The whole Australis boat experience.

Great holiday

The visit to the Perito Moreno Glacier was spectacular. We had perfect weather with clear, blue skies and both the boat trip to the edge of the glacier and the walkways were memorable.

Very comfortable hotel in a good area of Palermo. Our morning guided tour with Natalia was excellent and she gave us lots of useful information for our extra day in BA. We found some good restaurants. My outstanding experience was visiting the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes and their wonderful collection of French Impressionist paintings, 17th century Dutch works, including Rembrandt and a spectacular Belgian tapestry and the Rodin sculptures. The tango show was a great experience too.

We went in the Zodiac and landed at Wulaia Bay. We then walked up the hill to a viewpoint while it was snowing. Interesting information about the original, indigenous people and the 19th century settlers who farmed in this area.

Our trip along 'Glacier Alley' on the Beagle Channel while enjoying an international cocktail party was great fun. Again, the mountains were clear and the glaciers spectacular. We also had an excursion in a Zodiac to the Pia Glacier and walked up to a viewpoint - atmospheric photos!

We had two most enjoyable days at El Chalten and the walk up to the Laguna Torre was memorable. The mountains were clear and the glacier lake was a great place for our lunch picnic and very photogenic. We had an excellent mountain guide, Leandro. Our hotel was comfortable too. We spent two nights at the Aguas Arriba Lodge. It was amazing. We arrived at the lake from El Chalten and then walked for c. 3 hours through the forest to the lodge. Patricia and Omar, the boat driver, met us half way with a delicious picnic lunch. We then continued on to the lodge, seeing a flock of 4 Magellan Woodpeckers and a raptor harrying them, on our way. The lodge is beautiful and so remote. Patricia and Ivor were very welcoming. The meals were delicious. The weather was very stormy but we managed a morning walk from the lodge and another one in the afternoon of the second day to walk up to a viewpoint of the glacier. We were not able to take the boat to the northern end of the lake because of the weather and the fact that other guests were taken there.

We enjoyed exploring Salta, on our return from the trip up to Tolar Grande, and we loved the Hotel Mitico. A beautiful old colonial house. The decor was so interesting and tasteful. We had a large and very comfortable room. The landscape on our journey to Tolar Grande was magnificent. Unfortunately, we all suffered from altitude sickness over the 3 days of this expedition which made it something of an endurance test. We had been at these altitudes before but usually by walking up into the mountains. On this occasion, there was no opportunity for adjusting to the high altitude of the passes and we were staying at over 4,000 meters. Rodrigo was an excellent guide and the home stay accommodation and local restaurant were good, although we were not able to eat much! The majority of people visiting this area are either geologists, photographers and those involved in the rapidly expanding mining industry there. We did not see any other tourists. It was not like our experience of the Chilean Atacama and St Pedro. However, the landscapes and salt flats are other-worldly - perhaps this is why Nasa are interested in doing research there for their Mars mission!