Wonders of Chile and Argentina: Patagonia, Iguazu Falls and Splendid Cities

A beautifully organized trip! A wonderful terrific experience.

This trip fulfilled my desire to see a part of the world I knew relatively little about. It was exciting and informative, and Iguazu was the highlight.

Very interesting and many beautiful places, but way too many flights and too much time spent in airports.

This really was a beautiful trip of a lifetime. The balance between urban field trips and nature experiences was superb. The educational part was perfect too. What a wonderful part of our world to discover. Viva Chile and Argentina!!

This program could not have been more amazing!!! It was quite busy but every day was better than the next! The best guides and instructors, the most awesome beauty out doors to enjoy- beyond my expectations.

This is a very interesting trip with lots of variety that gives insight into the cultures and current economic issues in Chile and Argentina. Plus, the scenery is beautiful.

I had an extraordinary experience seeing Chile, Patagonia, Argentina and Iguazu Falls. I loved crossing the Andes, meeting very interesting people and learning about the history of area. Our guide and other participants were amazing.

This was our second Road Scholar tour and both exceeded our expectations. Looking forward to the next RS adventure.

Very good overview of Chile & Argentina. Realize that there's a lot of bus and transportation time/days on this trip, but that's necessary in order to see so many different places in one trip. My favorite part of the trip was southern and Patagonian Chile. You could spend more time there exploring and/or hiking on a different trip, but TBH there's really not much to see/do in Argentina or the rest of Chile, IMO, so if you want to visit them, this is the way to do it--in an overview with travel between sites. This is not a very active tour at all, with the exception of the Iguazu Falls day if you opt to walk both loops. I enjoyed it, just realize there will be lots of sitting and traveling.

The world would be a much better and healthier place if more people could travel in the fashion which we did on this trip. You discover that other people’s history, food, family, and hopes for the future are not much different than your own. We were very fortunate on our first road scholar trip to have a guide like Melina. Her 20 years of experience, the respect and contacts she’s made along the way with others, her patience in dealing with people unfamiliar with Spanish language were all on display. She helped us feel comfortable, safe, welcome, and loved. It is hard to imagine how she could be surpassed. As one who has led groups myself I repeatedly observed Melina’s skills. On a few occasions when leading the group was more like herding cats she showed the firm ability to bring us back together. She did this in a loving way. One suggestion that could impact future travelers; When other experts along the way are engaged to give a talk about geography or history it might be helpful to give them some coaching on how to share their information. The speed with which the Spanish language is spoken Can be a hindrance if translation to English is done in the same fashion. Pronunciation and the speed of speaking were occasionally a hindrance to sharing their knowledge. Thanks for a very positive and memorable trip Our love to Melina!!!

The wonders of Chile and Argentina are numerous, and this program tries to cover a good many of them. Both Santiago and Buenos Aires are big, interesting cities with much to see. Iguazu Falls was, of course, a big draw for most of us, and it was incredible. But Puerto Varas in Chile and Bariloche in Argentina, both of which are in the Patagonia area, were my favorite places on the trip - smaller towns with more connection to the native peoples of the countries. This is an active trip, lots of moving around from hotel to hotel, and lots of getting on and off buses and airplanes. (And don’t forget the lake crossing day!) But then you get to see amazing places and hear fascinating history, so it’s worth it!

Great trip. Beautiful scenery. Crossing the Andes by boat and bus was a surprise as I didn't know that the Andes lost elevation as they went south. Iguazu Falls was fantastic. We got there when it opened and got to see the falls with fewer people. All local guides were very knowledgeable and personable. The meals were all great (one exception) and I'm sure no one lost weight. Group Leader Georgina made the trip even better - she was the best. The only issue was that American Airlines delayed (basically cancelled) our flight from Buenos Aires to Miami and I had to pay for a non-AA flight back. Recommend this trip to anyone who has not seen this part of hte world.

A wonderful experience through a variety of environments. Starting in Santiago and ending in Buenos Aires, in between are beautiful lakes, mountains, waterfalls, and the draw-dropping Iguazu Falls. This trip will give you just a taste of the two countries, but covers both cultural and environmental topics. I do wish the speakers covering the history and economic situations of the two countries had been a bit better. They were a bit dry. The rest of the speakers and the activities were fantastic. The schedule is jam packed, so rest up when you get a chance.

