTANT:
The following Payment, Change and Cancellation Policies are for general information only.
This is a sample program which will be customized to fit your Trip Wishes, Travel Style and Parameters.
Your personal customized program will carry Terms & Conditions specifically applicable to your program's inclusions
and will be the governing Terms & Conditions.