Holly and Blaine Murphy
Sample Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Buenos Aires
Meet your driver just past customs and transfer to your hotel, located in La Recoleta. Get settled in after a long flight, and begin to ease into the rhythms of Buenos Aires with a relaxed lunch at a local cafe. Recoleta is full of fantastic choices.
We recommend taking this first day to wander independently and get your bearings. The historic neighborhood is very safe to explore on foot! Be sure to stop in at Recoleta Cemetery for a dose of history. A few other places to consider are the Galería Pacífico, built in 1889, and the Centro Cultural Recoleta, which hosts exhibitions and cultural events.
Within walking distance from your hotel is the Palermo neighborhood, filled with boutiques, art galleries, and numerous excellent restaurants and cafés. Finish up the day with a stroll through Tres de Febrero Park, inaugurated in 1875, and “backyard” to central Buenos Aires!
Argentines tend to shift the day a little later, socializing and eating well into the evening. We recommend you do as the locals do, with dinner around 8 or 9. Or, go earlier and you’ll have any place to yourself!
Overnight Palacio Duhao
Day 2
The Many Barrios of Buenos Aires
Today, go further into the city’s history and culture with a local to guide the way. This day is flexible, so let us know where you want to focus your time, and your guide can tailor the day to meet your interests. A few ideas to consider:
- Discover the political and historical center of the capital, including 9 de Julio Avenue, the Colón Theatre, and the capital's main square, Plaza de Mayo. Pay a visit to the Casa Rosada, the Argentine equivalent to the White House.
- Take in Barrio San Telmo, one of the oldest in the city and home to picturesque alleyways, old cafés, and antique shops. If you are here on a Sunday, be sure to check out the famous flea market around Dorrego Square.
- End your tour in La Boca, home to the small alley of Caminito, where painters, tango dancers, and singers gather among colorful wooden houses.
The evening is yours to spend as you wish. We can recommend a tango show for you, or take it easy before your early flight to Patagonia tomorrow morning.
Overnight Palacio Duhao
Day 3
Calafate - Gateway to Argentine Patagonia
Enjoy a final morning in Buenos Aires before heading to the regional airport. A quick flight to El Calafate brings you to an entirely different side of Argentina! Arrive and get settled at your hotel, with time to rest or stroll the town center before dinner.
This evening, enjoy a very special culinary experience hosted by local chef Miguel Calvi at La Lucinda, inspired by the women in his family. The wood oven and open fire are central to the experience. Dinner is shared at a communal table, along with stories and laughter, offering a taste of local flavors and a warm dose of Patagonian hospitality.
Overnight Los Ponchos
Day 4
Los Glaciares National Park - Journey Through Time
Today, you’ll get as close as (safely) possible to the active edge of Perito Moreno Glacier! While other visitors rumble by on massive powerboats, you’ll be gliding silently under your own power, kayaking up to the furthest reach of this massive formation. The luminous, deep blue color of glacial ice is mind bending in its clarity.
After an exhilarating morning on the water, return to shore and head up to the walkways overlooking the glacier for a sense of scale. You’ll have the rest of the day to explore this Unesco World Heritage site with your expert guide, returning to Calafate in the late afternoon.
This evening, set out to enjoy one of the many excellent restaurants and gelaterias in town — the delicious heritage of Italian immigrants who made this part of Argentina home.
Overnight Los Ponchos
Day 5
Journey to the Edge: Estancia Cristina
Get an early start today with a short drive to Punta Bandera, where you’ll board Estancia Cristina’s private vessel and set sail for the far northern branch of Lago Argentina. Your expert crew will wind you through narrow channels dotted with icebergs, getting you up close to their ethereal blue facets. Stay cozy inside the cabin, or venture out into the whipping winds as you plunge onward into the most remote reaches of Glacier National Park. Get a glimpse of Upsala Glacier en route to Estancia Cristina’s own dock, where you’ll be met by your local hosts and guide.
Overnight Estancia Cristina
From here, it's up to you! Head to the lodge for a perfectly spiced hot chocolate to warm up and have lunch, or set out right away on your first overland adventure. Either way, you’ll be surrounded by precipitous mountains, rich history, and living gaucho culture from the moment you land on these distant shores. All activities and meals are included, so you can take each day at the pace that suits you.
Day 6 - 7
Estancia Cristina
Learn about the history of Estancia Cristina by living it with the gauchos who have made this remote corner of Patagonia home. Ride on horseback to the far ridgelines, with views for days, and trek out to remote waterfalls, valleys full of ancient fossils, and through an ecosystem rich with shy wildlife. One day is simply not enough for everything there is to see and do here!
We’ve left room for your mind to wander — through the pages of a good book, or simply out the brilliant picture windows in your room. After a filling, well earned, and locally sourced lunch, the expansive views will kindle your creative energy. The vast remoteness of this wild land will let you think deeply, surrounded by rugged nature.
As night falls, the attention to detail comes alive under the vast, star filled southern skies. Recently awarded a Michelin Key for their excellent hospitality and exceptional cuisine, every meal is a masterpiece. Enjoy a multicourse dinner expertly paired with Argentine wines or innovative cocktails.
Overnight Estancia Cristina
Day 8
Cross the Border into Chile
This morning, bid farewell to your friends at the Estancia, and embark on an epic day of travel. Retrace your route through Lago Argentina, and meet your private driver to cross into Chile.
With a bit of luck, you’ll begin to spot the iconic silhouette of the Torres across the horizon as each kilometer brings you closer to Torres del Paine National Park. Stop for lunch in Puerto Natales, then continue your overland journey to Patagonia Camp, your home for the next few days.
When you hear yurt, what comes to mind? If the answer is clean Scandinavian lines, a peaceful, private setting with views of Toro Lake, and the Torres in the distance, you’re in luck! Each dwelling in camp is unique. Some have private hot tubs, while others have shore access or views, and all are served by the friendliest staff we met anywhere in Chile! This is the good times camp, with loads of playful charm balanced with sophisticated gastronomy and full, active days.
Overnight Patagonia Camp
Day 9 - 10
Torres del Paine Your Way
Being on the very edge of Torres del Paine offers so many possibilities! Each day is your opportunity to focus on what pulled you here. Perhaps you’ve dreamed of hiking to the base of the Torres? Perfect! Set out early to beat the daytrippers from Puerto Natales — you’ll be up and heading back down by the time others reach the trailhead.
Set out once more across the serene waters of the Lake by kayak — our favorite way to tune into nature. Or, hike around the edges of Lago Grey, where the winds build across the water and push you, along with sculpted chunks of the Grey Glacier, along the far beaches. Set out for a day of puma tracking with an expert guide, attuned to the habits and territories of this elusive keystone species. You can pick small group excursions, or go totally private if you prefer to carve out more solitude for yourself and your travel companions.
Close out your final night in Patagonia under the immense starlit skies, with a Calafate sour to ensure you’ll be back some day. Pull a yoga mat out onto the platform to gaze up at the stars, or slip into your private hot tub with a glass of sparkling wine. For those of us who dwell in cities, there is nothing quite like searching the cosmos for the constellations of the opposite hemisphere — at once familiar and new, contemplating all you’ve experienced on this epic adventure.
Overnight Patagonia Camp
Day 11
Depart Torres del Paine for Santiago
After a final breakfast in the wilds of Patagonia, bid camp staff farewell, and set out once more for Puerto Natales in good time for your flight to Chile’s capital city. Stay and explore for the day, then head to the international airport. (Most flights leave at night and get you back home by early the next morning.)
