This trip is packed with visits to wonderful towns and magnificent, varied countryside, with the colourful Andes Mountains, deliciously scented vineyards and giant waterfalls as the backdrop. The tour starts in the Chilean capital, Santiago de Chile, where tall skyscrapers and modern architecture contrast sharply with charming, historical buildings. You then move on to Argentina, where you will visit the famous wine-producing regions of Mendoza and Cafayate for a thorough introduction to the whole process. You will visit the delightful town of Salta, with its well-preserved colonial buildings, and the Humahuaca and Conchas Gorges, famous for their geological rock formations in a host of colours. One of the absolute highlights is without a doubt your visit to Iguazú Falls, which are set in an area of rainforest comprising a rich variety of flora and fauna. The journey ends in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires, which many people call South America’s answer to Paris. Here you will visit all the best-known sights and attractions, and will have the chance to experience an authentic Argentine tango show before heading back home.
Departure day, where you will fly to Santiago de Chile with connecting flights along the way.
When you land in Santiago de Chile you will be met in the arrival hall by our driver, who will take you to your hotel.
Chile has a population of 16 million people – and 6 million of them live in Santiago. The Chilean capital enjoys a beautiful location, backed by the snow-clad Andes mountains to the east and the coastal mountain range to the west. Santiago is a modern and inviting metropolis, with tall skyscrapers and charming quarters; moreover, some of the finest vineyards in the world are located just outside the city.
Today, you will be going on a 3-hour guided tour, taking you to the main sights of the city.
You will be picked up from the hotel and start out with a visit to Piedras Australes, a craft shop which specialises in making jewellery out of the rare, blue lapis lazuli stone, found only in Chile and Afghanistan.
The tour then proceeds to the heart of Santiago de Chile, where you will be able to see the contrast between the capital’s rich history and its impressive, modern buildings.
Here, you will visit Santa Lucía hill, which is believed to be the place where Santiago de Chile was founded by Pedro de Valdivia and from which there is an incredible view of the city. Afterwards, you will visit the central square, Plaza de Armas, which is framed by beautiful buildings such as the Correo Central post office, the country’s largest cathedral with its impressive Baroque-style interiors and the National History Museum, where you can learn about Chile’s history.
Finally, you will see the magnificent neoclassical presidential palace, Palacio de La Moneda, where President Allende committed suicide during the 1973 military coup. You will have the chance to walk around the traditional streets of La Moneda before being driven back to the hotel.
The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore the city on your own or simply relax at the hotel.
The time has come to cross the Andes mountains, and the coach trip will take most of the day. You will pass through a variety of landscapes, with verdant valleys giving way to more barren mountain scenery. The trip reaches a maximum altitude of 2,720 metres above sea level on the Argentine border. Towards the end of the day, you will start to glimpse the first vineyards – evidence that Mendoza is nearby.
The city of Mendoza was founded by the Spanish invaders in the 1560s, making it one of the oldest settlements in Argentina. You will note that the city seems to have a special love for fountains, trees and green spaces. In the late 1800s, Mendoza attracted large numbers of French and Italian settlers, who built irrigation systems with financial support from the provincial government. As a result, the area developed into one of the leading agricultural regions in the country. Known as the ‘land of sun and wine’, Mendoza accounts for 70 per cent of Argentina’s wine production, making it the leading wine-producing region in the country. For example, it is the biggest Malbec producer in Chile. Malbec translates loosely as ‘bad mouth’ and this type of grape typically produces sour, poor-quality wine. In Mendoza, however, it produces one of the very finest red wines in the world, because the combination of height above sea level, the chemical composition of the soil and the dryness of the climate is perfect for this grape.
This entire day is spent visiting the wine-growing regions of Lujan de Cuyo and Maipu, where you can find out more about the work practices of the early immigrants, including the irrigation techniques they used to convert the vast expanse of desert into a productive oasis. You will visit two vineyards that still use traditional methods, but backed by the very latest technology for producing wine. You will learn about the different methods and the entire process, from harvesting the grapes until the bottles are packed and labelled. There will, of course, also be time for a little taster or two…
Today, you will fly on to Salta, which is located in the north-western corner of Argentina with the Andes Mountains in the background. Many of Argentina’s cities have a European feel to them, but in the area around Salta you will meet the country’s indigenous people, who have strong Andean roots. When the Inca Empire was at its peak, it stretched from Colombia in the north through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia all the way down to northern Argentina. Here, the age-old traditions are still kept alive through food, folk dancing and their beautiful colourful crafts, which you can buy to take home with you as a souvenir.
