Vineyards & nature from Chile to Argentina

Santiago

Day 1: Welcome to Santiago!

Upon arrival at Santiago airport, you will be greeted by our representative and transferred to your hotel located in the Providencia neighborhood.

Let us introduce on your first tour to the city, as you explore the city’s most popular sites along with some of our personal favorites.

Chile's rich cultural heritage comes to life as we visit the iconic symbols of the city, including La Plaza de Armas, La Moneda, and the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral. We'll continue to the bohemian area of Bellavista and climb the San Cristobal hill for a panoramic view of Santiago with the Andes Mountains in the background.

Santiago - Casablnca Valley - Valparaiso

Day 2: Explore the Casablanca Valley

This morning, we'll begin the journey to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso through the Curacaví and Casablanca Valleys. In this vast expanse between the Andes and the Coastal mountain ranges, we will find the ideal place to grow cool, crisp white wines.

We'll stop to explore Veramonte, whose organic wine comes from people dedicated to tending to the vines with all that they need without chemicals. You’ll be able to explore their process through a tour in their vineyard, barrel room, fermentation chambers, and, of course, tasting!

Then we'll continue onto Viña del Mar, known as the Garden City, where we'll visit its most emblematic places, such as the Clock of Flowers. Then we will continue to Valparaiso visiting the port, Victory Square, and the Yugoslav. We will stroll through the traditional streets of the port city to get the ideal panoramic view of the city.

Santiago - Colchagua Valley

Day 3: Wine Tasting and a Sunset Tour

Enjoy a relaxing, slow start to the day. After breakfast, you’ll take a private transfer to the Colchagua Valley, one of the most iconic areas for the cultivation and production of the premium wines of Chile.

Today we will indulge in the rich reds of this central valley. At Apalta Lapostolle Winery, you’ll be introduced to Chilean winemaking and our specialties of the area like Carmenere. You’ll be treated with the panoramic views of the Apalta Valley from their lookout point. You’ll finish the tour with a sampling of three of Lapostolle’s bestselling wines: Sauvignon Blanc Casa, Merlot Cuvee Alexandre, and the Clos Apalta.

After lunch, you will make your way to the Viu Manent Winery. Here, you will enjoy a sunset tour where you will marvel at the carefully manicured gardens before being swept away on a carriage ride through the vineyard, as the sun the sets over the horizon before a tasting.

Colchagua Valley - Santiago

Day 4: The Magic of the Colchagua Valley

Rise and shine to the smell of grapes as you marvel at the stretching expanse of vines into the Andes Mountains.

After breakfast, your private transfer will meet you once more to take you to Montes Vineyard. Here, you’ll enjoy a private tour that will take you through beautiful vineyards with a stunning view of the valley.

We will visit the barrel room, where they age their finest wines to the sound of Gregorian Chants and you will learn about how the barrelling process is carefully designed to create the optimal and complex flavors in their premium wines. 

After your visit to Montes Vineyard, you will head back to Santiago but make sure to let your driver know if you’d like to stop along the way. You’ll settle back into your hotel in the capital with a new taste for Chilean wines.

Santiago - Punta Arenas

Day 5: Journey to Punta Arenas

We hope that after a comfortable sleep and delectable breakfast, you're ready for your next adventure in Chile.

Today, your journey will turn from wine to water as we travel south to the land of ice and snow in Punta Arenas. As you depart from Santiago, you will leave the urban heart of Chile and land in the quaint city of Punta Arenas.

The city boasts a gorgeous coastline that stretches along the Strait of Magellan. Here, you can watch the native birds flock and catch a glimpse of the sea lions that line up to bask in the golden light of the long sunsets of the south.

Relax and enjoy. As the locals say, those who rush in Patagonia, waste their time.

Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales

Day 6: Meet the Penguins!

Stretch and roll along with the waves as you get an early start to see the Island of Magdalena who plays host to one of the largest colonies of Magellan penguins in the world.

A private transfer will take you to the pier, from where you'll embark on a tour along the Strait of Magellan, taking you around two islands to marvel at the endemic maritime wildlife of the area.

