Day 1
Depart North America
Our journey to Argentina will start today with our overnight flight to Buenos Aires.

Day 2
Arrival in Buenos Aires
On arrival, we’ll be met at the airport and checked into our downtown hotel.  There are no activities planned for the remainder of the day, so we can spend the day resting and exploring this beautiful city at our leisure.

o/n Reconquista Garden Hotel, Buenos Aires (D)

Day 3
Costanera Sur
This wonderful wildlife marsh, situated on the shores of the Rio de la Plata and literally in the midst of downtown Buenos Aires, is a natural gem and an example of what can happen when natural areas are saved from development. Our time in the reserve will give us an introduction to Argentinean birds in their native surroundings. We’ll see our first Coscoroba Swans, Rosy-billed Pochards, Chimanga Caracaras and White-crested Tyrants to name but a few. We'll also see the large Coypu, a rodent, grazing peacefully among the reeds as we keep an eye out along the shores of the river for Bottle-nosed Dolphins. The Portenos (locals) call the Rio de La Plata the "upside down" river because of its muddy appearance.

o/n  Reconquista Garden Hotel, Buenos Aires (B, L, D)

Days 4 – 6
Calafate / Glacier National Park
We will travel south today when we take a flight to Calafate, a small town on the wind-swept shores of Lago Argentino in Patagonia. We'll explore Glacier National Park, a fascinating area where great chunks of ice break off the Perito Moreno Glacier and crash down into the lake in spectacular fashion. We should be able to get close up to the glacier’s edge, along some newly constructed trails, for terrific views of this huge glacier. We'll also explore the Southern Beech forests along the shore, looking for Magellanic Woodpeckers while overhead we hope to see the huge Andean Condor soaring among the crags and peaks.We will also spend time in the high grassy meadows outside the park looking for seedsnipe and the elusive Patagonian Tinamou.

o/n Estancia Alice, Calafate (B, L, D)

Day 7
Patagonia / Rio Gallegos / Ushuaia
Today, having thoroughly explored the Calafate area, we will drive across the desolate Patagonia steppes to the town of Rio Gallegos. The road at first climbs a plateau and then gradually descends across a series of steppes to sea level at Rio Gallegos. The steppes, at first sight, appear desolate and deserted but the bird life is spectacular. Our visit corresponds with early spring that is a beautiful time of year on the plains. We'll watch for South American Foxes and 7-Banded Armadillo along the road as well as the peculiar Mara, a rodent that seems to have taken different parts from other rodents and combined them into its own unique shape. As we drive, we'll stop from time to time to look for Lesser Rhea, Upland Goose and Black-necked Swan.  On arrival in Rio Gallegos, we’ll take a short flight to the city of Ushuaia situated on the shores of the Beagle Channel, at the tip of South America. This is the most southerly municipality in the world and is situated at 55 degrees south.


o/n Hotel Los Nires, Ushuaia (B, L, D)

Days 8 - 10
Ushuaia / Tierra del Fuego National Park
During our stay here, we will visit Tierra del Fuego National Park. This spectacular area of mountains, forests and dramatic fjords is on the Chilean border. We will be looking for the Magellanic Woodpecker, the largest of the South American woodpeckers, along with White-throated Caracara and Kelp Goose. Canadian Beavers were released into this area at the turn of the century to provide a local fur industry. This failed but the beavers are still here, thriving in the Southern Beech forests. Andean Condors have also been spotted on previous trips to this park. We will be taking a boat trip on the Beagle Channel, named after Charles Darwin's ship, the "Beagle". As we sail on the waters, we’ll see Black-browed Albatross and Kelp Gulls patrolling the waters along with Magellanic Diving Petrels. We should be able to get close to colonies of Southern Fur Seals as well. There will also be time to explore this quaint town.  It has a couple of very interesting museums, duty free shops and other places that sell good maps, books and souvenirs.
                                               
o/n Hotel Los Nires, Ushuaia (B, L, D)

Days 11 – 13
Valdez Peninsula
After our stay at the ends of the earth, we will fly to Trelew in Chubut Province on the coast of Patagonia. We will be staying in Puerto Madryn, a picturesque seaside town that was settled in the late 1800s by Welsh pioneers. The town lies on the edge of the great flat expanse of Patagonia in a bay with sweeping sandy beaches. Our destination during our stay here is the Valdez Peninsula. This rugged headland projects out into the South Atlantic. We will spend the day exploring this dramatic landscape. Its bays support large colonies of sea birds, Elephant Seals and South American Sea Lions. Snowy Sheathbills make a good living among these large mammals and Orcas patrol the beaches looking for an opportunistic meal of seal pup. However, the real show stealer will be the Southern Right Whale. These gentle giants spend their winter in the quiet bays and inlets of the region. We hope to see small numbers of them as they come in close to shore. We'll also keep a look out for Elegant Crested Tinamou, Lesser Rhea and the endemic Patagonian Canastero.

Another highlight will be our visit to Punto Tombo, the largest seabird colony on the Patagonian coast. This 3 kilometre long peninsula is home to half a million breeding pairs of Magellanic Penguins. The noise is incredible as is the smell of penguin guano. We will be up close as we watch the penguins defend their burrow entrances from marauding Kelp Gulls. There are other birds here including, Imperial Shag and the White-headed Steamer Duck. As we drive through the vast estancias, that cover the area, we will look out for Patagonian Mara and Guanaco, a smaller relative of the Llama.

o/n Hotel Tolosa, Puerto Madryn (B, L, D)

Day 14
Buenos Aires / Departure
Today we will bring our Argentinean odyssey to an end as we fly back to the Buenos Aires domestic airport, from Trelew.  On arrival, we’ll transfer to the International Airport and our flights home. Those of us who are participating in the Iguazu Falls extension will be transferred to our Buenos Aires Hotel for our overnight stay. (B)

Day 15
Arrival in North America Please Note:
This itinerary may be subject to modification depending on the airlines and their schedules which are subject to change at any time, therefore we recommend that you stay overnight in Buenos Aires at the end of the trip. This will ensure that, in the case of a last minute schedule change, you don't have difficulty making your connections.