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Gaucho: Vintage Argentina

Group Tour
elevated

12 days from £3,791

per person
Based on two people sharing & excluding flights
This group journey focuses on gorgeous natural landscapes, with world renowned wine and top cuisine. Visit Mendoza, capital of Argentina's wine region; colonial Salta surrounded by blood red canyons, the Iguazú Falls and cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.
What to expect
Itinerary

Explore the tour day by day, from the highlights to the quieter moments in between. Here’s how each day unfolds and what to expect along the way.

UK clients depart on an overnight flight arriving in Santiago, Chile, the following day.
Day 1 - Santiago
Guided tour of the city.

Those passengers arriving on an international flight will be met at the airport by the tour leader or a local representative.

In the afternoon your guided city tour takes you to all the major sites of this fascinating city concentrating on Santiago’s bustling historic centre, which in recent years has taken on a new lease of life. Awakening from years of neglect, the traditional residential neighbourhood of Lastarria is a delight to explore, replete with shops, arty cafés and characterful hotels. Nearby, leafy Parque Forestal was inaugurated in the early twentieth century to celebrate the first 100 years of the republic. It is just a few blocks from the beating heart of old Santiago, the Plaza de Armas, the capital’s main square which is graced by elegant Chilean wine palms with their characteristic bottle-shaped trunks. Grouped around the plaza are Santiago’s Cathedral, the main post office, the National Historic Museum and the Municipalidad de Santiago (city hall). From here, if time, visit San Cristóbal Hill by riding the cable car to the top. On clear days there are spectacular panoramic views across the city towards the Andes.

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria is a striking property which belongs to a well respected Chilean hotel group, but with a real cutting-edge designer twist. From the eye-catching geometric façade to giant paintings in the guest rooms it reflects the creative energy of the artistic and bohemian neighbourhood of Lastarria in the centre of which it has pride of place. There are plenty of arty cafés and bars, street artwork and sculptures, galleries and trendy boutiques just outside the front door, and the whole district – which also has some lovely old residences -has an up and coming, buzzy vibe.

The hotel’s 70 rooms are spacious and well appointed with all the contemporary amenities you’d expect. Other facilities include a gym, an outdoor lap-pool, and an eighth-floor restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine and offering great views of the Santiago skyline.

Day 2
Day trip to the historical city of Valparaiso and wine tasting.

Today there is a visit to Chile’s second city, Valparaíso. This lively seaport is built on a series of hills which form a backdrop to the wide bay, with views over the seaside resort of Viña del Mar. You can wander through the steep, winding streets and among the brightly-coloured colonial homes built for 19th century British and German merchants, or take a ride in one of the creaky wooden funiculars which link the cliff-top communities. On the way back we stop to visit one of the vineyards close to Santiago, to sample some highly respected Chilean wine.

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria is a striking property which belongs to a well respected Chilean hotel group, but with a real cutting-edge designer twist. From the eye-catching geometric façade to giant paintings in the guest rooms it reflects the creative energy of the artistic and bohemian neighbourhood of Lastarria in the centre of which it has pride of place. There are plenty of arty cafés and bars, street artwork and sculptures, galleries and trendy boutiques just outside the front door, and the whole district – which also has some lovely old residences -has an up and coming, buzzy vibe.

The hotel’s 70 rooms are spacious and well appointed with all the contemporary amenities you’d expect. Other facilities include a gym, an outdoor lap-pool, and an eighth-floor restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine and offering great views of the Santiago skyline.

Day 3 - Mendoza
Fly across the Andes to Mendoza.

Departing Chile you fly across the Andes to the laid-back city of Mendoza, one of the first places to be colonised by the Spanish in 1561. Although much of the city has been destroyed over the years through fires and earthquakes, its pleasant tree lined avenues, low rise buildings and university city atmosphere make it a great base to explore the region, and a walking tour of the city will help you orientate through its plazas.

Day 4 - Mendoza
Tour of local vineyards.

