16 days 20:02 25-07-2021 We are the UK’s No.1 specialist in travel to Latin As our name suggests, we are single-minded America and have been creating award-winning about Latin America. This is what sets us apart holidays to every corner of the region for over four from other travel companies – and what allows us decades; we pride ourselves on being the most to offer you not just a holiday but the opportunity to knowledgeable people there are when it comes to experience something extraordinary on inspiring travel to Central and South America and journeys throughout Mexico, Central and South passionate about it too. America. A passion for the region runs Fully bonded and licensed Our insider knowledge helps through all we do you go beyond the guidebooks ATOL-protected All our Consultants have lived or We hand-pick hotels with travelled extensively in Latin On your side when it matters character and the most America rewarding excursions Book with confidence, knowing Up-to-the-minute knowledge every penny is secure Let us show you the Latin underpinned by 40 years' America we know and love experience 20:02 25-07-2021 20:02 25-07-2021 The vast and varied territory of Argentina is home to a huge variety of observable wildlife. This holiday introduces you to the exotic birds and mammals of the remote northern wetlands and sub-tropical rainforest and the whales, penguins and sea-elephants of the wilderness steppes of Patagonia further south. From Buenos Aires move on to a lodge in the serene Iberá wetlands, where during boat excursions on the lagoons you may spot giant storks, capybara and anteaters. Travel on to Iguazú, where you stay in a friendly lodge deep in the the rainforest is populated by birds such as toucans and parakeets and mammals including coati, opossums and deer. Close by are the monumental Iguazú Falls, visited by an abundance of birds. It’s a dramatic change of scene when you arrive in Patagonia, a wilderness of windswept grasslands, craggy cliffs and Atlantic beaches, where penguins congregate in their thousands to breed. In season, whales can be spotted spouting and frolicking, and the remote seaweed-collecting eco-village Bahia Bustamente adds a cultural element to your wildlife viewing. These locations, especially the Iberá wetlands and Bahia Bustamente, are truly remote, in areas of little infrastructure; but here you have the advantage of being able to stay in unique accommodation where you are well looked after by committed and knowledgeable management with a passion for their environment and an imaginative wide-ranging menu of individualised excursions and activities: you may well be the only visitors for miles around. You will be met at the airport and escorted to your hotel in the affluent Recoleta district by one of our local representatives. Buenos Aires is an elegant, cultured and cosmopolitan city famed for its interesting museums and the fascinating port district of La Boca, with its cobbled streets and brightly painted houses. It was here that the tango was born, and Diego Maradona honed his footballing skills. The centre of town is home to the colonial heartland, government buildings and churches, as well as chic shopping districts, which have a nostalgic Parisian feel. The bohemian quarter of San Telmo is full of quaint old houses interspersed with antiques shops, tango bars and classy restaurants. Slightly further out of the centre is the Recoleta district, even more evocative of the French influence, where Evita Perón was laid to rest. 20:02 25-07-2021 Your guided city tour takes you along Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest boulevards in the world and studded by the Obelisk, an emblematic symbol of the city. Along this majestic highway is the 19th century Teatro Colón which, in terms of its architecture and design, as well as its excellent acoustics, is considered one of world’s best. On to the Plaza de Mayo, enclosed on 3 sides by the metropolitan cathedral, the town hall and the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. The tour continues to bohemian, arty La Boca, which was settled and built by Italian immigrants and has streets lined with brightly painted corrugated iron-clad houses. Visit the district of Recoleta. Fly to Posadas in the northwest. From there it’s a 2-3hr drive to your lodge in the Esteros de Iberá. This is a vast wilderness wetland in the province of Corrientes, about half the size of Wales. The open grasslands and marshes are in sharp contrast to the lush tropical rainforest further north towards Iguazú Falls. It affords wildlife viewing opportunities, especially near the lagoon, and is home to caiman, capybaras, otters, howler monkeys and over 350 species of birds. Your lodge is on the shores of the Iberá Lagoon and is