Argentina · Private journey
Buenos Aires, the Glaciers and Iguazu in 10 Days
Photo by Mayra Villas Boas Fraga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
From $3,300 per personfor the 8-day versionFrom $3,950 per personfor the 10-day versionFrom $4,950 per personfor the 13-day versionland only · 4 or more sharing
See dates & prices- Buenos Aires to Puerto IguazuBuenos Aires to Puerto IguazuBuenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu
- 8, 10 or 13 days
- 1 country
- 3 bases3 bases5 bases
- easy pace
- Private
Glaciers and Iguazu in ten days, with Buenos Aires first: private and land only, and the eight- hour hop between the ice and the falls declared rather than hidden.
Argentina runs 3,700 kilometres from the subtropics to the edge of Antarctica, and the two things most people come for sit at opposite ends of it. Everything about how this trip is built follows from that.
The connection that does not exist
There is no direct flight between El Calafate and Iguazu. The best same-day connection is eight hours through Buenos Aires, and the earliest it lands is 16:20 — twenty minutes after the national park stops admitting visitors at 16:00.
So day seven is a transit day. We say so on the page, schedule nothing on it, and give you an extra night at the falls to make up for it. Several of the pages that rank for this trip write “fly to Iguazu” as though it were a hop. It is a whole day, and pretending otherwise is how people arrive at a closed gate.
The other thing nobody mentions: two airports
Buenos Aires has two. Aeroparque is 2 km from the centre and carries most domestic flights. Ezeiza is 22 km out and handles 85% of the country’s international traffic.
But “Aeroparque is domestic, Ezeiza is international” is a rule of thumb, not a fact, and it is the kind that strands people. Aerolíneas sells plenty of domestic flights out of Ezeiza — on one sample day, five of the seven Ushuaia to Buenos Aires nonstops landed at Ezeiza, not Aeroparque. A domestic booking can quietly put you at the wrong airport.
And there is no airside connection between the two. You clear immigration, collect your bags, leave the building and drive across the city; nothing is checked through, even on one ticket. The transfer operators who do this all day recommend four to five hours between flights, more at peak. We build that in and write it into your itinerary.
Of the nine competing pages we read, seven do not mention the two-airport problem at all, and two name only Ezeiza.
No altitude anywhere, and that is a feature
Buenos Aires is at 25 m. El Calafate is at 199 m, Iguazu at 162 m, Ushuaia at 23 m. Even El Chaltén, in the mountains, is at 397 m.
If you have been reading about Peru and Bolivia and worrying about acclimatisation, Argentina is the trip where none of that applies. Nothing here asks anything of your lungs.
When to come
We run this November to early April. The date that matters is 1 May, when the Perito Moreno corridor switches from summer hours — 08:00 to 18:00 — to winter ones of 09:00 to 16:00. Your usable glacier day drops from twelve hours to seven overnight.
November is the best month if Patagonia is the priority. The corridor is already on summer hours, the Todo Glaciares navigation runs daily, and El Calafate is in its second-driest month at 7.8 mm — with roughly 180,000 visitors against January’s 362,000.
April is the only month when the whole country works at once, which matters if you ever add the northwest. Avoid January and February, when Buenos Aires sits at 30 °C and Patagonia carries five times the people.
Some things that are widely believed are simply wrong, so for the record: the Minitrekking on the glacier runs all year, and the Train at the End of the World runs 365 days. What is genuinely seasonal is the Big Ice trek, the big navigation, the Tierra del Fuego trails, and the El Calafate to Ushuaia flight.
One live warning
As of 12 September 2026, the Devil’s Throat walkway at Iguazu is closed. The concession withdrew the walkway on 3 August as a precaution after the river rose, described the work as taking around forty days, and high flows are forecast into October.
The Upper Circuit, the Lower Circuit, the Macuco trail and Gran Aventura are all running. We will tell you where it stands when you book rather than let you find out at the gate — but if the Devil’s Throat is the reason you are going, talk to us about the dates first.
For the city days, our guide to things to do in Buenos Aires groups the sights by neighbourhood, and for the falls, the Iguazu Falls Brazil side guide sets out which side, and in which order. For what a trip like this costs before anyone quotes you, see the seven numbers that move it, and for the regional seasons, the best time to visit Argentina. If you have more or fewer than ten days, our Argentina itinerary guide shows what fits in one, two and three weeks.
The shape of it
Where this trip actually goes
Day by day
Three lengths, one trip
The estancia day and one night at the falls come out. The three Patagonian days stay exactly as they are, because they are the part that cannot be compressed: the glacier corridor and a seven-hour navigation do not fit into two days with a three-hour-twenty flight in between.