Sailing Across the Andes showed off the beauty of the region which is why we had come on this adventure. The sky was blue, the air was clean, the mountains glistened and each lake was a different color. It was a spectacular day! And the next day was equally as beautiful with a panorama view of the Andes, lakes and Bariloche. Spectacular! It could not have been more perfect!

This is a very full and exciting program. You will be on the go and have the extra pleasure of two family meals prepared just for the group. Both very welcoming and so interesting. So much to see and do and learn. Excellent program and beyond excellent leader.

This was an outstanding educational program to learn about the Patagonia region and two countries that have such different histories with immigration, culture, and foods. The group leader, local guides, field trips, and walks through nature were all helpful to understand the unique countries. I was very interested in the immigration stories, histories, and how both countries were populated from different European immigrants. This is one of the best Road Scholar international tours (#28 so far) and I highly recommend the program to see the Patagonia areas in Chile and Argentina.

This was an eye-opening, varied trip, helped along by an experienced, helpful leader and local experts. Baraloche had amazing vistas, and the scenery while taking boats and buses across the Andes was remarkable. Accommodations were top quality, and the good to excellent dining usually featured entree choices and included beer or wine. At Iguazu Falls a bridge had been swept away, so we couldn't see the Devil's Throat, but the falls we saw were great (and I have no desire to go back just to see the highlight). Horatio, the leader, needed to make some adjustments in the schedule, and handled them well. For instance, in Buenos Aires we arrived at the time of the presidential inauguration, so he changed some of our sightseeing. My wife and I planned to leave the tour early, and Horatio came with me to check out our first independent transportation step. The group of 24 was congenial and interesting, and generally kept to the schedule well, even the frequent "early" starts, typically at 8:00 AM. The days were full, with relatively little free time, but that's what we signed up for.

If you are a world traveller, sailing across the Andes should be on your bucket list.

The diversity of experiences on this program were astounding. So much nature, two major cities and several smaller ones. Every local expert and lecturer was enthralling and our group leader, Marisa, was outstanding. Be ready to eat a lot of wonderful food!

A perfect trip in every regard. We had a small group (11 people), beautiful weather every day, and the best group leader anyone could hope for, Marisa Zeidan. The itinerary was thoughtfully designed, so that we saw spectacular natural beauty, toured two beautiful South American capital cities, dined with lovely families on two evenings, and learned lots about the history and culture of the places we visited. The local experts who guided certain parts of the tour were all well informed, very friendly, and a pleasure to meet. The same goes for the people who were recruited to deliver introductory lectures. The accommodations were all lovely and convenient for solo exploring. I had high expectations for this trip, and the actual adventure exceeded them all.

We thoroughly enjoyed the itinerary and Horacio Cavilli, our group leader, was exceptional. He has an excellent sense of humor and was very communicative. We loved the diversity of the trip, with visits to big cities (Santiago and Buenos Aires) as well as more remote areas. Our hotels were excellent with lake and mountain views in Puerto Varas and Bariloche. While crossing the Andes by boat was a long day, it was still a fantastic experience. Iguazu Falls is definitely one of the highlights. While in Iguazu, we took advantage of the proximity to Paraguay and Brazil to make a quick visit by taxi. While the presidential inauguration in Buenos Aires put a damper on our schedule, it was circumstances beyond the control of Horacio and Road Scholar. As the program ends in Buenos Aires, we again added another country by taking a ferry to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay for a day trip.

Our guide Marissa made Wonders of Chile and Argentina a special and highly memorable experience!

This is the best RS trip that I've been on (8 trips)! Marisa Zeidan, our group leader, was fantastic! Some of the highlights were visiting the homes of Chilean and Argentinean families for dinner. The scenery of Bariloche and Iguazu Falls was amazing. The tango was cool, also. I want to go back again and see these countries!!

This is a tour packed with information and activities, taking you through many temperature variations and locales - cities, farms, mountains, huge falls, ski lifts, rafting on a river and all in two fascinating countries in South America that I knew little about before. I highly recommend this trip - the local experts, and especially our group leader, Marisa, are exceptional.

