Days 7-8 El Calafate
Return to the gateway town of El Calafate and enjoy a remarkable day at one of the world’s few advancing glaciers. The Perito Moreno Glacier sits imposingly at the head of Argentino Lake, its three-mile long face rising 200 feet above the water. Navigate your way by boat through recently calved ice blocks to a small beach. Here you will don crampons and enter a world of incredible blue ice formations, hidden crevasses and winding streams. The world of Frozen comes to life and geography lessons take on a new meaning.

Note that from El Calafate it is just an easy hop across the border to Chile’s Torres del Paine if you have a few extra days.

Day 9 Day at an Estancia
Estancias and gauchos are part of Argentine tradition and today you will enjoy this experience in the spectacular setting of the Patagonian Steppe. Cruise the Upsala Channel for panoramic views of the Upsala Glacier then hop on horseback for a gentle ride through the Cristina Valley.  Cross the Caterina River to a stunning viewpoint before returning to a working estancia to enjoy a traditional gaucho lunch.

Day 10 Bariloche
Fly north to the Lake District alpine centre of San Carlos de Bariloche. This scenic lakeside town is like a miniature Swiss resort and the main holiday capital for many Argentine families looking for some R&R. The setting on the edge of the Nahuel Huapi Lake is spectacular. Numerous glaciers run off the snow-capped peaks feeding the multiple lakes that lend the district its name.

This first afternoon you could ‘pop’ up Cerro Llao Llao, a modest peak offering extraordinary views. Later you can wander the streets and indulge in some chocolate-tasting – ever tried cardamon and pepper or Patagonian truffles flavoured with fruits of the forest?

Day 11 Bariloche
Today enjoy a wonderful mix of boating, hiking, swimming and fishing. Cruise to Tristeza Bay where you can take an easy hike to a beautiful waterfall. There are granite slabs and pools to swim from beneath ancient Alerce and Coihue trees. Relax over a picnic lunch on the beach and then try your hand at fly-fishing for the local trout.

Day 12 Bariloche
After breakfast take a spectacular one-hour drive into the Manso Valley where you can enjoy one of the greatest mountain bike trails in the area. Afterwards embark on a white water rafting trip suitable for all the family, floating down the Upper Manso River (Class II).

Alternatively there are paddle boarding and kayaking options on Nahuel Huapi Lake and many more hiking routes to choose from (with cable car and chair lift options for little legs).

Day 13 Patagonian Pampas
Spend the morning horse-riding at a ranch on the east side of Bariloche. Here you can view the lush forests and glaciers of Tronador from the drier open steppe.

You will then be hosted by one of Bariloche´s pioneering families, who will give a demonstration into the preparation of the traditional ‘Cordero a la Cruz’ (the local gaucho technique of cooking lamb).

Afterwards transfer to the Catedral Resort and take the cable car to the Lynch Hut on the ridgeline. Drink in the fabulous views of the park while tasting the local craft beer.

Day 14 Buenos Aires
Fly back to the capital to enjoy a final afternoon in this fabulous city. Perhaps take a street food tour, tasting your way through San Telmo, or bring those Strictly Come Dancing skills out in an evening tango lesson. The less active/rhythmic (or more embarrassed) may prefer to round off their holiday with an entertaining tango show.

Day 15 Buenos Aires
It will be hard not to cry for Argentina as you depart for the airport….

Day 1 Ushuaia
Arrive in Ushuaia. Take a trek around the city starting at El Mirador Del Beagle, which provides panoramic views of Ushuaia and the surrounding natural grandeur of mountains and the Beagle Channel.

Day 2 Tierra del Fuego National Park
Enjoy a full day tour in this stunning national park with its lush beech forests covered with a magic carpet of green moss. Take a morning trek toward a wonderfully scenic lookout point high above the majestic Lake Roca. The forest is known to attract Austral parakeets, black-chested buzzards, the Magellanic woodpecker and soaring high above, the magnificent Andean condor.

After a picnic lunch, take kayaks out on to the Ovando River. As you paddle into Laguna Verde, enter one of the most picturesque spots in the region, surrounded by stunning scenery on all sides as well as families of resident sea petrels, albatross and Steamer ducks.  Enjoy the early, southern sunset behind the mountains at the southernmost reaches of the Panamerican Highway.

Day 3 Beagle Channel
Hop into inflatable canoes and paddle towards the Beagle Channel, winding gently through the forested landscape, home to rock cormorants and seals.

After stopping to visit the historical Estancia Harberton, continue by motorboat to see the penguins at Isla Martillo.

On nearby Gable Island you will enjoy a freshly cooked lunch before exploring the island, walking along the tracks left by the Yamanas, the original inhabitants of this region.  This is a truly magical place, where you can experience the silence and isolation of these wild and remote surroundings.

Day 4  Valdez Peninsula
Fly on to your next destination. From here you can fly to El Calafate, Buenos Aires or the Valdez Peninsula. You can even join the Australis 4 day cruise which takes you past Cape Horn and up to Punta Arenas in Chile, the starting point for trips into the world famous Torres del Paine National Park.

Day 1 Iguazu Falls – the Brazilian side
Arrive into Puerto Iguazu and transfer straight across the border to the Brazilian side of the park. Here a network of boardwalks take you to the most incredible panoramic views, the spectacular Devil’s Throat being the main highlight – waterproof cameras required!

However Iguazu is so much more than ‘just waterfalls’. You are surrounded by fig trees, giant bromeliads and vibrant orchids. Coatis racoon are everywhere (watch out for your snacks), colourful butterflies flit overhead and toucans, macaws and parrots screech greetings.

Finish your day at the ‘Backstage Experience’, which sounds like something out of Las Vegas, but starring local fauna instead. Here you can enjoy privileged contact with exotic birds whilst learning about the park’s much-needed conservation and rescue programmes. Educational and a huge amount of fun – all ages will love it. Head back to Argentina and your hotel on the Argentine side of the falls.

Day 2 Iguazu Falls – the Argentine side
Many people consider the Argentine side to be the more exciting. Trek the Lower circuit alongside the falls through humid subtropical forest filled with wildlife. Or follow the Superior circuit where hanging bridges offer spectacular views of the massive deluge of water. Both routes end at the edge of the most dramatic part of the falls, the Garganta del Diablo – the Devil’s Throat.

After all this trekking you will hop into a ‘safari boat’ and get up close to the base of the falls themselves, heart-stopping stuff as the captain plays with your nerves running the rapids, whirlpools and currents. Hint – you WILL get very, very wet.

Day 3 Iguazu
This morning depending on flight times, there is the option to bike through the Selva Iryapú jungle area. Alternatively you can take a kayaking trip paddling the calm waters of the Urugua-í River through rich jungle. A 45-minute walk through the forest will bring you to an open viewpoint of Paraguay – where three countries meet ‘Tres Fonteras’

Fly back to Buenos Aires or continue across the Brazilian border and onto the beaches of Rio, the Emerald Coast, the Pantanal or the Amazon….