Contact Us

Private Journeys

Luxury Argentina: Vineyards, glaciers and gauchos

13 days from £9,290pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Argentina

Itinerary

map marker Map

Day 1

Arrive in Buenos Aires. Transfer to your luxury hotel in the Recoleta district.

You will be met at the airport and escorted to your prestigious hotel in the Recoleta district, the historic Alvear Palace, one of the world’s classic greats offering no-holds-barred luxury and meticulous service. This elegant neighbourhood is, for many people, one of the most attractive in Buenos Aires, an atmospheric mix of belle époque and Italianate townhouses with innovative new-build and conversions. Evita Perón was laid to rest in the ornate cemetery here.

Buenos Aires is a cultured and cosmopolitan city famed for its interesting museums, the fascinating arty district La Boca, with its cobbled streets and brightly painted houses, and the former docks at Puerto Madero, where warehouses and port installations have been converted into an attractive leisure area. The centre of the city is home to the colonial heartland, government buildings and churches, as well as chic shopping districts, which have a nostalgic Parisian feel. San Telmo, also a short hop from the colonial heart, is a bohemian quarter with crumbling houses and signs of gentrification, it’s the cradle of the tango and hosts a famous flea market, late night bars and boutique hotels and restaurants.

ShutterStock ©

Stay at - Alvear Palace Hotel

Day 2

City tour with a visit to Teatro Colón.

Your guided city tour takes you along Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest boulevards in the world and studded by the Obelisk, an emblematic symbol of the city. Along this majestic highway is the 19th century Teatro Colón (guided tour included) which, in terms of its architecture and design, as well as its excellent acoustics, is considered one of world’s best.

On to the Plaza de Mayo, enclosed on 3 sides by the metropolitan cathedral, the town hall and the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. The tour continues to bohemian, arty La Boca, which was settled and built by Italian immigrants and has streets lined with brightly painted corrugated iron-clad houses.  Visit the district of Recoleta.

Argentine Tourist Board ©

Stay at - Alvear Palace Hotel

Day 3

At leisure. Dine at a live tango show.

At leisure in Buenos Aires.  Stroll round Puerto Madero, the refurbished port district where former dock installations and features have been preserved alongside a string of excellent restaurants and loft conversions. Beyond the city limits, consider a trip across the River Plate to Colonia in Uruguay. Travel along a forest-fringed estuary, dotted with upmarket residences, to this peaceful little port, where you can wander among cobbled streets lined by colonial houses, or have a meal or drink in the yacht club.

Alternatively, venture into the watery delta to the small town of Tigre, set on the banks of the Luján River. Have lunch at one of the restaurants on the shores of the Río Paraná, while watching fisherman at work and river-craft gliding by. Evening guided visit to a tango show with dinner. The passage of time has given respectability to a dance once confined to the seedy underworld bars of the red-light La Boca district. Nowadays, a number of ‘tango houses’ offer a dinner and show as an evening out. Rojo Tango is located within the Faena, a chic and arty hotel in the regenerated docklands area of Puerto Madero. This intimate venue is very much in the style of an old cabaret nightclub with moody red decór.

URU_Colonia_BZR_staff (14)

Stay at - Alvear Palace Hotel

Day 4

Fly to Mendoza in the wine-producing region.

Fly to Mendoza in Argentina’s wine country in the shadow of the eastern flank of the Andes, and continue to Cavas Wine Lodge. The celebrated vineyards in this region provide the perfect place to enjoy fine vintages and a superb gastronomic experience. Cavas Wine Lodge and small vineyard is situated 30km from the city. The main house remains faithful to Spanish colonial traditions.

The cellar is stacked with dozens of Argentina’s most notable labels and the kitchen uses locally produced olive oils, herbs and spices. Along with the outdoor sports facilities there’s a small spa offering wine therapy treatments.

Hotel Owned ©

Stay at - Cavas Wine Lodge

Days 5-6

Visit wineries from your countryside lodge.

At leisure at Cavas Wine Lodge. The property is ideally situated as a base to visit some of the region’s finest private wineries including Catena Zapata, Chandon, Achaval Ferrer, and Fabre Montmayou. Your stay includes a visit to a different winery on each day and you can also take advantage of one of the outdoor sports on offer which include biking, trekking, horse riding and golf followed by a massage courtesy of the lodge, the ideal pre dinner aperitif.

ShutterStock ©

Stay at - Cavas Wine Lodge

Day 7

Transfer to colonial estancia on the pampas.

