Chile - Argentina Crossing the Andes Tour - 8 days
Group tour /
Tuesday departures
from Santiago
Accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels
Santiago (2) - Mendoza (2) - Buenos Aires (3)
Category:
Cultural group tour,
Day 01: (Tuesday)
Santiago de Chile (B)
Arrival in
Santiago
meet your greeter and transfer to the hotel.
Santiago de Chile is a city of contrasts with
remains of its colonial past to the ultramodern, high-rise
buildings of the financial centre; Chile’s capital
city will surprise you. The half day city tour begins with the
visit of the church San
Francisco, which was build between 1572
and 1618. You will pass through the Barrio Paris & Londres which
is characterized by its European architectural style and its’
narrow cobbled street. Then you will pass by the sector of Club
Hípico, one of the most beautiful horseracing tracks in
South America, privileged by its architecture of the
early centuries. Continuing your tour to the Barrio Concha y
Toro where you will immediately notice that the constructions of
the buildings are very similar to those in the Barrio Paris y
Londres. While walking through the main street you will recover
vestiges of the aristocratic past of the capital. 1989 this
district was declared as “Zona Tipica”. You will be impressed by
the gothic, neo-colonial and Bauhaus constructions. After that
you will visit the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral. Just around
the corner, you will find the main post office, the National
History museum, the Metropolitana and the
town hall of Santiago.
From here you head along the famous Alameda, Santiago’s colourful main
avenue, to the heart of the city, seeing the “Palacio de la
Moneda” (seat of government), various monuments and public
buildings. Afterwards, you continue the tour by driving up to
the San Cristóbal Hill. From one of the hill’s view points, you
will have the finest views of Santiago
and the
Andes Mountains.
To round off the tour, you will pass through the modern
residential areas of the city with their daring architecture
and, finally, the bustling Providencia shopping zone.
Day 02: Santiago de Chile (B)
Day free for leisure – the following optional tour can be booked
through your guide,
Optional: Full day excursion to
Valparaiso and Viña del Mar
The tour leaves
Santiago
in western direction. Arriving in
Valparaiso, you pass by the main square
where you can view the monument honouring the Naval Battle
fought in 1879. Driving towards the southern side of the city
and seeing the old funiculars you will drive up a hillside for a
most spectacular view of the bay seeing
Valparaiso’s downtown district and its
adjoining hills. Then proceed to the lower level of the city
through the commercial heart of the port, where you’ll take the
coastal highway that links Valparaiso with the resort city of
Viña del Mar. Reaching the Concón beach, you can admire various
fish stands displaying a great variety of seafood. Summer homes
and restaurants are spread out along the coast. Afterwards,
visit the main square Plaza Vergara and the shopping avenue
before returning to
Santiago.
Day 3: Santiago de Chile - Mendoza (B)
Today you are going on a full day
panoramic bus journey crossing the majestic Andes and the border
to Argentina.
After breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel and
transferred to the bus terminal in
Santiago
downtown. Board the comfortable public bus to Mendoza. Enjoy an impressive drive offering
spectacular mountain views. Passing the city of
Los Andes, your bus continues upwards on “Ruta 60”
along the hillside of the Andean
Mountains,
offering you panoramic views on the way. You drive past
Portillo, Chile’s
most important centre of winter sports. It is located at the
foot of the Aconcagua, the highest
mountain
of South America.
You are going to leave
Chile
crossing the Argentinean Border through a tunnel which was built
in 1980. Now, the road starts to lead downhill. You see the
“Puente del Inca” (“Inca
Bridge”), a strange rock formation resembling a
bridge crossing the
Mendoza
River.
Your bus passes Los Penitentes, Argentina’s best-known ski resort, before
reaching Mendoza,
your final destination for today. Arrival at the bus terminal in
Mendoza and transfer to your hotel.
Remark: It might occur that the transfer by bus must be
cancelled due to bad weather conditions (spring/autumn). In this
case passengers will need to take a flight from Santiago to
Mendoza, which must be paid
on the spot by themselves.
Day 4: Mendoza (B)
Today we’ll visit a winery (approx. 2,5 hours)
Mendoza,
possessing the 70% of the vineyards of the country and same
percentage of wine production is the main enological center of
South America.
