A True Polar Adventure: Cruise, Hiking, and Camping in Antarctica

There are not enough words to describe how magical this trip was. It was 26 days and every day was an adventure filled with unexpected surprises. This trip touched the highlights of Argentina and just a tiny portion of Antarctica. Even though I was not able to see the whole of Argentina and the whole of Antarctica, the experience remained beautiful, all thanks to Zicasso's travel agent and his team, who made this trip very much a magical adventure. Yes, it was aggressive, as I covered many different parts. However, my agent and his team made it possible for me to feel comfortable and enjoy my experience. He and I worked together from March 2024 to October 2024 on customizing this trip. We talked about the budget and certain modifications. The result was a trip I will never ever forget.

Buenos Aires: I was there for one night and got a great overview of the history of Argentina from my guide. In the six hours I had on the tour, I understood I needed to stay in Buenos Aires longer to appreciate the city. There are many districts and each has its own history and, in a way, its own culture. I have to return to explore Buenos Aires a little bit more because six hours is not enough to explore this beautiful city. I was amazed at how green this city is. I appreciated the guide for giving me an overview of the history of Argentina. However, I know I need to come back to really get an in-depth education of the history of Argentina, especially the history of Buenos Aires.

El Calafate: This is a relatively new city in Santa Cruz province. Let me tell you, it is absolutely gorgeous. It has a different, country-style feeling. One of the biggest attractions of El Calafate is definitely Lago Argentino, with branches of its glacier river surrounding the city. The Perito Moreno Glacier was absolutely magnificent. I can't believe I was able to trek on top of the glacier. The guides were awesome. They helped me a lot while I was struggling to trek on this glacier. They made me feel comfortable and gave me the courage to trek on just a small part of the glacier. 

The next day, I visited El Chaltén. My guide was awesome. She made me comfortable during the three-hour ride and told me lots of interesting facts. She was very patient when I was hiking up to Laguna Capri. The hike, which is four kilometers from the base, was very challenging, but I was able to do it. On the ride back, I was able to see the cloudless peaks of Mount Fitzroy. That was really a lucky day … it reminded me that life can be very unpredictable, with many twists and turns.

Ushuaia: I cannot believe I came to the southernmost city in the world! I hiked eight kilometers in the Tierra del Fuego National Park and paddled in the Lapataia river. This was definitely a very challenging excursion, but my guide made me feel very comfortable and helped me all along this challenging trek. Everybody in my trekking group made me feel comfortable as I was struggling to hike along the steep path. However challenging this trek was, I still loved it and enjoyed it, and was able to inhale the beauty of this pristine forest. 

The next day I did a five-kilometer hike into Laguna Esmeralda, which was again breathtaking. Even though this track was not as challenging as the previous day, it was still challenging because of the muddy path. My guide was very patient with me and made us all feel very, very comfortable. This hike was worth it, as after five kilometers hiking, I was able to see Laguna Esmeralda. This beautiful green glacier lagoon was breathtaking; again not enough words to describe its beauty. I was very appreciative of my guide and all the group members who helped me as I was struggling to hike.

Antarctica: What can I say? I visited the coldest, driest, windiest place on our planet. Even though it was not fun journeying through the Drake Passage for 48 hours, going in and coming back, it was definitely worth the experience and risk-taking. After all, adventures are known for their challenges. The expedition team was excellent. They were highly and made sure everyone on the ship had a great experience. Every one of the crew cared about us. Again, there are not enough words to explain how beautiful this continent is. I have never loved winter, snow, or even ice, but it taught me how to fall in love with ice. There were so many beautiful icebergs. And I fell in love with the penguins. I can definitely see myself sitting down in a place and just watching penguins all day. I even did the polar plunge. This trip taught me that I have the capacity to do a lot of things I did not expect to be able to do.

