Day 1 | Departure from Malta to Buenos Aires via Frankfurt.
Day 2 | Buenos Aires. Arrival at Buenos Aires. Transfer to Hotel.
Day 3 – Buenos Aires (B)
4hr tour to explore Buenos Aires City. We will visit the Plaza de Mayo, the historic, political, and foundational epicenter of the city; surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the House of Government, the Cabildo, and the Municipality. Continue south through old streets of San Telmo, tango district … More to the South, we will visit La Boca, with its Boca Juniors Stadium, the greatest exponent of the Argentine Passion, Football. Visit to ¨Caminito¨, center of tourist attraction. Through the old port, we will see how the physiognomy of the city is changing; until we reach Puerto Madero, the most modern and luxurious neighborhood of it. We will visit Palermo, a residential neighborhood with parks and elegant buildings, such as the San Martiniano Institute and various embassies, museums and significant monuments. Continue through the area of Forests: The Rose Garden, The Magna Letter Monument and the Four Regions of Argentina. Continue to Av. Del Libertador, we will finally reach the sophisticated Recoleta, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods where, among other attractions, we will find the famous cemetery with elegant cafes and restaurants; thus arriving at the end of the ride.
Day 4 – Buenos Aires (B, D)
Today we will explore the outskirts of Buenos Aires. We will be picked up at our hotel in the morning and our guide will take us to the north of the City. On the way we will appreciate parks and beautiful buildings, along with an impressive view of the Rio de la Plata, the widest in the world. We can also see the Jorge Newbery Aeroparque, the River Plate Mundial Stadium and the University City. After a journey of 30 km by highway, we will arrive at the City of Tigre, where we will board a classic wooden boat built in 1942 to navigate the Paraná Delta. In a quiet, stable and safe navigation we will know a labyrinth of islands and islets crossed by rivers and streams, learning about life on the islands, its flora and fauna, recreation and water sports. We will have some spare time to do some kayaking or stand-up paddle, depending on the interest. We will enjoy an amazing lunch onboard and upon disembarking, we will appreciate an elegant residential area facing the river. We will enjoy a gourmet lunch on board with top Argentinean wines. After enjoying the Delta for a while, we will return to Buenos Aires, passing in front of the Presidential Residence of Olivos. At night, we will enjoy a nice dinner and tango show.
Day 5 – Buenos Aires (B, L)
In this exciting and fun-filled full-day tour our team of reliable and professional drivers and very passionate, informative, knowledgeable, and helpful tour guides with excellent English skills will take you on an epic adventure into the world of the Gauchos (The men of the Pampas) and show you the beauties of Argentina’s countryside.
This tour is a good opportunity to get out of the city of Buenos Aires and into the Pampas (the vast flatlands of Argentina) to live a variety of unique experiences that complement what we can see and do in the capital city.
After pick-up, we will leave Argentina’s largest city behind and dive into a completely different world on the way to San Antonio de Areco, a small town dating back to 1730 known as “the cradle of culture and tradition” in Argentina.
The drive out to the Pampas will go quickly as our tour guide will fill in details of life in Argentina and what to expect at the town and the ranch, bringing the landscape around to life with their live commentary providing history, geography, cultural facts, and information.
Once in Areco, we will get off the vehicle and visit the Draghi museum which is family-run and operated, featuring some of the best silversmiths in the world. This is the perfect place to learn about Latin American silverwork and get a deep understanding of the gaucho’s particular dress style and working tools.
After our visit, we will get back to the vehicle and head off to the ‘estancia’ (ranch), a beautiful and large property. Upon arrival we will be greeted with joy by the gauchos and served with welcome drinks and some of the best ’empanadas’ (local pasties) we will eat in the entire world. We will also have time to try some laid-back completely suitable for beginners horseback-riding, or if one prefers, spend this pre-lunch time wandering around the ranch, enjoying the beautiful scenery and taking pictures.
We strongly suggest “coming to this tour hungry” as for lunch we will be treated to a real Argentinean meat feast featuring the national dish: asado. We will be served a wide variety of grilled beef cuts, sausages, and other local treats, altogether with chimichurri sauce, salads, bread, and freely flowed wine (if you are vegan/vegetarian no need to worry as they also offer meat-less and vegan alternatives). Dessert does not fall behind featuring different options served along with a cup of coffee (very much needed to stay up and engaged after so much food).
Day 6 – El Calafate (B)
Transfer out to Domestic Airport in Buenos Aires. Arrival to El Calafate and transfer to Hotel.
