Highlights of Argentina: 10-day family trip

Buenos Aires

Tag 1: Welcome to Buenos Aires

Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, you will be met at Ministro Pistarini International Airport for a private transfer to your hotel. You’ll receive an Argentina Challenge Adventure kit, the perfect tool to create fun connections between your children, the places they visit, the people they meet, and you!

Get prepared to embark on a Buenos Aires walking tour, to start discovering the city with a local guide. You can choose to explore either the northern area of the capital, the aristocratic face of the city filled with magnificent architecture, or the green spaces and bohemian culture of the trendiest area of the city. It’s up to you! This is a personalized tour, so you will get to explore at your own pace, focusing on the personal interests of each member of your family.

Buenos Aires

Tag 2: Discover the history of Buenos Aires

Today you'll continue with your urban exploration, taking a five-hour historic tour of the city’s ornate architecture with a private car at your disposal.

Spot the most important sites of the city and learn some fun facts, like why the Presidential Palace is pink or the reason why houses in La Boca are so colorful. Visit San Telmo, the oldest residential neighborhood, with its classic cobblestone streets and Caminito Street to dance with the locals.

In the afternoon, you'll explore the city on two wheels. Departing from the Palermo district, start your bike tour to discover the northern region of Buenos Aires, where you’ll find the famous Recoleta Cemetery, the Floralis Generica, and the biggest green areas of Buenos Aires. This is a fun, safe and healthy way to connect with the city of Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires - San Antonio De Areco - Buenos Aires

Tag 3: Immerse yourself in Argentina’s rural culture

Argentina is famous worldwide for its fútbol players, but also for the vastness of its green-tinted Pampas grasslands within the Buenos Aires province. There, you'll still find estancias (ranches) that preserve gaucho traditions and are located in picturesque towns. One of the most alluring estancias is El Ombú de Areco, a colonial-style working ranch built in 1880. 

Today, you'll be picked up at your hotel to begin a nine-hour visit to this time-honored ranch. Learn about gaucho culture and traditions, strolling around the beautiful old streets and museums in San Antonio de Areco before heading to El Ombú.

Once you’re in the estancia, enjoy a typical asado (barbecue) before either a horseback ride in nature or a relaxing bike ride. At the end of the day, you'll be taken back to your hotel in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires - El Calafate

Tag 4: Journey to the 'end of the world'

Today you'll fly to El Calafate, where a private transfer will meet you at the airport upon arrival to take you to your hotel. El Calafate is a starting point for adventurous travelers who desire to unearth the natural wonders of Patagonia, including the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Depart from your hotel in a minivan headed towards Glacier National Park. Leave El Calafate behind and travel for 90 minutes, with the snow-capped Cerro Frías as your backdrop. Once inside the National Park, make your way to Nibepo Aike ranch, the only one in the area to have maintained the traditions of sheep-shearing and Hereford cattle-breeding as its primary focus.

Enjoy an inviting hot drink and a delicious snack in the classic quincho (rustic dining room)! Depending on the day’s activities, you may help milk the cows, herd sheep, or learn the history behind the founders of the estancia.

El Calafate

Tag 5: Marvel at the glaciers of El Calafate

Start off the day with a pick-up at your hotel, and travel to Puerto Bandera to embark on a nautical safari where you’ll discover the secluded glaciers and waterfalls of Glacier National Park that can only be reached by boat!

Sail the Mayo Channel and disembark at Toro Bay to hike through the Patagonian forest. Set sail again towards Cerro Negro, where you’ll do a soft, half-mile hike to the base of the hill to admire the massive Black Glacier. Enjoy your free time in this place that not many travelers have seen, before departing for your third stop, the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.

As the boat passes by the immense icy wall, be sure to grab your camera, because you may see a piece of ice breaking off and crashing into the water below! This special boat trip is always a thrilling and memorable part of your time in El Calafate, especially for the youngest members of your family.

El Calafate

Tag 6: A day at leisure to explore

For your free day in El Calafate, we recommend that you visit Cerro Frías, an outdoor activity center. You'll be picked up from your hotel and driven for 20 minutes outside of El Calafate to Alice Ranch in Cerro Frías. This ranch still maintains its traditional activities, its cattle, and its natural guanaco reserve.

Enjoy any of the activities offered at the ranch: 4×4 rides to explore the area, horseback riding along beautiful slopes, or gliding down South America’s longest zipline. There’s an option for all ages and interests!

If you would prefer to stay in town, you definitely must stop by the Laguna Nimes, an ecological reserve that hosts 80 different types of birds, including the Chilean flamingo. It offers a fun short hike that’s perfect for kids! 

El Calafate - Puerto Iguazú

Tag 7: Head for the jungle in Iguazu

Welcome to Puerto Iguazú! Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. 

This little, relaxing town is the gateway to visiting the impressive Iguazu Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Take your time and settle in, check out the facilities, and explore your surroundings. Welcome to the jungle!

At night, get ready for a four-hour cooking and dining experience where you’ll learn all about local traditional dishes in a cozy restaurant, tucked away in downtown Puerto Iguazú. First you’ll pass through a hidden winery, and then approach a large table where your materials will be waiting for you to start your cooking class and dinner.

As part of this experience, you'll get to taste some appetizers and get ready for a fun empanada contest! Learn about the classic social customs used by Argentines to enjoy plenty of funny moments at the dinner table.

Puerto Iguazú

Tag 8: Explore the Argentine rainforest

It's the moment you’ve been waiting for! After breakfast, begin your adventure to the Argentine side of the Iguazu Falls, where you will enjoy intimate views of this unforgettable section of the Iguazú River.

The falls are surrounded by a humid subtropical forest where the lush vegetation is home to a variety of different animals and birds. An experienced guide will help you to spot toucans, coatis (raccoon-like animals), butterflies, and more!

You will venture through the lower and upper walkways that allow visitors to get up-close and personal with this magnificent spectacle of nature. To get to the most impressive views, you will hop aboard a picturesque ecological train that will transport you for two miles to the Devil’s Throat - the largest of the falls, and for many, the most spellbinding. At the end of this exciting tour, you'll be taken back to your hotel to relax.

Puerto Iguazú

Tag 9: The majesty of the Iguazu Falls

Today you'll be picked up at your hotel and taken to the Parque Nacional Do Iguaçu, on the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls. You will visit the Parque Das Aves, an amazing bird park with species from all over Brazil; you’ll be able to walk amongst flying toucans, see butterflies of all sizes and colors, and spot birds you’ve never seen before.

From there, you can walk to the entrance of the Parque Nacional Do Iguaçu. While 80% of the falls are located on Argentina's side of the border, Brazil has the best panoramic views.

Arrive at the port and embark in inflatable boats, sailing across the river up to the Three Musketeers Falls, where you’ll take part in the famous ‘water baptism’ of getting drenched underneath the cascading falls - an experience that none of your family will ever forget.

Puerto Iguazú - Iguazu International Airport

Tag 10: Say farewell to Argentina

Depending on your flight schedule, you may have some free time to spend at your own pace and leisure, enjoying everything that this city has to offer. At the right time, check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport, where your flight back home awaits. Safe travels!