South America & Chilean Fjords - Excursion list?

[Moonlion]

We traveled with 2 other couples (6 of us total) and mostly did private tours which were all excellent to outstanding.  With 6 of us, private tours were very affordable since they usually charge by tour and not per person.  We didn't do any included (free) tours since they seemed too limited.  We did the following optional (paid) Viking excursions:

Artistic Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires): four of us went on this tour and it was excellent - loved it!

Birdwatching at the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve (Buenos Aires): one couple went on this tour and said they really enjoyed the experience, tour guide and photo opportunities.  

Hike Magellan’s Strait Park (Punta Arenas): DH and I went on this one and really enjoyed the hike and views; however, need good mobility for the hike.  Our guide was excellent. 

Strait of Magellan Park (Punta Arenas): the other two couples went on this one and said it was OK but not great. 

Happy to answer any other questions. 

[Newtogroup]

What I just got from NCL via email 😞

Regrettably, we are unable to send a list of shore excursions for previous sailings.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

[Newtogroup]

14 hours ago, Moonlion said:

We traveled with 2 other couples (6 of us total) and mostly did private tours which were all excellent to outstanding.  With 6 of us, private tours were very affordable since they usually charge by tour and not per person.  We didn't do any included (free) tours since they seemed too limited.  We did the following optional (paid) Viking excursions:

Artistic Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires): four of us went on this tour and it was excellent - loved it!

Birdwatching at the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve (Buenos Aires): one couple went on this tour and said they really enjoyed the experience, tour guide and photo opportunities.  

Hike Magellan’s Strait Park (Punta Arenas): DH and I went on this one and really enjoyed the hike and views; however, need good mobility for the hike.  Our guide was excellent. 

Strait of Magellan Park (Punta Arenas): the other two couples went on this one and said it was OK but not great. 

Happy to answer any other questions. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is great and helpful!!  The "private tours" are different than, or same as, ones that you listed? I'm new and don't even know if you can do private tours via Norw. or if you are saying they were with a different company.  If different, would you be willing to share those?  I know that there are others on our sailing that might be interested too :). 

 

And since you are happy to answer questions 😉 🙂

How does it work with boarding the ship a day early and disembarking a day late?  I've only done about 5 cruises, and have never seen that.  

 

THANKS AGAIN!!!

[dreamercruise]

I just went in Dec 2023, but did not see any shore excursions to Iguazu Falls.  Fortunately, I snatched the last available spot in the pre-cruise extension to Iguazu (thanks to the cruise consultant onboard WC who informed me about the unexpected opening of this one and only one spot).  The price may seem high, but it was worth every penny.  Like Romocruiser said, viewing from the Brazilian side is much, much more impressive and fun.  We were able to walk the trail very close to the top of Devil’s Throat.  The experience was beyond words.  Since our hotel was right on the falls, we were able to freely stroll along the path in the evening before the next morning’s guided tour. Most of our photos and videos were taken on the Brazilian side.  The Argentina’s side was less spectacular to me, but the boat ride to the bottom of the falls was thrilling! The accommodation and food were 5-star.  I highly recommend this pre-cruise extension. If you are interested, reserve it quickly, because the excursion sells out very quickly (same goes with the Patagonian extension).

As for Falklands Islands, if the weather is good enough for landing, then you are among the lucky ones. I recommend Patrick Watt’s tour (think someone else took over, but I forgot his name). The long, 4x4 bumpy ride was the only difficult part, but you may think it is an adventurous experience.  The reward is at the end, when you see various species of penguins.

[Moonlion]

2 hours ago, Newtogroup said:

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This is great and helpful!!  The "private tours" are different than, or same as, ones that you listed? I'm new and don't even know if you can do private tours via Norw. or if you are saying they were with a different company.  If different, would you be willing to share those?  I know that there are others on our sailing that might be interested too :). 

 

And since you are happy to answer questions 😉 🙂

How does it work with boarding the ship a day early and disembarking a day late?  I've only done about 5 cruises, and have never seen that.  

 

THANKS AGAIN!!!

We booked the following independent excursions which not were not organized by Viking but by outside vendors (e.g., Viator, Tours by Locals).  Some of our independent tours were private which included just the 6 of us and some were small group tours.

 

In Montevideo, we booked Tours by Locals with Gonzalo Mara: Montevideo City Tour + Winery Visit & Tasting (https://www.toursbylocals.com/private-montevideo-city-tour-and-winery-visit). This was a private tour ($750 total for all 6 of us). Gonzalo was an outstanding guide and we really enjoyed the tour and wine tasting. 

 

In Puerto Madryn, we booked booked a private tour with Sentir Patagonia (their Peninsula Valdes tour): https://sentir-patagonia.com.ar/. Total cost for all 6 of us came to $870 ($145 per person) which included entry fees and a box lunch. It's a long ride to Peninsula Valdes and back but was an excellent tour. 

 

In Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), we booked an all day tour to Volunteer Point with Shaun Jaffray (https://adventurefalklands.com/). Price was $200 per person which included entry fees and a packed lunch.  As mentioned above, it's a long, bumpy ride to Volunteer Point in 4x4 jeeps but a lot of fun.  This was a highlight of our trip and highly recommend Shaun Jaffray!

