Day 1: Tue, Dec 26: Winnipeg-Toronto-Santiago
Departure from Winnipeg International Airport at
AC 272 W TU 26DEC Winnipeg-Toronto 1855 2219 CABY 03
AC 92 W TU 26DEC Toronto-Santiago 2345 1205 CABY 03
Arrival time in Santiago 12:05 on December 27.
Beautiful, defiant and intense, Argentina seduces with its streetside tango, wafting grills, fútbol (soccer), gaucho culture and the mighty Andes. It's one formidable cocktail of wanderlust. Chile is nature on a colossal scale, but travel here is surprisingly easy if you don't rush it.
PRICE: $7700.00
Price includes:
Price does not include:
Departure from Winnipeg International Airport at
AC 272 W TU 26DEC Winnipeg-Toronto 1855 2219 CABY 03
AC 92 W TU 26DEC Toronto-Santiago 2345 1205 CABY 03
Arrival time in Santiago 12:05 on December 27.
Transfer from the airport to Viña del Mar, the summer playground of the citizens of Santiago which is renowned for its miles of sandy beaches, its glitzy casino and its wonderful shopping.
Lunch at local restaurant (tips included). City tour and time at the beach.
Transfer to your hotel, the Hotel Terranostra, in neighbouring Valporaisa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This port city is known for its winding streets, colourful cottages and superb shopping. Composed of 45 hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the city is dotted with pathways and wooden ascensores which help to navigate the grades.
Dinner at a local restaurant (tips included) within walking distance of the hotel.
After breakfast at the hotel, three-hour walking tour of Valparaiso.
Lunch at local restaurant (tips included).
Afternoon: Free for shopping, visiting Neruda’s seaside home La Sebastiana or the Museo de Bellas Artes.
After breakfast, departure for Santiago's airport for flight to Buenos Aires.
AC93 U SA 29DEC Santiago-Buenos Aires 1335 1525
Reception by guide at Jorge Newberry Airport and transfer to Kenton Palace Buenos Aires (3 nights).
City tour of northern zone and residential areas with Recoleta’s Cemetery and Manzana de las Luces ticket (3 hours). The tour begins in Recoleta, home of some of Buenos Aires’ best shops and restaurants. The name comes from the Order of Shoeless Recoletas monks, whose monastery was established here in the 17th century. The Cemetery of Recoleta is renowned for its rich architecture and the many famous people buried there, one of the most significant being Eva Peron. The tour continues to the north toward the residential neighbourhood of Palermo, known for its mansions, parks and the famous Museum of Art of Buenos Aires (MALBA). The tour concludes at the Parque 3 de Febrero.
Lunch or dinner at La Parolaccia Trattoria. Menu Trastevere.
Drive to Tigre and its port, the Puerto de Frutos, with its cobblestoned streets and neo-colonial mansions, including the Club de la Merina (1876). Located on the delta of the Parana River, Tigre was colonized in 1580 but only developed into a proper town in the 18th century, when smugglers grouped here to avoid the payment of customs' duties. At the end of the 19th century Tigre became a well known playground for the Buenos Aires elite.
Lunch in typical restaurant and boat ride through the delta.
6:00 p.m. possible tour of Feria de Mataderos, weekly crafts market for taste of Gaucho culture (TBA depending on availability)
Return to hotel in Buenos Aires.
After breakfast in hotel, city tour of the southern zone of Buenos Aires (3 hours), one of the most cosmopolitan and European cities of South America. Today’s tour focuses on the political, historical and cultural centre of the capital, the Plaza de Mayo. From here one can see the Casa Rosada, from whose balcony Eva Peron waved to her people, and the cathedral. The tour continues down the Avenida de Mayo to the Palacio del Congreso, then down the Avenida 9 de Julio past the famous Teatro Colon, which has the finest acoustics in the world. It also incorporates the colourful port neighbourhood of La Boca with its famous street El Caminito on the waterfront, continues to San Telmo, one of the oldest districts of the city, inhabited in the 19th century by the aristocratic families of Argentina and its Plaza Dorrego, site of a colourful antique fair. It concludes in the neighbourhood of Puerto Madero, a hip docklands district known for its restaurants and views of the Rio de la Plata.