On your arrival, you will be picked up from the airport and driven to your hotel, which is located in the city centre. The rest of the day is yours to do as you please.
Look forward to an eventful full-day excursion through the deep Quebrada de Humahuaca gorge, where you will see stunning rock formations in a palette of beautiful colours, small, idyllic local villages and exciting historical ruins.
The first stop is the cosy village of Purmamarca, where you go for a little walk in the narrow streets and visit the church, the local craft market and the main attraction: “the mountain of seven colours”. The beautiful colours are created by various minerals in the soil as well as the weather and wind.
You continue through the gorge, along the Rio Grande River, to the town of Tilcara, where you visit the interesting Pucará ruins and the Archaeological Museum.
On the way, you cross the Tropic of Capricorn, which is a term for the sun’s southern tropic. From here, you enjoy a fantastic view down the mountain, Cerro Pollera de la Coya, which is also multicoloured.
You will also visit the small town of Uquia and the local church with its paintings of the harquebusier angels.
Upon your arrival in Humahuaca, you will visit the city’s church and Freedom Monument before it’s time for lunch (not included). You then have the afternoon to yourself to explore the cosy city.
On the way back to Salta, you will make a stop to take photos of the mountain known as La Paleta del Pintor (The Painter’s Palette), which beautifully frames the town of Maimara. Here, too you will be rewarded with beautiful mountains in all the colours of the rainbow which this area is so famous for.
If you feel like buying some of the beautiful colourful souvenirs such as ponchos, rugs and scarves to take home with you, we recommend doing so in Purmamarca and Humahuaca as it is cheaper than in Salta.
Please note that the excursion takes around 12 hours, and you will not be back in Salta until the evening.
Today, the tour takes you through the picturesque Quebrada de las Conchas gorge to Cafayate, a famous wine region in northern Argentina. The town is best known for its Torrontés grapes, which are used to make white wine, but excellent red wines are also produced in the region, primarily from Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat and Malbec grapes.
From Salta, you head south on route 68 through the Lerma valley. After a short coffee and toilet break, the tour continues into Quebrada de las Conchas (Shell Gorge). The road winds its way through the scenic landscape with mountains in beautiful formations and colours on both sides. You will make several photo stops along the way, e.g. at La Gargante del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat) and El Anfiteatro (the Amphitheatre).
Upon your arrival in Cafayate, an exciting visit to a vineyard awaits you, where you will gain an interesting insight into wine production. The tour rounds off with a tasting of the various wines from the vineyard, and naturally, you have the opportunity to buy a good and reasonably priced bottle of wine to take home with you.
Lunch is enjoyed in Cafayate (not included), and you then have some time on your own to stroll around the city. You might like to visit the central square, Plaza San Martín, where the city’s beautiful church is located. Around the square, there are also a number of restaurants, bodegas and souvenir shops.
The drive back to Salta takes you the same way through the scenic gorge. There is a lot of driving today, but the drive through the gorge is one of the most scenic in Argentina, and the light in the late afternoon lends even greater contrast to the colours and is a truly wonderful experience.
You arrive back in Salta in the evening after an adventure-packed day.
We recommend that on your last night in Salta, you walk down to Paseo Balcarce for dinner. In the evening, part of the Balcarce road is transformed into a pedestrian street with cosy lighting and live music. You can sit indoors or outdoors, and there are many different restaurants and bars to choose from.
You have the morning to yourself in Salta, before flying on to Puerto Iguazú. If you have not yet explored the city, we recommend walking up to the city’s central square, Plaza 9 de Julio, which is surrounded by beautiful, well-preserved buildings from the Spanish colonial era, including Salta’s beautiful cathedral. This is where you will also find the interesting archaeological museum, MAAM, which has a fascinating exhibition about Inca culture, including a well-preserved mummy. In 1999, the mummies of three Inca children who had been sacrificed to the gods were found at the top of Llullaillaco mountain. The mummies are alternately exhibited at the museum.
