Argentina & Uruguay: A South American Story
Trip Highlights
✦ Stand on the precipice of the roaring Devil’s Throat as tropical spray catches the light, then retreat to a historic jungle estate for a quiet, traditional mate ceremony surrounded by rainforest canopy.
✦ Descend into the subterranean poetry of El Zanjón’s hidden labyrinths before mastering the city’s beating heartbeat during a private, one-on-one tango lesson.
✦ Stand in silence on the blinding, sea-of-salt horizon of Salinas Grandes at 4,000 meters altitude, framed by the raw beauty of the High Andes.
✦ Join local sommelier Luz in the dramatic mountain valley of Huichaira for an intimate, hands-on Andean cooking class paired with boutique high-altitude wines.
✦ Share your very first meal with local hosts Bethy and Marcelo, instantly swapping visitor status for a seat at a warm family table in the heart of the city.
✦ Lose yourself beneath the gilded, frescoed theater ceilings of El Ateneo Grand Splendid—one of the world’s most breathtaking bookstores—before exploring the serene grand avenues of Recoleta.
✦ Break warm, homemade bread fresh from a traditional clay oven alongside the Lamas family in their village home, right before standing in awe of the 14-coloured jagged peaks of Serranía del Hornocal.
✦ Uncover the haunting high-altitude secrets of the Inca at MAAM museum before diving headfirst into an evening of live folk rhythms and local peña culture in Salta.
✦ Sail across the Rio de la Plata to wander the quiet cobblestones of Colonia del Sacramento, pausing on your way to Montevideo for a private tasting of hand-crafted cheeses at the historic Honegger estate.
✦ Uncover the rhythmic heritage of Uruguayan culture at the Carnival Museum before capping off your journey with a sunset wine tasting and traditional open-fire parrilla at the family-run Bracco Bosca winery
Trip Details
| Dates | Price AUD (per person twin share) |
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$2,944 AUD
Private Supplement: +$547
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Details
- 30-day cooling-off period applies
- Lifetime Deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferable to one of our other trips
- Twin Share: we’ll match you with a roomie if you’re travelling solo
Trip length
16 days, 15 nights
Meeting point
Grand Brizo Hotel, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
Ending point
Own Montevideo Hotel, Montevideo, URUGUAY
Group size
Maximum 14 people
Included
- Meals: 14 breakfasts, 10 lunches and 6 dinners.
- Three domestic flights
- Private transport throughout in air-conditioned vehicles
- 15 nights boutique accommodation
- City taxes when applicable
- National Park safari Lodge
- All activities as listed, and more.
- Entrance fees for National Parks & Reserves
- A top-rated and English-speaking Trip Leader
Not included
- International Flights and travel insurance (mandatory)
- Visa for Brazil (See FAQs for more information)
- Additional hotel nights & late checkouts
- Drinks and other personal expenses
- Tip kitty (See FAQs for more information)
Have a group?
Contact us and we can arrange a private departure.
Overview
Accommodation Preview
Hotel Grand Brizo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Design Suites, Salta, Argentina
Posada Don Antonio, Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Itinerary
Day One – Welcome to Argentina!
Touch down, Buenos Aires, time to get this adventure on the road! It’s an easy arrival, as a private driver takes you straight to your hotel right in the middle of the action. Drop your bags – you’re here for the next 3 nights, and freshen up before diving straight into your first taste of South America, literally.
Get to know your fellow MagExplorers over a welcome dinner that makes friends of not just these travellers, but of Betty and Marcelo as well. These two locals invite you in to eat traditional asado, family style. Sat close enough to the parrilla that you can feel its heat, your mouth might just start watering before the grilled meat is heaped up on your plate. What a way to kick things off!
Accommodation: Grand Brizo (or similar), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Included: Dinner
Day Two – Explore Buenos Aires
Last night’s first hints of its buzz may have you itching to get to know Buenos Aires better, and today you’ll get your fill. Start big, wandering around the city’s main monuments with a private guide, before delving into the secrets only the savvy will uncover. You’ll head to the old, cobblestoned neighbourhood of San Telmo, stepping into a home that hides all manner of mysteries. El Zanjón de Granados leads to an underground exploration of poetry, history… and labyrinths? Emerge again and pull out your camera for the explosion of colours that is Caminito street’s houses.
