Trips and Leisure - Patagonia

The impressive whales:
At the beginning of the austral winter, whales regularly come to the San José Gulf and the Nuevo Gulf to perform the ritual which perpetuates the species. Scientists know each of them individually and also know if they return every year. Catapulted by the strength of their massive tails, whales leap practically clear off the water, displacing tons of water and foam as they crash back into the sea. A charming spectacle.

Enjoy unusual fauna:
Watch and take pictures of whales, killer whales, penguins, seals, sea elephants, and birds. Walk along the sandbanks at low tide and enjoy the coastal flora and fauna. Look for shells and sea snails.
Some suggestions:Bathe in the sulphur waters of the Termas de Copahue, 190 Km away from Zapala, which are well-known for their therapeutic qualities. Watch the birds in the Laguna Blanca National Park, 42 Km away from that city. Visit the Mapuche Indian groupings, most of which are on the shores of Lake Rucachoroi. Sail on the lakes in modern launches and catamarans.

At night:
Try your luck in the casinos of San Martín de los Andes, San Carlos de Bariloche, Viedma, Esquel, Puerto Madryn, Trelew, Comodoro Rivadavia and El Calafate.

Punta Bermeja

It is a fauna shelter located in the San Matías Gulf, 60 Km away from Viedma and 3 Km away from La Lobería holiday resort. From the footbridges built on rocky ledges, you can admire this place full of South American sea lions (seals), and habitat of Antarctic pigeons, cormorants, seagulls, and gaviotines (gull family).Further south, in the San Matías Gulf, you will see the reserve of Islote Lobos, Isla Pastora and Islote de los Pájaros, a seal reproduction colony where many birds have made their nests.

Puerto Madryn

This important tourist center is 67 Km to the north of Trelew and has beautiful beaches and waters where you can practice many water sports. We recommend a visit to the Ecocentro, center specialized in sea ecosystem interpretation. Punta Loma Natural Reserve is located 19 Km to the south of Puerto Madryn, and over 800 sea lion specimens live there all the year round.

Train to the Clouds

It is one of the three highest trains in the world. It travels through the vertiginous mountains of the Andes Mountain Range and moves along astonishing landscapes.It leaves from the city of Salta, moves along the Valle de Lerma (Lerma valley), gets into Quebrada del Toro (Toro gorge) and reaches the Puna.The final point of the trip is the kilometre 1350 where you will find La Polvorilla viaduct which is 224 metres long and 63 metres high. It is the highest cowboy line, at 4200 m.a.s.l. and one of the most important ones in the world due to its characteristics. The whole trip takes almost 15 hours, crossing 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, 2 "curls" and 2 zig-zags. Due to the height at which the train moves, it is quite common to see clouds under the bridges or at the mountainsides, hence the choice of its name.The train offers several services such as: restaurant car, panoramic car, folk spectacles, consulting room, audio, video and bilingual guides.

Alerces Park Fishing Lodge in Patagonia

Alerces Park Fishing Lodge in Patagonia, Argentina is located about two hours from Esquel and four hours from Bariloche, Argentina. Alerces Park has five major lakes, three main rivers and two spring creeks, all with big strong brown and rainbow trout. From one central location our guides will boat to a different place each day. The lodge prepares a great lunch and if the weather is not that great we will come in for lunch. If you are not into wading, we have jet boats that can put you on to the fish. We float the rivers and cast along the lake edges. This can produce a lot of good trout.

Getting to Alerces Park
From Buenos Aires fly to Esquel (flight time 2 hours) your guide will greet you at the airport and drive two hours to Alerces Park. From the San Carlos de Bariloche airport your guide will greet you and drive 4 hours through the village of El Bolson and onto Alerces Park. The drive is two hours from Alto Puelo Lodge and from Rio Yelcho Lodge the drive time through the Andes Mountains is five hours. Contact us for more information about this beautiful place and the great fly fishing at Alerces Park.

Horse Riding across the Andes

Ride from Argentina into Chile - Horses Bred by Olympic Expert – Remote Patagonia - Ancient Forests – Volcanic Hot Springs – Active Volcanoes – Small GroupsA wild and rugged ride across the Andes on fantastic horses. Join a small group to make this spectacular 10 day crossing from the wide open plains of Argentinean Patagonia to the rugged mountains, forests and volcanoes of the Chilean Lake District. Ride through ancient larch, beech and monkey-puzzle forests whilst learning about the area from your guide. Includes accommodation in a mixture of hotels, remote lodges and camping; all meals; transfers to/from airports; full time guide; horses. Does not include: any flights; tips; expenses of a personal nature.