Mendoza: Usually, people come to Mendoza for wine. I came to Mendoza for something else besides wine. I can't believe I was able to see Mount Aconcagua, the highest mountain peak in all of the Americas. It was Mount Aconcagua that was my inspiration to come to Argentina. I saw Mount Aconcagua and learned about the different mountain ranges. I even enjoyed the beautiful ride along the mountain ranges through tunnels. I learned about the oasis and the irrigation system. I was very, very impressed with the irrigation system and how they divert the glacier river to feed the town and water the trees in the cities. I even visited an olive oil and balsamic vinegar factory. It was amazing to learn how olive oil was made before newer technologies came into place. I finally was able to taste different types of olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette, which I fell in love with. This was all thanks to my guide, who was wonderful throughout the trip. She was what made the trip so memorable. I definitely had a great time interacting with her and learning from her. I cannot believe that during my short stay in Mendoza, I was able to see many things and learn many things.

Salta/Jujuy: Again, my words come up short in describing how much I enjoyed these two beautiful provinces. They reminded me of Peru, having once been part of the Incan civilization. There is so much history and countless natural beauty within these two provinces. It was my guide who made this trip unforgettable. He made this trip very educational and fun at the same time. I visited some small towns, both colonial and pre-colonial. I visited many breathtaking areas, such as Quebrada de Las Flechas, Cafayate, Cachi, and Humahuaca. It was unbelievable how the topography changed on different points of my journey. I am so happy that he was my guy, as I learned so much from him, especially about geology. I sincerely do not have enough words to describe how grateful I am to have learned from him.

Iguazú: One word, spectacular! I cannot believe I saw the Iguazú Falls from the Argentine and Brazilian sides. It was hands down one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen. I even did a boat ride to get a river-level perspective of these falls. I'm glad to have had a guide who was so excited and enthusiastic in showing me different parts of the waterfalls along the different trails in the national park. He was excited to show me the national bird reserve in Brazil on my last day. I could feel myself coming back to Iguazú Falls and just standing there and enjoying the beautiful, spectacular view of this magnificent group of water bodies.

Once again, I thank my travel agent from the bottom of my heart for arranging this beautiful and majestic adventure for me. I learned so much history and geology. I also learned that I had the capacity to undertake difficult, challenging trekking that I didn't think I was able to. I came out of this trip feeling like a stronger person. I cannot wait to work with him again for another adventure!

Everything was well organized. We were very happy with our guide. We had a great trip to BA and the Tigre Delta. Our Antarctica trip was amazing. The Zicasso company was very accessible through their representative.

We had some issues with the accommodations. The hotel in BA was not very clean, had very old, worn-out towels, and the room was small. The hotel in Ushuaia was a transit hotel for tourists going on Antarctica expeditions. It was not secure in terms of leaving luggage during the day and they would not give us a ticket to identify our luggage. How would we know whether we would get it back? We had to carry it around all day.

Our room was on the fourth floor and not well-ventilated. The same can be said for the other hotel in Ushuaia. We could not close the curtains at night due to inadequate ventilation.

We think there was too much downtime in Ushuaia. Perhaps that was unavoidable due to the time needed to travel there and get on the expedition boat.

Having said all of this, I would still use this tour company again with them having learnt what we did not like about the accommodations. They are a great company.

Zicasso referred us to our trip planner at this travel company when we inquired about a trip to Argentina.  From the beginning, our trip planner was very informative and very eager to ensure we had the trip we wanted. As we did not want to go with a set tour, our planner arranged each detail of our custom tour to include air transportation, hotels, tours, private hosts, etc.  All of the hosts in the various cities were delightful, and we had no issues with our arrangements.  They were all prompt, helpful and very friendly. 

- In Buenos Aires, a travel specialist met us at EZE and got us off on the right foot, and our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us a lovely tour of the city. Our guide also made sure we got to/from Uruguay, to our plane to Ushuaia, and from the regional airport to EZE on our way home. It was always great to see her familiar face wherever we arrived!   - In Ushuaia, a travel specialist was very helpful in ensuring the trip to a local farm ranch and Martillo Island to see the penguins was fun and informative. Also, in Ushuaia, our guide took us on an absolutely delightful 4X4 adventure into the forest.  He was very knowledgeable and entertaining!- In El Calafate, we had a great host, and she and our driver quickly became our friends. She gave us a great extension of the Glacier Tour on foot after the boat ride, and was so knowledgeable about the area. Our driver was very prompt, courteous and always got us where we needed to be right on time.  And you were right, the hotel here WAS magnificent! - In Iguazu, our guide was very helpful in arranging our Full Moon Tour of the Falls. She was also very considerate of our limitations going up, down and all around the Falls both on the Argentine and Brazil side.  She and her driver made the border crossing easy and quick.  

