Chile and Argentina: Santiago, the Lakes, Mendoza and Buenos Aires

1. Day 1: Arrive in Santiago

   Santiago airport (SCL) to central Santiago

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Santiago
   Day 1 details

   A driver meets you in arrivals at Santiago's international airport (SCL) for the drive of about 30 minutes into the city. Plan to land by early afternoon; most overnight flights from Canada arrive in the morning, and we hold an early check-in where the hotel can give one. At 4 pm your See Sight Tours guide walks the group through the old centre: the Plaza de Armas with the cathedral and the old post office, then the Mercado Central, whose iron hall was put up in 1872 and now holds fish stalls and small restaurants, and up the terraces of Cerro Santa Lucía, the hill where the Spanish founded the city in 1541, for the first look at the Andes behind the towers. The walk is about two hours at an easy pace, with a café stop. Back at the hotel the guide runs through the trip: the border, the flights and how the days are paced. Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Chilean food, from pastel de choclo to Pacific fish, with a glass of Chilean wine.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Santiago International Airport (SCL)
   • Walk with your guide: Plaza de Armas, the Mercado Central and Cerro Santa Lucía
   • Welcome briefing and welcome dinner

   Easier option: Skip the climb up Cerro Santa Lucía and wait at a café on the Alameda while the others go up.

   Free time: Free until the 4 pm walk

   Activity: Cerro Santa Lucía has steep stone steps near the top.

   

2. Day 2: Casablanca Valley and Valparaíso

   Santiago to the Casablanca Valley and Valparaíso, and back

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Santiago
   Day 2 details

   We leave at 9 am and drive west through the coastal hills, about an hour and a quarter, to the Casablanca Valley, where cool sea air suits sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. A family winery shows us its vineyard and cellar, and lunch is a sit-down meal at the estate with its wines. In the early afternoon we continue 40 minutes to Valparaíso, by which time the morning sea fog has usually lifted off the bay. Its historic quarter has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2003. A local guide walks us through Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre, a tangle of stairways, painted houses and murals above the port, and we ride one of the old ascensores, the funicular lifts built for the city's hills from the 1880s. From the Paseo Gervasoni and the Paseo Atkinson the view runs over the cranes and the bay. There is free time for a coffee or the shops before we drive back to Santiago, about an hour and a half, arriving around 7 pm. The evening is yours.

   Included

   • Casablanca Valley winery visit with cellar tour and tasting
   • Sit-down lunch at the winery
   • Valparaíso walking tour of Cerro Concepción and Cerro Alegre with a local guide
   • A ride on one of Valparaíso's ascensores

   Optional experiences

   • La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's house in Valparaíso (entry paid locally; closed Mondays)

   Easier option: Ride the ascensor up and down, and wait for the group at a café on Paseo Gervasoni instead of walking the stairways.

   More active option: Walk up Cerro Bellavista with your guide to La Sebastiana and the Open Air Museum murals, about 45 minutes of steep streets.

   Free time: Free hour in Valparaíso; evening free in Santiago

   Activity: Valparaíso is steep, with cobbles and long stairways; wear shoes with grip.

   

3. Day 3: Fly south to Puerto Varas

   Santiago to Puerto Montt (PMC) by air, then Puerto Varas

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Puerto Varas
   Day 3 details

   A free morning in Santiago. Take the funicular up Cerro San Cristóbal for the view across the city to the Andes, walk the galleries of Lastarria, or visit the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, which tells the story of the 1973 to 1990 dictatorship; your guide helps you choose and sets you on your way. Around midday we drive to the airport for the flight south to Puerto Montt, about an hour and three quarters over the Central Valley, with the volcanoes of the south in sight on a clear day. From El Tepual airport it is about 35 minutes to Puerto Varas, on the shore of Lago Llanquihue. The town was settled by German families from the 1850s, and the timber houses with steep roofs and the red and white Sagrado Corazón church still show it. We arrive in the late afternoon, in time for a walk along the lakeside promenade with your guide; on a clear evening the cone of Osorno volcano stands across the water. Dinner is free tonight, with plenty of choice close to the hotel.

   Included

   • Flight from Santiago (SCL) to Puerto Montt (PMC)
   • Transfers to Santiago airport and from Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas
   • Lakeside walk in Puerto Varas with your guide

   Optional experiences

   • Cerro San Cristóbal funicular (ticket paid locally)

   Free time: Morning free in Santiago; evening free in Puerto Varas

   Activity: Flight times are confirmed shortly before departure.