Cerro Aconcagua

Cerro Aconcagua (6959m), the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, lies just within Argentina, some 12 kilometres from the Chilean border. The itinerary is physically strenuous and a great challenge, but is not technically demanding. It is suitable for most adventurous people with a good level of physical fitness, and experience of trekking and camping in remote mountain areas.Our 17-day expedition begins in Mendoza. For Aconcagua, mules are used to transport food and climbing equipment to (and rubbish out from) the Plaza de Mulas base camp. Group members and guides carry a day pack only with their own up and down the mountain. We use a guide:client ratio of approximately 1:3 on Aconcagua, as the better the ratio the higher the chances of summit success for all. Groups ize is a maximum of 12 but is usually around 6 clients and 2 guides. For this programme, experience in the use of crampons and snow-shoes is not a requirement, but previous experience of backpacking and camping in winter conditions would be beneficial.

The Best Museums - Argentine

Caminito, Buenos Aires: At the center of La Boca lies the Caminito, a short pedestrian walkway that is both an outdoor museum and marketplace. Each day, tango performers dance alongside musicians, street vendors, and artists. Surrounding the street are shabby metal houses painted in dynamic shades of red, yellow, blue, and green.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires: This museum contains the world's largest collection of Argentine sculptures and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. It also houses European art dating from the pre-Renaissance period to the present day. The collections include notable pieces by Manet, Goya, El Greco, and Gaugin.

Malba-Colección Constantini, Buenos Aires: This stunning new private museum houses one of the most impressive collections of Latin American art anywhere. Temporary and permanent exhibitions showcase names like Antonio Berni, Pedro Figari, Frida Kahlo, Cândido Portinari, Diego Rivera, and Antonio Siguí. Many of the works confront social issues and explore questions of national identity.

Museo Arqueológico Provincial, Jujuy: The Provincial Archaeological Museum displays archaeological finds representing more than 2,500 years of life in the Jujuy region, including a 2,600-year-old ceramic goddess, a lithic collection of arrowheads, the bones of a child from 1,000 years ago, and two mummified adults.

Manzana Jesuítica, Córdoba: The Jesuit Block, which includes the Society of Jesus's Church, the Domestic Chapel, the National University of Córdoba, and the National School of Monserrat, has been the intellectual center of Argentina since the early 17th century. Today, the entire complex is a historic museum, although the churches still hold Mass, the cloisters still house priests, and the schools still enroll students.

Museo Fundacional, Mendoza: The Foundational Museum displays what remains of the old city, ravaged by the 1861 earthquake. Chronicling the early history of Mendoza, the museum begins by looking at the culture of the indigenous huarpes and continues with an examination of the city's development through Spanish colonization to independence. An underground chamber holds the ruins of the aqueduct and fountain that once provided Mendoza's water supply.

What is GPS?

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.
How it works
GPS satellites circle the earth twice a day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal information to earth. GPS receivers take this information and use triangulation to calculate the user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver compares the time a signal was transmitted by a satellite with the time it was received. The time difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a few more satellites, the receiver can determine the user's position and display it on the unit's electronic map
A GPS receiver must be locked on to the signal of at least three satellites to calculate a 2D position (latitude and longitude) and track movement. With four or more satellites in view, the receiver can determine the user's 3D position (latitude, longitude and altitude). Once the user's position has been determined, the GPS unit can calculate other information, such as speed, bearing, track, trip distance, distance to destination, sunrise and sunset time and more.

Ischigualasto Provincial Park

Ischigualasto Provincial Park, in the Province of San Juan, is one of the most important paleontologic sites in the world. It is 25 Km long and 10 Km wide, and has fossil remains of vertebrates that inhabited the place in the Mesozoic era 180 million years ago, footprints of dinosaurs, fern leaf prints and petrified araucaria trunks. The landscape displays an extraordinary diversity of forms and colors.
The major attraction of Talampaya National Park (215.000 hectares), in the Province of La Rioja, are its steep cliffs of brick-red rock with thousand of distinctive shapes carved by erosion, where condors nest. The most popular area is a 3-Km-wide canyon with all kinds of sandstone formations and 150-meter-tall walls. The place is rich in precious archaeological remains such as stone mortars and pre-Columbian petroglyphs.
Ischigualasto and Talampaya, which share a geological basin of about 5,000 sq. Km, were inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage List in December 2000.