A Family Adventure Through Southern Argentina
11 Days / 10 Nights
Buenos Aires – El Calafate – Ushuaia

Take in the mystery and history of the “Paris of the South” that is Buenos Aires. Wander cobblestone streets and enjoy the spirit of the tango. Travel to the sweeping landscapes of the mighty glaciers of El Calafate. Travel to the end of the world and follow in the route of Charles Darwin in Ushuaia. Let Kuoda show you just how enchanting a personalized Argentina tour can be.

DESTINATIONS
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Explore the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires, known as the “Paris of the South”.
  • Take in the culture of Buenos Aires with a dinner and tango show.
  • Follow in the path of Charles Darwin to the end of the world, Ushuaia.
  • See the amazing Patagonian ice field with visits to Perito Moreno and the Upsala Glacier
  • Enjoy the spellbinding rush of water of the Argentine side of Iguazu.
  • Stay at exclusive hand-picked accommodations.

    LET’S PLAN YOUR TRIP

    *We'll be in touch within one business day, matching you with an expert Kuoda travel designer who will turn your travel dreams into reality. Contact us today!
    Your Trip
    Your Details

    ITINERARY
    Welcome to Argentina
    You will find us waiting for you when your international flight arrives in Buenos Aires. Look for the Kuoda sign with your name and the smile. We will escort you to your hotel, check you in, and help you get settled. You’ll then be able to rinse away the feeling of a long flight and enjoy a good night’s rest!
    Buenos Aires Argentina
    Walking tour

    How do locals interact with their city? The best way to figure it out is to walk side-by-side with them… get prepared to take your first Buenos Aires walking tour, and start discovering the city at your own pace with a local guide.

    Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and, over the course of a couple of hours, you will wander the neighborhood together. Depending on your hotel’s location and your personal interests, you can choose to explore either the Northern area of the capital, the aristocratic face of the city, filled with magnificent architecture, or the green spaces and bohemian culture of the trendiest area of the city. It’s up to you!

    Enjoy the unscripted moments of chit-chat with your tour guide… and with other locals who you meet along the way! After all, we are all lovely people. The icing on the cake will be tasting our world-famous ice-cream! We recommend trying the dulce de leche ice-cream flavour… you won’t go back to vanilla. By the end of this tour you will have acquired a clearer picture of the neighborhood in which you’re staying; where the main supermarkets, pharmacies, and money exchange houses are located.

    Buenos Aires Argentina
    Buenos Aires City Tour / Bicycle ride

    This morning, continue with your urban exploration, taking a five hour historic tour through the city’s ornate architecture with a private car at your disposal. We’ll pick you up at your hotel to spot the most important sites of the city and learn some fun facts, like why the Presidential Palace is pink, or the reason that houses in La Boca are so colorful.

    Visit San Telmo, the oldest residential neighborhood, with its classic cobblestone streets, and La Boca, where Buenos Aires turns colorful and tango is ever present; walk Caminito Street and dance with the locals. If you’re a soccer enthusiast, you’ll learn all about Argentina’s favorite fútbol (soccer) teams.

    Why is soccer such a passion for Argentinians? Well, only a true Argentinian can answer that question. Continue your full cultural immersion learning about the rich history as you speak with locals (known as Porteños) and learn fun facts about the fascinating past. At the end of your tour, we’ll take you back to your hotel.

    In the afternoon, get ready to explore the city on two wheels. Departing from Palermo district, start your bike tour to discover the Northern region of Buenos Aires, where you’ll find the famous Recoleta Cemetery, the Floralis Generica, and the biggest green areas of Buenos Aires.

    Stop at Recoleta cemetery and leave your bikes to walk through the amazing tombs and mausoleums, 90 of which have been declared historical monuments. Dare your kids and find the exact place where the mythical Evita Perón (one of Argentina’s first female political leaders) rests, or David Alleno’s tomb, the cemetery keeper that saved money during his whole life in order to be buried with the most important characters of Argentine history.

    Continue your bike-ride to the park that houses the incredible Floralis Generica, the giant metallic flower of Buenos Aires, where you’ll stop to have a snack while watching this breathtaking sculpture actually move! Taste some traditional Argentine maté (herbal tea) and the alfajores (finger-licking sandwich cookies).

    We’ll keep riding on to explore Palermo Woods, the biggest green area of Buenos Aires, where you’ll have a close-up view of the beautiful Planetarium and enjoy a typical Porteño lunch from one of the many food trucks spread all over the area. Finally we return to our hotel after hours of family fun.