4. Day 4: Osorno volcano and the Petrohué falls

   Puerto Varas to Ensenada and Osorno volcano, then the Saltos del Petrohué and Petrohué

   • Drive about 2.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Puerto Varas
   Day 4 details

   We leave at 9 am and follow the lake shore east to Ensenada, with Osorno filling the windscreen, then climb the road up its western flank to the ski area at about 1,200 m. Mornings are often the clearest time on the mountain, which is why we go up first. On a clear day the view runs back over Lago Llanquihue and across to Calbuco, which last erupted in 2015. When the summer chairlift is running it takes you higher for a walk on red and black scoria; otherwise we walk the marked paths from the road end. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Ensenada. In the afternoon we drive into Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, created in 1926 and the oldest in Chile, for the Saltos del Petrohué, where green water pours through channels of black basalt, quieter once the morning coaches have moved on. Then on to the black-sand shore of Lago Todos los Santos at Petrohué, where tomorrow's crossing begins. We are back in Puerto Varas by about 5 pm, and the evening is free.

   Included

   • Osorno volcano: the road to the ski area, with the summer chairlift when it runs and a walk on the upper slopes
   • Sit-down lunch in Ensenada
   • Saltos del Petrohué, with Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park entry
   • The shore of Lago Todos los Santos at Petrohué

   Easier option: Stay at the café at the road end, or the chairlift's upper station, while the others walk on the scoria.

   More active option: A longer walk across the lava fields from the ski area with your guide, if the weather is settled.

   Free time: Evening free in Puerto Varas

   Activity: Scoria is loose underfoot; wear shoes with grip and bring a warm layer.

5. Day 5: Across the Andes by lake to Bariloche

   Puerto Varas to Petrohué, Lago Todos los Santos to Peulla, Puerto Frías, Lago Frías, Puerto Blest, then Lago Nahuel Huapi to Bariloche

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bariloche
   Day 5 details

   Today is the long day of the trip, about 12 hours door to door, and the reason for it is the route: the Andean lakes crossing from Chile into Argentina by three boats and four short bus legs, with only about three hours on the road. The crossing coach leaves Puerto Varas at about 8 am for Petrohué, where a catamaran takes about 1 hour 45 minutes across the emerald water of Lago Todos los Santos, with Osorno behind and Puntiagudo and Tronador ahead. Lunch is included in Peulla, at the head of the lake, where Chilean exit formalities are done. A bus then climbs through forest to the border pass and down to Puerto Frías for Argentine entry, a short boat crosses Lago Frías, and another bus runs to Puerto Blest on an arm of Lago Nahuel Huapi. The last and longest boat runs past forested fjord walls to Puerto Pañuelo, near Llao Llao, and a coach takes us into Bariloche at about 7 to 8 pm. Your guide crosses with you, and your bags travel with the crossing.

   Included

   • The Andean lakes crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche, with all boats and buses and your luggage
   • Lunch in Peulla
   • Border formalities with your guide at Peulla and Puerto Frías
   • Puerto Blest on Lago Nahuel Huapi

   Free time: Evening free in Bariloche

   Activity: A long day of about 12 hours: about 5 hours on three boats and about 3 hours on buses, mostly sitting. Bring a warm layer for the open decks.

   

6. Day 6: Cerro Campanario and the Circuito Chico

   Bariloche to Cerro Campanario, the Circuito Chico and Colonia Suiza, and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Bariloche
   Day 6 details

   We are at the foot of Cerro Campanario when the chairlift opens, at about 9 am, before the coach groups arrive. The ride takes about seven minutes to the summit at about 1,050 m, where the view takes in Lago Nahuel Huapi, Lago Perito Moreno, the Llao Llao peninsula and the peaks around Cerro Tronador. Then we drive the Circuito Chico, the lakeshore loop west of town: the Llao Llao hotel and its small chapel, Bahía López and the Punto Panorámico viewpoint, with stops for photos rather than a drive-past. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Colonia Suiza, a hamlet founded by Swiss settlers in the late 19th century, known for its curanto cooked in a pit. We are back in Bariloche by about 2.30 pm, and the afternoon is free: walk the Centro Cívico, with its stone buildings from the 1940s, try the chocolate shops along Mitre street, or take a lake walk at Playa Bonita.

   Included

   • Cerro Campanario chairlift at opening
   • The Circuito Chico: Llao Llao, Bahía López and Punto Panorámico
   • Sit-down lunch in Colonia Suiza

   Optional experiences

   • Kayaking on Lago Perito Moreno (price shown at booking)

   Easier option: Ride the chairlift both ways and see the viewpoints from beside the vehicle.

