eenusa

We are booked on an Antarctic expedition cruise on Quark that sails at the end of December 2006. So, we have plenty of time ahead of us to make plans and finalize them through one of the many well-recommended travel agencies mentioned in posts on this board.

I have just started doing research for the land portion of our trip. We will have about a week between December 22-30. Our thought is to fly into BA (arriving on the 23rd) and maybe spend a day in the city before flying onto Iguazu Falls for a couple of days (see both sides of the Falls) and then fly to El Calafate for a couple more days (stay at an estancia and go out to Perito Moreno Glacier) before ending up at Ushuaia, our debarkation port. I would like to arrive in Ushuaia sometime on the 29th even though we don't sail until the 30th.

Are we biting off too much? Any thoughts and suggestions would be welcome.

msteacher

I can't comment on the rest of your intinerary, but I just wanted to let you know that it looks like you will be at Iguazu on Christmas Day, which is when I was there last year. We purposely planned to be there then because we figured most things in BA or elsewhere would be closed for the holiday. The park was open and fabulous. It happened to be a full moon, so we did the Luna tour on Christmas night... very special.

The Sheraton within the park is probably the most convenient place to stay, but it's hard (and expensive) to get a room there... book as early as possible if you are interested. But staying in town is no problem, and gives you more options of things to do at night. Of course more time is better, but two full days should be enough there... allow yourself at least one full day to explore the Arg side, and at least half a day to do the Brazil side.

Sounds like you have an exciting trip planned. Have fun!

saltshaker

It's a pretty packed itinerary for a week, and I think it's a shame you're only giving BA one day given how vibrant of a city it is. It's certainly a do-able itinerary, but given the distances involved you're going to be spending a good portion of that week just getting around, especially if there are any delays in your flights, which isn't uncommon here. Consider that Argentina is roughly equivalent in size to 1/3 of the continental U.S., and you're covering from one to the other...

eenusa

msteacher - thanks for the comments re: Iguazu. We're very much looking forward to our trip. It is such a long way away, though, that starting the planning now will hopefully help the time go by faster.

Once we have our airline tickets to BA squared away in January (hope to use mileage if our outgoing dates are not blocked), I plan to at least get the Sheraton reservations booked ... staying in town is also an option we are considering, but I think I have my heart set on a falls-view room.

I did read about the Luna tour on another post, and if I checked correctly, I don't think we're going to have a full moon while we're there. We definitely plan on visiting both sides of the falls. If the itinerary we're thinking about turns out to be too much, then we'll likely add more days to Iguazu; for now, planning on two full days.

Thanks again for your comments, and if you have any photos you'd be willing to share, I would love to see them.

eenusa

Saltshaker - I hear what you are saying about the distances (which is why I am a little concerned about biting off too much) and what BA has to offer. What I was thinking is that we could always get a reasonable air/hotel package to visit BA and spend time in that area when in spring or fall (or even winter) when it is not as hot. Since our ultimate destination is Ushuaia, I'd like to squeeze in El Calafate if at all reasonable.

At this stage of our planning though, all thoughts and ideas are welcome, since we do have more than a bit of time before we need to make more concrete arrangements.

msteacher

I will just add that BA is a wonderful city, so if you can squeeze in a few days there I'm sure you'll be happy. Since most of the rest of your trip seems to be nature-oriented, you might enjoy spending a few days in a vibrant city for something completely different (maybe tack on a couple days after the cruise?) Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great trip. Buen viaje!

eenusa

Thanks for your comment msteacher. We've had to put our planning on hold through the holidays and will pick up again in the coming days. I think we have pretty much decided to skip El Calafate this time and stick to BA and Iguazu Falls.