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Orcas and Glaciers in Patagonia

13 Days

Small Group Wildlife Holiday

Highlights

  • Experience Patagonia's dramatic windswept scenery, and visit the world-famous Peninsula Valdes wildlife reserve
  • Witness the power and magnificence of orcas at Punta Norte, where the BBC Life on Earth series was filmed
  • Enjoy superb wildlife watching: huge sea lion rookeries, elephant seals, colonies of Magellanic penguins, guanacos, and many species of seabird
  • Visit majestic Andean glaciers, listen to the sounds of calving icebergs and watch for condors
  • Enjoy a sightseeing tour and night out in Argentina's delightful capital, Buenos Aires
  • Stay at a unique estancia in a dramatic location at the heart of the orcas' hunting area, with private beaches and access to wildlife colonies

Description

Most people visit Patagonia in search of natural beauty and wildlife - and few leave disappointed! The Valdes Peninsula is renowned for the diversity and abundance of its marine animals. On the March trip, you'll have a unique opportunity to experience the power and magnificence of orcas at Punta Norte, as filmed for David Attenborough's Trials of Life series. These orcas haved learned how to snatch sea lion pups from the shallows, and handed down this spectacular feeding method from generation to generation.

Alternatively, on the November trip you'll be able to see southern right whales when they gather to mate in the bays on either side of the isthmus that joins the peninsula to the mainland. Further south you'll visit the majestic lakes and awesome glaciers of the Patagonian Andes. Near El Calafate you'll see the glacier of Perito Moreno, and take a boat trip to Upsala, the largest glacier of all, then spend a day at El Chalten, a tiny village on the edge of the Andes, overlooked by the famed peaks of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy, before heading back to Buenos Aires

Also included are a sightseeing tour of the elegant capital city of Buenos Aires, and an atmospheric show with talented dancers and the evocative, emotion-laden rhythyms of tango.

Itinerary

Day 1.
Fly to Buenos Aires
Day 2.
Morning arrival in Buenos Aires. Transfer to hotel. Afternoon city tour, followed by a tango show.
Day 3.
Free to relax before flying south to Trelew. Transfer to Puerto Madryn.
Day 4 to 7.
Drive onto the Valdes Peninsula to spend four days watching wildlife. Depending on the season, this will include watching orcas at Punta Norte, a boat trip from Puerto Piramides to see southern right whales, seeing elephant seals at Calheta Valdes, and Magellanic penguins.
Day 8.
Fly to El Calafate and transfer to hotel.
Days 9 to 11.
Excursion to Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno Glacier. Boat excursion to Upsala glacier. Overnight stay in El Chalten village.
Day 12.
Fly back to Buenos Aires. International flight to UK.
Day 13.
Arrive UK.

While most departures follow the itinerary noted above, we reserve the right to change this to ensure a successful trip.

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Make an enquiry about this holiday online
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  • Trip Ref: BPAT
  • WDCS Donation Included: Trip includes a donation to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
  • What's included: All transfers and wildlife watching trips, Buenos Aires city tour, and tango show with dinner. Accommodation: 1 night in Buenos Aires, 1 night in Puerto Madryn, 4 nights on Peninsula Valdes, 3 nights in El Calafate, and 1 night in El Chalten - all in comfortable hotels in rooms with en suite facilities. Breakfast only in Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn, El Calafate and El Chalten; all meals while on Pensinsula Valdes.

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