Starting to feel hungry? Tuck into a three-course lunch at El Gran Paraíso, a famed steakhouse, so that you’ll have energy to learn the city’s beating heart: the tango. Your private tango lesson will have you bring home more than just souvenirs from this trip – you’ll be bringing home skills on the dance floor!
Accommodation: Grand Brizo (or similar), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Three – The Paris of South America
People often call Buenos Aires the ‘Paris of South America’. After strolling around Retiro, Recoleta and Palermo in the northern parts of the city today, you’ll see why. French-style mansions everywhere, fancy shops, wide boulevards and parks so perfect they don’t look real.
It’s a day full of pleasant oohs and aahs. Step delicately into Ateneo Grand Splendid, a former theatre-turned-bookstore, where 120,000 books vie for your attention but the space itself is more likely to get it. Take deep breaths at the botanical garden and rose garden, distracted happily by quirky fashion stores or busy restaurants along the way. When you spot the bright white church, it’s time to step into the Recoleta Cemetery, a serene space where impressive architectural styles aim to put the likes of Eva Peron in heaven’s good graces. After such a busy day, take the afternoon to follow your own fancy. Maybe walk back to that cocktail bar that beckoned you before?
Accommodation: Grand Brizo (or similar), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Four – Food Forward
Today is a bit of a transfer day as you head to the adobe-homed, craft-market-tingling town of Purmamarca, but it’ll be anything but ho-hum. Hop on an early flight to San Salvador de Jujuy (which you will immediately call Jujuy just like the locals do) and arrive in time for lunch. But wait, did you accidentally land in Italy? In a charming garden, you’ll discover a menu that perfectly blends colonial cuisine forged in the culture and biodiversity of the area with top-level Italian elegance. It’s all thanks to a globetrotting top chef who brought inventive cooking back to his native Jujuy.
Bellies full, you continue on to Purmamarca. Pull your eyes away for a moment from the alpaca wear and mate mugs and you’ll see Cerro de los Siete Colores – the Hill of Seven Colours, which looks pretty much what it sounds like, only way more impressive.
Accommodation: La Comarca Hotel (or similar), Purmamarca, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Five – Pucará de Tilcara and Vineyard Cooking
While your home base for the next few nights will be Purmamarca, this morning you’ll leave the village for the Pucará de Tilcara archaeological site, a pre-Hispanic settlement in the Humahuaca Gorge, occupied for eight centuries at a time when Europe was medieval.
Among its ancient thoroughfares, you’ll start to get a feel for what it might have been like to live here. Peek into the recreated ruins of a home, stand on a public square and watch the scene come alive around you.
Then it’s time to sample some of the region’s produce – and its delicious wines! Surrounded by the multicoloured hillsides, basking in the high-altitude sun, explore a vineyard with Luz, the resident sommelier who will guide you into the vintages of the region. With the wines dancing on your tongue, Laura will also help you prepare classics such as her award-winning empanadas, with recipes passed down from her grandmother and mother straight to you. Who’s recreating this recipe back home?
Accommodation: La Comarca Hotel (or similar), Purmamarca, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Six – Time Travel in Hornaditas and Hornocal
It’s time to connect even further with the region’s indigenous Andean culture. At Hornaditas, you’ll join the Lamas family as they show you around the area, giving you a sense of how ancient rock art and sites around them inform the community members’ connection to the place. Returning home, you’ll help bake bread in the family’s clay oven before sharing lunch together – the symbolism of breaking bread with new friends couldn’t be clearer! Well warmed up to the spirits in the air, the afternoon sees you participating with the family in a ceremony honouring the Pachamama. It’s a deeply personal but at once shared experience, wrapped in the warmth of the Lamas family.
With the weather on your side, you’ll carry on to Hornocal, known as the Hill of 14 Colours. Dating back some 75 million years, you’ll see how the mountain features an artist’s palette of colours, from greens and yellows to whites and reds.
Accommodation: La Comarca Hotel (or similar), Purmamarca, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Seven – Salinas Grandes Salt Flats
Today’s the day that might outshine your first 6 days in Argentina. You’ll hit the road nice and early to give you as much time as possible at the Salinas Grandes, and even the way there is a stunner.
