Day 1: Arrival to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires airport reception and transfer to your hotel. The day is free to enjoy Buenos Aires at your own pace.

Night at the hotel in Buenos Aires.

Day 2: Trelew and Punta Tombo

Early morning transfer for the flight to Trelew on the Atlantic Coast. The local naturalist guide will meet us upon arrival in Trelew before we embark on a visit to Punta Tombo, the most important breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in the world.

Walk on trails among nearly a million penguins approaching within a few feet for excellent close-up photographs and observation. Kelp gulls, Skuas, Cormorants, Giant petrels, Dolphin gulls and Chubut steamer ducks are among the many birds that inhabit the reserve.

Return to Trelew and to your hotel.

Day 3: Valdez Peninsula

Full day excursion to explore Peninsula Valdes for the finest wildlife viewing in Patagonia. The plankton-rich Falkland Current provides food for the peninsula's large colonies of South American sea lions and Southern elephant seals. Visit breeding grounds of sea lions and elephant seals, observe flocks of migratory shore birds and watch for guanacos, rheas, maras, hairy armadillos, Elegantcrested tinamous and fox running freely across the plain.

Night at your hotel in Trelew.

Day 4: Ushuaia

Your morning is free to walk the trails near the Posada or just relax in the hammock and enjoy the peaceful environment. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. Time permitting, enjoy a 2-hour City Trek with amazing vistas of the town, surrounding peaks and Beagle Channel. Learn about the development of the city and its importance in maritime history.

Night at your hotel in Ushuaia.

Day 5: Haberton and Martillo Island

This excursion is the perfect introduction to Tierra del Fuego and its magnificent natural history and traditions. Drive east towards Puerto Almanza, a small fishing village to reach Estancia Harberton. This estancia belongs to the descendants of Rev. Thomas Bridges, one of the first British Missionaries to reach the area. Following an overview visit of the estancia, board a zodiac boat for a hike and lunch at Gable Island, the largest in the Beagle Channel. Navigate to the Penguin rookery at Martillo Island, the domain of the Magellanic Penguin and a small population of Gentoo Penguins. The unique location of this island (close to the point where the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean waters merge) allows for an incredible variety of rich subaquatic life, making it an amazing spot for birdwatching (petrels, skuas, cormorants, sea gulls and albatross).

Return to Harberton for tea and then back to Ushuaia and to your hotel to relax and rest.

Day 6: Tierra del Fuego National Park

Full day visit to the Tierra del Fuego National Park in a private vehicle. Upon arrival at the National Park, hike 8 kms (about 3.5 hrs on uneven terrain) to reach Ovando River. Hiking through the beech forest offers opportunities to spot the Magaellanic woodpecker (the largest in South America), Austral parakeets, black-chest buzzard eagles and Andean Condors. At a breathtaking over-look the panoramic view includes Lago Roca, Lagunas Verde and Negra, Rio Ovando and Rio Lapataia and Bahia Lapataia. Embark on a zodiac navigation to Isla Redonda, enjoy lunch and wildlife viewing before returning to Lapataia Bay to disembark.

Return to Ushuaia and to your hotel to relax and rest.

Day 7: The Calafate

Morning free to explore Ushuaia on foot or visit the interesting End of the World Museum. Transfer to the airport and fly to El Calafate. El Calafate is the base for explorations of the Patagonian Continental Ice Cap and Los Glaciares National Park. The ice cap runs 560 miles from North to South between the 48 and 51 parallels. It is the origin of 47 major glaciers, including the famous Perito Moreno Glacier.

Transportation to your hotel to relax and rest.

Day 8: Perito Moreno Glacier Walk

Drive to a spectacular lookout of Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. Permanently advancing along its 3-mile-front, columns of ice over 20 stories high peel off the face and crash into Lago Argentino creating massive icebergs.

Cross Lago Argentino by catamaran along the front wall of the glacier to the edge of the Patagonian Ice Cap. Watch and listen as the glacier calves enormous shards of ice into the lake. We disembark, walk through the beech forest and have a safety briefing before strapping on crampons and hiking up onto the ice pack! Watch for Andean condor and Buff-necked Ibis.

Transportation to your hotel to relax and rest.

Day 9: Return to Buenos Aires

Transfer to El Calafate airport for late afternoon or evening flight to Buenos Aires.

Transfer in and overnight at the hotel in Buenos Aires.

Day 10: Flight back home

Transportation to the airport to take your flight back home.