The Classic Argentina Patagonia Tour

Day 1 - Arrive in Puerto Madryn
In the morning, arrive in the Trelew Airport (REL) where your guide will greet you and transfer you to the downtown area of Puerto Madryn. From there, begin a full-day tour to the Punta Tombo penguin rookery, one of the most important Magellanic penguin colonies in South America. See thousands of penguins on this peninsula just south of Trelew. You may see penguins bathing, fishing, incubating their eggs and raising their young on the beach. Continue your tour with a visit to Chubut's capital city, Rawson, where you can stroll down the Playa Unión beachfront. Then visit Trelew and Gaiman, famous for its Welsh inhabitants who continue the traditions of their ancestors with Welsh tea houses throughout the region. There is also an important Plaeontology Museum here. Return to Puerto Madryn and check in to the 3* Hotel Tolosa, located just 200 meters from the beach and the city center.

Day 2 - Peninsula Valdes Excursion & Lunch
After breakfast in the hotel, depart for another full day excursion, this time to the Peninsula Valdés. Pass through Patagonian landscapes and farms while you make your way to the Valdés Peninsula, a wildlife refuge preserve. From Puerto Pirámides, you may be able to go whale watching to watch Right Southern Whales (June-December), sea lions (December to March). Continue to the Punta Delgada Lighthouse to enjoy the views and have lunch (included). After this, we go to Valdés Inlet to see huge sea elephants, some up to 3 tons and 6 meters long. Also visit the Birds Island, where there are telescopes available perfect for birdwatching. You may see flamingoes, gulls, petrels, and more. Then return to Puerto Madryn and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 3 - Arrival in Ushuaia and City Tour
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Ushuaia (USH), the southernmost city in the world. Upon arrival in Ushuaia, your guide will greet you and take you on a 2 hour Ushuaia city tour & museum visit. This tour begins on Coastal Avenue, which borders the Beagle Channel and the Ushuaia harbor. See the old downtown, and then visit the prison, because Ushuaia used to be a prisoner's town, pioneered by convicts. Finish with a tour of the End of the World Museum. Then check in to the 4* Hotel Cilene del Faro, located 100 meters from the coast and overlooking the Beagle Channel and the Andes Mountains.

Day 4 - Tierra del Fuego National Park Tour
Have breakfast in the hotel and then embark on a 4 hour Tierra del Fuego National Park tour and train ride. This is Argentina's first coastal national park, and has incredible scenery, including windswept lenga trees, glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, and walking paths to Ensenada Bay, Lapataia Bay, Lago Roca, and Lago Fagnano. While trekking through the park, you may see guanacos, Andean foxes, beavers, geese, ducks, and oystercatchers. Next come to the End of the World Train Station, to take the Fuegian South Railway from the outskirts of the city along the Pipo River. The train was built by prisoners to help them collect and transport timber for firewood. Afterwards, return to Ushuaia and spend the rest of the day at your leisure.

Day 5 - Arrival in El Calafate
Have breakfast in the hotel and then transfer to the airport and fly to El Calafate, located north from Ushuaia. El Calafate is known as the jumping off point for visiting the glaciers of Los Glaciares National Park. Check in to the 4* Hotel Kau Yatun and spend the rest of the day at your leisure, perhaps relaxing at the hotel pool, playing a game of golf, or exploring the town.

Day 6 - Tour of the Upsala Glacier and Onelli Bay
Enjoy breakfast at the Hotel Kau Yatun, and then depart for a full-day tour of the Upsala Glacier & Onelli Bay. Take a cruise boat from Bandera Port in Calafate, along the Southern and Northern Bends known as the Garganta del Diablo, or Devil's Throat. Pass drifting ice floes as you approach the Upsala Glacier. Then continue to Onelli Bay, which is dotted with ice floes. Go hiking through the forest to see Onelli Bay upclose. Then return to the port in the late afternoon, and spend the rest of the day as you wish.

Day 7 - Tour of the Perito Moreno Glacier
Have an early breakfast and head out on another full day tour, to the Perito Moreno Glaicer. Driving through the Los Glacieres National Park towards the glacier is very scenic, and when you reach the glacier, there are unforgettable panoramic views of the glacier and the surrounding mountains. Perito Moreno is one of the most famous of the glaciers, because it faces Lago Argentino, and often large chunks of ice will break off from the glacial wall and crash into the lake, in a process called calving. Enjoy walking around the shore of Lago Argentino to admire the glacier from several angles. Then return to the town in the afternoon.

Day 8 - Departure from El Calafate
Breakfast is included in your final night's stay, as is the transportation to the airport for your final flight home, or to your next destination in South America.