Potential Argetina/Chile Itinerary
Feb 17, 2016, 10:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 75
Potential Argetina/Chile Itinerary
My wife and I are planning a trip to Argentina and Chilean Patagonia this November and wanted to get people's thoughts on a potential itinerary. Here's what we've mapped out thus far:
Day 1 - Explore BA (arrive in morning from US).
Day 2 - Fly to Mendoza. Explore Mendoza.
Day 3 - Mendoza. Explore some of the local vineyards.
Day 4 - 7 - Fly to Calafate. Looking at staying at the Tierra Patagonia (Chile) thus they would provide transfer to the hotel. Spend a few days hiking/exploring Torres del Paine National Park.
Day 8 - Transfer back to Calafate and fly back to BA. Spend day/night in BA.
Day 9 - Spend day exploring BA and fly red-eye back to US.
Couple of questions in regards to travel and things to do:
- How far in advance do I need to book inter-Argentina flights. Aerolineas Argentina appears to the easiest option. How reliable is Aerolineas Argentina?
- How easy would it be to transit at AEP? Thinking of buying round trip tickets BA to Mendoza and then another set of round trip tickets from BA to Calafate v. multi city since it's cheaper.
- Any recommendations for some must sees in BA? I was there over 10 years ago thus some things may have changed.
Thanks!
Day 1 - Explore BA (arrive in morning from US).
Day 2 - Fly to Mendoza. Explore Mendoza.
Day 3 - Mendoza. Explore some of the local vineyards.
Day 4 - 7 - Fly to Calafate. Looking at staying at the Tierra Patagonia (Chile) thus they would provide transfer to the hotel. Spend a few days hiking/exploring Torres del Paine National Park.
Day 8 - Transfer back to Calafate and fly back to BA. Spend day/night in BA.
Day 9 - Spend day exploring BA and fly red-eye back to US.
Couple of questions in regards to travel and things to do:
- How far in advance do I need to book inter-Argentina flights. Aerolineas Argentina appears to the easiest option. How reliable is Aerolineas Argentina?
- How easy would it be to transit at AEP? Thinking of buying round trip tickets BA to Mendoza and then another set of round trip tickets from BA to Calafate v. multi city since it's cheaper.
- Any recommendations for some must sees in BA? I was there over 10 years ago thus some things may have changed.
Thanks!
Mar 25, 2016, 12:55 pm
#2
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Gold, AA MM/Gold, Hilton Gold, Sheraton Gold
Posts: 369
I can provide some information based on a trip my wife and I took in February:
1. Started in Ushuaia off an Antarctic boat. Flew to El Calafate via AA.
2. Two nights in El Cal included a one day trip to Perrito Moreno. Recommended.
3. Transfer by bus service to El Chalten. Three nights. Recommended strongly for natural beauty and trekking possibilities. Three nights was enough.
4. Back to El Cal for a night.
5. Transfer by bus to Torres del Paine for three nights. Highly recommended, especially the long trek to the Mirador del Torres. Wish we'd had a couple more days. Your day eight plan looks sketchy with the transfer back to El Cal. The transfer buses from Laguna Amarga (tdelP) don't leave until 5 pm or so unless you're on a special arrangement.
6. Back to El Cal for a night. (These are long transfers, three or four hours.)
7. AA to Iguazu Falls through AEP in BA. One night.
8. Back to BA via EZE to Palermo for a night then back to ORD and home.
You mentioned Mendoza. I wonder if you would enjoy Iguazu more if you haven't been there yet? Or maybe you have a strong wine interest in Mendoza.
AA, Aerolinas Argentinas, was great. Timely, luggage arrived with us, newer aircraft, service good. I had read some bad reviews too but they turned out great. LAN is another possibility and they have a more generous luggage allowance. AA is 15 kg. I believe LAN is 25.
