South America Cruise: Chile to Argentina

Your vacation begins on an overnight flight to Santiago, Chile.

Welcome to Santiago, Chile! If you purchased airline tickets from YMT Vacations, a friendly representative will welcome you at the airport and transport you to the hotel. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy. This evening you’ll join your fellow travelers for a welcome dinner. (D)

This morning, head west to the coast for a panoramic city tour of Valparaiso, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Enjoy an included lunch, and then continue on to Viña del Mar, known as the “Garden City” for its lush gardens and parks. Visit Plaza Vergara, where you’ll have time to do some shopping. Late this afternoon you’ll stop in Casablanca Valley and immerse your taste buds at Viña Casas Del Bosque during a wine tasting. Your dinner is included this evening. (B, Wine Tasting, L, D)

Explore Chile’s capital city with a morning panoramic tour of Santiago. Travel downtown to Alameda, the colorful main avenue and home to the San Francisco Church. See Plaza de Armas, the city’s main square, and the Bellavista (Bohemian District). Your tour ends with panoramic views of Santiago and the Andes Mountains from San Cristobal Hill. This afternoon you’ll board for your cruise in San Antonio. (B)

This port city in Southern Chile is known as the gateway to the Patagonian fjords and Andes mountains. With its beautiful larch wood cathedral, buzzing markets and views of Tenglo Island and the active Calbuco volcano, there’s much to see in Puerto Montt. (B, L, D)

Located in northern Patagonia, Puerto Chacabuco is one of the most important sea ports in the region. Tucked deep in the Chilean fjords, the place is surrounded by rugged mountains, rivers and waterfalls. (B, L, D)

Today you’ll cruise the dreamy Chilean fjords and sail past some of the most breathtaking scenery. (B, L, D)

The Sarmiento Channel is one of Patagonia’s main channels, and here you’ll fing glaciers calving into the sea, as you sail along the ragged coastline. If you’re lucky, you might also be able to spot Magellanic penguins, southern elephant seals, dolphins and orcas along these shores. (B, L, D)

Perched on the edge of the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas is a bustling port city in Chile. Considered the gateway to Chilean Patagonia, the city is home to several museums including the Maritime Museum, Salesian Museum and more. (B, L, D)

Ushuaia is often referred to as the city at the end of the world, and with good reason. It’s the world’s southernmost city! Here, the rugged Andes mountains tower over the Beagle Channel, a strait in the Tierra del Fugo archipelago. (B, L, D)

Part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago in Southern Chile, Cape Horn is a rocky headland forming the southernmost tip of the continent. Cruise this cape where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. This region also marks the northern boundary of the famous Drake Passage. (B, L, D)

Today, you will cruise to Stanley, the capital city of the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Learn more about the picturesque city’s maritime history at the Dockyard Museum, and don’t miss the Lady Elizabeth Shipwreck. (B, L, D)

Today, you’ll make a stop at Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. This welcoming coastal city has an unmistakable European touch, and you can see it in its distinct architecture. Browse its art galleries, the historical old town and stroll down La Rambla, a riverside promenade lined with parks, bars and restaurants. (B, L, D)

Welcome to Buenos Aires, Argentina! Spend the day exlporing the Argentinian capital on your own or join us for an optional tour of the Icons of Buenos Aires and lunch. (B, L, D)

Experience the best of Buenos Aires with our guided city tour. From the stately Teatro Colon, a seven-storied theater, to Santo Telmo, the city’s oldest neighborhood filled with art galleries and historic mansions, there’s no shortage of incredible sights in Buenos Aires.

Later in the evening, join us for an introduction to Argentinian cuisine and culture, as you sip on a welcome drink with your fellow travelers. This will be followed by wine and appetizers. Next, create your own empanada with a choice of filling, and get a chance to see how the experts use the “”repulgue”” technique to make them. Then comes the best part: an opportunity to savor some of Argentina’s best steak that takes 24 hours to prepare. Have it with a side of Malbec wine straight from the wineries of Mendoza and some cuartirolo cheese, dulce de batata (made with sweet potato) and dulce de madera (made of a special kind of Argentinian wood). Try your hand at making alfajores, a dessert with dulce de leche, biscuit, coconut shavings and more. End the evening by learning more about “mate”, the national tea, and make one yourself and share it with your fellow travelers. (B,D)