Day 1: Argentina
Day 2: Buenos Aires city tour and tango show
Day 3: Day at leisure
Buenos Aires:
Buenos Aires is a charming, sophisticated city with a strong European influence and culture. With its blend of Spanish, French and Italian architectural styles, its great variety of nightspots, and its cultural life, it is often referred to as the ‘South American Paris’. Enjoy dinner and a night of music and tango at Esquina Carlos Gardel, one of the excellent venues where typical songs and dances are performed.
Day 4: Arrive at Hacienda Rincon Del Socorro
Days 5-6: Discover the wildlife in the marshes and Lagoons of Esteros del Ibera
Esteros del Ibera: The marshlands and lagoons of Esteros del Ibera are home to an abundance of wildlife. Here you may see alligators, marsh deer and hundreds of bird species. Best explored by boat or 4×4 guides show you areas filled with wildlife. This place really is a haven for nature lovers.
Day 7: Settle into your hotel at Iguassu Falls
Days 8-9: Explore the Argentine and Brazilian sides of Iguassu Falls
Iguazu Falls:
In a tropical region of magnificent rainforest and deep flowing rivers in the far north-east, you’ll see the mighty Iguazu Falls. The thundering waterfalls are an incredible sight and sound sensation. 3km wide and plunging 70m into the gorge that separates Brazil and Argentina and Paraguay. You can see the wide angle view of the falls from the Brazilian side and a up-close detail from the Argentinian side.
Day 10: Transfer to Yacutinga Lodge
Day 11: Explore the forest
Yacutinga Lodge:
The Yacutinga Lodge and Wildlife Nature Reserve is located in a pristine part of Misiones jungle, almost entirely surrounded by the upper Iquazu River, behind the Iguazu National Park. During your stay in this subtropical rainforest you will see a variety of wildlife and your guide will explain the importance of the national park and conservation in the region.
Day 12: Fly to Salta, Argentina
Days 13-14: Explore Salta
Salta:
Salta gets its name from the Aymara word ‘sagta’, meaning very beautiful, and it is indeed a strikingly beautiful city with wonderful colonial architecture, museums and galleries. Today it is known as “La Linda” (the beautiful one). Located in a very fertile valley of Lerma, this city has best preserved its colonial architecture. In earlier times the valleys that surround Salta served as trails between the Alto Peru and Buenos Aires and today are still home to different Indian cultures. Nestled between the colourful mountain scenery and peaks of over 6,000m, there are many tiny Indian villages, as well as colonial churches and Inca ruins.
Day 15: Humahuaca Canyon, Purmamarca
Day 16: Cross the La Quiaca/Villazon border into Tupiza, Bolivia
Day 17: Horse Riding Valle de los Machos in Uyuni, Boliva
Days 18-19: Salt flats and Cemetery of Trains in Colchani, Bolivia
Day 20: Cave paintings, Fort of Tomas Lakjas in Villa Mar, Bolivia
Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats of Uyuni):
Bolivia’s most well-known attraction is the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats of Uyuni), a 10,000 km2 dazzling white landscape. The salt flats are formed by the evaporative process of meltwaters from the surrounding volcanic peaks that trickle into what is effectively a large ‘inland sea’. Over many thousands of years a crust of salt has formed that is thick enough to drive on (2-10 metres). Up to 200m of water lie beneath the salt crust as well as the world’s largest deposits of lithium.
There is little local rainfall to weaken the crust, although when it does rain (Nov to Feb) the mirages created by water-covered salt flats are like a surreal scene from a Salvador Dali painting.
Day 21: Travel overland to Laguna Colorada
Days 22-23: Explore the Atacama Desert and geysers
Day 24: Fly to Santiago
The Atacama Desert:
Located in northern Chile the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on earth, a virtually rainless plateau, with starkly beautiful landscapes of sand dunes, salt pans, lava flows and soaring volcanoes. The Valley of the Moon near San Pedro de Atacama is an area of dramatic land formations in fascinating colours and shapes. Visit the turquoise blue salt lakes 4,500m above sea level and the typical Atacama Indian village of Socaire. A dawn excursion to the El Tatio Geysers, high in the altiplano, is an amazing experience. In addition to dramatic landscapes the region is also home to a great variety of wildlife including; vicunas, guanacos, viscachas (which looks like a long tailed rabbit and is actually a rodent/chinchilla), andean geese and Andean gulls to name a few.
