Argentina Wine & Wildlife Tour

After arriving at the Buenos Aires (EZE) International Airport, you will be met and transferred to CasaSur Bellini Hotel. European in appearance, but Latin through to its soul, Buenos Aires will certainly impress any culture-oriented visitor. A vibrant city, with a variety of architectural styles and colorful neighborhoods, it’s common to find porteños (locals) dancing tango in the streets, relaxing with a cappuccino or glass of wine at a sidewalk cafe or dressed to the nines heading to a concert. Settle in your hotel and rest up for your first full day.

In the morning, you’ll head out on a unique, private tour exploring Buenos Aires with the interpretation of an expert guide who uses four parks and plazas to set the stage for understanding the historical, political and social context of this vibrant city. Tonight, explore Buenos Aires’ amazing culinary scene on your own (we can assist with restaurant recommendations and reservations – read more on restaurants) or rest up for your adventures tomorrow.

Transfer to the airport this morning for your flight south to Comodoro Rivadavia – a gateway to the Chubut area of Patagonia. This region is known for its big skies and wide pampas grass plains. At the airport you will be met and transferred 110 miles to a very special place. Few experiences in Argentina can parallel your next three nights.

Arriving at Bahia Bustamante, you enter a unique world of living history and wildlife adventures. Founded in 1953 by a Spanish hair gel entrepreneur, Don Lorenzo Soriano, Bahia Bustamante was previous known as the Rotten Bay, due to the accumulation of vast amounts of rotting seaweed. Using it as a base, along with his 4 sons, he established the first “seaweed village” in the world. He built up a pioneering company for the harvesting and processing of seaweed – the beginning of a thriving seaweed industry to be used in both nutrition and biomedicine. The two original buildings facing the sea quickly developed into a village that used to house up to 400 people: there was a school, a church, a police post, warehouses, workshops and a general store. More hectares were added to the main area and sheep farming started.

Today with its 40 inhabitants, the village has opened its doors to tourists, offering panoramic views and access to a large number of activities and a wide variety of fauna. Since December 2009, the coast is within the new Marine National Park Patagonia Austral, protecting all species found within one nautical mile from the shore and about 50 islands from Cabo Dos Bahías southwards to Caleta Malaspina.

After breakfast daily, activities are planned pending weather and tides. Bahia Bustamante has been described as “having your own private Peninsula Valdez”, complete with penguins, sea lions, maras, guanacos, cormorants, petrels, terns and the flightless steamer duck among others. Occasionally grey fox, armadillo and skunk are spotted, too! The rich wildlife of the area attracts orcas, dolphins and the Southern Right whale, as well as elephant seals on their migration to and from the Valdes Peninsula. Herons, anhingas, marsh eagles; painted turtles and more. If you are incredibly lucky, you will be able to watch the rare marsh deer, a species in danger of extinction. Daily activities include birding, hiking, wildlife viewing from land and by boat, visits to the working estancia and the petrified forest, plus optional kayaking and horseback riding (at additional cost).

Enjoy your last morning coffee overlooking the sea, before your transfer from Bahia Bustamante to Comodoro Rivadavia Airport for your flight to Mendoza (via Buenos Aires). On arrival in Mendoza, you will be met at and transfer to your Posada (small inn), Robles de Besares. Rest from your day of travel before venturing out for a evening meal at your leisure (we can assist with restaurant recommendations and reservations). There are some amazing culinary experiences to be had in Mendoza!

On day 7 fter a relaxed breakfast in the gardens of the posada, transfer thirty minutes to the wine region of Maipù and the Zuccardi Winery. The Maipù area is where most of the region’s immigrants settled in the late nineteenth century, the area is diverse and home to some of the country’s best wines. Venture out into the vineyards on a guided bike ride; in each area of cultivated wines taste a different grape and the wine that is then produced. Starting from the gardens of the Visitor House we visit Finca Beltrán vineyards with an expert guide. The tour is divided in three stops: Chardonnay, Syrah and Malbec Stops. In each of them you will taste wines of these 3 varieties and learn its characteristics, irrigation system and the vineyards trellising system.