Return to the hotel.
Afternoon free.
8:00 p.m. departure for New Year’s Eve dinner and tango show at Esquina Carlos Gardel in La Boca. Originating from a mix of Italian, Spanish, African and gaucho cultures in the brothels and ghettos of the 1920’s, the tango is Argentina’s signature dance and is known for its poetic lyrics. Each song has a story to tell about the city, its history and people. In time, the tango became popular in the salons of Buenos Aires’ upper classes. Our restaurant, built on the site where Carlos Gardel, the undisputed king of tango, first started meeting with his friends in 1893, is built in art nouveau style and boasts an excellent cuisine.
Midnight return to hotel.
Transfer to San Antonia de Areco. Visit of town and lunch, dinner and overnight at the estancia El Rosario de Areco for a taste of Gaucho culture. Gaucho activities available at additional cost.
After breakfast and checkout, transfer to Jorge Newbery airport for a flight to Mendoza, heart of Argentina’s wine industry and centre of 80% of country’s wine production.
LA 7646 V 02JAN 735 935
Check in at Amerian Executive Mendoza Hotel.
Two-day winery tour with vehicle and guide, beginning with Bodega Weinert and Bodega La Rural, home to Argentina’s finest wine museum.
Lunch at Familia Yuccardi to the east of Maipu.
Dinner at Nieto Senetiner.
Return to hotel in Mendoza.
Full day excursion with guide and vehicle to Bodega Chandon, producer of sparkling wine, followed by tasting and lunch at Cavas Wine Lodge.
Afternoon travel to Bodegas Salentein, set in the heights of Tunuzan and famous for its art gallery, wines, architecture and kitchen.
Dinner on site at Killka restaurant.
Return to hotel in Mendoza.
Transfer from Mendoza to Puerta Iguazu.
AR2563 Q 04JAN Mendoza Cordoba 1453 1555
AR2706 Q 04JAN Cordoba Iguazu 1745 1935
Check in to hotel Mercure Iguazu and evening in Puerta Iguazu.
Day trip to the Argentine side of the Iguazu Falls, located within the Iguazu National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The falls are comprised of 275 individual waterfalls that fall from an average altitude of 70 metres. From the central station, visitors can choose to take the train that goes to Falls Station or the Garganta del Diablo station. From these points, there are a variety of options.
The Circuito Superior of Iguazu Falls is a walk of 800 metres on footbridges, from which visitors can observe the falls from the upper part of the Dos Hermanas. It takes an hour and is not difficult as there are no stairs.
The Circuito Inferior is a 1600 meter walk on footbridges from which visitors can see the two sisters, Alvar Nunez, San Martin and Bosetti falls and the Rock de la Bella Vista. They also have a panoramic view of the Devil’s Throat ant the Rio Iguazu Inferior Canyon. This walk takes two hours and is moderately difficult with some stairs.
The Garganta del Diablo station involves a 1200 metre walk on footbridges to the most spectacular falls. The excursion takes 2 hours and is not difficult, as there are no stairs. The return trip is done by train up to the Visitors Centre.
For the extremely adventurous with a taste for danger and white water rafting, there is a Nautical Adventure option. No one with heart or lung disease, neurological disorders, osteoporosis or who has recently had surgery is allowed to participate.
Lunch is not included on this tour.
Return to the hotel for transfer to Iguazu Airport and flight to Jorge Newberry Airport in Buenos Aires.
AR 1737 Q 05JAN Iguazu-Buenos Aires 1440 1635
Transfer and overnight at Kenton Palace Buenos Aires.
After breakfast, free day in Buenos Aires for exploration of Palermo Viejo, shopping or galleries.
Transfer from hotel to Ezeiza International Airport.
17h30 departure for Toronto.
AC 93 V SA 6JAN Buenos Aires-Toronto 1730 0540 CABY 04
Arrive home in Winnipeg.
AC 259 V SO 7JAN Toronto-Winnipeg 0810 0950 CABY 04