Day 1
Landing in Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresMet at Ezeiza, 22 km into Palermo or Recoleta, and an afternoon with nothing in it.
Day 2
The city, on foot and with a guide
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresRecoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca with a private guide, and tango with dinner in the evening.
Day 3
South to the ice
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateAeroparque and the three-hour-twenty flight to El Calafate, then 21 km into town and a free afternoon on Lago Argentino.
Day 4
Perito Moreno, the whole day
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateThe 80 km out to the walkways with a private guide, all three balcony levels, and the hour-long Safari Nautico off the north wall.
Day 5
Upsala and Spegazzini by boat
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafatePuerto Bandera and the seven-hour Todo Glaciares navigation, with the landing at Spegazzini.
Day 6
The long hop north
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuEight hours through Buenos Aires, because there is no direct flight. Nothing else is scheduled today.
Day 7
The Argentine side, early
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuIn at opening for the Upper and Lower circuits before the midday buses, with the eco-train, and the Macuco trail if you still have legs.
Day 8
Home
Departure dayIguazu to Buenos Aires, two hours nonstop, with the Aeroparque to Ezeiza transfer written in if your onward flight needs it.
Ten days is the most searched length for Argentina and it is what this shape needs: three nights in each base. Two would mean losing either the seven-hour glacier navigation or a full day at the falls, and both are the reason to come.
Day 1
Landing in Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresWe meet you at Ezeiza and drive the 22 km into Palermo or Recoleta, about an hour in city traffic. The afternoon is free to walk the neighbourhood and get your clock back after an overnight flight. Nothing is scheduled, and we would rather say that than dress it up.
Day 2
The city, on foot and with a guide
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresA full private day through Recoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca, with the Recoleta cemetery and a stop at one of the old cafes. In the evening, dinner and a tango show — the only dinner included in the trip, and it goes here on purpose, while you still have energy.
Day 3
An estancia day on the pampa
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresOut to a working estancia in Buenos Aires province: asado, horsemanship, a short ride or a carriage, and back by late afternoon. It is the contrast that makes the city make sense, and it is the day most rival itineraries leave blank as "at leisure".
Day 4
South to the ice
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateTransfer to Aeroparque, which is 2 km from the centre rather than 22, and fly to El Calafate — under three hours nonstop, according to Aerolíneas Argentinas. We meet you at the airport for the 21 km into town. Free afternoon on the shore of Lago Argentino, with plenty of light left in season.
Day 5
Perito Moreno, the whole day
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateEighty kilometres out on the RP 11 to the glacier walkways, with a private guide and enough hours to walk all three levels of balconies and hear the front calve. We add the Safari Nautico, an hour on the water three hundred metres off the north wall, which runs year round.
Day 6
Upsala and Spegazzini by boat
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateForty-seven kilometres to Puerto Bandera and the Todo Glaciares navigation: 09:30 to 17:00, seven hours among icebergs, with a landing at the Spegazzini base. This is the day that turns El Calafate from seeing a glacier into seeing the icefield. Daily from August to April.
Day 7
The long hop north, and we will not pretend otherwise
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuA transit day, declared as one. There is no direct flight between El Calafate and Iguazu: the best connection is eight hours through Buenos Aires. We leave early, eat on the way and reach Puerto Iguazu at the end of the afternoon. We schedule nothing else, because promising a visit today would be a lie.
Day 8
The Argentine side, from the inside
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuEarly entry to the national park — it opens at 08:00 and stops admitting at 16:00 — for the Upper Circuit, 1,850 m and no stairs, and the Lower Circuit, 1,750 m with them, both before the midday buses. Then the Macuco trail, seven kilometres there and back, for rainforest with nobody in it. The eco-train is included.
Day 9
Under the falls, and the island most people miss
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuGran Aventura in the morning — the boat that runs in under the falls, and the only way to feel their weight. Then Isla San Martin, the island in the middle of the river that closes whenever the level is high and is empty when it is not. The Brazilian side can replace this day if you want the head-on panorama, but it is a border crossing and US, Canadian and Australian passports all need a Brazilian visa arranged weeks in advance. British passports do not. We settle that when you book, not at the bridge.
Day 10
Home
Departure dayIguazu to Buenos Aires, two hours nonstop. If your flight home leaves from Ezeiza and the domestic one lands at Aeroparque, there is no airside link between them: you clear immigration, collect your bags and cross the city, and nothing is checked through. We allow four to five hours for that and write it into your itinerary rather than letting you discover it at the desk.
Two nights in El Chalten for the Fitz Roy day walks and two in Ushuaia for the Beagle Channel. ⚠ Only sells between November and March: the El Calafate to Ushuaia flight is seasonal, and the Tierra del Fuego trails are open November to April. Outside that, both disappear at once.