But Salinas Grandes would be worth the journey even without the dramatic roadway. Sat at an elevation of 3,450 metres, the sky seems close enough to touch, while 12,000 square kilometres of salt flats spread out before you, forming an otherworldly, snow-white sight so large that it bends the mind’s ideas of scale and distance.
The day continues with the drive towards the city of Salta, known for its grand colonial-era buildings. You’ll grab lunch along the way, the perfect excuse to step out, look around you, and say ‘Wow’ just one more time.
Accommodation: Design Suites Salta (or similar), Salta, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Eight – Explore Salta
Halfway through your adventure, which is probably starting to feel pretty Magnificent, you may need a bit of a breather. Today’s a chance to pause, with no activities planned until later, when you’ll set out to explore Salta, walking alongside a personal guide.
How’s this for crossing off your bucket list? Wander the summer village of San Lorenzo on the city’s outskirts, take in panoramic views from the hill of San Bernardo, pay your respects at the Güemes Monument and lose a couple of hours in the History Museum of the North, where the story of this remarkable country really comes alive.
Come evening, you kick it up another notch, enjoying a dinner of regional dishes and wines together with a folkloric show of live musicians and colourfully-clad dancers at a local peña – venues used to celebrate music, dance, food and traditions of the region. You’re getting to the soul of Salta, just like the locals do!
Accommodation: Design Suites Salta (or similar), Salta, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day Nine – Travel to Puerto Iguazú
You’ve traversed dry hillsides and dived into local urban customs, now it’s time to see what greenery Argentina has to offer. Board a plane this morning and head to Puerto Iguazú, and just as its name hints, it really is a doorway to great water, and so much more. Just outside town, enveloped in greenery and the feeling that you’ve been transported, set your bags down at the jungle hotel where you’ll be spending the next 3 nights. Dinner is right at the resort, so settle in, have a walk around, or drift aimlessly around in the swimming pool until it’s time to gather for the three-course dream. Yes, please!
Accommodation: Village Cataratas (or similar), Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day Ten – Iguazú Falls
Today is a big one, Explorer, as you finally get to explore the Iguazú Falls in all their splendour. It’s an irresistible entrance right off the bat: you and the crew hop on an open-air jungle train and dive in under the forest cover. Then, a well-used and easy trail brings you to the breath-catching Devil’s Throat, where the waters of the Iguazú River thunder 80 metres onto the rocks below. You’ll likely be too amazed to worry about getting wet!
There’s time for all-angles views of the falls from the Upper and Lower Circuit trails, and when your tummy begins to rumble, lunch at a restaurant inside the national park will be waiting. With the rest of the day unscheduled, will you spend it lounging by the pool or comparing pictures to see who in the group really managed to capture the full panorama?
Accommodation: Village Cataratas (or similar), Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Eleven – A Brazil Point of View
If the falls left you wanting more yesterday, don’t worry. You’ll get a chance to see them again today – from a whole other country! Cross the border into Brazil, where a bus will take you right up to the start of a 1,500-metre-long walkway over the river gully. With the water rushing beneath your feet, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop and marvel at the falls and the subtropical jungle around you, before finally reaching the main goal: your old friend, the Devil’s Throat waterfall. Is it possible that it’s even more splendid today?
After such a thunderous start to the day, the pace slows beautifully as you return to Argentina in the afternoon, and arrive at a peaceful guest house. Here, on the banks of the river flowing slowly past, with the sun setting behind the trees, you get to discover a very important part of Argentine culture: mate. Tap into the rich experience of mate preparation, steeped in tradition.
Accommodation: Village Cataratas (or similar), Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
WHAT IS MATE?
A highly-caffeinated hot drink made from steeping local yerba mate leaves in hot water, mate is a little like tea. It is traditionally drunk through a metal straw known as a bombilla with a sieve at the end and served in a ‘cup’ made from a carved-out calabash gourd, also called a mate.
First drunk by the Guarani and Tupi indigenous peoples, today mate is usually drunk at gatherings such as family meet-ups, with the same bombilla and mate gourd shared by everyone in the group, symbolising welcome, friendship, trust and equality. Sounds like something MagExplorers would feel right at home with!
Day Twelve – Back to Buenos Aires
You started your foray into Argentina with tango in Buenos Aires, and in a full-circle moment, that’s how you’ll end it, too. A quick morning flight from Puerto Iguazú brings you back to the capital, with time to drop your bags and refresh before your evening’s extravaganza.