To summarize, our trip was wonderful. None of us had ever been to Argentina; however, now we feel as though we have seen a good sampling of this beautiful country. We want to thank our trip planner so much for her patience and understanding as we put this adventure together. Her whole team did a great job; however, our special thanks goes to her for seeing our vision for our trip and making such splendid arrangements for us. We wouldn't have changed a thing!

We had a marvelous, unforgettable trip overall, including visits to Santiago, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Easter Island, Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile, and finally Antarctica. We experienced a great variety of Chile's vast geography and ecology, from the beautiful central valleys, to the northern desert, to the tropical Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), to the forests and mountains of Patagonia. The lodges and excursions they provided in each destination were well organized, with knowledgeable, English-speaking guides. We visited Antarctica and it was spectacular. The tour operator offers expedition travel for people who want to experience the polar regions firsthand. Our expedition, 14 days that went below the Antarctica Circle, featured expert guides who enjoyed sharing their considerable knowledge of geology, glaciers and ice (!), mammals, birds, and plants, to name just a portion, and excursions twice daily on zodiacs to sail among glaciers and whales and seals and walk among penguins and skuas. It was not a leisure cruise, but an expedition for folks who want to experience and appreciate the Antarctica up close. That said, the ship was extremely comfortable, with a remarkably hospitable staff and delicious, copious food.

Our travel company was excellent in helping us to conceptualize, plan, and organize our trip. They offered many useful suggestions about where to go, how much time to spend in each destination, and which options to consider for hotels/lodges and the Antarctica expedition. We greatly appreciated their advice and assistance in putting together our trip. All of the hotel and transit reservations were made, and that part of the trip went smoothly.

However, there was a persistent problem with our air travel in Chile that was unnecessary, and which caused us needless aggravation. For our internal flights (to/from Calama/Atacama, and to Puerto Natales), our travel company purchased the cheapest LAN tickets that did not include baggage allowance. I discovered this a month before we were set to travel, when I was carefully reviewing the reservations (and about 5 months after they purchased the tickets). When I informed the travel company in early January 2018, I said we of course had baggage (especially cold weather gear for Antarctica) and needed the 23 kg allowance. After I informed them of the problem, they did work to correct the problem, telling us they had purchased baggage allowances for those flights that didn't originally have them. We got a receipt from them for baggage for one of those flights (to Puerto Natales), and were told it was resolved for the Calama flights but LAN couldn't provide a receipt. When we did check in for those flights, the baggage allowance was covered, but our concern before each flight could have been avoided if they had bought the correct tickets. 

This problem became more apparent, and more aggravating when we were checking in to fly from Atacama to Santiago, and then on to Easter Island. We were told we could not check our bags all the way through to Easter Island because our tickets for the two flights that day were not on the same record. (This was due to the fact that two different priced tickets had been purchased. The Easter Island tickets were regular, economy tickets.) So we had to check in our bags to Santiago, retrieve them from baggage claim at Santiago Airport, and then return to the Departures area of the airport and check them in for the flight to Easter Island. Santiago Airport is a huge, crowded, messy airport, and this process of literally running around the airport took us 1.5 hours (of what was a 2 hour layover). We arrived at our gate for Easter Island just as people were boarding. This was not what we planned for or expected—and it could and should have been avoided if the travel company had bought the proper air tickets from the start.

