Day 2 - Buenos Aires - Mar Del Plata (~420 km, 260 miles). Leave Buenos Aires on modern, high speed toll roads and soon change to interesting rural country roads through the Argentine countryside.

We’ll arrive in Mar del Plata early in the day. The hotel is located about a block from the beach, close to the Plaza Colon and the Casino Central, which is on the beach.


Hotel: Sheraton

Day 3 - Mar del Plata - Bahia Blanca (~460 km, 285 miles).  We continue our ride through Argentina's Pampas to one of Argentina's most important seaports. We'll have dinner at a wonderful local restaurant which is famous for Argentina beef.

After dinner, if you’re interested in a night on the town and want to sample the local nightlife, you may want to head for Fuerte Argentino, where bars and small nightclubs are conveniently located together in a cul-de-sac.

Hotel: Austral

Day 4 - Bahia Blanca to Puerto Piramedes (~ 770 km, 475 miles).  We continue our ride through Argentina's Pampas and on to Patagonia to the Valdes Peninsula. Don't let the distance concern you. This is our longest day, but we'll be on very good, high-speed roads with little traffic. We'll arrive at the beautiful seaside resort with plenty of time to enjoy a relaxing drink overlooking the ocean before a wonderful dinner.

Hotel: Las Restingas Hotel de Mar

Day 5 - Rest Day in Puerto Piramedes. The Valdes Peninsula is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - an interesting nature reserve that is inhabited by a variety of marine mammals, including sea lions, elephant seals, and fur seals. The inner part of the peninsula is inhabited by guanacos, rheas and maras. You can spend the day relaxing on the beach, do some local shopping, or get back on the motorcycle for some local sightseeing.

Hotel: Las Restingas Hotel de Mar

Day 6 - Puerto Piramedes to Camarones (~ 410 km, 250 miles). The ride to Camarones requires a 40-mile diversion from the main route from the Valdes Peninsula to Comodoro Rivadavia, but you’ll enjoy the pleasant little hotel and restaurant in this charming little fishing village that is only infrequently visited by tourists. The nice gentle curves on the road leading to Camarones will break-up some of the monotony of the straight roads we've been riding.

Hotel: Indalo Inn

Day 7 - Camarones to Comodoro Rivadavia (~ 260 km, 160 miles). It's a pleasant ride today through the rural Patagonian countryside. The winds that Patagonia is so famous for sometimes begin north of Comodoro Rivadavia.

With a population of 160,000 Comodoro Rivadavia is the last "large" town that you'll see during this trip. Be prepared for another great South American dining experience this evening.

Hotel: Austral

Day 8 - Comodoro Rivadavia to Puerto San Julian (~ 430 km, 265 miles). It's a beautiful ride along the coast out of Comodoro Rivadavia, with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean to your left. By now, we'll probably start to experience the Patagonian winds.

Puerto San Julian is a quaint little fishing village that is best known for the many famous explorers who have spent time there. Ferdinand Magellan spent the winter in 1520. Sir Francis Drake and Charles Darwin also spent time here. The town has a replica of one of Magellan's ships at the harbor.

Hotel: Bahia

Day 9 - Puerto San Julian to El Calafate (~ 580 km, 360 miles).   We'll leave the Atlantic coast behind as we turn inland to El Calafate, a charming little town with numerous shops, cafés and restaurants. Our 5-star hotel is only a few blocks from downtown and we'll arrive early enough to enjoy our first evening in El Calafate.

By the time we reach El Calafate, you will have enjoyed many fine dining opportunities. Be prepared for one of the best of the trip at the very special restaurant we'll use this evening.

Hotel: Posada Los Alamos

Day 11 - El Calafate to Torres del Paine, Chile (~ 370 km, 230 miles). Today we cross the border into Chile where we'll visit one of the most popular National Parks in South America: Torres del Paine National Park.

Be prepared to be blown away by the stunning scenery, as we cross a footbridge to our very special "boutique" lodge located an island in the middle of Lago Pehoe (pictured below). The lodge affords a stunning view of the "Towers".

Hotel: Lago Pehoe

Day 12 - Free day in Torres del Paine. From your island hotel, the riding in the park is stunning in every direction. Take your camera and be prepared for a relaxing ride through stunning scenery with shimmering lakes around every corner. Or spend a relaxing day on your island retreat. There are no bad options!

Hotel: Lago Pehoe

Day 13 - Torres del Paine to Punta Arenas (~ 360 km, 225 miles). We'll have another nice day of riding through Patagonia in Chile to Punta Arenas - the largest city south of the 46th parallel, south. We'll stop for a photo opportunity at the "Monument to the Wind" - a monument paying tribute to the strong Patagonian winds that are often present in the region. The monument was created in 2000 by noted Chilean sculptor Alejandra Ruddoff.

Hotel: Hotel Finis Terrae

Day 14 - Punta Arenas to Rio Grande (~ 225 km, 140 miles). Depending on the weather we'll either take the ferry (3 to 4 hours, depending on the weather) from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, or we'll ride along the Straits of Magellan to Punta Delgada, where we'll take a much shorter ferry (20 minutes) across the Straits of Magellan and onto the island of Tierra del Fuego. Either option will provide a nice ride to Rio Grande.

Hotel: Posada de Los Sauces

Day 15 - Rio Grande to Ushuaia (~ 200 km, 125 miles). Be prepared for a beautiful ride today as we make our way to Ushuaia - the southernmost settlement in the world. It's a short day so we'll arrive early enough to have lunch at one of the towns charming restaurants. Our 5-star hotel is high on the side of a mountain overlooking Ushuaia.

Hotel: Las Hayas

Day 16 - Free day in Ushuaia. Today is the last riding day, so you'll surely want to use it to visit the nearby Tierra del Fuego National Park to have your photo taken by that famous sign at the end of the world. You'll want to spend some additional time in this beautiful park, but there will still be plenty of time to enjoy Ushuaia's many other sights as well.

Tonight's very special dinner will be held at one of the best restaurants in South America - perched on the side of a mountain from which we'll watch the Corinthian II as it docks in preparation for tomorrow's departure for Antarctica!

Hotel: Las Hayas

Day 17 - Depart for Antarctica! Prepare for ten evenings of gourmet dining with your first dinner on board the Corinthian II as we make our way down the Beagle Channel and into the Drake Passage on our way to the Antarctic Peninsula. Our luxury expedition cruise ship has an open bar, so alcoholic beverages, including wine with dinner, are included in the cost of the tour. (But don't worry - the ship has a gym on board).

Day 18 - At sea - The Drake Passage. Great dining is available on the Corinthian II - starting with a great breakfast in the ship's dining room. Or perhaps you prefer to arrange for breakfast to be delivered to your cabin this morning?

Even though we'll be out of sight of land, we'll almost never be without interesting sea life nearby - including such birds as the giant albatross and the giant petral.

On board tour guides will provide entertaining lectures, movies and slide presentations during the day.

Day 27 - You're on your own for a final day in Ushuaia. This is a great opportunity to unwind after the exhilarating cruise to Antarctica and to do some final sightseeing and shopping in Ushuaia.

Lodging and dinner however, is on us. It will be a great time to reflect with each other about the events of the last four weeks, and to say our final goodbyes.

Hotel: Las Hayas