Depart to
Mendoza's agricultural oasis where you
have the opportunity to visit a vineyard to understand the
complete wine making process and to enjoy a wine tasting.
The afternoon is free at leisure.
Optional: Half day city Tour
Mendoza
You will visit the city sharing the culture and
history of its foundation by the Spanish colonizers four
centuries ago. It includes a visit to the oldest part of the
city with Pedro del Castillo Square, the sensual Alameda of
General San Martin (Popular Avenue), passing by the Museum of
“Area Fundacional” (entrance not included)
Ruins of San Francisco Church (last
testimony of Mendoza city before the terrible earthquake that
took place in 1861). Along tree lined streets, hosed down by the
well-known irrigation ditches, you will drive to the new city:
its squares (like Plaza Independencia), downtown Mendoza, the
main avenues and the Civic Center, the old residential area
until getting to the General San Martin Park with its lake and
rose garden and the Hill of Glory, a popular spot for a
panoramic view.
Day 5: Mendoza - Buenos Aires (B)
Transfer from the hotel in
Mendoza to the airport for your flight to
Buenos Aires. Upon arrival in
Buenos Aires
transfer from the airport to the hotel.
Afternoon you will visit the most important sites
during a city tour. You will drive to the Plaza de Mayo, with
the Casa Rosada, the pink house, seat of the government, the
Cabildo (town hall) and the Metropolitan Cathedral, home of the
Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The tour goes onto the district San
Telmo. Until 1888 this part of the city was a river port, today
San Telmo is one of the most modern and desired places to live
in Buenos Aires. The worker district La Boca is famous for its
colourful tin-houses and its history as living district of
Italian seamen and dock workers in the 19th century. The Barrio
Norte called Recoleta is the quarter of the rich of Buenos Aires. On the
cemetery of Recoleta
one will find the grave of Eva Duarte who became famous as Evita
Perón. Continue along the widest avenue in the world, the
Avenida 9 de Julio, to the Plaza Lavalle with the Federal Court
of Justice and the Teatro Colón, to Palermo with its parks and
gardens. Return to the hotel.
Day 6: Buenos Aires (B)
Day at leisure or you can book the below optional tours directly
with your guide.
Optional: Full day visit of a typical Estancia incl. lunch
We leave the city and after a 2 hours drive to Los
Cordales we will reach the Estancia Santa Susana, where the
guests will be welcomed by Gauchos with a drink. There is time
to visit the Estancia and the daily life of the Gauchos will be
explained. Sulky and horse rides will show you the charm of
Argentine countryside, its scenarios, and the incomparable wild
aroma. After a rustic Barbecue (Asado) lunch with fine meat and
sausages a folklore show will present regional music and dances.
During the Fiesta Gaucha guests will experience these men's
agility with their horses on the Estancia. After the afternoon
coffee and tea time you will return to Buenos Aires.
Optional: Visit to the San Telmo market.
San Telmo is no doubt the best kept historical
neighborhood and eldest district of Buenos Aires. Here one has
time to stroll around Plaza Dorrego, where each Sunday an
antique market takes place. Tango couples are dancing on the
street. Cafes invite to sit on their terrace and to relax by
enjoying this nice scenery. Another attraction are the numerous
antique shops, where one might find the right souvenir.
Day 7: Buenos Aires (B)
Today you will enjoy a half day Tigre
Tour. Drive along the Northern residential districts of the
city, until getting to
San Isidro, a colonial and aristocratic
area. You will see the mansions and houses in front of the River
Plate. You will continue the driving to
Tigre, a charming area near Buenos Aires city where a
great number of summer residences, yacht clubs and rowing clubs
attract the week-end activity of many “porteños”. The Tigre
Delta with its rivers, streams and numerous green islands is one
of the most attractive areas for visitors. The continuous
sediment of the Paraná River,
which gives the river and estuary their particular brownish-red
color, forms the Delta islands. Enjoy a boat excursion (1 hour)
along the innumerable channels of the Paraná-Delta to see some
of the hundreds of islands covered with luxuriant vegetation.
Drive back to the city via the Panamericana
highway.
In the evening the following optional
tour can be booked with your guide:
Optional: visit of a Tango Show incl. dinner at the Restaurant
Viejo Almacen.
Day 8: Departure (B)
Transfer to airport for flight back home.
Thank you for visiting Argentina & Chile.
End of Services
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