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Outdoors Organizations & Tour Operators
The advantages of traveling with an organized group are plentiful, especially for travelers who have limited time and resources. Tour operators take the headache out of planning a trip, and they iron out the wrinkles that invariably pop up along the way. Many tours are organized to include guides, transportation, accommodations, meals, and gear (some outfits will even carry gear for you, for example, on trekking adventures). Independent travelers tend to view organized tours as antithetical to the joy of discovery, but leaving the details to someone else does free up substantial time to concentrate on something else. Besides, your traveling companions are likely to be kindred souls interested in similar things.
Remember to be aware of what you're getting yourself into. A 5-day trek in the remote Patagonian wilderness may look great on paper, but are you physically up to it? Tour operators are responsible for their clients' well-being and safety, but that doesn't let you off the hook in terms of personal responsibility. Inquire about your guide's experience, safety record, and insurance policy. Remember, no adventure trip is 100% risk-free.
North American Operators
The following North America-based outfitters offer solid, well-organized tours around the world, and they are backed by years of experience. Most of these operators are expensive, a few are exorbitant (remember that prices do not include airfare), but that usually is because they include luxury accommodations and gourmet dining. Many of them have dozens and dozens of itineraries around the world; they are not necessarily Argentina experts. Most offer trips to hot spots like Patagonia, and operators with trips to that region often combine Argentina and Chile in the same trip.
Abercrombie & Kent, 1520 Kensington Rd., Oak Brook, IL 60521 (tel. 800/554-7016; www.abercrombiekent.com), is a luxury tour operator that offers a "Patagonia: A Luxury Adventure" trip that heads from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia for a 3-day cruise around Tierra del Fuego, followed by visits to Chile's Torres del Paine park and Puerto Varas in the Lakes District, before heading back across the border to Bariloche. Cost is $10,580 per person, double occupancy. It's a 16-day trip. They also have half-a-dozen other itineraries around Argentina.
Butterfield and Robinson, 70 Bond St., Toronto, Canada M5B 1X3 (tel. 866.551-9090; www.butterfield.com), is another exclusive gourmet tour operator, with a walking-oriented, 10-day trip to Patagonia starting in El Calafate, Argentina, and finishing in Punta Arenas, Chile. In between, travelers visit national parks Los Glaciares and Torres del Paine, with visits to the Perito Moreno glacier and lodging in fine lodges and ranches. It runs $7,995 per person, double occupancy. They also have a week-long biking trip in the Northwest for $4,995 per person, double occupancy.
Mountain-Travel Sobek, 1266 66th St., Emeryville, CA 94608 (tel. 888/MTSOBEK or 510/527-8100; fax 510/525-7718; www.mtsobek.com), are the pioneers of organized adventure travel, and they offer trips that involve a lot of physical activity. One of their more interesting trips includes 4 days cruising the Beagle Channel before disembarking in Ushuaia. The price starts at $5,550 per person, based on double occupancy. Sobek always comes recommended for their excellent guides.
Backroads Active Vacations, 801 Cedar St., Berkeley, CA 94710-1800 (tel. 800/GO-ACTIVE or 510/527-1555; www.backroads.com), offers a biking tour through the lake districts of Chile and Argentina, with stops in Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes; an afternoon of rafting is included. There's also a hiking trip through the same region, and a 9-day hiking trip in Patagonia that begins in El Calafate and travels between Chile and Argentina. Guests lodge in luxury hotels and inns. Costs run from $4,498 to $6,698.
Wilderness Travel, 1102 Ninth St., Berkeley, CA 94710 (tel. 800/368-2794 or 510/558-2488; www.wildernesstravel.com), offers a more mellow sightseeing/day hiking tour around Patagonia, including Los Glaciares, Ushuaia, El Calafate, and Perito Moreno Glacier. The trip starts at $4,995, depending on the number of guests (maximum 15).
Wildland Adventures, 3516 NE 155th St., Seattle, WA 98155 (tel. 800/345-4453 or 206/365-0686; www.wildland.com), offers a few adventure tours of Argentina. The "Salta Trek through Silent Valleys" tour takes in Salta, Jujuy, and the Andean plain. Two Patagonia tours are offered: "Best of Patagonia," a lodge-based trip which concentrates on Argentine Patagonia (including Península Valdés, Río Gallegos, Perito Moreno, and Ushuaia); and "In the Wake of Magellan," which explores Patagonia by land and sea. Prices start at $1,380 for the 8-day Salta tour and continue upwards of $6,000 for the 2-week Patagonia sailing and hiking trip.
Whitney and Smith Legendary Expeditions, P.O. Box 8576, Canmore, Alberta T1W2V3 (tel. 800/713-6660 or 403/678-3052; www.legendaryex.com) has two unique trips in Patagonia for more serious adventurers. The first is a rare chance to sea kayak on the coast of the Península Valdés. This 15-day trip costs $4,250 per person. The other is a hiking trip in southern Patagonia that includes a challenging yet spectacular 5-day trek into the rarely traveled area between the Viedma and Upsala glaciers. The trip costs $4,250 per person. You can also stay on and hike on little-traveled trails (yes, they do still exist!) in Torres del Paine. They have long-standing relationships with the locals here, and travel lightly, with little impact and far from the beaten path.
PowderQuest Tours, 7108 PineTree Rd., Richmond, VA 23229 (tel. 888/565-7158 or 206/203-6065; www.powderquest.com), runs top-notch guided skiing adventures in Argentina, including resort-focused tours that visit a number of different ski hills. A week-long trip that includes guides, hotels, ski passes, food, and transfers starts at $2,595.
Argentine Operators
In general, all of the above-listed North American operators have a partner on the ground in Argentina and they also always have a local guide who is certified in Argentine national parks. If you sign up with a tour run directly by a local agency, you'll find it is often cheaper and usually provides an equally good service with guides and planners who know the territory inside out; after all, it's their own backyard. Bilingual guides can provide plenty of useful insight into what you are seeing and discovering. Be sure to take advantage of customized itinerary planning.
Clark Expeditions, Caseros 121, Salta (tel. 0387/4215390; www.clarkexpediciones.com), is the leader in nature tours in the north of Argentina. Their natural-history-focused tours take in the high deserts on both sides of the Andes, and they have a week-long trekking trip that reaches 6,000m (1,800 ft.) above sea level.
Experience Patagonia, Arenales 1457, third floor, Buenos Aires (tel. 011/4814-3934; www.experiencepatagonia.com), offers high-end trips that link their three stellar and truly unique properties in southern Argentina: Los Notros, which is right in front of Perito Moreno Glacier, the outstanding Estancia Cristina, and the new Los Cerros del Chalten. They mix adventures like hiking with great food and accommodations.
Huala Adventure Tourism, San Martín 86, Bariloche (tel. 02944/522-438; www.huala.com.ar), has unique backcountry expeditions mainly in the Lakes District. They run white-water-rafting trips, horseback-riding expeditions, biking tours, and multisport adventures. Their trips are fun and take you to little-traveled areas.
Patagonia Travel Company, Sarmiento 3974, Bariloche, Río Negro (tel. 02944/584-784; www.patagoniatravelco.com), is run by a Canadian-Argentine couple based in Bariloche. They customize trips that range from challenging backpacking expeditions to "soft" multisport adventures combining hiking, rafting, fishing, and horseback riding.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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