From the Valdés Peninsula and Perito Moreno Glacier to Tierra del Fuego, this 13-day holiday explores Patagonia – home to a unique assemblage of wildlife and an astonishing variety of landscapes.
Patagonia is one of the world's wildest and most biologically fascinating areas. The closest continental land mass to the Antarctic, connected to the supreme biodiversity of the South American tropics, and isolated from the rest of the world's temperate zones, it has a unique assemblage of wildlife, first described in any detail by Charles Darwin. Indeed it was his experiences in Patagonia, almost as much as in the Galapagos Islands, that sowed the seeds which inspired his seminal work ‘On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection’.
In the Valdés Peninsula you can see burrowing parrots, flowering cacti, walk through a colony of Magellanic penguins, and watch offshore for southern right whales. Other highlights include Perito Moreno Glacier, a boat trip on the Beagle Channel, and Tierra del Fuego National Park, home to 90 species of birds including Andean condor.
Arrive in Buenos Aires this morning and transfer to your hotel. There should be time for a birdwatching visit to the excellent Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, an extensive wetland in the heart of the city. Depending on water levels, the reserve can be teeming with wildfowl and a host of passerines.
Accommodation: Hotel Lafayette, 1-night
Early this morning take a flight south to Trelew, then travel on to Puerto Madryn and out onto the Valdés Peninsula, looking for burrowing parrots and other local specialities en route. Your base for the next three nights is in a superb setting, with the possibility of seeing whales from your room.
A boat trip out into the Golfo Nuevo gives you a chance to get close to the southern right whales for which the area is famous for.
Accommodation: Boutique Hotel La Cantera, 3-nights
You retrace your steps to Trelew to catch a flight south to Ushuaia at the southern tip of South America.
Following in Darwin’s wake, you take a half-day boat trip out into the Beagle Channel in search of seabirds and marine mammals; in the afternoon you may take a walk up to nearby Martial Glacier or go birding along the shore margins.
You should also have time to visit Tierra del Fuego National Park, home to a wealth of interesting wildlife including Andean fox and Magellanic penguin, plus introduced species such as North American beaver and European rabbit. The 90 or so species of birds found here include kelp goose, Magellanic woodpecker, austral parakeet, Andean condor, thorn-tailed rayadito, Fuegian and flying steamer ducks plus blackish and Magellanic oystercatchers.
Accommodation: Hotel Tolkeyen, 2-nights
Today you head back to the airport to fly north to Calafate, on the shore of Argentina’s largest lake, Lago Argentino. Here you have two full days to explore the spectacular Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. You take a full day boat trip right up to the imposing 100-metre-high mouth of Spegazzini glacier. This is Andean condor country, and you can hopefully see these giant birds soaring seemingly effortlessly above the glaciers.
On another day, you drive out to the awesome Perito Moreno Glacier. At this time of year, the pale blue meltwater and blue and white ice is set off wonderfully by the flaming red of the Chilean firebushes. The national park holds some fine local bird specialities that include spectacled duck, austral parakeet and austral pygmy owl, as well as a wonderful range of flowers such as the lovely dog orchid.
Accommodation: Hosteria the Paradise, 3-nights
You take another domestic flight to Buenos Aires for your last night in Argentina.
Accommodation: Hotel Lafayette, 1-night
You have a morning free in Buenos Aires before catching an overnight flight back to London.
Please note: We also offer an extension to Iguazú Falls. For more information, contact our team.
Luis has founded and developed his own wildlife tour company, and leads and organises trips to his native Patagonia and elsewhere in Argentina and Brazil.
A keen birder throughout South America, at home he is a keen cactus collector – excellent plants for a tour leader as they thrive on neglect. He speaks English fluently, which he was taught by his Scottish grandmother.
Though Buenos Aires’ biggest passions are football, tango and food, this is a city of theatre, opera, history, culture and art. With traditional cafés and fabulous steak restaurants, bustling grand avenues and cobbled streets lined with magnificent faded mansions, this is a city worth exploring. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Located on the shore of Lago Argentino, the small town of El Calafate is the gateway to the UNESCO site of Los Glaciares National Park, an area mostly covered by giant icefields. The five kilometre mouth of Perito Moreno Glacier towers 70 metres above the water, creating thunderous noises as blocks of ice break off. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, lies far south of Buenos Aires in a dramatic position overlooking the Beagle Channel. The world’s most southerly city is surrounded by the wilderness and lakes of Tierra del Fuego, a perfect location for activities and wildlife watching. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Argentina’s foremost wildlife site is a flat peninsula at the northern end of Patagonia, lined with sandy beaches and rocky shelves. The beaches are home to prodigious numbers of marine wildlife, including the only colony of elephant seals on the South American mainland. Birdwatching is good year round. Find Out More about {acc:title}
Established in 2004, Boutique Hotel La Cantera was the first hotel of its kind in this incredibly scenic part of Patagonia. The hotel’s four-star buildings are comfortable and cosy, while also giving guests uninterrupted views of the natural environment and access to the landscape and its wildlife. Find Out More about Boutique Hotel La Cantera
The Paradise occupies an ideal location for exploring the network of trails running through the Valdés Peninsula Natural Reserve, home to a superb variety of wildlife, including sea lions, orcas and penguins. The hotel offers comfortable air-conditioned rooms with TV and scenic views of the area. Find Out More about Hosteria The Paradise
British Travel Awards
Awarded Silver in Favourite Tour Operator for Nature & Wildlife 2024 & 2025
Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards
Awarded Bronze in Best Travel Company for Wildlife & Nature Holidays 2024
