Discover Chile & Argentina

18-days / 17-nights

Itinerary Summary

No. Date Location Details Meals Hotel Nts Day 01 OVERNIGHT FLIGHT Depart Heathrow - Overnight flight 1

1 Day 02 SANTIAGO Arrive in Santiago and transfer to your hotel - Hotel Orly 2 Day 03 Half day city tour B 2 Day 04 PUCÓN Flight to Temuco, collect your hire car and drive to Pucón B Monte Verde 2 Day at leisure Day 05 B SAN MADRTIN DE Drive to San Martín de los Andes and to your next hotel Le Chatelet Day 06 B 1 3 LOS ANDES 4 Day 07 BARILOCHE Drive to Bariloche and to your next hotel B Sol de Nahuel 1 Drive to your next hotel located in Puerto Varas Cumbres Puerto Day 08 PUERTO VARAS B 2 5 Varas Day 09 Day at leisure B Drive to Puerto Montt airport to drop off your hire car and meet Hotel Cabo de Day 10 PUNTA ARENAS B 1 6 a flight to Punta Arenas. Hornos Board the Stella Australis and begin your navigation through the Day 11 CRUISE BLD M/V Stella Australis 4 Whiteside Canal Day 12 Excursions to Ainsworth Bay & Tucker Islets BLD Day 13 Excursions to Pia Glacier & Glacier Alley BLD Day 14 Excursions to Wulaia Bay & Cape Horn BLD 7 Day 15 BUENOS AIRES Arrive into Ushuaia, flight to Buenos Aires B Mine Hotel 2 Day 16 Half day city tour B Day 17 DEPART Meet your return flights to the UK B - - Day 18 UK Arrive back into the UK - - -

Itinerary Maps

CHILE & ARGENTINA

1. Santiago

2. Pucón 3. San Martín de los Andes

4. Bariloche

Puerto Varas 5. 6. Punta Arenas

Cruise 7. Buenos Aires

Please Note: Click on the underlined place names in the key above to be taken directly to the corresponding part of the itinerary

3 Detailed Itinerary

Day 01 HEATHROW - SANTIAGO

Depart Heathrow for Santiago flying with British Airways.

BA251 Economy Dep: Heathrow 22:00 Arr: Santiago 09:40

Day 02 SANTIAGO

Private transfer on arrival to your hotel.

Hotel Orly

1 x Queen Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 2-nights A small, intimate French-style hotel, the Orly is located in the lively Providencia neighbourhood, which offers a good selection of shops and restaurants. It is elegantly decorated throughout its 28 rooms, making the Orly without doubt one of the best places to stay in the city.

Please Note: Early check-in and breakfast is not guaranteed on arrival

Day 03 SANTIAGO

Private half day Santiago city tour including San Cristóbal Pick up from your hotel to explore the historical and modern sights of Santiago de Chile. Start your trip by visiting La Moneda, the Government Palace, where your guide will explain to you the historical and current importance of this place. Following this, enjoy a walk through the streets of Huérfanos and Ahumada where the main commercial activity of the city is concentrated. Afterwards, visit the Plaza de Armas, which is surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral and other historical buildings. Continue the excursion by visiting the Santa Lucia hill, then cross the river to visit Bellavista, the cultural and artistic neighbourhood of Santiago. Bellavista lies at the foot of the Metropolitan Park and San Cristóbal, the highest hill in town, to which you can go up and explore. Finally will visit Providencia with its top- restaurants, elegant shops and modern high-rise buildings. In the afternoon return to your hotel.

Day 04 SANTIAGO – TEMUCO - PUCÓN

Private transfer to the airport to meet your onward flight with LAN Airlines.

LA235 Economy Dep: Santiago Domestic 12:20 Arr: Temuco 13:45

On arrival collect your hire car.

Pick Up: Temuco Drop Off: Puerto Montt Hertz Catergory G Day 04 Day 10

Please Note: Includes unlimited mileage, local tax, full CDW coverage, drop off charge, road map, driving instructions and international permission to cross into Argentina

Drive to the town of Pucón (around 70 miles), located beautifully below the peak of the Villarrica Volcano. At the eastern end of the Villarrica Lake and surrounded by extensive areas of native forests, this town will be a good base for visits to the nearby national parks, hot springs, waterfalls and lakes.

