RMC Presents

ARGENTINA AND A CRUISE TO THE
PATAGONIAN GLACIERS & FJORDS OF CHILE

Postponed – New Dates to be Announced Soon

Argentina occupies the long slender “cone” of southern South America and features a geological and cultural unit very different from the rest of the continent. It’s European in outlook, but filled with a variety of landscapes that offer an intriguing mix of natural and man-made attractions. And what better way to see it than a visit to Buenos Aires, an elegant and cosmopolitan city whose wide boulevards are as attractive as her plazas, museums and Cathedrals … not to mention the city’s outstanding cuisine. Plus a visit to an Argentinean Estancias (Ranch) for an afternoon of fun, great BBQ and of course Gauchos.

The second part of our itinerary will take us to Patagonia and the southern most points of South America. Here we will board our cruise ship and sail through awesome archipelagos, channels and gulfs to tour this incredible territory. Magical encounters await us with the age-old ice formations of Glaciers and multi-colored icebergs. We will visit towns like the fishing village of Puerto Aguirre. To Fiordo Quitralco, where we will have an opportunity to enjoy its hot springs. Disembark on small boats to explore picturesque villages and visit handicraft markets and local museums. And we will marvel at beautiful and unique natural landscape wonders plus abundance of land and sea wildlife. While onboard we will enjoy gourmet meals including regional dishes, an open bar (top shelf) , and of course, all meals come with a variety of wines, beers and soft drinks.

This is truly an All-Inclusive trip that includes everything – Flights, transportation, cruise, sightseeing, all breakfasts, all lunches (except 1 on Buenos Aires), all dinners, all wine and much more. There are very little, if any, extra expenses!!

TOUR INCLUDES
• Roundtrip transportation to JFK
• Roundtrip air to Argentina and return from Chile
• Airport transfers
• 2 nights deluxe accommodations in Buenos Aires
• 7-day/6 night Patagonia Fjord cruise
• All hotel service charges and taxes
• Breakfast every day
• Additional lunches and dinners as per itinerary
• Transportation by coach Argentina
• Sightseeing as per itinerary
• Sightseeing entrance fees

CRUISE INCLUSIONS
• 6 Nights accommodation onboard Skorpios II
• Outside cabins with option to upgrade
• Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner every day
• Welcome drink
• Open bar
• Wine, beer, spirits & soft drinks at every meal
• Daily excursions as detailed in the itinerary
• Thermal Bath at Quitralco
• All onboard activities and presentations
• National Park Entrance Fees

SPECIAL FEATURES IN ARGENTINA
• Welcome dinner and Tango evening
• Afternoon Gaucho Ranch tour & BBQ dinner

 

ITINERARY

1st day: Tuesday, October 20 – To Buenos Aires
Depart for JFK Airport where we board our overnight flights to Buenos Aires.

2nd day: Wednesday, October 21 – Arrival in Buenos Aires (D)
Morning arrival in Santiago and a quick connection to Buenos Aires. After Immigration and Customs, we board our coach for the transfer to our accommodations. Time to relax (only 1 hour time difference from New York) before our special Welcome Dinner and Tango show.

3rd day: Thursday, October 22 – In Buenos Aires (B/D)
This morning we start our day with a tour of the city known as “The Paris of South America.” Highlights will be the Plaza St Martin, the Cabildo (City Hall), the Avenue de Mayo the fascinating Recoleta Cemetery to visit Evita Peron’s grave. And no better way to experience this taste of Argentine culture is to visit the Barrios. It’s a distractive city neighborhood with its own character and history. Back to our hotel for lunch on our own. Later in the afternoon, it’s Gauchos and Estancias. Images of black Spanish hats, woven Indian shawls, baggy bombacha pants and sharp swords come to mind when you think of Gauchos. This will all come to life as we visit a private estancias (ranch) to see them demonstrate their riding skills. There will be a carriage ride on the property and optional horseback riding. Then we feast on a parillo, featuring local grilled specialties and get to experience the pampas traditional way of life on the plains. Return to Buenos Aires in the early evening.

