THE ARGENTINIAN PATAGONIA AUSTRAL WITH CHILE – Self Drive

Upon your arrival in Buenos Aires you will be taken from the airport to your hotel. 

Enjoy the day at leisure to relax or to wander around the city.

Enjoy a private city tour after the breakfast at the hotel. The tour includes historical attractions and yet it is relaxed enough to enjoying it calmly. We will pass by “Plaza de Mayo” (May Square) and have a coffee at the historical “Café Tortoni”. Let’s walk in San Telmo and watch the Tango in La Boca, walk along “Caminito Street” and discover the souvenir shops.

See the Boca Juniors soccer stadium and we can take you to Pasión Boquense Museum. We will go to Madero Port and while walking through Retiro you will come to Recoleta, one of the most aristocratic areas of the city. Visit Palermo, some of the most exclusive residential areas before returning to your hotel. 

It is possible to customize this tour city. 

After breakfast you will be taken to start the ¨Milongas¨ tour, which means a complete Tango experience that includes traditions and you will learn how to dance with locals. 

You will be taken to the airport to fly to Ushuaia, known as “The End of the World City” as it is the Southern City of America and the only trans-Andean city in the country.  It is full of natural beauty.

Upon arrival you will cross the Beagle Channel on board the Kams Yatch. Depart from the local pier towards Alicia Island, where there is a sea lions colony. Sail to Birds Island to watch king shags and imperial shags living close to their nests.

Head east towards another small island from where we can view fur seals, depending on the season. Very close to this island is Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, a symbol of Ushuaia built in 1919. Disembark at Bridges Island, where there is the largest Yamana's "concheros" (shelly deposits) of the region. Enjoy panoramic views of the channel.

We will hike along the Coastal Path for 8km. You can choose a shorter walk (soft Trek option). 

Lunch while enjoying a panoramic view close to the Lapataia River.

Next, we will enjoy a canoe activity and take inflatable canoes (duckies) that go down Lapataia and Ovando River towards Lapataia Bay. 

Today we will explore the Harberton Ranch, one of the most beautiful places in the channel. There we will visit the Marine Mammal Museum. Then, let’s take a motorboat to Martillo Island to see the penguins (we won’t disembark) and continue to Gable Island. Enjoy lunch and taste the Patagonian wine. 

You will have a rental car at your disposal and do explorations on your own. Our recommendation is the trail walk in Ushuaia. It is 12km long and on the way you shall find different types of terrain. You can hike if you’d like. After 2h you will arrive at the lagoon. 

Again, you will explore the area on your own pace by car. Our recommendation is a half-day tour in Martial Glacier. The short main trail in only 900m long and offers beautiful viewpoints of Ushuaia. 

We will leave Ushuaia towards Tolhuin, in the North. We will take the Garibaldi Crossing, the narrowest point to go through mountain. The place is surrounded by the waters of the lakes Escondido and Fagnano.

Arrival in Tolhuin, a city that is great for outdoor activities such as hiking, photographic safari, flora and fauna spotting, and camping. 

Visit to Cabo San Pablo and Desdemona Shipwreck. The beautiful place does not count with public transportation though, so you either go on your own (road is not paved but in good condition) or hire a tour. On the way you can stop to take walks and reach the beaches.

Before the end of the road, arrival in Cabo San Pablo where there is the Desdemona Shipwreck, strained on the coast. 

Visit to Estancia Rolito, a charming country house, before returning to Tolhuin.

You will drive 196km towards San Sebastian Border crossing to enter Chile. From there you will continue towards Bahia Inutil, a hidden place that connects some small settlements and ranches. 

Our tour recommendation is to visit King Penguin Natural reserve. The park was created and has increased since, with king penguins settling in Bahia Inutil to reproduce. It works as an observatory and monitoring place. 

Continuation towards Punta Arenas. You shall cross the Magellan strait (crossing is due weather conditions, so we recommend doing it early). Enjoy the views as the strait is a maritime pass located in the extreme south of Chile, between Patagonia, the Big Island of Tierra del Fuego and several islands located west of it towards the Pacific Ocean. 

In Punta Arenas enjoy the Plaza Muñoz Gamero, the Plaza de Armas, the Braun Menendez Palace, the Cathedral Church, the famous Duty Free Zone and the Nao Victoria, a museum with replicas of the first Europeans who arrived in these lands. 

Transfer to Puerto Natales. Enjoy the famous Torres del Paine National Park and its surroundings, of fjords, archipelagos, valleys and ice fields. The city offers a variety of outdoors experiences such as horseback riding, trekking, sailing, and fly fishing.

For the next days you will explore Torres del Paine National Park, one of the best experiences you can have in the Chilean Patagonia, a place of lakes, lagoons, extensive valleys, and mountains. You will be able to admire Campos de Hielo Sur with its Pingo, Tyndall, Geikie and Gray glaciers (the latter the most visited by tourists).

Another day dedicated to Torres del Paine National Park, which is huge. We recommend you to focus your visits in different spots. Suggestions: Pehoé Lake, Salto Grande, Gray Glacier, Lake Gray, Nordenskjöld Lake, and others. 

Note: If you are interested, is possible to organize to sleep in special camps between treks.

Another day dedicated to Torres del Paine National Park, which is huge. We recommend you to focus your visits in different spots. Suggestions: Pehoé Lake, Salto Grande, Gray Glacier, Lake Gray, Nordenskjöld Lake, and others. 

Note: If you are interested, is possible to organize to sleep in special camps between treks.

Another day dedicated to Torres del Paine National Park, which is huge. We recommend you to focus your visits in different spots. Suggestions: Pehoé Lake, Salto Grande, Gray Glacier, Lake Gray, Nordenskjöld Lake, and others. 

Note: If you are interested, is possible to organize to sleep in special camps between treks.

Drive back to Punta Arenas to take the flight to Santiago de Chile. Upon arrival you will be transferred t your hotel. 

Your tour guide will take you to a classic city tour in Santiago. You will visit the La Moneda presidential palace, the Plaza de Armas, the cathedral and central post office, the Museum of

Pre-Columbian Art, and San Cristobal Hill for a panoramic view of the city.

Head to Casablanca Valley for a wine taste experience, then continuation to Valparaiso, UNESCO World Heritage city famous not only for its wine but for its street art. Enjoy the view of German-style homes and visit the home of Chile´s Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. 

Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to Santiago de Chile. 

You will be transferred to the airport to take the flight back home. End of the tour.