But no need to lace your dancing shoes, tonight you’ll be watching the pros. As a three-course meal appears in front of you in a 170-year-old historic building, your eyes will be locked to the stage, where some of Buenos Aires’ tango elite (and that’s saying something!) will bring the scorching passion to every perfected step. Whew, is it hot in here?
Accommodation: Grand Brizo (or similar), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day Thirteen – Welcome to Uruguay
Brave the waters again today to sail north across the mouth of the River Plata to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay – a ferry journey of just over an hour but into a whole new country.
This cobblestoned, colour-packed architectural dream of a port city is filled to the brim with atmosphere, and you’ll learn all about it on a guided walk around the Real de San Carlos area. Did you know it was founded by the Portuguese, not the Spanish?
Visit the historic San Benito Chapel and bullring cultural centre (thankfully no longer used for its original purpose) before heading to the heart of the city’s UNESCO-enshrined Historic Quarter. Here you’ll see many of the city’s oldest structures, including a city gate complete with wooden drawbridge and all-important whitewashed lighthouse, before the rest of the day beckons, unplanned and full of go-with-the-flow possibility.
Accommodation: Posada Don Antonio (or similar), Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Fourteen – Magical Montevideo
You might want to leave some of the breakfast buffet alone today since you’re heading to Honegger Cheese first thing for a special encounter. Laura Honegger (yes, the owner herself!) will let you in on the cheese-making process, taking influence from Honneger’s Swiss ancestors, before providing samples of her heart-shaped cheeses for you to try.
With a tummy full of cheese, you’re ready to get on the road to Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo. Before you get there, use what you’ve learned so far to compare and contrast Argentine and Uruguayan cuisine with lunch en route.
Once you’ve had some time to rest in your room, your love affair with Montevideo begins. You’ll visit Independence Square, the Agricultural Market and Solís Theatre among other attractions, with your local guide ready to share their insider knowledge. Stay close and you may learn a secret or two, too.
Accommodation: Own Montevideo Hotel (or similar), Montevideo, Uruguay
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day Fifteen – Montevideo View and Wines
Your deep-dive into Montevideo’s monuments and mysteries continues this morning, as you nestle into the busy markets and feel small in front of enormous buildings like the Congress Hall. This route is especially designed to make your jaw drop at the views, looking out over the coastline or gazing at Virgilio Square. Once you’ve had your fill, it’s time for one more museum – the Carnival Museum, and all we can say is you will hear it before you reach it.
Then, the inevitable is approaching: your last night on this trip. But we won’t let you go without a great big celebration. You and the crew head to a local vineyard, Bracco Bosca, for a wine tasting to set your taste buds soaring and a farewell dinner to send them right into the sunset. Amid belly-laughs and toasts, take a moment to reflect back on all that you’ve seen – and the friendships you made along the way. What a way to go!
Accommodation: Own Montevideo Hotel (or similar), Montevideo, Uruguay
Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day Sixteen – Farewell, Friends…
Nothing left to do, MagExplorer, but stuff the last of your souvenirs (and your tango skills!) into the suitcase, give one more hug to your crew, and head off on a private transfer to the airport. It’s a bittersweet goodbye, but as your plane takes off, you may just find that you’re bringing home more than souvenirs… You’re bringing home 16 days of history, culture, food, wine, dance, music and mate – and that’s something that can never get lost in the luggage.
Included: Breakfast
Trip Map
Frequently Asked Questions
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is significant variation in the AUD:USD exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of 1 AUD : 0.67 USD.
A deposit of 25% of the total trip price is required to secure your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 30 days. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
Most Explorers tend to be couples in their mid-50s to mid-70s.
Generally, we have no upper age limit for our trips. But, it’s important for you to know that our trips can be physically demanding and we will chat to you about your suitability. We’ll provide you with details of the health and fitness must-haves for our trips; however, we clearly are not medical experts. We will need you to obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months before you travel for the latest health requirements, vaccination advice and recommendations for your destination.
Age 75+
Guests over 75 years old at the time of travel, or those with pre-existing health conditions may need to have medical clearance to ensure safe travel, and must have a doctor complete a ‘Certificate of Medical Fitness to Travel’ within 30 days of booking confirmation.