4th day: Friday, October 23 – To Puerto Montt, Chile (B/D)
After a leisurely morning breakfast we transfer to the airport for our connecting flight to Puerto Montt at the Southern part of South America. Upon arrival in the late afternoon, we will be met and transferred to our ship, the Skorpio II which is docked in port. We settle into our cabins before a Welcome Drink and dinner onboard.

5th day: Saturday, October 24 – Cruising the Archipelago of Llanquihue (B/L/D)
We have breakfast onboard at our leisure before we depart from Puerto Montt and start to sail through the archipelago of Llanquihue, and passing the city of Calbuco. In the late afternoon we arrive in Quemchi on the island of Chiloé. Here we will disembark to small boats to travel to the picturesque village. Quemchi is a Huilliche word that means ‘rusty land’ and is a Chilean commune. This small island town which has a population of 3,000 inhabitants and continues to maintain Chiloés local culture. Its colorful streets and wooden houses covered with shingles are a faithful reflection of a past and enchants tourists who walk along its streets.

6th day: Sunday, October 25- Cruising through Moraleda & Ferronave channels (B/L/D)
We navigate through the channels of Moraleda and Ferronaveas and soon we arrive at the fishing village of Puerto Aguirre. This is a picturesque village that was settled by Fishermen who began to build their houses on narrow streets in 1940. What makes this port stop unique is when the village children come to the dock as the ship approaches. After disembarkation, they start talking with the tourists. They sometimes even act as village guides. This tradition continues today, and every Sunday morning the dock fills with children waiting for the arrival of Skorpios. If time permits, we can trek along an Austral forest path to view the beauty of the surrounding trees and their colors. Return to our boat and cruise until our arrival at Islote Barrientos. Again we disembark to smaller boats and approach the rock formations to visiting one of the largest bird colonies in South America and where these birds live alongside South American fur seals. Return to our boat and head further south, arriving later in the evening to Caleta Quesahuen or Punta Leopardos which is 20 nautical miles from the San Rafael Glacier, our goal for viewing the next day. A highlight of the island is the museum dedicated to Francisco Coloane, a Chilean writer born in Quemchi He is considered one of the best exponents of Chilean narrative. Coloane describes man’s constant battle for survival in an unfriendly environment. Also take time to visit the Quemchi church, known as the Colo Church. It is built of “Coigüe” and cyprus wood on top of a stone base and was declared a National Monument in 1999 as well as a World Heritage Building by UNESCO. Return to our ship and continuing sailing south along the archipelago of Chiloé, as we cross the Gulf of Corcovado at midnight.

7th day: Monday, October 26 – Cross Tempanos Channel – San Rafael Glacier (B/L/D)
In the morning, we depart Punta Leopardos and cross the channel of Tempanos to the entrance of the San Rafael lagoon and anchor about a mile from the Glacier. Weather permitting, we board excursion boats to cruise among the multicolored icebergs. Discovered four centuries ago by the Spanish navigator Juan García Teo. San Rafael Glacier is one of Patagonia’s most internationally-known natural beauties. The ice of the San Rafael Glacier is more than 30,000 years old. Its frontal area is almost 2 miles wide and the overall Glacier is 10 miles long. Its peaks soar to over 200 feet, while the lower underwater part is close to 700 feet deep. The ice originates from the Andes Mountains and its flows of different colored ice are absolutely unique. Afterwards we return to our ship as we approach the Glacier from a different view point before setting sail for the Quitralco-Fjord.

8th day: Tuesday, October 27 – Berthing at Quitralco (B/L/D)
Arrival on Quitralco where we berth. Quitralco which means “Waters of Fire”, was a resting place for the canoeing Indian tribes that hunted and gathered in the area, and is a declared a Natural Sanctuary by the Chilean National Monuments Council. The region is part of an ancient glacier bed surrounded by mountains and features hot spring installations with pure and warm thermal waters. We will have time to get into our bathing suits to enjoy an inside or outside hot spring pools with temperatures of 90 to 100 degrees. For those who do not want to bathe in the waters, the site also offers walks and fishing. If weather permits there will be boat excursions to the inside of the Fjord. Afternoon departure for Chiloé, through the channels of Moraleda and Pérez Norte.

