Buenos Aires to Santiago

[magnolia11]

Hi, just wondering which direction should one sail, BA to Santiago or vise versa, or does it matter?
Thank you in advance, Robin

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, magnolia11 said:

BA to Santiago or vise versa, or does it matter?

There are (usually? always?) more port stops on the Chile/Pacific side, so I think the answer depends on, do you want to start with excursions and activity, and relax after, or vice versa. We sailed Santiago to BA and enjoyed it fine!

[Torquer]

I don't think either way is necessarily better.  The ports are likely to be the same in either direction, but you may have a preference based on the port schedule.  Now one thing you did not mention is if the cruise visits Antarctica.  I would strongly recommend going to Antarctica on a cruise between these two starting/ending ports, even if it is just a 3-day sail-by and you don't actually get to set foot on land.  We were on this type of cruise in March of 2024, and it was the most impressive scenery have seen on any cruise.

[cccole]

Hi Robin, We loved our January 2024 cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires.  With the fun things we planned before and after the cruise I don't think it matters. We could have done these adventures at the beginning or end.  I thought ending with a 4 night stay in Iguazu Falls was the perfect end to our trip. We began the adventure with Santiago, an overnight in the Andes, 2 nights at a vineyard near the port and then the cruise.  It was awesome.  My primary reason for choosing our cruse was the cabin I wanted.  You will love either direction.  JMO. Cherie 

[clo]

55 minutes ago, cccole said:

4 night stay in Iguazu Falls

Holey moley! We LOVED Iguazu Falls but spent about 24 hours there and that was plenty. We were on the Brazil side .
https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/brazil/iguassu-falls/belmond-hotel-das-cataratas/

What did you do all that time?

And Buenos Aires is fantastic! I could return there regularly if it weren't so far away. The food - Italian and beef - is so, so good. Mmm.

[cccole]

Wow.  We loved the Gran Melia Iguazu.  We flew from BA to IGA.  Enjoyed an afternoon and evening at the hotel including a view of the falls when in the infinity pool.  It is inside the park as is the Belmond. The falls were visible from our room.  On day 2 our guide took us to the Brazilian side of the falls, awesome, and we took a helicopter ride.  Day 3 our guide took us on the hike/walk from our hotel and then we enjoyed the beautiful grounds of our hotel.  We loved the jungle, wild life, and natural beauty of this area.  There is a very popular adventure, the Argentine Experience, which includes cooking and enjoying a meal in Iguazu.  We were going to do this but just loved where we were.  Did you see both sides of the falls? Did you have a Coati come up to you hoping for a hand out?  Did you have Capuchin monkeys running along your patio railing to see if you had left the door open?  Did you see the bridge from Brazil to Paraguay?  Did you experience Iguazu Falls National Park?  I have a photo of me in the infinity pool looking at the falls 30 minutes before our driver was to pick us up.  I did not want to leave, it was just beautiful.  24 hours?  O.K.  But not our experience,  Cherie    

Edited June 15 by cccole

[donap]

On 6/14/2024 at 5:58 PM, cccole said:

Hi Robin, We loved our January 2024 cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires.  With the fun things we planned before and after the cruise I don't think it matters. We could have done these adventures at the beginning or end.  I thought ending with a 4 night stay in Iguazu Falls was the perfect end to our trip. We began the adventure with Santiago, an overnight in the Andes, 2 nights at a vineyard near the port and then the cruise.  It was awesome.  My primary reason for choosing our cruse was the cabin I wanted.  You will love either direction.  JMO. Cherie 

 

[donap]

Hi Cherie, can you tell me more about your overnight in the Andes and 2 nights at a vineyard

near the port in Santiago?  Do you rent a car to do these, or arrange a transportation service?

Thank you,

 

Dona

[cccole]

Hi @donap  We arranged most our pre cruise Chile experience with a private guide.  Mauricio picked us up at the airport in Santiago and took us to our hotel, the Renaissance, Vitacura.  We took day 2 to recover from jet lag and arranged a tour of the city with Mauricio on day 3.   On day 4 Mauricio picked us up at the hotel we drove into the Andes to Volcan San Jose and did a bit of a walk.  My husband was recovering from a hip replacement or we could have done a longer hike.  Then he dropped us at Cascada de las Animas for our overnight.  It was so fun.  We had a room with view of the Andes with private hot tub on the patio, which is heated by a wood fire.  This is a VERY unique place and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

Day 5 we were picked up and driven to Casa Marin for a 2 night stay prior to the cruise.  The vineyard and staff were amazing and the food delicious.  They have 2 bungalows to rent.

 

Our taxi to the port from Casa Marin was @$30.

 

It was a really fun way to start our adventure and I fell in love with Chile.  Let me know if you have any other questions.  Cherie