Traditions, Food and Wine

Estancia in the Argentine Pampas

On arrival in Buenos Aires you are met and taken into the pampas to a traditional estancia outside San Antonio de Areco to stay for two nights.

A day of relaxation or activities around the estancia and getting to know the gaucho way of life.

Buenos Aires

During the morning you are collected from the estancia and driven into Buenos Aires for a stay of three nights. Your guide escorts you for a half day introductory tour of this cosmopolitan city. You visit some of its landmarks, such as Plaza de Mayo and the Obelisk, and stroll along broad metropolitan avenues. On narrower streets you explore colourful San Telmo and La Boca, and stylish Palermo with its beautiful parks and gardens, then Parisian Recoleta, and the newly smartened dockland of Puerto Madero. You will hear of events that swayed emotions, changed lives and became the themes of stories, songs and theatre.

Two days free in Buenos Aires, for museums and galleries, shops and cafes. There are guided tours we can suggest to suit your interests, restaurants we can recommend, and perhaps an evening tango show.

Mendoza

A driver collects you for your flight to Mendoza, where you are met and taken to your lodge in Luján de Cuyo, an area long-recognised for fine wine, for three nights. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax or explore.

Visiting two wineries in Luján de Cuyo or nearby Maipú you will be struck by the efforts of settlers who created productive vineyards in dry desert, extending irrigation systems created by the indigenous Huarpes community. You see traditional wine production methods alongside the latest technology, and finish with tastings. Wineries usually visited include Vistandes, López, Viniterra, Cavas Don Arturo, Carmine Granata and Cavas de Weinert.

Travelling further afield, you visit two more wineries in the now famous Uco Valley, an area of great natural beauty at the foot of the snow-capped Andes. In recent years Uco has seen significant development by the most cutting-edge producers with vines cultivated at around 1000 metres.

Santiago

In the morning you are transferred to the airport for a spectacular flight across the Andes to Chile. You are met on your arrival in Santiago and driven to your hotel for a stay of four nights.

Santiago has three very fine museums and galleries which you visit today: the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts, and Contemporary Arts. From here you explore the bohemian Bellavista neighbourhood, with lots of restaurants, boutiques and galleries. Here you visit Pablo Neruda’s ‘La Chascona’, a house that embodies the poet’s eccentric, sociable style. It is a love letter to the sea, where he was at his happiest.

Maipo Valley

The Maipo Valley is home to vineyards with international reputations, such as Viña Cousiño Macul and the now ubiquitous Viña Undurraga and Viña Concha y Toro. Passing through quiet countryside you stop at two vineyards for short tours with tastings and a typical lunch of the Maipo region. Return to your Santiago hotel in the late afternoon.

Colchagua Valley

To the southwest of Santiago to explore the Colchagua Valley. The winery of Santa Cruz offers a full spectrum: wine tour, museum of Chilean history, automobile museum, and even a cable car to a hilltop view. Other wineries offer more traditional options.

Casablanca Valley and Valparaíso

Travel west to a vineyard in the Casablanca Valley and then to Valparaíso for a 2 night stay. You arrive in good time for a guided walk from Prat Pier, through Plaza Sotomayor to the El Peral funicular, one of fifteen that are a vital part of the city’s life. At the top you step into the winding lanes of Cerro Alegre and walk to Cerro Concepción, and the stylish Paseo Gervasoni and Paseo Atkinson with views over the bay. Dropping down to the ‘plan’, the name given to the flat areas of the city, you hop on a trolleybus to Plaza Aduana, taking the lift to Paseo 21 de Mayo where your vehicle is waiting to return you to your hotel after a real taste of life in this magical city.

Isla Negra

You are driven through the coastal towns of Algarrobo and El Quisco to visit Pablo Neruda’s ‘Isla Negra’ oceanfront home, restored and open for visitors.

You are taken to Santiago airport for your overnight flight back to the UK. If you have more time you could fly to Easter Island, take an expedition cruise, or stop at Iguazú Falls on your journey home.