Day 7 – El Calafate (B)
We leave through route number 11, bordering Lake Argentino. From El Calafate to the Moreno Glacier there is a distance of 80km, through tarmaced road. From the beginning, the journey offers very pleasant surprises. Leaving El Calafate, we can see at the right the Lake Argentino with its Redonda Bay. In it we can appreciate an important variety of bird fauna, from which the black neck swan, the flamingo, the vapor duck, the coot and the cauquen stand out. The eye-catching yellow color of the countryside is due to its “coiron” pasture, and among them the white and short “coiron” stands out. During the first 40km we travel through the Patagonian Steppe, then enter the National Park to observe the tree area vegetation that is mostly made of the “notofagus” family (ñires, guindos and lengas), rare cinnamon trees, and flowers of different colors, among which the “notro” stands out because of its intense red color that corresponds to the Patagonian Andean Forest.
We arrive at the “curva de los suspiros” (sigh curve), named this way because it is the first panoramic viewpoint of the Perito Moreno Glacier. There is a short stop to take pictures and we move forward to Bajo las Sombras Port. There is an option of doing an additional Navigation through the southern arm of the Iceberg Channel in order to have different views of the Perito Moreno Galcier wall. (Duration: 1 hour) Back to the Port, we go to the footbridges where we have a service area for visitors and a system of balconies and footbridges that allow you to enjoy walks along different paths and to have really amazing views of the Glacier. After some free time for walking and lunch (which is optional), we begin our way back to El Calafate.
Day 8 – El Calafate – Bariloche (B)
Transfer out to El Calafate Airport. Flight to Bariloche. Arrival and transfer to Hotel.
Day 9 – Bariloche (B).
Today we will explore the city and its surroundings. Going along the southern shore of Nahuel Huapi Lake we head West, visiting the attractions of main touristic interest. Llao Llao Hotel, San Eduardo Chapel, Puerto Pañuelo, and the stunning Punto Panorámico viewpoint. We will stop on our way at Campanario Hill, where a chairlift takes us to the top, at 1000 mts, to enjoy the best panoramic 360° view of the area (cable car not included)
Day 10 – Bariloche (B).
Today we will take a navigation to Isla Victoria. 25 km away from Bariloche downtown, “Pañuelo” Port is located. From there, catamarans depart heading towards the millennial Victoria Island and the famous Myrtle forest. During the voyage we will be able to admire the intense colour of the water, the vegetation that is reflected on the lake, and ,as background, the eternal snowy mountains that always attract the attention of the eyes.
Day 11 – Bariloche (B).
Of the seven arms that Nahuel Huapi lake has, Blest is the most important one. Navigating its green waters we will get to “Cántaros” Port, where stairs lead us to a lagoon that origins the “Cántaros” falls, in the heart of the valdivian jungle. Another option during this excursion is to navigate the waters of the “Frías” Lake. Thick forests made up of millennial larches, ferns, lignum vitaes and climbing plants surround this emerald green mirror and behind the vegetation the white summit of “Tronador” Mount stands out.
Day 12 – Bariloche – Iguazú (B).
Transfer out to Bariloche Airport. Arrival to Iguazú and transfer to Hotel.
Day 13 – Iguazú (B).
Today we will visit the Iguazú National Park, located about 20 km from the city. This majestic corner of the world is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and recently was selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. We will have all the time to visit 3 of the main circuits and enjoy this spectacular place made up of 275 jumps of up to 80 meters. The Upper Trail is a tour with a magnificent panoramic view of the Falls and the Iguazú River Delta. In it, the great variety of plants and trees represent the native flora, we will able to hear the song of the birds of the area and if we are lucky, we will be able to see even the famous caí monkeys or the large groups of coatis, who always move in big families. After that we will be visit the Lower Circuit, on the bottom end of the falls with a sweeping view of all the waterfalls in the area. The main attraction being the lookout to watch Salto Bossetti and Dos Hermanas, where we can take a comfortable and magical shower with the spray of this falls, surrounded by the emerald colors of the subtropical rainforest below, where butterflies dance and birds flit and dive.
Along the way, we will find a few other waterfalls in the midst of the rich green tropical forest, no less impressive than the main cascade: Garganta del Diablo or Devil’s Throat, a giant U-shaped cascade, as powerful as its name. Devil’s Throat trail is a walkway leading to the main balcony, where one can see the greatest waterfall inside the Park, indescribable for its beauty and energy. It is a walk without difficulty (without stairs) and has a total of 2,2 km (1,3 miles). In this part of the tour, one will be eagerly waiting to take the best photos or simply contemplate the landscape.