On the island of Magdalena, you will disembark and walk amongst the thousands of penguins. After you’ve made a few feathered friends, you will take a bus ride to the next town over: Puerto Natales. This is the starting point for many travelers who make the journey to the stunning Torres del Paine National Park, as you will do tomorrow.

For now, rest your weary head and enjoy the rhythmic waves of the southern shores.

Puerto Natales - Torres Del Paine

Day 7: Venture to Torres Del Paine

After a hearty breakfast, you will start your adventure to the Torres del Paine National Park.

You will start with a visit to Milodon Cave Natural Monument, where a prehistoric mammal inhabited the area 12 thousand years ago. We then continue the tour to marvel at the Laguna Sofía, Cordillera Prat, Lake Porteño, Cerro Mesa, Lago del Toro before taking a moment at Lookout Grey to admire the largest continental ice sheet in the world.

Later on, we will transfer to the Rio Serrano Village which overlooks the monumental mountain range of Torres del Paine. We will continue on a short walk through a lenga forest towards the shore of the lake where you can see the icebergs detached from the glacier before enjoying the local gastronomy at a typical restaurant before visiting viewpoints of Pehoe Lake to see the 18-meter high waterfall that breaks up the dense forestation of this beautiful park.

Puerto Natales - Australis

Day 8: Cross the Strait of Magellan

Today you will head back to Punta Arenas, to board your cruise ship, the M/V Stella Australis.

After a welcoming toast and introduction of captain and crew, the ship departs for one of the most remote corners of planet Earth.

During the night we 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 we enter the Whiteside Canal between Darwin Island and Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Punta Arenas - Ainsworthy Bay

Day 9: Sail up the Admiralty Sound

By dawn, the ship is sailing up Admiralty Sound, a spectacular offshoot of the Strait of Magellan that stretches nearly halfway across Tierra del Fuego.

The snowcapped 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.

We'll go ashore at Ainsworth Bay which harbors 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 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 and the other a more strenuous hike along the crest of a glacial moraine.

After lunch, we board the Zodiacs again for a close-up view of the Magellan penguins that inhabit the tiny islands. 

Ainsworthy Bay - Tierra Del Fuego

Day 10: Cruise at the End of the World

Cruising around the end of the world, today you will pass by the western end of Tierra del Fuego through the Gabrial Channel.

After rounding the remote western channel of the Brecknock Peninsula, we will track eastward. By morning we are entering Pia Fjord and boarding the zodiacs for a tour.

After disembarking, we'll take a short hike to get a panoramic view of the spectacular glacier that extends from the mountaintops down to the sea. Alternatively, you can push yourself to do a longer, much more difficult walk up a lateral moraine of the old Pia Glacier.

Afterward onboard the ship, we continue 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.

Tierra Del Fuego - Murray Channel

Day 11: Where History and Nature Collide

In the early hours, we'll 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.

After a visit to the museum in the old radio station, you have a choice of three hikes that ascend the heavily wooden mountain behind the bay, strolling through an enchanted Magellan forest to a panoramic viewpoint.

In the afternoon, we'll cruise into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park.

Australis - Ushuaia

Day 12: Discover Cape Horn National Park

Cruise across Nassau Bay into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park. Weather and sea conditions permitting, we shall go ashore on the windswept island that harbors 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 lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument.

Ushuaia - Tirra Del Fuego National Park

Day 13: Dock in Ushuaia

Arise with the southern sun and soak in the last day on your journey around the Southern Horn.

Today we will follow the canal northbound and sail through Argentinian waters, docking in Ushuaia, the most southernmost city in the world.

From here, you’ll be transferred to your hotel and enjoy a relaxing night under the stars in the southern skies.

Beagel Channel - Buenos Aires

Day 14: Find Serenity in Lapataia Bay

After a hearty breakfast at your hotel, you’ll be ready for your expedition in the Tierra del Fuego National Park.

As with all the amazing landscapes of the south that you’ve seen on this journey, you must take your time to absorb the beauty and wonder of the land. Today we will dive deep into the landscape to find the hidden wonders inside.

With our specialized guides, you will learn on the ground about this recovered paradise, where the mountains are accessible from the ocean, and the freshwater of rivers and lakes mixes with the sea.