   More active option: Walk up Cerro Campanario on the steep forest path, about 30 to 40 minutes, and meet the group at the top.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Bariloche

7. Day 7: Fly to Mendoza

   Bariloche (BRC) to Mendoza (MDZ) by air

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Mendoza
   Day 7 details

   A free morning in Bariloche: a last walk by the lake, a visit to the Museo de la Patagonia in the Centro Cívico, or a coffee on Mitre street. Around midday we drive about 20 minutes to Bariloche airport for the flight north to Mendoza. When the seasonal direct flight runs it takes about two hours; otherwise we connect at Buenos Aires Aeroparque and arrive later in the day, which we confirm when you book. Mendoza sits at about 750 m on the dry eastern side of the Andes, and from the air you see the green vineyards and poplar windbreaks stand out against the desert. A driver meets us for the short run into the city. In the late afternoon, when the heat goes out of the day, your guide walks the group around the centre: the acequias, the irrigation channels along every street, the shady Plaza Independencia and the smaller squares around it, Plaza Chile and Plaza España, with their tiles and fountains. The evening is free; Mendoza eats late, and the restaurants on Aristides Villanueva fill after 9 pm.

   Included

   • Flight from Bariloche (BRC) to Mendoza (MDZ)
   • Transfers to Bariloche airport and from Mendoza airport
   • Mendoza centre on foot with your guide: Plaza Independencia, Plaza Chile and Plaza España

   Free time: Morning free in Bariloche; evening free in Mendoza

   Activity: Flight times and routing are confirmed shortly before departure.

   

8. Day 8: Malbec in Luján de Cuyo

   Mendoza to Luján de Cuyo and back

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Mendoza
   Day 8 details

   Luján de Cuyo, about 30 minutes south of the city, is where Argentina's Malbec made its name. We leave at 9.30 am for the first of two bodegas, a long-established family winery, where a guide walks us through the vineyard and the cellar, from the concrete vats of the old style to the oak barrels, and pours a tasting. The second bodega is a newer one, with a different way of making wine and a view over the vines to the Cordón del Plata range. Lunch is a long sit-down meal at the second bodega, several courses paired with its wines, which is how Mendoza does lunch. We are back in the city by about 4 pm, in time for a rest through the heat. Your guide can point you to the Parque General San Martín, a large planted park on the city's western edge, for a walk at sunset, or to Cerro de la Gloria at its far end, with a view back over the city. Dinner is free.

   Included

   • Two bodegas in Luján de Cuyo with vineyard and cellar tours and tastings
   • Wine-paired lunch at the second bodega

   Optional experiences

   • Cycling between bodegas in Maipú instead of the vehicle (price shown at booking)

   Easier option: Skip the second cellar tour and wait on the terrace; non-drinkers get grape juice, olive oil or mineral water at each tasting.

   More active option: Cycle between bodegas in Maipú with a local bike guide, on flat roads, and rejoin the group for lunch.

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Mendoza

9. Day 9: The Uco Valley under the Andes

   Mendoza to the Uco Valley and back

   • Drive about 3.5 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Mendoza
   Day 9 details

   Today we head about an hour and a half south-west to the Uco Valley, where vineyards climb towards the Andes at roughly 1,000 to 1,500 m and the snow on the Cordón del Plata sits behind every row. The altitude gives cool nights and wines with more freshness than the plains. We leave at 9 am and visit two bodegas, one with its own vineyard walk and the second for a tasting in its cellar. Lunch is at the second bodega, a long sit-down meal with the mountains in view. It is the longest drive of the Mendoza days, about three and a half hours in all, broken by both visits and lunch. We are back in Mendoza by about 5.30 pm, and the evening is free. If you prefer a lighter day, stay in the city: the Museo del Área Fundacional shows the colonial town ruined by the 1861 earthquake, and the shaded cafés on Plaza Independencia are a good place to watch the evening walk.

   Included

   • Two bodegas in the Uco Valley with a vineyard walk and tastings
   • Sit-down lunch at the second bodega

   Easier option: Stay in Mendoza for a free day: the Museo del Área Fundacional, Parque General San Martín and the cafés on Plaza Independencia.

   More active option: A longer walk through the vineyards with the winery guide, about an hour on dirt tracks, before the tasting.

   Free time: Evening free in Mendoza

   Activity: The sun is strong at altitude; bring a hat and water.