If you are curious about a place or have a connection to a place you would like to deepen, look into trips Road Scholar may offer there and take advantage of the opportunity to learn first hand about it by experiencing it in person. Travel with other interested individuals and expert guides with good supports.

A wonderful trip. It was well organized and Marisa was a delight as the group leader. The local guides were also excellent and the local 'experts" usually had interesting information to transmit about the history, economy and politics. The two visits to people's residences were a plus. The group all got along and interacted with each other.

One of the best tours we have taken. Maris was a perfect guide that made the trip a lot of fun and interesting..

This tour exceeded my expectations. The itinerary was well designed to see a variety of climates, cities and small towns. Our tour leader Marisa was exceptional and made the tour so interesting and fun. We would like to travel with her on another Road Scholar trip. There were many highlights but seeing Iguazu Falls was one of them. We also really enjoyed the visits to the farmhouse and having dinner in a home in Buenos Aires. I would highly recommend this tour!

This Road Scholar tour was a wonderful experience and met all of our expectations. We now feel a real connection to a part of the world we had never visited before. As an added benefit, we became friends with a number of delightful fellow travelers. Here is a video of some of the tour's highlights that I've posted on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSoMBV9kXWg

What an amazing trip. We explored 2 amazing large cities, several smaller towns and then the forests and Iguazu Falls. The experience with local families added to the enjoyment and educational value of the trip. Our group, Marisa, is a true treasure. All the various forms of transportation needed for this trip were expertly handled by her. She was genuinely concerned about everyone’s comfort and needs. The trip to Iguazu Falls alone would make this trip worthwhile.

Program 20789 is extraordinary!

Wonders of Chile and Argentina was fantastic! Highly Recommend!

Pretrip: I was disappointed with handling a problem as I saw it. I called 4 times to change my info from on=line topaper Every person told me they took care of it? On my 5th call I was told it wasn’t going to happen. The first 4 just told me what I wanted to hear. Trip: our guide was very good He went out of his way to meet everyone’s wishes/needs. The days were very busy and some downtime would have been nice In order to enjoy pools etc. at the hotel. Some unpleasant incidences recruit on her trip i.e. a trip to the hospital for one and more than one robbery. They were all handled with expertise and kindness. Although the description of the trip was very explicit regarding activity and meals, eating after 8pm was still difficult. Meals were wonderful. All of the lectures were informative and interesting . The scenery ,especially the Falls, was breathtaking.People in general were friendly and very helpful. FYI: at start of trip in Syracuse New York, we were told we could not have boarding passes because Because we didn’t have a particular “paper”. She was unable to tell us what the paper was. After an hour of calling road scholar and American Airlines another person at the desk a person boarding pass when we called the emergency line for Road scholar because it was before 9 AM. She was very nice but I am able to give us any direction. The desk was unable to provide us with the paper is it turned out the first person had read it wrong. By the time this was figured out the initial person,the “Supervisor” was no where. To be found. If someone hadn’t stepped in. We would’ve missed our our flight and our connection and things would not have turned out wellu

We loved this tour: From visiting the Chili capital, Santiago, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso; seeing and experiencing the Lake Districts in both Chili and Argentina; and crossing the Andes by boat on these Lakes to seeing the Iguazu Falls in Brazil and exploring the Falls upclose in Argentina, this was a memorable tour, highlighted by the incredible Iguazu Falls.

We just completed another fabulous Road Scholar trip this time to Chile & Argentina. I love how well organized the trips are. They have every little detail covered. All the hotels are very nice & comfortable, the meals are great and the transportation is well thought out. The real reason I travel with Road Scholar is their focus on learning & appreciating different histories & cultures. I like the use of local guides & meals at locals homes. I will continue to use Road Scholar for my travel.

This trip was delayed for us, which increased the anticipation. We were not disappointed. We got lucky with weather, and felt privileged to have Marisa as our guide. She went above and beyond every day. So many memories, so many pictures!

Some things in life have to be experienced to be believed, Iguazu Falls is one of those. I had seen pictures, and heard about it, but it was more than I imagined, and much more than I had been told. It was literally breathtaking.