Todays full day tour will include a visit to 3 different vineyards in the Luján de Cuyo or Maipú areas of Mendoza province. Within the rain shadow of the Andes, these zones have been transformed over generations into world-class wine producing regions using both traditional and modern methods of irrigation. You’ll have the opportunity to understand more about the processes involved in the cultivation and production of wine as well as the chance to taste the different varieties. Lunch at one of the wineries is included (with wine, of course).

Mendoza Vineyard, Chile
Day 5 - Salta
Flight to Salta.

We fly to Salta, in the northwest of the country. This friendly town is set in the foothills of the Andes, green and flowery in summer, somewhat more arid in winter. It has an attractive main square with a splendid baroque cathedral and many cafés, bars and restaurants. On the outskirts lies a hill, reached by a long cable car, from where there is a sweeping panorama of the city and the mountains beyond. Some of the best-preserved Inca mummies ever found are displayed in the local Museum of High Altitude Archaeology

Day 6
Optional visit to Humahuaca gorge and nearby Andean villages.

Today there is an optional excursion to visit the Humahuaca Gorge, where the spectacularly contrasting coloured rock strata is as extraordinary as photographs suggest. The higher and dryer hillsides are dotted with battalions of giant cacti. En route we may stop at a few of the colonial/Indian villages, constructed from traditional adobe bricks. These are the only places in Argentina where the inhabitants still wear the intricately woven ponchos of the Andes.

Day 7 - Cafayate
Wine tasting in Cafayate, visit the multi-coloured canyon country.

From Salta we take a full-day trip to the sleepy town of Cafayate, centre for the region’s well respected wineries and where we will spend them night. The road follows a dramatic, winding canyon; its rocky walls ranging in colour from yellow ochre, through dusty violet to blood-red. There are several stops en route where you can walk up narrow desert canyons for expansive views.

The town itself is set against an Andean backdrop, and we visit one of the many local vineyards, with a guided tour and opportunity to sample wines such as the Torrontés, which is unique to Argentina.

 

Vinas de Cafayate
Hotel Viñas De Cafayate Wine Resort at night‎, Cafayate, Salta Province, North Argentina

Vinas de Cafayate’s modern property, which has been constructed with  neo-colonial  flair, is situated in the centre of extensive vineyards at the foot of Cerro San Isidro. It’s a stately place, with colonnades shading a terracotta veranda from where you can survey the vines and to granite hills and a ravine beyond. The guest rooms are classically cosy with large bathrooms

Facilities include a large outdoor swimming pool, library, and lounge with open fireplace – it can get a little nippy at night. The smart gourmet restaurant uses produce from its own organic kitchen garden. The establishment doesn’t produce its own wine but it has an impressive wine cellar, from which you can choose an excellent wine to accompany your dinner. 

 

Day 8 - Iguazu Falls
Fly to Puerto Iguazú visit Brazilian side.

Fly to Puerto Iguazú in the subtropical north-east corner of Argentina. The Iguazú Falls constitute one of the most extraordinary natural wonders in the world. A total of 275 falls thunder through dense forest over a distance of 2.5km. At the u-shaped Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) the Iguazú river is sent cascading over a precipice and columns of vapour are thrown skyward. Elsewhere the river flows decorously through the rainforest breaking up into dozens of smaller falls. You can often spot toucans perched in the foliage above the tumultuous waters.

Once you drop your bags off at the hotel head out to the Brazilian side of the falls, from where there is a broad panorama of these magnificent cataracts, and some excellent opportunities to photograph the full sweep of the cascades. Flight times may mean this is done the following day.

Mercure Iguazú Iru is an excellent base for visiting the Iguazú Falls, enveloped by the tropical rainforest of the Iryapú jungle, creating the feeling that you are staying in a remote natural wilderness.

This property offers a peaceful stay accompanied by birdsong, even though you are not far from the town of Puerto Iguazú and the airports on both the Argentinian and the Brazilian sides of the border.

To take advantage of forest views, all the guest rooms have wall-sized picture windows and balconies, surrounded by tropical plants. The buildings, linked by wooden walkways, are low-rise and use of stone, wood and foliage-studded décor blends the property with the environment, while the style is strikingly contemporary with rustic touches.

