Starting in November 2012
Following an isolated and exceptionally beautiful river valley in Northern Patagonia, this fabulous horse trek takes you across the mystical Southern Andes from Chile to Argentina in the footsteps of...
Starting in December 2012
Following a tip off, in November 2010 Wild Frontiers head honcho, Jonny Bealby, headed up to the Corrientes Wetlands region of Northern Argentina to...
Buenos Aires was founded more than 400 years ago, sprawling over the flat, empty pampas, on the shores of the Río de la Plata. The city was virtually re-created at the end of the 19th century when the beef boom of the 1880s brought immense wealth and the city's Hispanic colonial buildings were levelled and replaced in the image of Paris, hence the title "the Paris of South America". What was once the cultural Mecca of the Americas soon went into decline and this sense of faded grandeur makes it a fascinating place to wander around. It is a place to 'lose' oneself and soak up the ambience of a city that seems to exist in a world all of its own.
Cachi is a beautiful town in the impressive Calchaqui Valleys in the province of Salta, mid way between Cafayate and Salta itself.
El Chalten is a small hiking village surrounded by glaciers, lagoons, lakes, and mountains. The village is proclaimed as the "National Trekking Capital of Argentina", but the area is also known for amazing climbing, camping, horseback riding, fishing, rafting, and even fauna and flora excursions. That said the village of El Chalten is certainly no picture postcard resort. Half built with dirt streets and little thought for planning, it puts one in mind of a Kondyle Gold Rush town. But then again you are not there for the village; you are there for the great outdoors and all that goes with it.
Located near the geographical centre of Argentina, about 700 kilometres north-west of Buenos Aires, Cordoba lies amongst the fertile foothills of the Sierras Chicas. The second largest city in the country it was founded in 1573 and was one of the first of Spain’s colonial capitals. Filled with historical monuments, including the UNESCO Heritage Site of the 17th century Jesuit Block (which contains the oldest university in South America) and the magnificent cathedral (the oldest continuously used church in Argentina), the city provides a wonderfully scenic base from which to explore the Pampas and the Andes.
Spectacularly located at the foot of the Andes, besides the glittering waters of the Lácar Lake, San Martin de los Andes is an ideal winter or summer destination. Set amidst some of the most visually impressive landscapes in Argentina’s Patagonia region, the town is a thriving centre for adventure tourism of every kind. In winter the town is covered in snow, providing ideal conditions for skiing and snowboarding, whilst the summer months provide a chance to hike, fish, mountain bike and horse ride amongst the valleys, lakes and hills of the Lanín National Park.
El Calafate is located at the base of Calafate Hill on the shores of Lago Argentino. This charming purpose built town of double pitched roofs and colourful gardens always offers a friendly welcome to its visitors, plus it is the gateway to the southern Argentine Patagonian glaciers, lakes and the epic Andean range.
Along with the Victoria and Niagra Falls, Iguazu Falls are one of the mightiest curtains of falling water anywhere on earth. Located on the border of Brazil and Argentina, the falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. Their name comes from the Guarani or Tupi words y (water) and ûasú (wa'su) (big). Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful aborigine named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage, the god sliced the river creating the waterfalls, condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541. The falls were rediscovered by Boselli at the end of the nineteenth century. Iguaçu Falls was short-listed as a candidate to be one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation.
Mendoza is a province in the Cuyo region of Argentina, located at the centre-west of the country, 1,098 kilometres from Buenos Aires, backed up against some of the most impressive peaks of the Andes. It's sunny, dry and warm for a large part of the year which makes it ideally suited to the production of wine, and it is this reason - along with great horse riding, rafting, and trekking on Aconcagua (at 6962m the highest mountain outside the Himalayas) - that most people come. Indeed you haven't gone to Mendoza if you haven't tasted its delicious wines. Mendoza's most famous grape is Malbec from Maipú and Luján de Cuyo, but very good Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs, Merlots and Syrah are also grown in the area.
The vast South American lowlands, covering over 750,000 square kilometres, the Argentine Pampas extend westwards from the Atlantic coast to the Andean foothills. The name derives from the Quechua word for ‘plains’ and it is split between the dry deserts of the west and the humid zones of the east, which form the country’s economic heart. The legendary oceans of grass are home to the famed gauchos, the original South America cowboys, and present one of the richest grazing areas in the world, providing a refuge for maned wolves, greater rheas and vast herds of cattle.