Fly back to Buenos Aires and transfer by road to Estancia La Bamba. This dusky rose-pink, colonial-style former post house, set in its own attractive parkland, is located 10 mins’ drive from the small gaucho town of San Antonio de Areco. It projects a real feel for estancia history, harking back to more opulent times when they were the backbone of a thriving economy. A luxurious property, it resembles a grand countryside chateau. Public areas are cosy and crammed full of plush sofas and old artefacts, accentuating the country house ambience. There are open fires, four poster beds and large shuttered windows. Meals are taken around a common table, though you can request privacy if you wish. The estancia offers a peaceful wind-down to its guests.

arg_gauchos_free

Stay at - Estancia La Bamba de Areco

Day 8

At leisure on the estancia.

There’s a lovely outdoor swimming pool (open in summer) with views over parkland and sun loungers, games room and small library. Activities include horse-riding,  walking and carriage rides in the surrounding bird-filled pampas.

Hotel Owned ©

Stay at - Estancia La Bamba de Areco

Day 9

Transfer to airport, fly to El Calafate and drive to luxury estancia.

Fly to El Calafate in Southern Patagonia (5hrs), a small tourist resort with a frontier feel situated on the banks of milky turquoise Lago Argentino.  Argentina’s Patagonia is a remote land of endless grassy plains, granite mountain peaks tipped with eternal snows, turquoise lakes dotted with icebergs and immense blue-tinged glaciers. Continue by road to Eolo. This luxury estancia-style lodge (one of the Relais & Chateau portfolio) is unique in that it occupies land leased from a working farm, Estancia Alice. Designed to look like a large ranch house from the outside, it successfully combines the trappings of an estancia with the creature comforts, modern interior design and innovation of a first class hotel.

ARG_ElCalafate_EOLO_HOTELOWNED_withcreditonly (6)

Stay at - EOLO

Days 10-11

Activities at your Patagonian retreat.

Guided excursion to Perito Moreno Glacier. It’s an early morning departure from El Calafate to Los Glaciares National Park, a 90min drive to the walkways and viewing platform overlooking the glacier. The thundering shards of falling ice are a breath-taking spectacle as you pass at a safe distance along the walkway in front of the Canal de los Tempanos, which separates Brazo Rico from the main part of the lake. The glacier is a staggering 5km wide and stands 60m above the surface of the lake. Its ice mass is fed by the southern continental ice field from the west, and from other smaller glaciers in the vicinity.

In the afternoon, board the Safari Nautico or Moreno Fiesta for an hour-long cruise on the lake beneath the glacier, with a commentary. Alternatively, you can just walk and contemplate, away from the other visitors.

There’s also a guided excursion to Estancia Cristina. This full-day trip explores the iceberg-strewn fingers of Lago Argentino. There are about 15 bumpy minutes as the comfortable motor cruiser crosses the southern arm of the lake. Soon, the first icebergs come into view as the boat continues towards the Upsala Channel and the vast Upsala Glacier. It isn’t possible to get close to the glacier because of the floating ice in its vanguard but the surrounding scenery is wonderful.

Continue into the Cristina Channel, and dock at Estancia Cristina. Explore one of Patagonia’s most remote historic estancias, established in 1914 by English pioneer Joseph Masters and named after his daughter. Have lunch before going on a 10km drive by all-terrain vehicle into the mountains to a refuge. Here, walk for half an hour to a viewpoint, offering – weather permitting – a fabulous panorama of the eastern side of the Upsala glacier, the Southern Patagonian ice cap, Lago Guillermo and – of course – the Andes. Drive back to the estancia and in the late afternoon, sail back towards Punta Bandera and your hotel.

ShutterStock ©

Stay at - EOLO

Day 12

Transfer to airport, fly to Buenos Aires

You have one further night in the capital to enjoy one of the fine restaurants and maybe dip into the capital’s  famous nightlife entertainment.

Tango Buenos Aires

Stay at - Alvear Palace Hotel

Day 13

Transfer to airport for your flight home.

Inspired by this trip

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

Papagaio

Your edit for Latin American inspiration

Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.

View Extraordinary Inspiration
Bartolome, Galápagos

Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Sophie
    Sophie Barber - Travel Expert

    Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Millie
    Millie Davies - Travel Expert

    Having caught the travel bug as a child, Millie has travelled all over Latin America before making her home in Buenos Aires for 3 years.

  • Hannah
    Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert

    Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Carrie
    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

0 1 2 3 4 5