Argentina’s open spaces of Patagonia offer an empty adventure playground for escaping into an untouched wilderness. Yet no need to leave the good life behind with great food, Argentine wine, dance and culture in passionate Buenos Aires. See the heat of tango in the city then escape to touch the ice as you trek glaciers. This isn’t a trip for the faint of heart but it will make your heartbeat to a passionate new beat.

Argentina Patagonia Passion invites an exploration in style of all sides of this huge region. A country lodge in northern Patagonia, the ice fields around famous Moreno glacier and glamping under the stars by Mount Fitzroy will immerse you in Argentina’s wilderness. We are sure that you, like us, will be ignited with a passion for Patagonia.

Argentina Patagonia Passion – Tour Highlights

• Full day at Moreno Glacier

• Glamping under the stars at EL Chalten

• Patagonia ranch in St Martin de los Andes

• Wilderness all the way

Suggested Itinerary – We customise this for you!

Day 1 – To Buenos Aires

Fly overnight, on the way south to Argentina and towards Patagonia at the southern end of the world.

Day 2 – Buenos Aires

Welcome to Argentina and the capital city of Buenos Aires, named by the sailors who travelled with ‘fair winds’ south.  As you arrive today by air we greet you at the airport and whisk you by private car to your luxury hotel for the next 2 nights. Unpack, unwind and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime.

Meals: None

Hotel: Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt Buenos Aires

The Park Hyatt is one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive addresses in the upscale Recoleta district of the capital. It’s set in a 1930s art deco palace, the Palacio Duhau, seemingly transplanted from the Champs Elysees, with beautiful gardens in the heart of the city. This is where to stay for a slice of sophisticated Argentina, where presidents and royals stay and has the trappings of luxury to match. Gastronomes should not miss the Duhau restaurant for the height of Argentine cuisine and the Vinoteca with a choice from 7,000 of the best Argentine wines.

Day 3 – Buenos Aires

After your first Argentinan breakfast, set out to learn more about this fascinating city; it is a city of contrasts, we love it!  Drive through bohemian Palermo, and explore the Recoleta district. With its tree-lined streets you may feel as if you had transported to Paris, and this is where to see the grand cemetery famous for  the resting place of Evita Peron. Into the city centre, see the Casa Rosada and imposing congress building and then to a very different part of the city.  La Boca is famous for its football team and was also the birthplace of the fabled tango dance. The colourful streets are filled with street artists and markets.

This evening we invite you to discover more about tango. As you have a fabulous 3-course dinner paired with the amazing wines of the region. While you dine you are treated to a fabulous tango dance.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Hotel: Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt Buenos Aires

The Park Hyatt is one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive addresses in the upscale Recoleta district of the capital. It’s set in a 1930s art deco palace, the Palacio Duhau, seemingly transplanted from the Champs Elysees, with beautiful gardens in the heart of the city. This is where to stay for a slice of sophisticated Argentina, where presidents and royals stay and has the trappings of luxury to match. Gastronomes should not miss the Duhau restaurant for the height of Argentine cuisine and the Vinoteca with a choice from 7,000 of the best Argentine wines.

Carlos Gardel caminito artwork Buenos Aires Argentina

Day 4 – To  San Martin De Los Andes

It is time to say a fond farewell to Buenos Aires and take the adventure in a different direction and a different pace, welcome to Patagonia! As you land in San Martin De Los Andes you are in frontier land at the foothills of the Andes. Your home is rather unique Tipiliuke Lodge, a heaven for those who love the outdoors. There’s just nine rooms in this luxury lodge surrounded by a 50,000 acre cattle ranch, absolutely in the middle of nowhere.

There should be time to walk in the fields of Patagonia this afternoon and evening and then settle in for some amazing gourmet dining.

Meals: Full Board and Open bar

Hotel: Tipiliuke Lodge

Tipiliuke Lodge

Tipiluke Lodge is tucked away in a remote and less visited part of Argentina’s northern Patagonia near the small town of San Martin del Lost Andes. There’s just 9 inviting rooms hidden away in the lodge among the forest in the heart of a 50,000 acre working cattle ranch. Everything is geared to going out and exploring the untouched surroundings whether it be trekking, horse riding, fly fishing or even golf in the wilderness. Then coming back to a warm welcome, personal service and delicious food and drink, notably local wines. Fabulous extra touches include the outdoor hot tube and the yoga studio where they also do tango classes.

