BELLE EPOQUE TOUR
Characterized by a nostalgic, old-world beauty, the city that is referred to as the “Paris of the South” boasts marvelous architectural jewels. We shall explore the elegant Recoleta and Retiro quarters with treed sidewalks, turn-of-the-century palaces and handsome apartment buildings. We shall visit the masterpieces that surround the sprawling Plaza San Martín, a Beaux Arts Palace built as residence for the Anchorena family; an imposing mansion inspired by the Louvre Palace, and a ground-breaking Art Deco skyscraper, a landmark that was at the time of construction, 1936, the highest concrete building in the world. The Museum of Decorative Arts decorated in eclectic style including neo-Classical; Circulo Militar, designed in Paris and built in Buenos Aires for the Paz family; the French Embassy and the Brazilian Embassy; San Martin palace —today the Foreign Affairs Ministry— among other beautiful buildings.
Cape Froward - the southernmost point of the continental world - glaciers, humpback whales, Sei whales, southern dolphins, toninas overas, Magellanic penguins... are part of the natural wonders of this southern area of the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. In one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet, this full-day trip will make us feel nature in its most natural state. Leaving very early from the offices, we will travel 50 km south of Punta Arenas by bus, and then embark and sail for around 10 hours. We will enjoy a unique landscape surrounded by mountains, glaciers and lenga and coihue forests. The marine life present in the area will never cease to surprise us with its proximity and abundance: sea lions, petrels, cormorants, southern dolphins, etc. They will make us feel that nature is felt and lived here!
An entire experience that combines a 4x4 expedition, a photographic safari and the possibility of a moment of relaxation in an authentic Patagonian estancia “post”. Leaving from El Calafate, a short route takes us to the entrance to Estancia Huyliche; after passing through its main house, we enter "Estancia 25 de Mayo" natural reserve. The first stop is an old stone post where the first family of the ranch used to live and we will have a brief explanation about these first settlers and the beginnings of El Calafate. We continue the tour in the vehicle until reaching the "section", an authentic ranch located in the immensity of Patagonia, where we will make the second stop, to begin to spot native fauna. We make this third stop front of the exuberant fauna after leaving the vehicle and walking towards the herds of guanacos, with a fantastic interaction with nature. Later, we travel about 4 km in the vehicle until we reach a fossilized oyster deposit -which is 23 million years old-, and we will learn about the paleontology and geology of the place, discovering that the desert where we are was once covered by the sea. Immediately we continue the trail south to the Mirador del Centinela -hill of 1,500 meters above sea level- from where we get a stunning panoramic view of endless basalt walls. Here the fifth stop is made, where the moment of relaxation arrives to feel the wind and the Patagonian immensity. Finally, we return to the "section" where lunch or dinner is served in an authentic ranch post, before returning to El Calafate. The house has a spacious living room with a beautiful view of the 25 de Mayo hill.