Best of Argentina & Chile

This day you head out for a guided half-day city tour covering some of Buenos Aires’ most familiar sights. The drive takes you along 9 de Julio Avenue, with a view of the Colón Theatre as you pass through the centre of the city. You then move into Plaza de Mayo, the main square where much of the city’s history and politics have played out. It is surrounded by the Casa Rosada, Metropolitan Cathedral and Cabildo. Inside the cathedral, you will find the tomb of General San Martín. There is a short stop at a Café Notable, one of Buenos Aires’ historic coffee houses, where you can enjoy a coffee and light snack before continuing on to La Boca. This part of the city is known for its bright colours, especially along Caminito street, where you will often see street art and tango performers. From there, the tour continues to Recoleta, a calmer more elegant neighbourhood with wide, shaded streets. The highlight here is the Recoleta Cemetery, the resting place of Eva Perón.

In the evening, you visit Viejo Almacén in San Telmo for a traditional tango show. Dinner is included, and the setting is intimate, with the performance taking place just a short distance from the tables, giving it a very close-up feel. After this, you will stay overnight in your hotel in Buenos Aires.

This day is free for you to enjoy Buenos Aires at your own pace. You might stay in the city, wander through a neighbourhood, or simply sit at a café and watch the world go by. If you feel like heading out, you could book optional experiences, such as take a boat ride through the Tigre and Paraná Delta, where the city slowly gives way to waterways and small islands. Another option is San Antonio de Areco, a quiet colonial town in the Pampas where gaucho traditions are still part of everyday life. Or you could stay closer to the city and join a relaxed cycling tour through Palermo and Recoleta, tree-lined parks, wide avenues and elegant residential streets.

This is the day when you head south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, set on the island of Tierra del Fuego. The trip marks a clear shift in landscape, from the capital’s energy to vast, open spaces at the edge of South America. On arrival, you will pause briefly at a scenic viewpoint for your first look at the surrounding mountains and waterways before continuing to your hotel. Tucked between snow-dusted peaks and the Beagle Channel, Ushuaia feels like a remote outpost at the very edge of the continent, the last stop before the vastness of Antarctica begins.

Altos Ushuaia Hotel

Altos Ushuaia Hotel sits up on the road to Martial Glacier, away from the busier parts of Ushuaia. On a clear day, it is easy to lose track of time looking out towards the bay and the mountains beyond. The hotel has double rooms with either forest or bay views, along with triple rooms and Junior Suites. Breakfast is served at Bartolomé Restó, and if you happen to enjoy dinner there, the views over the Beagle Channel are hard to ignore. The hotel is around 15 minutes away from Ushuaia – Malvinas Argentinas International Airport (USH).

Read More

This morning you head into Tierra del Fuego National Park, where the Andes gradually open into forests, rivers, and the rugged coastline of the Beagle Channel. A guided visit takes you through some of the park’s most scenic spots, with time to stop along the way and simply take in the views. It is the kind of place that feels remote in the best possible way, being quiet, wide, and shaped by Patagonia’s raw natural beauty.

If you would like to explore further, you can also take an optional boat trip along the Beagle Channel, passing Sea Lion Island and Bird Island, where sea lions and seabirds gather on the rocky shores as you sail through these southern waters, before returning back to your hotel.

This day you fly north to El Calafate, leaving behind the dramatic southern landscapes of Ushuaia and gradually shifting into the wide, open steppe of Patagonia. The scenery changes noticeably from mountain-framed waters to vast, dry plains stretching into the distance. Set on the shores of Lake Argentino, El Calafate feels more relaxed and open, with a quiet sense of space and wilderness all around. It is the place you arrive in when the landscapes start to feel almost unreal in scale, with ice fields and national parks waiting just beyond town. You check in to your hotel and settle in for the night.

Hotel Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada Hotel has been part of El Calafate since 1999, back when the town was a much quieter base for exploring Patagonia. It began with 14 rooms and has gradually expanded to 40. Free bicycles are available if you would like to see more of the town than sit indoors, although there is also a bar and gym back at the hotel. Room options include doubles, triples, and family rooms. Airport transfers are available, and El Calafate Airport (FTE) is just 20 minutes away from the hotel.