Day 5 to Day 6 – San Martin de Los Andes and northern Patagonia

Tipiliuke Lodge is the perfect location for mountain adventure, with space all around. There’s horse riding, mountain biking and trekking at your disposal. Not to mention rafting on pure white water, golf and the ranch is a renowned base for fly-fishing, perfect if you want to give it a go.

After all that fresh air, relax in the cosy lodge. Connect with nature in the studio with a yoga class, or try a tango lesson in laid back surrounding. Plus of course you can simply relax and enjoy a nice Malbec or two, we won’t tell if you don’t! The hot tub is a good spot for this.

Meals: Full Board and Open bar

Hotel: Tipiliuke Lodge

Tipiliuke Lodge

Tipiluke Lodge is tucked away in a remote and less visited part of Argentina’s northern Patagonia near the small town of San Martin del Lost Andes. There’s just 9 inviting rooms hidden away in the lodge among the forest in the heart of a 50,000 acre working cattle ranch. Everything is geared to going out and exploring the untouched surroundings whether it be trekking, horse riding, fly fishing or even golf in the wilderness. Then coming back to a warm welcome, personal service and delicious food and drink, notably local wines. Fabulous extra touches include the outdoor hot tube and the yoga studio where they also do tango classes.

Day 7 – To El Calafate via Bariloche

Time to head further south and take the scenic route along the breathtaking the Seven Lakes Road to Bariloche. The scenery here is reminiscent of Switzerland and the Alps, yet barely a soul around.

Fly out of Bariloche along the mountains and into open wilderness to El Calafate. Prepare for your jaw to drop in this land where the vast ice sheet of Patagonia forms glaciers and ancient jagged peaks. Stay on the azure shores of the huge Argentino Lake and for now,  time to relax and enjoy the big skies.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Xelena Hotel

Xelena Hotel & Spa

Xelena Hotel & Spa is a 70 room hotel located on the shores of Lago Argentino a little outside the town of El Calafate, the gateway to Moreno Glacier and Argentine Patagonia. It’s a modern hotel offering convenient comfort in the wild. A particular feature of Xelena is the indoor heated swimming pool and spa, with big picture windows and views of the lake and the big skies of Patagonia. We book the lakeside rooms here as a matter of course, after all it’s these views for which people travel to El Calafate.

Day 8 – The Moreno Glacier

If you have for some reason not used your camera until this point, be sure you have it today. We are visiting Perito Moreno glacier, we doubt anything can prepare for the size or magnitude of this natural monument. Travelling through stunning scenery with mountains, lakes and even the great Lago Argentino on display before you arrive… a 5 kilometre wall of ice. You can even hear the sounds of the creaking and ever-moving ice. From the viewpoint you can see this monster stretch out ahead of you, rising higher than a 12 storey building. If you are lucky you might experience the sight and intense sound of a huge icebergs falling away from the main glacier and into the Iceberg Canal. Remember to close your mouth!

Optional tour: South America Travel Specialist invite you to trek on the glacier. Due to the difficulty of this, it is not for everyone! If you are ready for a challenge, please speak to your Travel Specialist to include this life-changing moment.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Xelena Hotel

Xelena Hotel & Spa

Xelena Hotel & Spa is a 70 room hotel located on the shores of Lago Argentino a little outside the town of El Calafate, the gateway to Moreno Glacier and Argentine Patagonia. It’s a modern hotel offering convenient comfort in the wild. A particular feature of Xelena is the indoor heated swimming pool and spa, with big picture windows and views of the lake and the big skies of Patagonia. We book the lakeside rooms here as a matter of course, after all it’s these views for which people travel to El Calafate.

Moreno Glacier and Patagonia ice cap panorama Argentina

Day 9 – El Calafate to El Chalten

The famous Moreno Glacier doesn’t have to be the end of your Patagonia experience. Why not head further into the mountains with the private drive to El Chalten. Here you’re in for an unexpected treat. Staying under the stars in your own dome and  see more of mother nature’s beauty without leaving your bed. The starry skies and remote mountains will show you the infinite beauty of the universe.