Familia Zuccardi s a pioneering winery where the emphasis is placed on locating grape varieties that have almost been consigned to oblivion, planting them in small quantities and upon the first grape production making small quantities of the wine in their superbly equipped and dedicated micro fermenting hall. Return to the posada for the night. Dinner at your own leisure.

After an early breakfast, meet your guide for a full day visit to the amazing Stone Sentinel – Aconcagua – the highest peak in the world outside Asia. Private transfer from the hotel to the heart of the majestic Andes. A winding, two hour drive allows you to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and natural wonder of this unique mountain range. Along the way, the route runs parallel to the Mendoza River. Enjoy a criollo lunch in a typical parrilla or steak house, surrounded by the impressive view of the Andes.

After lunch, continue to Puente del Inca, a natural rock formation that forms a bridge over the Cuevas River. This natural wonder spans more than 150 feet, 90 feet wide and 26 feet thick, and is suspended nearly 90 feet above the river. Continue to the Aconcagua National Park and visit Laguna de Los Horcones where through a break in the wall of rocks and up a valley, you can see the towering mass of Aconcagua, (22,834 feet). Its summit is covered with eternal snow, and its Southern face offers an impressive wall of 10,000 feet of sheer ice and stone. Even though it seems to be quite close to the road is actually 28 miles away! Hike the Horcones Lagoon, a crystal clean pool fed by the mountain’s snow melt. Return to Mendoza and enjoy the evening at leisure.

On the morning of day 9, meet your transfer in the morning and head to the Mendoza airport and your flight to Buenos Aires. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the CasaSur Bellini  Hotel for the night.

This morning you will be returned to the airport for the flight to Posadas. On arrival you will be met and transferred to Rincon del Socorro (5-6 hrs). The Estancia Rincón del Socorro is a nearly 30,000 acre reserve and located in the Iberá Wetlands. It was managed as a cattle ranch until 1999, when The Conservation Land Trust (CLT) purchased it and created the reserve. They are now dedicated to caring for the reserve through a group of biologists and veterinarians who develop different restoration and reintroduction programs for a variety of endemic species. The estancia aims to provide guests with an intimate experience and close understanding of this unique ecosystem. Evening and dinner at Rincon del Socorro.

Other available activities include horseback riding through the estancia. The host – Leslie Cook – and his wife, Valeria, are horse trainers, and the riding operation is highly professional with a supply of excellent horses for all riding abilities, quality riding tack and guiding. Horseback riding is an integral part of the hosteria’s program, since the chances of seeing wildlife increase immensely on horseback rather than on foot.

Two full days at Rincon del Socorro. Due to its location, which made it inaccessible, the area became a natural refuge for abundant and varied wildlife, including the capybara, largest rodent on Earth, two types of caimans, the largest deer native to South America, howler monkeys and myriad bird life.

At Rincon del Socorro, you’ll venture out on early-morning or late afternoon wildlife viewing boat trips in the wetlands. After a morning outing, a barbecue lunch is served in a hut beside the boat dock. You may also have the opportunity to spend a full day exploring these fascinating marshes with excellent opportunities to photograph multicolored flowers, aquatic plants and the varied fauna: black caimans, which despite its antediluvian appearance are inoffensive to humans, roseate spoonbills, maguari stork, whistling herons, anhingas, marsh eagles, painted turtles, etc. If luck has its way, you may spot the rare marsh deer, a species in danger of extinction. In addition to the wildlife viewing, visit the Iberá Visitor Center to appreciate the amazing area as a whole – its interesting eco-system and enjoy a short walk to observe a howler monkeys community.

Other available activities include horseback riding through the estancia. The host – Leslie Cook – and his wife, Valeria, are horse trainers, and the riding operation is highly professional with a supply of excellent horses for all riding abilities, quality riding tack and guiding. Horseback riding is an integral part of the hosteria’s program, since the chances of seeing wildlife increase immensely on horseback rather than on foot.

Sadly day 13 is time to depart. Savor your last morning in the Marsh with a cup of coffee in the natural setting. You’ll be met at Rincon del Socorro and transferred to Posadas airport for your flight to Buenos Aires. On arrival at Aeroparque Domestic Airport, you’ll be met and transferred to Ezeiza International Airport for your onward flight home.