Minimum age
While it doesn’t happen often, we do get younger guests joining our trips! As a general rule, the minimum age is 15 at the time of travel. All travellers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, or be accompanied by someone over the age of 18 appointed by their legal guardian.
Level 2 | Moderate
A moderate level of fitness is required. You need to be comfortable with:
- Walking 3 to 4+ hours at a time
- Hiking on hilly, uneven, or rocky trails
- Managing humid conditions
- Spending extended time on your feet
- Getting in and out of vehicles and boats
All hotel rooms have Western-style toilets. While travelling between locations or during treks, basic or squat-style toilets may be unavoidable.
If you’re comfortable walking regularly at home and can manage hills and uneven ground without difficulty, you’ll be well prepared for this adventure.
Australians and New Zealanders do not need a visa to enter Argentina and Uruguay for tourism or short visits (up to about 90 days).
Aussies must obtain an e-VISA before arrival in Brazil. The process is 100% online, done via this official website: https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/
You do not need to visit an embassy or mail your passport. Processing time is approximately 3 to 5 business days, but we highly recommend applying at least 2 to 3 weeks before departure.
Cost: USD $80.90 per person.
Requirements: You will just need to upload a digital copy of your passport (valid for at least 6 months), a passport-style photo, and your return flight confirmation.
Once approved, ensure you print the PDF visa confirmation and carry it with your passport on your travel day.
Most of our trips have a tip kitty because many cultures have interesting and diverse rules when it comes to tips. We’ve found it to be the easiest way to combat over-tipping, under-tipping or having the tip fall into the wrong hands. Our goal is for guests to relax and know that the complexities of tipping are taken care of, on their behalf.
We’ll be updating this section with the tipping amount and how it’s distributed, soon.
Being tour operators (not travel agents), we are not licensed to sell flights. We recommend contacting your trusted local travel agent to book flights, if you’re in need of assistance.
This trip begins in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the main international airport is Ezeiza International Airport (EZE). When flying home, you will depart from Carrasco International Airport (MVD) in Montevideo, Uruguay.
There are regular one- and two-stop flights from Aus/NZ to Buenos Aires and returning Montevideo, primarily with LATAM flying via Santiago, Chile.
Will we be picked up at the airport?
Yes! One of our friendly team will be waiting for you in the public arrivals area of the airport. You’ll transfer directly to the hotel. The transfer is free and in a private and air-conditioned vehicle, which you will only share if there is anyone else on your flight joining the trip. NB: Transfers from central capital city train stations can also be arranged.
When should we arrive?
Try to arrive before midday on the start day, although earlier would be recommendable. If possible, come one day early to settle in. We can organise additional hotel nights for you at cost.
Magnificent Explorers trips are mostly based on twin-share spots. If you book a twin-share spot as a solo traveller, we’ll roomie you up with another solo traveller, meaning you’ll share a room – but have a bed to yourself. During an initial phone chat with you we’ll cover several key questions, and do our best to match you with your roomie. Guests who travel with their partner or a friend will naturally be roomie-d up.
We offer a limited number of private supplements per trip. If you book a private supplement, it means that your accommodation will be private; in other words, no room-sharing with anyone, throughout the entire trip (unless noted). Naturally, private supplement accommodation means an additional charge to the base booking price (of Twin Share prices).
The weather in Argentina and Uruguay will vary depending on the specific location and altitude, however, by March temperatures are gradually decreasing and you will experience comfortable cooler days and colder nights. Expect daytime temperatures ranging from 20°C–27°C, while nighttime temperatures can drop to around 15°C– 18°C. Expect occasional rain showers.
In October the weather is mild and spring-like, with daytime highs around 26°C and nighttime lows down to 5°C, so it’s advisable to pack warm layers!
The local currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso (ARS) and in Uruguay it is the Uruguayan Peso (UYU)
Whether you are a couple, or a couple of friends, or travelling solo, our Magnificent Explorers journeys will appeal to anyone who is inspired by the charm of small group travel and wants to see the best of a country.
Our adventures are designed to appeal to those in their 45+ (but of course, everyone is welcome!) Our clients are curious and active, and want to find the magic of travel again, but with some modern comforts in unique and interesting places along the way. They’ve often avoided tours in the past because they’re not attracted to being herded around in large groups.
They prefer insider perspectives and lingering longer in the right places for a deeper experience.
In the unlikely event of a health or security related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