A few blocks away is the eye-catching red and yellow Basilica y Convento de San Francisco cathedral, which is well worth a visit.
From San Martín park, you can take a modern cable car up to the top of Mount San Bernardo, from which you enjoy a great view down over the city.
On your arrival in Puerto Iguazú, you will be picked up from the airport and driven to your hotel.
The Iguazú Falls are the biggest in the world and consist of 275 falls of various sizes along a 2.7 km stretch of the Iguazú river. They are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Many of the waterfalls merge together, sending water crashing down over the cliffs, which form the shape of a horseshoe and tower up to a height of 85 metres. Although perhaps not as famous as Niagara Falls in North America the Iguazú Falls are both bigger and more impressive. The volume of water flowing through Niagara is an impressive 2.8 million litres per second, but this is dwarfed by the flow at Iguazú, which reaches a staggering 6.5 million litres per second. It is said that when she saw Iguazú for the first time, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt blurted: “Niagara is just a dripping tap.”
Today, you will be visiting the Argentine side, where you can cross walkways to the most impressive section of the falls and look down into Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat). You can then continue along the upper and lower walkways to view the magnificent falls from above and below. The rainforest around the falls is the habitat of unique flora and fauna, including orchids, ferns, begonias, a host of different birds and butterflies, and giant lizards.
Today, you will be visiting the Brazilian side of the falls, crossing the bridge that links the two cities, and, after a mandatory customs check, continuing into the national park. As you will be crossing an international border, you will need to bring your passport with you.
Most of the waterfalls are on the Argentine side, but the view is best from the Brazilian side, where you can make your way along walkways and bridges to view the falls from various angles. Keep an eye out for the small coati, looking on inquisitively. An elevator provides access to a platform by Garganta del Diablo (the Devil’s Throat), where you will be enveloped in the mist from the falls and can admire the stunning view with its permanent rainbows.
In the afternoon, you will be driven to Puerto Iguazú Airport to catch your flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival, you will be met by a driver who will take you to your hotel.
After breakfast, an exciting 4-hour guided tour to some of the main attractions in Argentina’s charming capital awaits you.
Among other places, you will visit San Telmo, the oldest district in Buenos Aires and an exciting artists’ neighbourhood where you will also find many of the famous tango bars.
In the old working-class neighbourhood of La Boca, you will discover the photogenic colourful houses on the cosy street, El Caminito. The area was originally an old shipyard, and the poor workers built their simple houses from surplus materials and paint from the ships. As there was usually never enough paint to paint an entire house, the houses ended up in an array of colours.
You will also visit the upscale Palermo and Recoleta districts, and you make a stop at the Recoleta Cemetery. Argentina’s much-loved first lady Eva Perón, perhaps better known as Evita, is buried here.
Puerto Madero is Buenos Aires’ newer, hip port area which offers a lot of cosy cafés and restaurants. This is also where the elegant Puente de la mujer footbridge is located.
The guided tour of the city continues down the world’s widest boulevard, Avenida 9 de Julio with its famous obelisk down to Avenida Corrientes, which is where the city’s theatres and cinemas are gathered, including Teatro Colón, the beautiful opera house.
You will also visit many of the city’s magnificent squares, including Plaza de Mayo, where the iconic Casa Rosada government building is located, as well as Plaza de las Naciones Unidas with its beautiful flower sculpture, Floralis Genérica.
The excursion is by minibus, with photo stops along the way.
You have the rest of the day to yourself in the city. We recommend rounding off the tour with an unforgettable tango show (optional extra), for which the country is so famous. The tour includes dinner with great steaks and red wine, followed by a show in fantastic surroundings. A wonderful evening is guaranteed.
You will be collected from your hotel and driven to the airport to start your trip home. You will fly to your chosen airport with connecting flights along the way.
You arrive at your chosen airport after a fabulous tour.
Children under 12 years from £3489
Single room supplement from £1719
Emily loves to travel and is extremely passionate about helping others achieve their travel dreams.