Hotel Monte Verde

1 x Standard Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 2-nights Just a five minute walk from Lake Villarrica, this secluded hotel with shingle clad cabins and wood and stone apartments is only seven kilometres from the centre of Pucón and 23 km from Volcane Villarrica, Chile's most active volcano. The rooms all have free Wi-Fi and stunning lake or volcano views. Cabins are also available (no Wi-Fi) which boast sitting areas and kitchens. Other amenities include a sauna, a children’s play area and a games room. There are kayaks and boats available for guest to use at the beach below and an outdoor pool, whirlpool, and hot tub.

Day 05 PUCÓN

Day at leisure. Hire car at your disposal. For this day, we recommend a combination of hiking (5-6 hrs) in the Huerquehue National Park, which will offer you the experience to see the famous Araucaria trees or a visit to one of the many relaxing thermal springs.

Day 06 PUCÓN – SAN MARTÍN DE LOS ANDES

For today’s border crossing to Argentina you will be able to choose from two very interesting options. You can cross the Andes by taking the Mamuil Malal Pass at 1200m above sea level, where the scenery changes surprisingly from farmland to the lush vegetation of native coigüe and araucaria forests to the dry Argentinean Pampa. A second optional ride to San Martín will lead you to the Huahum Pass. Follow the road south of Pucón to Panguipulli and then board the small ferry on Lake Piriheuico for a two hour crossing of the quiet and peaceful lake. Upon arrival continue your trip to Argentinean border and nearby San Martin (around 120 miles in total). Prior reservations are recommended to guarantee space on the ferry and can be done by phone.

Le Chatelet

1 x Junior Suite on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 1-night Le Chatelet is one of the best hotels in San Martín. Centrally located and built in the local style of this part of Patagonia, the hotel features 32 rooms, all of which are well equipped with cable TV, stereo, telephone, room service and central heating. Additional facilities include an outdoor pool, sauna, gym, library, internet access and private parking.

Day 07 SAN MARTÍN DE LOS ANDES - BARILOCHE

Explore the seven beautiful lakes on the route to San Carlos de Bariloche (around 100 miles in total) and pass through two national parks, first Lanin and then Nahuel Huapi. The Seven Lake Route will take you to the tranquil village Villa Angostura, from there you will drive along Nahuel Huapi Lake to Bariloche. Overnight in Bariloche at Hotel Sol de Nahuel. Located close to the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, this hotel 12 rooms all rooms with beautifuls towards the lake and boasting huge double windows. All rooms are all equipped central heating with individual temperature control, security boxes and free wireless internet. Facilities include a swimming pool, café bar, parking and spa.

Hotel Sol de Nahuel

1 x Standard Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 1-night Located close to the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi, this hotel 12 rooms, which all boast beautiful views towards the lake and huge double windows. The rooms are equipped with central heating and individual temperature control, security boxes and free wireless internet. Facilities include a swimming pool, café bar, parking and spa.

Day 08 BARILOCHE – PUERTO VARAS

Today you will drive back to Chile on the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass at an altitude of 1308m above sea level. Here you will cross from Nahuel Huapi National Park into the Chilean Puyehue National Park. At the Hotel & Hot Springs Puyehue you can rest, have lunch or enjoy a soothing bath in the thermal pools. Continue southbound on the Panamerican Highway to Puerto Varas (around 195 miles in total), located on the shores of the enormous Llanquihue Lake.

Hotel Cumbres Puerto Varas

1 x Superior Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 2-nights With a wonderful lakeside location, Hotel Cumbres boasts fantastic views of Lago Llanquihue and the surrounding volcanoes as well as the city of Puerto Varas. Opened in 2009, the hotel has 92 comfortable rooms, some with private balconies. Facilities include an indoor pool, spa and restaurant. There is also a spacious lounge with comfortable armchairs and sofa surrounding a log fire.

Day 09 PUERTO VARAS

Day at leisure. Hire car at disposal. Puerto Varas is a good starting point for excursions to the nearby national parks like Alerce Andino or Vicente Pérez Rosales. Both offer interesting hiking trails. Choose from a wide variety of activities, including the crossing of the Lake Todos los Santos to Peulla in a catamaran.

Day 10 PUERTO VARAS – PUERTO MONTT – PUNTA ARENAS

Drive to Puerto Montt Airport (around 15 miles) and drop off your hire car. Meet a flight to Punta Arenas with LAN Airlines.

LA285 Economy Dep: Puerto Montt 16:20 Arr: Punta Arenas 18:35

Private transfer on arrival to your hotel.