There’s a smart restaurant, woodland-fringed pool and fitness centre with whirlpool to relax after exploring the Falls.

Day 9
Explore the Argentine side of the waterfalls.

Today you visit the Argentine side of the falls, starting at the National Park Visitor Centre, which reveals the biodiversity of the region’s tropical rainforest. A small locomotive then transfers you to Cataratas Station where the Upper Walk begins. This sequence of causeways links dozens of tiny basalt islands at the top of a sheer rock face and the walkways cross the myriad streams of the Iguazú river as they cascade over the lip of the precipice and thunder onto the rocks below.

The train then continues to Devil’s Throat Station and from here a 1km long walkway leads across the river to the Devil’s Throat. From this vantage point you can feel the mesmerising power of the water as it plummets into the vortex below.

Mercure Iguazú Iru is an excellent base for visiting the Iguazú Falls, enveloped by the tropical rainforest of the Iryapú jungle, creating the feeling that you are staying in a remote natural wilderness.

This property offers a peaceful stay accompanied by birdsong, even though you are not far from the town of Puerto Iguazú and the airports on both the Argentinian and the Brazilian sides of the border.

To take advantage of forest views, all the guest rooms have wall-sized picture windows and balconies, surrounded by tropical plants. The buildings, linked by wooden walkways, are low-rise and use of stone, wood and foliage-studded décor blends the property with the environment, while the style is strikingly contemporary with rustic touches.

There’s a smart restaurant, woodland-fringed pool and fitness centre with whirlpool to relax after exploring the Falls.

Day 10 - Buenos Aires
Guided tour of Buenos Aires.

Fly to Buenos Aires an elegant city famed for its grand colonial and belle époque architecture along with the arty port district of La Boca. It was in La Boca, with its gaily painted houses, that the tango was born, and where Diego Maradona honed his footballing skills. The centre of town is home to the historic heartland, government buildings and churches as well as chic shopping districts, which have a nostalgic, Parisian feel. The bohemian district of San Telmo is full of quaint old houses interspersed with antiques shops, tango bars and extravagant restaurants. Close to the centre is the Gallic influenced Recoleta district where Evita Peron was laid to rest. We explore some of these quarters on our guided city tour.

The comfortable and elegant mid-range Loi Suites Recoleta hotel is on a conveniently located avenue in the well-heeled district of Recoleta, an area brimming with chic cafés, parks and boutiques.

Many of the double-glazed rooms have impressive views over the neighbourhood’s most famous tourist attraction: the beautiful, labyrinthine Recoleta Cemetery, lined with the impressive marble mausoleums of Argentina’s late great and good.

The main entrance leads into an attractive marble lobby and atrium with an indoor ‘winter garden’ and heated pool beneath a large skylight with iron supports.

The hotel has a European feel to its design and architecture, and the décor of the well-equipped guest rooms is led by subtle tones and contemporary style. There’s a buffet breakfast, gym, sauna and sophisticated restaurant.

Day 11
Food tour of San Telmo.

Today’s included excursion is a culinary-themed lunchtime walking tour around the bohemian district of San Telmo. Here you will find some of the best off-the-beaten-track eateries to taste authentic Argentine dishes, including from the city’s traditional hole-in-the-wall parrillas. Learn about culture and cuisine visiting several venues, sampling traditional street foods like choripan, provoleta and empanadas; a variety of classic parrilla cuts of meat; wines; and artisanal ‘heladeria’ ice creams.

Later the afternoon is free for you to further explore this magnificent city and in the evening you might want to finish off your trip at a tango show.

The comfortable and elegant mid-range Loi Suites Recoleta hotel is on a conveniently located avenue in the well-heeled district of Recoleta, an area brimming with chic cafés, parks and boutiques.

Many of the double-glazed rooms have impressive views over the neighbourhood’s most famous tourist attraction: the beautiful, labyrinthine Recoleta Cemetery, lined with the impressive marble mausoleums of Argentina’s late great and good.

