Buenos Aires, the Perito Moreno Glacier, and Iguazu Falls cover three completely different faces of Argentina in a single week — a European-flavored capital built on tango and steakhouses, a wall of blue ice calving into a Patagonian lake, and a waterfall system so vast it straddles two countries. The three regions are linked by domestic flights rather than roads, so this route front-loads the capital, drops south into Patagonia for the glacier, then swings north to the falls before flying home.
Day 1
Arrive in Buenos Aires, Settle in Recoleta
Land at Ministro Pistarini International Airport (Ezeiza) and head straight into the city — Recoleta’s tree-lined avenues and Belle Époque buildings make an easy first base, and there’s just enough time to settle in before an evening of tango.
🚕 Private Airport Transfer — Ezeiza (EZE) to Recoleta
~45–60 minutes · About $45 USD for 2 people
A private door-to-door transfer skips the taxi queues outside arrivals — book ahead and your driver will be waiting in the hall with a name sign.
Manuel Tienda León · tiendaleon.com
🛎️ Overnight — Alvear Palace Hotel
From $320–360 USD / night, for 2 people
A Leading Hotels of the World property on Avenida Alvear in Recoleta, walking distance from the cemetery, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the boutiques of Avenida Alvear itself.
Alvear Palace Hotel · alvearpalace.com
💃 Tango Dinner Show — El Viejo Almacén
~100 minutes · About $114 USD / person
A three-course dinner with wine followed by a live quintet and a mix of traditional and stage tango in a historic San Telmo townhouse — book the dinner package rather than show-only for the better seats.
El Viejo Almacén · tangoshowba.com
Day 2
Buenos Aires City Tour — Recoleta to La Boca
A full day covering both ends of the city’s character: the marble mausoleums of Recoleta Cemetery and the grand plazas downtown in the morning, then the corrugated-metal color of La Boca’s Caminito in the afternoon.
📸 Recoleta Cemetery & City Highlights Tour
~4 hours · About $65 USD / person
A guided walk through Recoleta Cemetery’s mausoleum-lined avenues (including Eva Perón’s grave), then the Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, and the Metropolitan Cathedral downtown.
Say Hueque · sayhueque.com
📸 La Boca & Caminito Walking Tour
~1.5–2 hours · Free to wander (self-guided)
The brightly painted tenement houses of Caminito and the riverside streets around it — stick to the pedestrian corridor near the tourist market and go before mid-afternoon, when the tour buses start to thin out.
🍽️ Dinner in Palermo or San Telmo
Est. $35–55 USD / person
On your own — Palermo’s parrillas serve some of the city’s best grass-fed steak, while San Telmo’s smaller bodegones lean toward old-school, checkered-tablecloth Buenos Aires.
🛎️ Overnight — Alvear Palace Hotel
From $320–360 USD / night, for 2 people
Second and final night in Recoleta before flying south to Patagonia.
Alvear Palace Hotel · alvearpalace.com
Day 3
Fly to El Calafate, Settle Near the Glacier
A domestic flight south into Argentine Patagonia, landing on the shore of Lago Argentino in the small town that exists almost entirely to serve travelers headed to the Perito Moreno Glacier.
✈️ Flight — Buenos Aires (AEP) to El Calafate (FTE)
~3 hours 20 minutes · About $190 USD / person, one-way
Aerolíneas Argentinas runs several flights daily out of Jorge Newbery Airport (AEP) — book a morning departure to land with the afternoon still ahead of you.
Aerolíneas Argentinas · aerolineas.com.ar
🚕 Transfer — El Calafate Airport to Hotel
~15–20 minutes · About $20 USD for 2 people
A short hop from the small regional airport into town — shared shuttles and taxis both queue outside arrivals.
🏔️ Sunset Walk — Bahía Redonda & Lago Argentino
~1 hour · Free (self-guided)
The lakeshore boardwalk just outside town is a flamingo-spotting, glacier-air-breathing way to ease into Patagonia before tomorrow’s full day at the ice.
🛎️ Overnight — Xelena Hotel & Suites
From $180–220 USD / night, for 2 people
A lakefront hotel on the edge of El Calafate with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Lago Argentino and the steppe beyond it.
Xelena Hotel & Suites · xelena.com.ar
Day 4
Perito Moreno Glacier Full-Day Tour
The reason most travelers fly this far south — a five-kilometer-wide wall of ice in Los Glaciares National Park, one of the few glaciers on earth still advancing rather than retreating.
