Excursions in Santiago, B.A. and Falklands

[Mel]

We will be in Santiago for two days prior to our Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctic cruise on the Discovery, and two days after in Buenos Aires. Has anyone been on a cruise which had shore excursions in any of these places? If so, I would love to know the approximate cost. We would be interested in a tour to a winery in Santiago and a Tango show with dinner in B.A. Not sure what we should do in the Falklands since we will be continuing on from there to S. Georgia and Antarctica which should have lots of penguins, etc.! We usually like to do our own thing and have found websites where we can book online for the Tango show with dinner at a cost of $90. p/p including transportation from our hotel. Any help would be appreciated.

[Peregrina651]

Be sure to read the thread by Gixer on the Falkland Islands: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=591815

 

Not having yet sailed, I can only suggest that the best way to find out about tours in these cities is to search out and read the many threads that have already been posted in this forum dealing with tours and guides in these cities.

 

 

[Keith1010]

The tours will vary by cruise line.

 

On the way from Santiago to Valparaiso you pass thru the wine region which is where the wineries are.

 

For the Tango, some cruise lines will include dinner with the Tango show. Many others will include the Tango show and two drinks. Personally, if this is your first time in Buenos Aires I would recommend going with the cruise tour.

 

I would go see the Penguins in the Falkland Islands. There are usually two types of tours offered. Weather in South America can be unpredictable. You could put off seeing them but possibly not see them at a future port because weather (wind) keeps you out of a port. Even the Falklands can be a problem and sometimes the tenders can't make it over there.

 

Keith

[eh2zed]

In Santiago we used enaturchile to pick us up at the airport, take us to our hotel, city tours and then down to Valparaiso to the ship. On the way wwe stopped at Veremente winery, Renaca and Vina del Mar. Private tour and very reasonable. www.enaturchile.com

In Falklands we did the 4WD penguin tour from the ship. I couldn't find any private operators there. In BA can you add at least 1 or 2 more days and go to Iguazu Falls. You will not regret it. Try Cintia at www.wowargentina.com.ar She picked us up at the port did a city tour and arranged the pickup in Iguazu and the Sheraton there. We did our own flights. Iguazu is a must see in your lifetime kind of place.

[owl61]

In BA, you might want to take a brief escorted overview city tour the first day which lasts for around 3 hours. These can be found at http://www.easybuenosairescity.com;click on tours;then traveline tours. These run around $US15 and will give you a good idea of the layout of the city with an English speaking guide.When finished then you can have them drop you off in one of the neighborhoods then begin your own exploring on foot.

or http://www.opcionsur.com.ar/index-eng.html for smaller buses.

There are lots of very helpful destination experts at the BA tripadvisor forum.

[Ruth_V]

My husband and I in our travel in Chile also we used the services of www.enaturchile.com

They are very exact with the schedules and we were happy with your service.

They are highly recommended

 

Good luck!!!

[BCHappyGal]

When we travelled to these 3 ports we did all private tours and had great guides ...

 

in Valpariso we went to 2 wineries. For Chile and Valparaiso we used Terracota Excursions – http://www.terracotachile.cl E-mail info@terracotachile.cl and were very happy with their services.

 

On the Falkland Islands we walked around the town on our own in the morning and then met up with our tour guide in the afternoon however in hindsight I wished I had done a 4 wheel drive tour to see the penguins...declined this as so many in my group were over 80 and was afraid the rough drving would be too much for them. However doing my research I got lots of sights to come up on the Falklands and the best part is it is all english there...

We did use Andy to give us a short tour of Port Stanley and out to the beach to see some penguins and were very happy with the service and the tour,,,,fitt@horizon.co.fl

 

In Buenos Aires Argentina we went with Ricardo and he provided excellent service and ensured that we saw as much of his wonderful ciy as possible in a very short space of time. He also provided the transfer to the airport for us. Ricardo Defranco Defrantur@fibertel.com.ar or http://www.defrantur.com

 

I can highly recommend all ofhte above as they were great.