From the Atlantic to the Pacific (AR 037)
Patagonia & Cruise

Departures: Tuesdays from September to April.
Guide: Spanish and bilingual (English - German - Italian - French)
Meals: according to itinerary. Air Fare: not included.

A fascinating trip to discover both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and an incredible ammount of secrets kept in between that mingle with the immensity of the Patagonic steppe: an ancient subtropical petrified wood by the action of volcanic eruptions over 60 million years ago, nowadays lying in the barren bleak plateau; a cave decorated by Indian paintings 900 years ago; and finally the millenary ice of San RafaelGlacier.

Day 1 - Comodoro Rivadavia
Reception at the local airport and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon city tour of Comodoro Rivadavia, visiting the Petroleum Museum and Mt. Chenque's panoramic view point. Continue to Rada Tilly, a seaside village a few kilometres south from Comodoro Rivadavia to Punta del Marques Hill view point that dominates the villa and to the sea lion rookery. Accommodation. Dinner.

Day 2 - Comodoro Rivadavia / Petrified Woods / Río Mayo
Breakfast. Visit to the Petrified Woods J. Ormachea, discovered in 1927, which gathers a group of 65 million years old huge fossilized trunks that reach 30 meters in length and twometers in diameter. It's formed by rocky arid land with xerophilous plants, prehistoric conifers and dead palm trees.
Continue to Río Mayo. Visit a local estancia that develops the breeding and protection of the guanaco, one of the most characteristic South American 'camelidae' group in the southern extreme of the continent, in semicaptivity. Continue to the town of Perito Moreno and Estancia Telken. Accommodation. Dinner.

Day 3 - Pinturas River Valley
Breakfast. Departure to Pinturas River Canyon. Trekking (level: moderate) to visit the Caves of the Painted Hands, one of the greatest expressions of rupestrian American art. This place offers a testimony of the mores and beliefs of the ethnic group that lived there thousands of years ago. The scenes that are designed in different colors: black, ocher, yellow, red and violet represent hands, human figures in motion and guanacos. Box Lunch. Return to Telken. Accommodation. Dinner.

Day 4 - Pinturas River Valley / Paso Huemules / Coihaique / Pto. Chacabuco
Breakfast. Departure along Route Nº 40 to Perito Moreno Village. Continue to Balmaceda (Chile) international crossroad. Free Lunch at Coihaique. Arrival at Puerto Chacabuco. Transfer to Hotel Loberías del Sur. Accomodation. Dinner.

Day 5 – San Rafael Glacier
Breakfast. Embarkation in a catamaran on a full day sailing excursion to the San Rafael Glacier. This is a Dream Cruise through the spectacular channels and archipielagos where the exhuberant nature can be seen in all its splendor and where man´s presence is nearly imperceptible. At San Rafael lagoon you will be welcomed by the Glacier, towering more than 70 metres above the level of the lake. Sail in zodiaks among the multicoloured icebergs whose ice is more than 30.000 years old. Meals and Openbar included on board. Disembarkation at Puerto Chacabuco. Transfer to Hotel Loberías del Sur. Accommodation. Dinner.

Day 6 – Puerto Chacabuco
Breakfast.Transfer to Balmaceda airport.

OPTIONAL PRE-TOUR
Puerto Deseado

Day 1 - Comodoro Rivadavia
Reception at Comodoro Rivadavia airport. Departure to Puerto Deseado, visiting the Jaramillo Petrified Woods on the way, fossilized by the effect of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The trees turned into kind of rock statues by the action of volcanic dust where mostly coniferous and even some palm trees that covered this land when it was not the bleak barren plateau that it is today. Accommodation. Dinner.

Day 2 - Puerto Deseado
Breakfast. Full day excursion to Ría Deseado, an interesting area conformed by the inlet and the adjoining zones. The town of Puerto Deseado is located nearby. This inlet is unique for its geological and fauna aspects. The course of the river has been abandonned by the former river that covered it and was occupied by the sea. This makes it a national treasure, due to aesthetic and scientific reasons. It's the only place in the world where five different species of cormorans coexist, all of them feeding in the area and three of them nesting. The Magellanic penguin is a usual inhabitant of the inlet from October to April and the most important roockeries are Quiroga Island, Punta del Paso Key, Birds Island and Chaffers Island. Return to the hotel.

Day 3 - Puerto Deseado / Comodoro Rivadavia
(This day replaces day 1 from the main program). Breakfast. Visit to the Natural Reserve of “Cabo Blanco”, a magnificent rock formation that constitutes the main Rookery of Sea Lions. Return to Comodoro Rivadavia. Accommodation at the hotel. Dinner.