Day 1 - Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Culture and History Tour

Aromas of coffee and indulgence lace the streets of Palermo. Grand parks and glorious townhouses dominate Recoleta. Street murals narrate history and a cemetery speaks of Argentina’s unspeakable past. Then in La Boca the atmosphere changes once more, a vibrancy to life unmistakable at every turn. Buenos Aires is a city of grand designs and evocative stories. Each barrio (neighbourhood) is different and this privately-guided culture and history tour will showcase why the Argentine capital is so special. It will be tailored to your interests and led by a porteno, so you can go behind the scenes of this intoxicating city, from past to present.

Be Jardin Escondido, Buenos Aires

Francis Ford Coppola used to produce films from this quaint house in the heart of Palermo. It’s now a luxurious urban retreat, doused in vintage hues and old-world ambiance. Step inside hallways of antique furnishing. Admire the oodles of art lining each wall. Lounge in the garden and soak up Palermo’s sounds and smells from your balcony. Location is luxury here as you’ll be on the edge of Palermo’s Soho district, surrounded by the city’s hippest selection of bars and restaurants. This isn’t a hotel for families or a quiet stay. Instead, it’s a vintage retreat if you want to savour Buenos Aires at its lively and energetic best.

Day 2 - Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Tango Class at the Home of Tango

An accordian blasts through the stillness. Piano and guitar join the rhythm. There’s tapping and movement, as you lurch into the world of tango. Tango originates in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, more specifically, in the Argentine capital’s working class suburb of La Boca. So where better for a true tango class? Spend the early evening with a local tutor, learning the moves in the company of a live band. Then visit a nearby milonga and participate in the moving community spirit of everyday tango.

Milongas of Buenos Aires Tango Experience

Immerse yourself in the world of tango and watch the city’s best dancers prance across the floor. You can get involved if you want, but this really is an evening among the city’s elite.Hopping between milongas with a local guide you’ll follow the music. Strained notes seep from doorways, noisy cafes open towards dancefloors, and the tango continues long into the night - it’s only at 1am that the milongas are really kicking off. This is a tailored private tour, so the exact stops can be adjusted to your interests. The focus is on authentic milongas, away from tourist hotspots, but you can also include a tango show if you wish.

Day 3 - Buenos Aires

Gaucho Day With Horse Riding and BBQ Near Buenos Aires

Hooves gallop across open plains as you ride besides an Argentina gaucho. Out here there is space, so you can run and run with your horse, even jump some fences if you wish. Don’t worry if you can’t ride. There’s a place for all levels on this day with a cowboy family just outside Buenos Aires. After a hearty breakfast you’ll spend the morning on horseback. Then settle into a meat feast, an authentic Argentina lunchtime barbecue, complete with copious Malbec. Enjoy more riding in the afternoon, as you fully experience a day in the life of a local gaucho.

Days 4 & 5 - Mendoza

Mendoza Wine Tasting by Bicycle

Cycling through the wines you stop to admire grapes. Each varietal is a little different and you can taste from the vine, before a more traditional wine tasting at a small farm. The winemaker pours and you sample, while exploring the production facility. From grape to bottle you continue through Mendoza’s Maipu Valley, savouring different wines at three to four more farms. Lunch is hearty and goes perfectly with Malbec, then the world-famous Trapiche vineyard serves up decadent wine to complete the day. These Maipu vineyards can be connected by bicycle and make a pleasant alternative to driving. So it’s a full day outdoors, cruising between vineyards with an expert guide leading your discovery.

Mendoza Wine Tasting With the Winemakers

Sultry scents emerge from musty cellars. Velvety flavors linger on the tongue. Tasting is served with views onto the vines, or down in private rooms where visitors are rarely invited. Mendoza is Argentina’s wine country and you will spend a day visiting three to four vineyards, with a focus on wine tasting with the winemakers and cellarmasters. This is not a group tour to the same four vineyards as every other group tour. Sure, you’ll try the world’s best Malbec at Trapiche but the other stops are small and boutique. So you can truly discover Argentina’s wine industry with the people who create it.

Stay at Cavas Wine Lodge

Secluded villas are scattered amid vineyards at this hidden lodge in Mendoza’s premium Lujan de Cuyo region. Willows and vines dominate the landscape and distant views reveal towering Andean peaks. Settle in and you’ll find an adult playground, a narnia of wine and contemporary indulgence. You can even bathe in wine in the spa, or match local wine with an al fresco Argentina cookery course. For more tasting jump on horseback and ride to nearby bodegas with the resident gaucho. Or sit back and let the staff bring wine to you.This is Mendoza’s most upmarket wine lodge, a place to rest your Malbec-sozzled head after a day of tasting.

Days 6 & 7 - Iguazu Falls

Scenic Helicopter Over Iguazu Falls

Veils of water tumble through the jungle. Spray rises in diaphanous clouds, twisting and turning above the green. You peer into Brazil and Paraguay, then back to Argentina. The water never relents and you savour this ultimate of vantage points. Iguazu Falls is a monster of a waterfall. Cataracts stretch almost three kilometres across the jungle and you simply can’t see it all from the ground. But from the air you are doused in wonder, the endless falls and the endless jungle covering everything below. Iguazu Falls is a challenge to reach. It’s far from everywhere, deep in the jungle. Once you’re here you really do need to experience it from all the angles.