Puerto Madryn is the main village providing a base and access to the Peninsula Valdez; a flat barren land where the main interest is the wildlife along the coast
Patagonia embraces a sparcely popolated area with some harsh, hostile climate and poor soil but the fertility of its coast is a remarkable sight. The Southern Right Whales come yearly from June to December, to join sea elephants, sea lions and the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in South America. It is home also to petrel, albatross, cormorants and skuas, and in-land, armadillos, rheas, foxes, guanacos, burrowing owls and the Patagonian cavy can be spotted. Killer Whales are also among the annual visitors, patrolling to coast to attack sea lions although it is very rare to see racing up the beach to snatch unsuspecting sea lions from the shore.
October to November is the time to see the greatest variety of wildlife as Elephant Seals, Sea Lions and Penguins give birth and tender their young on the shingle beaches of Peninsula Valdez. It is also the appropriate time to take a boat trip to see Right Wales breaching off the coast of Puerto Pyramides.
The capital of the Misiones Province and located on the western banks of the Paraná River, Posades was originally founded in 1615 as a trading post for neighbouring Paraguay. Separated from the Paraguayan city of Encarnación by the waters of the Paraná, Posades came into its own following the War of the Triple Alliance during the 19th century. Linked to Encarnación by the impressive San Roque González de Santa Cruz Bridge, today its colonial heritage still plays a big part in the city’s development, with its lovely old squares, churches and colonial architecture proving a big draw for tourists.
The beautiful village of Purmamarca lies some 200 kilometres from the city of Salta, at the foot of the mesmerising Cerro de los Siete Colores (The Hill of Seven Colours). Its name translates as the Town of the Virgin Land, and amongst its traditional adobe architecture you can find the wonderful 17th century Church of Santa Rosa, a national monument that features a number of examples of the Cuzco School of painting. In the surrounding hills you can also find ancient cave paintings and archaeological remains whilst, in the town itself, the streets are often enlivened with impromptu music and colourful handicraft markets.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valdes Peninsula extends across over 3600 square kilometres of Argentina’s rugged Atlantic coastline. An important breeding ground for southern elephant seals and endangered southern right whales the area is also home to a vast array of birdlife, including upwards of 40,000 Magellanic penguins. A year round destination, the best time for whale watching is between the months of June and December, when the southern right whales arrive in the sheltered waters of the Golfo Nuevo and the Golfo San Carlos to breed and raise their young.
Founded by Welsh settlers in the latter years of the 19th century, Trelew began life as the starting point of the Central Chubut Railway, which once linked the lower Chubut Valley with Puerto Madryn and Las Pulmas. A convenient base from which to explore the ‘Welsh’ villages of Gaiman and Dolavon, the city’s Salon San David is a copy of St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire and Trelew’s central location makes it ideal for visiting the penguin reserve at Punta Tombo, the largest of its kind in South America. The town also possesses a superb Paleontological Museum and holds an annual Eisteddfodd every October.
Salta is located in the northwest of Argentina. Before the arrival of the Spanish conquest, numerous native people lived in these valleys; they formed many different tribes, which all shared the Cacán language. It is this human link to the ancient past - along with its surreal red rock landscapes - that makes Salta different from much of the rest of the country. The Salta Province is home to a number of natural, social and historic sites. The city of Salta "La Linda" ("The beautiful") is both an important tourist destination, and the centre point for visiting the rest of the province. Also from Salta, the Tren a las nubes crosses canyons and cliffs before arriving at the 3,775m of San Antonio de los Cobres. The red-rock formations of the Valles Calchaquíes, the wine-town of Cafayate and the Cachi Mountains are all brilliant places to visit from here.
Ushuaia is Argentina's southernmost town, a fascinating landscape of windswept barren lands, beautiful blue glaciers and national parks. The town offers fine views of the Beagle Channel (so named after the boat in which Charles Darwin sailed through the channel in 1832) and the snow covered Cerro Martial towards which the streets steeply climb.
Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for "Land of Fire") is an archipelago 73,753 km2 separated from the southernmost tip of the South American mainland by the Strait of Magellan. The southern point of the archipelago forms Cape Horn. The archipelago consists of a main island (Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, often simply called Tierra del Fuego or Isla Grande), and a group of smaller islands. The main island is separated between two countries: 38,57% of the total belongs to Argentina, while 61,43% belongs to Chile. The biggest Chilean towns are Porvenir and Puerto Williams, on Navarino Island. Puerto Toro lies a few kilometers south of Puerto Williams and is the southernmost village in the world.