Hotel Cabo de Hornos

1 x Standard Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 1-night An elegant property, the 92 roomed Cabo de Hornos is located in the heart of Punta Arenas overlooking the straits of Magellan. The comfortable rooms at the Hotel Cabo de Hornos are decorated with rich local woods and luxurious carpeting. They feature private bathrooms, a separate bathtub, and a TV. The hotel has most of the facilities you would expect from a South American five-star. In addition the hotel prides itself on its two flagship restaurants where you can enjoy regional delicacies.

Day 11 PUNTA ARENAS - CRUISE

Private transfer to Arturo Prat Port, Punta Arenas to check in between 13:00 and 17:00 for your cruise. Boarding the M/V Stella Australis will commence at 18:00.

Stella Australis

1 x AA Cabin with Full Board & Activities for 3-nights Built in 2005, The Stella Australis can hold up to 210 passengers in its 100 comfortable cabins. The cruise ship offers you a spacious cabin with plush bedding, storage options, and a seating area. In addition to the room’s amenities you can enjoy a view of the crisp ocean waters and the snow white mountainous skylines. The comfortable Sky Lounge makes the perfect location to meet people from all over the world while enjoying the decadent drink specials and meals. Experience all of the Patagonian region’s amazing beauty by cruising your way down to sites like Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego, and more.

Deck Plan Itinerary Map

Day 11 PUNTA ARENAS – CRUISE (CONT …)

After a welcoming cocktail reception hosted by the captain and his crew, the ship departs for one of the remotest corners of planet Earth. During the night the Stella Australis will cross the Strait of Magellan and enter the labyrinth of channels that define the southern extreme of Patagonian. The twinkling lights of Punta Arenas gradually fade into the distance as the vessel enters the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

AINSWORTH BAY – TUCKER ISLETS Day 12

At dawn the ship will sail up the Admiralty Sound (Seno Almirantazgo), a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego. The snow-capped peaks of Karukinka Natural Park stretch along the north side of the sound, while the south shore is defined by the deep fjords and broad bays of Alberto de Agostini National Park. You will go ashore at Ainsworth Bay, which harbours copious bird life and a colony of southern elephant seals which can sometimes be spotted from the Zodiacs. Two guided excursions are available today. One is along the edge of a stream, peat bog and beaver habitat to a waterfall and moss covered rock face tucked deep inside a pristine sub-polar forest. The other is a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine. Both afford views of Marinelli Glacier and the Darwin Mountains. After the excursion you will leave Ainsworth Bay behind as you sail west along the sound to the Tucker Islets. After lunch board the Zodiacs again for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit the tiny islands. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a place to nest, give birth and nurture their chicks. Many other bird species also frequent the area including king cormorants, oystercatchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese, dolphin gulls, eagles and even the occasional Andean condor. In September and April, when the penguins live elsewhere, this excursion is replaced by a short walk to a glacier at nearby stunning Brookes Bay.

PIA GLACIER – GLACIER ALLEY Day 13

Overnight the Stella Australis will sail around the western end of Tierra del Fuego via the very narrow Gabrial Channel, Magdalena Channel and Cockburn Channel. After rounding the remote Brecknock Peninsula, Stella Australis tacks eastward and enters the Beagle Channel again. By morning you will be entering Pia Fjord and board the Zodiacs for a shore excursion to Pia Glacier. After disembarking take a short hike to gain a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier, which extends from the mountaintops down to the sea or a longer much more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier. No one knows for certain how the hulking mass of snow and ice got its feminine moniker, but one theory says it was named for Princess Maria Pia of Savoy (1847-1911), daughter of the Italian king.

Back onboard the ship continues east along the Beagle Channel through an area called Glacier Alley. Living up to its name, the passage features a number of impressive tidewater glaciers flowing down from the Darwin Mountains and Darwin Ice Sheet on the north shore. Most of them named after European countries, Holland, Italy, Germany, Spain and France.