The main entrance leads into an attractive marble lobby and atrium with an indoor ‘winter garden’ and heated pool beneath a large skylight with iron supports.

The hotel has a European feel to its design and architecture, and the décor of the well-equipped guest rooms is led by subtle tones and contemporary style. There’s a buffet breakfast, gym, sauna and sophisticated restaurant.

Day 12
Depart for international flight or extension.
UK clients arrive home the following day.
Gaucho: Vintage Argentina full itinerary
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Overview
Places Visited

The places you’ll stay and explore on this tour. Here’s a closer look at each one and what makes it worth the trip.

Snow-capped Andean peaks overlook cosmopolitan neighbourhoods, historic plazas and sun-drenched vineyards in Santiago Chile – the country’s sophisticated capital and its surrounding wine country. Combining urban culture with world-class wineries, Santiago and vineyards nearby give you the perfect introduction to Chile.

Santiago and the vineyards

Self-proclaimed the “land of sunshine and wine”, Mendoza sits in the rain-shadow of the Andes, its vineyards producing some of Argentina’s most celebrated Malbecs under near-constant blue skies. Between the fine wine, gourmet cuisine, mountain scenery and outdoor adventure on offer, few destinations reward food and wine lovers quite like Mendoza holidays do.

Mendoza and the vineyards

Drive through rust-red canyons to villages, taste crisp Torrontés in the high vineyards of Cafayate, and stand on salt flats that stretch white to the horizon. In Argentina’s remote northwest, Salta is the gateway to a corner of the country that feels closer to Bolivia and Peru, indigenous heritage and extraordinary Andean landscapes.

Salta

Walk the spray-soaked catwalks that carry you out over the falls, take the ecological train through the jungle to the Devil’s Throat and ride a speedboat into the base of the cascades. The Argentinian side of Iguazú puts you closer to the water than anywhere else, deep inside the national park and its wildlife-rich forest.

Iguazu Falls – Argentinian side

Discover Argentina’s elegant and energetic capital, where grand European-style architecture, vibrant neighbourhoods, world-class cuisine and the passion of tango come together to create one of South America’s most captivating cities. Dynamic, stylish and nostalgic in equal measure, Buenos Aires is a destination worthy of a trip in its own right.

Buenos Aires
Overview
Highlights

Northern Argentina is a vast and varied land with an abundance of attractions, and our Gaucho Journey is a superb introduction to its impressive geography and rich culture. You actually start the tour in neighbouring Chile, before flying over the Andes to the lively city of Mendoza. These first few days will offer the chance to delve into the wine production for which these regions are famous. This theme continues as you head north to the dazzling paint-box colours and arid canyon landscapes of Salta and the surrounding region, also one of Argentina’s premier wine producing areas. Leave the city behind and fly east to Puerto Iguazú where you spend time exploring the mighty Iguazú falls and spotting the local colourful wildlife, before finishing your tour in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, considered to be Latin America’s most European city, with its wide boulevards, colonial architecture and café society.

Maxwell Wood travel expert

Maxwell Wood

Tour Leader

All of our experts have lived or travelled extensively in Latin America, so you will receive unrivalled advice based on unique personal experiences.

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What you need to know
Essentials

The practical detail for this tour, all in one place. Transport, accommodation, what’s included and what to pack, so you know exactly what to expect before you go.

Argentina information
Chile information
What's included in the price
Services of Journey Latin America tour leader
All land and domestic air transport
Accommodation as specified
Meals as specified
Excursions as specified
Taxes and compulsory charges
Included Excursions
Santiago: walking tour of the city
Santiago: day trip to Valparaiso and a vineyard
Mendoza: walking tour of the city
Mendoza: full tour of local wineries
Salta: Cafayate canyons and wineries
Iguazú: Argentine and Brazilian sides of the Iguazú Falls
Buenos Aires: city tour
Buenos Aires: Parilla tour
What's not included in the price
Tips and gratuities
Meals other than specified
Optional excursions
International flights to Latin America
The latin america specialists

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Rosie Kay
Rosie Kay
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Rosie embarked on a year-long backpacking trip across Latin America. She is excited to share her knowledge and experiences with others.

