Magnificent orca whales play amongst the waves and a parade of tuxedo- clad penguins strut across a rock strewn beach. The thundering sound of Iguaçú Falls fills the rainforest and the sensuous rhythm of Tango drifts through the city streets. This is vibrant and engaging Argentina, the land of the Gaucho. Join us on this truly memorable tour and discover the perfect combination of nature and culture.

• City Sights And Tango Nights - 1 to 2
  

  Fly to Buenos Aires arriving on day 2. Your Tour Guide and local Specialist Guide will be on hand throughout the tour. Complex, energetic and seductive, Buenos Aires has it all. This afternoon take in the sights and sounds of this wonderful city sky scrapers cast their slender shadows on 19th century plazas, tango bars fill with the hazy smoke of cigars and the doors of treasure filled antique shops open out onto cobbled streets. Giant football stadiums ring with the calls of the crowd and polo pitches glitter with the glamorous jet set. Join our included morning tour of the ‘Paris of the Americas’. Visit Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada (Government House). Step into the cool interior of the Cathedral of Buenos Aires and pause for a moment at the tomb of General San Martin, the hero and liberator of Argentina. Onto the brightly painted houses of the La Boca District, now a thriving artists’ colony. It is here that the Tango was born. At Recoleta Cemetery take time to stroll around the beautiful family tombs. Your guide will show you the burial place of Eva Peron. Explore the city at your own pace this evening. Enjoy sensational shopping in stylish boutiques, nibble on sweet churros and sip ‘mate’ tea in pavement cafes or dine on empanadas and juicy steaks in one of the many restaurants. Visit bustling San Telmo District where the sounds of sensuous Tango fill the air. Locals of all ages come here to dance. Sit and watch with a glass of local wine or maybe join a free class and learn a few steps. Overnight Buenos Aires.

• Palaeontology And Sea Lions - 3
  

  Fly to Trelew, located at the gateway of Patagonia, and continue onto the Egidio Feruglio Palaeontology Museum. Located near one of the world’s largest and richest fossil deposits, it offers fascinating opportunities to know and appreciate the natural history of our planet. Next we visit the sea lion rockery at Punta Loma. Take in the sight, sound and smell of up to 600 of these creatures on the beach and rocks below you. Listen for their calls; you will not hear these from sea lions in captivity. Your presence will barely be acknowledged as they bask on sunny rocks but rest assured their distinctive scent will make you very aware of them. Overnight Puerto Madryn.

• Whales Of The Valdes Peninsula - 4
  

  Mid way between Buenos Aires and Tierra del Fuego lies the rugged beauty of the Valdes Peninsula. Steep cliffs composed of millions of years of fossilized shells rise up from shores of multi-coloured pebbles and jagged rocks. The waters that surround the craggy shoreline are home to a myriad of marine mammals. Watch dazzling displays of southern right whales; they calve in these waters from October to December. Sea elephants, some males weighing up to four tons, reside here permanently. You may even glimpse a pod of orca whales looking for an opportunity to lunge onto the beach to catch an unsuspecting sea lion. Penguins abound everywhere, quite literally millions of them. Follow your guide to the best viewing places for this marine spectacular and have your camera ready for the perfect shot. Ask your Tour Guide and local Specialist Guide for recommendations for the evening in Puerto Madryn. Perhaps take a stroll along the coastal boulevard or dine on Patagonian lamb in one of the local restaurants. Overnight Puerto Madryn.

• Penguins And Welsh Tea - 5
  

  We travel by road to the Punta Tomba Penguin Rookery. This narrow strip of land, with its ample beaches and gentle slope into the sea, is home to the world’s largest and most accessible colony of Magellanic penguins. They come here every year to couple and bear their young. These sea birds have wings but these have adapted to swimming, not flying. Penguins spend most of their life in the water, they even sleep in it. When swimming they can reach a speed of up to 5 miles per hour. 300,000 penguins birth, breed and molt at the rookery. You will be filled with unadulterated pleasure as you walk amongst these tuxedo-clad characters that strut pompously across the sands. Watch as they forage for food and feed their fluffy little chicks. Listen out for their distinctive cry as they call to their mates, admire their swimming proficiency and look into underground burrows where the females brood on nests. Your guide will point out other marine life; cormorants, dolphin gulls, and petrels hover over the shoreline and hairy armadillos and Patagonian foxes hunt for prey just inland. This afternoon why not indulge in an optional Welsh Tea. The Welsh were the first to settle in this region 140 years ago. Visit one of the Welsh Tea Houses where descendants of the settlers prepare a classic tea. Overnight Puerto Madryn.

• Travelling - 6
  

  We leave Puerto Madryn and fly via Buenos Aires to Iguaçú. Overnight Iguaçú.

• Magnificent Iguaçú - 7
  

  Nothing can prepare you for the magnificent sight of Iguaçú Falls. Travel by air to this thundering centre-piece of the Iguaçú National Park. The falls are higher than Niagara and wider than Victoria. They consist of 275 separate falls spread into the shape of a horseshoe and pouring up to eight million gallons of water every second into the swirling river below. This is a sight of stunning beauty and magnitude and one of the world’s largest natural wonders. View the falls from the Argentine side. Don waterproofs (provided) and take a series of catwalks over the gushing waters of the Devil’s Gorge. Ride the eco train and follow your guide along the jungle paths. With every twist and turn of rail and trail another jaw dropping view into the falls is revealed. Look out for flashes of colour as toucans fly from tree to tree. If you wish to see more of the falls why not take the optional ‘Great Adventure Tour’ by Zodiac boat. Overnight Iguaçú.

• A Brazilian View Of Iguazú - 8
  

  Cross the border and change from Spanish to Portuguese. Now you are in Brazil and Iguaçú becomes Iguazú. The views of the falls from the Brazilian side are quite different, more panoramic, and some may think even more magnificent. At the Devil’s Throat, 14 falls drop with such force that a 100 ft cloud of spray is always overhead. Look out for the stunning rainbow that forms above. For a close up view walk through subtropical forest and take the elevator to the top of the falls. Cross the border back to Argentina for the flight back to Buenos Aires. Overnight Buenos Aires.

• A Day With The Gauchos - 9
  

  Drive into the flatlands of ‘big sky country’, the very heart of the Argentinean Pampas. San Antonia de Areco is a typical gaucho town. Stroll along cobbled streets, past white washed houses and visit the charming plaza. Learn about life on the Pampas at the Gaucho Museum and browse the small boutiques selling leather, rugs and silver. The Gauchos will be waiting to welcome you at a typical ‘estancia’. The aroma of meat cooking on the barbecue wafts temptingly in the air as an included ‘asado’ lunch is prepared. As the local wine flows sit back and enjoy a performance of folklore music and dance. After lunch watch a demonstration of equestrian skills and maybe take to the saddle for the full Gaucho experience. Overnight Buenos Aires.

• Travelling - 10 to 11
  

  Return to the UK, arriving on day 11.

Accommodation

• Amerian Buenos Aires Park, Buenos Aires (4-Star) - 3 Nights
• Amerian Portal Del Iguazú Hotel, Iguazú (4-Star) - 2 Nights
• Hotel Rayentray Puerto Madryn (3-Star) - 3 Nights

• Flights are scheduled services of
• Flights depart at 12:00 am and return at 6:40 am

Includes

Not Included