10. Day 10: Fly to Buenos Aires: San Telmo and a tango night

    Mendoza (MDZ) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) by air, then San Telmo

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Buenos Aires
    Day 10 details

    A morning flight takes us east across the pampas to Buenos Aires, about an hour and three quarters, landing at Aeroparque on the edge of the river. After check-in and a light lunch on your own, your guide walks the group through the old city: the Plaza de Mayo, with the pink Casa Rosada, the Cabildo and the Metropolitan Cathedral, then south along Calle Defensa into San Telmo, one of the city's oldest quarters, with its cobbled streets, antique shops, Plaza Dorrego and the iron-roofed San Telmo market. The walk is about two and a half hours, with a stop for coffee or a medialuna. There is time to rest at the hotel before the evening. Tonight we go to a tango house for a short beginners' class, then dinner and a show by professional dancers and musicians. It ends late, as everything in Buenos Aires does, and the vehicle brings us back to the hotel.

    Included

    • Flight from Mendoza (MDZ) to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP)
    • Transfers to Mendoza airport and from Aeroparque
    • Plaza de Mayo and San Telmo on foot with your guide
    • Tango evening: a beginners' class, dinner and a show

    Easier option: Skip the class and join the group for dinner and the show.

    Free time: Late afternoon free at the hotel

    Activity: Flight times are confirmed shortly before departure.

11. Day 11: Recoleta, the Teatro Colón and La Boca

    Recoleta to the Teatro Colón, then La Boca

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Buenos Aires
    Day 11 details

    We walk into Recoleta Cemetery when it opens in the morning, before the tour groups, and your guide leads us through its lanes of marble mausoleums to the Duarte family tomb, where Eva Perón is buried, and the tombs of presidents and founders. Then to the Teatro Colón, the opera house opened in 1908, for a guided tour of the foyers and the horseshoe auditorium, booked for the group; rehearsals sometimes close parts of the house. Lunch is free, with your guide's suggestions around Avenida de Mayo. In the early afternoon we drive to La Boca, the old port quarter of Italian immigrants, to walk the painted tin houses of Caminito with your guide and see La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium, from the outside. We are back at the hotel by about 4 pm, and the rest of the afternoon is yours: El Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookshop in an old theatre, or the parks of Palermo. Tonight is the farewell dinner at a parrilla, with Argentine beef and a last glass of Malbec.

    Included

    • Recoleta Cemetery with your guide, at opening
    • Guided tour of the Teatro Colón
    • La Boca and Caminito with your guide
    • Farewell dinner at a parrilla

    Optional experiences

    • Tigre and the Paraná delta by boat, as an extra day after the trip
    • A football match, when the fixture list allows (price shown at booking)

    Easier option: Return to the hotel after the Teatro Colón and skip La Boca.

    More active option: Walk from the Teatro Colón to the Obelisco and along Avenida de Mayo with your guide before lunch.

    Free time: Lunch and late afternoon free

12. Day 12: Depart from Buenos Aires

    Buenos Aires to Ezeiza airport (EZE)

    • Drive about 1 h
    • Breakfast
    Day 12 details

    A last breakfast and a free morning in Buenos Aires. Walk the Plaza San Martín and the Retiro streets, browse the Sunday fair in San Telmo if it falls on a weekend, or sit over a coffee at one of the old cafés the city is known for. Your guide is on hand until the transfer. Most flights to Canada leave Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) in the evening, so the day works well: we drive you to the airport, about 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, timed to your flight, with a check-out that we hold for later where the hotel allows. If you want more time, we can book extra nights in Buenos Aires, a day on the Paraná delta at Tigre or a ferry across the river to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay, or link this trip with our Atacama and Torres del Paine trip. Book a flight leaving Ezeiza after about 3 pm; an earlier flight means a private transfer, which we arrange.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Ezeiza International Airport (EZE)

    Free time: Morning free in Buenos Aires

    Activity: Book a flight leaving Ezeiza after about 3 pm.

Wildlife and weather: October to April is the season. December to February is summer: hot in Santiago, Mendoza and Buenos Aires, mild and green in the Lake District, and busiest. October and November bring spring flowers to the lakes; March and April bring the Mendoza grape harvest and autumn colour in the beech forest around Bariloche. Rain is possible on any day in the Lake District.

• Santiago2 nights
• Puerto Varas2 nights
• Bariloche2 nights
• Mendoza3 nights
• Buenos Aires2 nights