Meals: Full board

Hotel: Chalten Camp

Chalten Camp

This is clamping in one of the World’s most remote and beautiful locations. Based near the Patagonian frontier town of El Chalten and under the peaks of Mount Fitzroy, Chalten Camp is just 4 well equipped domes with views of Mount Fitzroy, so day and night you can marvel at the landscape, wak to sunrise on the mountain and sleep under starry skies. The main dome houses the dining and lounge, where hearty Argentine food is served from breakfast and dinner, with lunches taken out in the wild. It’s legendary trekking here, and there’s so many other activities like kayaking, salmon fishing, mountain biking and also relaxing in a hammock with wine and wilderness.

Day 10 – Walk to Mount Fitzroy and Laguna de los Tres

The best thing to do in El Chalten is to get out and see the untouched nature.  To really stretch those legs and enjoy this incredible scenery you’ve been soaking up from your dome room. Take with a guide the best trek in the region, offering amazing views of this mountaineering paradise, with towering Mount Fitzroy as the centrepiece. you’ll see the needle peaks of mountains Saint Exupéry, Poincenot, Mermoz and more, a chain only explored by humans fairly recently.

The walk leads  through pristine forest and along Rio Blanco basecamp then up to Laguna de los Tres with views of three glaciers. The immensity of the scenery is  impossible to describe. The best we can suggest is to take plenty of some photos, nobody will believe you otherwise. With glacier lagoons adorning the mountains it is a photographers dream.

Return back to your camp and indulge in a hot chocolate or a beer, whichever you feel suits the day best.

Meals: Full board

Hotel: Chalten Camp

Chalten Camp

This is clamping in one of the World’s most remote and beautiful locations. Based near the Patagonian frontier town of El Chalten and under the peaks of Mount Fitzroy, Chalten Camp is just 4 well equipped domes with views of Mount Fitzroy, so day and night you can marvel at the landscape, wak to sunrise on the mountain and sleep under starry skies. The main dome houses the dining and lounge, where hearty Argentine food is served from breakfast and dinner, with lunches taken out in the wild. It’s legendary trekking here, and there’s so many other activities like kayaking, salmon fishing, mountain biking and also relaxing in a hammock with wine and wilderness.

Day 11 – El Chalten

Take advantage of your surroundings, Chalten Camp has a wide range of activities to enjoy from the very active to the unwinding with bird watching. Whatever you chose, you will be surrounded by the stunning natural beauty of the region.

Meals: Full board

Hotel: Chalten Camp

Chalten Camp

This is clamping in one of the World’s most remote and beautiful locations. Based near the Patagonian frontier town of El Chalten and under the peaks of Mount Fitzroy, Chalten Camp is just 4 well equipped domes with views of Mount Fitzroy, so day and night you can marvel at the landscape, wak to sunrise on the mountain and sleep under starry skies. The main dome houses the dining and lounge, where hearty Argentine food is served from breakfast and dinner, with lunches taken out in the wild. It’s legendary trekking here, and there’s so many other activities like kayaking, salmon fishing, mountain biking and also relaxing in a hammock with wine and wilderness.

Day 12 – El Chalten to Buenos Aires

It is time to head back to the city, we hope you are ready for it. For many, us included we find the world a slightly different pace now! Having been at peace in nature and seeing first hand the effects of the planet. The big cities seem a very busy place now, but you are back in fairly familiar surrounds and have a chance to reflect on your time. If the trip has stirred your soul your Travel Specialist can help direct you to ways to help protect the region and the planet.  We hope to hear from you.

If you would like a special meal arranging we would be delighted to arrange this for you.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: Park Hyatt

Park Hyatt Buenos Aires

The Park Hyatt is one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive addresses in the upscale Recoleta district of the capital. It’s set in a 1930s art deco palace, the Palacio Duhau, seemingly transplanted from the Champs Elysees, with beautiful gardens in the heart of the city. This is where to stay for a slice of sophisticated Argentina, where presidents and royals stay and has the trappings of luxury to match. Gastronomes should not miss the Duhau restaurant for the height of Argentine cuisine and the Vinoteca with a choice from 7,000 of the best Argentine wines.

Day 13 – Buenos Aires to London

After such an amazing adventure it may be hard to say goodbye, but for many, this is just the beginning of their love affair with Argentina and we are sure you will return.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: None

Day 14 – Return

Arrive home fresh from the empty southern lands.