Quintessential Chile and Argentina: A Seniors Patagonia Tour

Zicasso’s travel specialist planned a memorable itinerary for our journey through Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. He took the time to understand our preferences, which allowed us to experience breathtaking scenery and enjoy unique adventures throughout our travels.

Exceptional Guides

The trip planner provided us with guides who were engaging and knowledgeable. In particular, our guide in Santiago and our guide in Bariloche stood out as exceptional. Their expertise greatly enhanced our visit to these regions.

Hotel Selections

Our hotel in Santiago and our lodge in Puerto Natales, chosen by the trip planner, were perfect for our stay. Additionally, the view from our room at our hotel in Bariloche was truly spectacular, making our time there unforgettable.

Communication and Support

The trip planner was consistently prompt in responding to our questions and concerns. He remained attentive and ensured our inquiries were addressed in a timely manner, contributing to a smooth travel experience.

Areas for Improvement

While the overall trip was incredible, we noted a few aspects that could benefit future travelers. The suite at our hotel in Buenos Aires was satisfactory, but we found the service and staff, particularly at breakfast, to be indifferent. As a result, we would not personally recommend this hotel to others.

Additionally, we occasionally felt that some local representatives in Chile and Argentina lacked attention to detail and were not as accommodating as we had hoped. There were instances during our trip when requests for changes to our itinerary were met with reluctance.

Final Thoughts

Despite these minor issues, none of them detracted from the overall enjoyment of our trip. We thoroughly appreciated our time in South America and would confidently recommend the trip planner and the tour company to other travelers seeking a memorable experience.

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!

We would give this a 4.5-star rating. Overall, our trip was very enjoyable and went smoothly. We would recommend the services of this Zicasso travel company for arranging a trip to Patagonia. The logistics were well taken care of and the tour guides were all knowledgeable and personable. Communication during the planning phase and during the trip was easy. We spent three nights each in Santiago, Torres del Paine, El Calafate, Bariloche, and Buenos Aires.

Argentina is an amazing country and we had a fantastic time! The travel agent from Zicasso's travel company helped curate a trip that checked all the boxes of what we enjoy about travel. The history, neighborhoods, and dancing we experienced in Buenos Aires were fascinating. The dining experience at the restaurant near Plaza Serrano was top-notch. The scenic beauty we observed in Bariloche was inspiring, and the thrills and views of Iguazú Falls we experienced and witnessed were simply amazing.

Highlights included the Glaciar Castaño Overo hike with the guides (they were great people and we really enjoyed their company; we would highly recommend them). The views from Cerro Campanario in Bariloche. The jet-boat ride and helicopter tour at Iguazú will leave lasting memories imprinted on my brain. It was just a stellar experience that no one should miss when coming to the area. The lunch and olive oil tasting on our wine tour was a delight and unique from any wine tour we’ve ever done.

All around, it was a great trip that went pretty smoothly from start to finish. We are grateful to the travel specialist for putting it all together (hotels, excursions, internal flights, transfers, etc.) so all we had to do was show up and enjoy.

My husband and I travel often. However, this was the first time visiting Argentina and it was amazing, thanks to Zicasso's travel specialist! We visited Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Calafate, Bariloche, and Iguazú. Our agent planned the perfect combination of active experiences with downtime to enjoy the Patagonian views. The hotels he chose were some of the most beautiful we have ever stayed in. 

Every detail was executed perfectly. All the pick-ups, excursions, and hotel check-ins were timely. The one time we had an issue with our connecting flight to Iguazú Falls, our agent immediately responded and rebooked us on a later flight. He also ensured our luggage was on the new flight. Not having to worry when things don’t go as planned is priceless. 

I would defiantly use our agent and would recommend him to anyone looking to visit Argentina. He planned a beautiful trip based on our individual preferences and executed it flawlessly!   

Our Argentina trip was really fantastic! It's such a large country that it was hard to narrow down a few places to visit for our short time there. We decided on Buenos Aires, Salta Province, and Iguazú Falls (with a day trip to Uruguay).

Zicasso’s travel company was very easy to work with, being very open and accommodating to our ideas for the itinerary. They managed everything—booking hotels, car service, daily guides and tours, wineries, some restaurants, and our in-country flights. They were great in finding perfect guides to help us navigate where we went and offer lots of good historical information. The travel company was super-communicative, checking in with us almost daily and keeping track of our driver pick-ups and in-country flights.

I think the highlight for me was the Salta Province—it's such a remote area, but with the most beautiful and diverse scenery. The travel company found for us a fantastic driver/guide who did all the driving on some treacherous terrain, translated all our communication, and found some charming places to eat while on the road. He also was very thoughtful in downloading a playlist with music we had talked about liking and put together a short video of our travels as a keepsake. There were some fabulous wineries in the Salta region, so we felt like we experienced a large part of the province.

We also visited Iguazú Falls, which were spectacular from Argentina and Brazil. The travel company made it easy in booking us accommodations inside the national park so we could get an early start on our tour. Our guide there was also wonderful—she shared a lot of interesting information of the area and even told us about a restaurant back in Buenos Aires which we visited, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

I would highly recommend the travel company, which can plan a great trip from soup to nuts. The women we worked with were delightful to deal with and so welcoming and helpful.