Wonders of Chile & Argentina is a TERRIFIC Road Scholar program! The group leader, Horacio Cavilli, was absolutely FANTASTIC!! We had wonderful daily adventures with knowledgeable guides and speakers! So glad we took this tour.

Fantastic guide (Marcel Gonzalez) and can-do participants and an amazing itinerary that went from urban, to rural, to fabulous outings in nature made this experience unique. I learned a lot about political, environmental, economic and cultural issues in Chile and Argentina. Tour requisites are openness, curiosity, adaptability, stamina, energy, and physical capability. Definitely "Keep the Pace Plus"!

This program was packed with activities and educational opportunities. Several of us opted for extra 2 or three days before, and 2 or three days after the program for additional exploration outside the scheduled activities and enhanced our experience significantly.

It was an amazing trip. Our guide was excellent. The area and people were beautiful. Very pleased I went. Highly reccomend.

I was very impressed with the trip to Chile and Argentina. As always, the people traveling with RS were fantastic. Our guides were capable and very knowledgeable. I was never bored because the trip is packed full of sightseeing events. The Iguazu Falls in both Brazil and Argentina are incredible but I must say the Brazilian side is unbelievably beautiful. Thank you, Roads Scholar for a wonderful 4th trip with your company. I have already signed up for the Winter in Greece trip.

Absolutely great tour guide, Horatio, and an amazing program scope and depth coverage in the itinerary.

I wondered how we could travel two large countries (Chile/Argentina) in two weeks, but this program had a great mix of well timed interesting urban and nature activities. Crossing the Andes by boat and bus,Iguazu Falls and a traditional meal in the country were highlights, but all of the activities helped me to appreciate the culture there.

The trip was a terrific way to learn a little about Chile and Argentina. It will also expose you to the beauty of the Andes mountains and the majesty of Iquazu Falls.

This is only my 2nd Road Scholar Trip. I would highly recommend it! The scenery and variety of transportation is outstanding. To see Iguazu Falls (one of the 7 wonders of the world) and take boats and buses across the Andes and all the gorgeous views is well worth it.

The best parts of this trip were the two places in northern Patagonia - Puerto Varas and San Carlos de Bariloche. The hotels in these two locations and the beautiful lakes and history were the highlight of this trip. Be careful at the Santiago airport and be sure you are met by someone legitimate. The small size of the group was wonderful as well as our great leader, Marcel. The walk at Iguazu Falls is spectacular but well over 5 miles in total on elevated catwalks that you can see through but they do have handrails - bring your umbrella/poncho that you will need when you get close to the falls.

This trip was amazing! The small group size added to the enjoyment.

Highly recommend this program for anyone wanting more than just a taste of these two beautiful countries...and their people.

Chile and Argentina, country and culture can be explored in a well laid out, organized, thorough and educational trip that leaves little untouched and begs to sign up for further travel to explore other parts of South America.

I've been in travel industry for 40 years, traveled with moderate to high end tour operators however this was my first ROAD SCHOLAR experience. I feel I thoroughly enjoyed my new experiences, learned more with Road Scholar. Liked the small group size, excellent tour director & local guides, loved the small local restaurants & entertainment. I will travel with Road Scholar again!! Kathy from Denver CO.

This is definitely and "on the go" tour and you can expect to see and learn a lot about these important countries...both beautiful, both making great strides forward after troubled recent pasts. What an opportunity to be in the Andes and at one of the world's great wonders, Iguazu Falls.

This is a varied and outstanding program. We recommend it highly.

This was a fabulous trip to South America. Our escort, Horacio Cavilli ,was outstanding as were the local guides at each place we visited. I have traveled with various companies the past 45 years, and Road Scholar far surpasses any. The itineraries are varied to suit many types of individuals , as are the activities planned at each city or town. I have never witnessed a more caring and knowledgeable tour escort, who was constantly concerned about the well being and satisfaction of his tour participants. It was a fantastic experience from beginning to end, and I am already planning my next Road Scholar tour.

As if Iguazu Falls were not enough, this trip is much more than that. It has a packed itinerary with unexpected delights every day. You will come away with a real understanding of these two very different very interesting countries. This was one of our best trips ever.