Gastronomy Tour of Chile & Argentina Specials- 21Nights/22Days

Depart for Santiago, Chile’s capital and largest city. Our Chilean guide will meet you upon arrival at the airport and transport you to your hotel in the pleasant district of Providencia, where you can rest from the long trip. In the evening, enjoy a ‘Welcome to Chile’ cocktail – the chance to try the Chilean national drink, the Pisco Sour.

Take a walking tour of the city centre with visits to the Franciscan cloister (the oldest colonial building in the city) and the museum of Pre-Colombian art, a spectacular display of native American art, some of which bears uncanny resemblances to Maori artefacts. After lunch visit the Lapis-lazuli workshop and centre for artisans where many local arts and crafts are showcased. In the evening,
we take a ride to the top of San Cristobal hill for a panoramic view of the city.

This morning we head west to the Pacific Ocean through the Curacavi and Casablanca Valleys to visit a dry-land dairy producer and a vegetable grower producing for the local market. We have a spectacular seafood lunch overlooking the ocean before a quick run through Chile’s major port,
Valparaiso. Travel back to Santiago for the evening where you are free to relax for the evening.

We travel to the agricultural area to the south of the city, where we visit an export fruit grower (table grapes, wine grapes and stone fruit) or the established Undurraga vineyard for an insight into the Chilean wine industry. Then it’s off to the airport to check in for the 90 minute flight to Puerto Montt. Transfer to scenic Puerto Varas, a resort centre on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. Enjoy dinner at
one of the town’s finest restaurants with excellent wine matching.

This morning visit Puerto Montt, the port for southern Chile, to take a look at the local catch and the crafts, before heading north to visit a lakeside dairy which milks cows and fattens steers on pasture. Weather dependent, enjoy a bbq lunch with our charming hosts before travelling to the riverside town of Valdivia on the shores of the estuary.

This morning visit a NZ-Chilean dairy venture for a short presentation on the kiwi presence in Chilean agriculture. Enjoy lunch and discussions on the farm and look at their operation. Continue in the afternoon to the foothills of the Andes for a stay at the old, remodelled grand hotel of Puyehue Hot Springs.

A wonderful day to enjoy the Chilean mountains. Depending on the weather, you can make excursions into the woods, go horseback riding (extra cost) or just relax and enjoy the naturally heated pools. The hotel also offers full spa services (extra cost) of mud baths, massages, Reiki,
sauna and more.

Today we travel across the grand Andes Mountains to San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina, one of the biggest cities in Patagonia, on the shore of Nahuel Huapi lake. Bariloche is in a transition area between the glacial lakes and forests at the foot of the Andes, with almost 4000 mm annual rainfall,
and the arid and huge desert area with less than 200 mm rainfall and swept by dry winds. Transfer to a downtown hotel.

Visit a ranch in the province of Neuquen, 40 km from Bariloche. It has 10,000 ha dedicated to Hereford and Angus cattle, Merino sheep and forestry. Ranches in the area have huge extensions due to their low carrying capacity, given to them by the “mallines”, valleys with water springs or creeks that allow for natural grassland and sometime for improved pastures. Return to Bariloche in
the afternoon.

In the morning we tour the city and surrounding area,viewing several lakes, and some of the highest mountains,including Catedral (main ski resort) and Tronador (Thunder Mountain) with its three peaks (Argentine, Chilean and International). Next transfer to airport for a two hour flight
to exciting Buenos Aires – the capital city of Argentina and one of the largest cities in the world with a total population of 14 million. Transfer to the downtown area of the city. In the evening, we go to the old part of town for dinner and a spectacular Tango show. We’ll have the chance to see some of the best dancers in the country performing old and new variations of the dance, with a full Tango orchestra. Tango was born in the Buenos Aires port area, in the beginning of the 20th century, by a mixture of European and African rhythms.

Tour the city including La Boca and San Telmo, with its flea markets, Palermo and Barrio Norte districts, with the expensive houses and classic architecture; Puerto Madero, recycled port area where the old warehouses were reconverted into fancy offices, restaurants and apartments;
Recoleta and its cemetery (where Eva Peron’s grave is) and the Plaza de Mayo, the cathedral, among other sights. Enjoy lunch at one of BA’s nicest restaurants.