 

In Ushuaia, we booked a private tour with Calaio Tours (Option 3: National Park w/ Hiking; 5.5 hours): https://www.tourguideushuaia.net/nat-park-w-hiking-5-hs/. Price was $170 per person which included park entry fees.  Our guide, Gaby, was outstanding and took us on 5 brief (20-40 minutes each), easy to medium-difficult hikes in the Tierra del Fuego National Park.  If you are mobile and reasonably fit, we can highly recommend this excursion. 

 

In Puerto Montt, we booked a private tour with Chile Dream Tours (LAND OF VOLCANOS: LAKES REGION): https://chiledreamtours.com/en/shore-excursion-puerto-montt-volcanoes/.  Price was $945 for all 6 of us ($157 per person) and included park entry fees and a fabulous picnic lunch with 2 or 3 excellent local wines.  This was another outstanding guide and tour. 

 

In Santiago (Valparaiso), we booked a private 2-day Tours by Locals excursion with Caroline O.  On our first day in Valparaiso, we toured Valparaiso and Vina del mar; on our day of disembarkation, we stopped at a Casablanca winery and then toured Santiago with drop-off at the airport.  The price was $200 per person for both days.  Caroline was an outstanding guide and we really enjoyed the 2-day tour. 

[Newtogroup]

3 hours ago, Moonlion said:

We booked the following independent excursions which not were not organized by Viking but by outside vendors (e.g., Viator, Tours by Locals).  Some of our independent tours were private which included just the 6 of us and some were small group tours.

 

In Montevideo, we booked Tours by Locals with Gonzalo Mara: Montevideo City Tour + Winery Visit & Tasting (https://www.toursbylocals.com/private-montevideo-city-tour-and-winery-visit). This was a private tour ($750 total for all 6 of us). Gonzalo was an outstanding guide and we really enjoyed the tour and wine tasting. 

 

In Puerto Madryn, we booked booked a private tour with Sentir Patagonia (their Peninsula Valdes tour): https://sentir-patagonia.com.ar/. Total cost for all 6 of us came to $870 ($145 per person) which included entry fees and a box lunch. It's a long ride to Peninsula Valdes and back but was an excellent tour. 

 

In Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), we booked an all day tour to Volunteer Point with Shaun Jaffray (https://adventurefalklands.com/). Price was $200 per person which included entry fees and a packed lunch.  As mentioned above, it's a long, bumpy ride to Volunteer Point in 4x4 jeeps but a lot of fun.  This was a highlight of our trip and highly recommend Shaun Jaffray!

 

In Ushuaia, we booked a private tour with Calaio Tours (Option 3: National Park w/ Hiking; 5.5 hours): https://www.tourguideushuaia.net/nat-park-w-hiking-5-hs/. Price was $170 per person which included park entry fees.  Our guide, Gaby, was outstanding and took us on 5 brief (20-40 minutes each), easy to medium-difficult hikes in the Tierra del Fuego National Park.  If you are mobile and reasonably fit, we can highly recommend this excursion. 

 

In Puerto Montt, we booked a private tour with Chile Dream Tours (LAND OF VOLCANOS: LAKES REGION): https://chiledreamtours.com/en/shore-excursion-puerto-montt-volcanoes/.  Price was $945 for all 6 of us ($157 per person) and included park entry fees and a fabulous picnic lunch with 2 or 3 excellent local wines.  This was another outstanding guide and tour. 

 

In Santiago (Valparaiso), we booked a private 2-day Tours by Locals excursion with Caroline O.  On our first day in Valparaiso, we toured Valparaiso and Vina del mar; on our day of disembarkation, we stopped at a Casablanca winery and then toured Santiago with drop-off at the airport.  The price was $200 per person for both days.  Caroline was an outstanding guide and we really enjoyed the 2-day tour. 

Wow!! You are simply AWESOME!!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!  This is so helpful!  I REALLY appreciate it!!

[Moonlion]

8 hours ago, Newtogroup said:

How does it work with boarding the ship a day early and disembarking a day late?  I've only done about 5 cruises, and have never seen that.

As far as I know, you are not able to board the ship a day early or disembark a day late.  You can arrive in the port city a day or more early (or depart the port city later) but, if doing independently, you will need to arrange your own hotel and travel arrangements. Viking offers pre- and post-cruise extensions in most embarking/disembarking cities. Search through the forum for the advantages/disadvantages of doing pre- or post-cruise extensions with Viking versus independently on your own. 

[tarhoosier]

OP, are you referring to the first two days and last two days of the cruise which spend one night at each location in the terminus ports? One may board and leave without spending the in-port night?

[Liz Masterson]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:05 PM, deec said:

We did a wonderful excursion from Ushuaia that included a 4x4 ride along a river bed, forest hike, and a great  lunch wth local wine that we ate outside and saw dog sled dogs!

 

 

 

Was this a Viking excursion or an independent one? 
I’m going in December!

[deec]

Yes it was a Viking tour.