Argentina with Insiders

See oystercatchers, right whales and black-necked swans. Fly fish for trout and landlocked salmon. Be greeted like an old friend at a private home in the remote and beautiful Tierra del Fuego. Walk along sand dunes finding marine fossils while enjoying vast Patagonian vistas. Ride well-trained horses into spectacular landscapes where you see no other travelers.
This luxury safaris staying at private estancias includes Buenos Aires (Park Chateau � Kempinski;) Península Valdés (Estancia Rincón Chico) Tierra del Fuego (Cumbres del Martial & Estancia Cabo San Pablo;) and Bariloche (Hostería Isla Victoria and Estancia Arroyo Verde)

Fri Day 0 - Fly USA to Buenos Aires

Sat Day 1 - Arrive Buenos Aires in the morning. Met by your guide and transferred from Ezeiza Int�l Airport to the Chateau Park Kempinski, in the heart of chic shops and museums.
Our guide will take you for a half-day city tour of this classic city.

Sun Day 2 - Breakfast at the hotel. Self explore, finishing up at the famous antiques street fair at San Telmo. The vibrancy of this city catches you by surprise at every corner, from the Parisian style squares to the art galleries. In the evening you will be driven from your hotel for dinner and a tango show, which will end around midnight. Overnight at the Park Chateau Kempinski in Buenos Aires.

Mon Day 3 - Early breakfast before transfer from Park Chateau to Domestic Airport for your flight to Patagonia - Trelew (2 hours). Either self drive or be driven to Puerto Madryn (40 minutes). Visit the Ecocentro to learn about the ecology of the region, an ideal introduction to the wildlife of the Peninsula. Continue out onto the Valdes Peninsula to Puerto Pirámides
(1 hr) along the Atlantic Doradillo coast, sighting whales along the way. Have lunch at The Paradise Hotel, renowned for its seafood. Take a boat tour in the afternoon from Puerto Pirámides to watch the huge Southern Right Whales up close. Then drive on to Estancia Rincón Chico (1 hr, 15 mins), a 12-bed homestead on a vast private sheep estancia in the heart of Peninsula Valdés National Park.

Tue Day 4 - After breakfast your host Augustin Ayuso will take you to see a great diversity of fauna and flora in their natural habitat: sea lions, penguins, rheas, and maras - Patagonian hares. There is much to do: walk; hike; photograph wildlife, bike ride; fish; or join in on the daily farm life and help gauchos as they shear up to 1000 sheep per day. Walk along sand dunes finding marine fossils while enjoying vast Patagonian vistas.

Wed Day 5 - After breakfast spend the day driving around the Peninsula Valdes. Lunch beachside at Estancia La Elvira. Walk out to the lighthouse at Punta Delgada enjoying shore birds such as oystercatchers and black-necked swans. Seasonally marvel at the orca whales coming right up on the beaches at Punta Norte, and visit nearby Magellan penguin breeding colonies.

Thu Day 6 - Visit the Paleontological Museum en route to Trelew airport. Fly Aerolíneas Argentinas (AR 2810: 18:25 � 20:36) to Ushuaia, the world�s southernmost city, located on Tierra del Fuego�s famed Beagle Channel. Collect rental car and drive to Cumbres del Martial Lodge (20 minutes) where your room looks out onto a picturesque high forest at the foot of the glacier. Dine at the hotel, or drive to Kaupé Restaurant for a romantic, haute cuisine meal in a cozy ambience with views of Ushuaia Bay. Local specialties include king crab and South Atlantic sea bass. Overnight at Cumbres del Martial, meals not included.

Fri Day 7 - Breakfast at the lodge, then drive to Lake Fagnano for an exciting Land Rover 4WD trip along a forested lake shore to a simple cabin for a picnic barbecue lunch. Drive on yourselves to Estancia Cabo San Pablo (2 hours). Rachel and Juan Apolinaire, the owners, will welcome you as old friends into their charming life in this remote and beautiful world of Tierra del Fuego.

Sat & Sun Days 8 &9 - Full days at Cabo San Pablo exploring, riding, fly-fishing and walking with continuous views of the Andes to the West and the restless Atlantic to the East. Wildlife abounds: soaring condors, timid guanacos and hard-working beavers.

Mon Day 10 - After early breakfast, drive to Rio Grande (2 hrs) and fly to Buenos Aires (AR 2841 10:20 � 13:33) Transfer to Park Kempinski. Spend the rest of day enjoying museums and sights of Buenos Aires, known as �The Paris of the South.� Dinner is on your own.

Tue Day 11 - Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to flight to Bariloche (AR 1678 10:35 � 12:55). Met for 45 min. transfer by car and then a half-hour, beautiful trip on classic lake boat to Hosteria Isla Victoria. This recently rebuilt
20-room luxury spa hotel is in the heart of the forest on an island in the middle of Lake Nahuel Huapi. The food is superb, views of the Andes descend to lake beaches, and moments of relaxation can be spent beside handsome, huge fireplaces set in local cedar-paneled walls.

Wed Day 12 - Breakfast at the hosteria, and then spend your day riding on comfortable sheep skin saddles with your gaucho explaining this island�s unique ecosystem and unusual arboretum of 150 species of trees; kayaking around the island, or enjoying the health spa, library or wine-tasting room with lovely lake views.

Thu Day 13 - Transfer after breakfast from Isla Victoria via the world-famous Llao Llao Hotel to Puerto Pañuelo Harbor. Here you will meet your guide and transfer to the Limay River. You will float this river through the Enchanted Valley fishing, learn about unusual fauna, pass gaucho homes nestled in river willows, and enjoy a picnic lunch amongst sculpted rock formations. After rafting, you will transfer by car to Estancia Arroyo Verde on the Traful River, a legendary destination for 60 years for fly-fishermen and all who enjoy charmed living in dramatic settings.

Fri & Sat Days 14 & 15 - Two full days to enjoy the landscape and activities at Arroyo Verde with your personal guide. Those who come here to fly fish for trout and landlocked salmon, find a day on the world famous Traful River, known as �The Pool of Plenty,� quickly flies by. Riders and hikers enjoy the quiet wooded trails, well-trained horses and incredible views. All who visit here take home memories of an elegant Old-World style and ashen-headed geese in lovely, landscaped gardens.

Sun Day 16 - After another delicious breakfast, leave for flight to Buenos Aires (AR 1677 12:00 � 2:03). Transfer from Domestic Airport to International Airport for flight home (flight TBC). Optional: have car and driver to take you to a late lunch, sightseeing or last minute shopping before going to the International Airport. Fly home, arriving in New York Monday morning.

If you have 3 more days I strongly recommend a visit to the Glacier region near Calafate.

The colors, calving ice and easy hike on rental crampons across the glacier are unforgettable.

This safari was designed by pilot and travel consultant Tim LaPage, who personally road tested every detail of this tour. To inquire about this private safari for your family or a group of friends,

Contact [email protected]