Day 14 WULAIA BAY – CAPE HORN

During the early morning navigate the narrow Murray Channel between Navarino and Hoste islands and drop anchor at historic Wulaia Bay, one of the few places in the archipelago where the human history is just as compelling as the natural environment. Originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements, the bay was described by Charles Darwin and sketched by Captain FitzRoy in the 1830s during their voyages on the HMS Beagle. This area is also renowned for its mesmerising beauty and dramatic geography. After a visit to the Australis sponsored museum in the old radio station, which is especially strong on the Yámana people and European missionaries in the area, you will have a choice of three hikes (of increasing degrees of difficulty) that ascend the heavily wooden mountain behind the bay. On all of these you will be strolling through an enchanted Magellan forest of lengas, coigües, canelos, ferns, and other endemic fauna to reach a panoramic viewpoint overlooking the bay. Before leaving Wulaia Bay, drop something into the wooden mail barrel inside the museum, letters or postcards are meant to be hand delivered by future travellers, an ancient mariner tradition revived by Australis. In the afternoon you will cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, you shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbours legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). Discovered in 1616 by a Dutch maritime expedition, and named after the town of Hoorn in West Friesland, Cape Horn is a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic, and was often referred to as the "End of the Earth." The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lighthouse keeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.

Day 15 USHUAIA – BUENOS AIRES

The following morning the Stella Australis will sail into Argentine waters and dock in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city. Stella Australis is scheduled to arrive between 08:30 and 09:30.

On disembarkation you will met and take a private transfer to the airport to meet a flight to Buenos Aires with Aerolíneas Argentinas.

AR1853 Economy Dep: Ushuaia 16:20 Arr: Buenos Aires Domestic 18:35

Private transfer on arrival to your hotel.

Mine Hotel

1 x Classic Room on a Bed & Breakfast basis for 2-nights A lovely property, the Mine Boutique Hotel is located in the Palermo Soho neighbourhood of Buenos Aires which is well known as the city’s arts and fashion district and is home to a wide range of writers, musicians and artists. Nearby attractions include San Telmo, Plaza de Mayo and the Santa Fe Avenue shopping centres. Amenities featured in the guestrooms include DVD players, air conditioning and coffee/tea making facilities. The hotel also has an outdoor swimming pool.

Day 16 BUENOS AIRES

Private half day city tour Cosmopolitan and vibrant, Buenos Aires is a modern capital city with a distinctly European feel. There are many good museums, plenty of green open spaces and the architecture is striking. Away from the centre, several of the traditional neighbourhoods still remain. San Telmo has a quaint faded appeal with cobbled streets which really come alive on Sundays when the weekly antiques market is held. The area of La Boca, established by Italian immigrants, is well worth a visit to see the colourful buildings. Synonymous with Argentina, Eva Peron’s final resting place can be seen amongst the grand and ornate surroundings of the Recoleta Cemetery.

BUENOS AIRES – OVERNIGHT FLIGHT Day 17

Private transfer to the airport to meet your return flight to the UK with British Airways.

BA244 Economy Dep: Buenos Aires Intl. 14:15 Arr: Heathrow 06:30 (Day 18)

Day 18 HEATHROW

Arrive back into the UK.

Holiday Cost

from £5,695.00 per person

20% deposit is required to secure this booking

Suggested Itinerary  This is just a suggested itinerary which we can amend to fit your exact requirements.

Includes  International flights as listed.  All pre-payable airport departure taxes.  Hotel accommodation as listed.  Transfers as listed (on a shared basis unless specified as private).  Meals as listed.  Excursions as listed (on a shared basis unless specified as private).

Excludes  Local departure taxes where applicable.  Tips and gratuities.  Any future currency surcharges.  Any future airline fare, tax or fuel surcharges.* *In the event of airfare /tax increases you will have the option to pay for your airfare in advance to avoid these increases.

Please Note  The cost of this itinerary is based on 2 passengers sharing one room.  All flights, accommodation and services are subject to availability at the time of booking.  Air fares, taxes, schedules and routings are subject to change until ticket issue.

Booking Conditions  Usually a deposit of 20% is required to secure a booking.  The final balance would be due 10 weeks prior to departure.  You can review our full booking conditions at: www.distinctiveamericas.com/bookingform.htm

Financial & Consumer Protection  When you book with Distinctive World Travel you are safe in the knowledge that we are fully bonded with the Civil Aviation Authority and hold an Air Tour Operators Licence (ATOL 9027). www.caa.co.uk/ATOL 9027

 We are a member of AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) which represents the UK’s 140 top specialist tour operators and prides itself on providing the highest level of customer satisfaction by concentrating on: Choice, Quality and Service. www.aito.co.uk

For more information or to discuss this quote please contact us on: t: 01242 890 555 e: [email protected] www.distinctiveamericas.com