    Buenos Aires Argentina
    A traditional ranch in La Pampa

    Today, we’ll pick you up at your hotel to begin a nine hour visit to a time-honored ranch. Learn about the gaucho culture and traditions, strolling around the beautiful old streets, museums and ancient pulperías (grocery stores) in San Antonio de Areco before heading to El Ombú.

    Argentina is famous worldwide for its fútbol players, but also for the vastness of its green-tinted fields best known as ‘La Pampa’. This endless land at the edge of the horizon is still home to the descendants of the first gauchos (Argentine cowboys), who still care for and work the land as their ancestors taught them to.

    There are still some estancias (ranches) that preserve the gaucho traditions, and are located in picturesque towns within Buenos Aires’ province. One of the most alluring estancias is El Ombú de Areco, a colonial style working ranch built in 1880 that is located in the town of San Antonio de Areco, where gaucho traditions are still palpable all around.

    Once you’re in the estancia, enjoy a typical asado (barbecue) before either a horseback ride in nature or a relaxing bike ride. For those who like to take things slow while on vacation, there is a peaceful swimming pool (only available in summer) and many sunny relaxation areas where you can take la siesta (an afternoon nap). At the end of the day, we’ll take you back to your hotel in Buenos Aires.

    Gauchos San Antonio de Areco
    Flight to El Calafate / Visit a Patagonian estancia

    Today we’ll drive you to the airport to take your short flight to El Calafate, another favorite of adventure travelers who chance to unearth the most spellbinding natural wonders, like the Perito Moreno Glacier.

    El Calafate is not just about the glaciers. They are the main attractions that you can visit via hiking or a boat ride, but you have a lot more to discover about Argentine rural culture. From Calafate you can also visit a typical Patagonian finca (ranch) and learn all about the gaucho (cowboy) culture and enjoy a great asado (barbecue).

    Begin your family adventure trip to Patagonia with a visit to a traditional Patagonian ranch, departing from your hotel in a minivan headed towards Glacier National Park. Leave El Calafate behind and travel for 90 minutes with the snow-capped Cerro Frías as your backdrop. Once inside the National Park, we make our way to Nibepo Aike Ranch, the only ranch in the area that has maintained the traditions of sheep-shearing and Hereford cattle-breeding as its primary focus.

    Enjoy an inviting hot drink and a delicious snack in the classic quincho (rustic dining room)! Walk the coast of Lago Argentino, watch how a real gaucho (the Argentine cowboy) works the shearing shed, and view a unique demonstration of gaucho horsemanship. Depending on the day’s activities, you might help milk the cows, herd sheep, or learn the history behind the founders of the estancia. At the end of the day, return to the quincho, where a mouth-watering grilled lamb awaits, sizzling over the traditional Patagonian fire pit. We take the same road and transportation to return to El Calafate.

    La estancia Argentina
    Visit to Perito Moreno Glacier & the Glaciarium Museum

    Start off the day with a pick up at your hotel, and travel to Puerto Bandera to embark on an 8-hour nautical safari where you’ll discover the secluded glaciers and waterfalls of Glacier National Park that can only be reached by boat!

    We sail Mayo Channel and disembark at Toro Bay to hike through the Patagonian forest; your specialized guide will tell you about the vegetation of this area (very different from other areas of the park) and show you the ancient cherry tree and its 10-foot-diameter trunk. Tell your kids that they can call it El Abuelo (grandpa), as locals have nicknamed it, and prepare yourselves to discover a waterfall!

    Set sail again towards Cerro Negro (Black Hill), where you’ll do a soft, half-mile hike to the base of the hill to admire the massive Black Glacier. Enjoy your free time in this place that not many travelers have seen, before departing for our third stop, the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. As the boat passes by the immense icy wall, put on your beanie and grab your camera, because you may see a piece of ice breaking off and crashing into the water below!

    Finally, you’ll disembark at Puerto Moreno, where you can enjoy free time wandering across the traditional catwalk circuit that surrounds the glacier before sailing back to Puerto Bandera.

    On your way back to El Calafate make a stop at the Glaciarium Museum and learn about the history of the glaciers and their first explorers. Interactive screens, a synchronized projection, and the natural sounds of ice caves playing throughout the museum’s hall will totally immerse you into the glaciers’ fascinating history. At the end of your tour, visit the fascinating Ice Bar, where you can take a sip from a glass made completely of ice. At the end of the experience we’ll drive you back to El Calafate.