9th day: Wednesday, October 28 – Cruising the Gulf of Corcovado (B/L)
As we cruise the Gulf of Corcovado and want to get up real early, we may be lucky enough to observe humpbacks or blue whales. Continue sailing along the east coast of Chiloé, with a morning arrival at Islote Conejos. Located in the commune of Queilen, on Chiloé’s large island, Islote Conejos attracts tourists with its extraordinary biodiversity. In addition to the penguins that travel to the inlet every season (which are the main tourist attraction), other regular visitors are the Austral and Chilean dolphins, that playfully greet every craft that sails through the area. After we board our small boats to reach the island, we silently approach this islet which really is a bird sanctuary. We do not go ashore so as to protect this bird habitat. The excursion lasts about an hour before we return to our ship and continue sailing. Back to our ship as we sail through the islands of Lemuy and Chelín, arriving in Dalcahue, where we will have some free time to visit the handicraft market, the church and stroll along the promenade before returning to our ship for the Captain’s Farewell Dinner.

10th day: Thursday, October 29 – Morning arrival Puerto Montt. Later depart for JFK
Disembark our ship and are met with our guide. We will leave our luggage at the foot of the pier to be loaded onto our coach and continue with a walking tour of a Craft Fair that is called Angelmo for some last minute local shopping. Then we are off by coach to Petrohue Falls. Along the way, we make a stop to stretch our legs at a Llama and Alpaca farm to enjoy the view of the lake Llanquihue and Volcano Osorno . On arrival at the Fall’s base, we take a leisurely 30 minute walk to see the falls. The walking is easy, there are ramps for those with mobility issues if you want to skip the stairs. Continue to Ensenada for a local buffet lunch. After lunch, we head to Puerto Varas to visit the Sagrado Corazon de Jesús church, which is “a postcard view church.” Back to the center of the city for some “free time” before heading to the airport to check in for our flight to Santiago, where we connect to our nonstop overnight flight back to New York.

11th day: Friday, November 15 – Arrival in JFK
Arrival at JFK in the early morning. After Immigration and Customs, it’s back east.

 

OUR HOTEL IN BUENOS AIRES
The Buenos Aires Inter-Continental

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PRICE PER PERSON

Based on accommodations in cabins on Pantheon Deck (twin beds)
Per Person in Double Occupancy room:
$4,499 payments via check
$4,689 credit card

Based on accommodations in cabins on Olympus Deck (queen beds)
Per Person in Double Occupancy room:
$4,599 payments via check
$4,839 credit card

Per Person in Single Occupancy in cabin on Athens Deck (inside cabin) and single room at hotel
$5,789 payments via check
$6,089 credit card

Add to above costs:
U.S. airline facility security and tax charges and Port Charges: $540 ($569 credit card)
Prepaid Gratuities for the land arrangements and cruise staff $85 ($89 credit card)

Cabin Upgrade (On Request, as limited availability)
Jr Suite in Olympus Deck $199 pp ($209 pp credit card)
Master Suite on Olympus Deck $439 pp ($469 pp credit card)
Outside cabin on Parthenon Deck for double cabin for single use $1,200 ($1,229 credit card) to single rate

INITIAL DEPOSIT

$750 ($800 by credit card)
Non-Refundable deposit due on or before March 15, 2020 to guarantee space

FINAL PAYMENTS: Due on or before August 15, 2020

Tour Postponed – New Dates to be Announced Soon

If you have already registered online and require access to the PayPal payment page, click here.

Travel Insurance
RMC Travel highly recommends the purchase of Trip Cancellation/Interruption Travel Insurance, and we therefore provide you with an easy way to contact RMC’s preferred insurance provider, Allianz Global Assistance. If you need additional information or have questions, please call Allianz directly at 800-284-8300, and refer to code F025323.