I hope that is a little helpful. We are planning another trip to Patagonia next winter and returning to the same places plus Bariloche. Probably rent a car in El Cal which will make all the transferring around easier. It's just a fantastic place to visit. Especially TdelP. We stayed at Hosteria del Torres and loved it. We had wonderful weather which was lucky. I'd hate to do some of those long treks in the rain. The Chile/Argentina border crossings can be lengthy by the way. I'm talking an hour or more.
1. Started in Ushuaia off an Antarctic boat. Flew to El Calafate via AA.
2. Two nights in El Cal included a one day trip to Perrito Moreno. Recommended.
3. Transfer by bus service to El Chalten. Three nights. Recommended strongly for natural beauty and trekking possibilities. Three nights was enough.
4. Back to El Cal for a night.
5. Transfer by bus to Torres del Paine for three nights. Highly recommended, especially the long trek to the Mirador del Torres. Wish we'd had a couple more days. Your day eight plan looks sketchy with the transfer back to El Cal. The transfer buses from Laguna Amarga (tdelP) don't leave until 5 pm or so unless you're on a special arrangement.
6. Back to El Cal for a night. (These are long transfers, three or four hours.)
7. AA to Iguazu Falls through AEP in BA. One night.
8. Back to BA via EZE to Palermo for a night then back to ORD and home.
You mentioned Mendoza. I wonder if you would enjoy Iguazu more if you haven't been there yet? Or maybe you have a strong wine interest in Mendoza.
AA, Aerolinas Argentinas, was great. Timely, luggage arrived with us, newer aircraft, service good. I had read some bad reviews too but they turned out great. LAN is another possibility and they have a more generous luggage allowance. AA is 15 kg. I believe LAN is 25.
I hope that is a little helpful. We are planning another trip to Patagonia next winter and returning to the same places plus Bariloche. Probably rent a car in El Cal which will make all the transferring around easier. It's just a fantastic place to visit. Especially TdelP. We stayed at Hosteria del Torres and loved it. We had wonderful weather which was lucky. I'd hate to do some of those long treks in the rain. The Chile/Argentina border crossings can be lengthy by the way. I'm talking an hour or more.
Mar 25, 2016, 2:20 pm
#3
Suspended
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,445
My take on Mendoza is that it's not well set up for casual wine touring - there are very few vineyards where you can just drop in without an appointment (Zuccardi, Tempus Alba, and Carinae in the Maipu area would be your best bets for that). Most of the better wineries need you to book an appointment.
If you really want to do one serious day of wine touring, you will need to book a guide who can also serve as a driver, and you'll need to do it in advance before you arrive in Argentina - That person you hire can book a day of 4-5 winery visits. Gaucho recommends Miguel Sainz, and he has an excellent reputation, but he's also one of the most expensive and in-demand driver-guides out there. There are certainly others - although I can't recommend any since I did my own touring over a much longer period of time - which is not something I'd recommend for someone who's not familiar with Mendoza, and tasting wines professionally.
If you really want to do one serious day of wine touring, you will need to book a guide who can also serve as a driver, and you'll need to do it in advance before you arrive in Argentina - That person you hire can book a day of 4-5 winery visits. Gaucho recommends Miguel Sainz, and he has an excellent reputation, but he's also one of the most expensive and in-demand driver-guides out there. There are certainly others - although I can't recommend any since I did my own touring over a much longer period of time - which is not something I'd recommend for someone who's not familiar with Mendoza, and tasting wines professionally.
Last edited by lhgreengrd1; Mar 25, 2016 at 6:50 pm
Apr 10, 2016, 8:18 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: ORD
Programs: United 100K, Etihad Gold, Marriot Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 578
I loved visiting Mendoza. We did a tour arranged by Trout and Wine and it was great. If it is possible for you to fly out of Santiago you can visit a nearby glacier and hot spring - that is if you are not all hiked out at this point. The trip is a full day commitment from about 7 am to 9 pm but was the highlight of our trip