    Perito Moreno Argentina
    Free day in El Calafate

    Today will be yours to enjoy a little downtime in the city. If you prefer to stay in town, you should definitely stop by Laguna Nimes, an ecological reserve which hosts 80 different types of birds, including the Chilean Flamingo, and includes a fun, little hike that’s perfect for kids! Then, enjoy a hearty lunch at Buenos Cruces restaurant; try the guanaco meatloaf or the nut-crusted trout while your kids run around in the play area.

    El Calafate Argentina
    Flight to Ushuaia

    Today we’ll drive you to the airport to take your flight to Ushuaia, the famous “end of the world” destination.

    Ushuaia is a small town, easy to get around on foot. The Yamanas, its first inhabitants, called it Ushuaia which means “protected bay” in their language. Ushuaia was officially incorporated into the Republic of Argentina in 1884, and it soon became a penal colony, in order to establish a permanent Argentine settlement.

    We will take a short tour of the city, introducing you to the most important viewpoints, from North to South. Follow your local guide through the waterfront promenade, reach the former government house and the End of the World Museum and learn the stories of the first inhabitants of the area. Walk the historic neighbourhoods, and get the best views of the bay and the Beagle Channel.

    Along the way, your guide will tell you about how this secluded spot on Earth became populated after 300 years of hard work, and after having hosted the most dangerous criminals in the famous End of the World Prison which is now a museum. Return to your hotel to enjoy some leisure time.

    At night, don’t forget to try out the local gastronomy! Ushuaia is the best place to eat seafood in Argentina, so be sure to taste the Blake hake and the King Crab.

    Ushuaia Argetnina
    Exploring the End of the World

    Prepare to explore the Tierra del Fuego National Park for 8 hours, and discover the wildest and most beautiful destination in Ushuaia. Your guide will direct the whole family through the most breathtaking secrets of this national gem.

    We’ll drive 40 minutes outside of downtown Ushuaia to reach the park, where we’ll start with a moderately difficult three hour hike through the Costera Path, discovering the remains and relics of the Yamanas. Reach the immense Lake Roca (whose waters flow between Argentine and Chilean territory) and have lunch in a conditioned dome.

    After a safety and technical talk, you and your children can grab the oar and plunge into a 90 minute canoeing trip along Lapataia River. Make it all the way to Lapataia Bay, where the Panamerican Highway and National Route 3 end at the true end-of-the-world. From there, return to your hotel in Ushuaia to enjoy the rest of the evening.

    Tierra del Fuego Argentina
    Exploring the Beagle Channel / Harberton Ranch / Penguins!

    Set sail and spend the day navigating the famous Beagle Channel! During this 8-hour trip, you will make stops to some truly intrepid islands.

    The first stop will be Isla de los Pájaros (Bird Island) where even the youngest explorers will have the chance to see flocks of Imperial Cormorants, one of the rarest species to find, according to birdwatchers. Can you tell the difference between a Cormorant and a Penguin? Challenge your kids to develop their observation skills and learn more about the local fauna.

    Afterwards, you will venture to Isla de los Lobos (Island of the Wolves), where South American sea lions will be witnessed lounging lazily on the rocky shore. Arriving at the archipelago, the famous Les Eclaireurs lighthouse will come into view. Don’t miss this iconic photo opportunity!

    The journey will continue until you reach the Harberton Ranch, after passing by the Chilean town of Puerto Williams on Navarino Island. At the ranch, you’ll hop aboard another boat and travel to Isla Martillo where you will enjoy an hour-long guided stroll amongst Magellanic and Gentoo penguins (always a favorite for youngsters). Once back at the Estancia, there will be time for lunch and visiting the Acatushún Museum to learn more about the marine wildlife of Tierra del Fuego.

    Tierra del Fuego Argentina
    Return Home

    At the appropriate time today, you will have a transfer to the airport for your flight to Buenos Aires where we’ll be waiting to assist with your check-in and wish you buen viaje!

    Like the sound of this Argentina private tour? Get in touch with Kuoda and we’ll start devising your very own customized Argentina private travel experience.

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    INCLUDED
    • Personalized itinerary planning
    • A Kuoda host to assist you in every location
    • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
    • Daily activities and excursions as indicated in the itinerary
    NOT INCLUDED
    • International flights to and from your home country
    • Travel insurance
    • Meals not specified
    • All gratuities
    PRICE REFERENCE
    An exemplary way for any adventure seeking traveler to experience the best of the region! This sample itinerary is just the way for you to get inspired.
    ACCOMMODATIONS
    Our staff handpicks the best hotels to ensure you get ultimate comfort and character during your stay.
    Talk with your Kuoda Travel expert to help find the right hotels for you during your personalized luxury tour.
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