Chile & Argentina: The Andes to Patagonia (2012)

Buenos Aires • Bariloche • Chiloé Island • Puerto Varas • Punta Arenas • Torres del Paine National Park • Calafate
  • 16 days
  • from only:
  • $3895
  • $244 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 17 days
  • from only:
  • $5045
  • $297 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
Chile & Argentina: The Andes to Patagonia
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Chile & Argentina
NEW-Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Santiago & Easter Island, Chile
Iguassu Falls Jungle Expedition
Optional Tours
Local Team & Insider Tips
Grand Circle Foundation
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta

14hrs

Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles, Tampa

15hrs

Boston

16hrs

Chicago, Newark

17hrs

Miami

9hrs

New York (JFK)

11hrs

Orlando

13hrs

Philadelphia

18hrs

Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle

20hrs

Portland, OR

21hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Iguassu Falls Jungle Expedition

5 nights from only $1595
OAT

Venture deep into the heart of the Iguassu jungle to a verdant world of unspoiled wonders and undisturbed creatures. Explore miles of trails on foot and float down a river lined with incredible flora. Then journey to the roaring and rushing cascades of Iguassu Falls. Cross the border into Brazil for a panoramic view and a chance to experience the power and beauty of the falls, then witness Iguassu on the Argentinean side—so close that a cool mist washes over you.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Roundtrip airfare between Buenos Aires and Iguassu
  • Accommodations for 2 nights in Yacutinga, 2 nights in Iguassu, and 1 night in Buenos Aires
  • 10 meals—5 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 4 dinners
  • 6 small group activities
  • Services of our own resident OAT Trip Leader, who speaks English and the native language
  • All transfers

Optional Tour

Great Adventure ($65 per person)

Day 1
Fly to Iguassu/Travel to Yacutinga/Welcome Dinner

After breakfast, we fly to Iguassu and transfer to our lodge in Yacutinga, deep in the lush Iguassu jungle. With the help of our local naturalist guide, we’ll be sure to spot plenty of interesting flora and fauna along the way.

Upon arrival at our lodge this afternoon, we’ll enjoy a Welcome Drink and an introduction to our unique accommodations. We’ll learn about the lodge’s efforts to protect its natural surroundings and enjoy a Welcome Dinner together before settling in to individual cabins made of wood and stone.
Day 2
Jungle hike & kayak ride/Guided nature walk/Nighttime nature walk

After an early breakfast, we’ll go for a hike in search of rare birds and playful monkeys in the forest that surrounds our lodge. Then we’ll kayak down the San Francisco River and take in the lush greenery and delicate orchids that line its banks before returning to our lodge for lunch.

This afternoon, enjoy a walk with native guides—known as guaranies—who possess an in-depth knowledge of the jungle. We’ll dine together at the lodge this evening, then venture out into the jungle again tonight to see it in a completely different light, and get to know the animals that emerge only after dark.
Day 3
Discover Iguassu Falls in Brazil

After brunch, we’ll transfer to the Brazilian side of majestic Iguassu Falls. Located on the border of Argentina and Brazil, the falls at Iguassu are among the world’s most impressive sights—twice as high as Niagara Falls and 65 feet wider—and have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We’ll enjoy stellar panoramic views during our walking tour, traveling along a stone path through the forest that leads to several platforms where we can observe the falls from different angles. As we walk, we’ll also delight in the unique birds and mammals that thrive in the lush national park surrounding Iguassu. Afterwards, we’ll travel back across the border to Argentina, where we’ll enjoy dinner at our hotel.
Day 4
Experience Iguassu Falls in Argentina/Optional Great Adventure tour

Enjoy a different perspective of the falls today as we embark on a walking tour of the Argentinean side of Iguassu—where the majority of the cascades are found—delighting in our up-close views of the rushing and roaring water. We’ll also enjoy a dramatic walk along the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), where the water plunges 230 feet into a roiling cauldron. With the spray flying up to 50 feet above your head and rainbows dancing in the mist, the view here will take your breath away.

Or, for an even closer look at Iguassu, join us for an optional Great Adventure tour. We’ll discover both the lush vegetation and the rushing waterfalls of Iguassu National Park from multiple perspectives on this excursion, beginning with a panoramic ride along the Sendero Yacaratía trail that winds through the verdant jungle to the riverside. Then we’ll board a motorboat and travel through the rapids of the Iguassu River Canyon to San Martin Island, and continue on to the bases of the Tres Mosqueteros and San Martin falls for striking views of the Devil’s Throat and firsthand looks at the park’s largest and most impressive waterfalls.

After experiencing the Argentinean side of Iguassu, we’ll return to the hotel late this afternoon and you'll have time to explore the grounds before dinner on your own tonight.
Day 5
Visit Guira Oga Wildlife Center/Fly to Buenos Aires/Farewell Dinner

After breakfast, we head to the airport for our flight back to Buenos Aires, stopping en route to visit the Guira Oga Wildlife Center, a refuge for rescued wildlife. We’ll tour the center’s hospital, which receives injured animals or animals seized under illegal trafficking laws, and learn about the center’s programs to breed rare birds and other endangered species.

Then we’ll fly back to Buenos Aires, arriving in the late afternoon. You’ll have some time at leisure for a stroll before we gather for a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant tonight.
Day 6
Day at leisure/Depart for U.S.

Enjoy a final day of independent discovery in Buenos Aires, and savor the sights and sounds of the city one last time before transferring to the airport this evening to board your overnight flight home.