an ideal base in which to view a wide array of South American wildlife visible in the open country of the marshy wetlands. There are daily opportunities to go bird-watching on the lagoon. Excursions are made by motorised boat, canoe or on foot. Horse-riding with a wildlife guide can be organised at extra cost. 20:02 25-07-2021 Full day’s drive to Iguazú Falls, mostly along an unpaved road and a journey which usually offers numerous opportunities to view wildlife along the way. The scenery becomes increasingly lush as you enter the province of Misiones.. Your hotel is a short stroll from the Iguazú Falls: it’s the only property inside the national park on the Argentine side. This means you have the advantage of being able to get down to the water’s edge before all the day trippers (access is from 7.30am). The Iguazú Falls are unquestionably one of the most extraordinary natural phenomena in the world. A total of 275 falls thunder over a rust-coloured cliff surrounded by dense tropical forest. The U-shaped Devil’s Throat is the most dramatic sight, here the frothing water of the Iguazú river crashes over a 1.5km wide precipice and columns of vapour are thrown skyward. Elsewhere the river flows decorously through the rainforest breaking up into dozens of smaller cascades. You can usually spot colourful toucans and many other exotic birds perched in the foliage above the tumultuous waters. At leisure to explore the falls. A sequence of causeways and passarelles links dozens of tiny basalt islands at the top of the sheer rock face and the walkways cross the myriad of streams of the river as they cascade over the lip of the precipice: the water thunders on to the rocks below. A similar network of paths runs below, beside and even behind the falls. You may decide to visit the Brazilian side of the falls independently or on an optional guided excursion. There's a walkway of about a kilometre, with viewpoints at strategic intervals - you get a panoramic view of the whole sweep of the cataracts - an entirely different experience to the Argentine side. Towards the end of the walk, there's an observation tower adjacent to the falls, and a walkway at the bottom takes you out for a closer and much wetter experience. 20:02 25-07-2021 Travel 2-3hrs by unpaved road through the Iguazú National Park to your rainforest eco-lodge, Yacutinga. During this somewhat bumpy ride the guide will explain some details and curiosities of the rain-forest. The journey is picturesque, passing jungle scenery, extensive maté plantations and small villages. Yacutinga Lodge is situated in a private reserve and you may be able to observe many mammals such as opossums, iguanas, coatis and deer. The forest is composed of secondary vegetation here: part of the reserve was once a fruit farm and the remaining trees attract a multitude of birds such as macaws and toucans. Activities such as guided nature walks and a boat safari on the river are included. After a short hike to the San Francisco river you float downstream along quiet waters, ideal for photography. You can observe wild fauna through this “gallery forest” at close range, especially as birds and mammals are most active in the early morning. The afternoon organized walks, led by guides with knowledge of biology, are based on observation and interpretation of wild fauna and flora, therefore inside the property 9 well-signed paths have been created. Additional to hikes along these paths are boat trips on the upper Iguazú river, floating trips on the Riacho San Francisco, visits to several observation towers and the spectacular cat- walk (80m long and 6m high). There’s also an early evening visit to one of the observation towers for nocturnal observation with telescopes, binoculars and powerful spotlights. Fly via Buenos Aires to Trelew in northern Patagonia. Continue to Puerto Madryn on the Atlantic coast along a good paved road (1hr). Puerto Madryn sits at the head of a horseshoe bay, a natural harbour for the first landing of Welsh settlers in Argentina in 1865. Today it is a prosperous port and tourist centre. Peninsula Valdés is close by. Your hotel is in the town centre. 20:02 25-07-2021 Full day guided wildlife-spotting excursion. Bleak, barren, and cruelly strafed by bitter winds, the craggy Valdés Peninsula juts out into the Atlantic Ocean where it laps the shores of Argentine Patagonia. It's an inhospitable place, remote and infertile: just a few lonely sheep farms stud the landscape and there is only one village, Puerto Pirámides. But that's by no means all the life supported here. The cliffs, bays, lagoons, salt lakes and plains are crammed with an astonishing array of exuberant and vociferous wildlife - birds and mammals, both marine and terrestrial, mate, breed and thrive here.