I don't think we got the best agent for what could've been an amazing family trip. We traveled with our children (9yrs & 13yrs old) throughout Argentina over the past Xmas holiday season - Buenos Aires-Ushuaia-Calafate-Bariloche-Iguazu-Buenos Aires. I have a keen interest in travel and hotels and knew pretty much what I wanted from this trip but thought I would engage this travel agency through Zucasso to help with the itinerary. They seemed to be engaged in the planning process but once on location, things didn't run as smooth / didn't  make a lot of sense. A lot of the local experiences were not well thought out or the local suppliers were not great which was a tax on our high expectations for a fun family trip in Argentina moreover that for the price, we had pretty high expectations. Our schedule was fairly busy - 5 locations and 6 domestic flights and our travel agency was supposed to book the best local excursions suitable for a family and arrange transfers. We were somewhat disappointed that a lot of the trips weren't what we wanted - e.g. we had a day out to Ushuaia steppes it's a boat trip to the penguin island but turned out the trip we were on couldn't land on the island as the company wasn't licensed - instead we were booked on a 3hr trek through a rough marshland and terrain hardly suitable for children. Also, in Calafate, we were booked on a completely unessential trip to the Upsala glacier (which we couldn't see close anyway) involving 3hrs crowded ferryboat trip each way to estancia Cristina (where there isn't much to see/do) while it was perfectly fine to just do the one day trip to the Perito Moreno glacier which is a great day out with fantastic view and easy transfer. Finally, at Iguazu falls, we staid on the Brazillian side (at a great place) but for some bizarre reason, our travel agency thought it was a good idea to put us on a day trip to the Argentinian side involving two border crossings (as a bonus our driver got stopped by the police due to irregular documentation and we had to get a random taxi after an hour in the heat) - while it was perfectly fine to stay the two days at the hotel we stayed at and see the falls from there which actually had the best views! Luckily, parts of our trip went well as we were well looked after at the hotels in Buenos Aires and Bariloche - great properties with professional service. Nevertheless, we never felt like we get much out of our travel agent and at times it felt the opposite. It's disappointing as the company's manager seemed like a nice man who knows his stuff professionally. Maybe he wasn't engaged or his people responsible for our itinerary didn't deliver but it just didn't work for us. I am not sure what kind of standards Zicasso requires from its partners but I feel a bit conned to have chosen this agent in a market with so much competition and choice.

Our trip started on November 7, 19 with our first stop at Santiago del Chile.  Our guide (from a local agency) spent two wonderful days with us. Even though our visit at Valparaiso had to be cancelled due to some street riots, the travel specialist has secured a visit at a winery in Casablanca Valley, as well as a winery where we had a tour, vine testing and a very good lunch.

Our next stop was at Puntas Arenas, from which a minivan had taken us to the Hotel in the Las Torres Del Paine .  The hotel and the staff were wonderful, very attentive and provided all services with big smiles.  Our first hike to Las Torres took us a whole day but what a view we did experience ... we will never forget the Las Torres view and excellent guides hotel had provided.

From Las Torres the minivan had taken us to El Calafate where next morning we were met by our guide - a wonderful lady, very experience and knowledgable tourist guide - we highly recommend her services. We spent a day visiting Glaciar Perito Moreno.  We spent two night at a Boutique Hotel, a very classy yet modern hotel.

From El Calafate we took a short flight to Ushuaia, where we stayed at a hotel.  Our trip to see the penguins and other water animals was very well organized (the captain of the boat could wear a more professional cloths but then he was a captain......).

From Ushuaia we traveled to Iguazu via Buenos Aires.  The Suites Hotel was spectacular; it was situated literary in the middle of jungle with lavish green vegetation in front of our balcony.  The Iquazu Falls are impossible to describe, one needs to see them from both Argentinian and Brazilian sides. Our private guide was superb - extremely intelligent, knowledgable, resourceful and very helpful - we highly recommend his services.

Our last stop was at Buenos Aires where we met our guide, a very educated city guide.  We had a wonderful time with her and  highly recommend her services as well.  The Tango Show was superb, not to mentioned a very tasteful meal.

We, Peter and I have planed this trip for a long time and with your help it was the trip we will never forget.

In Buenos Aires we met with our travel planner from this travel company; she was interested in our comments and suggestions with regards to provided itinerary. It is always better to provide more details rather than less or information which is  not quantifiable.  For example: "At appropriate time."..... rather than around 3 pm the van (it is important also to specify what van?) will pick you up from the airport.  This example is for the Puntas Arenas airport where nobody was waiting for us......

Overall, our trip was fantastic and we will always remember it.  Thank you for making it happen.

I have already reached out to your office for the itinerary for our next trip to Japan in September 2020.