Antarctica & The Chilean Fjords – Buenos Aires to

Rivaling Madrid or Paris for sophistication and culture, the tree-lined boulevards of fashionable Buenos Aires are home to superb restaurants, art galleries, museums, the magnificent Teatro de Colon and the brightly colored houses of La Boca barrio. As the sun sets, Recoleta awakens and the passionate melodies of the tango rise from the milangas along San Telmo’s cobbled streets. Few cities in South America share the ambiance, lifestyle and amenities that make Buenos Aires so endearing.

Spend the day enjoying this beautiful, chic beach resort, its marinas, museums and fascinating shops. Or venture into the equally picturesque countryside and visit a cattle station. Take a trip to Sea Wolves Island and view a colony of endangered sea lions and seals. Visit the 18th-century city of Maldonado with its many enchanting buildings, cathedral and lovely museum. Look for fine leather goods, jewelry and artwork. Excellent beef and seafood highlight the menus here.

Located about 480 miles northeast of Cape Horn, the Falklands Islands are the most easily accessible sub-Antarctic islands. The English navigator, John Davis, aboard the Desire made the first confirmed sighting of the Islands in 1592. The Falklands have been a disputed area between Great Britain and Argentina. Argentina invaded and occupied the islands in April 1982, spurring a British counter-invasion that June. With all the charm of a rural English village, Stanley is characterized by its bright rooftops, red telephone boxes, shops, and local pubs. Nearby is the Grave Cove penguin colony.

Here at the bottom of the world, mountains and sea come together like in no other place in America. Considered to be the world’s southernmost city (though that is up for a heated debate), Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. The town itself has an interesting museum and a variety of shops selling everything from souvenirs to duty-free luxury items.

Punta Arenas or ‘Sandy Point,’ is the most prominent settlement on the Strait of Magellan and the capital of Chile’s Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region. Founded in 1848, Punta Arenas was originally a remote military garrison and penal colony. Today, it is the charming gateway for a number of exhilarating experiences viewing the awesome majesty of Torres del Paine with its soaring peaks and rugged beauty .

San Rafael lagoon is an arc-shaped coastal lake located in the Aisén Region of Chile, within the national park that bears its name. The lagoon was formed by the retreat of the San Rafael Glacier in the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. Today, it is a popular tourism destination, and ships sails from Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt nearly everyday to see the famous ‘Blue Wall’– the grand San Rafael glacier, crack, calve and thunder above the translucent blue-green waters.

There is an old Chilean proverb that states, “If you are in a hurry in Patagonia, you are wasting your time.” In Puerto Chacabuco, a Chilean town in the Aysen commune, time passes at the leisurely pace of nature’s cycles. The gorgeously landscaped town is a small, isolated settlement situated along the wild-west fjordland coast. Patagonian ice sheets fall into the sea and the area provides a chance to view Black Necked Swans and the endangered Giant Condor.

The first German colonists arrived to this area in 1852, and have remained to the present day, a small but influential percentage of the 130,000 inhabitants. The town spreads along a narrow seaboard and climbs the slopes enclosing it to the north. Since 1985, the city has experienced considerable growth and development, fueled by more than 30 salmon farms, in addition to forestry, fishing industries and service companies. A gateway to Chile’s picturesque lakes and spectacular indigo mountains.