Early start this morning to a huge livestock market (if visit permitted) located inside Buenos Aires city limits, where 8-12,000 head of cattle are sold some days for processing in the abattoirs around the city for domestic consumption. We’ll have a chance to watch the simultaneous auctions that take place in the different areas of the market and we’ll be able to inspect the cattle from above, which will give us a pretty good idea of the cattle herd of Argentina – the good and the bad come here to be sold. The dominant breeds at the sale are Aberdeen Angus and Hereford. It is also a very good place to buy Gaucho souvenirs, lassos, mate gourds, etc. The rest of the day is free to explore
this wonderful city. 

We leave Buenos Aires in the morning, travelling south, across the vast Pampas – the expansive grassland area Argentina is known for. This morning we visit a family dairy operation owned by the President of the local dairy cooperative – we’ll also see the processing plant. Enjoy lunch with your farm hosts. In the afternoon, we travel to Balcarce, a central town in this rural region.

Travelling west today we visit a 1400 ha property with Arab horse breeding as its main focus. 40 mares and a total of approximately 150 horses, plus some working horses make up the total population. It also has a full cycle cattle operation, with 700 cows, finishing all its production
in the ranch. Some land is leased out for agriculture with wheat, maize, soybeans and potatoes as main crops. After enjoying superb farm hospitality over lunch, we leave the property and travel to Tandil, a prosperous town which offers agricultural services to one of the most important farming areas in the country.

In the morning we travel to visit the area of Grigdale. Visit a farming family, with strong Scottish roots, growing around 2000ha of direct drilled crops. Inspect the farm and enjoy time in the established homestead and gardens. In the afternoon, we travel to Buenos Aires, across the poorest
area of the Pampas, the Salado river basin, which is a large area prone to flooding due to its poor drainage and low elevation. This area is responsible for a large number of the calves bred in the country. Most properties have crops in the “hills” and cow-calf operations in the lower areas.
Continue to Buenos Aires for the evening.

Transfer to airport early this morning for your flight to Puerto Iguazú, in Argentina, on the border with Paraguay and Brazil. This small town is located at the confluence of the Iguazú and Parana Rivers, natural borders between the three countries. Arrive at the Sheraton International Hotel,
which has a wonderful view of the amazing Iguazú Falls, located a few steps away from the middle of a sub-tropical rain forest. The hotel is the only one inside the National Park, in a natural environment where pumas, jaguars, alligators and many colorful birds live. Time to walk on
the walkways through the falls and use the swimming pool before dusk.

Visit the Argentina side of the Falls, including Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), the highest fall of the whole complex. Take a boat ride to the bottom of the Falls, into the rapids, for a very close look at the powerful river. Then we travel down the river, returning to the hotel in a 4WD truck, looking at the jungle. There is always a chance to spot some of the wildlife on the area including tapir, toucans, vultures, capybara, monkeys and even jaguars.

Today we will visit the Falls on the Brazilian side. We cross the Iguazu River into Brazil, through the Tancredo Neves Bridge. We enter the National Park, for a panoramic view of the falls, 75 % of which are in Argentina but the Brazilians have the view. Lunch in a Brazilian style “churrascaria’
(different cuts of beef, pork and chicken are brought to the table on swords). We later go to the Itaipú Dam on the Parana River between Paraguay and Brazil. This dam is the biggest hydroelectric dam in the world, supplying all of Paraguays need and much of Brazil. We will drive through the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguacu, state of Parana. Return to Argentina to see the three borders point at the Argentine village of Puerto Iguazú, looking at the Brazilian and Paraguayan side across the Parana River and Iguazú rivers, at their confluence.

Time to relax this morning at the Iguazu Hotel, prior to transferring to the Iguazú Airport to fly to Buenos Aires and onto Auckland via Santiago, Chile

Arrive into Delhi/Chennai International Airport early this morning and
continue your journey home