The Patagonia The southern third of Argentina is a sparsely populated, broad, dry, treeless plain where sheep ranching is the main industry. Ecologically speaking, there are four areas of special interest: the Lake District of San Carlos de Bariloche (click here for programs), with its Andean ski slopes, lake and densely forested Nahuel Huapi National Park; the wildlife reserves of Peninsula Valdes and Punta Tombo on the Atlantic Coast; Glacier National Park in the mountains near Lake Argentina (El Calafate); and Ushuaia, the "southernmost city in the world," on the island of Tierra del Fuego. Visits to the more southern locations should be scheduled from spring to autumn, November through March. A schedule of the wildlife migrations to Peninsula Valdes and Punta Tombo is featured below.

Rates for the following packages include:
• Hotel accommodations as per the package, including tax, service and breakfast daily
• Round-trip airport/hotel transfers and surface transportation as needed
• Sightseeing as indicated
• Airfares are NOT included
• Rates are valid MAY 01, 2007-APR 30, 2008

Bariloche, Argentina
3-Days/2 Nights

Rates Per Person - 2008	3-Day Tour			Extra Nights
	Dbl	Sgl	Tpl	Dbl	Sgl	Tpl
Aconcagua	$315	595	310	$60	125	53
Nevada or Kenton Palace	$400	725	375	$109	190	85
Kenton Palace (Lake View Suite)	$455	845	415	$135	250	105
Arelauken (Mountain View)	$720	960	690	$205	180	157
Arelauken (Golf View)	$790	1080	755	$194	289	189
Villa Huinid (Mountain View)	$435	845	n/a	$125	250	n/a
Villa Huinid (Lake View)	$510	980	n/a	$165	320	n/a
Design Suites (Mountain View)	$465	890	n/a	$140	275	n/a
Design Suites (Lake View)	$500	980	n/a	$160	320	n/a
Llao Llao (Mountain View)	$810	1600	835	$250	500	230
Llao Llao (Lake View)	$1030	2320	985	$360	860	305
Rates include a half-day Scenic Bariloche excursion with an English-speaking guide. Rates are not valid during Easter Week, JUL & AUG, Christmas/New Year. For Llao Llao & Arelauquen the tour is via private car/van with a guide.							Clock Tower in Bariloche's Main Square

Peninsula Valdes & Punta Tombo
3 & 4-Day Tours
On the Atlantic Coast, a pancake of sandy land juts into surrounding protected bays warmed by the water of Golfo Nuevo, an ideal breeding ground for colonies of birds and mammals. Cavorting sea lions breed in protected rookeries called loberias; 1600-pound sea elephants sunbathe on a long, pebbled finger of beach called Caleta Valdes, and Right Whales come to breed in Golfo Nuevo. SCUBA divers can touch and tickle the 70-foot leviathans. Eighty-four miles south of Trelew is Punta Tombo, filled with three million Magellan Penguins (Sphaniscus Magallanicus). The three-day tour includes a full-day excursion to Peninsula Valdes for whale-watching from the shore, bird-watching and viewing the sea lions and elephant seals. The four-day tour also includes a full-day tour with lunch to the penguin colony at Punta Tombo and a stop at the Welsh town of Gaiman for tea.

Sea Elephants	Nov-Jan (molting season)	Elefanteria at Punta Norte
	Aug-Sep (breeding season)	Sunning on Caleta Valdes
Sea Lions	Dec-Jan	Loberia at Isthmus of Peninsula Valde
	All Year	Punta Loma
Penguins	Sep-Apr	Punta Tombo (Males begin to arrive Aug)
Seabirds	Sep-Dec	Isla de los Pajaros at Isthmus, Peninsula Valdes
Right Whales	Jun-Dec	Golfo Nuevo (most significant numbers Oct-Nov)
Killer Whales	Jul-Dec	Golfo Nuevo

El Calafate (Lake Argentina) 3 & 4-Day Tours Quiet Calafate is the only town of any size on Lake Argentina with one paved street and a few modest hotels. It is best reached by air from Buenos Aires, Bariloche or Ushuaia. In Glacier National Park, an area of extreme natural beauty, you will view the awesome Perito Moreno Glacier, the only glacier in the world that is still growing. Its blue color is attributed to its age (30,000 years), and is so big that it completely blocks two small arms of the lake from their natural outlet through Iceberg Channel. For those wishing to see glaciers, we recommend the four-day tour which also includes a full-day boat trip with lunch on Lake Argentina to view the Upsala and Onelli Glaciers.

Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia) 3 & 4-Day Tours A glimpse of the deep blue Beagle Channel attracts many travelers to this "end of the world." The three-day tour includes a two-hour cruise into Beagle Channel, where you can view sea lions, penguins and killer whales, and a half-day tour to Lapataia in Tierra del Fuego National Park. The scenery is beautiful, with a wind-swept forest of lengas and coihues that cover rolling hills along the white-capped shoreline. (The four-day tour also includes a full-day tour to Lakes Escondido and Fagnano with lunch.) Rates Per Person 3-Day Tour 4-Day Tour Hotel Selection Dbl Sgl Tpl Dbl Sgl Tpl Hostal del Bosque $475 845 395 $745 1230 639 Del Glaciar or Tolkeyen $565 1020 469 $875 1499 749 Las Hayas $715 1325 n/a $1099 1960 n/a

Magellan Penguins, or "donkey" penguins, call to each other with loud donkey-like brays. Each penguin's call is unique, parents and chicks practice voice recognition.