Best of Chile & Argentina

After breakfast, join your group and a local guide for a walking tour of Santiago to discover more about this incredible city, the capital of Chile, and it’s varied and somewhat brutal history, which has featured wars, floods and earthquakes among other dramatic events. Visit the central Plaza de Armas, the magnificent cathedral, and the market, where you can try some local delicacies. Later, take the cable car to the top of the Cerro San Cristobal for some fabulous city views before dining out at one of the city’s restaurants.

Leaving Santiago behind, head across the Andes to Argentina, a journey that takes around 6 hours and offers some spectacular mountain views. If you’re lucky with the weather, you might even spot the snow-capped peak of Mount Aconcagua (6,962m), the highest mountain in the Americas. The next day, head out on a winery tour of the vineyards around Mendoza, Argentina’s most celebrated wine-growing region. Visit various cellar doors, tasting the Malbec and Torrontes as you go, before enjoying a delicious lunch.

After a short flight from Mendoza to Buenos Aires, transfer to an estancia (a traditional ranch), your home for the next two nights. How you spend your time here is up to you – choose from horse riding, cookery classes and polo lessons, or simply laze by the pool with a book and a drink and enjoy a barbecue meal. While you’re here, learn more about the daily routine and life of a gaucho.

Return to Buenos Aires and enjoy an orientation walk around the city with your guide. Along the way, you’ll visit the antique markets and art works of San Telmo, the Pink House (Casa Rosada) and the Plaza de Mayo. Afterwards, choose from a number of activities which include a tango show, a football game or a polo match, or spend your time scratching beneath the surface of this fascinating city.