Read More

You head into Los Glaciares National Park today for one of Patagonia’s most striking natural sights, the Perito Moreno Glacier. The drive itself feels like a slow build-up, with open water and mountain views gradually giving way to ice-filled landscapes. When you arrive, the scale of it really hits you. The glacier is not just something you look at from a distance, you hear it as well, with deep cracks and sudden shifts breaking the silence as huge blocks fall into the water below. After spending time taking it in from the viewing walkaways, you make your way back to El Calafate later in the day, with the evening free to unwind.

On this day you cross the border into Chile by public bus, travelling through vast stretches of Patagonia where open steppes, lakes, and distant mountains roll past the windows for hours. It is a quiet, unhurried journey where the landscape slowly shifts as you move from Argentina into southern Chile. When you arrive in Puerto Natales, you make your way to your hotel and settle in. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or take a gentle walk around this small, windswept town by the water.

Hotel Costa Australis

You stay in Puerto Natales at Hotel Costa Australis, right in front of the Última Esperanza Sound. It is a relaxed place with views of the water and mountains. The rooms are simple and comfortable, with heating, Wi-Fi, and everything you need for a good rest. Mornings start with a buffet breakfast, and there is a café and restaurant that serve local Patagonian food. They also help with things like transfers, bikes, and box lunches for Torres del Paine, so it is an easy base while you are exploring Patagonia. The hotel is a 10–15 minute drive from Teniente Julio Gallardo Airport (PNT).

Read More

You leave Puerto Natales early and head out toward Torres del Paine, watching the scenery gradually shift from open Patagonian plains into mountains, lakes, and sharper rock formations as you get closer. The drive is long, but it is the kind where the landscape keeps changing enough that you don’t really notice the time. Inside the park, you stop at a few viewpoints along the way, including Milodon Cave near the route and Salto Grande waterfall within the park area. By the time you return to Puerto Natales, the day naturally winds down, and you are free to just take the evening as it comes.

You leave Puerto Natales in the morning by public bus, settling in for a long, steady ride across the open Patagonian steppe. It is the kind of journey where there is not much to do except watch the land stretch endlessly in every direction, shifting slowly as you head further south. By the time you reach Punta Arenas, you make your way into the city and do a short loop around the main viewpoints and the old centre near Plaza Muñoz Gamero, where the city’s maritime past still shows in the buildings and layout. After that, you head to your hotel and the rest of the day is yours to slow down, rest, or step out later if you feel like it.

Diego De Almagro

Hotel Diego de Almagro Punta Arenas is a simple, comfortable stay right by the Strait of Magellan in Southern Chile. It has 181 rooms, including singles and doubles, some with city or sea views, all kept practical with heating, Wi-Fi, TV and private bathrooms. You will find a restaurant on site, along with a heated indoor pool, gym, sauna, and a few meeting spaces if needed. It works well as a relaxed base while exploring the region. The hotel is a 20-minute drive from Presidente Carlos Ibáñez del Campo International Airport (PUQ).

Read More

This is the day when you fly up to Santiago, leaving the southern end of Chile behind as the scenery shifts during the journey. Once you land, you head into the city and check into your hotel. The rest of the day is free, so you either rest after the flight or take a gentle walk outside just to get a first impression of the city.

Hotel Panamericano Providencia

Panamericano Hotel Providencia is in Santiago’s Providencia area, close to cafés, metro stops and the general rhythm of the city. Rooms are comfortable and practical with AC, Wi-Fi, and cable TV. Downstairs there is a restaurant serving Chilean dishes, a bar, a small pool and a 24-hour front desk if you need anything. The hotel is a 20-minute drive from Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL).

Read More

You head into Santiago’s historic centre and start the day at Plaza de Armas where the square feels busy in a very local everyday way rather than anything staged. From there you wander into the Metropolitan Cathedral and then drift through the surrounding streets where older buildings sit alongside the city’s steady modern rhythm. Later you make your way up San Cristóbal Hill and the city opens out below you with the Andes sitting quietly in the background. You finish the loop in Bellavista where things feel looser cafés spilling onto the streets, murals everywhere and people just hanging out rather than rushing around.

You transfer to the airport for your return flight to London, bringing the journey through Argentina and Chile to a close. It is a day of heading home, but with plenty of memories from Patagonia’s vast landscapes, glacier moments, and the energy of Santiago still fresh with you.