Perito Moreno, Lago Posadas, Lago Viedma, El Chalten, El Calafate
8 days / 7 nights
From $3,895 per person, double occupancy for 2011

Day 01: Buenos Aires - Comodoro Rivadavia
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Comodoro Rivadavia. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. Overnight at the Hotel Austral (or similar), breakfast included.

Day 2: Comodoro Rivadavia - Puerto Deseado
After breakfast, depart by private vehicle to Puerto Deseado. For the first 50 miles the road goes along the coast of San Jorge Gulf. Bays, gulfs and cliffs form a shore, which leads into Caleta Olivia, Santa Cruz Province. Later on, across the steppe you arrive in Puerto Deseado, a fishing port whose deep estuary was first explored by Magellan and Cavendish in 1520 and 1586. In the afternoon, on board on a Zodiac boat you will observe different points at "Ria del Deseado". This area is a wildlife reserve where seals and dolphins are close to the coast. As well as seabirds like Imperial Cormorants, Magellan Penguin, Magellan oystercatcher and the rare Gray Cormorant. Overnight accommodations at the Los Acantilados Hotel, dinner and breakfast included. (B,L,D) Driving distance approx. 160 miles on paved road.

Day 3: Puerto Deseado - Perito Moreno
The journey today crosses Patagonia from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes. Lunch will be at an authentic restaurant Patagonico “El Pluma”, located near the great valley of the Rio Deseado. Then you take the mythical Route 40, the most extensive in the country (total length - 4600 km.). After passing Perito Moreno town, you arrive at Estancia Telken, located at the base of Meseta Buenos Aires at a tree-lined and sheltered place. Telken is an old Patagonian Estancia, settled in 1915, that breeds sheep and horses. Dinner and overnight at Estancia Telken. Driving distance – approx. 360 miles on paved roads. (B,L,D)

Day 4: Perito Moreno - Perito Moreno National Park
Today’s adventure starts with a drive south along Route 40. First, you visit the Cuevas de las Manos. There is a narrow path from the ranger's house along the river with access to the different shelters and caves. According to experts, the splendid cave paintings on this archeological site belong to at least three different periods of styles, from 7300 B.C. to 1000 A.C. Motives are easy to recognize depending on different techniques and colors. After a wholesome box lunch continue driving to the Perito Moreno National Park, one of the further places of Ruta 40 and least visited areas. The Park protects the fauna and flora patagonica as well as a chain of lakes and rivers. It is remarkable on the park, the quantity of guanacos (lama guanicoe). Dinner and overnight at Estancia La Oriental. Delicious home-cooked meals are shared with the owners and other guests. (B,L,D) Approximate driving distance – 200 miles, gravel road; 70, paved road

Day 5: Perito Moreno National Park
An exciting full day wildlife safari through the Park. You go deep into the park's wilderness. You can easily observe guanacos, choiques (rhea americana), red and gray fox, patagonian hare, flamingos, Magellan Geese, Condors, though puma (felis concolor) and huemul (American deer) are very difficult to see. The sightseeing presents the Cordillera de los Andes and a complex lake system that includes Lake Belgrano, Azara, Burmeister, and Lake Nansen. Visit the Belgrano Peninsula, where you learn about the behavior and lives of guanacos. There are usually hundreds of them hanging around the hilly peninsula. Box lunch provided. In the afternoon you drive up to Rio Lacteo, the river that brings glacier sediments from Mount San Lorenzo (3740 m.) Optional day hikes to Cerro Leon and Condorera trail. Dinner and overnight at the Estancia La Oriental. (B,L,D) Approximate driving distance – 40 miles gravel road

Day 6: Estancia La Oriental - Lago San Martin
Transfer southbound across the legendary Patagonian steppe to Estancia El Condor, stopping as desired to spot the fauna of the area: lesser rheas, hares, mara (Patagonian hare), red and grey foxes, piches, guanacos and birds of prey such as falcons and eagles. The journey crosses the Patagonian vastness, interrupted only by the lonely Lago Cardiel. The big sky and the infinitive horizon can stimulate the appreciation of the area. Lunch at La Siberia, located between route 40 and Lake Cardiel, where the specialty is oven-roasted Patagonian lamb. Dinner and overnight at Estancia El Condor. This typical Patagonia ranch is located amidst rivers and beech forests on the shore of Lago San Martin. (B,L,D) Approximate driving distance – 230 miles gravel road; 30 miles paved road.

Day 7: Estancia El Condor
Day at leisure at the Estancia. Activities include walks through woods of local species (Nothofagus subantartica), horseback riding, hiking to the great natural viewpoints of San Martin Lake, the Peninsula Avellaneda and the ranch headquarters. A boxed-lunch will be provided. Dinner and overnight at Estancia El Condor. (B,L,D) Approximate driving distance - 18 miles gravel road.

Day 8: Estancia El Condor - Perito Moreno Glacier - El Calafate
Drive to El Calafate, on the coast of Lago Argentino. From the road you observe the great Viedma Lake and its Glacier that comes from the continental snow fields. This afternoon, you will visit the Perito Moreno Glacier. The road leads to the most famous glacier in South America, Perito Moreno. The first views of Moreno glacier are breathtaking vistas down a narrow arm of Lago Argentino with the imposing Andean Mountains as a backdrop. As spectacular as it is, it pales compared to a close approach where the constant sounds of this "living" glacier shake the air. Gigantic blocks of ice, frequently break away and crash into the lake, sending spray hundreds of feet into the air and sound like distant artillery fire. The startling contrast of color, sound, motion and size creates a continuously changing mosaic of indescribable beauty. Boxed-lunch included. (B,L) Approximate driving distance – 120 miles paved road/130 miles gravel road

*Overnight accommodations in El Calafate not included. Some recommended El Calafate hotels and outlying estancias/lodges include the Kau Yatun, Posada Los Alamos Hotel, Imago Hotel & Spa, Casa Patagonica Los Sauces, Estancia Alice, Estancia Alta Vista, EOLO, Los Notros Lodge.