Bike, Hike and Kayak in Iguazu National Park

Paddling down Rio Iguazu you peer into three different countries. Lush jungle dominates the banks and toucans soar high above. You can hear the water rumble but from the kayak it’s all so peaceful. Now on foot you continue, hiking along rutted trails as the roar rises to greet you. Iguazu Falls appears between a gap in the trees and you gleefully walk faster, until more of the spectacle emerges. Little can prepare you for such a moment, face to face with the magnificent falls. Finally on mountain bike, riding downhill away from the falls, into more untamed tracts of wilderness. It’s an active day and Iguazu from all angles.

Iguazu Falls Tour, Brazil

Admire the grandeur of the Iguaçu Falls as you look at them from the Brazilian side. The falls are horseshoe-shaped, and from here you have a panoramic view of two thirds of the waterfalls, which are on Argentine soil.Walk the jungle trails in the jungle, then come out on the circuits. Admire the contrast between the lush green and the foaming white. Feel the might of that mass of water that plunges ceaselessly over the cliffs. Tell your guide your abilities and preferences, for there are many options and trails to explore.

Days 8 & 9 - El Calafate

Ice Hiking on Perito Moreno Glacier

A deafening crack, a resounding crash. A great slab of ice breaks free from the glacier and the sounds echo for many seconds afterwards. You’re not watching the glacier break up - you are standing on top of it. Perito Moreno is Patagonia’s most famous attraction. Visit on a private tour and you’ll have time to explore the boardwalks, to watch the ice crumble and crack. Then strap on crampons and step onto the glacier, meandering around its crevices and exploring a white-blue wonderland. Ice forms artistic tunnels and sculptures and it doesn’t seem real, even if the ice stays firm beneath your feet.

Kayaking Beneath Perito Moreno Glacier

Ice rips free and tumbles into the lake. A wave form and your kayak bobs up and down. Now another crash, another new iceberg and the resonant echo of nature’s magic. On this private tour you will travel to Los Glaciares National Park for an intimate close-up with the famous glacier. First the boardwalk, admiring bluish tones and changing form from a distance. Then the kayak, paddling beneath a monumental ice wall.From the water level you can enjoy a true perspective on this remarkable structure. And when ice breaks free have a completely uninterrupted impression of size, scale, sight and sound. Hey, from a kayak you can even smell the ice.

EOLO - Patagonia´s Spirit

Located on its own private reserve, just outside Los Glaciares National Park, EOLO creates an effortless immersion in Patagonian bliss. Magnificent peaks and vast plains stretch in all directions and you can walk straight from your suite into the wilderness. Proximity to Perito Moreno Glacier is another highlight but there’s so much else to do and see in the area. Think guided hikes, horseback trails, mountain biking and remote lakes that don’t see tourists. You can explore a lot of it without a guide, perfect for couples seeking pure Patagonian solitude. The onsite restaurant is just about the best in Patagonia and all meals are included in a stay.

Days 10 - 13 - Exploring the End of the World

Dog Sledding Across the Martial Mountains Near Ushuaia

An icy wind whips past your ears. A dog howls. Snowy landscapes extend in all directions and you settle into solitude. These are the mountains on the edge of the world and you’re exploring them on a dog-pulled sled. Other than the patter of feet there are very few sounds out here. With dog sledding you can stay completely tuned to the wilderness and its serenity. Yet you can travel fast enough to experience different parts of these mountains, including glaciers and remote peaks. There’s no other way to travel where you will be going. And there are few other experiences so cut off from the rest of the world.

Small-Boat Cruise Through the Beagle Channel

Ragged peaks mark the horizon. Rough pastures tumble away from the channel. It feels like this is a passageway to the end of the world. Snow glistens and a seal pokes its head from the water. A waterfall has been frozen and now resembles an icy veil. Out here you are humbled, Mother Nature dominating as you cruise the Beagle Channel in a small boat. Between mountains and tiny settlements you will spend half a day navigating this channel, the same channel for which Charles Darwin named his boat. The great naturalist says it best: “it is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of these glaciers, contrasted with the dead white of the snow.”

Hike and Kayak in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Serene and sublime, Tierra del Fuego is a deserted landscape of lakes, lagoons, mountains and forests. Few other places are as silent and you won’t upset the tranquility on this two-part tour. Set off in a kayak, paddling along a river and into a lake, between snowy mountains and ice-blue glaciers. Then hike, along trails that are completely different to the park’s famous boardwalks. Many people come here on a day tour to crowd around the boardwalks near the Visitor’s Centre. But the national park is massive!This hike and kayak tour will show you what’s really possible in Tierra del Fuego.

Off-Road Adventure in Tierra del Fuego National Park

Bump into the wild on a private four-wheel drive adventure through Tierra del Fuego National Park. Crossing rumbling rivers you’ll travel to great forests and open lagoons. Navigating mountain slopes you’ll emerge on the coast, next to the roar of growling waves. Albatross fly past. Boardwalks give you change to walk in this strange place. From isolated viewpoints you gaze down upon Argentina and Chile. Soon the road is no more. The trail is no more and you keep bouncing along, further through the national park.With this four-wheel drive tour you can go completely off trail with a private guide, to discover the best and the unknown of Tierra del Fuego.

Day 14 - Departure