The southern third of Argentina is a sparsely populated, broad,
dry, treeless plain where sheep ranching is the main industry. Ecologically
speaking, there are four areas of special interest: the Lake
District of San Carlos de Bariloche
(click
here for programs), with its Andean ski slopes, lake and densely
forested Nahuel Huapi National
Park; the wildlife reserves of Peninsula
Valdes and Punta
Tombo on the Atlantic Coast; Glacier
National Park in the mountains near
Lake Argentina (El Calafate); and Ushuaia,
the "southernmost city in the world," on the island of Tierra
del Fuego. Visits to the more southern locations should be scheduled
from spring to autumn, November through March. A schedule
of the wildlife migrations to Peninsula Valdes and Punta Tombo
is featured below. |
Rates for the following packages include:
Hotel accommodations as per the package, including tax, service
and breakfast daily
Round-trip airport/hotel transfers and surface transportation as
needed
Sightseeing as indicated
Airfares are NOT
included
3-Days/2 Nights
3 & 4-Day Tours
On
the Atlantic Coast, a pancake of sandy land juts into surrounding protected
bays warmed by the water of Golfo Nuevo, an ideal breeding ground for
colonies of birds and mammals. Cavorting
sea lions breed in protected rookeries called loberias; 1600-pound
sea elephants sunbathe on a long, pebbled finger of beach called Caleta
Valdes, and Right Whales come to breed in Golfo Nuevo. SCUBA divers can
touch and tickle the 70-foot leviathans. Eighty-four miles south of Trelew
is Punta Tombo, filled with three million Magellan Penguins (Sphaniscus
Magallanicus). The three-day tour includes a full-day excursion to Peninsula
Valdes for whale-watching from the shore, bird-watching and viewing the
sea lions and elephant seals. The
four-day tour also includes a full-day tour with lunch to the penguin
colony at Punta Tombo and a stop at the Welsh town of Gaiman for tea.
Nov-Jan
(molting season) |
Elefanteria at Punta
Norte |
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Aug-Sep
(breeding season) |
Sunning on Caleta
Valdes |
Dec-Jan |
Loberia at Isthmus
of Peninsula Valde |
All Year |
Punta Loma |
Sep-Apr |
Punta Tombo (Males
begin to arrive Aug) |
Sep-Dec |
Isla de los Pajaros
at Isthmus, Peninsula Valdes |
Jun-Dec |
Golfo Nuevo (most
significant numbers Oct-Nov) |
Jul-Dec |
Golfo Nuevo |
3 & 4-Day Tours
Quiet
Calafate is the only town of any size on Lake
Argentina with one paved street
and a few modest hotels. It is best reached by air from Buenos Aires,
Bariloche or Ushuaia. In Glacier
National Park, an area of extreme
natural beauty, you will view the awesome Perito
Moreno Glacier, the only glacier
in the world that is still growing. Its blue color is attributed
to its age (30,000 years), and is so big that it completely blocks
two small arms of the lake from their natural outlet through Iceberg
Channel. For those wishing
to see glaciers, we recommend the four-day tour which also includes
a full-day boat trip with lunch on Lake Argentina to view the Upsala
and Onelli Glaciers. |
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Call Toll Free 800-326-5025 |
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Call Toll Free 800-326-5025 |
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Standard room |
Superior room |
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Superior room |
Premium room |
3 & 4-Day Tours
A
glimpse of the deep blue Beagle
Channel attracts many travelers to
this "end of the world." The three-day tour includes a
two-hour cruise into Beagle
Channel, where you can view sea
lions, penguins and killer whales,
and a half-day tour to Lapataia
in Tierra del Fuego National Park.
The scenery is beautiful, with a wind-swept forest of lengas and
coihues that cover rolling hills along the white-capped shoreline.
(The four-day tour also includes
a full-day tour to Lakes Escondido and Fagnano with lunch.)

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