📸 Perito Moreno Glacier Boat Safari & Boardwalks
~9 hours, round-trip from El Calafate · About $110 USD / person
A drive along Lago Argentino into the national park, a boat safari that cruises close to the glacier’s face, and several hours free on the metal boardwalks that wrap around the ice front — park entrance is billed separately, about $30 USD.
Hielo y Aventura · hieloyaventura.com
🍽️ Lunch at the Glacier Viewpoints
On your own · Est. $20–30 USD / person
The park’s cafeteria near the boardwalks covers the basics, or pack a picnic in town before you leave — either way, save time to just sit and watch for calving ice.
🛎️ Overnight — Xelena Hotel & Suites
From $180–220 USD / night, for 2 people
Second night in El Calafate before flying north toward the falls.
Xelena Hotel & Suites · xelena.com.ar
Day 5
Fly to Iguazu Falls, Argentine Side
A long travel day — Patagonia to the subtropical north, connecting through Buenos Aires — rewarded with a first afternoon at the falls themselves, on the Argentine side’s rainforest trails.
✈️ Flight — El Calafate (FTE) to Iguazu (IGR), via Buenos Aires
~5–6 hours with connection · About $260 USD / person, one-way
Few routes across Argentina connect directly, so this leg transits Aeroparque or Ezeiza in Buenos Aires — book an early-morning first flight to keep the layover manageable.
Aerolíneas Argentinas · aerolineas.com.ar
🚕 Private Transfer — Iguazu Airport to Hotel
~20 minutes · About $40 USD for 2 people
A short drive from Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport, mostly through red-dirt jungle roads.
📸 Argentine Side Falls & Rainforest Ecological Train
~3 hours · Park entrance about $30 USD / person
The Rainforest Ecological Train shuttles between the visitor center and the trailheads — use the afternoon for the Upper Circuit’s sweeping overlooks before saving the Lower Circuit and Devil’s Throat for tomorrow.
Iguazú National Park · parquesnacionales.gob.ar
🛎️ Overnight — Gran Meliá Iguazú
From $460–520 USD / night, for 2 people
The only hotel inside Iguazú National Park itself, with rooms overlooking the falls — staying here means reaching the trails at opening time, ahead of the day-trip crowds.
Gran Meliá Iguazú · melia.com
Day 6
Devil’s Throat Boat Safari & the Lower Circuit
The falls’ signature experience — a boat ride that motors directly beneath the spray of the Devil’s Throat — followed by the Lower Circuit’s closer, wetter vantage points on the Argentine side.
🚤 Gran Aventura Boat Ride to Devil’s Throat
~2.5 hours total (boat portion ~10 minutes) · About $75 USD / person
A truck ride through the jungle down to the river, then a fast boat that runs right up into the spray beneath the falls — waterproof bags are provided, but expect to get soaked.
Iguazú Jungle · iguazujungle.com
📸 Lower Circuit & Upper Circuit Trails
~2–3 hours · Included in park entrance
Self-guided catwalks that bring you level with several of the smaller cascades and up close to San Martín Island — the Lower Circuit is the wetter, more dramatic of the two.
🍽️ Dinner in Puerto Iguazú
Est. $35–55 USD / person
On your own — the riverfront strip in town has casual parrillas and a view across to Brazil and Paraguay.
🛎️ Overnight — Gran Meliá Iguazú
From $460–520 USD / night, for 2 people
Second and final night inside the national park.
Gran Meliá Iguazú · melia.com
Day 7
Sunrise at the Falls & Departure
One last quiet look at the falls before the crowds and the day-trippers arrive, then the flight back to Buenos Aires to connect onward.
📸 Early Walk — Upper Circuit Before the Gates Fill
~1 hour · Included in park entrance
Staying inside the park means you can be on the boardwalks at opening time, well ahead of the buses arriving from Puerto Iguazú town.
🚕 Private Transfer — Hotel to Iguazu Airport (IGR)
~20 minutes · About $35 USD for 2 people
Build in buffer time — the small airport’s single check-in hall gets crowded around the midday departure bank.
✈️ Flight — Iguazu (IGR) to Buenos Aires (AEP)
~2 hours · About $150 USD / person, one-way
The final domestic leg, connecting back through Buenos Aires for onward international departure.
Aerolíneas Argentinas · aerolineas.com.ar
Download your itinerary here
Leave a Reply