My long trip at the discover of the immense Patagonia region. Argentina travel experience

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JOURNEY IN PATAGONIA (Argentina AND CHILE) BY 19 DECEMBER 2006 TO 5 JANUARY 2007


The trip was made during Christmas-New Year period in which, in Argentina and Chile, it's summer, of course, however, the Patagonia South and in particular the Tierra del Fuego are the latitudes of our Scandinavia so although days full of light, the temperature was very low. From this rule is an exception to the Valdes Peninsula where it is on the beaches were swimming in the sea.

The detail of the trip does not include the party made on board the ship Via Australis in the Argentine and Chilean fjords which is described by a separate story (country: Chile).

19/12 - FLORENCE-Buenos Aires
Departure from Florence flight Florence - Frankfurt exchange aircraft in Frankfurt and later in the evening departure for Buenos Aires (via St. Paul).

20/12 - Buenos Aires
Visit the Argentine capital drive in Italian;
Buenos Aires is a city bustling, lively but very interesting, and its architecture took an impression very European wide boulevards and large monumental buildings do resemble some historical areas of Paris: The city tour includes some of the most beautiful views capital of the magnificent district "La Recoleta" and the fleet of Palermo, the Costanera and the Rio de la Plata, the majestic Teatro Colon (the most important for the lyric of the whole of Latin America), the Congress, the Cabildo ( ancient seat of the Spanish viceroy) the Casa Rosada, seat of the current President of the Republic and finally the old district of San Telmo (where on Sunday there is a interesting antiques market) and the colorful Boca, the port area where the Italian immigrants dancing tango in the street.


21/12 - Buenos Aires
Excursion by bus and train tour of the village and the San Isidro Puerto de Tigre; here embarking on a boat that has enabled us to cross the channel that leads to the Rio de la Plata, in Buenos Aires back in the boat.


22/12 - Buenos Aires - Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)
Flight Buenos Aires - Ushuaia
visit to the town with Italian speaking guide and the Museo del Fin del Mundo

The city is facing the Beagle Channel and the Navarino and Hoste islands (already in Chilean territory), houses a large naval base and is also starting point for sailing in Antarctica, the interesting Museo del Fin del Mundo allows you to observe findings of the now extinct indigenous civilizations and historical objects of the colonizers.


23/12 - USHUAIA
Visit the National Park of Tierra del Fuego that, not far from town, is reached with the "train of fin del mundo" When you look at the typical vegetation "fueghina" with the immense forests of beech and many species of animals.
boarding in the afternoon on the Via Australis

24-26/12 - NAVIGATION VIA AUSTRALIS SEE STORY IN (CHILE)

27/12 - VIA AUSTRALIS - Punta Arenas - Torres del Paine
In late morning dock in Punta Arenas (Chile) (the most important part of Chilean Patagonia South) and landing ship, transfer by bus and private means to the National Park Torres del Paine (Puerto Natales via)

28/12 - Torres del Paine

Created in 1959, is one of the most spectacular natural areas of South America, from a valley almost sea level rise high rocky peaks over 3,000 meters, and the environment is pleasant and full of captivating views, woodlands nell'intrico beech, blue lakes, waterfalls and streams impetuous, impressive rock walls and the wildlife is varied and easy to spot: foxes and guanacos, condors and eagles, and swans flamencos neck black (very rare species) inhabit the park in large quantities . Among the most spectacular: the Nordenskjold Lake at the foot of cuernos del Paine, Salto Grande (waterfall nice), Lake and Lake Pehoè Gray with his spectacular glacier.

Trip to Lake Gray where you can enjoy a wonderful view over the glacier that descends on the homonymous lake itself.

29/12 - Torres del Paine - El Calafate
transfer by private means and public bus to El Calafate, in step with change of Cerro Castello

Afternoon in the center of town to buy very cheap.

30/12 - El Calafate (Perito Moreno)
Hike all day in the Perito Moreno glacier

This is the best-known glaciers of Patagonia and certainly one of the most famous and unusual in the world, offers its visitors a front of over 4 km and a wall of ice that rises more than 60-70 meters on the surface of Lake Argentino: one of the last, day after day progresses by continually collapsing and dramatically huge glacier tall structures such as houses of dozens of plans, the glacier is located about 80 km from town, the road is unpaved, but very good and there along the way are some interesting points to be seen! Here we had the test-proven that the "one day in Patagonia is like the 4 seasons" is true because we have gone from a time of the first autumn morning, rain, snow, hail and fog in winter to the time of lunch, then the first brighten spring and early afternoon in a beautiful hot sun!
Fortunately, the additional trip on the boat that comes close to the wall of the glacier (very dramatic), which was complete in the morning we have done so with a wonderful day taking dozens of pictures!

31/12 - El Calafate - Trelew - Puerto Madryn
Calafate - Trelew and transfer to Puerto Madryn in the Valdes Peninsula, the town is a true marine station and the season allowed for bathing in the sea.
Dinner of fish (cod nigra Malvinas Islands) by the end of the year!

01/01/2007 - Peninsula Valdes
Visit the Peninsula Valdes

This area is one of the most spectacular of Patagonia and is a great nature reserve where several species live undisturbed animals: penguins, sea lions and elephants, whales (present from May to the beginning of December, that in fact we have not seen), killer whales, armadillos, ostriches, guanacos, and many others, most of these species, as the periods, here is the ideal environment for mating and reproduction, and every year there are different distances from colonies ravvicinatissime. In particular we have seen the Elephant Seals at Faro Punta Delgado and sea lions in Porto Pyramid but they may not make the trip by boat because of the impetuous sea because the wind!

02/01 - Puerto Madryn PENISULA VALDÈS
visit to the colony of penguins at Punta Tombo

Over a wide area connected to the sea by a long beach, every year in mid-September came hundreds of thousands of pairs of Magellanic penguins to breed and wean their young, which will return to the North (up the coast of Brazil, for follow the current rich in fish) around mid-April, we were able to go long this colony and observe and photograph many penguins, which in turn will bring the curious, with their funny gait
To return to Puerto Madryn we visited a typical Welsh village populated by Europeans after the emigration of the 19th century

03/01 - Puerto Madryn - Buenos Aires

Flight Trelew - Buenos Aires
Cause sudden illness, we lost a show of Tango in a typical district of the city

04/01 - Buenos Aires - ITALY
mattinata available for purchases of memories
afternoon flight B. Aires - Italy via Frankfurt