ANTARCTICA, GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, CLOUD FOREST AND BUENOS AIRES

Day 1 Depart Australia to Santiago and onto Lima

The gateway to both South America and Antarctica is Santiago in Chile.  Flying from either Melbourne or Sydney with LATAM Airlines or Qantas you’ll arrives into Santiago and connect on to a flight to Peru’s capital Lima.  Overnight at Lima Airport Wyndham Grand Lima (before flying onto Quito).

This is the start of an amazingly diverse holiday that combines two amazing cruises, a bio-diversity hot-spot (Mashpi Cloud Forest) with cosmopolitan Buenos Aires.  If you wanted you could easily add in Iguazu Falls, or even some time in Peru (Machi Picchu) and, of course, Patagonia – and we think this itinerary would be wonderful as it is – and yes we’ve had clients take this journey.

Days 2 – 3 Quito (Ecuador)

On arrival you will be met at Quito Airport and transferred to your hotel. Explore Quito on a guided city tour, visit the old colonial quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest and best preserved of South America.  The tour begins at the Independence Plaza, flanked by the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace, the Municipal Building and the Archbishop’s Palace.  Visit the temple of La Compañía de Jesús and the Monastery of San Francisco.

Days 4 -6 Mashpi Cloud Forest Lodge

Exploring from Mashpi Lodge is spell-binding from the moment you set foot outside the lodge to the moment you return.
The Lodge and the experience is special. Hike along well-maintained trails accompanied by expert naturalist guides, or take a trip on the Dragonfly (cable car). Not far from the Lodge itself, the Dragonfly Canopy Gondola awaits. Once you hop onboard, you’ll embark on an exhilarating odyssey that few have the privilege to experience. Our open-air gondola will allow you to soar gracefully above and over the lush canopy. As you glide seamlessly along the Dragonfly’s advanced cable system, every angle offers a panoramic spectacle, allowing you to drink in the awe-inspiring vastness of the verdant forest around you.

Mashpi Lodge offers luxury in Ecuador’s Cloud Forest, rooms are beautiful and have floor to ceiling windows.  Cuisine is of a very high standard.

Day 7  Overnight Quito

The excitement builds as your time to board your ship draws closer.  Most ships board around 4pm: we’ll provide you with all the necessary information well in advance of your departure from Australia.  Soon after boarding you’ll be cruising down the Beagle Channel, having obligatory safety briefing as you begin your Antarctic Adventure.

Day 8 Fly to Galapagos Island and board Cruise ship

Today we’ll transfer you to Quito airport for your flights to the Galapagos Islands.  Upon arrival you’ll be met and transferred to the port and onto your chosen Galapagos cruise boat.

We work with 29 ships ranging from Tourist Superior to Luxury and from just 16 berths up to 100.

Here are three of our most favourite ships from which we always receive excellent feedback.

ELITE                      THEORY                    NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIUC GEMINI

Days 9 -14 Galapagos Islands Cruise

A Galapagos cruise is a unique experience as well as a holiday of a lifetime, it’s not only for birdwatchers or wildlife obsessives but for every traveller who has any interest in seeing the incredibly diverse and often unique species of birds, reptiles and mammals. The isolation of the islands and the minimal contact with humans has made the wildlife almost totally unafraid and allows visitors to see them at closer quarters. Over the last five years many new and luxury ships have been built to operate in this wondrous destination.  Standards are high; cuisine is excellent, your expedition/naturalist guides are extremely knowledgeable  and offer a rewarding and informative experience.  Ships range in size from just 16 guests up to 100 guests.  There are benefits to both small and large ships and we’ll happily discuss the options with you.

On a luxury or first-class Galapagos cruise you will visit many of the islands where you will participate in short walks, snorkelling, Zodiac (locally referred to as a Panga) cruising and kayaking as well as visiting a Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre.

Day 15 Fly back to Quito and onto Buenos Aires (via Lima)

Today is mainly a travelling day.  South America is vast and you can’t always fly directly from one capital to another, hence it is necessary to fly Quito to Lima and then across to Buenos Aires  We can look after all of your flights to not only ensure seamless travel but also to make sure your itinerary maximises your enjoyment and minimises travel times.  We’ll have our representatives waiting for you upon arrival in BA.

Days 16 – 17 Buenos Aires

Argentina’s capital has a lot to offer; many fine restaurants (Crizia is one such restaurant and is ranked as 39th Best in South America), colonial history, some excellent street art, several very interesting street markets and of course a Tango show.

Faena Buenos Aires offers an intimate show with a good dinner.  You don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy this experience (and it needs to be booked in advance).

We can arrange for a local English speaking and guide to show you the sites that are of interest to you either on a walking tour or by vehicle.

Day 18 Fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia

The excitement builds as your time to board your ship draws closer.  Most ships board around 4pm: we’ll provide you with all the necessary information well in advance of your departure from Australia.  Soon after boarding you’ll be cruising down the Beagle Channel, having obligatory safety briefing as you begin your Antarctic Adventure.

Days 19 – 28 Antarctic Cruise

The next 10-18 days will vary according to your chosen Antarctic cruise.  Shorter cruises spend all there time on the Antarctic Peninsula, longer voyages will include the Falkland Island and South Georgia.   All cruises departing from Ushuaia will spend 2-3 days in total crossing the Drake Passage.  These days offer opportunity for a a wide range of presentations about the places you’ll explore as well as how to safely get in and out of a zodiac and what to do when you go ashore.  You will be well prepared for your excursions in zodiacs, kayaks (if you have chosen) and for any walks or hikes ashore.  Every voyage will do everything possible to ensure you land on the Continent of Antarctica.  It’s a truly incredible experience – we’ll do our best to ensure you chose the best ship, cruise itinerary to suite your needs and interests.  It’s where having first-hand experience of many ships helps (it’s also a lot of fun for us; to do a job where you get to enjoy and share such wonderful places is very rewarding).

Here are three of our most popular ships:

SYLVIA EARLE            SEA SPIRIT           OCEAN EXPLORER

Day 29 Arrive back into Ushuaia.  Transfer to airport fly to Buenos Aires and onto Santiago and home

Bid farewell to Ushuaia and start your journey home to Australia