PATAGONIAN DISCOVERY
A cultural tour of Argentina & Chile

The Torres del Paine National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in South America and is definitely the highlight of every Chile trip. Full of unique wildlife and nature the park offers the traveller a scenery that will even awe the most experienced ones. Doubtlessly, it is one of the most beautiful untouched and almost unexplored corners of our planet earth where you can admire mountains and lakes, loads of ice, glaciers and a large penguin colony. Finally, do not miss the famous Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina!

Day 01: Arrive Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, transfer from the airport to the hotel. Check in starts from 1400 hrs.
Overnight: Hotel Americas Towers (3 nights)

Day 02: Buenos Aires
After breakfast you will visit the most important sites during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza de Mayo, with the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the government, the Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, home of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes onto the district San Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city was a river port, today San Telmo is one of the most modern and desired places to live in Buenos Aires. The worker district La Boca is famous for its colourful tin-houses and its history as living district of Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th century. The Barrio Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the rich of Buenos Aires. On the cemetery of Recoleta one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the Avenida 9 de Julio, and continue to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and gardens. Return to the hotel. (B)

Day 03: Buenos Aires
Enjoy a complete day out in the pampas! After a 2 hours drive to Los Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana, where the guests will be welcomed by Gauchos with a drink. There is time to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos will be explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm of Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable wild aroma. Then follows a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat and sausages. After lunch, a folklore show will present regional music and dances. During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these men's agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the afternoon coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires. (B, L)

Day 04: Buenos Aires / Trelew ((Flight) / Puerto Madryn (Drive)
In the morning transfer to the national airport and flight to Trelew. Upon arrival in Trelew transfer to Puerto Madryn, located on the Atlantic coast, to your hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Peninsula (2 nights) (B)

Day 05: Puerto Madryn
Full day excursion to discover the wildlife and scenery of the nature reserve Valdés. Unusual geographic features exist in Peninsula Valdes, providing the ideal scenery for the proliferation of several unique botanical and zoological species. Every year hundreds of whales swim through the southern seas to seek shelter in the quiet waters of the Nuevo and San Jose Gulfs during their breeding season. Thousands of sea-elephants roam along miles of beach on the east side of the peninsula. Rock, sand and gravel create the ideal setting for the world’s only land colony of these impressive mammals. (B)

Day 06: Puerto Madryn / Trelew (Drive) / Ushuaia (Flight)
In the morning visit Punta Tombo, one of the world’s largest colonies of Magellan Penguins on the main land. They are just everywhere: on the hills, on the road and in the sea - thousands of penguins. Later on continue to the airport in Trelew for the flight to Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city on Fireland.
Overnight: Hotel Los Nires (2 nights) (B)

Day 07: Ushuaia
In the morning you will go on a half day tour to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, where you will get the impression as if time goes slower than anywhere else. The long stormy winters and the width of the sky formed a very simple and modest way of living. The National Park is crossed by many rivers which flow into the Beagle Channel. Drive through the park to enjoy the landscapes and have a little walk. (B)

Day 08: Ushuaia / Calafate (Flight)
Transfer to the airport and flight to El Calafate . Pick up at the airport by our local guide and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Posada Los Alamos (2 nights) (B)

Day 09: Calafate
Today guests will go on a full day tour to the Perito Moreno Glacier. After a drive through the National Park Los Glaciares one arrive all of a sudden in a forest full of colours, before one sees - equally unexpected - the glacier Perito Moreno. This is one of the few glaciers that are still growing. Every 4 to 5 years it covers the gap between the mainland and itself and grows into the Lago Argentino. Eventually the ice cannot resist the enormous pressure of the water and crashes with a frightening noise. One can watch this glacier spectacle every day when single ice blocks fall into the lake. Considering that the glacier is 5 km long and 70 m high one can imagine the noise this makes. Here we will have 2 hours to experience the glacier before driving back to Calafate. (B)

Day 10: Calafate / Puerto Natales, CHILE (Flight)
In the morning transfer to the bus terminal. From here guests will travel with the public bus to Puerto Natales. Pick up at the bus terminal and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Costaustralis (2 nights) (B)

Day 11: Puerto Natales
After breakfast drive to the Torres del Paine National Park. You will be able to appreciate the most spectacular worldwide reserve at the end of the world, 150 km northwest from Puerto Natales. On this this protected area you will find a fertile combination of lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, glaciers, hills and peaks. Inside the area, the road is surrounded with dozens of lagoon, contrasting with hills and snow capped mountains. You will visit among other things the Salto Grande waterfall. In the late afternoon drive back to the hotel. (B)

Day 12: Puerto Natales / Punta Arenas (Drive) / Santiago (Flight)
Early morning transfer to the bus terminal in Puerto Natales and drive with the public bus (approx. 4 hours) to the city of Punta Arenas. Upon arrival at the public bus station, you will be welcomed by your local guide for a city tour through Punta Arenas, which was the first permanent settlement in Austral Patagonia. Started on the 18th of December 1848 as a small colony, in a couple of years it developed to be the most important cultural, commercial, and cattle raising centre of Patagonia. You proceed to a tour through the tidy laid out avenues and squares which host more than thirty monuments. Proceed to Cerro La Cruz, from where you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the city and the Strait of Magellan. Afterwards continue to the airport for your flight to Santiago de Chile. Upon arrival pick-up and transfer to the hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Atton El Bosque (2 nights) (B)

Day 13: Santiago
Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise buildings of the financial center; Chile’s capital city will surprise you. The city tour begins with the visit of the church San Francisco, which was build between 1572 and 1618. You will pass through the Barrio Paris & Londres which is characterized by its European architectural style and its’ narrow cobbled street. Then you will pass by the sector of Club Hípico, one of the most beautiful horseracing tracks in South America, privileged by its architecture of the early centuries. Continuing your tour to the Barrio Concha y Toro where you will immediately notice that the constructions of the buildings are very similar to those in the Barrio Paris y Londres. While walking through the main street you will recover vestiges of the aristocratic past of the capital. 1989 this district was declared as “Zona Tipica”. You will be impressed by the gothic, neocolonial and Bauhaus constructions. After that you will visit the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. Just around the corner, you will find the main post office, the National History museum, the Metropolitana and the town hall of Santiago. From here you head along the famous Alameda, Santiago’s colorful main avenue, to the heart of the city, seeing the “Palacio de la Moneda” (seat of government), various monuments and public buildings. Afterwards, you continue the tour by driving up to the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s view points, you will have the finest views of Santiago and the Andes Mountains. To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern residential areas of the city with their daring architecture and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone. (B)

Day 14: Depart Santiago
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your departure flight. (B)

Departure Dates
2010 English Speaking Departures Jan 08 & 29, Feb 12 & 26, Mar 19, Apr 02, Sep 10 & 24, Oct 15 & 29 & Nov 12 & 26
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotels as mentioned (or similar) Meals as mentioned (B=Breakfast L=Lunch) All sightseeing and transfers on seat-in-coach basis Services of local English Speaking guides Entrance fees to the sites included in the itinerary Any airfares & Airport taxes Visa fees / Insurance Tips / Beverages
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departure Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement 2010 US $ 3395 US $ 1190
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
Canada - West Coast N/A USA - West Coast US $ 1400 Canada - East Coast N/A USA - East Coast US $ 1200
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.