Finn Clennett
Finn Clennett
Travel Expert

Finn discovered his passion for travel on an extensive 18-month trip to Latin America, experiencing the vibrant Carnaval in Rio, the end-of-the-world city of Ushuaia, trekking the Andes and volunteering on the Galápagos Islands.

Maggie Wilson
Maggie Wilson
Travel Expert

Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

Gary Tombs
Gary Tombs
Product & Marketing

Gary discovered what he had been missing with his first foray into the wilds of Latin America. In his role as Product Manager, he combines this personal obsession with years of industry experience to help ensure that travellers will fall for the region every bit as much as he has.

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What to do

Things to do

We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.

Sample celebrated New World wines in the foothills of the North West.

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Explore the walkways of Argentina’s Iguazú National Park to see the falls from a multitude of angles, including the chance to stand on the precipice and watch the water plummet down to earth right beneath your feet.

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Explore the walkways of the Brazilian side of the falls for extraordinary panoramic views and the opportunity to venture right into the gaping mouth of Iguazú’s most dramatically impressive section.

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Where to stay

Accommodation

Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation. Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you will relax in utter comfort

Hotel Cumbres Lastarria is a smart contemporary hotel in Santiago’s arty Lastarria district with a cool design twist.

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Vinas de Cafayate
Hotel Viñas De Cafayate Wine Resort at night‎, Cafayate, Salta Province, North Argentina

A stately, colonial-style property in the heart of vineyards with top-of-the-range accommodation and gourmet dining with a choice of good local wines.  

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A well-located hotel with delightful atrium, contemporary interior design and impressive views of the famous Recoleta Cemetery.

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Stay more
Holiday extensions

If there’s somewhere you particularly want to go that isn’t included in this tour, we can add on an extension to take you there.

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Estancia La Bandada

Estancia

Throughout Argentina prestigious rural estates have been adapted to accommodate visitors. La Bamba is a colonial-style property oozing with atmosphere and history, restored to its former elegance in parkland, with a good-sized pool. A few days here will allow you to relax and savour life on the pampa prairies, while feasting off delicious food and…

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Atacama

The Atacama’s inhospitable desert landscape is harsh and rugged, but it echoes the legacy of its pre-Columbian inhabitants, while the volcanoes and geysers hiss into life. Oases splash the tawny landscape with vigorous vegetation. A few days here will give you a surprisingly varied experience of desert life. Day 1: Fly from Santiago to Calama…

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Easter Island

Polynesian Easter Island (Rapa Nui) lies 3,790km off the Chilean coast in the remote sub-tropical South Pacific. Windswept and grassy on one side, lushly vegetated on the other, and with a benign climate, it is famous for the clusters of huge enigmatic stone heads standing starkly against an azure skyline. Experience the unique atmosphere and…

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Something special in mind?
Our specialists know the best and most unusual places to stay across Latin America.
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.

Sally Dodge
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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.

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Level definitions

Essential
What it means

Stay in comfortable, well-located hotels chosen to keep you close to the action. These are reliable, practical places with everything you need for a good night’s sleep, sometimes a smaller or family-run find, sometimes a larger, more functional hotel. It’s a straightforward style of stay that keeps costs down and leaves more of your budget for the experiences themselves.

Premium
What it means

Return each evening to well-appointed hotels chosen for their comfort and setting. Rooms are spacious and properly equipped, with all the mod cons you’d expect, and facilities to include a restaurant, a bar or lounge, and often a pool or spa to unwind in. It’s an easy, comfortable style of travel, with somewhere relaxed to look forward to each day.

Essential
What it means

Settle into stylish hotels picked for their character, setting and service. That might be a luxurious city hotel like the Loi Suites in Buenos Aires, or somewhere with a setting you won’t forget, a former estancia on the Patagonian steppe or a lodge at the foot of Machu Picchu. This is our most memorable style, where the hotel becomes part of the journey itself.

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