Antarctica, Patagonia and Rio 2025

Ushuaia to El Calafate

PLEASE NOTE: the standard “Main conference package” includes a flight to Buenos Aires and overnight in Buenos Aires on 26 February 2025.  If you participate in the Patagonia Post-conference tour, you will not take part in this portion of the main conference package. The costs associated with the missed days have been deducted from your post-conference tour cost.

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Disembark from the ship and transfer to the Ushaia Airport for your flight to El Calafate.

Fly from Ushuaia to El Calafate – flight included in package.

El Calafate flanks the southern shore of Lago Argentino in the southwest part of Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province. The town is near the edge of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field and one of the gateways to World Heritage Listed Parque Nacional Los Glaciers. The name El Calafate is derived from the calafate plant common in Patagonia. The town’s main street, Avenida del Libertador General San Martín, is lined with restaurants, cafes, chocolate shops and souvenir shops.

Overnight in El Calafate

Perito Moreno

This morning you will be collected from your hotel to venture into Los Glaciares National Park bound for the breathtaking glaciers of Perito Moreno, Mayo and Negro. The only way to reach the glaciers is by boat along the Témpanos Canal, stopping along the way at Toro Bay for a walk through the Patagonia lenga and ñires forest, passing waterfalls, ancient trees and lime rock formations.

After the walk, the boat continues to the Negro hanging glacier where there is the chance for a short walk offering stunning 360 degree views.

Back on the boat, you sail toward the north face of the massive Perito Moreno Glacier. The glacier is more than two miles wide and averages 74m in height above the surface of the water of Lake Argentino. It is one of the very few glaciers in the world that continues to advance and if you are lucky you may see the glacier calving as large masses of ice break away from the glacier and collapse into the water. Here, you can disembark at a floating dock and take time to stroll the walkways before boarding the boat and returning to El Calafate.

On completion of the tour you will be taken to your hotel. Overnight in El Calafate

El Calafate to Torres Del Paine

Early this morning you will depart El Calafate to Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile.

Please note: The journey time is dependent on weather and road conditions, as well as border crossing times: Approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Hotel Las Torres, located inside Torres Del Paine National Park. This transfer is private and is up to 5 hours in length on good paved and dirt roads, offering a great introduction in the wide open expanses of the Patagonian pampas. On the way you will stop at Cerro Negro for Lunch.

In the evening you will be briefed by the guides on the excursion options for the next few days of your stay. Las Torres does include most activities but does have a limited number of “extra cost” activities, which you can book and pay for at the hotel.

Throughout your stay, you will have time to participate in 3 x full-day tours of your choosing.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LIST OF OPTIONAL TOURS: Las Torres Excursions (current as of 2023)

Torres Del Paine National Park

Free day to select from over 20 included full-day tours.

For example, you might select the Cuernos Sector Full Day Tour:

Take a breathtaking hike between the ominous Mount Almirante Nieto and the ice blue north shore of Lake Nordenskjöld. As you walk along the lake, pristine streams fed by hanging glaciers slash across the rocky trail leading you to the Cuernos sector.

You’ll cross a hanging bridge over the Arriero River, make a stop to see the deep blue Inge Lagoon, and see moon-like rock and land formations.

Located just below a cluster of jagged peaks called Los Cuernos, this area offers incredible, contrasting views of the Lake Nordenskjöld, towering granite peaks, and a thick, deep green treeline. You´ll likely see the renowned winds that look like little tornadoes buzzing from one part of the lake to another.

Overnight at Hotel Las Torres

Torres Del Paine National Park

Free day to select from over 20 included full-day tours.

For example, you might select the Francés Valley Full Day Tour:

This tour ventures into the famous Francés Valley, in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park and the famous W Circuit. Start by sailing across the sparkling blue Lake Pehoé to Paine Grande, where you’ll follow the north side of Lake Skottsberg until you reach the bottom of Francés Valley.

Heading up a steep trail and deeper into the valley, you’ll fully live the present moment as you feel the powerful energy flowing through the native lenga tree forest. When you get out of the treeline, a new landscape is in store – an awesome view of the multi-colored Los Cuernos Mountains and the Francés Glacier that hangs from Mount Paine Grande. This active glacier gives you the opportunity to hear and see its movements, with frequent cracks and calvings.

Before leaving, don’t forget to look behind you! The lakes below, surrounded by mountains, seal the deal on this panoramic view. Here, you will witness an awe-inspiring 360 degrees of the Nordenskjöld, Pehoé and Toro Lakes, and the Paine Grande, Hoja, Máscara, Espada, Fortaleza and Aleta de Tiburón Mountains.

Overnight at Hotel Las Torres

Torres Del Paine National Park

Free day to select from over 20 included full-day tours.

For example, you might select the Las Torres Base Viewpoint Full Day Tour:

Walk along the foothills of Mount Almirante Nieto, where the combination of the breeze and the view will make your soul feel alive. Granite peaks stand in the distance as you follow the trail along the steep slopes of the Ascencio Valley. Lush trees and vegetation line the river below and your sight extends to the end of the valley, giving you a full view of the hike ahead. You’ll enter a native lenga forest and eventually hit a rocky area, which represents the final, yet hardest, section of the trail.

This climb will literally keep you on your toes, and you’ll need to pay attention as you step from one rock to the next. But like all hard work, you’ll get your reward. At the top you’ll get to relax and ponder the beauty of the world in front of the Las Torres Mountains.

Overnight at Hotel Las Torres

Punta Arenas - Santiago

Today you will travel from Punta Arenas to Santiago.

Early this morning you will depart Las Torres Hotel to transfer to the Punrta Arenas airport on paved roads, travel duration is approximately 5 hours.

Fly from Punta Arenas to Santiago – flight included in package.

On arrival at Santiago Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel in the city.

Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city, lies in a valley surrounded by the snow-capped mountains of the Andes and the Chilean Coastal Range. Founded in 1541, Santiago has been Chile’s capital since colonial times. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city and although it features many colonial buildings, it has grown into a modern metropolis and the cultural centre of the country.

Overnight – hotel in Santiago city

Santiago, Chile

After breakfast pick up from the hotel to start the panoramic city tour around the main attraction of Santiago, including the Santa Lucia Hill, the Government Palace, the Lastarria and Bellevista Neighbourhood.

After the City tour we will head to a local restaurant located in the Maipo Valley to enjoy lunch. The Maipo Valley is located in the southern part of Santiago and is well known as one of the most important wine-making regions of Chile. This region is situated just south of Chile’s capital city of Santiago, extending east to the Andes Mountains and west to the coast. The Maipo Valley is well known for producing some of the most prestigious Chilean wines, with the region often being referred to as the Bordeaux of South America. The most famous wine of the Maipo region is the Cabernet Sauvignon which is extremely rich and fruity. The Maipo Valley is the heart of viticulture in Chile as this is where the first vines in the country were planted in the 1540s.

After lunch we will head to one of the wineries that are part of this valley, such us: Santa Rita, Haras de Pirque or el Principal. This visit includes visiting the cellars and wine tasting.

Overnight Santiago city hotel

Santiago, Chile

You will be collected from your hotel at the appropriate time and transferred to the airport for your onward flight.