On this tour, you get to walk through the forest, canoe down rivers, and across lagoons to get into the famous Lapataia Bay. This place of extreme tranquillity will refresh your spirit as your eyes delight in the strength of nature in this remote area.

Buenos Aires

Day 15: Discover Beagel Bay

Come sail away with us on today's tour of the Beagel Channel.

We will launch into the southern seas with the gusts of Patagonian winds as our motor. Sailing through, you will get a chance to see the marvelous wildlife along the channel and the amazing landscapes that stretch out along this part of the End of the World.

After we cruise the Chilean-Argentinian border, we will stop on Island “H” for a hike around this unique island. On our way back, we will get an incredible view of Ushuaia contrasting against the Patagonian mountains.

In the afternoon, you will get a private transfer to Ushuaia airport to take a short flight to Buenos Aires, the most romantic city in South America. 

Buenos Aires - Mendoza

Day 16: Dive into Culture in Buenos Aires

In the heart of Buenos Aires, you will get to know the city where Argentina began through this tour of the most important and meaningful monuments in the city.

This route will explore numerous corners of the city, all with their different styles, each more just as complex as it is big. During the trip, we will get to know places as massive as the Plaza de Mayo, and as famous as San Martin, one of the small cities that make up Buenos Aires.

Through these magnificent arteries of the city, you will explore a variety of historic neighborhoods, from La Boca and San Telmo to Palermo and Recoleta. The day will not be complete, of course, without a visit to the Grand Soccer Stadium. 

Mendoza

Day 17: Journey to Mendoza

On today's adventure, we’ll travel from the “Paris” of South America to the heartland of wines in Argentina, Mendoza.

After breakfast, a transfer will meet you at the steps of your hotel and whisk you away to the airport. You’ll take a short flight to Mendoza where another transfer will meet you to take you to your hotel.

After checking into the comfort of the hotel, rest up and enjoy an evening in this relaxing area.

Mendoza

Day 18: Discover the Heartland of Argentina's Wine Region

After breakfast, you will take a shared excursion to the Valley of Lujan de Cuyo.

The valley was dedicated as an ideal location to grow wine grapes in 1993 by the International Organization of Vine and Wine.

It features loose soil with sand or rocks helping to perfect the terroir found in the Malbec wines that are often grown here. You’ll sample high-quality wines from places like Ruca Malen and Bodega Vistalba and many more.

This excursion will allow you to experience many of the wonders of the wine region in Argentina.

Mendoza - Buenos Aires

Day 19: Savour the Flavours of Argentinian Wine

You’ll enjoy a delightful breakfast at your hotel before being swept away by another tour of the surrounding valleys of Mendoza.

You will travel along the Tunuyán River to find yourself in the Uco Valley, southwest of Mendoza. It is widely considered the best wine-producing area in Argentina thanks to its long growing season, loose soil, an ideal elevation which combine to produce some of the most complex and interesting wines.

You will get to taste and smell these intense aromas in wineries like La Azul, Andeluna, and O Fournier. You’ll return to your hotel in Mendoza to enjoy a final dinner in the heart of the wine region of Argentina.

Buenos Aires

Day 20: Discover Culture in Buenos Aires

From vines to the urban jungle, you’ll be flying back to Buenos Aires today, accompanied by transfers along the route.

You’ll have some free time in the city to explore before you will go to a dinner and tango show to see the Argentinian culture at work.

Celebrate your final night in the beautiful Southern Cone by visiting one of Buenos Aires' traditional tango venues in the heart of beautiful San Telmo. Its elegant interior is reminiscent of an early 20th-century bar.

Enjoy a quartet of musicians & couples mastering the performance as you watch this impressive show that will guide you through the history of tango

Buenos Aires

Day 21: Say Farewell to Argentina

Today you’ll enjoy your final delicious breakfast in the Southern cone.

You’ll be picked up by a personal transfer and they take you one last time through the heart of Buenos Aires. As you see the city stream by, you’ll reminisce about all of your wonderful adventure through the waters of Patagonia and the vineyards of Chile and Argentina’s best wineries.

We hope you’ll see you on your next adventure to this amazing area of the world again!