We will also enjoy the Great Adventure Navigation. This tour is ideal for the adventurous clients who want to live a thrilling and unforgettable experience in the heart of the Iguazu Falls. Important things to have in mind are: there is 150 meters of stairs and 2km of rapids on the speedboat. Children under 12 years old, pregnant women, people with osteoporosis, neck, back conditions or surgery, people with heart conditions or surgery, people with COPD or neurological conditions or surgery and any person with any physical, cognitive and/or sensorial disability are NOT QUALIFIED TO TAKE THE EXCURSION.
The adventure begins, 5 minutes from the Melia. Hop on trucks and enter the jungle along the narrow Yacaratiá trail, accompanied by bilingual guides (Spanish/English) to help us interpret the richness of the Atlantic Forest.
After 8K we will arrive to Puerto Macuco where we`ll hop off the truck and start walking downstairs 150 meters of steps, to arrive at the dock where we will board the boats to travel about 6K from the Lower Iguazu River canyon toward the area where we face the waterfalls, enjoying the fast-flowing rapids. We will reach the Three Musketeers falls viewing the Devil’s Throat at the back. Also, we will reach the highest point of excitement within the mist of the unparalleled San Martin waterfall. In this adventure we will get completely wet. From here, we make the same way back: down the rapids, up the steps, back on the truck to finally finish at the starting point.
Day 14 – Iguazú (B).
The Brazil National Park has a single walkway of 1.200 meters (less than a mile), which allows us to make it a half day tour and provide two different departure times for this tour, in the morning and afternoon. We will be picked up from the hotel and drive across the border, through the “Tancredo Neves” International Bridge into Brazil for about 20km (12 miles) until we reach the Park´s Visitors Centre. Once inside the park there is still a road of 15km (9 miles) to get to the beginning of the trail. This is done on park buses that run every 15 minutes. In Nea Travesias, since we want to offer exclusive experiences, we provide a private authorized car to move freely inside and avoid cueing up. The walkway offers a gorgeous panoramic view facing the Argentinian falls from further back, while we walk along the lush rainforest. It has a medium difficulty since it has stepped all the way through until we get to the Devil`s Throat balcony. Once there, after enjoying the 275 waterfalls there is an elevator that will bring us back up above the river where our private car will be waiting. From there we travel back across the border to the hotel.
Day 15 – Iguazú – Rio de Janeiro (B).
Transfer to Foz do Iguacu Airport. Arrival to Rio and transfer to Hotel.
Day 16 – Rio de Janeiro (B).
Tour in Rio de Janeiro
Corcovado
Everything begins on board of a centenarian eco-friendly electric tram. It travels uphill through a well-preserved stretch of the Atlantic Forest, part of Tijuca’s National Park, ending at the most iconic attraction of Rio de Janeiro: the Christ the Redeemer statue. At the feet of one of the Seven New Wonders of the Modern World, one will be amazed by some of the most stunning views of the city.
Sugarloaf Hill
The ride on the Sugarloaf hill cable car reveals a 360º scenery of breathtaking views that include the Leme, Copacabana, and Flamengo beaches, the Pedra da Gávea, Maciço da Tijuca and Corcovado mountains, the Guanabara Bay, the downtown area, the Rio-Niterói bridge, and the Serra do Mar mountain range backdrop, with the famous Dedo de Deus (“God’s Finger”) peak.
Santa Teresa (PR)
Santa Teresa spreads across the hill of the same name and offers magnificent views of Rio de Janeiro, including the Guanabara Bay, the Sugarloaf and the Corcovado. Its origins date back to the construction of the Santa Teresa convent, in the 18th century. It is one of the few neighborhoods in the city to resist development and preserve its colonial charm. It is famous for its winding, narrow, cobblestone streets and for being an artistic hotspot. The natural scenery, pleasant atmosphere and easy access to downtown Rio make it an attractive neighborhood. Currently, it is a popular tourist site, having its fair share of restaurants with live music, cultural centers, and other attractions. Its bars and nightclubs are popular with both locals and tourists. The neighborhood has the only remaining streetcar line, so make sure to go for a ride. Hiring a guide is recommended, as Santa Teresa is not easy to master.
Day 17 – Rio de Janeiro (B).
Boat trip to Gigoia Island (4h Private) On this half-day tour, we head towards the modern coastal district of Barra da Tijuca. This area has a very peculiar ecosystem, formed by several lagoons, mangroves and swampy areas, home to many fish and other animals. We will board a boat passing through narrow channels and several islands, in search of two native species commonly seen in the area: the capybara and the broad-snouted caiman. We disembark at Gigóia Island, where we will take a walk, and then return to the embarkation point.
Day 18 – Rio de Janeiro (B).
Day at leisure to enjoy the city.
Day 19 – Rio de Janeiro (B).
Transfer out to airport to take flight back home.