Day 1
Landing in Buenos Aires
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresMet at Ezeiza and driven into Palermo or Recoleta. Nothing scheduled.
Day 2
The city, on foot and with a guide
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresRecoleta, Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo and La Boca, and tango with dinner.
Day 3
An estancia day on the pampa
Overnight: City hotel, Buenos AiresAsado, horsemanship and the flat light of the pampa, back by late afternoon.
Day 4
South to El Calafate
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateAeroparque to El Calafate, under three hours nonstop, and a free afternoon.
Day 5
Perito Moreno, the whole day
Overnight: Hotel, El CalafateThe walkways, all three levels, and the Safari Nautico off the north wall.
Day 6
North to El Chalten
Overnight: Lodge, El ChaltenTwo hundred and twenty kilometres of tarmac up the RP 23, with the Fitz Roy massif ahead of you for the last hour. Afternoon on the Chorrillo del Salto trail, six kilometres, to get your legs under you.
Day 7
A Fitz Roy day
Overnight: Lodge, El ChaltenThe Laguna de los Tres viewpoint is 25 km and eight to nine hours, and the park calls it medium to hard. Laguna Torre is the gentler option at 18 km there and back, three to four hours each way (national parks service, read 1 October 2026). Either is a day walk with a guide, and we sell it as exactly that and nothing more.
Day 8
Back down and on to Ushuaia
Overnight: Hotel, UshuaiaThe 220 km back to El Calafate and the one-hour-twenty flight to Ushuaia. Seasonal route, which is why this version only sells in the southern summer.
Day 9
The Beagle Channel and the end of the road
Overnight: Hotel, UshuaiaMorning on the channel among the sea lion and cormorant islands, afternoon in Tierra del Fuego National Park, 12 km from town, where the trails open November to April.
Day 10
North to the falls
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuThe long transit day: Ushuaia to Puerto Iguazu through Buenos Aires. Nothing else scheduled, for the same reason as always.
Day 11
The Argentine side, from the inside
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuUpper and Lower circuits at opening, the eco-train, and the Macuco trail for the forest without anyone in it.
Day 12
The panorama, and the falls from the water
Overnight: Hotel with gardens, Puerto IguazuThe Brazilian side for the head-on view, and Gran Aventura under the falls in the afternoon.
Day 13
Home
Departure dayIguazu to Buenos Aires, two hours nonstop, with the cross-city transfer written in if your onward flight leaves from Ezeiza.
What is included
- Every hotel night for the length you choose, with breakfast: a city hotel in Buenos Aires, a hotel in El Calafate, and a hotel with gardens in Puerto Iguazu.
- Private English- or Spanish-speaking guide on every touring day, in Buenos Aires, at the glacier and at the falls.
- National park entry at Los Glaciares and at Iguazu, including the eco-train to the circuits.
- The full-day Todo Glaciares navigation to Upsala and Spegazzini, with the landing at the Spegazzini base, and the hour-long Safari Nautico at Perito Moreno.
- Gran Aventura, the boat that runs in under the falls.
- All private transfers, including the 80 km to the glacier and the 47 km to Puerto Bandera — and the Aeroparque to Ezeiza crossing when your flights need it, which is an hour and twenty that most itineraries leave you to discover.
- Dinner with a tango show in Buenos Aires, and an asado lunch at the estancia.
- Local telephone support around the clock for the whole trip.
What is not
- International flights. Quoted on top of the land price so the two are comparable. We are happy to book them with you, or leave them to you if you have points or a route you prefer.
- Internal flights - Buenos Aires to El Calafate, El Calafate to Iguazu and Iguazu back to Buenos Aires. Three sectors, about 623 USD per person at the lowest published fares. We quote them separately rather than folding them into the headline, because a price that hides them cannot be compared with one that does not.
- Lunches and dinners not marked in the day-by-day table.
- Alcoholic drinks, laundry and personal spending.
- Tips for guides and drivers.
- The Brazilian side of the falls, and any Brazilian visa. We can add the day, but it is a real border crossing. Brazil's own visa table puts the United States, Canada and Australia in the "visa required" column, in force since 10 April 2025; the e-visa costs about 81 USD and the official portal warns it can take up to ten business days. British passports are exempt for 90 days. We confirm your nationality before building the day in, not after.
- Travel insurance.
- Any named trek. The Fitz Roy and Laguna Torre routes appear as guided day walks on the thirteen-day version; multi-day trekking is a different product and not one we sell.
Make it yours
This is a starting point, not a package
Every one of these days can move, and so does the length. Tell us what you have and we rebuild it around you, usually within a working day.