Best of Argentina Patagonia Tour: Cruise, Hike, Tango

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 just returned from a fabulous trip to Argentina which was booked with Zicasso and a local travel partner.  Everything went perfectly!  We had a little over 2 weeks time and wanted to see as many areas as possible.  Our travel planner from this tour company planned everything perfectly!

Two planners from this tour company met us at the hotel in Buenos Aires and went thru the final itinerary details with us including going over the map of Buenos Aires and suggesting areas to visit.  The detailed planning enabled us to maximize our time visiting Iguazu Falls, seeing the beatiful lakes and mountains around Bariloche, experiencing El Calafate and the amazing Glacier National Park including the Perito Moreno and Upsala glaciers, finally arriving at Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego for a memorable cruise on the Beagle Chanel where we saw penguins, sea lions, whales and the lighthouse at the end of the world.

We also had 2 days in Buenos Aires at the beginning and end of the trip.  The tour of Buenos Aires was perfect in every way helping us make the most of every minute.  Every tour guide and driver was knowledgeable and a delight!  The tango lesson and show started a fascination with tango.  When we returned to Buenos Aires, we went to several Milongas to experience real life tango!

We are dreaming of returning to Argentina! 

I had a really wonderful experience visiting South America ( Brazil and Argentina ) .

Zicasso company made sure that they directed me to the right person, the travel specialist by who made my trip unforgettable. Starting with my interests and what I was looking for in this trip was achieved as I was expected and beyond my expectations. I spend few days in Rio in which I got to see all the highlights then I went to Iguazú falls, the place with such a strong positive energy ! That was followed by Buenos Aires, in which I had to experience Tango ! Moving to the end of the world ( Ushuaia ) such an amazing place ! And ending with El Calafate, the lavender flowers everywhere, the breathtaking Glacier view, and the farm experience with the horse riding in the mountains..

I would highly recommend dealing with Zicasso and this tour company. The are honest, decent and they really worked hard to reach my needs and goals before, during and until the end of my trip .

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!