Argentina: Patagonia

You arrive in Buenos Aires, where our team welcomes you and transfers you to your hotel. After a rest, wander the old cobbled streets of San Telmo or the colourful La Boca district with its brightly painted tin houses. In the evening we celebrate our arrival in Argentina with an authentic Argentine steak dinner and a live tango show pulsing with passion.

An extra day in the Argentine capital to dive deeper into local culture. In the morning we join an introductory workshop on the ritual of Argentine yerba mate — the traditional drink that brings family and friends together — learning how it's prepared and the etiquette of sharing it. In the evening, a tour of Buenos Aires' highlights: the Metropolitan Cathedral, Plaza de Mayo, and the city's enchanting lights after dark.

After breakfast we head to the airport for a domestic flight to El Calafate, gateway to Argentine Patagonia and the turquoise Lago Argentino. On arrival, rest and get ready for tomorrow's big day on the ice.

A full day in Los Glaciares National Park to see Perito Moreno, one of the few glaciers in the world still advancing. We walk the viewing boardwalks facing the glittering blue ice walls, then board a boat that draws close to the ice face — about 74 m high and 5 km wide. An unforgettable sight and sound with every thunderous calving.

We drive from El Calafate to El Chaltén, the hiking capital of Argentine Patagonia, ringed by the region's most famous peaks. An overland journey across the vast Patagonian steppe. On arrival, prepare for the hiking days ahead as you catch your first glimpse of Fitz Roy's jagged summit on the horizon.

Patagonia's most famous hiking day. We follow the well-marked trail to Laguna de los Tres, the glacial lake directly beneath Mount Fitz Roy. The final stretch is steep and demanding, but the reward at the top is a head-on view of the towering granite spires reflected in the turquoise lake.

A second hiking day at a gentler pace towards Mirador Cerro Torre, where the slender granite spire famed for its technical climbing difficulty reveals itself. The trail passes through lenga forests and the river valley to Laguna Torre before the final climb to the viewpoint.

In the morning we drive back to El Calafate and fly to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world — 'the end of the world', as Argentines call it. In the afternoon we sail the famous Beagle Channel to see the historic Les Eclaireurs lighthouse and colonies of sea lions basking on the rocks.

A full day in Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina's first coastal national park. We walk among blue lakes, peat bogs, and evergreen forests on the edge of the Beagle Channel, where the Andes meet the ocean at the very south of the continent.

A flight returns us to Buenos Aires. A completely free day to relax, explore the famous Recoleta Cemetery with its grand marble mausoleums, or wander the wide tree-shaded streets of Palermo.

A final day for shopping — authentic Argentine leather or traditional alfajores — before heading to the airport for the international flight home.