"We have just returned from a 12-day trip to Argentina over the Christmas holidays, and used Exploration Journeys. BEST DECISION ever! Fred, one of the owners, is simply incredible!
We are a family of 5, our kids are 23, 20, 17 (and the men in the family are all over 6'). Little did we know that there are no taxis for 5 - and most of the taxis are pretty small. Private transfers via Exploration Journeys were fantastic! The trip was extremely well planned - Fred in constant contact to ensure everything went smoothly.
We spent 2 nights in Buenos Aires, visited the city with Gabriel who was not only nice, but knowledgeable and super engaging. Fred organized a wine tasting before the tango show - amazing! (front row seat, smaller group - very nice!). We then flew to Iguazu (our least favorite part of the trip but still worth seeing). Visited the falls in Brazil, then in Argentina (really worth doing the tour which goes under the falls). Iguazu is rather run down; we were glad we did not stay longer despite the great weather!
We flew on to El Calafate - one of my favorite stops! We loved the "ski resort" feel of the town. Juan our private guide was also amazing; the glacier's 2 hour trek a MUST(Perito Moreno)! (Note: you need to be in relatively good shape to do this). Despite some rain, the entire time in El Calafate was great.
Next step was Ushuaia. Our tour was not exactly what we expected and unfortunately, we could not find a larger vehicle for us that day. So we did continue the trip and it was fine (we went to see the Hidden Lake in a 4x4 with the Argentinian BBQ). This is where Fred shined; despite the fact that we continued our trip, he credited the day back to us since it was not exactly what we had booked and hoped for. His reactiveness and professionalism was amazing.
Finally, our second favorite stop in Argentina was for sure Puerto Madryn - from which we drove 3 hours north one day to Peninsula Valdes to see sea lions & elephant seals (and whales - but we were not in whale seasons). The next day we drove 3 hours south, first to Rawson for a boat tour to see commerson's dolphins then to Punta Tombo to see Magellanic penguin colonies (they had just had their babies - this was truly incredible!). And of course, we saw our fair share of guanacos and so much more wild animals!
The costs of living once in Argentina (and outside of Buenos Aires) is quite cheap. Good bottles of wine for $10 in restaurants; empanadas for lunch at $ 1.00 (kids loved this!). Food is good but lacks in spices - if you like hot sauce - bring some! Remember to ask for salt and pepper (it is rarely on the table). Bring a lot of small change with you - with the current situation in Argentina, we paid mostly in American currency NOTE: Bring $ 5.00 / $ 10.00 / or $ 20.00 - most places will not take $1.00 or higher then $20.00. AND the bills must NOT have any rips or ink stains or anything written on it (they won't take your bills).
We absolutely loved our trip in Argentina - and Fred/Exploration Journeys made it even better!
So if you are planning a packed holidays in a rather short time - book with Exploration Journeys!"
