Argentina: Walking tour accents wine country, lakes and tango

Vermont-based Country Walkers offers a tour of Argentina that explores on foot the wine country of Mendoza as well as the lakes of Patagonia. Add on three extra days in Buenos Aires for free by booking selected spring tours.

The walks on this eight-day trip are considered easy to moderate (the tour operator doesn’t call it hiking) and usually last a half day. Near the start point in Mendoza, the group visits such places as Bodega Norton, a winery that dates to 1883, and the Horcones Valley at the base of Mt. Aconcagua, almost 23,000 feet above sea level.

From there, it’s a short flight to northern Patagonia near the border with Chile and the country’s lake district. Lodgings overlook Nahuel Huapi Lake where walks focus on the wildlife (this is condor country), the natural reserve of the lake’s 12-mile-long Victoria Island and the Patagonian steppe with views of the volcano Mt. Tronador.

The deal: The free add-on includes two nights in Buenos Aires, most meals with wine or beer, a walking tour of the city, a tango show with dinner, an Argentine barbecue and transportation to the trip meeting point. The add-on is valued at more than $1,700 per person.

Dates: Tours departing Feb. 23 and March 9 include the free pre-tour.

Price: $5,198 per person, plus $750 internal airfare, double occupancy. It includes guide, accommodations, most meals, ground transportation, entrance fees to attractions and other extras. International airfare is extra.

Info: Country Walkers, (800) 464-9255

maryforgione@latimes.com
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