The eastern part of the archipelago belongs to Argentina; its capital is Ushuaia, the biggest city of the archipelago. The other important city in the region is Río Grande on the Atlantic coast. The Darwin Range ends in the Mount Bove; this range contains many glaciers that reach the ocean. Mount Darwin is the highest peak at 2,488 metres (8,163 ft). The region has many unique flora and fauna and is the stepping off point for most of the cruises into Antarctica
Located on the shores of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, midway between Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes, the village of La Angostura lies at the heart of the stunning Patagonian landscapes. Close to the Quetrihue Peninsula and the Arrayanes National Park, this community of charming wooden alpine houses provides a picturesque setting from which to enjoy the scenic majesty of the area. A prime location for sports fishing, the surrounding forests, lakes and mountains also provide ideal opportunities for hiking, sailing, horse riding and skiing, whilst the town’s gastronomic delights are considered amongst some of the best in the region.
The second largest area of wetlands on the planet (after Brazil’s Pantanal), Esteros del Iberá encompasses the largest protected area in Argentina. A mix of swamp, lagoons and lakes, it is home to two species of alligator, over 350 species of birds and a group of animals that have been listed as ‘natural monuments’, including the maned wolf and the marsh deer. Part of the vast Paraguay-Parana swamps system and listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention, it also contains one of the most important fresh water reservoirs on the entire continent.
Visa Information
UK Passport holders do not require a visa to visit Argentina.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip. Please ensure the passport details we hold for you are correct.
Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa documentation when starting your trip. Country entry regulations can alter daily and it is always best to check with the relevant embassies for any changes.
If you are travelling on a non UK passport please contact your relevant consulate/embassy for the latest visa information.
Insurance:
Insurance that provides cover for emergency repatriation in case of a medical emergency is compulsory for all tours.
You should be aware that many standard insurance policies may not cover you adequately for all aspects of a Wild Frontiers trip and so we strongly recommend that you purchase a suitably designed insurance policy.
One such policy is the "Wild Frontiers" policy underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE " firm reference 202803), which is available to EU residents (which excludes Norway & Switzerland) through our website or via the insurance company direct on 0845 345 3456. Under this policy there are two different levels of cover available.
Standard policy: a comprehensive travel insurance policy that provides cover for all Wild Frontiers activities, including trekking up to 6,000m. This policy does not provide cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel.
Elite policy: provides the same comprehensive level of cover as the standard policy. In addition the Elite policy also provides cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel. The policy will not provide cover for any claims arising from or relating to the reasons why the FCO is advising against travel.
If purchasing the Elite policy you also have the option to extend the cover provided by the policy to include cover for claims arising from a terrorist act in an area where the FCO is advising against travel. You can add this cover to your policy when purchasing online or over the telephone.
These policies are only available to those travelling on a Wild Frontiers holiday.
For more information and to purchase your policy online please visit the Insurance section of our website.
The cover is underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE), and is arranged by Travel & General Insurance Service Limited. Both companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Wild Frontiers Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Travel & General Insurance Company plc, details of which can be found at the FSA's website www.fsa.gov.uk.
To contact them please visit their website at www.travel-general.com or call 0845 408 0583.
Health and Vaccinations:
There are no mandatory immunisations for travellers to Argentina though you should be up-to-date with Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio and Hepatitis A. We recommend you seek advice from your local GP or travel centre as to the correct immunisations and preventative treatments.
We also recommend:
• A dental check-up prior to travelling.
• You inform us of any pre-existing medical conditions or medication.
To be on the safe side you can also check on www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk
Growing up in England, Scotland and Canada, Jonny developed a passion for travel and upon finishing college journeyed extensively in Australasia and the Far... Read More
Catherine Bèrard was born in Buenos Aires in 1960 from a French family. Her relationship with horses started at the age of eight, when she... Read More
Richard Dunwoody was 12 when he started riding racehorses and rode in his first race as an amateur in 1982. He turned professional two years later and won... Read More
Maria Abud was born and educated in Buenos Aires spending holidays and weekends at the family estancia.
Starting to ride as early as she could walk,... Read More
Narrowly escaping the "lawyer, doctor or accountant" stereotype career that is the fate of many London sons, Marc taught English in Romania & Japan... Read More
